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Monday Night Raw from Las Vegas, NV
1/28/2013
"Oh, my God, AJ, you did great out there!" Aksana happily stated as she squeezed the tiny brunette in a tight hug. She had just spent the past couple of minutes gushing with Layla, Nattie, Cameron and Naomi in the back about AJ's match against Tamina. She was booked to battle Tamina for the night to open up Round One of the Divas Cup Tournament, a tournament that would help find the next #1 contender to challenge Eve, when all of a sudden, Tamina's new manager Vickie Guerrero decided to spin the wheel for them.
And fortunately-or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at the situation-the point landed on the Submission Match.
Everyone in attendance now became worried for AJ's well-being, with her being in such a physically grueling match that would prove to be taxing on the body, especially with a brute such as Tamina against someone like AJ, who wasn't exactly the biggest person in the room.
The fans also feared that AJ's momentum from the Royal Rumble would be lost once she entered the ring with the Chaotic Exotic Diva, but even with Tamina dominating her for most of the match with her sheer size and strength, the fans and roster could see that A.J had been doing some homework on her division.
A.J. countered most of Tamina's power moves with trips and kicks, showcasing her advantages in speed and agile quickness, doing everything she could to avoid getting caught and slammed, or put in a tortuous submission hold. And after having her experiences with Nattie and her Sharpshooter, she vowed to herself she wouldn't be put in such a predicament ever again.
After A.J. used an inverted Stomp Facebreaker on Tamina, she dropped down to the mat and, to the surprise of everyone in the arena, began to apply the Koji Clutch to Tamina. Because the move had caught her off guard, as well as the unbearable pain as a result of the excellent pressure AJ was applying, the daughter of the Hall of Famer "Superfly" had no choice but to tap out, making A.J. the winner and causing Vickie to unleash an ear-splitting shriek, clearly indicating that the self-proclaimed "Cougar in Charge" was unhappy with the result.
As AJ made her way backstage, people kept praising her on a job well done, and even though she liked the amount of attention, she wanted to call it a night and get some well-deserved sleep.
"I know. It was so awesome being out there, and the crowd was surprisingly into it. I loved it," AJ nodded, responding well to Aksana's praise.
"Well, everyone loved it. If anyone didn't know about you then, they will definitely be watching now," Layla chimed in while playfully nudging her.
"Okay, a good night calls for a good celebration so we should hit up the best restaurant here in Las Vegas to celebrate your comeback," Rosa stated as she entered the group.
"Where can we go? There's so many places to get a bite to eat out here," AJ slightly frowned in confusion.
Rosa anticipated that, and sounded very excited when she shouted, "The Sugar Factory!"
The girls seemingly liked that choice, as their cheers filled up the room as a result. AJ held her hand up and shook her head with a smile.
"Come on, guys. No, there's no need for that. I really just want to go sleep this off."
"What? No, chica." Rosa said as she wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "You're back, we're on our way on the road to Mania, and we want to celebrate that."
"What we need to do is get AJ dressed up with those wrist things and cute punk rock dress, and go out for about two hours," Alicia stated. "Since John won the Rumble and it's Sheamo's birthday, and since Wade and John want him to get off his breakup funk…"
Layla shook her head in a flurry to quickly stop Alicia from saying that next point, as to help avoid any mention of Kaitlyn. Rosa picked up on that as well, and decided to go in another direction with her convincing words.
"He's asking a few people close to him to come and have a late dinner," the Puerto Rican beauty said when regarding Stephen, but AJ shook her head as Rosa kept talking. "Come on, AJ. You can stay close to us girls and enjoy yourself a little."
"Oh, I don't know," AJ lowly said with a bit of a whimper, still torn on what to do.
"Look, sweetie. I know you don't drink, but they have tons of sweets and treats you love. Like Dulce de Leche Cupcakes and Ice cream sundaes." Rosa mentioned with a teasing smile.
The mere mention of those two specific treats caused AJ's brown eyes to light up. "Oh, you are so evil for even bringing that up," she exhaled as Rosa kept beaming at her. "They have virgin drinks, right?" Rosa nodded and AJ raised her hands with a smile.
"Okay, I'm in."
They all cheered while AJ laughed.
"She's coming out with us tonight? I love this new April!" Naomi said to AJ while hugging her tightly.
"Okay, we should get ready and meet with the guys there. They have a candy store that we have to stop in," Layla instructed as they all started to get ready with makeup, hairspray and other things they brought along with them. AJ let Layla set her up with a few touches as they talked away from the group.
"So, listen. Have you thought about what you're going to do about… you know who 1 and 2?" she whispered as she kept going.
"No, Lay. Not tonight. I still need to think things over," AJ explained.
Layla sighed in disappointment. "I know it's a bit messy, but I think you should just tell them how you feel or what you want to do."
AJ nodded as Layla finished up. "Well, now that you mention it, I was really thinking about taking a break from Phil."
Layla as you could expect, looked extremely surprised and shocked at what she had just heard. But AJ had anticipated that, and quickly her hand went up. "It's just for a few months."
"You left him here for a few months. Now you don't want to be with him at all?" the British diva questioned.
"I just want friends, Layla. Getting into a relationship isn't the right thing for me to do now. This proved it."
"No. What it proved was that Punk lost his mind without you around, love," Layla countered. "So did Kaitlyn. They made a mistake. Everyone does."
"I know, trust me, I do. But it still hurts Lay."
Layla sighed sadly. "If it didn't, then I'd be worried about your emotional well-being. But now that I know you're human, just take the time to figure this out. Don't make the choice until you've gotten to know the pros and cons of it. I just don't want the last happy moments you've had with him to mean nothing."
"Well, it'll be tough, Lay, but I guess I can do that, at least. I'm still not ready to talk to them yet though."
Layla nodded merely nodded, acknowledging and accepting AJ's answer.
"Okay. Don't even think of it tonight, darling. Let's just go out and have some light fun," Layla smiled with her before looking at her phone. "I'm going to find Wade and tell him we're coming."
AJ took a deep breath as Layla placed the phone to her ears. She made a valid point, and so did Amy. Maybe what they did had logic behind it. Maybe she needed to stay away from them until she wanted to know.
She had a lot of maybes and not enough reasons to say yes or no.
Punk held his title high as he walked backwards up the stage, looking at his Elimination Chamber opponents Ryback, John Cena, Team Hell No, and last but not least, The Rock as they enviously eyed the champion and Paul Heyman leaving. The repeated constant cry of "BEST IN THE WORLD" left Paul's lips while he snickered at the losers in the ring. Then he watched as the lights went out in the arena, and when they came back on, The Shield was in the ring, brawling with the men as the show went off the air.
Once he entered the back, Paul patted him on his shoulder and Amy handed him a towel. His night was great once again, and he still didn't feel like celebrating. Not yet, at least. Then his eyes landed on the one person he wished he could embrace over the luck in their lives.
But AJ didn't even throw a glance in his direction. Part of that was due to Layla and Rosa quickly ushering her outside the building with the rest of the girls piling behind them.
"Hey man." Kofi greeted him with a bro hug as Punk nodded their way.
"What's up with the Diva train?"
"Oh, they're headed out for a dinner party. Its Sheamo's birthday. I'm actually going to stop by and buy the man a pint," Kofi pointed to his button up and vest with a smile.
"Enjoy the booze." He sneered as Kofi snickered, but suddenly grabbed his shoulder as he started to walk away.
"Hey. If she's going, then…"
"Don't worry, man. Daniel and John are with her. Layla and I will be watching her like two hawks. I'll make sure they make it back safely. If anyone gets out of hand, we'll take care of it," he assured his friend before waving them off. "I'll see you at 3 A.M. so we can travel to San Jose."
Phil nodded while his road wife joined the group. "You wish you could join them?" Amy asked as she stood next to him.
He snickered. "Yeah, right. Stephen wants to kick my fucking teeth in right now. I'll pass."
"Don't worry about it Champ. Everything will be fine." Paul assured him.
He shook his head in response, clearly tired of everyone lying to him. "No, it's not. Not right now Paul."
"But it will," Paul frowned. "You've never giving up on a battle or lost a war Punk. Hey, Look at me." The champion looked at his mentor with tired eyes and Paul pointed to his chest. "You've always gone after what you want, including the title that you hold in your hand right now. Don't let her be the only exception. You fight for her if she is what you really want."
Punk was actually shocked by how keen Paul used his words. He expected him to denounce AJ completely; remind him that she's not worth the stress and that he needed to move on. This must be Paul his friend speaking, and not Paul the manager.
He nodded weakly as Amy agreed with Paul. "There's one why you can try," Amy spoke up with a small smile. "Are you busy before Friday?"
The Sugar Factory
Las Vegas, NV
AJ observed the good crowd around her as they enjoyed a late night dinner. Everyone was laughing, drinking, eating and just having a good time. The group took a few photos for the restaurants press and AJ, along with most of the girls, ended up buying tons of candy and treats for the holiday ahead.
Stephen even cracked a smile as his birthday pints kept coming during the night, and if his funk wasn't letting him down, he needed to let loose just a little.
AJ sipped on her Cookie Jar Milkshake and enjoyed a plate of over baked Mac and Cheese while sandwiched between Layla and Stephen in the long booth. John, Daniel and the Bellas sat across from them, making her giggle and laugh with their jokes and stories. Wade even ordered Stephen a huge sundae to sing happy birthday over.
Still, he felt empty without Kaitlyn, just as AJ still felt empty without Phil. She was still bothered over everything they did, and Stephen could easily see that, and understandably sympathize with her on that regard.
"You alright, lass?" he leaned into her ear after sipping his beer, getting a weak okay from her in return.
"Yeah, I was just thinking of the east coast trip, and what I just brought."
"Why? I thought you liked giving your family gifts."
"Well, I also brought something for all the guys in my life… including him," She muttered in shame, giving Stephen a peek at the shopping bag filled with Red Sour Cherries, Red Starbursts in a bag and Strawberry Sour Belt candy.
"I even ordered four cupcakes. How weak am I?"
Stephen smiled with a hand open shrugged. "You know who loves Chocolate Covered Gummi Bears and Unicorn lollipops?" AJ awed as he nodded in defeat. "I was planning on doing something for VDay, anyway. I couldn't help myself either. I might give it to her. I don't know why I did it."
"We miss them," She said, shrugging with her own pout. "Are you going to talk to her?"
"Yeah, when I don't feel like kicking his teeth down his throat. You know, on your behalf and her." She nodded, understanding what he meant.
"I'm kinda happy it didn't go further than it could have, according to what they said at least. And they told us. Even if it meant nothing to them, they knew it would mean a lot to us." AJ reminded him.
"I know. And the more I think about it, the more I just think about what in their heads made them do it, or why they even felt the need to do it. What made them so depressed about all this?"
"Maybe we should just talk to them," AJ said, seeing Stephen looking upset again.
"We'll see. Hopefully, we can get things worked out," He guessed, patting his hand over AJ's as she nodded.
"I never realized how empty it felt without her around; or without Punk here. No matter what's going on, it feels weird that they aren't here," He opined.
"We're just hopeful suckers, I guess," She stated, tilting her drink with his, toasting with his beer before taking another sip. "To the Hopelessly Devoted."
Phil stayed up in his hotel room, his copy of Age of Ultron comic in hand as he anxiously stared at the clock in his room. It was 1:50 a.m. and Kofi still had not shown up yet, and he didn't get a call from them. The thought of AJ out with the wild bunch as they partied like college kids, not caring about how uncomfortable she might feel being with them as they drank and acted out, bothered him. Really bothered him.
He couldn't sleep without her around-not like he could sleep in the first place, anyway-but now he wanted to get up and look for them himself. He just wanted to see if AJ was okay.
He winced at the horrible rendition of the REO Speedwagon classic 'Keep on Loving You', and then realized whose voices were behind the melody. He literally jumped out of bed and made a beeline for the door. He knew where Layla's room was, so once he was able to locate it and step inside, he saw her singing with a huge drunken smile on her face, and AJ helping her into bed, which made his nerves relax. AJ was okay and Layla was clearly intoxicated with a 80s song in her head.
"Oh, God, Layla, shut up," AJ moaned while helping Layla into bed, hearing Wade and Kofi snicker as the British diva kept right on singing. "This isn't funny, guys. I told you she was gonna be drunk after one huge drink."
"It's called a Goblet for a reason. She wanted to be a big girl and finish it off all on her own, so that's on her," Wade teased, and then waved her off. "Good luck with that. See you in the morning." He left and Phil took the chance, walking over to the room and standing with Kofi as AJ just helped Layla get comfy.
"Party's over huh?" he asked, smiling as AJ jumped up to face him. She still looked uncomfortable around him, but he understood why. She really did spend the night avoiding him.
"Sorry we woke you up," she said while taking off her jacket and sitting on her bed.
"It's fine. I wasn't sleeping. I was, uh, worried," He confessed, making her snort out a skeptical smile for him.
"Thanks. And I had fun. Layla can tell you what she remembers later."
"Cool. That's alright with me," Phil responded, and Kofi nodded with him. The dreadlocked high-flyer looked at the pair, feeling his cue to exit, stage left had just arrived.
"Alright, I'm hitting the hay. I'm tired and we have to travel early. So I'll meet you at the bus, Punk. Goodnight AJ." He said, patting Phil's shoulder, leaving them alone for the moment.
"So, how did it go?" Phil asked while leaning against the wall, watching AJ move around. "Did Sheamo have a good bitching session about me?"
"We didn't talk about you. At least, not a lot." AJ just shook her head, causing Punk to frown.
"We just… want to figure this all out. I still have questions to ask."
"Well, then, ask away."
AJ sat on her bed comfortably while talking to him. "I just feel like we rushed things." He frowned as she shook her head. "I mean, you keep a lot of feelings you have bottled in, and you keep a lot of things from me still. I can't handle it, Phil," she stated.
"You're afraid to be with me?" he curiously asked.
"I'm not." She bit her lips once he took a seat beside her.
"But still, I can't help but ask this: why didn't you just tell me how you felt about me leaving or anything else that happened when I left?"
He huffed out a confused chuckle. "I tried to stop you, AJ." She blinked harshly as he shook his head. "I told you exactly why you should stay. I told you who wanted you to be here. I begged you and you still left. I was mad-pissed, in fact-at you for leaving."
He bit his lip from yelling as she sighed. "I was very upset. But after thinking it over, I felt proud. I was proud of you because even if you were still scared, you were still willing and able to take that huge step for your recovery. I let you go so you could become your own person and come back as one."
"I know. I did get better. And I wanted to come back to you and then this happened. Why, Phil? I mean, why Kaitlyn? Why?"
"I… I think that's something you and I should talk about alone," Punk said, seeing Layla tossing back and forth in her bed. AJ bowed her head as he kept talking. "I love you. I want to be with you because I want to, and I want to help you because I care about you."
"Look, Punk. I want to be with you because I like you, not hide for protection. But at the same time, I need to be 100% ready before I start dating you," AJ admitted.
At that moment, Phil's heart sank very low. "This is it," he thought. This is where he thought the worst would now happen. A break up; a break apart; Either way you sliced it, they were over. The reality sinking in that he was losing her, which made even more sick to his stomach.
Or maybe…
"I'm not just some guy you met on the street AJ," he stated, placing his hand over hers as he locked eyes with her. "I meant what I said to you on New Year's Eve. I love you."
"And I love you too. I know you mean that, Phil."
"I hope so."
Her eyes never left his as he caressed her cheek softly. "I'll try to open up a little more. You can talk to me about anything, and I'll tell you what's on my mind from time to time," he said in a shaky breath, feeling the soft skin underneath his thumb.
He had to control his demons around her. He just wanted to touch her, pull her into a hug and hold her close. Every time her lips moved, he wanted to kiss her passionately, just to feel her petite and indulgent frame melt in his arms.
He was literally fighting these feelings, and it was getting even more difficult by the minute. However, he would control himself, and he do it for AJ; only if it would, at the very least, make her feel better. He had to knock his crappy feelings aside for her.
"Is that what you want, April?"
She nodded. "I would like that. But if you don't want to…"
"No, no. I don't mind. I'll still be by your side when you need me. You know that."
The soft smile on her face made him feel a little better about this situation. "I should get some sleep. I have to travel to New Jersey alone in a few hours."
"Cool. I'll see you later then."
"You too, Punk."
He placed his hand over hers and shook it gently, not knowing how far he could go with her. This is normally the part where they both crash into bed together and fall asleep. With him being the comforting pillow he's turned into for her. But he knows he has to be respectful. He can't do what his heart desires right now and that sucked. Instead, he took a deep breath and stood up to leave the room.
"Have a good night's sleep, April." He said with a slight smile as he headed for the door.
"Wait, Phil…" she followed him to the door, holding a large bag from The Sugar Factory with an awkward blush gracing her features. "I know how much you love cupcakes and Starbursts. And since I never had the chance to congratulate you on your match with Rock, I thought I'd just give you a gift for your hard work so…"
After handing him the bag and watching him open it, AJ took great delight in seeing him moan at the scent of cherry and strawberry hitting him, it's heavenly smell tickling his nose. "I think I went overboard with all the red candy and…"
"I love it." he pulled out the bag of Strawberry Sour Belts with a chuckle, and then noticed the red velvet and vanilla cupcakes at the bottom. He gave her a wide grin and hugged her. "This is awesome. Thanks."
"You're welcome. I was just…thinking about you." They separated and he chuckled again.
"Guess we both had each other on the brain tonight."
"What?"
"Nothing. Get some rest and…I'll see you later, AJ."
He backed out the room and into the halls, leaving AJ puzzled as he re-entered his room.
With the bag on his table and a cupcake in his hand, his winning smirk never left his lips as he took a bite. She may not want to be with him right now, but she still has some interest in him. All he had to do is gain her complete trust again and be there for her.
If this chapter broke your heart, I will make you a dozen cupcakes. I promise.
Thanks to everyone who has helped make this story a joy to write with your reviews. If you like my writing, You should read my Valentine's fic, Trill Me, Chill Me, Fulfill Me. It's Smexy as Red Foxy deemed it. LOL A lot of us authors in the fandom and On fanfiction dot net write for our enjoyment and for your enjoyment. So please, respect our work with REVIEWS AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. I'm not as responsive as my other friends here when it comes to negativity that's not helpful. I just delete and block. : ).
Please review and I'll see you next time.