Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.

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Keeper

Chapter 35

Thursday

I groggily rolled out of my bunk, slamming my legs sloppily onto the ground. I heard a snickering coming from the main area. By the time I schlepped myself over there, a nice big cup of coffee was offered to me.

"One sugar and a pinch of creamer," Punk said smugly.

"Just the way I like it!" I said before taking a sip.

"I know. I noticed."

"Thank you. Tastes so good!" I was a caffeine addict and wasn't afraid to admit it.

"You're welcome," he said as we walked back over to the couch. I followed him, sitting on the other side.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Watching The Walking Dead. I'm a few episodes behind."

"Oh my fucking goodness! I love that show! Mind if I watch with you?"

"Not at all," he said as he pressed play. I'd been very cautious about being a good guest. I didn't want to intrude too much.

"Oh, this is the one where the Gov-" he shot me a death glare.

"No spoilers, Steele!"

"Sorry, my lips are sealed starting….now."

We watched a few hours of The Walking Dead pretty peacefully. It was a nice start to my Thursday. After the eventful Smackdown taping on Tuesday and appearances yesterday, it was a nice change of pace. We were nearing Chicago, Punk's home town. I was grabbing a flight out of O'Hare to meet up with Hunter, Steph, and Sheamus in Hawaii.

"You know…I feel like if there was a zombie apocalypse I'd be alright," I said wistfully.

"Oh yeah?" He asked with a smile.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm surrounded by wrestlers so much of the time and I have a bus. Like I should be all set…Wrestlers are all bad ass and beefy."

"Or you might be fucked. All those athletic people might be able to out run you. You'd be zombie bait in no time!" he teased.

"Rude! I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they'd all band together!"

"Alright, you do that. I don't even know why you're even thinking about a zombie apocalypse, you weirdo."

"Hey! How can you not ponder what you'd do if it struck when you watch this show!?" I asked with a chuckle.

"I don't know…maybe it's all my sleep deprivation," he said with a shrug.

"No kidding! Some days, with the bags under those eyes of yours, you are the one who looks like a zombie!" I said with a grin.

"Ouch!" he said clutching his chest, feigning hurt.

"Oh you'll be fine you big baby!" I said whacking him with a couch pillow.

"You are a pain in the ass. When are you leaving again?"

"In a matter of hours my precious little Punky-poo."

"Oh my god never call me that again!" Punk said laughing.

"Aww come on! You're no fun."

"You know…part of the reason I wanted to stay on the same bus was to drive you a little insane but damn…you really showed me, Steele!"

"Are you trying to tell me I'm annoying?" I asked offended.

"A little bit…."

"Good. That's what I was going for!"

"Well good." We both broke out into laughter. I had to admit it was kind of nice to laugh like this. Especially since my break up with Dolph. Punk was a welcomed distraction.

As the bus moved towards the Chicago city lines, Punk grew a little quiet.

"So uh…did you want us to take you directly to the airport or what?" He asked curiously.

"As opposed to hitch hiking?" I said trying to be a smart ass.

"You could. I'm sure an obese trucker would be more than fine swinging by O'hare to drop ya off."

"Oh fuck you!" I giggled. "Why don't you wait a minute? I'm going to check the take off time of my flight." I picked up my phone and checked to see the travel times. My flight out to LAX was delayed two hours.

"Well?"

"Evidently, my flight was delayed two hours. I guess I'm not in as much of a rush as I thought."

"We can just go straight to my place then. I'll get you to the airport whenever you want to go."

"Alright. Sounds good. Thank you."

"No problem."

Within a half hour, the bus pulled up in front of a building and stopped. I recognized it as being Casa de Punk.

"Well here we are!" He said excitedly standing up.

"So we are." I began to gather my belongings, slinging the bag over my shoulder. Punk headed out of the bus and I followed suit. The driver was already emptying the compartments underneath the bus. My two suitcases were sitting gently on the curb.

"Want to come inside for a little bit?"

"Uh…"

"We've been on the road all day, I'm sure you could use a real, full sized shower and a bite to eat before you hop on a plane," he offered nonchalantly.

"Well, Punk, you really know how to make an offer that a girl finds hard to say no to!"

"I do alright. Now let's get all this stuff inside."

We lugged all our stuff into his living room in no time. He showed me to his bathroom and I took the most delightful, steamy shower. I wouldn't want to admit it but he was totally right about the shower. Having one with enough space to actually shave my legs was wonderful. Once I pried myself out of the hot water, I dressed and dried my long blonde hair before heading back to the main area of the house.

The air was filled with the most magnificent smell.

"What did ya make me?" I asked playfully as I bounded around the corner.

"Some fish. Tilapia to be exact. With a side of quinoa and black bean salad."

"Mmmn. I'm sure glad I came in now. I don't think Cinnabon would have been so healthy or tasty."

"You're probably right about that," he said pulling the pan off of the stove. I pulled out a stool at the counter and sat down. He put some food on each of the two plates and set one down in front of me. "Dinner is served!" I cut a piece of fish and put it into my mouth.

"Oh my god. My compliments to the chef!" I said with a small salute.

"Noted."

"I never would have guessed you could cook."

"Well I don't advertise it. Then people expect you to cook for them. Where's the fun in that?"

"Nowhere! Then you have to cook and clean up the mess in the kitchen!" I said with a chuckle.

"Exactly! So I just pretend to be a blissfully poor cook."

"I do too…although I'm not really pretending too much."

"You can't be that bad!"

"Okay well, the food I make is edible but just nothing special. It gets the job done."

"Well you're already athletic and smart, you can't be a gourmet chef too. It wouldn't be fair," he said with a shrug.

"I guess not," I grinned.

Time passed and my flight departure time drew nearer. We had settled in on the couch and were playing games on his Xbox. I looked over at Punk.

"I have to go soon." He looked over at me, studying me.

"You don't have to go, Kennedy."

"What do you mean? I have to go to the airport."

"You don't want to go. I know you don't. So stay…here with me. I have off until Raw too. It'd be like a little vacation."

"I do have to go. The Helmsley's and Sheamus are waiting for me in Hawaii. I can't just bail."

"Yes, you can. They'll have to deal with it. You know you want to stay here. You've been having fun, admit it!" he said seriously.

"I…I have been having fun but I have fun with my friends and boyfriend too."

"So that's it then…you're just going to fly outta here tonight to go on vacation with that fucking ginger!"

"I don't know why my relationship with Sheamus irks you so much! Him and I are together and you have to fucking deal with it, Punk!" I growled.

"Oh please! For the last fucking time, Steele, you aren't fooling me. Everybody else buys the two of you as a couple but I know better. Your relationship is a damn sham and you know it," he accused. I felt my heart racing…beating so fast it felt like it was trying to escape my chest.

"I just…ugh! You think you fucking know everything! But you don't…you don't know shit. You know nothing about my life or my relationship!"

"I know that on Monday night you were miserable. I know that for the past two days you've mostly smiled and laughed. You were happy. You were happy spending time with me. You didn't go out of your way to talk to and call your boyfriend at all. I know that just now, when you said you had to go, you looked sad again….That's what I know."

"Why does it matter, Punk? Why does any of this matter?!" I yelled.

"Because….because you don't belong in places or with people that make you unhappy! You don't belong with Sheamus!"

"I don't think I really belong anywhere…." I said sadly as a tear dripped down my cheek. I immediately wiped it. "I sure as hell don't belong here…"

"Kennedy I…"

"Don't! Just don't." I walked over to my bags in the corner. I grabbed them and headed to the door. "Thanks for having me. I had a lovely time," I said before slamming the door behind me.

I walked down the street, not stopping to look behind me. Once I was confident I was out of Punk's vision, I stopped. I pulled out a phone and dialed the number for a taxi. Within ten minutes, a yellow cab pulled up. The driver loaded my things into the trunk and I climbed in. The ride to the airport was long and silent. I didn't really feel like talking.

Once at the gate, I pulled out my phone and decided to call Stephanie. I dialed and it rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Steph."

"Shouldn't you be in flight right now?"she asked a little worried.

"Yeah. There was a two hour delay on take off. I should be boarding shortly. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be getting there a little later than planned."

"Well that sucks! Thanks for letting me know!"

"You're welcome. I know how you worry!"

"I know. Isn't it awful? I guess its my inner mom!"she joked.

"I guess so. Have you guys been having fun?"

"Absolutely! The weather has been so gorgeousand warm.You are absolutely going to love it here, Kenz!"

"I sure hope so if I'm going to spend all this time on planes to get there!" I said with a small laugh.

"If it wasnt worth the flight it wouldn't be such a vacation hotspot!" she insisted.

"I guess you have a point. Hows my Irishman!?" I asked like a loving girlfriend would and should.

"Oh he's fine. He totally misses you and can't you to get here!"

"That's sweet. I can't wait to see him too."

"Kennedy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright? You just sound a little...off," she asked seriously. Her sisterly concern was evident.

"I'm fine, Stephanie, really," I insisted.

"You dont need to lie to me. I can tell something is wrong! You know you can talk to me about anything!"

"I'm just tired to be honest. Its been a long week."

"That's understandable. Being on the road is tough work. Maybe you can catch some sleep on the plane and be good as new when you touch down in Hawaii," she said chipperly.

"If not I'll just nap in a lawn chair in the sun. You and Sheamus can just turn me over every half hour so I don't burn!"

"That sounds like a great plan B!"

"I thought so. So I'll see you at the resort?"

"Absolutely."

"Bye, Steph."

"Bye, Boots! Have a safe flight."

"Thanks!"

I hung up and headed towards the counter. The attendent checked my ticket and I was permitted to pass through to board the plane.

I hope you all are enjoying Keeper so far and will keep reading to see what shenanigans Kennedy gets into on the road! I also want to thank you so much for the support for this story and my writing in general. You guys are the best. Feel free to message or review me your opinions and comments! Constructive feedback is always appreciated