Title: Finding Her Way Back-Chapter 1.
Author: Carly.
Rating: PG.
Disclaimer: I only own any original characters later in the story.
Everyone else owns themselves.
Summary: After a life filled with love and loss, Amy vows never to get
close to anyone again. She keeps that promise.until she meets Matt Hardy
who only wants to be her friend and help her. But by constantly pushing him
away, is she also risking the chance to miss out on true love?
Traffic was moving at snails' pace as the sun shone down on everyone in Connecticut. It was the middle of August and wonderful outside. But instead of being out, Amy Dumas was stuck in her car, getting frustrated from the heat, the lack of movement on the highway and the fact that she was running late. Amy was due to have been at her appointment five minutes ago but with the traffic, she guessed she wouldn't be at her meeting for another fifteen minutes.
Clad in a smart black suit, her flame-red hair hanging loosely, she was due to meet Vince McMahon, chairman of the World Wrestling Entertainment. It was the first time she had ever worn a suit but Amy vowed never to wear one again. She'd been interested in wrestling for years and one day decided to go for it. She started practicing for a while before travelling to Mexico to train and started wrestling in independent promotions. She lived, ate, and breathed wrestling. It became her entire life and she was determined to succeed. Amy had always had that passion and drive, to be number one. Once she wanted to do something, she couldn't be convinced otherwise. And wrestling was the same. Amy had loved it since her teenage years but only recently decided to pursue it as a career. And while some people supported her, others weren't so encouraging. They thought it was stupid, especially for a woman to get involved. But she was incredibly strong-minded and determined to prove everyone wrong.
After years of slogging away, training more or less twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Amy had finally started getting noticed and had even managed to get into ECW. Even though it had only been for five months, she had gone in, turning heads straight away and had left a lasting impression on everyone. She wasn't the typical female wrestler with her high-flying moves and tomboyish looks, but it differentiated her from all the other women of the wrestling business. And now, the WWE had taken notice.
Amy eventually arrived for her meeting with Vince fifteen minutes late. She hurried to the top floor and knocked on the door of the room that the secretary had told her Mr. McMahon was. Finally, she heard someone call her in and she entered the huge, plush room. She recognised him immediately from the TV and realised Jim Ross was there also.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Mr McMahon. Traffic was horrendous," Amy apologised, genuinely,
"It's okay, Mrs Dumas. Please take a seat," Vince replied, pointing out a leather chair at the huge table. She sat down and flung her hair behind her shoulders and smiled at them. They talked then, for about an hour. She told them all about her love of wrestling, training in Mexico and working in ECW. By the end, they seemed extremely impressed by her and didn't hesitate in signing her up. Vince and JR sensed there was something different about this woman. They'd seen tapes of her matches and saw she wasn't just average, but way beyond that. She was real and that was what they loved about her. They had clearly told her she had a unique wrestling style, at least for a woman and it was something they hadn't seen in a long time. She was a breath of fresh air for them and they loved it.
Amy left the room thoroughly excited. They needed to draw up a contract first and explained it would be sent to her through the post in several days time. She decided to have a look around the arena, hopefully to be seeing a lot more in the near future. Realising she was thirsty, Amy decided to head over to a vending machine she had seen earlier to get a drink, all the while thinking of how successful the meeting had been. Amy walked thorough the hallways, her uncomfortable, new shoes aching her feet, and finally made it to the vending machine and got herself a drink. Despite how happy she was feeling from the interview, there was no denying that Amy couldn't wait to get home. Her black trouser suit had since become unbearable in the heat and her shoes were hurting her feet beyond belief, as she was only normally used to trainers or such. As she took a long drink from her cold bottle of water, she had no idea someone was watching her.
From several feet away, the man stood there, taken aback from the stranger's beauty. Considering that he was often surrounded by the beautiful Diva's of the WWE, he should have been used to gorgeous women by now. But he had never seen someone so striking with her great figure, long flame-red hair and soft hazel eyes. He easily guessed she was in about her middle twenties. Plucking up the courage, he finally made his way over to her and staring at her for the past few minutes.
"Hey, are you new here?" he asked, somewhat shyly.
"Sort of, I've just had a meeting with Vince McMahon now...I'm Amy Halliwell," she introduced herself as, offering her left hand, her bottle in the other.
"I'm...Matt Hardy," the man replied, hesitating and feeling his spirits break when he saw the wedding band on her hand. Matt was too late, she was already taken. But that didn't stop him finding her incredibly attractive. He observed her features in more detail now and saw the horrible pain evident in her hazel eyes. Something traumatizing had obviously happened in her recent past.
"Yeah I know, I've seen you on TV a lot lately. You're an awesome wrestler!"
"Thanks. So, how did your meeting with the boss go?"
"Great, actually. I start as soon as the contract is sorted. Well, I hate to cut this short, but I have to get going. I'll see you around, Matt and it was nice to meet to you."
"Yeah, nice meeting you too. Listen, find me when you start or whenever and maybe we can hang out sometime or something. I'm usually in the locker rooms." Amy smiled and waved at him then as she left and made her way to her car. She thought about Matt all the way there and on her flight home, thinking of how genuine and nice he seemed, and of course, good-looking. But she forced herself not to feel that way, it wasn't right. She felt like she was betraying her husband if she did. But Matt stayed in the back of her mind as she entered her house and for the rest of the day, as she ate some dinner, tidied her house up slightly and played with her dog, Cody, Amy found herself thinking about Matt Hardy. She could only hope that they could at least be friends.
And the next week, after the contract had been posted to her, signed and returned, Amy was on the plane to Ohio. All she could think about was her new WWE career, conjuring up new ideas or new moves she could try. She had since stopped herself thinking of Matt, as she knew she was betraying her husband otherwise. Amy owed him more than that and wouldn't allow herself to fall in love with somebody else. Besides, she and Matt had only met once, they barely knew one another. The plane landed at three o'clock and after collecting her luggage, hired a car to get to the arena. It took her another hour to get there, mainly because she had made several wrong turns and a stop to grab something to eat. At four, she arrived at the arena, and headed straight over to Mr. McMahon's office. When she eventually found it, Amy knocked on the door and waited for him to call her in. He did, after a few moments, and as she entered, saw that he was busy looking through forms and sorting out some odds and ends. Vince smiled when he saw her and offered her a cup of coffee as she sat down, which Amy politely refused. They talked then for about half an hour to an hour about new ideas and possible storylines. In the end, they decided to team her with Essa Rios, a wrestler who hadn't had a decent storyline for a while but Vince also knew that because they had pretty much similar wrestling styles, they should have a good chemistry. He took her to visit Essa afterward and instantly saw that they got on well together, probably as they knew each other somewhat from training in Mexico.
By eight o'clock that night, they had everything pretty much sorted. Amy was due to appear on WWE TV on Raw...............Vince showed her around the arena and introduced her to many of the wrestlers and the Divas. Everyone had been great with her and had instantly made her feel welcome. After it was all said and done, Amy felt exhausted and was tempted to find a hotel and crash out. But as she was making her way out of the arena, she came across a locker room with the familiar name emblazoned on the front. In huge black letters read 'Matt and Jeff Hardy'. At first, she didn't feel right about intruding but almost involuntary found herself knocking on the door and waiting for an answer. Finally, a young man with multi-coloured hair opened the door.
"Hi, can I help with anything?" he asked, kindly.
"is Matt there?" Amy asked, simply. The young man yelled to his brother that there was someone for him and moments later, Matt came to the door, wearing just black cargo jeans and a towel around his neck with his wet hair sexily hanging loosely. He immediately smiled at the woman before him and asked her in. "I just thought I'd stop by and say 'hey'."
"I'm glad you came. Jeff, this is Amy. She's new here.we met the other week. Amy, this is my crazy brother, Jeff," Matt introduced the two as Amy gave a slight laugh and Jeff hit his older brother playfully. Matt was being truthful when he said he was glad Amy had come. For the past week, all he had done was think about her which he also thought was insane, as he knew nothing about her. But after meeting her that day, not only had he thought about her beauty but also the expression in her eyes and face. It had been so clear to him, maybe even a little too much. It was a look of incredible loss and despair, something he knew well ever since his mother had died of cancer when he had been just twelve years old. Matt had never gotten over the loss and in a way it continued to affect him. But with Amy, it just seemed a thousand times worse, as though he knew it was, or had been, a reoccurring event. And he had easily been able to tell of the story of tears behind her smile. He sensed a great deal of heartache from her past, something so traumatic that had hurt her greatly. But Matt knew he had no right just yet to ask her anything like that, it was far too personal but he understood simply, by just looking at her, that Amy wouldn't want to talk about it. It was obvious, especially now, as he observed her closer, that whatever had happened, she hadn't gotten over it yet but for some reason, Matt felt drawn to her and he wanted to help her. "So, Amy, how has everything been the past week?" he asked, breaking himself from his train of thought.
"Great, actually. Mr. McMahon and I have talked about possible storylines. All I know so far is that my wrestling name will be Lita and I'm pairing with Essa Rios for a while," she explained.
"That's cool. Essa's a great guy. Maybe you could start training with us. Some people have told us that our extreme wrestling styles are pretty much the same," Matt suggested, in his southern drawl, and went on to tell her about his organisation, OMEGA. Amy loved the idea when she heard her and quickly accepted their offer. For the next forty-five minutes, the three of them talked about wrestling and made arrangements to meet up so they could all train together before Matt and Jeff had to get ready for the match. Amy left then, to find a hotel, thinking about the Hardy brothers. Jeff had been great with her and they all clicked instantly but she also knew that would have to force herself from feeling anything to Matt. Now that she had spent more time with him, she found herself becoming more and more attracted to him but also clearly understood that not only wasn't she ready anything like that, but it would be a huge betrayal to her husband. Amy had promised him she wouldn't ever do that to him.and she could only hope she stuck it, having no idea the influence he was about to have on her life.
Traffic was moving at snails' pace as the sun shone down on everyone in Connecticut. It was the middle of August and wonderful outside. But instead of being out, Amy Dumas was stuck in her car, getting frustrated from the heat, the lack of movement on the highway and the fact that she was running late. Amy was due to have been at her appointment five minutes ago but with the traffic, she guessed she wouldn't be at her meeting for another fifteen minutes.
Clad in a smart black suit, her flame-red hair hanging loosely, she was due to meet Vince McMahon, chairman of the World Wrestling Entertainment. It was the first time she had ever worn a suit but Amy vowed never to wear one again. She'd been interested in wrestling for years and one day decided to go for it. She started practicing for a while before travelling to Mexico to train and started wrestling in independent promotions. She lived, ate, and breathed wrestling. It became her entire life and she was determined to succeed. Amy had always had that passion and drive, to be number one. Once she wanted to do something, she couldn't be convinced otherwise. And wrestling was the same. Amy had loved it since her teenage years but only recently decided to pursue it as a career. And while some people supported her, others weren't so encouraging. They thought it was stupid, especially for a woman to get involved. But she was incredibly strong-minded and determined to prove everyone wrong.
After years of slogging away, training more or less twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Amy had finally started getting noticed and had even managed to get into ECW. Even though it had only been for five months, she had gone in, turning heads straight away and had left a lasting impression on everyone. She wasn't the typical female wrestler with her high-flying moves and tomboyish looks, but it differentiated her from all the other women of the wrestling business. And now, the WWE had taken notice.
Amy eventually arrived for her meeting with Vince fifteen minutes late. She hurried to the top floor and knocked on the door of the room that the secretary had told her Mr. McMahon was. Finally, she heard someone call her in and she entered the huge, plush room. She recognised him immediately from the TV and realised Jim Ross was there also.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Mr McMahon. Traffic was horrendous," Amy apologised, genuinely,
"It's okay, Mrs Dumas. Please take a seat," Vince replied, pointing out a leather chair at the huge table. She sat down and flung her hair behind her shoulders and smiled at them. They talked then, for about an hour. She told them all about her love of wrestling, training in Mexico and working in ECW. By the end, they seemed extremely impressed by her and didn't hesitate in signing her up. Vince and JR sensed there was something different about this woman. They'd seen tapes of her matches and saw she wasn't just average, but way beyond that. She was real and that was what they loved about her. They had clearly told her she had a unique wrestling style, at least for a woman and it was something they hadn't seen in a long time. She was a breath of fresh air for them and they loved it.
Amy left the room thoroughly excited. They needed to draw up a contract first and explained it would be sent to her through the post in several days time. She decided to have a look around the arena, hopefully to be seeing a lot more in the near future. Realising she was thirsty, Amy decided to head over to a vending machine she had seen earlier to get a drink, all the while thinking of how successful the meeting had been. Amy walked thorough the hallways, her uncomfortable, new shoes aching her feet, and finally made it to the vending machine and got herself a drink. Despite how happy she was feeling from the interview, there was no denying that Amy couldn't wait to get home. Her black trouser suit had since become unbearable in the heat and her shoes were hurting her feet beyond belief, as she was only normally used to trainers or such. As she took a long drink from her cold bottle of water, she had no idea someone was watching her.
From several feet away, the man stood there, taken aback from the stranger's beauty. Considering that he was often surrounded by the beautiful Diva's of the WWE, he should have been used to gorgeous women by now. But he had never seen someone so striking with her great figure, long flame-red hair and soft hazel eyes. He easily guessed she was in about her middle twenties. Plucking up the courage, he finally made his way over to her and staring at her for the past few minutes.
"Hey, are you new here?" he asked, somewhat shyly.
"Sort of, I've just had a meeting with Vince McMahon now...I'm Amy Halliwell," she introduced herself as, offering her left hand, her bottle in the other.
"I'm...Matt Hardy," the man replied, hesitating and feeling his spirits break when he saw the wedding band on her hand. Matt was too late, she was already taken. But that didn't stop him finding her incredibly attractive. He observed her features in more detail now and saw the horrible pain evident in her hazel eyes. Something traumatizing had obviously happened in her recent past.
"Yeah I know, I've seen you on TV a lot lately. You're an awesome wrestler!"
"Thanks. So, how did your meeting with the boss go?"
"Great, actually. I start as soon as the contract is sorted. Well, I hate to cut this short, but I have to get going. I'll see you around, Matt and it was nice to meet to you."
"Yeah, nice meeting you too. Listen, find me when you start or whenever and maybe we can hang out sometime or something. I'm usually in the locker rooms." Amy smiled and waved at him then as she left and made her way to her car. She thought about Matt all the way there and on her flight home, thinking of how genuine and nice he seemed, and of course, good-looking. But she forced herself not to feel that way, it wasn't right. She felt like she was betraying her husband if she did. But Matt stayed in the back of her mind as she entered her house and for the rest of the day, as she ate some dinner, tidied her house up slightly and played with her dog, Cody, Amy found herself thinking about Matt Hardy. She could only hope that they could at least be friends.
And the next week, after the contract had been posted to her, signed and returned, Amy was on the plane to Ohio. All she could think about was her new WWE career, conjuring up new ideas or new moves she could try. She had since stopped herself thinking of Matt, as she knew she was betraying her husband otherwise. Amy owed him more than that and wouldn't allow herself to fall in love with somebody else. Besides, she and Matt had only met once, they barely knew one another. The plane landed at three o'clock and after collecting her luggage, hired a car to get to the arena. It took her another hour to get there, mainly because she had made several wrong turns and a stop to grab something to eat. At four, she arrived at the arena, and headed straight over to Mr. McMahon's office. When she eventually found it, Amy knocked on the door and waited for him to call her in. He did, after a few moments, and as she entered, saw that he was busy looking through forms and sorting out some odds and ends. Vince smiled when he saw her and offered her a cup of coffee as she sat down, which Amy politely refused. They talked then for about half an hour to an hour about new ideas and possible storylines. In the end, they decided to team her with Essa Rios, a wrestler who hadn't had a decent storyline for a while but Vince also knew that because they had pretty much similar wrestling styles, they should have a good chemistry. He took her to visit Essa afterward and instantly saw that they got on well together, probably as they knew each other somewhat from training in Mexico.
By eight o'clock that night, they had everything pretty much sorted. Amy was due to appear on WWE TV on Raw...............Vince showed her around the arena and introduced her to many of the wrestlers and the Divas. Everyone had been great with her and had instantly made her feel welcome. After it was all said and done, Amy felt exhausted and was tempted to find a hotel and crash out. But as she was making her way out of the arena, she came across a locker room with the familiar name emblazoned on the front. In huge black letters read 'Matt and Jeff Hardy'. At first, she didn't feel right about intruding but almost involuntary found herself knocking on the door and waiting for an answer. Finally, a young man with multi-coloured hair opened the door.
"Hi, can I help with anything?" he asked, kindly.
"is Matt there?" Amy asked, simply. The young man yelled to his brother that there was someone for him and moments later, Matt came to the door, wearing just black cargo jeans and a towel around his neck with his wet hair sexily hanging loosely. He immediately smiled at the woman before him and asked her in. "I just thought I'd stop by and say 'hey'."
"I'm glad you came. Jeff, this is Amy. She's new here.we met the other week. Amy, this is my crazy brother, Jeff," Matt introduced the two as Amy gave a slight laugh and Jeff hit his older brother playfully. Matt was being truthful when he said he was glad Amy had come. For the past week, all he had done was think about her which he also thought was insane, as he knew nothing about her. But after meeting her that day, not only had he thought about her beauty but also the expression in her eyes and face. It had been so clear to him, maybe even a little too much. It was a look of incredible loss and despair, something he knew well ever since his mother had died of cancer when he had been just twelve years old. Matt had never gotten over the loss and in a way it continued to affect him. But with Amy, it just seemed a thousand times worse, as though he knew it was, or had been, a reoccurring event. And he had easily been able to tell of the story of tears behind her smile. He sensed a great deal of heartache from her past, something so traumatic that had hurt her greatly. But Matt knew he had no right just yet to ask her anything like that, it was far too personal but he understood simply, by just looking at her, that Amy wouldn't want to talk about it. It was obvious, especially now, as he observed her closer, that whatever had happened, she hadn't gotten over it yet but for some reason, Matt felt drawn to her and he wanted to help her. "So, Amy, how has everything been the past week?" he asked, breaking himself from his train of thought.
"Great, actually. Mr. McMahon and I have talked about possible storylines. All I know so far is that my wrestling name will be Lita and I'm pairing with Essa Rios for a while," she explained.
"That's cool. Essa's a great guy. Maybe you could start training with us. Some people have told us that our extreme wrestling styles are pretty much the same," Matt suggested, in his southern drawl, and went on to tell her about his organisation, OMEGA. Amy loved the idea when she heard her and quickly accepted their offer. For the next forty-five minutes, the three of them talked about wrestling and made arrangements to meet up so they could all train together before Matt and Jeff had to get ready for the match. Amy left then, to find a hotel, thinking about the Hardy brothers. Jeff had been great with her and they all clicked instantly but she also knew that would have to force herself from feeling anything to Matt. Now that she had spent more time with him, she found herself becoming more and more attracted to him but also clearly understood that not only wasn't she ready anything like that, but it would be a huge betrayal to her husband. Amy had promised him she wouldn't ever do that to him.and she could only hope she stuck it, having no idea the influence he was about to have on her life.