A/N: Orale, FF dot Net! Mi raza, what's poppin, homes! (a little tribute to Eddie Guerrero, there) I want to apologize in advance for the rather long author's note.

The following chapter is (sarcastically) dedicated to Youtube user CMAWx, with two simple words: U mad? LOL

Special shoutouts to everyone who reviewed, including: wreztlingKO, Thewoman that loves the WWE, CRuck, Miserlou, IHeartTeryse, sazbelle, Deadliest Priestess, PikaSixJoy and RonRon10 (The Core Four…Born Better (lol), Crazyanime man, xLightweight, Risinggirl108, mikabronxgirl, Raven Black the Marauderette, BlueWolf1923, KenzieMac, weaselette01, WhiteAsukalover, Unbeleivably Random, Lok2685, AmandaEchelon and DemonicXaliv. Way to represent, guys!

FYI, for anyone looking for a good read (or a Trish/Jeff Hardy story) be sure to read "Stay With Me", a story I co-wrote with my buddy, the talented WhiteAsukaLover, on Facebook earlier this week. Check his page out, and I promise it will be worth your while.

Anyone else counting the hours and minutes until Monday night to see what more AJ/Punk goodness is in store? I just hope it's more kissing, though if it's anything as epic as Smackdown was, I'll be O'Ding on Fanboy glee! lol

Now, to anyone out there with videomaking skills, I have a sort-of mini-contest thing I want to put out there. On my Facebook page (Jean-theGuardian, friend me!) a few friends and I have been listing songs that remind us of Punk/AJ. I would love to make a video, but alas, my computer sucks. So, I want to issue a small challenge: If you can make a one-minute Youtube video of AJ/CM Punk for this fic using either the song "Hard to Handle" by the Black Crowes or "First Time" by Lifehouse and send me a link to it via PM or Facebook by Saturday, July 14, I will grant you (yes, YOU!) either a cameo in the next chapter or the next chapter will feature a Superstar/Diva of your choice. C'mon, spread the Punk/AJ love; the power to change this fic is in your hands, people! ;)

Enough of that, now. Because the next chapter of Hard to Handle begins right…now!

Hard to Handle

Part 10 - A Tale of Three Smackdowns - AJ

Smackdown - Backstage

Moments later

Watching from the monitor in the back in the dressing room, Daniel Bryan's devious blue eyes watched keenly at the events transpiring in front of the monitor, analyzing each word, each event with the utmost interest. Preparation, after all, was key, a lesson he had learned long ago coming up through the indy circuit.

A growl escaped his throat at the sight of his "old buddy" Punk and AJ—his AJ, damn it!—kissing so lovingly in the middle of the ring. The sight did not escape the nearby eyes of Alicia Fox and Rosa Mendes, sitting alongside Zack Ryder, Trent Barretta and R-Truth, all of whom snickered at Daniel after 'awwwing' at the sickening display of affection the couple in the ring shared. Annoyed, he rolled his eyes at them and tried not to pay them any more attention.

There was only so much of this that Daniel could take. In the last 4 days since that infamous RAW led to the discovery of the romantic link between his ex-girlfriend and his ex-friend, the WWE Universe's online world had been on fire with comments from interested and excited fans regarding AJ and Punk's relationship. On Twitter, on Facebook, on the WWE website…even on his own Twitter and Facebook accounts, to his everlasting chagrin, mostly from fans poking fun at him for losing AJ to Punk...

"LOL D-Bry 4 getting pwned by Punk! Hi Elle!" wrote sweetbellesammy.

"Aww, nobody loves Midget Vegan Boy. Punk & AJ 4-ever!" posted VixxyVampire.

"Punk and AJ? STILL better than Twilight! Lol I heart these two! Hey, D-Bry, U Mad? Trololol!" commented mikabronxgirl.

"OMG! Punk & AJ? WTF Daniel Bryan's love life is dead, LOL!" tweeted StarzGirl09.

(There was some random guy posting on his Facebook something about People Power and AJ/John Laurinaitis, but Daniel deleted that crap immediately; some people just made no sense.)

Every single one of those comments was like a needle jabbing into the so-called American Dragon's skin. Only a few months ago, he was the envy and talk of the WWE (in his mind) with the World Title on his shoulder and one of the prettiest Divas to come around in years hanging on his arm. Now, once again, AJ had made him a laughingstock. And she didn't even have to try very hard. His blood boiled at the crack made by AJ about his height (or lack of it) on WWE Backstage Fallout; at least 200 postings calling him a midget followed after that in the last few days.

It was killing him to realize that his attempt to make himself and AJ into a "power couple" months ago when he was still world champ were now being lived out by her and Punk. They were the talk of the wrestling world, the toast of the Internet Wrestling Community, while he was stuck on the outside looking in, without the girl and without the gold.

But not for long, he swore to himself.

He just needed to play things right tonight, and he would be back in the WWE Championship picture. He had no doubt—well, none that he would consciously acknowledge—that he could beat Punk or outshine Jericho. Daniel had hit his stride as a competitor in the last year, and he knew it. But to get that title off Punk, and regain his honor and everything that once belonged to him—specifically AJ—he was going to have to chip away at the defenses surrounding her and Punk.

In particular, that big pasty-faced Irish oaf that Punk hung out with, Daniel noted, as Sheamus had stood tall alongside the tattooed Superstar and the petite Geek Goddess in the ring after driving off Jericho and Ziggler.

But how? Daniel knew very well that he couldn't match up with Sheamus. After losing both the United States and the World Heavyweight championships to the Great White over the last year, Daniel had abandoned all hope that he could ever match up with the bigger, stronger Sheamus. What he needed, he realized, was someone who could. Someone with as much incentive to hate Sheamus as Daniel himself did…

As if by a serendipitous and fortuitous twist of fate, Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo came walking down the outside hall, a surly look on the face of the Mexican Aristocrat.

Sensing his opportunity, Daniel Bryan began to make his way out to Del Rio. Granted, Daniel couldn't stand that cocky, stuck-up fat cat, but as the old saying went, war made for strange bedfellows.

"Alberto! Hey, wait up a sec!"

Annoyed, Del Rio turned his disdainful sneer towards Bryan. "Ugh, what do you want, enano asqueroso (dirty midget)?"

Daniel had no idea what that meant, but he was pretty sure it didn't mean "Hey, buddy" or anything. "Uh, yeah…so, listen, how's the concussion? You medically cleared yet?"

"What business is that of yours, perro?"

"Just answer the question," snapped an impatient Bryan. "Are you cleared or not?"

Snorting in irritation, yet smart enough to realize that there was something behind Daniel's inquiry, Del Rio nodded. "I should be cleared by this Monday. Stronger than ever."

Daniel smiled, knowing that this was perfect timing. "Let me offer you a proposition. How would you like to make an impact and become the next number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship?"

Del Rio looked on, intruiged. "Okay, gringo. You have my attention. What is it that you propose?"

"Just a little way to take care of Punk's big pale friend tonight," Daniel smirked.

Alberto balked at that. "Are you crazy, naco? I'm not medically cleared yet! I'm not going to confront Sheamus one-on-one!"

"Trust me, you won't have to," Daniel assured him. "All I need you to do is be at the right place at the right time tonight. I'll take care of the rest."

Del Rio was still reluctant. "And what makes you so sure that this will work?"

The smile on Daniel's face was sinister. "Trust me. I know Sheamus. It'll work."

Even as Daniel explained his plan to Del Rio, the Vegan Superstar knew that was only a means to one of his real ends. The other one…AJ…was something that he was going to have to take care of with a more…personal touch.

As for Punk, well…a malicious idea came to him the other day while watching some old DVDs from the 2003 era of WWE. A way to put his old ex-pal through the paces and soften him up, so that when Daniel Bryan struck…all there would be left of Punk to pick off would be the WWE Title, and the bones.

"He's up to something," Punk said of Laurinaitis, his eyebrows knitted together in thought.

Back in Punk's dressing room, AJ watched as Punk paced the locker room, while Sheamus, Kofi and Kaitlyn sat around, equally concerned. Layla was conspicuously absent, having to sneak away unbeknownst to her friends to see what was happening to John Cena. The man had been rather distant in the last few days, and Layla was trying to figure out what had happened recently that had John so distracted.

"I'm not doubting that, boy-o, but it ain't gonna do us any good to sit around and fret about it," Sheamus offered, stretching his arm. "Let's just get ready and go all out tonight."

"It's not that simple, Sheamo," Punk countered, stroking his trim beard. "I know old Snicklefritz like the back of my hand. He's planning something for tonight. So we've got to be alert." Looking at AJ seriously. "All of us."

AJ sighed heavily as she realized something. "This is it, isn't it? It's starting."

Punk didn't pretend not to understand what she was talking about. This war that Punk kicked off—literally—between himself and Laurinaitis…it was about to shift into high-gear. He knew that. Laurinaitis was a cornered animal, desperate to hold on to power, and for that to happen, he would have to seize control of the WWE Championship. And that was not something that Punk was going to allow to happen.

"Yeah, AJ," he uttered, gravely. "Yeah, it is."

As she saw the tension in his posture, the way that nervousness seemed to be radiating from him, it took all of AJ's strength not to walk over and wrap her arms around him, to whisper in his ear that everything was going to be okay. She knew that now wasn't the time for being tender; now was the time to plan, to get ready for a fight.

She watched as Punk's green eyes grew solemn as he looked at their friends, wondering what was going on inside his head as he spoke. "Guys…look, starting tonight, the shit's really going to hit the fan. It might be a good idea for you guys to keep your distance as much as possible from me. It's my fight and I don't want to drag—"

"Alright, you can stop all that, man," Kofi spoke up. He had known Punk for years, they had traveled up and down the road together as "road wives" many times. "Dude, you're gonna need help with whatever's going down. And if you need me, I've got your back."

"Same here, fella," Sheamus patted Punk on the back in solidarity. "I knew what I was doing when I jumped out there. And there are two things an Irishman never turns his back from—his friends, or a fight."

AJ chuckled, as did the others at his comment. Over the last month or so, she and Sheamus had become quite close. Not romantically, of course, but the Irishman had taken a liking to AJ, acting as her surrogate big brother whenever Punk wasn't around to protect her. And he had grown on her, the petite Diva having developed an appreciation for his odd Irish tales and his strange, yet amusing sense of humor. More than that, she had come to appreciate the big heart that the Great White had displayed for them; no wonder Kaitlyn liked him so such, AJ realized with approval.

"I think if Layla was around, she'd say the same thing—We're all in, Punk," Kaitlyn promised, her eyes drifting to AJ as she stood and walked to her BFF's side. "For both of you."

A grateful smile adorned AJ's face as her fist bumped with Kaitlyn's in their signature "Chickbusters" handshake, the two taking a moment to laugh. It was times like this that AJ was so glad to have Kaitlyn here with her again. It horrified the Union City native to think back on how close she came to losing Kaitlyn after that downward spiral she tumbled down post-Daniel. Kaitlyn was more like family to her than a friend, she was the sister AJ never had.

While she was pleased to see a faint smile appear on Punk's face, there wasn't nearly enough of it to ease her concerns over his state of mind. So, she knew what she had to do. "Guys, can you give me and Punk a minute alone?"

Without an argument, her friends left the room as quick as they could. Once alone, she walked up to him, placing her small hand on his bicep as she looked up at him. "Punk? Baby, what's wrong?"

The frustration was easy for her to read on him. In the time they had been together, she had rather quickly learned how to read his body language, and all of his moods. The way his hand kept rubbing at his face and back through his slick hair, how he would often scratch at the spot just below his earlobe on his neck told her that he was worried.

Softly, she insisted. "Phil?"

Sighing, he relented. "I'm just worried about tonight, is all. I mean, I know you can take on Vickie, no problem. It's just…I have no idea what Laurinaitis is planning, and for all I know, this is his way of trying to get to you to get to me, and I just—"

"Baby, stop," she cut him off gently. "Don't do that to yourself. You have to stay focused, or he's already won. You can't worry about me while you're out there."

"You think I don't know that?" he huffily pointed out, throwing his hands up in the air. "God, I know what to expect from Jericho and from Ziggler, hell even from Vickie, but with that goofball planning God-knows-what—"

"Are you listening to yourself?" she argued. "Punk, sweetie…listen to me." She took his taped-up hand in hers. "I know what you're thinking. And I adore you for it. But I've trained for this just like you. Don't worry about protecting me out there, I can take care of myself. I'm stronger than I look, remember?"

"I know," he hastily assured her, and AJ was trying to decipher whether it was a sincere validation of his faith in her or just a quick way to get her to shut up. She was desperately hoping for the former. The thought of being a distraction to Punk out there, when he needed most to be on top of his game, was unbearable for her. It would have been an affirmation of everything that Daniel accused her of being in the past.

"I know, babe. I just…I worry about you, you know?"

The sincerity of his words reflected in his eyes sent tingles down her toes. AJ had never seen Daniel, or any other man, look at her with such conviction of his feelings, such truth. That was the thing with Punk, one of the many things she loved about the man—he was always real, always honest with her.

With Daniel, it was always a game of trying to figure out what he was thinking, because he always internalized and kept things to himself, leaving her to wonder what his motives were. There were no games or guessing needed with Punk. For her, his heart was as visible and as naked as the tattoos across his sleeves. Which is why she had little, if any trouble believing him when he said that.

A faint smile on her face, she brought one of his tattooed fingers to her lips, pressing them against his skin gently. "And I worry about you, too, baby. Which is why you have to focus up. If I knew that you worrying about me ended up getting you hurt, it'd drive me crazy."

Punk smirked. "More than you already are, you mean?"

Playfully, she smacked his stomach. "Jerk."

Sighing, he brought his hands up to her shoulders. "You're right. I'm losing it. I gotta get back in the game instead of worrying about what could happen out there."

"I'll tell you what's gonna happen," she assured him as she reached up and brushed his sideburns with her hand, relishing the scratchy feel of his facial hair under her sensitive hand as she met his eyes. "We're going to go out there tonight with Sheamo, he's gonna Brogue Kick the bleach off Ziggler's head, you're going to put Jericho to sleep with a GTS and I am going to knee Vickie's face off with a Shining Wizard, the referee's going to raise out hands in victory, and we're going to celebrate by rocking that bedroom in your tour bus like a hurricane later tonight."

She could feel herself blush at that last part, particularly when the pierced corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile as he gently pulled her closer.

A relieved laugh escaped his lips. "I guess I am a little tense, aren't I?"

"A tad high-strung," she smiled with a shrug. "But it's really sweet."

That confident smirk she had come to love reappeared on Punk's face. "Well, I am a sweet kind of guy."

Laughing, she gently kissed him on the mouth, feeling a shiver of pleasure as his lip piercing grazed her own lips. "Save it for later, lover. They'll be plenty of time for me to enjoy the sweet guy later. Right now, Sheamus and I need the 'Best In The World' to go out there tonight and do what he does best…kick ass and take no prisoners."

"Yes, m'aam," he promised confidently.

"Now, that's my guy," AJ smiled, pleased. "Look, I'm just gonna go get some water. But I'll be back in a few, okay?"

"Cool," he grinned, pressing his mouth to her hand, a gesture that never failed to make her knees all jello-y. "I'll be here."

"That worried, huh?" Kaitlyn noted as she and AJ swung by catering, AJ selecting a bottle of water while Kaitlyn helped herself to some fruit salad.

"Yeah," AJ shrugged. "It was sweet, in a weird sort of way."

Kaitlyn smiled and shook her head. "He's just concerned, AJ. He worries about you, you know that."

A frown came over AJ's pretty face at those words. "That's what worries me, Kay."

"Huh?"

AJ's hand began wringing the water bottle as she sighed. "I just…I just don't want him to be so wrapped up in thinking about protecting me out there that he gets hurt. I mean…Jericho and Ziggler are pretty tough wrestlers, and I don't want to be a distraction—"

"Okay, hold your horses, young Padawan," Kaitlyn held her hands up. "That's not you talking, that's all that self-doubt-y crap that Daniel plugged into your head. You are so not a distraction. You have to get that thought out of your mind, girl, otherwise it's just going to ruin things between you two."

AJ bit her lip. "I can't help it, Kay. I just want to know that he'll be okay out there."

"He will be," Kaitlyn assured her. "I mean, c'mon, he's Punk. You know, 'Best In the World' and all that? This isn't his first rodeo. He knows what he's doing out there. C'mon, you're worrying too much about this. It'll be fine. He'll bounce back like some poor jobber's head after he hits one of those roundhouse kick thingies."

The Geek Goddess allowed herself a laugh at that. This was always how it was between the two of them; Kaitlyn was the balance to her brand of crazy, the practical one, the one who kept her sane when she was freaking out.

"You're right…of course, you're right," AJ relented with a smile.

"Aren't I always?" Kaitlyn teased.

AJ rolled her eyes, playfully. "Know-it-all."

"Spaz," the blonde replied jokingly.

"Doofus."

"Dork."

"I always figured you two would take each others' heads off eventually," came a familiar voice that made AJ immediately tense and Kaitlyn scowl in distaste.

They turned to see Daniel Bryan, holding a rose in hand, with a somewhat smug look on his face. "But then, you always did have a way of surrounding yourself with strange people, AJ."

AJ hated the way that the note of condescension in his voice made something in her instinctively shrivel back, just like before in the old days. The way that he somehow instinctively knew where the weak spots in her psyche were.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she said nothing, though she contemplated about a thousand ways to respond to that remark, when Kaitlyn beat her to the punch. "Sure she does. I mean, look at you, Weirdy-Beardy. Doesn't get any stranger than a guy who doesn't own a TV and is, like, what, 4 feet tall?"

AJ's snicker made Daniel's eyes narrow at the pair of Divas.

"Always a pleasure, Kaitlyn," he replied facetiously. "But if you don't mind, I'd like a word with your pal AJ for a moment."

"As a matter of fact, Maroon Boy, I do mind," Kaitlyn snapped, folding her arms across her chest as she stared him down. "You really think I'm stupid enough to leave you here to fill her head with whatever garbage you've—?"

"Kay, it's alright," came AJ's voice, the smaller Diva's eyes set with a resolved look.

Stunned, Kaitlyn stared at her best friend. "AJ, you don't have to—"

"Really kinda do," AJ quietly admitted. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Reluctant to leave her alone with the conniving ex-world champ, but understanding that this is what AJ wanted, the Houston-raised beauty nodded. "I'll be waiting for you outside. I won't be far," that last part was directed specifically at Daniel as she turned a hardened glare at him.

"Got it," nodded AJ, as she and her longtime friend exchanged their signature Chickbusters handshake again before Kaitlyn left them alone, throwing one last glare at Bryan before she left.

Daniel shook his head, annoyed. "I still don't have any idea why you hang out with her."

Her response was quick and biting. "If you came here to judge me on my friends again, get lost. I've got a match to get ready for, and one insanely gorgeous boyfriend I'd like to spend time kissing before then."

She smiled dreamily to herself at the thought of Punk's lips grazing her own in their heated rhythm.

His expression darkened at her obvious happiness, a pang of jealousy rising up within him before he squashed it down. "I caught your little cameo on WWE Backstage Fallout. So, I'm short, now?"

She smirked wickedly at him. "No, not now. You were short when I first met you, too. And apparently long before then, unless the Midget Fairy tapped you with her wand before you came into the WWE."

He was a little taken aback by the spunk that she was showing him, that he thought he had squashed out of her long ago. The old AJ would have never dared to poke fun at him like this. Immediately, he realized that using his old bullying tactics would not work with this new AJ before him. But that was fine. He was a genius, he told himself, so he'd just find a different tactic.

"You never minded it before," he smiled at her, his tone growing slightly husky as he tried to cup her cheek.

But she slapped his hand away as if it were an annoying gnat trying to bite her, surprising him again. "Maybe I just wanted someone a little closer to eye level for a while," she smiled sarcastically. "But I do love me some of those taller guys. So much more of them to love, you know?"

Giving him a head to toe glance. "Oh, wait, I guess you wouldn't know, would you?" she smiled sweetly.

A flare of rage spiked up within him, Daniel fighting to keep in control of his temper, keep from lashing out at AJ for daring to speak to him like that. She was no one to…no wait. Don't get mad. That won't do any good. Just relax and stick to the plan…

Forcing a smile, Daniel said, "I guess I deserve that."

"Believe me, what you deserve, you better hope never comes to you," she replied coldly. "Already bored to tears now, so if you don't mind—"

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" he insisted as he held out his arm to block her from leaving. "Wait, let me start over, okay? Okay…" He took a deep breath, remembering everything he wrote down the day before. "Wow, this is hard. Um…I'm sorry."

Okay, that, AJ admitted to herself, she was not expecting. She cocked her head as she studied him. "You…sorry." Her tone was somewhat scoffing.

"Yeah," Daniel shrugged. "I guess after looking back, I…I realized that when we were together, I was kind of…"

"A jackass?" AJ offered, "helpfully". "A narcissistic asshole? An emotionally abusive son-of-a-bitch? A royal dickhead with a Napoleonic Complex and a goat face? Or, I don't know, E, all of the above?"

Mouthing the word 'Goat Face?' in confusion and annoyance—to which AJ only eagerly nodded—Daniel gritted his teeth briefly before he calmed himself. "I was going to say 'a jerk.' And I was a…bad boyfriend. I was in a bad place then, and I messed things up between us. So…yeah, I'm sorry."

He presented the rose to her, smiling in a saccharinely sweet manner. "So, are we cool?"

There would have been a time long ago when those words would have brought AJ to tears, where the once-love-starved, desperate girl she used to be would have thrown her arms around him eagerly and peppered his face with kisses at the tender words and the sweet gesture he offered.

But as well as Daniel thought he knew AJ, the same could be said of how well AJ knew him; one of those things being how good he was at chess, for example. She knew he was always thinking, always looking at the pieces, waiting for his move. And she knew him well enough to know that Daniel Bryan never made a move without a reason.

Smiling, she took the rose from his hands. "Wow, Daniel, I…I don't know what to say. That's just so sweet."

She watched the all-too-controlled smile on his face. "Yes, it is."

Her sweet smile never left her face as she looked into those blue eyes that once held her in sway. "Now…what are you really up to?"

His face fell as he processed her words. "Uh, what am I up to? AJ, I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Cut the bullshit, Daniel," AJ continued to smile, yet the edge in her voice was sharp enough to slice open an artery, old memories of Daniel's harsh words, his loud screams and his perpetually angry eyes racing through her brain. "Did you forget that this is me you're talking to? I know you like the back of my hand. I've seen your playbook, I know all your secrets and I know all of your moves. And I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't be here without a reason."

"C'mon, AJ," he stammered as he literally began to backpedal, the smaller girl backing into his personal space with each step as he was forced to retreat backwards. "I'm just trying to be nice here—"

"You don't do nice. You're not capable of nice," she reminded him, her tone cold now as she backed him into a wall. "I don't know what you're up to, but if you think for even a second that you're somehow going to use me to get to Punk and his title, you've got another thing coming…Goat Face. So, if you want to be WWE Champion so badly, my advice? Stop the mind games bullshit with me, hit the gym, drink some milk and grow a few inches taller, say your prayers and then try your luck against Punk. Because that is the only way you'll ever have a shot in hell at beating him."

Stunned to the point where he lost the words, Bryan had nearly no retort as he stared into AJ's simmering brown eyes, finding a fierce fire within those damnably deep chocolate orbs that was rather intimidating for him, even coming from a girl who was at least half-a-foot shorter than he was.

"Just so you know…no, Daniel, we're not cool." Her reply was cold as ice. "We will never be cool, not after everything you did to me." Idly twirling the rose in her hands, she returned her gaze to him. "And as for your little present?"

In a move that shocked him to no end, she held up the rose to her lips, sweetly…before she tore the rose's head off with her teeth, as if it were the head of a bat that Ozzy Osbourne used to tear the head off of during his touring days, before she spit it out without any regard.

"My boyfriend already gives me those," she smirked, as she slammed the stem into his chest. "I'd tell you where you could stick the stem, but…well, we are a PG-show."

With that, she turned on her heels to go, when Daniel, after swallowing the shock, found his voice again. "Tell me what it is about him."

She stopped suddenly, turning back to him despite her urge to keep walking until she could find Punk's locker room and have his strong arms wrap around her, making her forget all of this unpleasantness. "About who?"

"Punk, who else?" he demanded. "He's just some overhyped, over-tattooed goofball with a few jokes. And what's more, he's dragging you in the middle of his fights now. What kind of man is that?"

AJ snorted angrily as his audacity, especially considering their past. "Oh, because you're one to talk, because it's not like you set me up to get run over by Big Show a few months ago or kept using me as a human shield just to protect your precious world title, right? Punk never asked me to be a part of this, but you know what? I'm not afraid to stand by his side, and I'll gladly do it, because when you love someone that's what you do."

Her face went scarlet at her admission. Yes, she relented to herself, she was in love with Phil Brooks aka CM Punk.

Like, head over heels, ass-in-the-clouds, the hills-are-alive, finally-understanding-what-all-those-sappy-love-songs-are-talking-about in love. She had never felt so strongly about anyone as she did for the Windy City Saint. Being with him was like…like harnessing a tornado. Like having a wild, untamable stallion gently come to her hand, or smoothly sailing across an unpredictable tidal wave.

It was unlike anything that she had ever experienced before, and it was like being on a roller-coaster—addicting and chaotic and a constant, nonstop adrenaline rush.

She took some delight at the way her words made Daniel's eyes burn enviously. "So, you're in love with him? Please, AJ, haven't you learned anything from the past? It's so obvious that the only reason he wants to keep you around is so that he can duck behind you when John Laurinaitis sends whatever goon squad he's got gunning after him. He's just using you."

The words should have bothered her—and a few months ago, she might have even believed him—but the way Punk had showered her with nothing but affection and care all this time, it was like Daniel's barbs were bouncing helplessly off Captain America's indestructible shield, or something.

She merely smirked. "Right, using me. The way he treats me like I'm special, spends time with me, talks all night with me, cooks for me, on occasion, stands up for me when I'm threatened with termination by some suit with a power trip…oh, yeah, what a bastard."

"Exactly," Daniel nodded, despite knowing that he was losing this battle. "He's just playing you with the 'sensitive hero' shtick to make you think he's some kind of white knight. But I know Punk, sweetie, I know exactly what he's capable of."

"So do I," AJ snapped, her patience officially running dry. She was not going to stand here and let her jerkoff ex-from-hell run Punk's name through the ground. "You think I care about what he did in his past? He made some mistakes, but he's different now, he's a good and decent man, and he's everything I've ever wanted."

"And yet, when I try to tell you that I've changed, you don't buy that? I don't deserve a second chance, unlike the great CM Punk?" Daniel asked, accusingly. "That's a little hypocritical of you, isn't it, AJ? Why does he get a whitewash when I don't? What does he have that I don't?"

"Hmm, let's think about that, shall we?" AJ pretended to think it over. "One one hand, Punk, sexy, honest, funny, inspiring, kind, was there for me when I needed someone badly…and on the other hand, Daniel, lying, conniving dirtbag jerk who broke my heart and abused me at every turn…top it off with him being really short for a man."

Weighing her two hands opposite her, she merely shrugged, tilting it towards the Punk hand. "Sorry, Danny, but the stats are in, and, well, you have to face facts…in every way, CM Punk is Better. Than. You."

Throwing him a smirk and a cheeky wink, AJ skipped right out of catering with that, a sense of overwhelming satisfaction and even a little bit of closure.

Livid, Daniel angrily grabbed a fruit punch bowl and hurled it against the wall. With dismay, he realized that this was going to be a lot trickier than he thought. AJ was smarter now, a lot stronger, and even he could not deny that there was a kind of glow to her now that he hadn't seen, even since the early days of their own relationship.

And damn it all, even with all the cutting insults and barbs about his height and his beard, there was something about his ex-girlfriend now that was just…irresistible. It was kind of hot, seeing her all assertive and confident, Daniel relented. And it only fueled his desire to have her back on his arm again.

But there just had to be a way to pry her from Punk's tattooed grip, to put some tarnish in that coat of armor AJ seemed to think he wore. He'd have to wait and bide his time. Watch for his opening. But he was confident that sooner or later—especially after the little seed he planned to plant in Laurinaitis's head concerning the Voice of the Voiceless—that Punk would make a mistake, and leave the door wide open for Daniel to slide on in and take back what, in his mind, belonged to him.

And then, it struck him. With a devilish smile, he realized how he might be able to kill two birds with one stone all in one night…

TBC…

Well, that's a wrap for now! More on the way soon - the conclusion of Smackdown, from Sheamus's POV. In case you're wondering, him and Kaitlyn are going to be the other centerpieces of this story, and whatever I can think of to tie into the "Core Four" series.

By the way, make sure to check out World Tour by RonRon10 and "Keeping them apart" by Pikasixjoy, part of the Core Four Series, which ties into this story.

And remember, send in a video via PM or Facebook (Jean-theGuardian) by Saturday, July 14 at 11 p.m. and maybe YOU can be featured in the coming chapter! And like me on Facebook, send me a PM and keep the Punk/AJ vigil alive!

Later, playas! Holla Holla!

-Jean-theGuardian