Perseverance

by Bob the Taco Thief

The 4 Horsewomen in the world of MMA: The story nobody asked for.

6. Chapter 9

Charlotte/Bayley

After hiring Alexa to help deal with Becky, Charlotte had hoped that she would have more time for other aspects of the business. While she surely did have more time, the amount of work to be done had also increased dramatically. Bringing her to the point where she had begun bringing a bag with a change of clothes to the gym every day. More often than not finding herself falling asleep in her office after getting to a point where she felt partially content with the amount of headway she made. Unfortunately, that point was usually sometime well past midnight and Charlotte was so tired she hardly felt comfortable driving back to her apartment.

This particular night was even busier than a normal one. Her contact with Kairi Sane had devolved rather suddenly, leading to her switching her focus to Toni Storm and doubling down on trying to bring in the young woman.

Add in Becky accepting the Nikki Cross fight without discussing it with anyone and Charlotte was both overworked and overstressed.

Finding her eyes continuing to dart towards the left side of her desk and the few personal mementos she let sit in the open. Looking at the old photo of her and Reid at Fenway Park. Her eyes misting over as she remembered the day well. The large stain on her shirt a reminder of when Reid had accidentally knocked a man's loaded hot dog onto her trying to catch a foul ball.

Behind that was a recent addition. The present Bayley had given her proudly displayed. Their matching smiles pulling at Charlotte's heart and making her miss the brunette just a little more. All the reasons for why she had severed their professional relationship were no excuse for what she had done to their personal one.

Her eyes drifted over to her phone. Innocently sitting on the desk.

How easy would it be to just pick up the phone and call Bayley? Maybe try to explain herself and mend some of the bridge she had carelessly, and hopefully only partially, demolished.

The tiny electronic device seemed to taunt her with its ability to connect her to someone on the other side of the country so easily.

She had tried writing an email to the woman after she had caved and translated Bayley's letter in google translate. Proving the reporter's own words.

The email was fueled by alcohol, sadness, and irrational anger. Not necessarily in that order, but Bayley's words had struck a chord that made her feel like the single shittiest human being in the history of the world- no, the universe.

One email turned into several. Each one not feeling right or spiraling into her somehow getting mad at Bayley for making her feel like shit.

She tried for a few days, but it never seemed right. The words always coming out wrong no matter how many times she rewrote it.

At more than one point she had momentarily given up only to be back at it when her mind inevitably drifted away from the work she tried to distract herself with.

Charlotte groaned. Fingers stretching towards her phone and swiftly pulling up Bayley's contact info. Not having the heart to delete the information after they parted ways. Unable to sever that last thread between them.

Gathering up whatever courage she had Charlotte called Bayley and put the phone on speaker. Dropping it down onto her desk so she would be less tempted to swiftly end the call before it connected.

The first ring felt like a punch to the gut. The second a jab.

Charlotte wrung her hands as she waited.

"Hey, this is Bayley! Leave a mess-"

Hearing the other woman's voice sound so happy sent another wave of guilt through Charlotte. "Ugh! Why do I have to care!" She spoke out loud to the empty room. Leaning back in her chair and letting her head loll to one side. Her eyes falling on the picture of Reid and her.

It was too late to do anything more. As much as she may wish that she had some more time with her brother that was impossible. But Bayley… Her friend.

Her eyes shifted slightly backward. A fraction of a smile mixing with the melancholy on display.

She could still do something about that.

Small steps, but at least it was a start. The words Flair and stubborn were synonymous for a reason.

Bayley was unusually well dressed to be sitting on her couch. But today was a special occasion.

"Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you Mr. Wyatt," she said as she stared down at her computer screen at the face of Bray Wyatt, the head of Wyatt Combat Academy.

" Thank you for taking the time to speak with us this morning Ms. Martinez. I don't know if you can see on your end but with me today is Luke Harper, our head trainer and Erik Rowan who is one of the fighters you'd be covering," Wyatt said as he gestured to the men on either side of them. Bayley was somewhat impressed they'd found a way to get all three of them into the webcam's view. All three bearded men were huge.

"Hey, guys! Nice to meet you!" Bayley said pleasantly. She knew of all three men by reputation, but she'd never actually spoken to any of them before.

Wyatt had been one of the earliest figures in BFA history. Back in the sport's 'wild west' period, he'd become famous for his psychological tactics as much as his in-ring skills. None of that stuff would fly anymore of course but he'd transitioned smoothly into the role of trainer, manager, and eventually team owner.

Harper was thought of as one of the better coaches in the sport though he had a reputation for being brutally hard on newer fighters. He churned out good products but the process was never pleasant.

Rowan was the current prized possession of the Wyatt camp. BFA was one of the few promotions that actually contained an organized 'super heavyweight' division and the giant had been dominating it for two years now. He was so well established in fact that Bayley was somewhat surprised that Wyatt had reached out to her.

" So, you obviously read my email so you know why I'm contacting you. I read your stuff from when you were up in Boston and I have to say I was very impressed with your writing and interviews," Wyatt said with a smile.

"Thank you," Bayley acknowledged the compliment with a nod.

" And I'm intrigued by the amount of positive press you were able to generate for Lynch and her team. As you may know, we've signed our first female fighters just recently: Rose Mary and Jessica Kresa and we'd really like to ensure that they get some good press," Wyatt said.

Bayley had heard this, had even discussed the matter on Mo's podcast. Stil, she had to clear something up right from the start. "It's an intriguing idea sir, but I do need to make something clear. When I went out to Boston I told Charlotte Flair that I would report fairly and accurately about what I saw. But I never promised; and can't promise, that I'll give any kind of preferential treatment to anyone I'm covering."

Wyatt seemed to lean back in his chair, it was hard to tell at this angle, as he looked thoughtful. " Alright, that seems fair to me," he said finally. Bayley was certain but she detected a kind of knowing smugness in the man, as though and he and Bayley were both in a shared joke. Though she kept her face perfectly pleasant Bayley was sighing inwardly.

She wasn't mad at Becky for hugging her after her fight with Torres. And she'd gotten over how clumsily the other woman had tried to defend her on GMA. But while Bayley had moved on, she knew that that rest of the MMA world wouldn't be so quick to forget. She knew she'd have to deal with attitudes like Wyatt's for a very long time as a result.

The interview proceeded apace for several minutes with Bayley asking questions and Wyatt explaining his ideas. Bayley was feeling like it might be time to bring up compensation when her phone vibrated. She ignored it, it was sitting on the arm of her couch and Wyatt wouldn't be able to hear it. After six rings it went to voicemail and Bayley refocused on what she was doing.

For Charlotte, the minutes seemed to drag by as she waited. Arguing internally over the appropriate amount of time before she could try Bayley again without looking desperate.

Come to think of it, she didn't even have a plan for how to go about what would surely be an awkward call. If Bayley decided to even pick up.

She looked down at her phone as if it would start ringing and save her the trouble of calling again. With a heavy sigh, Charlotte chastised herself for the thought.

If she was going to try and actually repair the fractured relationship she couldn't be so cowardly.

Peering at the clock on her phone she saw that it had only been a few minutes but she decided to press the call button once again.

If she knew Bayley as well as she thought she did -or had- Charlotte figured no matter their current issues the reporter's innate curiosity would be piqued by her calling so soon after she had left Boston.

The familiar ringing noise filling her office once again as she waited. Part of her welcoming the procrastination that would come if Bayley didn't pick up, even though the larger part would rather just pull the bandage off quickly.

Bayley was in the middle of asking a question about Rose Mary when her phone began to ring again. She was annoyed now, she was actually becoming intrigued by Wyatt's offer. Excusing herself by saying she was getting some water she stood, moved carefully out of the range of her laptop's mic pickup, and then looked at her phone. Her eyes almost popped as she saw who was calling.

Charlotte Flair.

Bayley swallowed as she stared down at her phone. She hadn't been sure if she'd EVER hear from Charlotte again. Though this thought had saddened her, she'd reconciled herself to it. Now, seeing the other woman's name popping up stirred some powerful feelings inside Bayley.

A small, and ignoble, part of her wanted to ignore the call. Not only was she slightly annoyed at being interrupted during her interview but her old wounds about how her time in Boston had ended were still raw as well. But then the more dominant parts of her character began to assert themselves. Not only did she still like Charlotte, despite everything, but she was a good reporter in no small part because she was very curious. She knew how proud Charlotte was and that she wouldn't have called for no reason.

She held a few seconds internal debate with herself before reaching the only decision she really could have.

"Mr. Wyatt I am VERY sorry but it seems I've had a family emergency pop up, would it be possible for us to continue this conversation at a later time?" she asked as she returned to her couch,

" Oh...yes, of course. I hope everything is alright. I'll have my people reach out to you and reschedule with you," Wyatt said.

"Thank you, and I apologize again," Bayley said as Wyatt vanished from her screen. After a few moments, she added, to herself, "I hope everything is OK too." Picking up her phone and she took a deep breath and hit re-dial.

Charlotte had almost resigned herself to calling again, despite how desperate it would make her look in her own eyes, when her phone lit up.

Bayley's name flashed on the screen and now that the moment was actually here Charlotte found herself hesitating to actually pick up. The prospect of facing, even indirectly, Bayley after how she had treated her seemed like an uphill battle with her own pride. Another Flair tradition she not-so-proudly found herself continuing.

Closing her eyes she took the plunge. Swiping accept and bringing the phone to her ear. "Hey." The single word feeling inadequate but somehow the only place Charlotte could start.

Bayley was a reporter, she had to engage all sorts of people in conversations all the time. Often, those people would not be all the eager to speak to her. But for some reason, she was reduced to the level of a middle schooler trying to ask another one to dance at this moment. "Hi, Charlotte," was all she managed to say.

It was an awkward start for sure, but at least she hadn't hung up yet. That had to count for something. "How's things?" Mentally slapping herself on the forehead for such a clumsy attempt.

Part of Bayley wanted to snap 'really?' in response to this. Another part wanted to laugh. Instead, she bit the bullet and said: "Well, pretty good in general but this conversation is kind of uncomfortable?"

"Yeah. It is." Charlotte took a deep breath. Even across a country, Bayley could somehow still weirdly intimidate her. "Umm… I have some news…" Barely managing to not fumble over her words.

"Oh…" Bayley asked, somewhat surprised at this response "...umm OK, like a statement?"

"Something like that…" Charlotte paused. "It's the least I could do." Not wanting to directly reference her cold demeanor the last time they met. Her guilt weighing heavier with the other woman on the phone.

"People...usually just email them…" Bayley said though she was unsure why. Charlotte seemed to be offering an olive branch after all.

"This is… Sensitive information." The blonde stated. "Needed a more personal approach." Frustrated with herself that she couldn't just come out and say what she wanted. Taking another step without knowing where the floor was. "I don't trust anyone else with this right now." Wanting to add, 'and you deserve to know.' but holding at that.

Bayley was silent at this. This was...a lot to take in. Charlotte had let her go in about the coldest way possible without actually being hostile. But now this? Taking a deep breath she decided she knew what she needed to do.

"Thank's... gringa," was all she said.

Charlotte sighed at the small but promising words. "Thought you would want to know that Becky has another fight lined up."

Bayley was still so caught up in the emotional subtext of the call that it took a moment for this to register for her. When it did, however, she was totally aware of the implications of what Charlotte was saying. "I...do...can I ask who she's fighting?" Bayley finally managed to say.

"Marina Shafir dropped out of the Cross fight. Becky's accepted over the phone and the contract is going to be signed tomorrow." Charlotte declared. Knowing how friendly Bayley had been with the fighter she was unsure how the woman would take it. From a professional level she would surely be happy with getting out in front of a story. A small measure to make up for the false lead Mandy had given her all those months ago.

Bayley wanted to say a lot of things to Charlotte right now. But she decided to handle the professional first as she asked: "What can I do with this information?"

"I can't put my name to it, but you can do whatever you'd like with it. If anyone questions it, you'll be proven right in a day or so when the BFA officially announces the change." Charlotte admitted.

Bayley wanted to grin like an idiot, this was the kind of scoop that almost never came along. She should have been thrilled. But somehow it seemed less important than the elephant that was still in the room. "How have you been?" she asked softly.

"Busy." Charlotte answered. "Very busy… Will you be at the fight?" She asked with a bit of trepidation.

Bayley sensed Charlotte's nervousness but didn't leave her twisting for long. "Yeah, I uh...I actually signed a deal to do some stringer work for ESPN for a few months," she said.

"Great. That's great." Taking her time before saying, "Feel like I owe you a drink one night."

Bayley had to decide, now. Was she ready to completely forgive Charlotte Flair? She was never going to get a hat in hand expression of contrition, not from that family. But she knew this was the equivalent. She sighed and nodded to herself. "Will...will Alexa be there?" she asked.

Charlotte grinned and shook her head automatically. Just because she trusted Alexa from a business perspective, didn't mean she was fun to be around. "Oh God no. Just us... Like old times."

Bayley knew that her pauses were probably driving Charlotte crazy but she waited anyway. When she felt she'd left the other woman stewing long enough she asked: "¿Has estado estudiando?" (You've been studying?)

"Un poco." (A little bit) Charlotte said. "Google does make things a bit easier though."

"¡Tramposa!" (Cheater!) Bayley laughed. She thought for a second and asked: "You have to run now? Or do you have a bit?"

"I would be lying if I said I was going to get anymore work done today." Charlotte admitted. "And I will have you know I did try for a while before I cheated."

" Estoy seguro…" (I'm sure) Bayley said sarcastically before switching to English and asking: "How is everyone there?"

Charlotte didn't want to admit how much the question caught her off guard. Truth be told she hadn't been around the gym much. Not since Alexa had taken over dealing with Becky, and when she was at the gym she usually locked herself in her office. "They're fine. I think Ruby got another tattoo. Umm… Someone smashed a hole in a cupboard door." Quickly running out of what she knew happened in her own gym since Bayley had left.

Bayley guessed that Charlotte probably had been so busy that she'd hadn't surfaced often, given this response. Giving up on gossip she asked: "How's your dad?"

There was one of the big reasons why Charlotte had thrown herself head first into her work. "He tries to act like nothing's wrong, but I can tell. We're having dinner tomorrow… The last time he requested to have dinner with me was after Reid..."

Bayley bit her lip, Charlotte NEVER talked about her brother. Struggling to think of anything else to say she said: "Well, I'm sure he's proud of you."

"Yeah." Charlotte changed the subject quickly. Not wanting to drag down the conversation. "I know I shouldn't ask, but have you suffered through Boss-Z yet? I never thought two people could come across so badly in a show designed around them."

Bayley closed her eyes at this. By all rights she shouldn't care what Sasha did with her life at this point. But she couldn't help it, she would probably always care for Sasha even if she didn't deserve it. "Sadly, I have. It seems like it's on EVERYWHERE," she said dully.

Charlotte held herself back from verbally beating on Sasha and Zelina. Instead offering something else. "You know I don't normally give Becky credit for what she says, but she was right on GMA. You deserve better than that." Speaking on Sasha's actions, but also holding herself in that same category. Bayley deserved better than Sasha's pettiness and Charlotte's callousness.

Bayley had to take a moment to consider her response. Several options suggested themselves including a sharp 'it's none of your business' but she didn't say that. "Thanks, Charlotte, I know it couldn't have been easy for you to say...that," she said, actually referencing Charlotte calling her at all and hoping her friend would grasp this.

"It wasn't…" Charlotte leaning back in her chair once again as Bayley's forgiveness helped her feel a tad better about how she had acted. "Thanks for letting me say that. I was a little worried you'd hang up on me." She tried joking.

Bayley snorted: "Not my style, I probably just wouldn't have answered at all." She said this as she sat down on her couch. She was forcibly reminded of how she'd talked to Becky not long ago in this same place. Sighing she took a plunge and said: "Look, Charlotte...you hurt me and I think you know that. But I get that you're under a lot of stress and I don't want to lose you as a friend. So...moving on?"

"Moving on sounds nice. Listen, I don't like admitting this, so don't ask me to repeat it. I'm sorry for how that all went down. I handled it poorly and acted like an ass." Charlotte forcing herself to push forward and continue her apology. "In retrospect, there are a lot of things I would have done differently."

Bayley let Charlotte hear her sigh this time as she said: "Sometimes I feel like you should have brought me in as a shrink, not as a writer."

"If you want the position is open. I feel like an in house shrink would have a field day here." Charlotte tried to joke at first, but realized how true her statement probably was. Maybe that wasn't the worst idea in the world.

"So I hear you're making a big push on some new fighters, care to tell your friend and favorite reporter anything...on the record?" Bayley asked sweetly.

"Can't see the harm in giving you a little something. I've been looking to bring in some new fighters. Round out the gym a bit, get some more training partners around Becky who can help push her. Had my eye on Kairi Sane for a bit but she's dropped off my radar as of late. Toni Storm is a young prospect that I would love to bring on though. Even looking to bring in a new long term head coach for the gym as we expand."

Bayley's mind was racing as she pulled her laptop toward her and took notes: "Storm? The one from New Zealand? And can I get a hint, or answer, about who you're chasing down for head coach. AND does that mean Ruby is going to go pro?"

"I've thrown some feelers out to Storm. The move would be hard, but she seems open to it at least. Ruby's planning on it in the next few months. Wants more time to focus on herself and get serious. Liv's a bundle of nerves I'm sure." Charlotte answered honestly as she could. Lowering her voice just a tad. "I haven't secured him yet, so the best I can do is give you a hint. Don't give me any guesses since I won't confirm or deny any of them." Charlotte paused for a moment. "If I get him, it will be the equivalent of smacking a hornets nest with your bare hand."

Bayley was grinning again, but in a different way than before. This was the grin of a predator that had just picked up a scent. There was a story here. "Can I quote you?" she asked innocently.

"Go right ahead." She allowed. Not seeing any harm coming from it. Only more press knocking on her door and more work to be done.

"Thank you! I should probably get writing then but before I go...how's Becky?" Bayley asked, now feeling some trepidation in addition to her excitement.

"I understand," Charlotte said. Pausing and gathering her thoughts before answering the next one. Truthfully, a large reason for bringing Alexa in was so that she wouldn't have to be around Becky. "She's doing good. She took the fight without asking anyone else so I assume she feels well."

Bayley knew there had to be more than this, especially in lieu of what Becky had told her about their 'moment'. But she decided she'd pushed things far enough. "Well, tell her I say hi and tell Ruby that I am excited for her. Where would you like to meet up at the fight?" she asked.

"How about I text you when we get in town and we can figure it out from there? Becky kind of sprung this on me so I'm still throwing together travel plans. Who'd guess taking a fight on two weeks notice would make more work for me." Charlotte sarcastically exclaimed.

Bayley felt it might be too mean to mention that she knew a thing or two about having sudden travel plans thrust upon you. Instead, she just said: "Looking forward to it! Hope everything goes smoothly for you Charlotte."

"You too." Charlotte immediately feeling like a hypocrite for the well wishes. Having been such a large reason why Bayley's life hadn't been so smooth for the last few weeks. "Take care of yourselfamiga. "

Sasha

Sasha remembered thinking that she'd rarely seen Teddy as mad as he'd been after the incident at the Clex's location. But however mad he'd been then, it was as nothing to how he was now.

"GOD DAMN IT SASHA WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" her manager raged.

Sasha didn't answer, mostly because she knew that if she opened her mouth she'd storm right back. But this restraint was based on the knowledge that Teddy had a perfectly valid reason to be upset at the moment. They had both just received word of two fairly major blows to Sasha's career. Teddy had immediately called a meeting to try and figure out a way to minimize the damage.

The first blow had been the announcement that Sasha had failed the BWF's pre-fight drug test. Though this was a bit of a misnomer. It was being labeled as a failure but TECHNICALLY Sasha hadn't actually thrown a positive for any banned substance. What she HAD shown was a very large amount of an unusual substance.

The substance was the masking agent that she took so religiously. Had she not been taking it she would have tested positive for, among other things, both marijuana and cocaine. Sasha had arranged to get the stuff discreetly even back before she'd fired Bobby. Now that Simon was her trainer she simply had him get it for her. But masked or not, her sample was causing a problem.

The BFA offices seemingly weren't sure how to handle her test. Brawl For All maintained a very comprehensive list of banned substances which included almost every known masking agent. Almost. But, seemingly because they'd put so much effort into assembling this list, the language in their by-laws was oblique enough that it could benefit Sasha.

The tactic Teddy was planning to use was to simply say that as the substance Sasha had tested positive for was NOT actually on the banned list, BFA had no grounds to suspend her. This was sophistry at it's finest of course and everyone would see through it. BUT, Sasha was arguably BFA's biggest star and generally considered the face of the promotion. Both she and Teddy knew that if they could dangle a lifeline to Shane McMahon, however feeble, he would take it.

The second issue was far more difficult to manage. Teddy had been informed that morning that the group that had been protesting at her appearance, they called themselves 'Right to Censor' was suing her. Specifically, the group's leader, a man named Steven Richards, was suing her for emotional and physical harm resulting from when Sasha had punched him.

Teddy's lawyer, Jimmy Hart, had managed to get the criminal case dismissed through various legal dodges. But the civil case would be more of a problem. Jimmy had tried to argue that Sasha, a woman, had felt threatened by Richards. This argument might normally have worked except that Sasha was one of the best pure fighters in the world and Richards was a middle-aged man.

"We need to settle," Teddy told the room. Both Jimmy and Titus nodded as Sasha looked around at them incredulously.

"Fuck that!" she snapped, finally giving free reign to her temper. "That bastard was asking for it! If you pick a fight then you gotta be willing to finish it!" she said as she slapped the table with her palms.

"That might work in the cage darling, but it won't work out here in the world," Hart put in.

"If you call me 'darling' again I will end you!" Sasha started to growl but Teddy jumped in.

"Listen playa, we don't got much of a choice. Those nutjobs somehow convinced Paul Heyman to take their case," Teddy said, sounding intimidated for almost the first time since Sasha had met him,

"So?" she demanded.

"PAUL HEYMAN…" Teddy repeated, sounding surprised that Sasha wasn't cowering.

"Yeah, repeating the name won't make me know who that is," Sasha said sarcastically.

"The one who made the Montreal Screwjob happen?" Hart put in. That brought Sasha up short.

"Oh...shit…" she muttered.

"Hell yeah 'oh shit' ya dummy! Now you understand why we need to settle this and fast?" Teddy demanded. Sasha was silent for a long time, she HATED the idea of settling. Settling would be tantamount to her admitting defeat, and if her engagement to Zelina proved anything it was that she hated doing that.

"How much," she finally asked as she sank down in her chair with a hand over her eyes.

"At least a million, probably a bit more," Jimmy said.

"WHAT?! Sasha shouted.

"You fractured his zygomatic and gave him a severe concussion Ms. Banks if they'd made the criminal charges stick that could have meant jail time. Now I'll try to knock that figure down but you should be prepared for a million," Hart explained.

"ONE FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS?! That will wipe out everything I earned from the Clex's endorsement!" Sasha shouted at him. It was then that she noted the looks that Teddy and Titus were giving her. "What?!" she demanded, not sure she would be able to prevent herself from breaking things at any more bad news.

"Clex's called this morning when the news broke on the suit and the failed test. They are suspending our business relationship until such time as their board and ownership can meet," Teddy told her mercilessly.

Sasha was floored by this. All that money...gone?

"They can't do that!" she insisted with more heat than conviction.

"The fuck they can't! It's standard language in all your endorsement deals! You get the money as long as you read the scripts and don't do something fucking stupid like fail a drug test or punch someone in the client's restaurant!" Teddy shouted back.

"FINE!" Sasha roared, her temper taking over now. She stood and stamped around the conference table for a while, having to work very hard to keep from punching something. Only the knowledge that she'd need her fists for Neidhart soon kept her from doing so. When she was calm enough to speak again she rounded on Hart and snapped: "Five hundred thousand and not a god damned cent more!"

"That-" the lawyer started to say but Sasha slammed her fists on the table again and brought her face right up to his.

"NOT...ONE...CENT...MORE! If they won't take it then we're going to court and you'd better fucking win!" Sasha snarled. She glared at him for several seconds but he chose not to answer. Turning back to Teddy Sasha asked: "So what do we do now?"

"You don't say or do anything with even a LITTLE media impact. Just train during the day and go home afterward! Don't go out! Don't even FUCKING call anyone! Got it?" Teddy demanded. Sasha bridled at this and so just glared at him. "I am going to be on the goddamn phone all morning trying to convince the rest of your endorsements not to jump ship as well!"

This shut Sasha up. She hadn't even realized this was a possibility. All of her dreams of becoming a true media figure were crumbling before her eyes. All because of some whiny little pissant who couldn't finish what he started. It was so unfair!

"What does this mean for the fight?" she finally asked, when she thought she could keep her voice somewhat in check.

"Nothing…" Teddy said, as he deflated with a sigh. "The contract is signed and we got you clear of the test. Just, for the love of god, don't do anything stupid before the fight! Keep your head down and just shut up," he said as he left the room.

Any number of angry things to shout after them suggested themselves to Sasha. But, almost for the first time since she'd won her title, she bit her tongue. What did it matter anyway? She was going to destroy this bitch Neidhart and then everything would be fine. She'd make enough on the winners purse that she could pay this dumb settlement and forget about it. She was still the fucking boss, and she'd remind everyone of it.

When she left the conference room she decided she was done for the day. Not bothering to inform Simon she simply marched down the the parking lot and got in her lamborghini aventador. Using the console she sent a text to Zelina that read: " Be back at the house, in the bedroom, by the time I get back. NO FUCKING CAMERAS"

Paying little attention to the traffic laws, she roared along the streets of LA.

Bayley

Bayley smiled as she heard the commercial returning music in her ear.

" Bienvenidos de nuevo a ESPN Deportes, esto es 'Tale of the Tape'! Soy vuestro anfitrión: Eric Escobar! Seguimos hablando con Bayley Martinez de . Bien, Bayley, todos hemos oído las noticias que Becky Lynch ha aceptado una pelea contra Nikki Cross de Celtic Combat Sports, el antiguo equipo de Lynch. Pasaste mucho tiempo en Boston con Lynch, dínos: ¿dónde crees que está su cabeza ahora mismo? "

(Welcome back to ESPN Deportes, this is 'Tale of the Tape'! I am your host: Eric Escobar! We continue talking with Bayley Martinez of . Well, Bayley, we've all heard the news that Becky Lynch has accepted a fight against Nikki Cross from Celtic Combat Sports, the former Lynch team. You spent a lot of time in Boston with Lynch, tell us: where do you think her head is right now?)

Bayley took a second to collect herself before saying: "Gracias, Eric. Me gusta pensar que ahora conozco a Becky Lynch un POCO mejor de lo que lo hacía antes de que pasara tiempo en su base pero no sé si puedo decir exactamente lo que está pensando o sintiendo.

(Thanks, Eric. I like to think that I now know Becky Lynch a LITTLE better than I did before I spent time at her camp but I do not know if I can say exactly what she is thinking or feeling.)

Lo que sí puedo decir es que, de todas las cosas que perdió en la espiral hacia abajo que sufrió tras su pelea con Sasha Banks, lo que más echa de menos son sus relaciones con la gente de CCS. Sé que es muy feliz donde está pero perdió algunos amigos así que imagino que lo que está sintiendo es muy complicado."

(What I can say is that, of all the things she lost in the downward spiral that she suffered after her fight with Sasha Banks, what she misses the most are her relationships with the people of CCS. I know she's very happy where she is but she lost some friends so I guess what she's feeling is very complicated.)

" Pero no puede ver ésta como cualquier otra pelea, ¿verdad? Esta es una situación emocionalmente cargada, como ha dijiste. Crees que ese pequeño elemento extra le será de más motivación? O podría ser una distracción? "

(But you can not see this like any other fight, right? This is an emotionally charged situation, as you said. Do you think that small extra element will be more motivating? Or could it be a distraction?)

"Por muy turbulenta que haya sido su vida fuera de la caja, puedo decir, con seguridad, que Becky Lynch no es nada sino profesional en cuanto a la vida dentro de la caja se refiere. Se acercará a ésta como a cualquier otra pelea. ¿Y cuando suene la campana? Bueno, eso tendremos que verlo," Bayley answered.

(No matter how turbulent her life has been outside the ring, I can safely say that Becky Lynch is nothing but professional in terms of life inside the ring. She will approach this as any other fight. And when the bell rings? Well, we'll have to see what happens)

" ¿Qué me dices del producto dentro del ring? Sólo hemos visto a Lynch de vuelta por una pelea. Parecía muy convincente en ella pero crees que aguantará bien contra Cross?" Escobar asked.

(What about the product inside the ring? We've only seen Lynch back for a fight. She seemed very convincing in her fight but do you think she'll hold up well against Cross?)

"Ahí sí puedo estar segura dando un definitivo 'sí'. Desde que Becky Lynch volvió al deporte, hemos visto una luchadora más paciente y prudente. En su máximo, Cross y ella eran muy similares en el hecho que empleaban un ataque de bombardeo con todo. Ahora, sin embargo, como luchadora más experimentada que solía usar esa técnica, creo que puede tener una ventaja."

(There I can be sure giving a definite 'yes'. Since Becky Lynch returned to the sport, we have seen a more patient and prudent fighter. Before, Cross and she were very similar in that they used a blitzing attack. Now, however, as a more experienced fighter with better technique, I think Becky may have an advantage.)

"Así que la eliges a ella para que gane?" Escobar asked, eagerly pouncing on Bayley's answer.

("So you choose her to win?)

"Oh, vamos, Eric. Sabes que en realidad yo nunca hago eso," Bayley teased.

("Oh, come on, Eric. You know that I never really do that,")

" Tenía que intentarlo, no? Imagínate si lo hicieras por primera vez aquí!"

("I had to try, right? Imagine if you did it for the first time here! ")

"Ya, lo entiendo."

(I understand)

" Nos hemos referido a tus pasadas interacciones con Becky Lynch en nuestra conversación. Soy el primero en tenerte en un show desde la famosa entrevista en GMA. Tienes algo que comentar sobre eso?"

("We have referred to your past interactions with Becky Lynch in our conversation. I am the first to have you on a show since the infamous interview on GMA. Do you have anything to comment on that?)

Bayley had to fight to keep herself from biting her lip. She'd worried this might come up. She'd been able to avoid addressing this so far by avoiding media appearances and concentrating on her writing. But when Deportes had called she'd felt compelled to say yes. The Spanish language network had next to no MMA coverage so when it had announced it was going to start airing 'Tale of the Tape' she'd decided that if she ever got asked she'd go on.

Here she was.

Taking a few seconds to compose her answer she said: "Obviamente no creo que Becky manejó aquello tan bien como podría haberlo hecho. También creo que ella ya lo sabe."

(Obviously I do not think Becky handled that as well as she could have done. I also think she already knows that. ")

"Pero seguro que sabes cómo se ve a Becky Lynch enfadándose tan apasionadamente por ti para el espectador casual. Especialmente cuando lo juntamos con cómo te buscó después de su última pelea. Crees que es válido que la gente se cuestione tu integridad periodística si Becky y tú sois obviamente amigas?"

(But you know how Becky Lynch getting so passionate about you looks for the casual viewer. Especially when we put it together with how she looked for you after her last fight. Do you think it's valid for people to question your journalistic integrity if you and Becky are obviously friends?)

Bayley took a deep before saying: "Sé cómo puede parecer. Y no puedo negar que Becky Lynch es amiga mía. Pero creo que cualquiera que vea mi informe desde Boston verá que no fui suave con ella. Fui muy crítica con algunas de sus acciones y decisiones y me mantengo. Si Becky estuviera aquí, aún lo haría. En cualquier caso, ya no estoy en la base de Lynch así que no creo que sea un problema en este punto."

(I know how it can look like. And I can not deny that Becky Lynch is a friend of mine. But I think that anyone who sees my report from Boston will see that I was not gentle with her. I was very critical with some of their actions and decisions and I maintain my credibility. If Becky was here, she would agree. In any case, I'm not in Lynch's camp anymore so I do not think it's a problem at this point.)

" Ah, pero estarás cubriendo la pelea Lynch-Cross. Anticipas algún problema con eso?"

("Ah, but you'll be covering the Lynch-Cross fight. Do you anticipate a problem with that? ")

Bayley wanted to grit her teeth but kept her smile and said: "Ninguno. Estoy esperando una noche de MMA espectacular!"

("None. I'm waiting for a spectacular night of MMA! ")

After that, the conversation shifted away from Bayley to the upcoming fights themselves, to her great relief. A few minutes later the interview concluded and Bayley was able to leave. Not for the first time she was regretting Becky Lynch's passionate nature. She had been touched that Becky and defended her so vehemently, but the irritation of dealing with the fallout had far eclipsed that.

As she made her way out to her car she ran through the rest of her day. She had a few more interviews with teams interested in having her embedded with them. After that, she had writing to do and then was going out with Emma. She simply couldn't blow the other woman off again at this point.

The next few days got even more hectic for Bayley as she, and the MMA world, prepared for Brawl For All 44. The nerves of covering a fight being increased tenfold by the knowledge that the card would contain both Becky AND Sasha. The only small oasis of calm she seemed to have to look forward to was getting drinks with Charlotte.

" Ni siquiera tú puedes arruinar eso." she told herself as she started her car.

("Even you can not ruin that.")

Becky

Becky didn't believe in ghosts, but after last night she was beginning to rethink her stance on the subject.

It had only been a day since she had signed the contract for the fight and now that everything was official the hard work began. The shittiest part being that, because of taking the fight with only thirteen-day notice to make weight Becky was going to be basically starving herself to accomplish in thirteen days what she normally did over the course of a normal six to eight-week fight camp before a fight.

She was sure she could still get down to the weight limit, but it wouldn't be as easy as normal. Eating the bare minimum to get her up and moving so that she could get in some workouts and keep her metabolism burning calories.

Add in the interview Alexa had scheduled for today and Becky hadn't been able to get much sleep.

Not to mention the looming cloud that would inevitably hit land when she flew to California for the fight.

At her last fight, she had been able to avoid crossing paths with her old team, but that would be impossible this time.

Becky found herself assuming the worst, but if you asked her to describe what exactly she was afraid of happening she didn't know if she could give a good answer.

If she wasn't so sure the whispers were in her own head Becky may have blamed it on ghosts.

She still didn't think ghosts existed in the way most people did, but she knew a type of ghost would always be with her. There was no shaking hers. They were the type that had a permanent residence once you let them in.

Becky shook her head as she looked at herself in the mirror. Taking in all the work Mickie and her team of stylists had put in to make her look so… Not Becky.

The only thing she had managed to talk them into that seemed like her was an elaborate pattern of braids on the left side of her head. Although it may not as much been her talking them into it, as it was them throwing her a bone.

Beyond that they had worked on her hair and makeup like she was canvas for their work.

She would have complained endlessly about how long they took but she was more distracted by the clothing Alexa and the crew had decided on. A tight emerald green dress that ended just above her knee and a pair of strappy heels that had Becky worried for her own balance. She never had much practice walking in heels and hadn't ever gone out of her way to fix that.

As she stared at herself in the mirror just minutes from her interview with Mandy Rose, Becky cringed at how fake she felt. Like someone's version of what they wished she was. Safe and marketable. Not the damaged individual who was no one's role model.

She didn't like it.

"Wow! Look at you! Never thought I'd see the day Becky Lynch wore a dress." Charlotte teased from the doorway. "When Alexa told me I just had to come see for myself."

Becky took another look in the mirror before she closed her eyes and turned around. Flashing a bright but fake smile at the other woman. "You should buy a lottery ticket. Don't think this is ever happening again." Her smile creeping towards genuine when Charlotte chuckled at her joke. "Get your pictures while you can."

Charlotte shook her head and stared at Becky with a look she couldn't decipher. Almost like she wanted to say something but thought better of it. "I think the look is missing something." Tapping her chin with one finger as she thought. "Give me a few seconds."

The Irish woman watched as Charlotte searched till she found a canvas bag that the blonde must have brought for herself. Reaching inside and grabbing something before turning around to see Becky watching her every move.

"Turn around. I think you'll like it." Charlotte said with certainty. "Close your eyes too. No using the mirror to cheat."

Becky sighed and somewhat begrudgingly complied. Closing her eyes and tapping her foot. Quickly remembering the heels she had on after she nearly toppled and ceased her tapping. "Alright. Go ahead Charlie. Although I hold onto my right to veto."

Becky head the blonde laugh as she closed in. "Of course. But I don't think you will."

The next thing the redhead felt was Charlotte draping something over both her shoulders. The weight significant but not too heavy. Soft but not delicate.

When she opened her eyes she froze. "So… Do you like it? I had it made for you after your last fight. Thought you could use a new one, considering your old jacket looks like it's seen better days."

"It's great… Perfect." Becky managed to get out. Looking in the mirror and admiring the new light brown leather jacket draped over her shoulders. A tiny golden shamrock dangling for the zipper, while the inside seemed to be lined with a fine material that felt like silk against her skin. "Thanks, Charlotte. This must have cost you a lot."

Charlotte waved away the words. "It actually cost me nothing. We just got a sponsorship with Colt Leather Works, and Cabana wanted to make you something special."

"Still... I appreciate it."

"Look inside the lining." Charlotte directed.

Becky raised an eyebrow but did as she suggested. Finding herself torn between laughing and crying at small words stitched into the lining. 'To be the man...' embroidered in fancy lettering above an old newspaper clipping of Ric having his hand raised in black and white. Right next to that image a black and white picture of Becky after her latest victory.

"THREE MINUTES!" Came the call from one of the stagehands who drew the short straw and had to keep Becky on schedule.

She quickly slipped her arms inside the jacket and looked at herself in the mirror once again. "I'd better get moving." Slipping quickly past Charlotte and pausing in the doorway. "Thanks for the jacket."

Becky didn't wait for a response. More concerned with getting in front of the camera without her makeup getting messed up.

Finding her way to the stage and sitting down in the open seat next to Mandy who was studiously looking at her notes and talking to herself. Preparing for the interview in her own way.

Becky got sidetracked when she spotted the craft service table and the delicious smell of all sorts of food wafted over and reminded her of what she couldn't have. Stomach growling in protest at being so close to a source of food and being unable to have any.

She pulled her attention away and refocused on something else. Trying to instead start up a conversation with the blonde next to her. "Hey. Nice day isn't it?"

Mandy looked up from her notes for a second but moved her gaze right back down. "Let's not waste time with pleasantries. We aren't going to be friends. I'm not an amatuer like Martinez"

Becky felt like she had been slapped. The other woman's tone already hostile and she hadn't even started being an ass yet. "You seem fun. Must be great at parties."

The blonde spared a moment to give her a glare, but stonewalled her until they were just about to start.

It went well to start. Simple questions that didn't require too much thought.

Complain as she might about Alexa the tiny woman knew her stuff. She had quizzed Becky on the likely questions that would be asked and even though she was annoyed by it, Alexa had a great mind for this thing. Her meticulous attention to detail was a byproduct of her need to control the situation and be ahead of the game.

Becky was the exact opposite with things like these. She used to just go out to these interviews and media events and wing it. Go with the flow and give her authentic first response to the questions she would be asked rather than thinking thru her answers beforehand.

After a few questions about the fight that she was well prepared for Becky started to feel like she was missing something. She knew the answers she was giving were fairly cookie cutter and that most journalists would be getting annoyed with them by this point. Yet Mandy hadn't so much as reacted in mild irritation to her answers even though this interview was turning into a real bore. Not a bad interview but one that most certainly wasn't must see viewing.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when Mandy's entire demeanor shifted. Leaning forward in her chair and clasping her hands. Her expression turned serious as she spoke softly, yet with a hint of superiority that came from a position of power, or having leverage over someone.

"You are obviously aware of the rumors surrounding you and Bayley Martinez. Am I correct in assuming this?" Condescension dripping from every word. Becky knew that Mandy would have seen the GMA interview so she was obviously trying to annoy her. Becky wished she could say that it wasn't working.

"Yep. Real shot in the dark there." Becky commented, which Mandy ignored.

"Would you like to amend your statements from the GMA interview?"

Becky squinted at Mandy and shook her head. Her fingers playing with the bottom hem of her dress and pulling it down. Feeling awkward and exposed dressed up like this in front of a woman who looked like she would be at home in these type of clothes, when Becky felt anything but.

Mandy's expression didn't change save for the slight tilt at the corner of her mouth. "So, you tend to go to your 'friends' hotel room and stay there for hours?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Becky asked.

Someone off screen must have done something because the next thing Becky knew a large monitor behind them lit up with a shaky video clearly taken by a phone that was zoomed in as far as it possibly could.

Becky felt oddly violated, not for herself but for Bayley who didn't deserve this sort of scrutiny. Becky had opted into this world and knew the potential downsides. "That's not what it looks like."

Mandy's grin slowly widened at her 'gotcha moment' catching Becky off guard and putting her in a corner. "Oh. What is it then? Because, as we can clearly see in the footage, it looks like you and Ms. Martinez embracing in the doorway of her hotel room which you had been cohabiting for several hours. I wouldn't want to lead anyone on, but that seems awfully personal for a friend. Let alone a reporter who is SUPPOSED to be unbiased."

Becky saw two blonde's out of the corner of her eye and knew that both Charlotte and Alexa were probably having fits right now.

With everything that has been going on in her life and having to do this interview while cutting weight, Becky tapped into some of the venom that still ran through her veins. "I'm really getting sick of people trying to make sweeping generalizations on her character because of bullshit."

"So, you aren't close with Ms. Martinez?" Mandy interrupted.

Becky growled at being cut off. "I didn't say that."

"So you are close."

"Yes." Her answer quick. Not wanting to be around this irritating woman a moment longer than she had to.

"How close?"

Becky had to stop herself from lunging at the reporter. "None of your damn business. Even if we were together it wouldn't stop Bay from covering my fights and remaining objective."

"So you've broached the subject with her and found how she feels about all this extra attention?" Mandy asked. The question momentarily stopping Becky in her tracks.

She had tried to avoid talking about this subject with Bayley after the whole GMA incident and hated that Rose made a good point. But even if she did talk to the brunette she would almost surely say that she was fine and to let people think what they wanted. Was she being selfish and actually hurting Bayley's career just because she craved real companionship? Platonic or otherwise.

"I'm going to assume that was a no then." Mandy exclaimed. Just the sound of her voice making Becky want to bash her own head into a wall. "Do you have anything you'd like to say. To the audience… To her?"

Becky jumped up and tore off her mic. "This interview if feckin over." She snarled.

Mandy couldn't help but prod. "If this is how you act I wish her the best of luck. Dealing with you in a relationship must be tough."

She wasn't sure who was the first one to grab ahold of her, but before she knew it Becky was being pulled back by both Charlotte and Alexa.

They had managed to stop her before she made any contact with Mandy, but both blondes knew this was not a good look. Maybe there was a way to spin it but for right now they just had to get Becky away from the antagonistic journalist.

"Let me at the blonde Barbie. I will rip her head off an feed it to a goddamn tiger." Becky growled out between gritted teeth. Struggling against their grips before giving up when she realized all she was doing was tiring herself out.

"Get her out of here." Alexa ordered. "I will try and smooth things over. Figure out some damage control."

Charlotte must have nodded because the next thing Becky knew she was being steered out of the room.

She only allowed herself to be controlled before so long before she threw Charlotte's hands off her and stormed off to her dressing room. Slamming the door shut and collapsing onto the blue couch that had been jammed into the relatively small room.

With a deep sigh she closed her eyes pressed her palms directly into them. Groaning out loud as she started to calm down and realize what she had just nearly done on camera. She had prided herself on being more patient but Mandy just seemed to know exactly how to push her buttons.

Why did she let those comments get to her so much?

The answer was right in front of her eyes; Because they weren't about her. Becky could deal with people saying horrible things about her because on some level she felt she deserved it.

Bayley didn't.

Becky

"That was good." Ric declared with just a hint of trepidation. "I still would like to see you keep that right hand tucked to the chin when you throw the left. It's dropping just a bit, but anything is too much."

It was a late night at the gym. Everyone else had gone home for the day and Ric was making good on his promise to show Becky a few of his old tricks.

Which to Becky's sarcastic annoyance didn't involve any illegal, or at the very least shady, moves.

"Alright." Becky said. Resetting herself and throwing the combo into the bag one more time. Making extra effort to listen to Ric's advice.

She continued to work until Ric was satisfied. Which in his mind required doing the combo fifty times in a row perfectly, otherwise the count would reset.

Even though Becky continued to feel abnormally drained by the harsh and quick weight cut Ric's teaching style and infectious energy helped pull her not think about it.

Picking up a towel Becky swiped away the sweat that dripped down from her forehead. Taking a deep breath as she steadied her breathing and tried to cool down.

"Thanks for the help Ric." She said. "You still know your stuff."

"Just because I'm old, doesn't mean I forgot everything I learned."

Becky laughed and pulled a bottle of water out. "Could have fooled me."

A large grin spread on Ric's face. "Ouch." Mockingly holding his hand over his heart and shaking his head. "I'm proud of you though."

The unexpected praise made Becky blush a little. Although it was hard to tell after such a good workout. "Thanks."

Ric's expression turned more serious and his hand found their way to his hips. "Just tell me I'm overstepping my boundaries. Ok?"

Becky narrowed her eyes but nodded. "I'll tell you."

"I'm not sure how best to say this but… When I walked in on you and Charlotte, I felt like I was interrupting something." Ric peered at Becky while he spoke. "Is there something going on between you and my daughter?" He asked point blank.

Becky's mouth opened and closed several times. Not expecting the conversation to head this way at all. "Um… I… It's complicated."

"Love normally is."

Immediately Becky scoffed at the notion. "Love? I wouldn't call it that."

Ric grinned. "So, what would you call it?"

"I don't know." Becky answered truthfully. She felt uncomfortable having this conversation, but she recognized that as Charlotte's father Ric was allowed to question her. Especially given her

very public past. "She's frustrating. I don't know where I stand with her."

"You know she'd probably say the same about you." Ric declared.

Becky looked down at the ground and worked at unravelling the tape around her wrists. "You aren't the first one to say that."

A soft smile graced Ric's face. "Bayley?"

Her movements paused briefly. Returning to the almost clock like rotation as she slowly peeled away the layers. "Yeah. It was her."

A knowing look took over Ric's face. "She's a perceptive one."

"Yeah… She is."

"Wish Charlotte would have kept her around." Ric honestly stated. Shocking Becky that he would openly go against what Charlotte had decided.

"Yeah." The Irish woman muttered. Her mood dampening as she was reminded of yet another person that had left her. Even though it wasn't Bayley's fault it didn't stop Becky from feeling abandoned.

Ric noticed her mood shifting. "At least you'll get to see her at fight week."

"Yeah."

Ric sighed. "Look I'm not here to tell you what you should do with your life. I know you wouldn't listen to me anyway." The remark getting the desired result; a small fraction of a smile on Becky's face. "But surrounding yourself with good people is important. Don't push a girl like that away. Eventually she won't come back."

Becky started walking towards the stairs. Hearing his words clash with her own internal struggle. "See ya tomorrow Ric."

"Becky!" He called out loudly. Unknowingly waking up someone who had been sleeping in her office.

The redhead continued to walk. Head tilted downwards as she tried to put her thoughts together. Trying her best to ignore the man behind her. Introspection was never something she enjoyed doing even in the best of circumstances.

"Becky… Beck… Rei—" The unfinished word followed by the sound of a loud thump.

Becky heard the loud thump and turned around to see where the noise had come from. Her eyes widening as she dropped everything and sprinted the short distance to Ric's side. Falling down to her knees and sliding several feet. Her own momentum taking her past him and forcing her to crawl back. His unnaturally still body lying face down on the floor.

"Ric?" Becky spoke with urgency. One unsteady hand grabbing onto the man's shoulder and shaking him. Hoping for some sort of reaction but getting none.

"What's all the noise for?"

Becky looked up with wide eyes as Charlotte descended from her office. Wiping the sleep out of her eyes and yawning before she noticed her father.

"Ric?" She asked. Her eyes widening as her brain caught up to what she was seeing. Running over and kneeling on Ric's other side. The shaking in the blonde's hands obvious as she reached down but avoided actually making contact with his body. "Dad? Dad? Can you hear me? Please… Say something." Charlotte grabbed a hold of one of his hands and held it up to her chest. "Daddy?"

Becky's heart was breaking as she listened to Charlotte. Taking a deep breath since she knew that right now, she needed to try and be strong. Reaching down to feel for Ric's pulse. Letting out a heavy sigh when she felt it relatively steady against her fingers. Also noting that the old man was also breathing on his own power. "He's breathing. We shou—"

Charlotte's attention suddenly shifted to Becky like she hadn't even been aware the redhead had been there. Her eyes narrowing with a crazy glint to them. The dark circles beneath her eyes making the turquoise spheres stand out in the low light of the gym. "What did you do?"

Becky didn't know how to respond. Her mouth opening and closing before she spoke. "He just collapsed. I don't know what happened."

"What were you doing?"

"We were just talking. I didn't—"

"Do something useful and call an ambulance." Charlotte spat out. Clearly not believing Becky in the moment. Obviously not thinking straight, but that didn't stop Becky from feeling a sting of hurt at the callous words.

"Alright. I'll do that."

"Then DO IT! Stop wasting time!" Charlotte cried out. Uncaring of the tears that streamed down her face. "I told him you were bad news the second he brought you in. You're like a disease. Everywhere you go ends up dealing with your shit."

Becky swallowed hard. Determined to try and ignore the words as they cut her to her core. The blonde using everything she had learned about Becky to hit her hardest. No doubt wanting someone to feel as bad as she did right now. Even if Becky could rationally understand that it didn't stop her from feeling like an elephant was sitting on her chest. "My phones in my room."

"Then why the fuck are you still here?" Charlotte questioned.

Not bothering to respond, Becky turned and sprinted up towards her room. Intending to get her phone, but also get away from Charlotte. Unable to stop her own tears as she worried over Ric and lamented the blonde's words.

Ruminating on them as she waited in the emergency room with Charlotte. The blonde

purposefully sitting as far as she could from Becky.

As they got the news that it didn't seem to be serious, she was still thinking about what Charlotte said.

When the doctor told them that they would be keeping Ric under observation for the next week, Becky nodded along even though she wasn't really hearing much of his words. Still thinking back on Charlotte's.

Maybe she wasn't being abandoned.

Finn, Dave… Bayley.

Maybe they weren't abandoning her. Maybe they just realized she wasn't worth it.

Charlotte

The best way for Charlotte to distract herself was through work.

She had spoken to her father daily, but they were scheduled to fly out in two days and there was still so much work to be done. Enough work that Charlotte could easily ignore the pang in her heart when she saw Becky and noticed how she would shut down whenever Charlotte came into the room.

Today was an important day though and she needed to keep her head in the game. Another great excuse to avoid going over and just apologizing to the Irish fighter for her undue harsh words.

She opened the door to the gym and held it open wide. "Glad you could make it."

"Thanks. I have to admit. This place looks pretty nice. Not exactly what I was expecting from an old guy like Ric." Bobby Lashley said as he walked inside the gym with a full duffel bag over his enormous shoulder.

"I've been busy." Charlotte emphasized that she was in charge now. "I know when I first contacted you we had no fight lined up for Becky and I wouldn't expect you to make a decision so quickly."

Lashley held up a hand. "It's alright. Things happen quickly in this sport. So… Where is she?"

Charlotte waved him further inside. "She's in the ring right now. Working with Ruby, who is just about to turn pro."

The massive man nodded as he followed the blonde from the lobby to the actual gym itself. "If you don't mind. I'd prefer talking to her alone for a bit."

Charlotte felt a bit offset by this but let herself take a step back. "Sure. I have to warn you she can be a bit much at times."

Bobby chuckled. "I'm used to it. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"Good luck." Charlotte said. Walking up to her office and making her way over to the closed blinds. Creating a small gap in them and peering down at Bobby introducing himself to Becky in the ring.

From the distance she couldn't really tell exactly what was happening. Trying to read the body language the best she could. Happily noting that Becky hadn't already taken off. That was a good sign.

When Bobby began to laugh Charlotte couldn't help but feel a bit shocked.

The two seemed to be getting along well enough.

They continued chatting for several more minutes before Bobby clapped the redhead on the shoulder and hopped out of the ring. Making his way to the stairs and up to Charlotte's office.

Charlotte quickly managed to sit behind her desk and make it look like she was doing some work. Answering with a quick, "Come in." When Bobby knocked on the door.

He popped his head inside. "Hey Charlotte." Waiting for her to meet his eyes before continuing. "I'll help for this fight. See how this works out and we can discuss it afterwards."

"That sounds acceptable." Charlotte declared. A weight off her chest at how easy that had seemed to work out. "Welcome aboard Bobby."

Becky/Bayley

Waiting for an airplane could be really boring, and Becky was really bored right now.

She was tired and had only had some carrots and other veggies today and still had weight that needed to come off. Alicia had been adamant that Becky follow her plan and with just four days to make weight there wasn't much choice in the matter.

Kicking her feet up on the open seats next to her Becky pulled the hood over her head a little further down.

Normally she would try to make time for fans but she could tell that she was irritable and wanted to avoid a scenario where she could put herself in a potential negative scenario.

Becky groaned. Even her internal thoughts started to sound like Alexa's voice on occasion.

She needed something to distract herself and against her better judgement and Alexa's suggestion after the Mandy Rose interview she typed out a text to Bayley and sent it off before she could overthink it. "Hey Bay." She deserved to know in case that picture somehow got out before the interview was scheduled to air.

The buzzing of her phone was enough to shake Bayley awake.

" Huzzaph?!" or something like that was the first thing out of her mouth as she tried to regain her bearings. Her eyelids felt like sandpaper and neck was killing her her. The reason for the second state was made clear when she realized her cheek was resting on something hard. Further investigation revealed it was her kitchen table. She blinked then, trying to remember what had woken her and then her phone buzzed again.

Automatically she reached out toward the source of the noise only to wince at the sound of a loud clattering. Raising her head she saw a veritable forest of diet pepsi cans and an open, and nearly empty, bag of sabor de soledad. She'd obviously fallen asleep writing, again. This wasn't uncommon but it did make for some rough mornings.

Finally managing to grasp her phone she grimaced at the cheese dust her her hand briefly. A short staring contest ensued before she shrugged and licked it off. At long last, she unlocked her screen and saw the text. A message from Becky. She smiled despite how dry her throat felt. She and Becky were fairly close but they didn't talk enough.

" Hey! How are you chica?" she sent back, glad that Becky couldn't see her. Something was gently tapping the side of her head as she moved and she wasn't ready to accept the fact that it was probably a cheese snack in her hair.

Becky bit her lip as she thought of a response. She wanted to broach the subject gently. Bayley was one of the kindest people she had ever met and Becky knew that while she would never say it, having to defend herself because of her own actions must be getting annoying. "Still alive. I had an interview with that Mandy Rose girl yesterday."

Even as groggy as she was Bayley sat up a bit straighter. Not only was the name 'Mandy Rose' kind of a trigger for her but she also knew Becky and how she texted. She blinked a few times before she sent back: " Did you catch a contact blonde?"

Unable to stop a smirk from appearing Becky responded. "Something like that."

"Actually, no...I can't handle the idea of a blonde Becky. Please distract me from that image," Bayley sent with a grin.

Becky had to physically shake away the image herself. "Sounds like something Alexa would have me do, but that's not why I texted you. I will start off by saying I'm sorry in advance."

Bayley blinked at this message once...and then again. If nothing else, Becky Lynch apologizing was as rare as a comet sighting. But there was also the message itself. It was with some trepidation that she asked, with forced levity: " For what? You didn't beat up Lacey Evans did you?"

It would be easier to just come right out with it, but Becky found herself stalling. "Nope. I could though if you want me to. I just didn't want you to get blindsided when the interview comes out."

They'd danced around it enough, Bayley decided. " Blindsided by…?" she sent back, dreading the answer.

"Mandy somehow had a photo that I may have not reacted too well." Becky admitted. Part of her almost wishing she and Bayley hadn't became friends to spare her the scrutiny that had came her way. "I don't know how she got it, but she had a picture of us… Of me… Leaving your hotel room."

Bayley took a few moments to digest this. She'd always had a minor concern on the back of her head that something like this could happen as a result of her time with Becky, but that was different than confronting it now. A thousand things flashed through her head as she stared down at the message. There was panic, there was gratitude, and much harder to define things.

" ...What is she going to do with it?" was all she finally sent back.

The short impersonal response felt odd from the reporter but Becky figured that Bayley must be getting tired of her by now. "Based on the way she handled it, I would say try to stir up more shit for you and me. Alexa is trying to get Mandy to release the interview after the fight, but that's no guarantee." Hoping that Bayley wouldn't notice or press for details. The interview itself would be answer enough when it came out.

Bayley hesitated over her response. She knew that nothing that had happened was Becky's fault of course. But that didn't stop her from being frustrated. She was actually on the point of sending a sharp reply when she realized two things.

First, she realized that anything she could say or do would be as nothing to how Becky was feeling now. The Irish woman would beat herself up plenty without Bayley's help. Second, and perhaps more importantly, she realized it was the kind of thing that Sasha would do.

" Hey, don't worry about it Becks. We'll get through it eventually. I'm just sorry that, if we ARE somehow a couple, I'm such an absentee SO," she hoped a small joke would put Becky at ease.

Becky found herself smiling despite herself. Bayley always seemed to be able to put her quickly at ease. At times it almost seemed like she knew what Becky was thinking. Like she had been through all this before and knew the better paths, or at least which ones to avoid.

She was just about to type out a response when Charlotte walked by and Becky couldn't help but watch her pass. The blonde not even offering a word after how harsh she had been last night. Her words still biting deep into Becky's core as much as she tried to ignore it.

Bayley didn't make Becky feel like she was about to snap. She had never lashed out in anger, however misplaced it may be. Whenever they talked Becky felt lighter. Less like the woman she hates and more like the one she wishes she could be.

Becky couldn't deny the loneliness that had been such a large part of her life in the last year and realized that she didn't want that anymore. "Well I'll see you during fight week I'm sure. Maybe you could make it up to me after I show Finn he was an idiot to let me go."

"Make it up to you? Uh, what do I owe YOU for?" Bayley sent back, making sure to send the correct emoji's along with the message to convey her sarcasm.

Text can be a funny thing. All sort of subtext can be lost when you take away everything but the words. Becky knew that Bayley was playing along but she couldn't help a small part of herself from speaking up. It's voice only growing as people continued to insinuate she and Bayley were in a relationship. Would it really be that bad? They got along and Becky's couldn't lie; the reporter was extremely attractive try as she might to downplay it.

"I will have to think on it. Not everyday that I've got a cute girl on the hook. Have to weigh my options."

Bayley rolled her eyes in a way she did often when interacting with Becky. " Don't you have groupies for this sort of thing?" she asked, again making sure to communicate her sarcasm with emojis.

The last week had been an exhausting ordeal that was only the beginning, but even just texting Bayley helped quickly pull her back to a more even keel. "Those girls are a McDonalds. I prefer eating at a fancy place."

" You know I wish I could say that was the least flattering analogy that's ever been applied to me….but I can't," Bayley sent back. She found it privately amusing that Becky was trying to flirt with her while she looked like an absolute wreck.

Becky chuckled as the boarding announcement for her flight began. "I can come up with a worse one if you'd like." She texted. Waiting about five seconds before she quickly sent another. "I'm not bothering you. Am I?"

Maybe it was the nerves or how tired she was but Becky was worried that she was taking up far too much of the woman's time. Bayley had a life and Becky wasn't really in it. At least that would be totally true if Becky didn't keep blowing up when Bayley's name was brought up in interviews.

She couldn't help but wonder if she had just been calmer and dealt with the GMA incident better; would this even be an issue at all?

Bayley took a look around at the warzone on her table and shuddered. " Honestly? You don't want to know what I was just doing. Where are you?" she asked.

"Airport. Bout to board." Becky quickly texted back. Gathering her bag as they began to call for her section to get in line.

" Have a good flight! I'll see you soon!" Bayley sent back as she stared at her mess. Without thinking about it she added a heart and kiss emoji to the end.

Becky had just reached the front of the line when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She ignored it for the moment as she juggled her ticket and carry on.

When she sat down and settled in Becky pulled out her phone and looked at the latest text from Bayley.

The text was nothing special, just normal polite Bayley speech, but she had never used those specific emjoi's before. Becky quickly ran through the possibilities in her head; starting off with assuming it to be an honest mistake, to the final option that Bayley had sent it on purpose.

But for what reason? Did she mean them?

Becky had always avoided texting for this reason. At least when you spoke with someone over a phone you could hear their tone.

She didn't realize how long she had been staring down at her phone with a look of concentration.

Did she want Bayley to have meant it?

The announcement over the speakers startled her from her thoughts. Informing her that phones should be switched to airplane mode for the flight duration.

Out of desperation Becky sent a quick text so that Bayley wouldn't worry. "See you." Thumb hovering over the send button before it diverted its direction and added a heart to the end of her own.

With the message sent Becky switched her phone to airplane mode and leaned her head against the window. Her eyes quickly closing as her exhaustion took over.

Unfortunately sleep would elude her for some time.

Her mind working overtime to try and decipher just what Bayley's text and her response meant.

Charlotte/Bayley

Charlotte idly spun the already empty beer glass that she had immediately ordered upon sitting down.

She had arrived early. Well before Bayley was scheduled to be there. Wanting to get in a quick drink to hopefully put her in a better mood before they were to meet.

Going to fight cards had always been a major stressor for Charlotte, but add in the extra media attention because of the personal slant to the Becky and Nikki fight and this one had been another level of frustration.

Starting from the fight being taken on short notice, and just steadily getting worse from there. A disastrous Mandy Rose interview, Ric collapsing and Charlotte reacting in the worst possible way to it. If there was a succinct way to boil down the last couple weeks it would probably just be one big middle finger after another.

She called the bartender's attention to her empty glass and he swiftly placed a new one in front of her while taking away the empty one.

Charlotte ignored him as he lingered around. No doubt trying to either make a move and get lucky or just trying to make his tip a little bigger.

He seemed to finally get the message after her stony silence and walked down to the other end of the bar. Leaving Charlotte to take a sip of her fresh beer in peace.

She continued to sip away at her beer while she stared at the row of television screens behind the bar. Watching but not really taking in anything. Her mind preoccupied with a million other worries.

Bayley wasn't sure why she was so nervous, she was just meeting someone for drinks. But she supposed that given how she and Charlotte had left things this might have been inevitable. One mostly friendly phone call couldn't erase the past. Still, now that she saw herself in one of the large mirrors in the hotel lobby she felt kind of silly.

She'd felt the need to dress up for Charlotte. But one look into the hotel bar told her she'd overdone it...a lot. She thought about running back out to her car to get her coat but decided that it wasn't worth the effort. Besides, maybe Charlotte would like the look? And besides THAT, it wasn't as though they were on a date. Unbidden, memories of their drunken kiss rose in her head as she ducked into the bar.

She was scanning the interior when a male voice spoke up behind her. "Well, hello there beautiful," it said. Bayley found herself facing a man who was probably near sixty. He was REALLY attached to his tanner cream and his thinning brown hair was slicked back.

"Hi?" she asked, uncertainly.

"So...you free to party?" he asked in an oddly high voice.

"Umm...what?" Bayley asked, wrong-footed.

"Hey, you don't gotta play coy with me. I'm no cop here, this is my card. If you're interested I'm also giving you my hotel room number. I tip well," he said with a leering wink before sauntering off. Bayley was so stunned that she couldn't even think of a retort. Looking down at the card she just had time to read 'Jerry Lawler' before she shook her head and walked over to the bar. She'd seen a familiar head of blonde hair there.

Charlotte had taken a moment to look down at her phone. Sighing out loud as she realized Bayley would be here anytime now. It wasn't that she wasn't looking forward to seeing her. In fact she was hoping the reporter's boundless enthusiasm would help pull her up from her dour mood. Taking another sip from her beer and noting it was already closer to being empty than full.

Doing her best to hurry, Bayley leaned on the bar next to Charlotte, who still hadn't noticed her, and asked: "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Charlotte cringed at the line. "Is that the best you could do?" Not feeling up to playing into the lighthearted words. She looked over at the brunette's choice of clothing and raised an eyebrow. "Trying to make some extra money tonight?"

Bayley's smile flickered for half a heartbeat before she sat on the stool and sighed saying: "Would you believe it's the second time I've heard something to that effect in sixty seconds? It seems I've completely forgotten how to dress."

"I'm seeing the proof. Were you dressing to impress someone tonight?" Charlotte asked brusquely, staring up at the television. "Becky's not here."

If Bayley had one skill it was letting little shots go. You just couldn't spend time around people like Sasha Banks or Becky Lynch AND being hypersensitive. Even so this comment from Charlotte didn't seem entirely jocular. But she ignored it and said: "Actually, I wasn't sure how fancy this place would be. And we haven't hung out in a long time so I wanted to look my best."

"Of course you did." Charlotte muttered under her breath. "How's the world been treating you?" Trying to let go of her foul mood was not being helped by the brunette's personality. Pulling out her phone and placing it on the bar face up.

"Pretty good…" Bayley said, starting to feel a bit awkward "...Had some job interviews with a few other teams who want to try something similar to what you did." She forced her smile up a few notches as she said: "You set a trend!"

Charlotte's face hardly changed at the normally infectious cheer Bayley was capable of. If it did change at all, it was downward into not quite a frown. "Good for you… I hope it all goes well." Taking another drink and finishing off her beer. Flagging down the bartender once again and pointing at her empty glass impatiently. "One for her as well. She probably needs it."

It was getting harder and harder to ignore Charlotte's obviously bad mood, even for someone as determinedly cheerful as Bayley. Still, she accepted the drink with a nod and took a long pull off of it. Turning toward Charlotte again she asked: "So...how are things at the gym?"

Charlotte swallowed down her first response and tried to formulate one less biting. "It's been stressful as always. Lot of moving parts for this fight." Taking another drink while she thought about how much work it had been to convince Bobby to actually give this arrangement a shot. Even now he was still somewhat noncommittal about his future with the camp after this fight.

"Yeah, I can imagine…" Bayley said before she took another sip of her drink "...still, it must be helpful to have more extra hands around right?"

"You'd think so." Charlotte didn't plan on elaborating. In her inebriated and poor state she began to look at Bayley and see a reporter rather than a confidant. "Things don't always happen the way you want them too though. Life isn't fair like that."

Bayley liked to think that she was a people person, that she could talk to anyone. But she had to admit that it was feeling more and more like a slog with Charlotte. Something was obviously bothering the other woman but she sensed that any question in that regard would draw a stinging rebuke. Unable to come up with anything else she sipped her drink again and said: "No...no it rarely is."

The silence was welcome to Charlotte, but she knew the longer it went on the more likely Bayley would be to ask her another question. "Can I ask you something?" Not waiting for a response before speaking again. "How'd you get Becky to be such a suck up to you? I mean it's pretty impressive really. She only listens to me when she feels like it. But you…" She pointed the top of her glass at the brunette like she was accusing her of something. Maybe she was. "She actually goes out her way to listen to."

The formulation of this question didn't strike Bayley as particularly fair. But, she still thought she might salvage the evening if she let Charlotte get whatever was bothering her, off of her chest. Swirling the beer around in her glass she forced a smile and said: "I have an unfair advantage over you, I'm not her boss."

Charlotte's eyes narrowed as she drank. "I think I might have a better shot if she didn't already have you in her ear." Tapping her nails on the wooden bar as her frustration at everything began to boil over. "You might not be her boss, but she certainly acts like it."

Even Bayley couldn't pretend to misinterpret a comment like this. "Well…" she said in the voice she mostly used to address angry fighters "...we don't talk that often Charlotte. Also, I know she's difficult but she does care about you."

"Like Sasha cared about you?"

These words hit Bayley like a slap. It wasn't that Charlotte had spoken any louder, in fact she was almost whispering. But it was the pure ice behind that them that stunned Bayley. This wasn't Charlotte snapping something in the spur of the moment that she'd regret in a second. These were words that she'd chosen, deliberately. Bayley felt her hand squeezing the edge of the the bar as she closed her eyes for a few seconds.

"That, was low," she finally said.

"Just being honest." Charlotte summarized. "At least I haven't made the mistake of being a pathetic cling on that keeps thinking she can change the bad girl till she finally has enough." Sipping casually from her beer as if she wasn't being an ass and taking out her anger where it didn't belong. Another wonderful lesson she picked up from Ric, rather than him being a good father and teaching her something normal like how to ski.

"No…" Bayley said, speaking far more coolly that was normal for her "...you're just the woman who is drunk in a bar being an ass to her friend" As these words left her mouth Bayley knew that the alcohol wasn't helping in this case. But, uncharacteristically, she didn't care. Charlotte's words had not only cut deeply themselves, but it was the knowledge that Charlotte had used intimate knowledge that Bayley had shared in confidence to hurt her. That cut the deepest of all.

Charlotte took a deep breath, but the anger just wouldn't go away. "Real cute." Any rational thought completely out the window at this point. "Thought you would have learned the lesson with Sasha, but I guess it was too perfect an opportunity to pass up. Not many people can say they fucked the current and previous champ."

Bayley was squeezing the bar so hard now that her hand was shaking. Her first impulse was to snap right back at Charlotte but she had enough sense at her command still to know what that would lead to. Instead, she finished her drink, and turned to face Charlotte before asking: "Was there something I did to offend you Charlotte? Because I came here excited to see a friend but you're acting like I've done something horrible. If you have something to say….SAY IT."

Bayley could probably count on both hands the number of times she'd spoken with that much force over the last few years. But Charlotte, and the alcohol, had done something that so rarely happened. They'd awoken Bayley's temper.

For a moment Charlotte just sat still and stared back at the woman next to her. If she wasn't so far gone she might have realized that a hotel bar was not the best place to be making a scene. "Sasha was right… You do look like a muppet when you're mad." Muttering lowly as she set her glass down and stood up so that she could use height to her advantage. "I didn't ask you to come to Boston and fuck with MY fighter!"

Bayley's nostrils flared as she hissed: "Not that it's any of your business but I have never slept with Becky and I wouldn't! She's my friend! Jesucristo! Why does everyone have such a hard time accepting that?! Becky is my friend, just like I thought you were. I'm sorry to see that I was wrong" She said tersely as she tossed some money onto the bar.

"Excuse me if I have a hard time believing that." Charlotte hissed back. The jealousy that she had been continually holding in finally finding an out, even if it was irrational. She had seen how Bayley had interacted with Becky, and while the redhead was always flirtatious Bayley had always just laughed it off. That didn't matter to her right now. Cherry picking the moments that supported her and ignoring the rest. "History tends to repeat itself and you obviously have a thing for fighters. Is that why you got into the business? Cause it sure seems like it to me."

Part of Bayley wanted to slap Charlotte, or throw a drink in her face. Her hand twitched for a moment. Instead, she just glared at the woman who had once been her friend for what felt like a very long time, Charlotte never once blinking as she glared right back.

"Good night, night Charlotte," Bayley said finally as she spun on her heel started to leave. She made it a few feet before she turned her head to one side and added: " A pesar de lo que has dicho esta noche, te extrañaré Charlotte. Espero que encuentres algo de felicidad"

Charlotte frowned at the words. Unable to let the other woman have the last word in her current state. "Hope you find your own bed tonight. By the way; Gracias por el regalo. I needed a new coaster for my desk anyway."

Bayley stopped for a moment, but didn't turn back. She just walked out of the bar with her head down. She refused to let her tears drop until she was in her car.

Back in the bar Charlotte turned back to the bar with a grin on her face that quickly fell. Her 'victory' short lived as she realized she was alone. Wasn't that what she wanted though?

Rather than thinking more Charlotte drained the remainder of her beer and called the barkeep down for another.

Let future Charlotte deal with the fallout. For now she simply wanted to not think for one night.

Maybe she would return the bartender's earlier interest. He wasn't exactly her type, but he seemed to be in good shape and wasn't horrible to look at.

Most importantly though he wouldn't remind her of either woman she was trying to ignore thinking of.

Becky

It felt odd being out in the middle of an arena and watching her old team jog down to the cage with Nikki Cross in the lead.

Finn and Dave Finlay flanking her as they both focused on their new star pupil. Ready for the main event of a rare Friday night fight card that preceded another one tomorrow. Headlined by Sasha Banks versus Natalya Neidhart.

She tried to keep her head in the moment but she just couldn't.

Becky had crossed paths with her former team a few times during the fight week and each time had been uncomfortable and awkward on her part.

Her former teammates had done their best to basically ignore her and Becky had been so devastated by Finn turning his back on her that she had simply followed suit. Pretending that it didn't hurt.

She had been pretending a lot of things didn't hurt recently.

Her weight cut had not been any fun and she had needed Bobby's help to simply get onto the scale.

"Keep calm Becky. Stick to your strengths and try to feel her out for the first round." Lashley's calming influence came from behind her.

Even though she knew he was right, Becky still had a hard time putting his words into action.

She had expected this fight to test her, but it seemed like every everything was against her right now. Conspiring to distract her and put her off her game.

From seeing Bayley in the press row and her confused feelings about the reporter. To seeing Charlotte in the audience and being reminded about yet another woman she had conflicting feelings about, as well as the fact that her father was still in the hospital.

Charlotte had to told her to keep quiet on the matter. The only real words the blonde had spoken to her since the night Ric had collapsed.

She hadn't noticed as she walked into the arena, but at one point when waiting for Nikki to enter the big screen at the top of the arena shifted and showed Sasha Banks sitting a few rows back with Zelina sitting at her side. Ring prominently on display for the spotlights to catch the large diamond on top.

Becky had quite a few significant distractions that she needed to avoid thinking about. Nikki was far too dangerous to fight with her mind somewhere else.

The ref called them both to the middle of the cage and went through his normal speech.

She held her glove out tentatively and Nikki gave her fist an odd look before smacking it and backing into her corner.

The fight began and Nikki came out of her corner like she was on fire. Chasing after Becky from the word go and throwing big shots that would easily end the fight should one of them land flush.

Becky continued to back up and dodge all the shots. Nikki was telegraphing her punches from a mile away.

When Becky felt her back come up against the cage she started to automatically circle to her right.

Nikki must have been waiting for that moment and grinned.

Becky realized too late that Nikki's over aggression for the first half of the round had all been to get her in this position.

The Scottish fighter threw a massive leg kick directly at Becky's right knee. Her foot landing with a thud that echoed through the arena, and making Becky's surgically repaired knee fold in on itself awkwardly.

For a second Becky was back at the end of her fight with Sasha. The sudden stabbing pain in her knee reminding her of that moment and making her unconsciously spike with fear. Freezing her for just a moment.

But that moment was enough for Nikki to follow up her shot with a wicked right hook that landed on Becky's chin and stunned her. The redhead falling down and automatically driving her right knee into the ground to try and break her fall. The point of her knee hitting the canvas and making her immediately regret it. Pain radiating from where Nikki had kicked her.

She was just able to pull herself together enough to grab a hold of Cross' waist as she moved in and used it to drag the other woman to the ground out of desperation.

Even though she ended up on the bottom, Becky felt more comfortable in this position than standing right now. Her knee still throbbing from the solid shot, but starting to feel slightly better.

Becky was able to utilize her ground game to stifle most of Nikki's shots from the top position.

When the round was down to its final ten seconds Nikki threw caution to the wind and started to throw wild elbows. Not worried about Becky catching her in a submission with so little time on the clock.

Becky had done a good job defending but one of Nikki's elbow snuck through and the point caught her on the temple. The hard hit allowing Cross to sneak in two more hard elbows to the left side of Becky's face that made a mouse form underneath her eye in a snap.

The bell rang and the ref pulled Nikki off of her. Becky rolling over onto her stomach and pushing herself back up to her feet in dismay. Her knee still singing with pain. Making Becky's stomach lurch as her eyes seemed to glaze over while she walked to her corner. Limp noticeable to anyone watching no matter how much she tried to hide it.

When she got back to her corner she saw Lashley in front of her. Speaking to her, but she couldn't hear a word he was saying until he reached out and placed his large hand on the back of her neck. Pulling Becky's head forward till her forehead rested against his.

Bobby began to mime taking deep breaths and holding the air for a few seconds until Becky unconsciously began to mimic his movements. Her erratic breathing finally calming down as he eyes were able to focus on the man in front of her. "She got a good shot on your knee. But you're still here. You need to trust that your knee will hold up. Can't shutdown if she does it again."

The large black man motioned for Ruby to put an enswell on the mouse beneath her left eye. The super cold piece of iron pressing into the swelling and taking Becky's breath away for a second, until the numbness set in. Hopefully stopping the eye from swelling shut and leaving the redhead at a massive disadvantage.

"Keep your head up and make sure she doesn't get you backed into a corner where your movement becomes predictable. Do you hear me? Nod if you understand Becky." Bobby said with a serious face. The next round almost ready to start.

Becky gave him a nod, despite only remembering about half of his words. Her eyes accidentally on purpose finding distractions in the crowd.

Bayley and Charlotte's barely concealed worry making her stomach churn.

As the next round started Becky knew she was fighting from behind and with this only being a three round fight she didn't have much time to make up for clearly losing the first.

Things didn't start off much better for her in the second round.

Becky tried to utilize some of her old tricks but each time was met with a stiff counter shot that had her realing.

It seemed like no matter what she did Nikki was ready for it. Attacking Becky's body now that the redhead had started to favor defending her left eye and right leg. Leaving her midsection open to brutal kicks that seemed take all the wind out of her.

After a few minutes of having almost no success standing up Nikki grinned at her. The Scottish woman's confidence rising with every shot she landed without repercussion.

Luckily for Becky her confidence would cause her to throw a few shots that Becky was able to dodge and put the other woman off balance. Finally landing a few shots of her own and making Nikki respect her striking at least a little bit.

With thirty seconds in the round Becky decided to try and make something happen for herself. Moving forward and putting pressure on Nikki. Working behind her jab to try and keep her distance.

As she moved forward Cross extended her arm and hand out to try and create an artificial barrier that would keep Becky away.

Becky moved in at the same time as Cross made the move and ended up with a finger poking her already injured left eye. Recoiling in pain and trying to blindly defend herself.

The referee unfortunately not in the correct position to see the illegal, but accidental eye poke, and allowing the action to continue. Nikki taking advantage of her good fortune and swarming the temporarily blinded fighter.

Easily landing shots to the midsection as Becky tried to cover up her head as best she could and survive till the end of the round.

A well placed liver shot made Becky crumble to the ground. Cross following and throwing as many punches as she could to try and end the match in this round. The ref asking Becky to keep defending herself otherwise he would have to stop the match.

Instinct had kicked in and Becky had managed to just make it to the end of the round. For the second time having to pull herself back up after clearly losing the previous round badly.

She slowly limped back to her corner. Wondering how on earth everything had gone so wrong. Taking the fight against such a good opponent on short notice not looking like the smartest choice right now.

Bobby brought out a stool and set it down for Becky to sit on. The redhead flopping down and looking up at the big screen above. Watching highlights of herself getting the shit kicked out of her.

"Hey! Look at me!" Bobby commanded. Bringing Becky's attention back to him. "This hasn't gone your way so far. They know your tendencies too well. I need you to show her something crazy. You're down two rounds." He simply stated. "You need a finish to win this. She's a little tired from trying to finish you last round. Her arms are filled with lactic acid right now. If you can grab a hold of one early on she won't be able to fight you off. Can you do that for me?"

Becky nodded mutely.

Bobby gave her a stern look. "You have one shot at this. If you miss Cross will play it safe the rest of the round. Make it happen."

"I got you." Becky responded. Well aware of what she needed to do, and hoping she could pull it off in her current state. Her midsection covered in red welts that would surely become massive bruises overnight. Left eye swollen to the point where she only had about twenty percent of her normal vision right now.

She stood up and the bell rang signalling the third and final round. Becky's last chance to snatch victory from the jaws of certain defeat.

Rather than moving forward Becky decided to stand still. Nikki giving her a somewhat confused look before it turned into one of rage when Becky held out her hand and waved the Scottish woman forward.

Without much thought Nikki came barrelling forward. Back to throwing more looping wild punches like the first round just like Becky had hoped she would after the taunt.

She let herself get backed up into the cage again and began to circle to her right once again. Repeating the same mistake she had in the first round. Making Nikki zone in on her right knee once again. Putting everything into another massive leg kick that was clearly designed to stop the fight right then and there.

Becky did the opposite of what anyone would expect and let the kick hit her knee. Pain exploding from the joint as the Irish woman fought through and drove her right shoulder into Cross' midsection. Driving her backwards and causing them both to roll in a pile of limbs.

In the scramble Becky managed to grab onto Nikki's right arm and throw her legs across the Scot's face. Catching her in an armbar and quickly thrusting her hips into the elbow joint. Hyperextending the limb and holding on for dear life as Nikki did everything she could to break her grip.

A desperate punch from Cross managing to catch her in the eye once again. Her eye finally swelling all the way shut as she wrenched on the arm even harder. Knowing that this was her only shot at finishing this match. Bobby was right. If Cross got out of this there was no way she would allow Becky close for the remainder of this round.

The thought made Becky grit through and applying a slight twist to the armbar. Cranking on the limb and making it move in ways the human body was not supposed too.

When the tap from Nikki finally came Becky couldn't believe it and the ref had to pry her off after a second of her continuing to hold.

Becky rolled off the other woman and laid down on her back. One good eye staring up at the ceiling as she tried to grasp what had just happened.

It didn't feel real when Bobby picked her up off the ground in a massive hug and gently placed her back down to earth. Carefully keeping his arm around her shoulders to help take weight off her gimpy leg.

It didn't feel real when Ruby came in and gave her a massive kiss on the cheek. Grinning ear to ear and repeating, "You fucking did it!"

It only started feeling real when her hand was raised and she was being asked about the fight.

"I don't know how I got her in the armbar, but once I had it there was no way in hell I was letting go."

"Is there anything else you would want to say? After a gutsy performance like that, the floor is yours."

Becky pondered it for a second her good eye searching the crowd before remembering what Mandy and others had been publicly saying about Bayley and not wanting to add more fuel to the fire. Dropping her head for a moment before beginning. "Well we are in California so excuse me if this is horrible. I'm still learning. Desde el fondo de mi corazón, gracias. Gracias por todo."

Letting the crowd cheer her words for a moment before continuing. "Thanks for all the support. Nikki was a good opponent…" Pausing as her eyes met Charlotte's in the crowd and her throat dried up. Rendering her momentarily speechless.

Silence filled the arena for several moments as Becky's anger at Charlotte's words rose back up. The unfairness of everything that had occured last month finally bubbling over.

Becky found her voice again. "You know what… Fuck it. Nikki might be good, but I'm better." Finding her old swagger and letting out a little of the old Becky Lynch. "I took this fight on two weeks notice and she couldn't put me away."

The crowd roared at the words. Both in support and dislike of her sudden shift in attitude.

The frustration of the last couple years seemed to be coming out all at once. "Hey Finn!" She called into the mic. Waiting for her old friend to turn towards her from where he was comforting his defeated fighter. "Is this what you had in mind when you told me to deal with the consequences of my actions?" Sneering at her fellow Irishman and holding up a middle finger in his direction. "Fuck you. You made the biggest mistake of your life kicking me out."

Abruptly the interview was cut short and Becky was led out of the ring by Bobby and Ruby at each side. The larger man placing a supportive hand on the redhead's shoulder despite his misgivings about how she handled the interview.

He shook his head in disappointment, but conceded that if anyone deserved to say something like that, it probably was Becky.

Hopefully this was just her needing to vent.

Bobby had just been through one fighter's meltdown. He couldn't sit by and watch it happen again.

Sasha

Sasha was looking at a TV without really seeing what was on the screen.

" ...Chaotic scene at the CMA's where rival artists Elias and Jesse James got into a fist fight on stage that ended with Elias having a guitar broken over his head. Now onto other celebrity news. Billionaire restaurateur Clex Aloha has has announced her divorce from husband John Morrison in a unique way."

The scene shifted them what was obviously cell phone video of the famous business woman lying on a beach chair flanked by brunettes.

" Hey John, I put your stuff out on the street along with coupon I found for a moving company! Byeeeeeee" Clex said before leaning back as the two brunettes leaned in.

The reporter took over again here.

" Now we go to TV hosts Edge and Christian for their comments, boys?" the scene shifted to a view of the two men sitting in their famous Toronto studio.

"You know that isn't the WORST way to find out you're getting divorced I've ever heard of, but it's up there," Edge said mock seriously.

"I feel like most of the ones that would be worse also involved violence though," Christian chimed in.

"Yeah, yep, so definitely the worst NON-violent way to get told you're getting divorced," Edge agreed.

"But Clex certainly bounced back quick didn't she? Those were grammy award winners Peyton Royce and Billie Kay!" Christian said.

Sasha never heard what Edge had to say because she threw turned the TV off and flung the remote at the wall where it cracked apart. She had trying to drown out Teddy, unsuccessfully, with the TV report. But her manager wasn't going to be put off that easily.

"FUCK! Are you STILL talking about that?" Sasha demanded loudly.

"We're going to talk about this now or later!" Teddy Long said irritably as he paced back and forth in front of Sasha.

"Nothing to talk about Teddy, it's over," Sasha said moodily.

"It's NOT over playa! You're facing a fine for that stunt! Maybe even a suspension!" Teddy said angrily.

The 'stunt' in question had involved the pre-fight press conference. Sasha had simply chosen NOT to go. Instead, she'd posted a video of Twitter of herself and Zelina sitting beside their pool. During the video, she'd made clear that anything other than a fight involving Neidhart was a total waste of her time. She'd closed the video by kissing Zelina and hold a middle finger up to the camera.

"It was hilarious! Besides, Shane isn't ever going to suspend me," Sasha stated boldly. She had a very close relationship with the brawl for all commissioner, they partied together often.

"It was stupid and it's going to cause even more of a mess!" Teddy insisted.

"Umm...Sasha?" a meek voice put in. It was Simon Dean, who was kneeling in front of her and working to tape her hands. "Did...did you want to talk strategy?" the man suggested timidly. As usual, every time he spoke Sasha wanted to punch his face in.

"Shut the fuck up, and tape my hands," she told him harshly before turning back to Teddy. "After I take down Neidhart I'll be right back on top and everything will go away," she insisted.

"We better hope you're right playa," Teddy muttered as he walked to the door. Opening it and sticking his head out he a quick conversation with someone. A moment later he turned back to Sasha and said: "We're ready playa."

Sasha stood quickly, almost knocking Simon over. She held her hands out to him so he could put on her gloves as she made the transition. The same transition every fighter had to make just before a fight. She let go of the Sasha Banks that lived the rest of her life and brought out the monster. All fighters did this, but few had a name for this persona. She did, it was 'the Boss'.

When she had her gloves on she pounded them together before taking her glasses and rings from Titius. Putting them on she stepped out of the locker room and turned to the small group f people standing there.

"Ready for boss time?" she asked a small Asian woman standing in front of the group.

"Very...ready!" Kairi Sane said in slow deliberate English.

"She carries the belt!" Sasha tossed over her shoulder. This was a delicious bit of revenge she'd taken on Charlotte Flair. She'd promised Ric Flair not to do anything else to disrupt the woman's gym and she wouldn't. She respected Ric too much to go back on her word. But he'd also said that business was business, and she'd taken great pleasure in talking Kairi Sane out of signing with the Flair camp and into joining Thuggin and Buggin. Now they'd announce the signing to the world when Sane walked out with her.

Sasha didn't speak again as she walked along the hallway that would take her to the curtain. She was focusing on what she would do to Neidhart when she got in the cage. Historically, she would be talking with Bobby as she walked. He would be quizzing her about her opponent's tendencies and her own gameplan.

Bobby, the man's betrayal was still enough to make her vision cloud over with red. Just the day before Sasha had found out that the bastard wasn't just not training her, but he was working with Becky god damn Lynch! The knowledge that Sasha had herself caused this was enough to stoke her anger to an even higher pitch. He hadn't even waited before he'd run off to the enemy!

She'd show that bastard.

Coming to a stop behind the curtain that would lead out to the arena floor Sasha worked her head from side to side. She was the fucking Boss. She would put this bitch down and then she'd go on being the damned Boss. Everyone else was jealous, none of them mattered.

When her music began to play Sasha waited a few moments before she pushed through the curtain her hands up. She strutted to the middle of the walkway before she stopped. The roars of the crowd redoubled, they all knew what was going to happen. She let the tension build for a few moments before she hit her boss pose, and ended by waving away all her haters. With that she strutted the rest of the way to the cage.

When she got to the steps she turned and surveyed the capacity crowd. She was reassured by what she saw. All the shit going on in her life but the fans still loved the boss. They always would. She decided she give them something special then. Retreating down the stairs she walked over to where Kairi Sane was standing, obviously basking in the cheers.

Sasha took the belt from her and handed it off to Teddy. She then put an arm around Kairi's waist and pulled her in before mussing her hair. The crowd loved it as Kairi giggled. On an impulse, Sasha kissed the top of her head before turning and heading back up the stairs. One quick top to accept her mouth guard before she stepped inside.

Neidhart was already there, waiting for her. The other woman looked focused and determined. She was clearly ready for a fight. Sasha found this amusing. Neidhart might have been a respected veteran who'd held a title before, but she was nothing to Sasha. She didn't have any competition left in her division and she didn't really expect to find any here.

She zoned out during the the introductions and didn't hear a word of the rules briefing. It wasn't as though something new was going to happen in either one. It was only when Ron Simmons asked them to come to the center of the ring and touch gloves that she finally woke up. She and Neidhart arrived at the same time and glared at each other. Nonetheless, Neidhart held out a glove. Sasha looked down at it contemptuously and, instead of touching it with her own, stepped back and raised both middle fingers to Neidhart.

The crowd roared at this as Neidhart's eyes narrowed further. Sasha held the gesture before walking back to her corner and waiting for the bell. Simmons, looking a bit disgusted, nonetheless called for the bell and the fight began.

Unlike with Paige, Sasha knew she had to take Neidhart more seriously. She wouldn't be as easy to toy with the rookie had been. Sasha began circling slowly to her right, hoping to get a good angle on Neidhart's left. Of course, the other woman knew exactly what was happening so she matched the motion keeping the distance between them.

Sasha tried a few ranging jabs, mostly to test Neidhart's reactions. The blonde simply backpedaled both times. Ditto for when Sasha through an experimental kick at her knee. In fact, she spent almost thirty seconds just avoiding Sasha. This annoyed Sasha but not significantly. Every step, every sway, every motion tiny was more data for her to work with.

As the first round ticked toward an uninspiring end, Sasha could hear the groaning from the crowd. The round had been entirely exploratory and that couldn't make for great viewing. When she saw that she had less than twenty seconds left Sasha decided to kick things up a notch.

Suddenly shooting forward, Sasha made as though to shoot for one of Neidhart's legs. As expected, she tried to backpedal. But Sasha continued the motion forward. Neidhart threw a left hook that Sasha easily blocked. When she'd done this she found she was in optimal position, right up on her opponent. Sasha grinned like a Wolf.

Neidhart sensed her peril and tried to retreat, only to find that Sasha had maneuvered her perfectly. She was trapped against the cage with Sasha, one of the best strikers to ever grace the sport, standing next to her. She threw a clumsy kick in an effort to force Sasha back but Sasha just ignored the impact. This was her moment.

She opened the tap.

When the bell finally rang for the end of the round Sasha had pounded Neidhart down to her knees. Had she had some more time she would have probably put the other woman away. As it was, she flounced back to her corner with the air of a queen in her throne room. She was perfectly content. She'd established one fact above all others in that round, a fact that made the final result more or less inevitable. Neidhart was scared.

Oh, she'd talked a big game about Sasha. She had a good record and reputation in the sport. But Sasha had seen it in her eyes and her moves. Neidhart was intimidated and Sasha knew it. This was good as blood in the water to someone like the Boss. It was so good that she felt as though she might indulge herself a bit.

When the bell for the second round began, Sasha was ready. She came right after Neidhart, accepting a few punches as a simple price paid she got in close. When Neidhart realized what she was doing her eyes widened. But it was far too late.

The maelstrom of fists, palms, forearms, elbows, knees, shins, and feet that followed was painful to watch for some observers. Neidhart did her best to cover up and to try and protect herself but it was like trying to keep the rain off of you by holding a business card over your head.

But Sasha was very careful with how she handled this. She punished Neidhart, severely, but she didn't let the other woman go down. She kept her upright, even backed off when she sensed she might be pushing too far. She wanted to play with her food, and that meant not killing it right away.

Despite her care, she ended up with Neidhart down to her knees before the second round ended. Sasha ignored this and simply walked back to her corner and waiting for the last two seconds of the round to run out. She then made a show of lacing her fingers behind her head and leaning back against the cage. As though she didn't have a care in the world.

She happened to be scanning the crowd when she saw them.

First, she noticed Bobby Lashley. The arch traitor, sitting in the fourth row talking with someone who had to be Charlotte Flair. Sasha's eyes narrowed as she saw this. But then her eyes strayed slightly to an all too familiar sight. At one of the media tables, she saw a side ponytail, a brunette one. There was only one person in the world of MMA who wore one of those.

Feeling her stomach tighter Sasha turned back the ring. This fight was proving to be much more like the fight with Paige than she'd thought. She'd been able to absolutely dominate her opponent from the start and now, in the third round, she was suddenly angry. Infuriated even, that was how her guilt over her treatment of both Bobby and Bayley translated to the boss.

Unlike with Paige, Sasha had no desire to finish the fight now. She couldn't punish her former friends in the ring, so she'd use Neidhart. Throughout the ensuing round Sasha backed off on her striking and kept forcing Neidhart into painful holds. She'd been working hard on her ground game despite lacking a proper trainer. Now she wanted to show off, particularly for Bobby, how much she was thriving without him.

She finished the round by lifting Neidhart bodily off the mat and driving her shoulders first back down. She was in a perfect position to mount the other woman and to rain punishing punches down on her. But, again, she let her up. Just then the bell rang.

"Banks! Enough! End this or I will!" Simmons snapped at her as she walked back to her corner. Sasha waved him away and took her seat. As she did she glared over at Neidhart who was in bad shape. She had cut on her cheek and several nasty looking bruises already. Sasha studied her as Simmons made his way over to her corner, obviously asking if she wanted to continue. Neidhart shook her head emphatically and Simmons shrugged.

Good, Sasha thought, she wanted to finish this herself anyway. When the fourth round began Sasha almost sprinted at her opponent. Neidhart's guard was drooping and she seemed to be moving at half speed. Sasha tagged her one, twice, and then a third time sending her reeling backward. Sasha gave her no respite however as she tore after her, hammering Neidhart's midsection. When this finally dropped her guard Sasha drove an elbow hard into the other woman's temple. This was the coup de grace.

Neidhart dropped heavily to her knees, obviously barely conscious. Her head was drooping heavily to one side and her eyes were glassy. Simmons ran to check on her and Sasha walked away intending to hit her signature pose.

That was when she happened to find Bobby in the crowd again. Their eyes met for several seconds. In those moments Lashley rolled his eyes, threw up his hands, and shook his head. He shouted something that Sasha couldn't hear but the message was unmistakable. You're a disappointment.

The rest of the world faded around her as Sasha saw red. She lost her mind as she grabbed the cage and began screaming at Lashley, none of her words intelligible around her mouth guard. After a few seconds of this Sasha turned back to the ring. Her wide eyes found Neidhart and It was then that madness took full hold of Sasha.

Storming over to her fallen opponent she shoved Simmons aside, ignoring his protest. He tried to grab her arm but she shrugged this off. For a split second, she was left with a clear path to Neidhart and she took it.

Building up as much speed as she could in three quick steps, Sasha drove her knee with as much force as she could directly into the other woman's face.

Charlotte

With the extra long weekend of fight being over Charlotte was ready to take settle into her bed and get in a good night of sleep before the flight back to Boston in the morning.

Unfortunately the world didn't seem to want that for her and her phone lit up with a number she didn't recognize.

Charlotte picked it up just in case it was something important. "Hello."

"Is this Charlotte Flair? "

"Yes it is. What can I do for you?" She politely answered.

"Ms. Flair… I'm sorry to inform you that your father is dead."

There was more information but Charlotte had stopped listening after the first sentence. Her phone slipping from her suddenly weak fingers and dropping to the duvet.

Charlotte's world crumbling down around her as she stared at the wall in shock.

Her whispered words haunting the room. "I never got to say goodbye…"