Disclaimers: I own nothing or anyone associated or affiliated with WWE. I own only the original characters. This is just a fictional story that came from my imagination. This story contains various scenes that are for people 18 years of age and older ONLY.
Chapter Content & Trigger Warnings: Some mild groping/petting

Chapter 26

"Well, here we are."

Sharlotte looked over at John as he shifted his car into park. His eyes were sad, and his mouth stretched thin. He's definitely not happy, she thought. She looked out the windshield at the large house Noah was born in, and the house she'd called home for fifteen years. She had always loved it. And still did. But now... It seems so lonely, she thought. John won't be here with us. She laid her hand over his on the gear shift.

Lost in his own thoughts, John looked over at her and gave her a crooked grin. He tugged her hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "Well, let's get you guys settled back in." With that, he climbed out of the car and came around to her side and opened the door for her.

A few minutes later, they were inside and tiptoeing around broken glass.

"I wish the CSI team would have gotten this glass out of here," Sharlotte sighed. "I know it isn't their job, but they know I have a child living here." She turned toward Noah then. "Could you bring me the broom and dustpan? I want to at least clear the floor of glass so you don't cut yourself. I'll clean the rest of this when I get home this evening, okay?"

Noah nodded, and went to fetch the cleaning supplies. When he returned, John took them from the boy before Sharlotte could, and began sweeping up the shards of glass.

"John," she started, smiling at his thoughtfulness. "You don't have to do that-"

"I know," he replied, glancing up at her with a smile playing at his lips. "But I want to do it for you." He finished scooping up the glass and walked the dust pan into the kitchen where he dumped the contents into the garbage can. He instantly came back to Sharlotte at the foot of the stairs, and noted that Noah had sat down in the living room to watch television. Grinning deviously, he stooped, instantly tossing her over his shoulder, and went running up the stairs to her bedroom. Sharlotte—consumed with a fit of giggles—finally managed to cry, "You caveman!"

"And you love it," John teased, setting her on her feet next to her bed. Then he nudged her down to the mattress as his mouth found hers. He took his time with the kiss, lazily slipping his tongue past her lips and swirling it around hers. His fingers curled into her hair and anchored her head against the pillows as the weight of his body pinned hers in place. Her legs raised and hugged his hips. His hands wandered up to her breasts and cupped them tenderly through her shirt.

"I wish we had a little more time..." he whispered. His face nuzzled her neck and he gently nipped her soft skin.

"I do too," she returned, running her fingers up and down the back of his neck.

"I'll come back for you, soon," he told her, lifting his head to gaze into her eyes. "I have to. I can't be away from you for long." A look of frustration crossed his handsome features. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. I've never felt this urgent need to be with someone. I thought I knew what love was long before now. I was wrong. And I'm scared as hell."

"I'm scared too," Sharlotte whispered, trailing the back of her hand over his cheek. "I'm very scared. But I'm happy too. The happiest I've ever been. I wouldn't know how to return to my life before you."

John's dimples appeared as he beamed and he leaned down to kiss her again. "Me either." His lips teased hers and then he deepened the kiss, groaning into her mouth. "I wish I could strip you naked and ravage you right here," he whispered in her ear. "But, I'd need plenty of time, and I don't have it." He raised up from the bed and reached for her hand, tugging her into a sitting position. "I hope I left you with a few good memories to think about until I can, though."

"You did, and then some," she replied, a dreamy smile crossing her face. "Why don't you go downstairs with Noah for a bit? I'll get dressed for work. I'm sure he'd love to spend a few minutes with you."

He nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. "Yeah. I'd love to spend a little time with him too." With that, he turned and left the room and headed down the stairs to join Noah in the living room. The boy looked sad, sitting on the large sofa.

"What's up, bud," John asked as he sat down beside him.

"Nothing. Just bummed that you have to leave," he replied. "I'll miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too, Noah," he replied, putting his arm around the youngster's shoulders. "I'll be back soon. I promise." He smiled at the boy then. "Want to help me out with a surprise for your mom?"

Noah's face instantly brightened, "Yeah!"

"Awesome," John said softly, looking over his shoulder to make sure the subject of their discussion wasn't coming down the stairs. "Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to postpone my flight out. But don't tell Sharlotte. I'm secretly going to go buy a mirror to replace the one that broke, and then I want us to clean up the mess at the front door, and her bedroom so she can't even tell anything happened. Sound good?"

The boy nodded, excitement shining in his blue eyes. "Yeah! She'll love that. She's usually pretty beat when she gets home from work. So not having to clean up will help her out."

John nodded. "Great. I'll also have dinner delivered to you guys so she doesn't have to cook or buy anything. Remember, Noah... It's a surprise. Don't say a word, okay?"

"I won't. I swear," Noah said grinning.

Sharlotte came bounding down the stairs, dressed for work. She eyed both John and Noah and chuckled. "Why do I get the feeling you two shouldn't be left alone together without adult supervision?"

"Probably because we shouldn't," John teased, getting up from the sofa and pulling her into a hug. "I really should get going," he said softly, hating to kill the happy mood.

She nodded, refusing to cry. He needed to keep his head on strait for his matches, and her tears would not help him do that.

Noah shot up from the sofa and wrapped his arms around John's waist. "We'll miss you tons!"

"And I'll miss you guys tons also," he replied, returning the young boy's hug. He looked back at Sharlotte and kissed her mouth softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered, kissing him back.

He smiled, and then turned and left them, pulling out of the driveway seconds later.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

John watched from down the road as Sharlotte climbed into her car and pulled out of her driveway, headed toward her job. Grinning, he shifted into drive and then guided his car into the driveway. He'd barely killed the engine and opened his door when Noah stepped out onto the porch and hurried to him.

"I waited till she was out the door, but I got the vacuum and cleaning stuff out," Noah reported, obviously proud of himself.

"Great, Noah," John praised. He pulled out the vase of apricot-pink roses he'd bought earlier from the local florist, as well as the antique mirror he'd bought for the hallway, and headed for the house. "Let's get started."

They reentered the house and John divided the tasks up between them after hanging the mirror, and settling the roses on the hall table. "How about you work down here? There's not too much left to do, and I can be upstairs making your mom's bed and stuff? If you get done before I do, you can come help me finish up."

Noah nodded happily, and plugged the vacuum cleaner into the wall and began cleaning the landing at the stairs and the hallway. John headed upstairs with one of the roses and an attached note in his hand. He laid it aside on Sharlotte's night table and began tugging her bed covers into place. Minutes later, the bed was finished, and he picked the rose up once more, kissing it lightly before placing it on Sharlotte's pillow. Then he picked up a couple of her trophies from the floor and placed them back on the shelf where they belonged.

"I'm done downstairs," Noah announced at the door. He had a spray bottle of cleaner and a dust cloth in his hands. "Need help in here?"

"Sure, bud," John said. "Why don't you get to dusting off her furniture that has all this fingerprint powder on it, and I'll vacuum the floor."

They set about the task and less than twenty minutes later, the two had the room completely back in order.

"Awesome," Noah exclaimed, high-fiving John.

"We make a good team, bud," John smiled, and hugged the young boy. "Okay, now I really do have to go. But I'm going to put in an order for dinner for you guys. What do you like to eat? Chicken? Burgers?"

"A cheeseburger and fries sounds really good," Noah replied.

"What about your mom? What kind of stuff does she enjoy," John asked, taking mental notes.

"She usually eats pretty healthy. Chicken, seafood, lean beef, that sort of thing."

John nodded, "Okay, what about desert?"

"I go for anything chocolate," Noah grinned. "Mom usually likes healthier sweets. But once in a while she splurges on a piece of cheesecake."

"Perfect," John grinned. "I'll order out to TGI Fridays and have it delivered. Expect it to arrive shortly before Sharlotte gets off work, okay? It'll be paid for, all you'll have to do go to the door and get it. BUT..." He added, and made sure the boy was paying close attention. "Don't forget to look out the peephole and make sure that it is someone delivering food."

Noah nodded, "I will. Thanks, John!" He latched onto his hero and hugged him around the waist.

"I'm happy to do it, bud," John replied, fighting the sting of tears. "You take care of your mom while I'm away, okay?"

Noah nodded again. "I promise." He fidgeted a moment and then made eye contact with John. "Can I ask you something, since mom's gone right now?"

"Of course," John replied, kneeling down to the boy's height. "What's on your mind?"

"I know I asked you before, but I felt like Mom being there kind of... I don't know, caused you to answer differently than if she wasn't there. Are you going to marry her?"

John smiled, a flash of his dimples appearing. "Yeah, bud. If she'll have me, I'm going to marry her."

"When?"

"Soon, hopefully. But I do need to give her some time. She's... really new to all of this. And I don't want to overwhelm her."

"When you guys are married... Can I call you dad?"

A lump formed in John's throat, and he tugged the boy into his arms. "I'd love that."

I have no idea how we'll work this out, what with Julie being his biological mom, he thought. But the fact of the matter is—Noah is my son too. And Julie hit him. I'll get custody of him. Sharlotte and I will raise him together. John patted Noah's back and released him from the hug. "I'd better get going, okay?"

Noah nodded. "Yeah. We'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you guys. Badly." He kissed the top of his son's head and stood to his feet. "I'll see you soon. Lock up behind me." He turned and headed down the stairs with Noah following behind.

He stepped out the front door and turned to wave at Noah as he pulled the door shut. Once he heard the click of the locks, he headed to his car and got inside. Seconds later, he pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road.

Noah finally let his hidden tears fall freely.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

"Okay, you have to spill everything," Leena said, sitting across from Sharlotte at their usual spot in the little cafe. "You are absolutely glowing, and I have a sneaking suspicion of what probably happened at John's home."

Sharlotte flushed, and nodded slightly. "We made love," she confirmed in a whisper, a smile of true happiness lighting up her face. "It was... I just can't..." She shivered at the memories.

"That good, huh," Leena teased.

"Not just good," she replied, dreamily propping her chin up with her hand. "It was just... Amazing. Phenomenal. Extraordinary."

"I'm so happy for you, Sharlotte," Leena reached over and squeezed her hand. "You deserve it."

"Thank you," Sharlotte said softly. "I'm still in shock I think."

"Well get through the shock soon," Leena smiled. "You need to experience all of it fully."

"Trust me, I know. And I did last night," Sharlotte admitted. "I was not letting my shock blur anything between us. I wanted to remember last night always."

Leena nodded. "Good." Her eyes shifted to the newspaper lying at Sharlotte's elbow. "What's that?"

"I'm looking for a second job," Sharlotte explained, opening the paper to the job listings. "I'm determined that Noah will go to that private school, if it kills me. There wasn't many jobs to choose from though. The only thing I'd remotely be qualified for is a Hooters waitress." She glanced down at her chest and chuckled. "And while I'm not exactly small-chested, I'm not quite sure I'm "qualified" enough."

"Eh, nothing a push-up bra wouldn't take care of. Not every waitress at Hooters has a big rack," Leena encouraged. "I've heard the tips can be pretty amazing there."

"Seriously," Sharlotte asked, giving it some thought. "But do I have the nerve to do it? What if someone I knew saw me?"

"Honey, you're raising a child on your own," Leena said. "Trust me, you do what you gotta do. To hell with what anyone else thinks."

"You're right," Sharlotte sighed. "Noah comes first. Besides, it's not like I'm turning to something illegal to make money."

"Exactly."

"Okay, I'll go tomorrow morning before work and apply for a night shift."

"I'll of course watch Noah for you on nights you work. He could either stay over with us, or we could hang out at your place till you get home."

"Oh, Leena... Are you sure," Sharlotte asked. "I hate to ask that of you."

"You'd do the same for me," her friend replied. "So, of course I'm sure."

"Thank you so much," Sharlotte said softly. "You don't know what that means to me."

"Girl, you're practically a sister to me. Of course I'm going to help you!"

Sharlotte hugged her friend over the little table. "I love you so much!"

"Love you too," Leena smiled, returning the hug. "Now finish your lunch. Taking on a second job...you're going to need all the strength you can get!"

Chuckling, Sharlotte moved to eat another bite of her turkey salad when her phone chimed with an alert. Picking up the cellphone, she saw it was a tweet sent to her. She read the message and gasped at the creepy tweet sent from AnonymousTweeter.

"*at*IceLove1981 Enjoy screwing Cena last night? Enjoy him while you can."

}i{}i{}i{}i{

Sharlotte drove home after work feeling a bit vulnerable, and as though someone was watching her. She had received another tweet an hour after the first one—also from AnonymousTweeter. How imaginative," Sharlotte muttered at the loss of creativity in the screen name.

"*at*IceLover1981 Do you know how many women he's had? How long before he gets bored with you, little librarian?"

"It's got to be Jasmine," she thought out loud. "She's just trying to scare me off." Well, it's not going to work. I'm in love for the first time in my life, and I'm not giving up on it. She stopped at a red light and heard her cellphone alert her once more. Refusing to read a text or message while she was driving, she made a mental note to check it when she got home. It could be John, she thought hopefully.

A few minutes later, she pulled into her driveway and killed the engine. Then she tugged her phone out of her bag and checked her message. It was another tweet from AnonymousTweeter.

It linked to a photograph slideshow of John with all the women he'd been with in the past.

Jasmine Greenberg, a woman she didn't recognize, AJ Lee, Mickie James, Lisa Marie Varon, Tori Wilson, and then the video shifted to personal photos of John with women before he was even famous. And they went on and on.

"This is stupid," she cried out loud. "This is his past. This is..." Sighing, she tapped the screen a couple times, blocking AnonymousTweeter. "Take your ridiculous photos and shove them where the sun doesn't shine!" More dazed than she cared to admit, she got out of the car and headed for the porch.

Once she passed through the front door, all her worries fled.

A beautiful vase of more than a dozen apricot-pink roses sat displayed on the hall table. A new mirror had replaced the old one. She approached it, and ran her fingers over the lovely carved cherry wood of the cathedral mirror. "Antique," she whispered. "It's so beautiful."

"Do you like it?"

She turned to see Noah standing behind her with a hopeful look on his face.

"I love it," she exclaimed. "Did John do this?"

Noah nodded. "Yep, he delayed his flight so he could. He also got you the flowers, and I helped him clean up."

"Oh, you two," she cried, pulling him into a hug. "How sweet of you both. Thank you so much!"

"John also had dinner delivered so you wouldn't have to worry about anything tonight. It's TGI Fridays!"

Tears burned her eyes as she realized the trouble John had gone to for her. "I need to call him real quick and thank him, okay? Why don't you go to the kitchen and get us something to drink with our dinner?"

Smiling, Noah turned and headed for the kitchen as Sharlotte bounded up the stairs, tapping the screen on her phone as she went. She made her way into her bedroom as she pulled up John's contact screen. And then she noticed the perfectly clean room, and her made bed. Not to mention the rose and note laying on her pillow. Sighing dreamily, she sat on the edge of the bed and picked them up. She sniffed the rose, inhaling it's soft fragrance. Then she opened the note and read it.

I wanted you to have no worries or cares tonight, so Noah and I cleaned up, and I ordered out to dinner for you. Hope you like it. I also wanted to leave you these apricot-pink roses. While they're beauty doesn't remotely compare to yours, they do remind me of you. The apricot is the color of your skin, and the pink is the color of your lips. I can't wait to taste them again.

I love you,
~J

Her eyes burned even more now. She tapped her screen to place a call to John and listened as the phone rang a couple times before it was answered.

"Sharlotte?"

"I love you," she said in way of greeting. "You're just too amazing."

"I take it you received your surprise then." There was a smile in his voice. "And I love you too."

"Thank you, really," she told him. "You don't know what a blessing this was to come home to—all of it."

"Well, I'm glad you liked it," John said.

"I love it," she corrected him. "I've never met someone so thoughtful as you, John. You're a really beautiful person. You do something for someone because you know it'll help them, but you also find a way to make it a creative gift. I've never met anyone like you, and I'm so glad our paths crossed. You've made my life go from black and white, to color."

The line was silent for a couple of seconds. And then she heard his husky voice:

"You make me want to fly right back to Florida, woman."

"Well, I want that too, but we both know you have a job you need to do," she replied. "A job you love to do."

"Maybe one day I'll be able to have my cake and eat it too," he replied, his voice taking on a wistful tone.

"What do you mean," she asked, afraid to assume where his cryptic statement was headed.

"That's a discussion for another day, honey. Another day, and face to face."

"Okay," Sharlotte said softly. "Well, I think I'll go eat dinner and let you get back to practicing. I love you."

"I love you too, Sharlotte. Enjoy your dinner."

"I will. Talk to you soon."

"Yes you will," he replied, a smile in his voice again.

They disconnected the call, and she hurried downstairs to join Noah in the kitchen. He had arranged their food containers and poured them each a glass of iced tea.

"So what are we having," she asked, sitting down in her chair.

"I'm having a cheeseburger and fries and an Oreo Madness for desert. You are having grilled salmon with a rice thing and steamed spinach. Oh, and you're having the vanilla bean cheesecake for desert."

"Oh, yummy," Sharlotte exclaimed. "This looks so good, doesn't it?"

"Yep," Noah said, already preparing to chomp into his burger.

Before she could take the first succulent bite of her salmon, her phone alerted her to a message again. Groaning slightly, she picked the phone up and read the message.

From AnonymousTweeter_2.

"*at*IceLover1981 Blocking me will only anger me. You don't want that, little librarian."