Author's Note: Here it is as promised, the next chapter. I couldn't leave you lovely people on a cliff hanger for too long! In case you didn't notice I named the character Jack after my brother. Since he's my biggest fan (bless him) and will be reading this on the way home from work tomorrow, it was about time I named a character after him.
I've just noticed that I'm a week away from the one year mark on this story. Can't believe that it's been a year since I've started this, but there's so much more to come. Honestly, I don't even know if I've reached the half way mark yet. Thanks to everyone who's supported this story over the past 12 months. I'm not going to do anything special for the year mark, I am however planning on something special for chapter 50. It involves your imput so I'll let you know in due course.
Tissues at the ready people.
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12:11

Sitting on the bed in his hotel room, Punk stared at his phone looking at a photo of Georgie from Valentine's Day. He missed her painfully, and as the days passed the anger subsided. Despite the initial betrayal he felt he began to see things from her perspective and now was dying to talk to her. His bus had been in repairs for the last week, so it meant that there was a possibility he was staying in the same hotel as Georgie. However, this remained to be seen since last night's latest locker room incident resulted in Georgie being sent home. But there was a glimmer of hope since he heard that she'd been spotted in the Hilton in Philly, meaning she couldn't be far. He knew she wouldn't stick around for long and was dying to talk to her before she flew back home for the rest of the week.

Swallowing his pride, he searched for her on his contact lists and called without hesitation. He frowned in disappointment as the ringing went to voicemail, so he took a deep breath and stuttered his way through a speech.

'Hey Georgie, it's me Phil. Um listen I heard what went down yesterday between you and that bimbo Eva. I'm really sorry that you had to go through that. Um don't worry about Stephanie, she loves you. I...er... I really wanna see you. I heard you're in Philly...I um don't know for how long but I need to see you. There's some things we need to talk about. I miss you, Dollface. I gotta go... Call me when you get this? Bye.'

Upon hanging up he shook his head at how much of a bumbling idiot he sounded. But it was worth looking like a fool just to get her attention. He threw down his phone on the bed and plonked himself on his back, sighing as he looked up to the ceiling. He shut his eyes and contemplated the rest of his day when Kofi barged in with a look of horror and absolute panic on his face.

'Phil. I gotta tell you something.'


12.16

'I'm outta here.' Punk announced as he stomped to the door of his hotel room whilst Kofi followed.

'Where you going?' The Ghanaian called after him.

'The school, where do you think?!' Punk responded, leaving his room without looking back or waiting for his friend.

'Dude, that's not such a great idea. There's a gunman on the loose.' Kofi protested as he chased after his friend who refused to slow down.

'My girl is in there, Kofi. What would you do?' Punk snapped as they turned a corner.

As soon as they turned the corner towards the elevator, they ran into John Cena who had look of pure worry on his face. 'Hey, I just heard what's going on. You alright, man?'

'I'm leaving.' Punk responded flatly without even acknowledging Cena's existence.

'Phil!' Kofi called out for him again whilst Cena walked with him, turning towards the high flyer in question.

'Where's he going?'

'To the school.' Kofi sighed as Cena looked on in horror.

'Phil stop!' Cena bellowed as he joined Kofi in chasing after the Straight Edge Superstar.

'Not a chance.' He dismissed.

Cena managed to use his stride to not only catch up with Punk, but block his path by jumping in front of him and grabbing him by the shoulders. He looked at him in straight in the eye as he caught his breath before he spoke, attempting to reason with the man on a mission.

'What do you think you're gonna do? Storm in the school and rescue her? The place would be swarming with cops, there's no way they'd let you in.'

'I don't care.' Punk snarled as he shrugged himself off Cena's grip.

'Phil, you need to calm down.' Cena pleaded.

'Calm down?! Are you serious?!' Punk exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air with rage.

'The situation is beyond our control. It's in the hands of the police right now-' Kofi spoke but was cut off by an enraged Punk.

'Is that supposed to make me feel better?!' He yelled incredulously.

Before Punk had the chance to go any further Hunter darted out of the elevator and headed straight towards the three men. He was dressed in his usual suit, but his tie was loosened and his shirt was crumpled. He wore a very distressed look on his face as he approached his employees.

'Phil, stop! Mike just spoke to Stu. He knows where Georgie is, he's made contact.' Hunter spoke breathlessly.

'What's he said?' Phil asked with narrowed olive eyes filled with hostility and distrust.

'Come with me-' Hunter spoke softly.

'WHAT'S HE SAID?!' Phil yelled.

'CALM DOWN!' Hunter retaliated. When he finally commanded Punk's attention he looked to the other two wrestlers for their silent approval and continued.

'The Hilton have kindly offered us their conference room where the news channel is on and we're in regular contact with the police. We're all there just in case any of them try to make contact with the roster. Ok?'

All four of them stood in silence, waiting with baited breath for Punk to make his next move. Kofi was the first one to speak, putting his arm around his friend and trying to gently coax him into going with Hunter.

'Phil come on.'

Punk gave Hunter a glare before making his demand. 'I wanna be updated on everything.'

'Got it.' Hunter replied with sincerity.

'What did Stu say?' Punk asked, his feet still firmly unmoved.

Hunter took a deep breath, running his hand through his cropped hair before finally speaking. 'Firstly, she's with Nev and our bodyguard Jack. And she's ok. They all are...'


12:28

Standing in the conference room, Punk was looking out the window observing the rain for guidance. He stood arms folded as his whole body tensed and his jaw clenched tightly. The conference room was filled with various people on the roster, management and the odd hotel staff coming in an out to cater to the nervous people's needs. There was a big plasma flat screen on the wall which was on the news, running the story of the siege at the school in Philadelphia. The speculation did nothing to calm the nerves of those watching. Hunter darted in and out the room, always on his phone trying to gather as much information as possible and appease Punk who was ready to walk out at any second.

'Regal's calling you, bro.' Mike approached Punk who reacted instantly and snatched the phone from his friend.

'Regal! What the hell is going on?'

'It's Stu. You alright?'

'No. What's going on? Where's Georgie? Is she ok?' Punk panted, desperate for information.

'She still in the school, but she's ok. I got a text from Nev about 5 minutes ago.' Stu informed, sensing Punk's urgency and not wanting to beat around the bush.

'What did it say?'

'It's Georgie. Please tell Phil not to worry, I'm going to be fine. Tell him I could use a big hug though, and I hope to see him later.' Stu read from his phone as he heard Punk inhale cautiously before carrying on. 'We're on our way to the Hilton now, I'll fill you in mate.'

'Thanks.' Punk mumbled before hanging up.

'Phil?' Mike asked questioningly.

'They need to get out of that fucking school.' Punk growled before turning back to the window silently.

Meanwhile, at the back of the room Jon sat with Colby and Joe in silence as he watched on. His blue eyes narrowed at the scenes shown on the TV, making him clench his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

'You ok, man?' Colby asked his team mate whose face was contorted with ire.

'Jon?' Joe asked his friend softly who abruptly stood up from his chair.

'I'm going for a cigarette.' Jon mumbled before storming out of the room.

'Should we go after him?' Colby asked with worry in his voice.

'No, leave him. He won't wanna be around people right now.' Joe sighed, rubbing his hand with his face.

'This is so awful. I hope they get out alright.' Colby murmured sadly, his eyes locked on the screen ahead of him. Joe rubbed his eyes trying to contain his emotion and grunted,

'I feel sick.'


12:39

Frustrated and angry, Punk had finally had enough of looking at the same image of the school on the news. He was just about to make a run for it when Stu and Barri followed by a tearful looking Saraya and a grim looking Barri walked through the door to the conference room. Punk wasted no time as he marched up to Stu with purpose.

'Call Nev.'

'Phil-' Hunter protested.

'Do it now!' Punk ordered as Stu wordlessly obeyed, taking his phone out of his pocket.

'Don't listen to him, Stu. The sound of a ringtone could compromise their position.' Terry told the group in his informative and baritone voice.

'What?' Stu asked perplexed by his comment.

'They're hiding in a closet somewhere, the shooter won't hear.' Punk snapped as he rolled his eyes at the bodyguard, still holding his hand out for the phone whilst Stu look on in confusion.

'You don't know that. You haven't been to that school.' Terry spoke flatly, dismissing the wrestler.

'I need to hear her voice.' Punk insisted, losing his patience.

'She's not the only one in there you know, buddy? You're not the only one worried.' Terry grumbled, finally showing signs of him losing his cool with Punk and the situation.

'I'm not your buddy.' Punk scowled as he took a few steps towards the bodyguard, squaring up to him. Terry was at least three inches taller than Punk but he didn't care. He never felt intimidated by anyone.

'You need to back off.' Terry snarled as he clenched his fists by his side and puffed out his chest in hope that Punk would come to his senses and back down. But he didn't.

'Or what?' Punk challenged, titling his head and flashing an evil smile. His olive eyes were blazing with pure fury and every muscle in his body was tensed up.

'Come on, Phil.' Cena appeared, gently tugging Punk away from Terry.

'No, you want a fight let's have it!' Punk challenged a now enraged Terry, completely ignoring Cena beside him as he pushed his chest into the bodyguard's.

'Seriously bro, I will wrestle you to the ground if I have to.' Cena spoke sternly as he grabbed hold of Punk's bicep.

'I'll take you too.' Punk snapped at his friend whilst yanking his arm away.

'THAT'S ENOUGH!'

All three men turned to see a furious and red faced Hunter marching towards them. His appearance was becoming more dishevelled by the day, and his face wore a mixed expression of fury, distress and exhaustion.

'I get that you're upset, believe me I know. But one more peep out of you and you'll leave me no choice but to get the cops in here and haul your ass in jail.' Hunter barked at Punk who laughed humourlessly in his face.

'Good, get the cops in. Maybe they'll be able to tell me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!'

Without thinking Hunter grabbed the neck of Punk's shirt with both fists and yanked him violently towards him. Punk initially struggled but Hunter's brute strength was too much for him to overcome. He pushed his face right up to Punk's, looking at him with his blazing hazel eyes and spoke with a cold rage.

'Listen here. Georgie is going through a hell of an ordeal right now and she's gonna need your support when she gets back here. Now are you gonna be there for here, or do I have to explain to her that her jerk boyfriend is in jail for making a scene when she needs him the most?'

Punk's eyes darkened and his mouth twitched, but he remained wordless as Hunter let go of the grip he had on his shirt. It was only then that he became fully aware of a room full of bewildered eyes staring at the two of them. He took a step back as he flattened his clothes and cleared his throat.

'That's what I thought.' He murmured.

The stood in silence staring at each other in the air surrounding them so thick that Punk began to feel suffocated by it. The tension was finally broken by Kofi approaching with his phone in hand, gesturing at Punk.

'Phil, I got Cabana on the phone for you.'

Punk finally broke away from Hunter's troubled gaze and towards his friend. Hunter silently stormed out the room followed by Terry as everyone around diverted their attention away from the scene. Cena looked on, clearly upset by the confrontation as Kofi gave him a sympathetic shrug whilst Punk took the phone.

'Hello?'

'Punkers? I'm watching the news. What the fuck? You alright man?' Colt asked gravelly worried for his friend. Punk let out a deep sigh as he rubbed his tired eyes and lowered his head.

'No. I'm really scared.'


12:45

Pacing the room with a look of fear on her ivory face, Saraya wrung her wrists before coming to a halt at the sound of a deep northern voice. She turned to see Stu looking at her with soft eyes.

'Come here, love.'

She made her way over to where he was sitting, taking a cautious seat next to him and letting out a deep sigh. He put his arm around her as she began to talk for the first time since they left the school.

'I'm so worried for Nev and Georgie.' She choked as he tightened the hold on her as she was trembling.

'I know.'

'They must be so scared.' She sniffed.

'She is. But you know Nev; he's keeping their spirits high. They're looking after each other. Plus they've got Jack too.' Stu spoke, talking to convince himself as well as Saraya and hoping she wouldn't catch on to his concern.

'How are they holding up?' She asked gesturing towards Regal and Barri, the latter looking teary trembling.

'Not great. Barri's in bits, you know how close him and Nev are. It's given him an anxiety attack, poor lad. Regal's been helping though.' Stu sighed as the felt the apprehension in the pit in his stomach rise, especially at the sight of his team mates looking so broken.

'This is so awful. I just want them here and safe.' Saraya choked, the tears now running down her face. Stu pulled her in for a full on embrace, stroking circles in her back soothingly.

'I know, love.' He whispered in her hair.

'How's Phil been?' She murmured in his chest. He sighed, pulled away and leaned back on his seat whilst she dried her eyes.

'How do you think? Total nightmare, mate. Kofi and Cena have had to put up with a lot of shit today. I don't blame him though, I'd be the same.'

'What about him?' She motioned towards Jon who had just silently walked in the room and taken a seat in the corner on his own. Him and Punk locked eyes for a moment before the latter turned back out the window sighing to himself.

'Dunno. He's not really said anything.' Stu muttered, following her gaze.

Jon sat on his own mostly because those around were too scared to approach him. Whilst everyone was now aware of the former relationship between Jon and Georgie, none were willing to openly discuss it. The colour was drained from his once tanned face, and he looked like he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took deep silent breaths, squeezing his eyes shut.

'He looks ill.' Saraya whispered as Stu look over feeling genuine sympathy for the man as he whispered back.

'He's scared.'


12:48

Punk was done pacing the room and looking out the window. He had since taken a seat directly in front of the plasma and sat on his own. Everyone in the room was worried about him, but no one knew how to approach the man. He was a loose cannon ready to blow up at any time, and no one wanted to make the situation worse. However there was one person who wasn't afraid.

'Hey Phil.'

He looked up to see big brown friendly eyes laced with concern staring down at him. April gave him a sad smile before taking a chair next to him and gently rubbing his arm.

'Ah so they sent you to tame the beast.' He chuckled humourlessly.

'No one sent me.'

'Please don't ask me if I'm alright. Cos I honestly don't know how I'll answer.' He choked, his voice breaking at the end.

'I know... I'm not gonna do that. I just wanna do this.' She spoke softly before wrapping her small arms around his body and giving him the warmest hug she could manage.

'I'm here for you.' She whispered in his neck before slowly pulling away noting the teary expression on his face.

'Thanks.' He said hoarsely, wiping his face from impending tears.

'Be strong, ok?' She urged, giving him a light peck on the cheek before turning and leaving the room, her own tears starting to fall down her soft face.


13:19

'Approximately 20 minutes ago a series of gunshots were fired within the grounds of the school. Moments ago armed police finally entered the building, followed by medics suggesting there are casualties and possible fatalities. Although many shell shocked children and their teachers have escaped there is word that there are civilian fatalities, and that the shooters themselves are among the dead.'

'What the hell, Hunter?! How come we don't know about this?' Punk yelled in frustration, half at Hunter and half at the newsreader on the plasma television screen.

'I'd like to know the same. Excuse me.' Hunter grumbled, snatching his phone from his pocket before storming out of the conference room.

'Stu, call Nev.' Punk ordered to the Brit who was sitting behind him.

'Yeah.' Stu mumbled and did what he was told without hesitation.

They all waited in anticipation for someone to answer Stu's call. The Brit sat on the table behind Punk with his anxious team mates whilst the Straight Edge Superstar had Kofi on one side of him and Cena on the other. April was clutching hands with fellow Diva's Summer Rae and Nikki, the latter who was keeping her twin updated whilst she was on honeymoon with her husband Bryan. The middle of the room was filled by a nervous Glenn and Big Show who were joined by Mike and Cody. Randy exchanged brief words with Mark Henry who was participating in a silent prayer. At the very back of the room sat a sombre look Shield trio. Joe and Colby purposely sat either side of a twitching and restless Jon. Joe said very little, he was mostly hanging his head and rubbing his eyes whilst Colby was more of a calming influence over the two. He could tell that Jon was getting very close to the state that Punk was in and possibly beyond, had offered him the quiet voice of reason that he needed. But if they didn't get answers soon he anticipated that his friend would snap.

After a minute of ringing with no answer, Stu shook his head at Punk before hanging up the phone. Punk sucked his bottom lip where his piercing used to be before abruptly jumping up, manhandling the vacant table in front and flipping it over like it was weightless before letting out a guttural scream and making everyone around him jump in fear.

'SON OF A BITCH!'

Everyone in close proximity jumped back, as there were a few gasps amongst them. Thankfully no one was hurt, but most were still fearful of approaching the volcanic Punk. Except John Cena.

'Punk!' He yelled, walking towards him with his hands held out in peace.

'I'm fucking sick of being left in the dark. Watching this on the fucking news!' Punk screeched, his voice filled with despair and pain.

'I know dude, Hunter is on the case.' Cena pleaded with the crazed wrestler, although he was fighting his own emotions.

'I'm gonna lose my shit. Fuck it, I'm going down there to find out myself.' Punk growled, noting that his hands were trembling and his eyes were wet.

They all stood in silence, unable to comprehend the situation or offer any real words of comfort to a distraught Punk. Colby could feel Jon tense up beside him, his knuckles white and his blue eyes darkened. He held a strong grip on his friend's bicep, holding his intense gaze before slowly shaking his head.

'Phil.'

All eyes fell on the door to the owner of the voice, Paul Heyman who had only just heard the news and came to his friend's aid. Punk's expression softened at the sight of his mentor, until he spotted Hunter directly behind them.

'Did they tell you anything?' Punk asked the two men whilst stepping forward.

Heyman shook his head sadly whilst Hunter took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

'Hunter?!'

'Sit down, Punk.' Hunter ordered quietly which was ignored by the wrestler.

'Is she ok?!' He asked desperately, taking a further step towards them.

'Georgie got out, with Jack. He's been shot, but from what I've been told they're both ok.' Hunter informed with a grim expression on his face.

Punk along with the rest of the room breathed a collective sigh of relief before it was briefly stopped by his next question. 'What about Nev?'

Hunter looked down, and rubbed his chin before letting out a huge sigh. His voice was hoarse and laced with misery.

'I don't know.'


13:31

'I just need to hear her voice.' Punk mumbled to himself.

They were still waiting for an update on the situation, and despite being told she was out of harm's way Punk wasn't going to rest until he heard that from Georgie. He could feel himself getting worked up again before Hunter quietly entered the room, phone in hand as he slowly approached Punk.

'I've got some news. Jack took a bullet to the shoulder and he's in the hospital, but he's gonna be fine.' He spoke with a tight smile.

'Georgie?' Punk asked.

'Just finished talking to the cops.' Hunter breathed as he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the strain of the day.

'Is she ok?' Punk asked desperately as Hunter coughed, and looked away from his gaze.

'She's... unharmed. She's on her way here now.' He responded quietly.

After a brief conversation with a traumatised Georgie on the phone, 'ok' would not be a word he would use to describe her current condition. But she was adamant she wasn't physically hurt or injured. This seemed to satisfy Punk.

'Any word on Nev?' Stu asked as he stood from his chair, Saraya clutching his hand.

Hunter sighed, giving Stu and his team mates a brief glance before looking away again. He spoke with a hoarse voice with broke with emotion.

'There's been no official statement yet. But according to Georgie, he was also shot. She's saying he didn't make it.' He stuttered the last statement.

Saraya let go of Stu's hand, her own hands covering her mouth as she gasped in horror and her knees buckled.

'No!' Barri yelled, trembling with grief as Regal held on to the Welsh brute.

'Oh my God.' Stu muttered in shock as the bile travelled from his stomach to his throat.

Before he had a chance to react Saraya collapsed on heap on the floor in floods of tears, wailing hysterically. Stu immediately crouched down to her aid, cradling her in his arms on the floor as she trembled with anguish.

Hunter looked around the room, looking at the reaction of the rest of the roster. The girls held each other as they cried whilst Show held his head in his hands whilst Glen comforted him. Cena gave his girlfriend Nikki a knowing look before pulling a shell shocked Punk in his arms, telling him he had to be strong for his girl whilst Kofi and Heyman looked on with despair. Finally Hunter's eyes fell on The Shield, who appeared to show little reaction at first. However just when Hunter was about to speak again Jon stood up cursing loudly before violently kicking the chair in front of him. Colby and Joe were on his straight away, both men either side holding him back as he violently trembled with rage and grief. Joe had both Jon's arms pinned back whilst Colby stood in front, holding his friend's face in his hands and speaking to him so softly only the three men could hear. It seemed to do the trick as after a few moments Joe felt the tension slowly leave Jon's aggressive body and they silently resumed their seated position.

Unable to take anymore Hunter spoke again, making his excused as his throat burned trying to keep the impending tears at bay.

'It's not been confirmed yet. And obviously his body is yet to be identified, and his family need to be informed. So I'd really appreciate if we didn't broadcast this yet. I-um... Excuse me, I gotta take this.' He choked as his phone bleeped. He hurried out the door, tears in his eyes and his hands trembling violently as he left a room full of devastated wrestlers.


13:51

Not a word had been spoken in over 10 minutes, it was just the sound of crying and sniffing as well as the news report which was playing in repetition. Stu had managed to get a shattered Saraya seated as the Diva's rallied round her whilst Barri was being comforted by a visibly distressed Regal, although he was trying to hold it together for his friend. The Shield boys remained unmoved but obviously disturbed by the day's event whilst everyone else took turns to embrace each other and openly cry in each other's arms. None of them left the room though, they were all anxious to see Georgie and no one more than Punk.

Hunter had not long left the conference room, expecting Georgie any minute. He didn't have to wait long as she pulled up in the back of a police car before stepping out.. Although physically unharmed the sight of her was shocking for him . They wordlessly made their way to the elevator an towards the conference room, ignoring the gasps of horror from passersby.

They finally reached the door, and she gave Hunter a nervous glance. He responded by nodding his head and gently squeezing her shoulder. She took a deep breath before opening the door with shaking hands.

All eyes snapped towards her as she stumbled through the room and was met by gasps and whimpers. Her once pretty white sundress was soaked in blood, which was splattered on her neck and even got in her hair. Her eyes looked frightened and her expression was one of absolute trauma. Hunter let go of the grip on her shoulder as Punk stood up from his chair and paced towards her.

'Georgie!'

He stood in front of her, afraid to touch the writer as she was trembling on the spot. He gently tucked a strand of blood soaked hair behind her ear making her shiver at his brief touch. She couldn't bring herself to look at anyone else in the room, it hurt too much to see the grief stricken faces of those around her.

'Are you ok?' He whispered, noting that her shoulders were shaking.

'Phil...' She whispered with a cracked voice.

Everyone stopped in silence and watched the heartbreaking exchange between the two lovers, and the devastation that left the young woman traumatised and visibly broken. Punk's hand carefully left her hair and trailed down to her neck that was splattered with blood.

'You're bleeding.' He spoke with horror, looking down at the blood that appeared to be seeping from her chest.

'It's not mine. It's not my blood.' She choked before biting her trembling lip and letting out a gut wrenching sob.

Her knees buckled and she felt herself fall, but her body never hit the ground. Punk was too quick as he grabbed her from the waist, holding her trembling body tightly towards him as he whispered in her hair.

'Here, I got you.'

She cried with her whole body, unable to reciprocate the embrace and hold her weight on her legs. He gently lowered them to the ground, his arms not letting the grip go as he pulled her on to his lap.

'I got you.' He whispered as he moved his hands from her waist to her back as he proceeded to rock her like a child in his lap.

She gripped on to his now blood and tear soaked shirt as she howled into his neck, her whole body trembling. He stroked her hair gently with one hand whilst his other arms gripped her tightly so she would fall back. There was no way he was letting her go.

'I got you.'


Sorry guys, but Nev was always going to die. Coming up; the aftermath, the roster goes back to Europe and will Georgie stick to the pact she made with Jack and Nev?