Chapter 53:
"I wouldn't worry about it, Haley." Maria Kanellis took a healthy sip from her Greygoose martini. "I mean, she didn't say anything about having a meeting with Adamle, but Eve's nice. I doubt she's trying to steal Dave, or something like that." She shoved her heavy curtain of auburn hair over her shoulders so that it fell down her back.
Haley placed her Tequila Slammer back on the table and nodded. "I'm sure you're right. I'm just being paranoid. I shouldn't let something Victoria said get to me anyway."
Maria made a soft sound of disgust. "She's always messing with people. Don't take her seriously Haley, she's just a washed up, jealous has-been."
Haley chuckled at her friend's description. She had almost forgotten how much she missed Maria's presence. Although having Kelly around was nice, Haley and Maria had always had a close, easygoing friendship. Maria had been a no-questions asked support system when Haley was a rookie and Haley had coached Maria on her ring skills. They had even become roommates before the draft when Jericho had turned on Haley and Maria's relationship with Brian Kendrick had gone sour.
"You know, I really miss you on RAW, Ria." Haley admitted honestly. "Kelly's great and all, but it's not the same."
"Aw honey," Maria's eyes softened and her expression turned to an empathetic pout. "I miss you too. I still haven't quite found my place amongst the SmackDown girls yet."
"I'm sure you're doing just fine." Haley assured her friend. "The crowd's reactions are a plus. They love having you there."
"For now." Maria agreed. "But RAW's still home for me."
"Hey Ladies." Michelle McCool approached the table with the newcomer, Brie Bella, just behind her. "Haley, have you met Brie yet?"
"No, not yet." Haley winked at Maria and extended a hand to Brie. "Hi Brie, I'm Haley. Welcome to the WWE."
"Thanks so much." The raven-haired beauty blushed. "It's really nice to finally meet you, Haley. I'm a big fan!"
"Thank you, Brie. I'm flattered." This time it was Haley's cheeks that flooded with color. She wasn't used to co-workers complimenting her like that, having been a rookie herself not too long ago.
"So," Michelle looked at Maria impishly. "Was Maria filling you in on the date she has later this week?"
"Michelle!" Maria hissed, looking horrified at being put on the spotlight.
"Date?" Haley turned wide-eyed to her friend. "What date? With who? You can't keep something like this from me, Ria? Spill!"
Maria suddenly seemed to find her drink incredibly fascinating. "I wasn't trying to keep it from you." She protested. "Just waiting for the right moment. I'm going out with Jeff on Wednesday." She mumbled.
"Jeff!" Haley exclaimed in surprise. "Really? Jeff Hardy?"
"Yeah." Maria huffed out an exasperated breath, uncomfortable with the direct attention. "After Brian dumped me, Jeff's been spending time with me, trying to cheer me up. He's really sweet. And I'm starting to like him, a lot."
"Oh my God!" Haley all but squealed with delight. "Maria, that's great! Jeff is such a wonderful guy, but he can get so dark. You're so light all the time. He needs that in his life. You'll balance each other out, it's perfect!"
A smile bloomed on Maria's face. "You think so?"
"I really do. He loves with his whole heart, Ria. He'll treat you like the most precious thing in the world, which is what you need after jerks like Santino and Brian. And you'll help him finally heal from all the scars his demons left behind. I'm happy for both of you." Haley stated firmly. "Truly, I am."
"Thanks Haley." Maria giggled. "I'm really looking forward to our date on Wednesday."
"You should be." Michelle laughed. "Ooh wait, I love this song!"
Oh hot damn, this is my jam
Keep me partying 'til the AM
Ya'll don't understand
Make me throw my hands
In the ayer, a-ayer, ayer, a-ayer
Michelle's eyebrows rose in invitation. "Ladies?" The slender, blonde, Diva's Champion pushed off from the table. "Shall we?"
Haley too recognized Flo Rida's 'In the Ayer'. She rose to her feet and grinned. "I'm game." She joked, linking hands with Maria and Michelle so the four Divas could head to the dance floor without losing each other in the crowd.
Once the four women hit the dance floor and began moving to the beat of the music, it wasn't long before Kelly, who managed to pull herself away from CM Punk, joined them. "I love this song!" She exclaimed.
The Divas didn't remain alone the dance floor for very long. The WWE Superstars immediately took note that various males in the club were watching and hoping to make their own moves on the Divas, several of them in relationships. CM Punk hadn't hesitated for too long once his girlfriend wandered off, and Jeff Hardy felt compelled to come out and dance with Maria. Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore decided to join Jeff and Shannon shyly asked Brie to dance while Matt worked his own magic on the Diva's Champion.
A pair of hands molded to Haley's hips and brought her back against the hard planes of the body behind her. She only had to shift slightly to fall into the same rhythm so that they moved as one.
"So," His voice was low and deep, spoken right by her ear, sending delightful shivers down her spine. "I've heard from everyone and their grandmother about my match against Cena tonight, except from the one person that mattered most, you." He nuzzled into the side of her face. "So did you find me sexy after all, Hales?"
She responded by pushing herself impossibly close to him. "Not that your ego needs anymore stroking, but I always find you sexy. It's whether or not I act upon it, should you be asking."
His hands slid low on her thighs. "Oh, I know." He grinned. "And as long as you think so, that's all that matters."
"I'm definitely not the only one." She laughed. "You, Randy, John, Jeff…you're all screamed at and about by those crazy fangirls. The arena smells like sex the moment you make your entrances."
He chuckled. "Interesting observation, Haley. But you know, none of those girls really matter to me." He slowed with her as the song changed to Neyo's 'Closer'. "As long as you still think I'm sexy, I don't care what they think."
"Someone's playing hardball, trying to get lucky tonight." She teased, turning in his arms so that she was facing him.
"Maybe." He conceded with a chuckle. "But I also speak the truth."
"Yeah, yeah." She playfully rolled her eyes.
Randy Orton brushed off the more than willing brunette who had been trying to chat him up at the bar. He just wasn't interested in the any of the women threw themselves at him these days. Had it been this time last year, he would have been trying to see how many he could bed in one night. Now he could care less if they all stood naked in front of him. The reason why…Haley.
"Oh crap." He muttered, looking balefully into his almost empty glass. "I'm doing it, again."
"Another round for Randy and I here, put it on his tab." John Cena dropped onto the stool on Randy's right side.
"And what the fuck do you want, Cena?" Randy rolled his eyes at his new drinking partner, not in the mood to deal with him.
John twitched in discomfort while he situated himself; his neck was killing him, before responding. "Well, I figured you and I have enough in common to drink to tonight."
Randy snorted in disbelief. "Like what? You got your ass kicked all over the ring tonight by Batista, I barely broke a sweat winning my match tonight."
"We're both longing for a title shot, and are willing to do almost anything to get it, for one." John cracked the top of the fresh bottle of Budweiser he received from the bartender.
"That's the best you can come up with?" Randy looked at the former champion incredulously. "You could drink with any guy in this fucking joint then."
"All right, Orton." John snapped at the Legend Killer, annoyed with his attitude. "I'll get straight to the point then. It's about Haley. We have her in common. We both fucked up our chances and now she's with Dave." He gestured to the dancing couple.
Randy laughed, hardly bothered by Cena's comment. "No, you fucked up John."
"You're not with her either, Orton, obviously you're not clean." John half snarled.
"I've still got a shot though Cena. She's kicked your ass to the curb, but not mine. I'm waiting in the wings, why, because she wants me there. She's in love with me too, you know. She just doesn't realize it." Randy smirked broadly. "I'm also getting this tingly feeling that something's about to change, and I'll be damned if I'm going to miss my shot this time."
A/N: Hmm…looks like Dave's not the only one playing hardball. Haley may have no clue that she's in love with two men right now, but we sure do. The question really isn't which one she loves more, because there are different reasons for which she loves them. One of them is the light of her life, always there even when she doesn't realize it. The other is her true soulmate, the one she cannot live without. And only I know which one is which hehe. =]
Also, I revealed Jeff Hardy's love interest for my series. Normally I'm more of a Cena/Maria fan, but Jeff/Maria has really grown on me. I think they're mad cure together! I'm also thinking of sparking a romance between Matt and Michelle, what do you guys think? Or would that be weird?
And can I just say I'm still upset that Shannon Moore's gone? I love him. He's a great wrestler and completely adorable, even with all the tattoos and piercings. (Sigh)
Up next, we flash forward to the week before Unforgiven. Eve's conversation with Adamle has turned into a tag team match at Unforgiven…but not just any tag team match…it has a theme. Plus, we finally have the well-timed return of Haley's best friend. =]
Review Responses
Jenny: haha no problem.
Nic-002001: He's supposed to because he's no longer the bad guy. I'm trying to make it as hard for everyone else to choose as it is for Haley. I'm so looking forward to Orton versus Batista, you have no idea, now that's a quality match right there. I'm definitely going to incorporate it into this fic.
Somebody: Don't worry, I will.
FrequentlyDazzled619: I'm making it very difficult to choose aren't I? That was my plan, I wanted my readers to be in the same position as Haley, who to choose, which one is better in the long run. Thanks for the Thanksgiving wishes…I hope Edge gets his ass kicked at Armageddon, like really bad. I hope Triple H pedigrees him to oblivion.
SBMFanatic: I only like Jericho as a heel when he's funny, now he just sucks. Edge is a stupid hobo, forget shaving, just let him go die in a ditch somewhere.
Thatgirl54: Satisfy your curiosity? You're going to have to wait just a little longer for Dwayne to come to RAW, though he'll be around a lot in the next few chapters. You're not going to believe what he, Steph, Haley and Randy are going to plan for the red brand.
PsYcHoRoAcH: I'm actually going to get around to writing a Kennedy fic one of these days, if you're interested, we could try co-authoring it.
Nicole: No…Haley is so NOT pregnant lol. She's only had one title reign and Candice returns next chapter. A lot of your suggestions I've already planned on actually. If you want to know Haley's full story coming into the WWE I suggest you read the first story to this series, it's titled Over It, just go to my profile page, it's long but it will explain everything you really want to know about Haley before this story started.
INdy MiLk: Because Vince actually likes Edge as Champ…must to our utter horror. I hope Triple H pedigrees his ass and then Jeff gives him a Swanton Bomb. I really think Triple H is just in the title chase for drama. Jeff should be the next Champ. You gotta admit, when Hunter gunning for a Championship, it's way more intense.
Baybie: Well, I can't write it all for you right this second…but I'm going to be posting more often so don't worry. And there are plenty Randy/Haley scenes coming up thanks to Eve's scheming because she really threw a monkey wrench into Haley and Dave's relationship.
Jewelgirl04: Calm down, Danielle. You know now lol. You're the best too. Love you.
Dreamin'BIG: Hmm…if you're sick of Jeff getting screwed out of the title, then you know how I am about Dave getting screwed out of everything. We should kill creative together! Stupid Edge! But I am happy that Cena's champ.
I luv Drama and Jeff Hardy: I'm actually happy Cena's Champ. Jericho's new heel gimmick blows and him with the title is even worse. So I'm actually (gasp) cheering for Cena in a title match? What? So I don't wish him dead, but yeah, Edge disgusts me, not just looks wise either. That stupid Hobo can off into a ditch somewhere and die.
Vjsimpact: haha thank you. I guess I can peg you for Team Raley then.
CenaCandiceFan4Life: Dwayne will be in the coming chapters, but his return will take a little longer. You're not going to believe what he, Steph, Haley and Randy have planned for Monday Nights.
