DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING RELATED TO WWE
AJ stood from her chair and headed towards the door. She still felt nervous about what she had just done, but she knew that it was what had to be done. Paul followed her to the door and opened it for her.
"Thank you for coming to me with this AJ. I know that couldn't have been easy for you; I know you have relationships with both men involved. You are free to go for the rest of the evening, just get those ribs looked at. Best case scenario is that they are just bruised but you never know. I am going to cancel your segment on Smackdown so that you can heal up properly." Paul said as she exited the office.
"I will; thank you for being so understanding about the whole mess. I will see you next week." AJ said as she headed down the hallway to the divas locker room. When she entered the room she was thankful that the room was empty. She really didn't feel like explaining her growing welt on her side to anyone. She quickly changed into a pair of jean shorts, black sports bra and oversized blue tank. She tossed everything else into her bag and threw it over her shoulder. As she headed for the door she walked past a mirror and noticed that her tank fell just under her injury. Gotta cover that up. She thought to herself and dropped her bag and pulled out her WWE sports jacket. After putting it on she headed out the door and down the hall to the parking lot. All she wanted to do was get back to the hotel and call Phil to see how he was. She was approaching her rental car when she heard a voice call her name from behind. AJ turned to see John heading toward her with a purpose. AJ swallowed hard bracing herself for his anger; she knew that he had been called into Paul's office after she had left and it could not have gone well.
"You ratted me out? How could you do that? Do you know what this is going to do to my career? Why would you do this to me AJ?" John said standing only a foot away from her causing her to press her back against her car.
"I had no choice. I had to tell Paul if it wasn't me it would have been Charles Robinson or worse Punk. You know as well as I do that Punk would have made light of you attacking him and focused on the fact you hurt me in the process. It was going to come out sooner or later. You have to know that." AJ said not backing down. "I know they didn't fire you, so what you are out a couple hundred bucks. I think you can afford it. I never thought that you would be this guy."
"He didn't just fine me AJ. He suspended me for 6 weeks! Do you know what that kind of time away is going to do to me? DO YOU?"
AJ was unbelievably hurt to hear him care more about his career than what he had done to Phil and her. "I DON'T CARE!" she screamed at him startling so much that he backed up. "You promised me that you would accept the fact that Phil is in my life. I told you everything that I could about our storyline and you were okay with the fact creative had decided to put him and I back together on screen. You couldn't keep personal and professional separate. You attacked him when he wasn't even expecting it and to top it all off you hurt me, inadvertently yes, but you still hurt me. Now you stand here infront of me bitching about you having been given a little fine and suspended for 6 weeks; not even showing any remorse for what you did tonight. You are not the man that I thought you were John. We're done, I can't trust you anymore and I can't be with a man who I can't trust."
John stood there shocked trying to catch up to her rant and comprehend what she was saying. "AJ, baby please, it was an accident. It won't happen again I promise. You can't leave me; I love you." John pleaded with her.
AJ choked back the tears that those three little words brought out. "You love me? You have a funny way of showing it. I have waited to hear those three words from a man for so long and to have you say them in an attempt to make me stay with you is a little pathetic. Take my advice John; take the 6 weeks that they have given you and work on yourself. Figure out what's going on in your head and your heart. I care about you John I really do, but I can't be in this relationship anymore."
"AJ please don't do this."
"I have to." AJ said as she got into the car and drove away. AJ couldn't help but think about everything that had happened that night. From the kiss with Punk to breaking up with John. "Why don't I feel sad about my break up?" she asked herself. As soon as she asked that question her cell phone rang indicating a text message. She pulled over onto the side of the road so that she could check it safely.
Hey Firecracker…just wanted to let you know that I have been given a clean bill of health and everything is good and I am back on the bus at the hotel…told you I would be fine…hope all is okay with you…call me if you need to talk…Wolvie
AJ sighed heavily thankful that he was okay. She continued on her way to the hotel and plan to call Phil when she got to her room. After digging her room key out she opened the hotel room and made her way into the suite. AJ stopped dead in her tracks when she looked up from her phone only to see Kaitlyn and Sheamus naked on the couch.
"OH YES! GIVE ME THAT CELTIC CROSS! YOU ARE THE GREAT WHITE!" Kaitlyn screamed out in pure ecstasy.
"You want it lass, you got it! I'm gonna show you why they call me the Irish Warrior!" Sheamus replied.
AJ turned and left the room before either one of them could notice that she was there. Holy crap! Now where am I gonna go? AJ thought to herself. AJ got into the elevator and headed to the lobby and to the front desk.
"Hello there how can I help you?" the receptionist asked.
"Yes, I was hoping you had a room available for the night." AJ asked hopefully.
"I'm very sorry miss but unfortunately with the WWE in town we are completely full."
"I understand; do you know if there is another hotel close by that might have a room?"
"There is the Marriot about 3 blocks from here. If you turn left out of the parking lot it will down the street on your right. I apologize for the inconvenience."
"It's okay it was a shot in the dark." AJ said turning toward the door. As she exited the hotel she looked to her left and saw a familiar bus. "What the hell, I was going to call him anyway." AJ said out loud and headed to the bus. As she got to the door she knocked and waited for someone to answer. The door opened and AJ was overwhelmed with emotion when she saw him and burst into tears. Punk walked down the last few steps and pulled her into a comforting hug.
"SHHH, it's okay, everything is okay." Punk took her bag from her shoulder and guided her onto the bus. The two sat down on the couch and curled up into each other. Punk wrapped his arms around her small form and gently rocked her back and forth. "Talk to me Firecracker. I know that this isn't all about what happened to me tonight. What happened after I left the arena?"
AJ calmed herself enough to stop crying, it was amazing to her that just sitting in Punks arms made her feel like she could overcome anything. She couldn't remember the last time she felt that safe and loved. Looking up at Punk she explained everything that happened with Paul and John. "I'm not even that upset about the breakup, I'm hurt that he thinks that I ratted him out to get back at him. You know what the worst part is? Right after I ended it he told me he loved me."
"Not exactly the most opportune time to say the 3 most important words a girl wants to hear." Punk said trying to make her laugh.
"He said it to try and keep me with him"
"You think he didn't mean it?"
"No, I think he did, but that doesn't matter now. I can't be with a man who doesn't trust me and can't accept my friends. Especially someone who can't separate work from personal. I have seen too many personal issues play out on live television and I don't want that for my life."
Punk smiled to himself and remembered that she was hurting and tried his best not to jump for joy. He knew there was something more between him and AJ, the kisses tonight brought it all out to the surface. That wasn't how she kissed him when it was for live television that was how she kissed him that night so many months ago. Now John had gone off the deep end about it and she had left John and come to him for comfort; part of him couldn't help but wonder why she didn't go running to Kaitlyn for some helpful girl talk. "AJ, not that I'm not happy to see you and trust me I don't want you to leave; but isn't this usually something you would talk to Kaitlyn about? Why did you come to me?"
AJ looked up at his questioning face and burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Did I miss something? What is so damn funny?"
AJ still laughing tried as hard as she could to explain what she had walked in on only 15 minutes prior. "I walked in….GREAT WHITE….oh my god…so funny…IRISH WARRIOR! You should have….." AJ struggled to get the words out.
"AJ, babe you aren't making any sense. What did you walk in on?"
"Probably something that will forever be burned on my brain; Kaitlyn and Sheamus having sex on our couch in our suite. I left before they could see me. I didn't have anywhere else to go; I kinda thought that they would feel like threes a crowd."
"Great White? Irish Warrior? Kait uses his ring nicknames during sex?" Punk said with a shudder.
"OH, and his signature moves. She kept telling him to give her that Celtic Cross! Like I said funny as hell! Yet very disturbing; I mean come on that would be like me telling me to give me your 'Anaconda' or 'GTS' I mean can't they come up with something more original?"
"Well, my 'Anaconda' just might make you 'Go to Sleep' if given the opportunity." Punk joked with her.
"You pervert, we both know that you don't want to get caught in my 'Black Widow' you might just have to tap out." AJ responded to his innuendos. The two spent the next couple of hours talking and playing video games. AJ yawned audible after they finished a game of WWE 13. "I don't want to impose but is it okay if I stay here tonight? I really don't need another 3D sex show. I'll sleep on the couch; you won't even know I'm here." She asked looking up at him batting her eyelashes.
"Of course you can stay here; but you aren't sleeping on the couch. You can have the bed, I will take the couch." Punk replied.
"Phil I don't mind sleeping on the couch, you are a foot taller than me and this couch isn't exactly what I would call huge."
"You are sleeping in the bedroom and that's final. Now go get some rest." He said to her turning her towards the bedroom giving her a kiss on the top of her head.
"Okay if you insist." AJ said picking up her bag and headed into the bedroom at the back of the bus closing the door behind her so that she could change. Just as she finished putting on her boxers and tank she heard a knock at the door.
"AJ are you decent? I just need to grab a pair of sleep pants."
"Yeah come on in, I'm dressed but I'm hardly ever decent." She teased the straight edged superstar.
"Oh trust me I know that first hand." He replied as he entered the room.
AJ couldn't help but notice that he had taken off his t-shirt and was now clad only in his jeans that hung on his hips giving AJ a glimpse of those little 'v' muscles that made every girl swoon. "Are you sure that you don't want to take the bed? It is yours after all." AJ tried once more to get him to take the bed.
"I'm sure, now get that cute butt of yours into that bed and get some sleep. We've both had a long night and could use some rest. If you need anything you know where I am." He said as he left the room closing the door behind him.
AJ climbed into the bed and snuggled up under the covers. She reached up and turned out the light and when she put her head back down onto the pillow she couldn't help but notice how much it smelt like Punk. She inhaled his scent and closed her eyes to get some much needed rest.
AJ had been tossing and turning for hours; she kept replaying the night's events in her head. Every time she closed her eyes she saw John hitting Punk and remembered the pain of hitting the crate. She rolled over and looked at the clock '3:26! You have got to be kidding! I'm never going to fall asleep' she thought. She knew why she was having a hard time sleeping; she wasn't used to sleeping alone. And tonight she didn't want to be alone, she knew that she wasn't completely alone; Punk was just outside on the couch but it wasn't the same as having someone in the same room or better yet in the same bed holding you. True she and John had not had sex but they had made a habit of sleeping in the same bed almost every night. She wasn't missing John but she needed someone to hold her and make her feel like everything was going to be okay. She slipped silently out of the bed hoping that he was still awake, she knew that he didn't sleep much on a good night. She walked into the living room that was lit by the glow of the TV. He was sitting up watching old wrestling tapes from the 1980s. She made her way toward him and picked up the remote and turned off the TV.
Punk looked up at her with a confused look on his face. "AJ?"
She said nothing but simply grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the bedroom. She pulled him inside and closed the door. Turning back to face him she walked up and wrapped her small arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest.
"AJ, what are you doing?"
"I can't sleep without someone next to me. I keep seeing everything that happened tonight when I close my eyes. I need you to hold me. I don't want to be alone. Please?" She asked him quietly.
Punk wrapped his arms around her gently, trying not to aggravate her side. She could put up a really strong fight when she wanted to but he knew that the night's events really rattled her. "Hey, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." Punk gently picked her up and placed her under the covers and climbed in next to her wrapping his strong arms around her bringing her close to his chest. He could hear her start to tremble with tears and it killed him that she was hurting so badly. "Shhhh, baby you are safe. You're here with me and I won't let anyone hurt you. Shhh, now. Go to sleep."
AJ soaked up the feeling of having him wrapped around her and had never felt more safe or protected in her life. Soon after they got into bed the two of them fell asleep with smiles on their faces.