ACT 4- The Gala Ball

The dance that night was in a very large room decorated very nicely, it looked very eloquent, you'd have no idea it was inside of a hotel. But then again, Vince McMahon did have very high refined tastes, maybe it was to be expected. Both brands were dancing, divas and wrestlers, but even though they were enjoying themselves, their faces remained cool and calm, collected in case something were to happen between them. The lines between the Raw and SmackDown brand was still made clear by the colors they wore, and no Raw or SmackDown couple was seen dancing next to the other without at least a ten foot distance. Bradshaw, Orlando, Amy and Joy enter all together. Amy looks around with a delighted joyful face, this dance being her first bout of anything exciting in about a month. The Raw gang catches sight of JBL as he's greeted by some other SmackDown superstars. As the music from the last song dies down, the Raw superstars gather in a corner around Triple H, at the end of the hall where nobody would notice. SmackDown saw this and drew to another side, around JBL who spoke with the Basham's as soon as they met up with him. The moment was brief but it could've been a disaster if a smiling, overly cheerful man didn't hurry forward to the podium, a mic in hand. It was none other than the corporate square what both brands called a General Manager: Theodore Long.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please." The talking doesn't subside. "Attention please!" The talking lowers to a whisper as Vince appears next to him, then the talking stops. "Thank you. I'd just like to compliment on the fine turnout tonight. We all want to be friends here, we all want to be nice, so we're going to have a little game to spice up this evening's charity festivities." Everyone starts muttering amongst themselves. "There are two circles, boys in one girls in the other, one will be on the inside, the other out, I'll say girls inside cause they're smaller."

"I take offense to that." Big Show growled.

Teddy tried to laugh at that, "Alright, now when the music stops, each boy dances with whichever girl he is across from. Ok? Ok, two circles folks." Everyone moans and groans as they follow the childish instructions. "Come on now, it won't hurt you to try it."

"Oh it hurts." Chris Jericho limped past Trish Stratus into the wrestler's circle.

"Then you should give the jacking off a rest." She jeered.

"Oh, ow." Jericho struck his heart and spoke sarcastically. "Like a dagger."

Vince stepped up to the microphone. Everyone stood in their place, Jericho hurried up to find a place a good distance from the hore. Triple H stepped forward and motioned towards the girl in front of him, his love interest Victoria. She looked very sexy in the dress, but as far as the gangster politics went, she was lost in the world. She stepped forward to take her place next to Triple H. Noticing an open challenge, JBL motions to Amy. She steps forward and he leads her through the crowd as if they were the prince and princess of the dance, the esteem guests of honor. The others follow as they stand before their partners in the circle.

"That's it guys, keep the ball rolling. Around she goes, and where she stops, nobody knows." He laughed, amusing himself and only himself. "Alright, here we go."

The music starts and the circles start to move. Teddy takes a whistle from Vince and blows it, causing the music to stop, leaving the SmackDown boys with the Raw girls, and vice versa. There is an unsettling pause, then the gentlemen JBL reaches next to the Raw diva's hand, Victoria, and selects Amy's hand. Triple H reaches for Victoria, following his suit. The little game had failed, and both Raw and SmackDown wrestlers are dancing with their own respected divas. They return to their own side as the music continues. The challenge is restarted as JBL and Amy are cheered on by SmackDown, and Triple H and Victoria by Raw. While this is going on, Ric Flair enters the scene and rendezvous with Triple H for a moment, he's delighted that his friend did turn up after all. The dance gets more and more wild until finally everyone is dancing and shouting. It's at that moment when Flair and Joy, at opposite sides of the ballroom, see each other. They have been cheering for their own brand, clapping at the same time.

Flair speaks up as they see each other, "You're not thinking I'm someone else, are you?"

"I know you aren't."

"Or that we've met before?"

"I know we haven't."

"I felt, I just, like I knew something was going to happen, or had to happen, but this is…"

Joy interrupts him, "I'm getting cold." She walks over to him. "Looks like you are too." She gets closer to his face. "But you're warmer." She beckons his face to move towards hers.

"Yes, you feel warmer too."

"But of course, we're one and the same.'

"This might be hard to believe, but, are you playing with me?"

"I haven't learned how to joke that way, and I might never will."

His hands meet hers, he pulls it up to kiss tenderly with innocents. The music suddenly reaches its peak and stops as the lights flash. JBL is immediately upon them in a rage, "Go home Raw punk!"

"Whoa." Flair raises his hands. "Slow down, Bradshaw."

"Stay away from my ex, she's my friend, and a SmackDown diva!"

"Ex?" Flair gulps at his mistake as Triple H steps up.

JBL turns to her, "Couldn't you tell he was one of them?"

"No, I only saw him, and he's not wearing red."

JBL growls as Orlando approaches, "I told you, there's one thing they want from a SmackDown diva, and I won't let them do it to you of all people!"

"That's a lie." Flair growls, though he wouldn't mind partaking it.

"Cool it boys." Triple H finally steps in.

Orlando turns to him, "Go away."

"You keep out of this, Jordan." Flair turns to Joy. "Don't listen to them."

"She will listen to her champion before…"

Triple H cuts JBL off, "If you jokes of a cruiserweight want to settle this, then…"

"Please!" Teddy finally speaks up over the PA system. "Everything was going so well! Do you people get joy out of making trouble? Now come on, it wouldn't hurt you to have a good time." Teddy immediately turns to Jericho. "And no more of that." Jericho freezes from limping to his joke again. The music restarts. JBL is on the SmackDown side with Joy as Orlando and Amy join them. Triple H is over with Flair as Batista goes to join them.

"I warned you." Bradshaw growled.

"Don't yell at her champ." Orlando sighed.

"You yell at babies."

"And put ideas in their head." Amy added.

"Take her back to her room Orlando." JBL turns his back.

"But please." Joy begs. "I just wanted to have fun at the dance like Amy."

JBL sighed, "Please Joy, I love you like a sister, even despite our breakup we remained such good friends. Just, go." She hesitates but then starts to leave with Orlando.

Triple H turns to Batista, indicating Flair happily, "I guess that proves Flair's loyalty to us no question." Flair didn't even hear, he was staring at Joy, who stopped for a moment.

"Come on Joy." Orlando's voice made her continue.

"Joy." Flair remarked on the name, not noticing JBL approaching him, but Triple H intersects.

"I don't want you."

"I want you though, JBL. For a declaration of war, SmackDown vs. Raw."

"The pleasure is all mine to accept."

"Then let's take this outside."

"I would never leave the ladies here alone and let your Raw punks advance on them. We'll meet in half an hour, once the dance ends."

"The backyard, under Bishoff's window." Triple H says and JBL nods. "And nothing before then."

"I know the rules of the war game, boy."

"Boy." Triple H growls as JBL returns to SmackDown. Batista approaches him. "Spread the word Dave."

"Right." He nods and walks off.

"Let's get the divas and go Naich."

"Joy…"

"Naich!" Triple H seems no longer there to Flair.

"We'll see him in the back yard." Dave says off in the distance, but the rest of the world is also no longer there to Flair.

Flair speaks dreamily among the music in the dimly lit ballroom to add to the romance of that specific dance song. "The most beautiful sound I ever heard." Flair closed his eyes, he could hear the name 'Joy' dancing around in his head. "All the most beautiful words of the world in a single word." Joy. He begins to sing with a sweet intensity:

Joy

I've just met a girl named Joy

And the pun of that name

Will never ever be the same

Oh boy

Joy

I kissed the hand of a girl named Joy

And just now I've found

That the world all around

Is gone

Joy

I call it out aloud

I say the name proud

Joy

Nothing could ever stop

The joy

The most beautiful sound I ever heard

Joy

DARKNESS!