A/N: Thank you to all readers/followers/reviewers. Onto number seventeen, let me know what you think.

**Lyrics in this chapter belongs to me. I wrote these lyrics specifically for this story.**

Chapter 17:

Beautiful Stranger

Karina

Surprisingly enough, everything with Landon had worked out. At least for now. We got so much accomplished in the last few days. We recorded the first single as a full band in months and it felt great. No one questioned what the words meant; but I'm pretty sure Hayley already knew the meaning behind them. I wasn't ashamed of them, in fact, I was proud of them.

"Karina." Landon called from the top of the studio stairs.

"Yeah." I answered, turning from the entryway of the kitchen and tucking a chunk of my newly dyed hair behind my hair.

"You've grown. I've never seen you sing with such passion before. This single is going to be killer and I'm sure our fans will love it too."

"Thank you. I appreciate the compliment."

We walked into the kitchen together just as Jayson hung up with whoever he was talking to on the phone. His smile lit up the room and Hayley laced her fingers through his. "What's got you two all happy about?" I asked, sitting down on a barstool.

"We just gave the single to SiriusXM Octane and they are going to play it tomorrow for all the world to hear." He announced.

"Are you serious?" I questioned, feeling my heart start to pound against my chest.

"That is fucking crazy. Our music has never been played on there before." Landon commented, making me realize just how big of a deal this was for all of us as a band.

My phone started to ring, interrupting the occasion for celebration; but when I saw the name on the screen, I was perfectly okay with the interruption. Matt Jackson, one of Kenny's best friends and one of the Executive Vice-Presidents of AEW. Raising my finger up, I leapt off the barstool and walked into the foyer to answer the phone.

"Karina, long time no chat." He greeted.

"Yes, it has been a while. What's up?"

"How quickly can you get a flight to Winnipeg?"

I was silent for a moment, thinking about why he would need me to come out there. I also knew that Kenny had just moved from Japan to Winnipeg, so there was a chance I could see him if I went. "I don't know, why?" I asked, trying to get more information out of him. There had to be a reason he was asking this of me.

"We are kind of having a little get together at Kenny's new house. You know All Out is just around the corner, so we thought a pre-celebration was needed tomorrow night. I wanted to extend an invitation to you."

"I appreciate the invitation and I'll see what I can do about a flight. Will there be someone to pick me up at the airport or do I need to have a rental ready for me?"

"I'll personally pick you up, just let me know what time you'll land."

"Okay, I'll let you know."

Hanging up, I made my way back into the kitchen. The three of them looked at me with questioning glances. A smile tugged at my lips as I could feel the heat in my cheeks. Hayley was the first to sit down next to me as I started to scroll through flights to Winnipeg. "So what was that call about?" She asked in a teasing manner.

"I got to get a flight to Winnipeg today to be there by tomorrow night." I answered, still scrolling flights on my phone.

"Why? Will you get to see the man those lyrics are about?"

"You are mean." I said, pushing her away playfully.

Kenny

"So what was that about?" I asked Matt, as he walked back into the room.

"Oh that was Dana, she needed to ask me something about the kids." He answered convincingly.

However, I knew him. That was a blatant lie. Matt was the worst liar in the world. He was up to something and I was bound and determined to figure out what it was. By the next day, I still wasn't any closer to figuring him out.

I switched on the stereo system in the living room. The second it turned on, I could hear a blistering guitar. Chuckling to myself, I realized Cody had probably been the last person to use it. "Damnit Cody." I cursed, turning the volume down a little bit.

As the song ended, the DJ started to speak. "So, we at the moment where we debut a brand new song for all you. This is actually a new band for Octane. They are called Celestial and are from Jacksonville, Florida. This is their new single called 'Alive'." The guy said, although I didn't catch at name. I was too preoccupied by the fact that Karina's music was going to be playing on mainstream radio.

"I've been searching

For the one thing that could make me feel…

Alive!"

The last word was let out in a long scream. Her band went immediately into a catchy melody of drums and guitars. Sitting down on the couch, I closed my eyes and envisioned her singing the words.

"Insecurities have suffocated me long enough

It's time to fight

Fight to say I'm okay

To say that no one will ever push me down

No one will ever keep me down

I'm alive!

Today and tomorrow

I look in the mirror and embrace the scars

I'm alive!

Tonight and always."

Hearing her voice made my heart start to beat rapidly. I haven't seen her since the training ended two weeks prior. After spending a long period of time with her, she's grown into someone important to me. The feeling of her lips on mine was something I'd love to feel again. Perhaps, someday it would happen again; but I was a person that let things happen as they were supposed to.

"Walking ahead

I look forward to what life brings us

You've given me a reason to fight

You've given me more than you'll ever know

And nothing can ever take that away

I'm alive!

Today and tomorrow

I look in the mirror and embrace the scars

I'm alive!

Tonight and always."

The song ended the same way as it begun. The passion behind her words left a satisfied feeling within me. Whether the words were about me or not, it didn't really matter. I was happy that she was willing to fight for her own happiness.

Karina

Walking into the airport after landing in Winnipeg, I immediately went to the luggage carousel to retrieve my bag. Thankfully, it was one of the first ones to come through. Of course, it wasn't hard to miss either. It was bright teal with silver glitter specks in the paint. Picking it up from the belt, I lifted up the handle. Pulling it behind me as I walked, I searched for Matt.

My phone vibrated in my hand. "Heard your song on the radio today. I enjoyed it very much." The message read. A smile curled my lips, mentally thrilled that Kenny had just sent me a message after days of radio silence.

"Karina!" A familiar voice shouted.

I turned to see Matt waving a hand. Smiling, I proceeded in his direction. His dark eyes looked me over, noticing all the differences about me since the last time he had seen me. My hair was no longer aquamarine. It was now Indigo and I added a new tattoo to my collection. Script in Spanish across my left forearm. Sé valiente Sé fuerte, Sé tu (Be fearless, Be strong, Be you)

"You've changed some things. It looks good on you."

"Thank you."

Once we got into the car, I pulled my phone back out to respond to Kenny's message. "Thank you. It means a lot." I typed and hit the send button. The scenery was so intriguing. This was actually the first time I've ever been inside Canada. Even when I was a part of WWE, I was never used enough to go with the travel crews unless it was in the United States. The sun was setting and pretty soon I wasn't going to be able to see the scenery any longer.

"I've been meaning to talk with you." Matt said, breaking the silence that had grown between us.

"About?"

"Kenny."

"What about him?"

The mention of his name got me thinking about him. I could give a guess as to what he wanted to talk about. He had been one of the few people that were standing at the curtain when I kissed Kenny. "You kissed him and you can't tell me that was a spur of the moment thing either."

"I know and I'm not going to deny it. He's someone I didn't expect to enter my life and now I don't want him to leave it. I guess...I'm just afraid that's what he will do if I admit that I care more than a friend."

"Just be honest with him. He doesn't do well with liars."

I didn't plan on lying about anything. There was no point in doing so. The rest of the drive was spent in silence and it only got my head spinning with thoughts. Good and bad ones. If there was ever a shot at moving on with my life, this was it. Matt, Nick, Cody, Brandi and Kenny had taken a chance on me and I didn't want to disappoint them in any way.

Matt pulled in behind several other vehicles. The home in my view wasn't quite what I had expected. It was beautiful; but wasn't flashy in anyway. There were three guys standing outside on the porch, smoking cigars. I recognized one of the being Cody.

"Welcome Karina." Cody greeted, pulling me into a tight hug.

The smell of alcohol was evident on his breath. Brandi stood behind him with a smile on her face. She immediately moved to give me a hug as well. The two other guys standing with Cody was Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels of SoCal Uncensored. "He's inside." Brandi whispered.

I opened the door to see Nick, Adam and Scorpio sitting at the kitchen table talking about things they expected to happen at All Out. Kenny was nowhere to be seen; but that didn't leave me immune from visual. "Karina!." Nick shouted.

"Hey." I answered, slowly making my way towards the small group.

After greeting each one of them individually, I turned slightly and caught sight of Kenny. He was standing at the entryway of the kitchen. His wild hair was styled to stay out of his eyes. Those eyes that just seemed to captivate me more and more each time I saw them. He was dressed in a pair of jersey material shorts and a black retro street fighter t-shirt. "I didn't expect to see you." He said softly.

"Matt invited me yesterday. I got a flight early this morning and here I am." I answered.

The way he was looking at me only made it seem like he didn't want me there at all. Perhaps Matt should have asked before inviting me. Now I was there unwelcomed. Shifting to the other side of the room, I made my way back outside just as the rest of the group made their way back inside.

I was alone on the porch staring at the night sky. The stars were bright and they were calming, except now I could feel a set of eyes on me from behind. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me to say. I just didn't expect to see you tonight." Kenny voice sounded.

"I can tell. I'm sorry for just showing up, despite Matt's invitation."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm happy that you are here. I was just caught a little off guard. At first, I didn't think it was you. You changed your hair."

Turning around to face him completely, he was already inches away from me. My heart was pounding to the point I could hear it inside my own ears. He didn't need to touch me to get the butterflies to flutter in my stomach. "Maybe I should have greeted you more formally. How about this? Welcome beautiful stranger…"