"Hey Mal, what's up?"

"Hi," Mallori smiled, not really knowing whom she was talking to.

It wasn't such a rare occurrence anymore, having the attention of strangers. Their smiles, greetings, and good wishes now seemed to be Mallori's norm, a stark contrast from her rocky beginning with the WWE. That first night she couldn't have gotten arrested. In a little over four months, everything had changed. She was a WWE Diva, making the rounds on both Raw and Smackdown every week. She had a legion of fans, a dedicated following loyal to Morrison and Jinx. They cheered for her when she walked down the ramp and they screamed out her name. Blogs, fan fics, Internet gossip true and false were written about her. She was recognized everywhere from the grocery store to the women's restroom at the local movie theatre. It was the celebrity life, the everyday existence of a WWE Superstar.

In addition to the fans warming up, the locker room had come around as well. It was an unbelievable feeling to know she had the respect of her peers. She had paid her dues in FCW and had proved herself in the WWE ring over and over again. Tossing her gym bag over her left shoulder, she turned the corner in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Both brands were scheduled to appear in the same arena for two respective nights which meant mostly the entire roster was in Biloxi. Mallori had never been in that venue before and the backstage area was large enough to get lost in.

Finally she found her way to the lounge where the Divas had set up shop for the next 48 hours. The space was empty but the various shoes, cosmetics, clothes, and hair accessories strewn about let her know she was in the right place. Making a small area for herself, Mallori unzipped her bag and took a seat on the sofa, browsing over the card and whatever matches had been planned for John and her. Looking over, she heard a rustling noise coming from behind the shower area. Voices followed that were muffled but soon grew louder. Mallori tried to mind her business and ignore the conversation but the tones grew louder and louder.

"Why are you acting like this?" a female voice demanded.

It sounded like the woman was crying.

"We've been over all this before and there's nothing more to say. What do you want from me?"

A male was also present and he appeared angry.

"I want you to keep your promises. I want you to do what we always talked about."

"I never promised you anything," the man sneered. "It's all in your head. I'm doing what I have to do and that's the end of it. Period. If you don't like it, you know what you can do."

"What about me?" she wailed.

"What about my wife?"

"Fine! Fine. I hate you. I wish I'd never met you. All you did was mess up everything. You ruined my whole life and…"

"Just stop it. There you go again with the dramatics. Save that crap for the ring."

"I'm done with you. I deserve to be treated with respect and with love. If you can't give me those things, then I am going to be with a man who can. A wonderful man who gave me the world until…"

"Until what? Until I came and stole you away? Bullshit! Keep believing your own lies. You did exactly what you wanted to do. If it wouldn't have been me, it would have been somebody else. If he takes you back after all this, which I doubt he will, he's even dumber than I think he is."

"Where are you going?"

"Away from the drama and away from you. This conversation is done."

Mallori had sat frozen. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop but it was kind of hard not to listen. Before she could move, heavy footsteps bounded towards her. She didn't have to see his face; from deductive reasoning she already knew it was Dave Batista. Sure enough he stormed past her, flashing a stone-faced scowl as he put on dark sunglasses and headed out the door. A few seconds later Melina emerged. The dark haired beauty's brown eyes were puffy from crying and she looked angry. Stopping dead in her tracks she jumped a bit, startled that another person was in the room.

"Sorry, I didn't know anyone was back there," Mallori mumbled.

Melina tried to compose herself.

"Oh. That…um, that was nothing. I, we…"

"You don't have to explain. It's none of my business," she went about setting up her clothes for the show.

Melina lingered, uncomfortably shifting her weight from side to side. It was an awkward exchange and the two women had not seen or spoken to each since the night of the anniversary ball.

"I know. It's just that it's complicated with Dave and me. I…"

"Melina, I said it's none of my business," Mallori repeated in a firmer tone.

"You, you're not gonna tell John, are you? I mean, it's not a big deal, it's just that…"

Mallori looked up.

"I don't get you, Melina. Whatever is going on between you and your boyfriend, I could care less."

"Dave is not my boyfriend and that stuff I said about John…"

"That's between you and John. I have nothing to do with it. I know that's not what you want to hear but it's the truth. And if you don't believe me feel free to set me up again. I'm always up for a little public humiliation."

Melina's eyes widened.

"What? I…you don't think I had anything to do with that?" she lied. "I, I have way too much class for that."

"Class?" Mallori laughed out loud. "Yeah, I just heard how classy you are with your married boyfriend."

"Who the hell are you to judge me? You are speaking of something you know nothing about."

"You know what? You're absolutely right. I know nothing about it and I don't care to."

"Wait," Melina stopped. "Does John think I was in on that with Maryse? Did you tell him…"

"I didn't tell him anything. John's a grown man. He is entitled to think what he wants. Whether or not you helped Maryse is irrelevant. It's over and done with, just dirty water under the bridge. But if you were in on it, I just want you to know and feel free to pass this bit of info on to your little cohorts. I'm still here, Melina. You guys didn't break me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm still going to wrestle and be a part of this company and be John's partner and his friend and there is nothing you can do about it."

Melina shook her head.

"I'm not blind, you know. Anybody with a set of eyeballs can see you're head over heels for John. I don't know what's going on between you two or what you think is going on but you have no idea who or what you're messing with."

"Is that a threat?" Mallori looked her right in the eye.

"Take it as gospel. I am the love of John's life. Sure I hurt him but that was a mistake. The love we have for each other is something you could never even comprehend. I will always be his number one. Whatever fling you two have going on, it's gonna be out the door, honey. John has never stopped loving me and he never will."

Mallori shook her head.

"You're pathetic. Seriously, dude. You are one sad chick. Sad and delusional. John is not a dog or a piece of property. No one can claim rights to him. He's a smart guy, too smart for your bullshit. You're not nearly as powerful as you think you are and if he, if any man can't see right through you, then they deserve what they get."

"You're such a bitch," Melina scoffed.

The exchange had become so heated, neither had bothered to recognize that they were not alone.

"Everything okay in here?"

It was Nattie. She looked from Melina to Mallori and back again.

"Everything's fine," Melina said through pursed lips as she breezed by both of them.

"What the hell was that?" Nattie folded her arms.

Mallori rolled her eyes.

"Nothing important."

"You alright? I just heard what sounded like arguing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, or at least that you weren't outnumbered this time."

"Thanks," Mallori smiled.

"Listen, I kind of heard what she said about John. Don't let it bother you. She's delusional."

"I see that."

"I hate to sound like a broken record. I remember before TJ and I got together everyone always assumed we were already a couple because we were such good friends and always hanging out. I know that's not like that with you and John but even if it was, trust me, Melina is not a threat to you."

"Maybe it is like that," Mallori said softly.

"What?" Nattie did a double-take. "But… you mean, you…you and John?"

Mallori smiled. It felt good to be honest and say it out loud for once.

"It's nothing official but I don't want to hide it anymore. I think I've been lying to myself. John is a great guy. I do like him. It's kind of weird but I guess there's nothing wrong with admitting it."

"Does he know?"

She shook her head.

"Not exactly but I'm planning to tell him, just waiting for the right time whenever that is."

"Good for you. You think he feels the same way?"

Mallori felt her cheeks blush and burn like a schoolgirl.

"Yeah. Um, I, I do."

"Aw, I'm so happy for you. That's awesome, girl," Nattie hugged her. "You deserve to be happy."

For the first time, Mallori actually believed that. John did make her happy. It was time to put fear and mistrust aside. She had begun a new start and with the new lease on life came the possibility of great things happening once she opened her heart.