Okay, here it is! The next chapter of The New Girl. Sorry, but 'Church Bells Ring, Are you listening' has to be postponed for a moment. I thought I could squeeze it in, but that's going to be closer to the finale. Alright. So, here it is. Oh, and if you want to check out responses to you review for Chapter 15, then head over to my new website for all of you reviewers, the address is in my bio, NG Responses link on the menu, then look for your name. Okay, so go ahead and check it out!

Chapter Seventeen: Rose and Rene (or R&R, lol. Get it? …alright, so I'm corny, bite me!)

Monday, 8 March 2004

Rose ran through the backstage area in a panic. Things were changing left and right and people were driving her insane. This Mick Foley it's your night thing was putting her in an aggressive 'Get the fuck out of my way, and where the Hell is the old lady' state of mind. Rose continued her hunt for the old broad as she rounded a corner and plowed straight into a person that was solid enough to be a brick wall. Of course, the amount of wrestlers in the backstage who couldn't qualify as a brick wall were few.

Rose shook her head and looked up to see The Rock staring down at her. "Uh…hi there…I…uh…" she stuttered helplessly.

"Dwayne Johnson," he extended his hand to hers, "I don't believe we've met. Now tell me…" he paused and winked, "Who, in the BLUE HELL are YOU??"

Rose swallowed hard. He had managed to draw the attention of every superstar and every crew hand within earshot to their very awkward situation, "I'm uh…" Rose trailed off, knowing what would surely come next if she even attempted to answer. Stiffening her neck and looking straight into his eyes with her regained composure, Rose shot off her mouth for the first time in her young, short life, "It doesn't matter what my name is! You're in the way, Rocky!"

The Rock cocked an eyebrow before bursting with laughter, "That's pretty good, uh…what's your name again??"

Trusting that he wouldn't dis her, Rose answered, "Rose Bryant."

"Rose, huh?" he thought about it for a minute, "Nope, doesn't ring a bell. You're new right?"

"Right. I'm on the creative team. I've only been here for a few months."

Dwayne took a deep breath and extended his hand, "You know, you haven't been welcomed until The Rock welcomes you, right?"

Rose released a nervous grin, "Right."

"Well then, The Rock says he welcomes you to the WWE, Rose," he shook her hand then walked away. He stopped at the corner and turned back toward her shocked form, "Watch where you're going next time though, sweetheart. The Rock would hate to have to bitch slap your candy ass," he laughed.

'That was interesting,' Rose chuckled to herself before heading off in search of the old lady again. The 'It's Your Night' would be starting after the next commercial break, and Rose needed to make sure the old woman knew what she was doing and where she was going.

Rose rounded another corner when she heard a familiar voice from behind her, "This belong to you?"

Rose turned to see Randy guiding the elderly woman to a vending machine, "Yes! Oh my God! Where did you find her?"

"She was over by the sound trailer," Randy shrugged.

Rose shook her head, then guided the old woman all the way back to the curtains. When the time came she pointed the direction she would be walking, and told her to do what The Rock told her to do. "Jimmy will be out soon to escort you back here."

"I know. I've got it Missy. Don't worry about me. I can handle anything!"

They had obviously picked the right lady to do this. She really was feisty. Rose descended the stairs that led down from the ramp and went back toward Annie's office.

They had been working diligently on getting the wedding set up. Annie had chosen Rose, Stephanie, and Randy's sister, Becky to be her bridesmaids. Randy had chosen his younger brother, Nathan as his best man, and Paul and Rene as his other grooms men.

Rose came to a halt, along with her wedding thoughts, when she saw Rene standing in front of catering talking to Rob. She and Rene had been doing so well, but she still felt some kind of nagging in the back of her head. She hadn't told him she loved again since the first time they made love. There were plenty of moments when she could have, and she wanted to, but something was holding her back.

She didn't know why she had such a hard time saying it. Was it that important anyway? Did he really need to hear it? Hell, if it was so important to him, then why wasn't he saying it? Rose thought back to his initial response, 'Well, that's a relief, because here I was thinking it was only one-sided.' The memory made her quiver. Does that mean that he loved her? Or was he just caught up in the moment? He didn't exactly come out and say it like she had. Maybe it was just his way…

Rose shook her head. He had been so kind, so loving. He still was. He held her close to him like she was something to be treasured. Why then, did she feel so insecure? It was that voice inside her head again. Tearing her down and making her question everything and everyone with heightened paranoia. She couldn't get away from the past.

It wouldn't allow her to accept the fact that someone could love her and cherish her. She had been thrown away time after time by one person or another, beginning with her parents. Her own flesh and blood hadn't even wanted her. How could she allow herself to get comfortable with people knowing that the very people who had birthed her didn't want her?

She drew in a shaky breath. Why was she thinking of this now? Why couldn't these terrible thoughts…these memories just stop? Why wouldn't they just leave her alone? How could she ever be happy when all of these bad things kept resurfacing in her mind? Rose needed to get out of there. She needed air. She shouldn't be thinking these things, not now. There was a wedding to plan. Annie and Randy's wedding, and she was the maid of honor. That had to say something.

Shaking her head, Rose ran out of the arena and into the parking lot. She desperately needed air. She couldn't breathe in that hallway. Not when all of her thoughts surrounded her like that. She was unaware that Rene had seen her run, and had followed her outside.

"Rose?" he called.

Rose turned around abruptly, "Rene? What are you doing out here?"

"Well, I don't have anything else to do. Besides, I saw you run out like a bat out of Hell, so I followed you to see what's up. So…what's up?"

Rose let out a sigh before plopping down on a median, "I don't know. I just keep thinking all these stupid things. It's silly, really."

"If it's so silly, then why are you flipping out? Why'd you feel the sudden urge to run out of the arena?" Rene questioned, clearly not buying her 'everything is fine' act.

"Rene, I-" she broke off looking down, "it's hard to talk about."

Rene walked over to her and sat down beside her. Draping an arm around her shoulders, he squeezed her supportively, "I'm here. I promise, that whatever you say, stays here, between us okay?"

Rose looked up, unsure as to whether or not she was ready to tell him everything,

"Alright."

"Alright. C'mon, tell me what's been going on," Rene pushed. He had been noticing her withdraw recently. She had used the wedding as an excuse, but he knew better. She was hiding. Maybe not from him, necessarily, but definitely from herself or maybe from their relationship…he didn't know. Maybe if she let it out, she could get over it. 'Maybe if you told her how much you love her, she'd feel a little better, jackass,' his inner voice nagged him.

"Rene, I've been having doubts…"

"About what? Your job? You're a great writer, why would you-"

"No. About us," she interrupted.

"Oh…" he paused to think about it for a minute. Doing so, his inner voice smirked at him, 'Told you so.'

"What I mean is," Rose paused to think of the words, "What I mean is, I think I know how I feel about you, but I don't know how you feel about me. I mean, what are we?"

"What do you mean, 'what are we?' And you think you know how you feel about me or you know how you feel about me?" Rene urged as if her response was crucial to his life.

Rose took a breath. This wasn't how she envisioned this conversation, but she figured it was now or not at all. She scooted away from him, then turned to face him, wanting to look directly into his eyes when she spoke to him. "Rene, I don't know what we are. We never made anything official. We're watching a movie one minute, and then fucking the next. We never talk about being committed or share what we feel."

Rene was shocked, and his expression showed it. He stood up, looking down at her, suddenly angry that she could think such terrible things about his intentions toward her. "First of all, how can you call what we've done together 'fucking'? You should know how I feel-"

"Why are you angry with me?" Rose stood, not wanting to hear it. She couldn't believe how screwed up this entire conversation was becoming. "I didn't mean to piss you off Rene. I just-" She choked, "I just want to know if you love me like I love you!"

Rene felt the anger drain from his body. His inner voice had been right all along. She didn't know. He was silent for several minutes, trying to think of what to say. When he noticed Rose turning around to walk away, obviously regretting what she had just blurted out, for the second time since he'd known her. Rene ran in front of her, blocking her way, "Where do you think you're going? Don't you want an answer?"

Rose looked at the ground, "No. I think I already know what you're going to say, and I understand. I don't expect you to-"

"Rose, look at me," he lifted her chin to look into her tear ridden, emerald orbs, "I was mad, because I don't think of us being intimate as 'fucking.' When we're together, to me, it's making love. I know it's the same way for you because I can feel the emotion in every kiss. I guess I always thought that you could feel it too."

"Rose, I never talked about this or about commitment, because I thought it was just understood. I'm a man, Rose, you have to understand. I don't have intuition, I just kind of guess at things. I do have feelings, though, and I know what they are. I love you, Rose. Very much, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I should have been telling you every day, but I was unsure of your feelings too. I guess it's true what they say. Fear is the strongest emotion. My fear of rejection got in the way, and I'm sorry."

Rose blinked back tears, "I don't think fear is the strongest emotion, Rene. It can't be…if it were, it would still be winning. I love you, too. I promise to make it known everyday from now on."

"Me too, babe," Rene promised as he leaned forward and kissed her sincerely. It was filled with love, need, and understanding; three emotions essential to every relationship, official or otherwise.

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Okay, there you have it. Two in one day isn't so bad, now is it?? That's what I thought. Anyway, I'm not feeling the greatest tonight. My throat is sore, and I've scarcely uttered a word all day. Anyway, special thanks to Lisa for the help on Randy's family tree, lol. Much love, chica.

Pammi

REVIEW DAMN YOU!! I WANT ONE FOR EACH CHAPTER! I THINK I DESERVE IT FOR SLAVING AWAY IN HERE ALL DAY WITH A HEADACHE AND A SORE THROAT!! NOW HAND 'EM OVER! GIVE ME SOME DAMN REVIEWS!!