A/N: I am SO sorry this has taken so long. I am ashamed of my terrible updating lately.

So, here's a fairly long chapter to make up for my failings.

Thanks to; Sonib89, JenniferRayne, I Luv Hardy, Cena's Baby Doll and Ani's C-bear for reviewing the last chapter.

As with my other fic that I'm running, from 100 reviews I will give the person who post every 50th review a one-shot if they want one.

So, whoever posts my 100th review on this story will get a one-shot of their choosing.

On with the show!


"Hey, Beth! Can you tell Jeff to wait before he lights the grill? I had some problems with it last week and I wanna get someone to take a look at it."

"Sure thing, V. I'll let him know." Beth mock saluted the younger woman before disappearing out onto the deck. Sevina smiled and went back to laying out the bowls of salad along the breakfast bar. She looked up as she heard the front door open.

"Hey, Looka'! Where you at?"

"Kitchen, Shan!" Shannon ambled in and presented her with two crates of beer. He looked extremely pleased with himself as he set them down amidst the salad, prompting Sevina to throw a dishcloth at him. "Don't put them there. Beer goes in the cooler on the deck."

"But they won't fit."

"That's why Matt brought over the big cooler. Now get." Sevina ducked as Shannon threw the cloth back her before grabbing the beer and going out. She smiled and dusted off her hands. It was a rare weekend where Matt and Jeff weren't busy so they're decided to have a house party, with Sevina's house being designated the venue, mostly because she had nothing else to do with her time these days and had plenty of time to set everything up before people arrived. Jeff was insisting on cooking, so everyone knew to stay well back from the grill and Sevina had hidden all of her good shoes. Just in case.

She was dumping a bag of chips into a bowl when the phone rang. She grabbed the receiver, tucking it between her ear and her shoulder as she grabbed the trays of meat from the fridge. "Hello?"

"Miss Ataera?"

"Speaking."

"Hi, I don't know if you'll remember me; we've only met a couple of times, my name's Jeff Jarrett."

"Oh yeah, I remember you. Hi, how are you?"

"I'm good, listen; I have a proposition for you." Sevina frowned, her eyebrows lifting and she paused in the process of putting the meat trays on the counter.

"I'm listening." Jeff went on to explain this new company he was building up called NWA Total Nonstop Action. They would run weekly pay-per-views in order to build up a fan base and then move on from that when the time was right. He listed a few of the former WCW superstars who had already signed on to their roster and outlined his plans for the company. Sevina waved Matt away as he tried to talk to her, listening intently to what Jeff was saying.

"Basically, we were wondering if you could come out to Nashville and talk about you maybe signing with us."

"Um...wow. That sounds great. I'm still under my ninety day no work clause, though." Sevina had been one of the last to be released from her WCW contract.

"Yes, we've run into that problem a lot. What we will do, if you agree to sign with us, is have you spend a lot of time with creative working on an angle until your clause is over."

"Okay...um...sure. When do you need me?"

"Can I book you transport for Monday?"

"That soon? Okay, well, that shouldn't be problem. Not like I have anything else planned."

"Excellent. I'll look forward to seeing you on Monday."

"Yeah, you too. Thanks." She hung up the phone and stared at it for a few moments, before slowly placing it back on the hook. Matt was still waiting to talk to her and frowned at the look on her face. "You okay, kid?" He walked over to her when she didn't respond and grasped her shoulder. "Hey."

She looked at him and then shook herself, nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'm great. Hey, can you come and look at the grill for me?"

"Uh...sure."


"Okay, okay, I wanna know your most embarrassing memories about Jeff." Beth ignored the noise of protest from her boyfriend as she looked around the deck at the people gathered. They all immediately started talking over one another. Finally Matt's voice came through. "When he was twelve, we had this huge storm and he took off all his clothes and ran around Dad's yard screaming that he was the weather god."

"Really?" Beth giggled and looked at Jeff who had covered his face with his hand. Shannon piped up next. "First time I wrestled Jeff, he went to hit me with a clothesline and tripped over his own feet, planted himself face-first in the mat and broke his nose. Then he told everyone that I'd punched him."

"Oh, what about the time he fell in the pool at Greg's house a few years ago? Remember that?"

"Yeah! And when he fell out of Matt's hot tub."

"What about you, V? Got any embarrassing stories?" Beth looked at over at her and she tilted her head a little, looking thoughtful, then a sly grin appeared on her face and she sat up a little on her chair. Jeff shook his head. "Don't you dare."

"Well, there was this one time..."

"Sevina, I will kill you."

"We were hanging out at Omega and we thought everyone else had gone home..."

"I mean it!"

"I was putting stuff away and Jeff was dancing around in the ring. I called him over, but it was dark. I figured he was just taking his time, but when I looked around I couldn't see him anywhere. I wandered around for about ten minutes then went to the locker room and it was pitch black. I turned on the light and found very naked Jeff whispering sweet nothings into the ear of an extremely traumatised janitor."

The deck erupted with laughter and Jeff suddenly dived at Sevina who squealed and ran away. He grabbed the hose and turned it on, proceeding to chase her around the yard with it whilst the others ignored her pleas for help since they were too busy laughing.

Amy rested her head on Matt's shoulder, saying quietly enough for no-one but him to hear; "Why did those two break up? I mean, don't get me wrong, Beth's great, but Jeff and Vina...they got something. You know?"

Matt glanced at her and smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. "It just wasn't right for them. It'll work out. You'll see."


"Hi, Sevina, welcome to Tennessee, it's good to see you again." Jeff held his hand out and Sevina shook it, smiling. She glanced around and then back at him.

"You too. Don't know why I've never been here before."

"One of those places, I think. Anyway, if you'd like to follow me, I want you to meet Dixie." Sevina motioned for him to lead the way through the hotel. She fiddled idly with the silver bangles on her right wrist as they walked. Jeff chatted away about nothing of consequence and Sevina nodded and smiled, but didn't really pay much attention. She was actually a bit nervous about this. She knew that this entire company was a risk and she'd already taken one risk with her career that failed.

"Dixie is our marketing and publicity manager. You'll be working a lot with her to market your angle and with the creative team until your clause is over...if you decide to join us, of course. Here we are." He knocked on the door to one of the hotel's conference rooms and then walked inside. "Hey, Dixie, this is Sevina Ataera. Sevina, this is Dixie Carter."

Dixie shook Sevina's hand and smiled brightly at her, "Hi, I remember seeing you on WCW. You're younger than I thought."

Sevina flushed a little, her age always came up in these situations. She was still extremely young by professional wrestling standards, especially since she'd hadn't been put into a developmental programme. "Yeah, everybody says that."

"Oh, is that a southern accent? Where are you from?"

"Originally Florida, but I grew up North Carolina."

"Ah, yes, I remember Jeff saying something about that." Jeff nodded and then walked around the table to pick up a bulky contract. "You'll obviously want to look through this and make sure everything's okay with it. We've had a talk and we'd really like you to sign with us. Dixie doesn't normally get involved with this stuff, but she seems to have taken a shine to you."

Dixie rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Sevina again, "It's so hard for women to get taken seriously in this industry and especially at such a young age. We'd really like to work with you." Sevina smiled at her, then looked at Jeff, her eyes drifting to the contract in his hands. She took it when he offered it to her. "You mind if I take this to my room and look through it?"

"No, absolutely. I'd be surprised if you didn't. Take your time and when you're ready give me a call and we'll go over everything." Jeff nodded and then led her out to show her where her room was. She was going to be staying only for one night. She had twenty-four hours to make this decision.


"Hey, Matt, did V say she was going anywhere this week?"

"Why?"

"I just called her place and there's no answer. I called Dad's and he said she's out of town for a couple of days." Jeff sat down beside his brother and laced up his boots. Matt shrugged, dragging a brush through his hair. "She's probably gone to see her sister. She told you that Jessica had moved out to Charlotte, right?"

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"Why were you calling her anyway?"

"Just wanted to see how she was." Jeff shrugged and stood up, wandering around the locker room a little aimlessly. Their match was up soon and Jeff always got jittery before they went on. Matt was used to this by now and simply ignored him as he taped his wrist. Jeff was bouncing up and down on the spot, rolling his neck as Matt stood up and slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, we're up."


Sevina sat on her hotel bed, her contract at her feet. She flicked on the t.v, watching as Matt and Jeff exploded out onto the ramp. She smiled and hugged her knees. If she signed this contract, it would once again separate her from them most of the time. At least now she got to see them at weekends. On the other hand, if she didn't sign it, she was guaranteed to be stuck in Cameron forever, probably end up working in the minimart, with no prospects. The image of her future that had haunted her returned and she threaded her fingers into her hair tightly as she watched the screen.

She knew that Matt and Jeff worried about her, worried where she was going to end up, where her life was taking her. She had to admit, even she didn't know anymore. Wrestling was her dream, but catching a break was proving tough. TNA sounded like a good idea, it sounded like it had the chance to be successful, but up against the WWF what company could hope to survive? Vince McMahon was a powerhouse, he was like an indestructible force, moving through and conquering everything.

She sighed and glanced at the contract again, her fingers reaching out to run over the front of it. The work schedule was less strenuous than it had been with WCW with weekly pay-per-views from Florida, but therein laid the problem. She could either fly out to Orlando every week or move there. Flying out was going to be taxing, but she didn't want to move permanently away from Cameron, she'd become attached to the tiny town and its inhabitants.

She mulled it over and over in her mind, her eyes glued to the t.v screen, but not really watching. Time ticked by insignificantly as the wheels of her brain went over every possible outcome. After a great length of time she suddenly reached over and grabbed the phone from beside the bed, punching in the number. It rang three times before it was answered. "I'm ready to talk."


"Okay, this should be easy enough. Matt, Jeff, I've signed for...no, that won't work. Okay. I've decided to go and work for this new company...Pah! Yeah, way to not make it a big deal, Sevina." A loud knocking on the front door caused Sevina to almost jump out of her skin. She quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail and exited the downstairs bathroom. She smoothed her t-shirt nervously and then opened the door, smiling, "Guys!"

Matt and Jeff grinned at her. Beth, who was at Jeff's side held up a six pack of beers and grinned. Sevina grinned back and took them, "Beth, you are my hero. Come on in." She led them through the house. Matt and Jeff chattered noisily and headed out onto the deck. Beth hung back and caught Sevina's arm gently. "You alright?"

Sevina smiled at her and shrugged as she set the beers down, "Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're all jittery."

"I am?" Sevina scrunched her nose up, then lowered her voice a little, "I have to tell the guys something important...I'm a bit nervous." Beth smiled in an understanding way and grabbed two of the beers, handing one to Sevina. "For courage." Sevina couldn't help but grin as they knocked the cans together lightly. She'd been a little unsure around Beth to begin with; a little left over jealousy about Jeff, but the more time she spent with her, the better she liked her. She was honest and straight down the line about everything. She was amazingly intuitive and it was impossible to dislike her.

Eventually, once they'd consumed the entire six-pack, they headed out onto the deck. Matt was lounging on one of the chairs, whilst Jeff was attacking one of the bushes which circled the outside of the deck. Sevina lifted an eyebrow, "What is he doing?"

Matt looked at the two women, then at Jeff. "Something about revenge. I dunno, I stopped listening when he reached a certain pitch." Beth let out a snort of laughter and went to retrieve Jeff, whilst Sevina sat down beside Matt. Once Jeff had been successfully separated from the bush, Beth pushed him into one of the chairs and sat on him to make sure he stayed there. She then sent Sevina significant look, which was not lost on Matt. "What was that?"

Sevina looked at him innocently, "What was what?"

"That. That look." He looked between Beth and Sevina suspiciously. Jeff stuck his head around the side of Beth, "Am I missing something?"

"Beth and V are conspiring."

"We're not conspiring are we, Beth?"

"Nope. Not conspiring."

"Wait, I know that innocent look. Matt, they're gonna do something to us."

Sevina laughed and shook her head, standing up. "No, we're not. It's just...I have something to tell you guys."

"You're pregnant."

"You're dating a pensioner."

"You're marrying a pensioner."

"You're pregnant by a pensioner and have to get married before you give birth to his wrinkly love-child."

"Ew."

"Finished?" Sevina looked at both Matt and Jeff, who had the good grace to look rebuked. She then folded her arms loosely and lowered her gaze, "Actually, it's about my career." Matt and Jeff now exchanged a look, a nervous look that Sevina knew all too well. It was the same look they'd had when they'd found out she was working for WCW and it was the look she'd been dreading. Slowly, she explained, highlighting the good points of what she was doing.

When she had finished, they were silent, seemingly thoughtful. Sevina waited anxiously for them to say something. It was Jeff who spoke up. "I've heard about this company. I looked at the business proposal a while back. I think it's a good idea." Sevina immediately perked up, smiling a little. "Really?" Jeff nodded and looked at Matt, who was also smiling.

"Sounds great, Kid."

Relief washed over Sevina. As long as Matt and Jeff were behind her, she knew she'd be alright. Their time together would once again become very limited, but that was okay, because she had their support and that was all she needed. It was still a risk signing with a fledgling company, but it was a calculated risk. Right now, realistically, it was the only shot she was going to get. None of the indy divisions would take her on as more than a ring girl and for the occasional filler match. That wasn't what she wanted to do. It brought in a little money and it kept her from getting rusty, but it was too insecure. She had a chance to build something and with a brand new company, it could only get better. There was nowhere to fall from the bottom.


"No weird ring names."

"So you don't want to carry over your ring name from WCW?" Dixie asked, chuckling a little.

"Definitely not." Sevina wrinkled her nose, not for the first time, reminding herself that she needed to smack Shannon for that one. She looked at Dixie, who was sat opposite her in the large Florida office. "Okay, well we'll come up with something else. Did you have anything in mind?"

Sevina chewed on the inside of her lip for a moment. She knew Dixie wasn't normally involved in creative decisions, but since she was the marketing manager and she'd taken a personal interest in Sevina, it wasn't out of her area to be working with her on the finer details. "How about V?"

"V?"

"It's what some of my friends call me."

"V..." Dixie seemed to mull it over for a moment before nodding and smiling, "I like it. Simple, but evocative. Now, you were jobbing on WCW, so you didn't have much of a 'character', but we want to develop your mic skills and your persona. Obviously, this is purely collaborative, but creative want you to start as a heel."

Sevina's eyes went very round. She's done mic skills at Omega, but always as a baby face, she'd never even considered the possibility to being a heel and wasn't sure it was within her capabilities. "Um...why?" She winced a little as she spoke, it seemed like a pretty stupid question, but Dixie's expression was an understanding one. "You have a very natural edginess to your personality which would suit a heel. Being a heel is more difficult than being a face, I won't lie about it, but I think you can handle it."

Sevina wasn't sure, but she didn't want to cause any ripples, so she agreed with some trepidation about what was going to be expected of her.


"You're gonna be fine. Don't worry." Shannon Spruill smiled reassuringly at Sevina as she tried not to hyperventilate. Sevina had been very glad to find that Shannon had come over to TNA, at least there was one friendly face. The two of them had had some brilliant matches during their time on WCW and new one another well. "What if I mess up, Shan? Have you seen that ring?"

"So it's got a few more sides that we're used to. You'll be fine. I promise. Come on, we're up." Sevina groaned, but let Shannon drag her out of the locker room. Her time with creative had polished her character to perfection. Her ring attire was all black, a basic catsuit, with a waist cincher made from some strange material that glittered when the light hit it. Her hair was black at first gaze, but shone blue when any light struck it, it now hung to the middle of her back, but she had it tied into a high ponytail. Her face was scrubbed clean of any make-up and her boots were a little heavier than most wrestling boots, with an added inch high rubber platform.

On cue, she and Shannon burst out from the curtain and ran down to the ring, attacking Alexis Laree, otherwise known as Mickie James. It was a pretty simple match. Mickie, as Alexis was not being highly promoted by the company at the moment, so she was serving her purpose as a jobber to the other two. Sevina had met her briefly whilst working at WCW, so all three were familiar with each other. The match was fast-paced and at first a little worrying to Sevina who was still trying to get her head around the ring shape, but once it got going, all her anxieties fell away. She knew that Matt and Jeff were watching at home and it spurred her to put on the best performance she could.

Shannon a.k.a Daffney was at ringside, shrieking and shouting various obscenities, egging Sevina on. Sevina herself was surprised how enjoyable it was to play about with the heel character, hitting cheap shots and testing counts. It was an entirely new experience for her and when it ended, something felt like it exploded inside of her chest. She'd won her first professional wrestling match. Her ribs were aching and she gripped them with one arm as Daffney jumped in the ring raised her other hand. She screamed at the top of her lungs and spun in a circle with her arms out to the side.

Backstage, she was riding a high. She hugged Mickie fiercely and they grinned at one another. Sevina could barely contain her excitement as she bounced all over the place, adrenalin rushing through her body.