Chapter 5: Please Believe Me

February 20, 2006

Maria Kanellis stood with one foot propped on a chair, finishing lacing up her boot. She set her foot down and began pacing, not prepared for tonight's mixed tag match.

She wasn't prepared to take on Lita and Edge this week, even if Cena was her tag team partner. She wasn't even prepared two weeks ago. The match from two weeks ago consisted of her getting beat up and Cena rescuing her. Add the fact that Lita and Edge missed their targets for the Litacanrana and spear, respectively, and she realized that she and Cena shouldn't have won last week.

Worry clouded her thoughts over, in her mind, a sure loss tonight. Warming up for the match was disregarded, and brow furrowing took precedence over all. Maria was so deep in thought that she did not realize the intrusion of another WWE Diva.

"Forget about the match tonight, sweetie," a condescending voice called out, "You know you're going to lose."

Maria's head snapped up to see Lita standing in the doorway. Maria did not formulate a response.

"Yeah, that's right. You know last time was a fluke. Edge and I are better and more coordinated than ever, and we're going to win tonight. My man Edge will hold the title for a long, long time." Lita towered over a now seated Maria.

"I'll see you out there, bitch." With a menacing glare, Lita slapped the cowering Diva and stormed out of the locker room.

Maria, confused and hurt, left to find a consoling voice in reigning WWE Women's Champion, Trish Stratus.

She knocked on the door and called out, "Trish…" After no response from Trish, Maria called out again, "It's me, Maria. Can I come in?"

Trish Stratus came to the door to greet Maria. "Oh," she breathed, "It's you and not Mickie. I was worried for a second. Come on in. What's on your mind?"

"Well," Maria began, "I don't think John and I will be able to win tonight."

"Don't worry," Trish reassured, "John'll take care of it like the last match."

"Yeah, but last week was luck. If Lita didn't Litacanrana Edge, or Edge spear Lita, John and I wouldn't have had a chance. We were losing really badly."

"Relax, girl. Cena can do it all," Trish replied, a little wistfully, as if in reminiscence of a previous encounter with Cena. Maria snapped her out of her trance.

"Then Lita came into the locker room when I was lacing up. And she said that we're going to lose, and that last week was a fluke, and that this week they're going to win, and, and—"

"Breathe, girl. Breathe. Go talk to John," here Trish giggled a little, "and everything will fall into place."

"Ok," Maria said, resigned and a little reassured. "I'll go talk to John, or something." She left to find her tag partner.

Trish smiled. "John Cena," she drawled, "How do you do…" She trailed off, blissful in reminiscence, and strolled over to Cena's locker room.

"John? Can I come in?" Trish asked as she knocked.

"Hey, what's up? Can this be quick? I've got a match up next," Cena accommodated.

"Sure, no problem. Just wondering, have you talked to Maria yet tonight?"

"No, not yet. I was going to go over to her, get her psyched up for our match."

"Yeah, she came to me about that. I was worried that she got here before I did."

Cena raised his eyebrow in confusion, "Why would you be worried?"

"Because I wouldn't want her to see this," she said before pulling Cena's face down to hers and kissing him fervently.

Cena quickly pushed her away in disgust. "What are you doing?" he exclaimed. "We broke up a long time ago."

"But that's just it, John. You haven't been with anyone since me, and now you're going for that ditz Maria. You can do so much better."

"I can't be with you again. I have my eyes on another girl," Cena insisted.

"I can make you forget about her," Trish persuaded. She moved closer to him, tracing small circles on his broad chest.

Cena pushed her away, leaving a stunned and rejected Trish Stratus in his locker room, and made his way to the Gorilla position.

It was halfway into the mixed tag match when both John Cena and Edge were lying on the mat, exhausted and unable to move. Cena revived first, slowly moving to pull up Edge and give a few punches.

Cena was ready to throw Edge against the ropes and heave him around his shoulders for an FU. Instead, a video appeared on the Titantron that would ruin the match.

The video showed the backstage interaction between Trish and Cena from before the match. The clip cut off before Cena could push Trish away, giving the impression of his enjoyment and acquiescence.

Maria was deeply hurt as the video played a scene of Trish and Cena kissing. She hadn't trusted men in this business until Cena, when he told her to show her strengths and hide her weaknesses. She thought he was something special, and that she was so lucky to have found him. But when she saw him kissing the Women's Champion, she didn't know what to think anymore.

John stood in shock and anger before realizing how much that must have hurt the girl he wanted to be with, Maria Kanellis. He forgot about finishing the match and stepped to her in the corner.

"Maria, baby, that's a doctored clip. I pushed her away. I didn't want her to kiss me. You have to believe me, babe," Cena pleaded.

She furrowed her brow as a sad expression crossed her face. Cena reached for her hand and said, "Babe, no, don't go." She stepped away. She kept moving down the steel steps and sat down on the last stair, turning away from Cena and placing her head in her hands.

"Maria," Cena began again. He moved to exit the ring, but Edge grabbed him before he could. Edge performed an Edgecution on Cena, in turn knocking him out. Edge rolled up Cena for the pin, and the referee counted to three, giving Edge the win.

Edge and Lita hurried out of the ring, vindictive smiles on their faces as the ref held up their hands. John Cena lay unconscious and defeated in the middle of the ring. Maria still sat on the bottom stair, tears silently flowing down her face.