Disclaimer: I don't own anybody or anything related to the WWE. I only own my OC.
Wade
I landed in Texas for the next Raw taping tomorrow night. I swiftly grabbed my bags from baggage claim and wasted no time climbing into my rental car. It was a really sunny day out which was a refreshing change of pace from the rain of the last city. I rolled down the windows and let the dry, warm, Texas air blow in and fill the car. It was a necessary relief from the frigid air conditioned air of the airport. I could see how Nic loved spending time in this state, the weather was lovely. I drove the twenty minutes to the hotel. I tossed my bags in the corner and sat down on the bed, admittedly a little jetlagged. I decided to check Twitter. It was blowing up. My jaw dropped. Punk and Nicolette had released some sort of statement. I clicked the link that took me to the announcement.
"We would like to announce that we have decided to part ways romantically and professionally. This was a mutual decision that didn't come easily for either of us. We hope to put this behind us and to remain the good friends we have always been to one another. We look forward to what lays ahead for both of us and wish each other the best. The two of us would like to ask for privacy on this matter moving forward. Thank you all for your cooperation."
I was absolutely flabbergasted. I didn't see this coming at all. They'd seemed so solid lately, a power couple of sorts. I couldn't fathom what had happened to change that. Although I wasn't particularly saddened by the news, I thought that she is likely to be pretty upset. I wasn't sure whether this occurred before or after her visit to my room Monday night but I hoped Nic was okay. I immediately debated whether I should call or text her to check on her. I was startled by the sound of my phone vibrating on the nightstand. I almost assumed it would be Nicolette. I picked it up to read the message. It wasn't Nicolette, instead it was from the Texas rattlesnake himself.
"Are you at the hotel yet?" It read.
"Just arrived. Why?" I texted back.
I was a little puzzled why a man who never really liked me much cared where I was. Granted, he was also currently my general manager so that could have something to do with it. I waited for the return text. Minutes passed and still no reply. A knock sounded on my door. I stood up and walked over to answer it. Once I swung the door open, my eyes laid upon Steve.
"Hello. What a surprise. I wasn't expecting you," I said dryly.
"Yeah, yeah. Put on your shoes, you're coming with me," he said decisively.
"What? Why? Where are we going?" I asked very confused.
"Does it matter? Just grab some god damn shoes!" he insisted. I decided to indulge him. The last thing I wanted to do was piss off my GM and the volitale Texas Rattlesnake. I put on shoes, grabbed my cell phone, and followed him down the hallway.
He didn't say a word as he lead me through the hotel and out to the parking lot. Unsurprisingly a big truck in the lot was his. I silently climbed in and we began heading down the road. He drove through town and soon we headed into the more rural area.
"May I ask where in the hell we're going now?" I asked finally.
"You'll see."
"You driving me out into the middle of nowhere to murder me or something are you?" I joked.
"Probably not….if you play your cards right..."he said cryptically. I looked at him a little concerned. "Relax, Barrett, we're just taking a little trip."
"Of all people, why did you bring me on this 'little trip'. You've never really been a big fan of me," I said honestly.
"You're right, Wade, but it was mostly due to circumstance. I think I would have liked you a lot more if things had been different at the time we met," he said referring to Nicolette.
"Yeah, I guess you are kinda right on that."
"I know you're a good guy. That's why I love knowing you are there for Nic. To be there for her. That's a part of the reason why I wanted to bring you out here, to let bygones be bygones. To make up for the way things went back then. I never meant to come between you and Nicolette's relationship back then."
"Likewise, Steve. I never wanted to be a rift in your marriage," He nodded with a small grin on his face.
"I guess we were just too men trying to love one woman. It just never works out for everybody involved. There just wasn't enough space for us both to coexist so deeply in her life. I know things have been different between you guys lately. Do yourself a favor and don't let her get too far from you…" he warned.
He finally made a turn onto what looked like a private driveway. In the far off distance, I saw a ranch. As it drew closer, I noticed a pasture with horses and big barn. It was a beautiful property. Finally, we reached the house and he turned the truck off.
"We're here," he announced happily.
"This is absolutely stunning!" I marveled.
"You're damn right it is," he said with a chuckle. "I've got to grab something out of the back of the truck. Why don't you head over to the door?"
"Alright. You sure you don't need help?"
"I'll be fine."
I got out of the car and began walking towards the big wooden porch. Suddenly, I heard the the truck rev and start up.
"What the hell?" I yelled confused. This man may truly be insane. I had no idea where I was out here.
"Good luck, Barrett!" He shouted with a chuckle as he sped back down the driveway.
I stood befuddled by what just occurred. Here I was, standing on somebody's property in the middle of freaking nowhere. I snapped back around to look at the house upon hearing the door open. A tan woman with brown hair and a cowboy hat walked towards me.
"Finally, I meet the one and only Wade in the flesh!" She said excitedly.
"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" I asked politely. Her voice did sound awfully familiar.
"Well, sort of. My name is Jessie," she said extending her hand. I shook it.
"Nice to meet you, Jessie….oh my god! This is Nicolette's ranch isn't it!?" I said coming to a very big realization. She smiled and nodded.
"Right you are dear."
"I -uh…I really shouldn't be here. This place is like her sanctuary. She keeps it private for a reason. I wouldn't want to impose on her privacy."
"Don't worry about that. Let me show you around," she insisted.
"Alright," I agreed hesitantly.
I followed her into the house. The decorations were all very Nic. I couldn't help but smile when I saw that the walls held frames with all kinds of pictures, much like her house in Vegas. A hefty majority of the photos were of the two of us, naturally, since the two of us spent so much time together. They jogged some awfully wonderful memories of a time so much less complicated. Jessie continued down the hallway and we passed a room full of comics.
"These are Punks aren't they? She let him have a room?" I asked. She shook her head.
"It's Nicolette's collection. Punk's never been here, Wade. You know she invites nobody here…besides Steve. But that's only because he already knew where it was." I nodded, a bit relieved.
"I had no idea she even read these."
"That's Nic for ya," she mused. "I want to show you something."
I followed her into a room that was covered in wrestling memorabilia. I looked around in amazement of the odd assortment of things lining the room.
"Wow…"
"I know, right? The closet is full of wrestling T-shirts she's collected. Fun fact, she owns every single merch shirt you've had since joining the WWE. Those action figures….she only collects the ones of her friends and she gets every new one. She keeps the posters of WWE Pay per views that you guys have participated in. That girl is quite a collector. But mostly she's' always been very proud of you and your accomplishments and wanted to save pieces of your success."
"I can't believe she does all of this. I mean, I don't even collect this much of my stuff…."
"She knows you don't. That's a part of the reason why she does it. If you ever want that stuff, she'll have it here for you. She's more thoughtful than she appears sometimes."
"I've always known that. I'm just amazed. It's just such a grand gesture. I can't help but be touched."
"You may think she comes out here to get away from everything, including you, but that's not true at all. You, Wade, are never very far from her mind when she's here. Everytime she's been here she tells me all kinds of stories and tribulations about you guys. Honestly, I've heard so much about you that I feel like I have been the one to know you fourteen years!" Jessie said with a chuckle.
"I'm sorry I'm not more interesting," I joked.
"You are plenty interesting. Trust me, I've been thoroughly fascinated for years anyways." I chuckled a little embarrassed as I followed her into the back yard of the house. I began to hear gun shots in the distance.
"What the hell is that? Should we call the police?" I said startled. Jessie burst out into laughter. "What is so funny? This seems serious!"
"That's just Nicolette," she dismissed with a flick of the wrist.
"What is she doing with a damn gun?"
"She likes to shoot. Got quite a shot on her too. Nic is one dangerous woman! Don't piss her off when she's in possession of a firearm."
"My god! You never mentioned Nicolette was actually here! She won't be pleased to see me here…unless she told you to get me here…." Jessie shook her head.
"No, she has no idea that you are here at the ranch today. Bringing you here was Steve's idea."
"Oh my god. She is going to kill me for just showing up here!" I said a little paniced. "Why in the world did you bring me here?"
"Calm down, Wade. You and I both know that Nicolette doesn't always handle her emotions well. This place was her way to deal with things privately or to avoid them all together for the past handful of years. When she bought this place, she really needed that."
"And you don't think she does anymore?"
"I honestly don't. She rarely even comes here anymore. When in crisis she's been turning to friends. She goes running with someone instead of alone. She takes people to Vegas, she runs to you, or takes a trip home with a friend… I think she's ready to open this place up like she's opened herself up. I don't think she wants to hide anymore, Wade. Especially from you."
"So what, I'm supposed to ambush her?"
"Something like that…I just haven't seen her this down in a long time. Since signing with the WWE, she's usually gone to you for support. But i'm guessing she hasn't. She isn't talking to me about anything either. I need you to talk to her. If you don't, I have doubt that she'll make it to Raw tomorrow night," Jessie said seriously. I could see the worry in her eyes.
"Jesus! How bad is she?"
"She's been drunk pretty much all day, most days since she's been here. Hardly talks to me. The only person she talked to was Steve. Otherwise, just small talk and then she isolates. Go get our girl back!" She begged.
"I'll talk to her. But if she is furious with me, I blame you!" I warned.
"Absolutely! Thank you! Now lets go get you on a horse."
"A horse?"
"That's how we get around here!" She said with a chuckle.
Nicolette
I shot fiercely at the targets for awhile. Eventually I tired of it. I put down my gun and plopped down onto the bench nearby. The view from that spot was beautiful as the sun began to set. It was one of my favorite places to sit at this time of evening, content and lost in thought. Even on the toughest of days this place made me feel just a little bit better. My trusty horse, Jagger, was also content to just mull around nibbling the grasses. I heard the sound of hooves in the distance. Jagger got a little nervous, he began moving around aimlessly. The hoove step sound grew louder and louder as it neared. I didn't turn to get a look at the culprit. I heard the rider dismount from the horse and approach me.
"Jessie, I'm not drunk, so fuck off!" I said waving her off.
"Well, that's no way to greet a guest!" a deep, rich voice mused. I snapped my head around.
"Wade?!" My heart began to race as I laid eyes on him and a smile crossed my lips. He broke out into a grin. I immediately got up and walked over to him. I wrapped my arms around him, giving him the biggest hug I could muster. He in turn, squeezed me back. We stayed like that for a few minutes, just holding each other. I fought to hold back tears. Somehoe, I managed to hold them off. "No offense, but what the hell are you doing here?" I said as he released me.
"I was duped into coming here. Your ex-husband brought me here under false pretenses and then drove off!" he said with a chuckle. I released a small laugh.
"That SOB!" I mused shaking my head. "I'm glad you're here actually…"
"Really?"he asked hopefully.
"Yeah."
"I...I heard about you and Punk…I'm really sorry, Nic," he said softly.
"No, you aren't."
"No, I really am sorry. Honestly, I'm not disappointed to hear it though."
"Jerk!" I joked. "I guess he just wasn't the right guy for me," I said with a shrug.
"I could have told you that one!" he teased.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. It was obvious that he wasn't the kind of man you needed."
"And what kind of man do I need?" I challenged. Another smile formed across his lips. Seeing him smile made me smile. He stepped towards me.
"Me," he whispered as he collided his lips with mine. A wave of electricity shit through my body. I immediately wrapped my arms back around him. Our lips staying attached to one another's as if it were the most natual thing in the world. Then I came to a realizatrion and I slowly pulled away.
"Wait, what about Layla?" I asked suddenly remembering the British dancer for a moment.
"You don't need to worry about her. I broke it off with her," he said dismissively.
"You didn't tell me that! When?"
"Tuesday. The morning after your late night visit."
"Oh… I'm so sorry if I-"
"No, don't apologize. In that moment, when you kissed me….I realized what I think a part of me always kind of knew, that you and I are and always were meant to be together. It may have taken us dating people we only thought might be the one for us to realize that we'd already found the loves of our lives."
"I was hoping you'd say something like that…" I said wiping a tear from my cheek. "I've been so conflicted for so long. I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize that I don't just love you, I'm in love with you. On some level, I think I always was."
"I love you too," he said giving me a kiss on the forehead. "So what do ya say? Wanna make a go of it?"
"I don't think there is anything in the world I'd like more," I said staring up at him. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and we stared out at the Texan sun setting in the distance. For the first time in quite awhile everything felt right.
Finally, right!?
I just want to thank you all for being so patient and such great readers. You guys are awesome! We are in the home stretch for this story, only one final chapter left! So keep reading and see how it ends and don't forget to comment to let me know what you think!
