Chapter 25

"Damn," Colby said as Mercedes rolled onto her back next to him on the bed. "I think your sexual appetite has increased."

Mercedes laughed. "Actually, I have always had a very heavy sexual appetite."

"Yeah?" He said, wrapping an arm around her.

"Yes," Mercedes replied. "I can do a lot more without a big belly carrying a beautiful baby girl inside me."

Colby chuckled. "Works for me."

Mercedes laughed as she leaned over and kissed him.

The next day, Mercedes's interview with Michael Cole was loaded up to the WWE website in the very morning. Not too long after that people were watching it. Fans left their comments in the comment section below. Lots commented on the link provided on the WWE Twitter page and Facebook page. Plus, the links on Sasha Banks's and Seth Rollins's official WWE Facebook pages. Michael Cole had the link on his Twitter and Facebook page as well. Some commented on each page. Mercedes and Colby received a lot of Tweets from fans directly or being tagged in their tweets with fans giving their opinions on the interview. Of course, there was the negative and positive. Mercedes loved reading the positive.

Mercedes was sitting on top of an equipment crate as she read some of the tweets from her fans. One tweet was from a woman who showed a picture of herself with her own child from her own rape as well as her current husband.

There are good men and bad men in the world. We have both found one. Congrats to you and WWERollins. My husband with me and my child from my own rape.

Tears came to her eyes.

This is me and my boyfriend the day my little boy was born. We were together a few months before I was attacked. He proposed a few minutes after Derrick was born. This was just a week ago.

"Oh, my God," Mercedes said as the tears fell down her cheeks. She quickly replied to that one tweet: Congratulations! Derrick is a beautiful baby! I'd love to see more pictures soon!

It wasn't long before the woman sent back a reply with a few more pictures. Thanks for the reply! You made my day!

I laughed.

"Hey Mercedes," Corey Graves said coming up to her.

"Hey," She replied.

"You all right?"

"Yes, I'm sorry." She wiped away her cheeks and eyes. "I've been reading tweets from fans about the interview. A couple have made me cry. A woman tweeted a picture with her and her husband and her child. Her child was from a rape. Then another sent me a tweet with a picture of her newborn son and her boyfriend. She said she and her boyfriend had been together a few months before she was attacked. She also said he proposed minutes after her son was born."

Tears streamed down her cheeks again. "It was just a week ago too."

Corey smiled. "You are an inspiration to a lot of people. Sometimes I have fans talking to me about being a fan of me and a few other superstars. A few people since last year have said you are an inspiration to them personally. I ask why and some say because of your bravery and honesty."

Mercedes nodded her head. "I was so scared when it happened, but I have been so happy since. I love my little girl so much and I love Colby so much too!"

"Colby loved you before you two were even together. Even before your assault."

"He told me yesterday after the interview."

"Well, he's actually looking for you. We were talking when his received a call. It's his mom calling to check in about Evie."

"Oh, great," Mercedes said. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Mercedes smiled. She walked to catering, because she knew that's where he would be. And she was right. He was standing outside. She walked up to him. He saw her coming and smiled.

"Hey Mom, Mercedes is here now. Talk to her," He said. He handed his phone to his fiancee.

"Hi Mom," Mercedes said.

"Hey hun. How are you?" Colby's mom replied.

"I'm great. How's my baby girl?"

"Doing great. I just wanted to check in and tell you she is doing great. We love having her."

"Thank you for taking care of her."

"She's my granddaughter!"

Mercedes smiled.

"We watched your interview. It was great."

"Thanks. I have received some of the nicest tweets from fans. I just saw a couple that made me cry."

"Tell me."

"One with a woman sharing a picture of her, her child, and her husband. Her child was a result of her rape too. She said there are good and bad men in the world and we both found one. Then another one sent me a photo of her, her newborn son, and her boyfriend. She said they were together a few months before she was raped. She said he proposed minutes after her son was born and that it was a week ago." She began to cry.

Colby grabbed onto her hand. Mercedes looked at him.

"Oh, Mercedes," Colby's mom replied. "You became an even bigger inspiration to survivors of sexual assault the moment you had that interview with Michael Cole last year. You might have not reported your rape. But you came out to the world telling them what happened. You were able to slowly move on with life after it happened. Some people can't handle it and end their lives. You didn't."

Mercedes continued. Colby continued to hold her hand.

"I know when you found out you were pregnant you first wanted a miscarriage. But it didn't happen and you kept that baby. That one man must truly love that woman for staying with her to the very end with her baby and then proposing to her. Some significant others can't handle what happened if the one they are close to is a victim…Sorry, a survivor of rape. And some survivors end their relationships. They both stayed together and had that child together. He wanted to be with her and that child so he asked her to marry him."

"Yes," Mercedes sobbed.

"My son has never loved anyone as much as he loves you! He confided in all of us when he found it happened and you didn't talk. It hurt him when you didn't respond to him when you found out you were pregnant and no one knew yet. But the moment he was told you were pregnant, he wanted you. And I know you wanted him too. And you have been together ever since.

"It doesn't matter how Evelyn came to be! She is yours! She is not that asshole's who hurt you! She might remind me of what happened. But remember she is one of the reasons you lived on. I know you considered suicide yourself after it happened. You told me so. You were so ashamed. There was no reason to.

"I know you are overwhelmed with emotion, but you were an inspiration to people before you told everyone about it. Now you are to survivors. You are an advocate for those who definitely need it most. You help them. You have helped them and you will continue to. Now take a deep breath, sweetheart. Wipe away those tears. Calm down and go make your grand return to Raw tonight. Show those survivors you came back from her assault. Show that asshole that you truly are the Boss!

"Do it for Evelyn and all them once more!"

"I will," Mercedes replied.

"Okay. We'll be watching," Colby's mom replied.

"Thank you."

"Always, sweetheart. I love you with all my heart! And I love Evelyn with all my heart!"

"I love you too, Mom!"

Colby squeezed Mercedes's hand.

Mercedes looked at him. "Bye," She said. She looked at the phone ending the call on Colby's phone. She took a deep breath looking at him.

Colby moved toward her. He wrapped his arms around her. "Moms are amazing," Mercedes said slowly, trying not to cry anymore.

"They are," He replied. He kissed her cheek. "Because my fiancée is amazing."

"You're amazing."

"I know."

Mercedes laughed.

Colby smiled. He pulled back and looked at her. She looked back at him. She wiped away her eyes. He gave her a quick hug and kiss.

"Come on. We show to put on," He said.

"Yes. I have to go give my mother-in-law another moment to be proud of," Mercedes replied.

Colby smiled.

Later that night about an hour into Raw, Bryon Saxton stood in the middle of the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight I will have the privilege of interviewing a very special superstar," Byron said. "This superstar we have not seen in over a year. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce to you, THE BOSS, SASHA BANKS!"

Mercedes's music hit and the crowd went wild. Mercedes smiled as she heard the crowd. She listened for a few seconds and then walked out. She drew back the curtain and walked out onto the ramp. She smiled as she stopped and looked around at the arena full of WWE fans. It was a moment she had wanted for over a year. And she had it.

Mercedes did her sway to the left and held her hands up. The fans cheered louder she believed.

Mercedes made her way down to the ring.

"I can't believe its Sasha Banks!" Corey Graves exclaimed.

"I believe it!" Michael Cole replied. "I had my interview with her yesterday and she said she was going to make a return to the WWE. But I thought it would be a little bit longer than just the next night, tonight!"

Mercedes smiled as she stopped at the bottom of the ramp. She looked around at the crowd. It was a surreal moment standing at the end of the ramp in front of a large crowd at Raw again. She tried not to cry.

Mercedes moved toward the ring. She walked over to the steps. She walked up them, grabbing onto the ring post. She walked over to the middle of the apron. She then climbed between the ropes. She stood up and walked toward Bryon. He had two microphones in his hand. He held one out toward her. Mercedes thanked him as she took. She held her hand out to him. Bryon smiled as he shook it. He then let go of it.

Mercedes turned to the crowd. Her music was turned off. Mercedes stood in the ring smiling.

"Sasha! Sasha! Sasha!" The fans began to cheer.

Mercedes's smile widened. She began to speak before Bryon could.

"Thank you, guys! Thank you!" She said.

Cheers and screams came from the crowd. She smiled still. She looked at Bryon.

Bryon smiled as he spoke. "It's great to see you, Sasha," He said.

"Thank you, Bryon," She replied. "It's great to see you and everyone else. Especially Michael Cole and Corey Graves. Hi Michael and Corey."

"Hi Sasha," Michael said.

Mercedes smiled. She turned her attention back to Bryon.

"Sasha it has been over year since we have seen you in a WWE ring," Bryon said.

Mercedes nodded her head. "Yes, it has! And that is way too long for me. Everyone knows I live and believe wrestling as everyone else in this business. However, something was taken from me last September. That was my true ability to be around certain people, to really be near anyone except my female friends of the locker room.

"I have told this many times, but I am saying it again. I was raped last September. Now so many people, most of them WWE fans called me liar. I saw all the tweets people sent out. I saw all the tweets people called me. I was called a liar, a slut, and certain other terms I cannot repeat on live TV. But I can give some inference to what was the most one was used: a C tease. And it refers to the male privates. But I am not a liar!

"I said in my interview with Michael Cole last year when I told the world about my rape! I would never, ever lie about something like that! I take sexual assault as seriously as anyone else does with that topic. I got pregnant because of my rape! If I would have gotten pregnant from a guy I was in a relationship with and then he broke up with me, because he didn't want that said child, I would have said that. I would have even admitted to getting pregnant from a one-night stand!"

Mercedes took a deep breath as the fans made some noise. She nodded her head.

"When I was raped a part of my life was taken from me. My rapist took part of my life away from me. He took away my ability to be around people and get into this ring. I knew I couldn't be in front of thousands of people. I was scared. I sought out help for the after affects and I got it. I went to my local rape crisis center. They helped me. I felt a little better after a few weeks. I was able to be around everyone in the back. I was able to hug the male superstars that are my best friends.

"But then just a few weeks after that I found out I was pregnant with my child! I had not been intimate with any other man since my rape so I knew the child was his! I was scared and so upset. I announced my pregnancy to everyone on the Raw roster through a work meeting, because everyone was already talking behind my back about my rape. I know there were people back there who questioned it, thinking I was a liar. But I wasn't and I am not one now!"

Mercedes nodded her head as she had the encouragement and no fear.

"I wanted to have a miscarriage. I hoped I miscarried that baby. Something that is supposed to be a great joy. But it wasn't. And I was not the only one who ever wished for that after a woman found out she was pregnant after she was raped! And I refused to get an abortion!"

Mercedes nodded her head as the fans made some noise.

"Yeah, I thought about adoption or keeping the baby. I leaned more toward adoption. But I thought I was alone in this whole thing. But I was wrong. I had my best female friends. But there was someone else I wanted with me. And I got him. I got Seth Rollins!"

Cheers came. Mercedes smiled as she knew it was a lot of female fans.

"Yes. And Seth was by my side the whole time. He was there when I went to my first doctor's appointment for the baby. At that appointment it was then that I decided to keep my baby. And it was from there that our relationship truly began. That was last October and this past April we got engaged. Then in July I, we welcomed a beautiful baby girl!"

Some fans cheered.

"Yes, I am the mother of a beautiful baby girl. Evelyn Sadie. And Seth is in as much love with her as I am! That is his baby girl! He is a proud father!"

Bobby Roode's music suddenly hit. The fans cheered.

"What the hell?!" Michael Cole said.

"Why is Bobby Roode coming out here?"

Mercedes stood in the middle of the ring wonder what the hell was going on. Bobby Roode appeared on the ramp. He had a microphone in hand.

"Sasha, Sasha," Bobby said, walking down the ramp. He climbed into the ring with her and Bryon.

Colby's music suddenly hit. The fans cheered. He quickly walked out, a microphone in his hand.

"Get the hell away from my fiancée," He said, quickly walked down the ramp. He quickly got into the ring with Mercedes and Bobby. Bryon quickly exited the ring.

"No problem, Seth. No problem," Bobby said, moving around Mercedes.

Colby quickly grabbed onto her hand, pulling her toward him.

Bobby smiled. "I'm glad you're out here too, Seth. I have a question for both of you."

"And what's that?" Colby asked.

"Welcome back by the way. That actually brings me to my question for you. Why would you want to be with a woman who got knocked up by a man she claims raped her?"

Mercedes glared at him.

"I know for a fact she really was raped!" Colby exclaimed. "I saw her not want to be around people. I witnessed her freak out and scream when one of the superstars, one of her best male friends quickly picked her up, just wanting to have fun with her. I saw her stay away from people as she stood backstage, looking ashamed and afraid about something. She and I had been talking outside of work for four months."

"That actually brings me to my question for you, Sasha," Bobby said, pointing at her.

"What?" Mercedes asked.

"Why would you even want to be with this guy?" He asked, motion his hand to Colby. "He cheated on his fiancée with another woman. Another woman who was part of WWE down at NXT. A woman who ended up fired for pictures she posted years ago, representing a very controversial topic as well. But I guess pictures were the cornerstone of her life. I mean the old saying also goes 'Once a cheater. Always a cheater.'"

Mercedes made a face.

"I mean who's to say he won't cheat on you. History does repeat itself in some cases."

"My past relationships are none of your damn business, Roode," Colby quickly snapped. "Yes, I cheated on my ex-fiancée with another woman. But I'm not the first man to do that! And there are other men and women of this business who have cheated on their significant others, staying together with the person they cheated on their significant other with. Yes, I did that, but that relationship ended shortly after my knee injury in 2015. I was single from December until last May. My focus was getting back to the WWE so I could reclaim the championship I had to relinquish. But when I came back last May that all changed.

"Last May I was talking with Sasha. And we started heavily talking outside of work. We texted every day. Sometimes talking on the phone…"

"…I wanted to talk to him," Mercedes interrupted. "I didn't care about his past relationships! I don't care about them now! One of the superstars in this business was involved in a cheating scandal. And I am sorry to bring that superstar up. But that person he cheated with on that person's significant other broke up with that person. Who knows who ended it? But that's no one's business in the first place. But that person got together with someone else. That someone else is still with that superstar in question. They have a life together.

"When I was raped—which really happened—I had wanted to get into a relationship with Seth. But I pulled away because I was scared and didn't want another man touching me then! But I truly wanted him!"

"Everyone knows you're talking about Edge and Lita, Sasha!" Bobby smiled. "And you know what happened? Matt Hardy retaliated just the way Seth's ex-fiancée did when she hacked into his twitter account and posted those pictures which everyone saw. But then again I guess you two are perfect for each other, because he's a man slut and so are you!"

Mercedes slapped Bobby clear across the face.

"Oh!" Michael Cole said from the commentary table.

Bobby made an angry face. He went toward Mercedes. Colby quickly moved hitting Bobby himself. Bobby hit Colby right back. The two fought each other. Mercedes moved back as they did. Bobby was able to scurry from the ring.

Colby picked up a microphone. "You wanna talk shit, Roode! You wanna bring up my past and those of other past superstars. Matters that you have no business talking about! WWE could have fired me for that shit my ex-fiancée pulled. They obviously fired my ex-girlfriend for the shit she posted in the past. But they didn't. That was none of their business. But how about you get in this ring with later tonight. How about you show me how stupid I am for challenging you to a match?!"

"You're on!" Bobby shouted to Colby.

Colby smirked. He looked at Mercedes. She walked over to him. He wrapped his arm around her, saying something to her. She nodded her head. He kissed her head.

Raw went to a commercial break. When it came back Michael, Bryon, and Corey talked about Mercedes having been in the ring, making her return to tell where she had been. They talked about Roode coming out and then Colby. They talked about the certain things that were said and happened. Footage was shown as the three talked about it. It then showed Mercedes slapping Bobby, him going after her, and then Colby going after Bobby. Plus, Colby challenging Bobby to a match and Bobby accepted.

"And it been made official," Corey said. "Stephanie McMahon officially made the match for the main event tonight. In his return match since his absence, Seth Rollins will take on Bobby Roode!"

The fans cheered.

A camera showed Colby walking backstage with Mercedes.

"You all right?" Colby asked.

"Yes," Mercedes said.

Colby nodded. "I'm going to go get ready for my match. I'll find you soon."

Mercedes nodded her head. Colby kissed her head. He then walked away.

"Sasha," Someone said.

Mercedes turned her head and the camera backed away showing Ashley as Charlotte.

"What is it?" Mercedes asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know we were going through a heated feud right before you were raped," Ashley said. "But I never believed you were a liar!"

Mercedes gave a small smile.

"It really hurt me when I watched Cole's interview with you! I know you were not a liar, because we have known each other for years as friends and then not as friends. And I would never wish something like that to happen to anyone I know. But it has. It happened to a friend of mine back when I was back in college. She too got pregnant. She gave her baby up for adoption. But the adoptive parents wanted her in their child's life. She accepted. But I am happy the decision you made. Keeping your own baby."

"Why the hell would you want to?" Someone asked.

The camera turned to show Peyton Royce.

"Excuse me?" Mercedes asked.

"Why would you want to keep a child that resulted from rape?" Peyton asked.

Mercedes made a face stepping a few steps toward Peyton.

"It is the result of a rape after all. I think it is stupid. Your daughter would have been better off with you giving her up. I mean you did leave her behind to come here. Both you and Seth did. And he claims he is so happy. That's a little selfish for both of you. Mostly you, though."

Mercedes slapped Peyton across the face just as she had Bobby not too long ago. Peyton moved back from the slap. Mercedes went toward Peyton. Ashley grabbed onto her.

"I am not selfish!" Mercedes said with tears. "She is one of two good things that happened to me in the last year! Seth is the other thing! And you better watch your back, because when I come back, you are the first one I'm going after!"

Peyton gave an angry looked and walked away.

Mercedes was in tears now.

"It's okay, Sasha," Ashley said, letting her go. But she wrapped her arms around her. "It's okay."

Colby had his match with Bobby later that night. They had a great match. Colby picked up the win. He asked for a microphone.

"Don't run your mouth, Roode," Colby said. "It just gets your ass slapped and beat in the ring."

Colby tossed the microphone and exited the ring. He smiled as he walked up the ramp.