Since her life with Wade had ended, Melody had shut herself off from the world, or at least as best she could. The news of their breakup must have gotten out already; she'd received a dozen phone calls that went unanswered. Most had come from Punk who'd left worrisome voicemails pleading with her to let him know she was ok, but she couldn't bring herself to call him. She couldn't explain why she felt so afraid to face him now that things were finally over with Wade. The great relief she'd expected didn't come after the breakup. Instead there came an overwhelming numbness, like she'd been walking in a dream and had awakened with no sense of who she really was. These thoughts scared her even more. She had been so dependent on this relationship that it had almost destroyed her.

Her holiday was short and she was thankful for it. It would definitely go down in the record books as the worst Christmas ever. She bid her family farewell and thanked them for their support over the last few days. They'd tried their best to take her mind off things and lift her spirits, another thing she was thankful for. She took a cab to the airport and boarded a plane to Albany, New York where Monday Night RAW would take place. The prospect of facing her coworkers was scary enough but the real daunting task lay beyond that. She would soon be reunited with Punk, for better or worse. Even scarier was the fact that the Nexus storyline had reached the point she'd been dreading. In one week, she would be forced to betray Wade in front of millions.

A few hours in a plane and a car ride later, she arrived at the arena and braced herself for what was to come. As soon as she walked in the front door, it began.

"Mel!"

Evan was standing a few yards away with Kofi Kingston, Gail, and John Morrison. He mumbled something to them and then ran to catch up with her.

"Mel, how are you?" he said with a smile.

She shook her head, tried to smile but ended up frowning.

"That's what I thought," he said, giving her a sympathetic look. He looked around the room as if checking to see if anyone was watching them. "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked softly.

Confused by his behavior, Melody followed him into an empty room. He shut the door behind them.

"What's going on, Evan?" she asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes. I've been worried you know. I tried calling you as soon as I heard…you never answered."

She nodded and turned her gaze to the floor.

"I just didn't feel like talking…to anyone. I hope you're not upset."

"No, of course not. I understand you needed some space. Like I said, I was worried about you, but I'm not the only one."

She knew he was referring to Phil.

"Is he angry with me?"

"No, I don't think so. He seems sad more than anything, but it's hard to tell with him sometimes." He paused for a moment, seeming to weigh something in his mind. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but what exactly is going on with the two of you?"

Melody recounted the story from the night of the Christmas party. She told him about Beth coming to her and confessing that she wasn't really dating Punk. She told him about how she'd spent the night talking to Punk and how Wade had come looking for her. She told him that she'd promised Punk she was ending it with Wade and she explained the events that led up to the split. Then she confessed that she couldn't talk to Punk afterwards, that things seemed so broken with her relationship over and how she was scared to start a new one.

"It all sounds perfectly reasonable to me. You just got out of a long term relationship. I don't blame you for not wanting to jump into another one so soon, and I don't think Punk will either."

"I'm so scared he'll be angry with me."

"The only way you'll know is if you talk to him. I don't think he'll be angry with you, and even if he is, it won't last. You mean so much to him."

Melody bit her lip and nodded.

Outside the room, a group of people passed by talking loudly. Evan looked at the door as if he expected to see someone burst in. He dropped his voice, speaking little louder than a whisper.

"There's something else I need to tell you. I wanted to get to you before anyone else so I could warn you."

"About what?" Melody asked worriedly.

"Maryse. She's gotten the idea that Mike broke up with her because of you and she's pissed."

Melody rolled her eyes. This was not something she wanted to deal with right now.

"She's crazy. Mike asked for my advice and I gave him my opinion—that's it. I didn't force him into it."

"That's not the only reason she's angry. The rumor is that she approached Wade over the holidays and he told her off, damaged her pride in front of a crowd of onlookers."

"What did he say?"

"Basically that he doesn't want anything to do with her."

Melody recognized this was an effort on Wade's part to save face, but nonetheless it made her happy to know that he had given up Maryse. Too bad it had come at the cost of their relationship ending.

"Maryse has it out for you. I thought you should know before she tracks you down."

"I'm not too worried about her, but thanks for the warning. And thanks for…well, everything."

"No problem, Mel."

She shouldered her bag and began to leave but stopped short.

"So, do you want to walk with me to the locker room?"

"You want me to be your bodyguard?" he asked with a smile.

"It's a big job. I've got a lot of people who hate me now. Think you can handle it?"

"No one hates you, Mel. Except maybe Maryse…" he said playfully. "But I will walk with you, if you'd like."

They left together, and she was glad to have Evan on her side.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As Melody made her way through the backstage area, she fought a losing battle with her nerves. After her talk with Evan, she knew she must face Punk and the sooner the better. She asked around and discovered that Punk was hanging around outside the arena. She walked out the exit into the parking area and looked around, unsure of where to start.

"Looking for somebody?"

She spun around, startled. She found Punk leaning casually against the wall behind her.

"You scared me," she said as she tried to keep her heart from beating out of her chest.

He smiled a little.

"Long time no see."

She leaned against the wall beside him.

"I'm sorry. I kind of lost myself after…"

"It's okay, Mel. I completely understand. I just wish you would have called me if for no other reason than to say you were okay."

"I wasn't okay. I'm still not okay. I thought things would be so much easier when I left him, but instead I feel like I've got a hole in my chest. I feel like I've been ripped apart, and I know that's not what you wanted to hear from me. That's why I was scared to talk to you. I didn't want to let you down any more than I already have."

"Why do you think you've let me down?" he asked, gazing at her intently.

She shrugged.

"I left you behind once. I don't want to leave you behind again."

His olive eyes burned into hers for a moment that seemed to last a lifetime. The spell was broken when he pulled her into his arms.

"I don't expect you to be okay. I knew all along that this was going to be hard for you—it's always hard to let someone go when you love them. You were there when my last relationship was over—I was a mess, but you helped me through it, just like I'm going to help you through this. It takes a lot of strength to do what you did. You didn't let me down—I'm proud of you."

"What about us?" she asked.

"There's no rush. Whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting for you."

She held onto him tightly, happy to hear him say those things. As always she felt so much better when she was around him and the numbness she'd felt was finally subsiding.