Friends maybe more...

Authors note: Thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad everyone likes this story. It'll be coming to a close soon though. I have a couple more chapters in the works. Tell me what ya wanna see happen. Hope you like this chapter. Please R&R.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, so please don't sue.

Chapter 8

Maria was a wreck. It had been a week since she had seen or heard from John, and she knew she couldn't handle seeing him tonight. She was seriously thinking about calling Vince and telling him she couldn't make it tonight. But she couldn't let this thing blow up in her face even more. Seeing John and not having him was better than nothing.

With that decided, she walked into the arena and into certain doom. She didn't know what would happen tonight. It was all a big mystery. What did the bastard who did this to her have planned next?

She got to her dressing room, and discovered it filled with roses. Sighing, she saw a note on the vanity, and went over and read it.

Maria,

My sweet. It's almost time for you to come and be with me permanently. I hope you're as excited as I am. I'm making up a place for you to stay as we speak. I would have taken you with me last week, but I couldn't risk Cena stopping me. Good job on breaking it off. He'll live for now.

Well, I really have to run, until next time. Tata.

Maria crumbled up the note and hurled it in the trash. That was the last thing she needed right now. Grabbing a bottled water out of her bag, she went to find out what she would be doing tonight.

Great... She thought to herself as she read who she'd be interviewing tonight. Then she read through the questions she was supposed to ask. She was interviewing none other than John.

Shrugging it off, she made her way back to her dressing room. She passed John on the way back, and just stopped for a moment. The two locked eyes, but neither made an attempt to go to the other. Time just seemed to stop and it was just the two of them.

Knocking herself out of her daze, she continued to walk on, breaking eye contact with him. John reached out and pulled her into a near by room. Nobody had even noticed.

John looked her over as he held her. She looked like hell. There were bags under her eyes, and she looked slightly thinner. It looked as if she hadn't eaten or slept in awhile. "Ria, what are you doing to yourself baby?" He smoothed her hair back and kissed her forehead.

She pushed him away. "John, I told you we couldn't do this. We can't be together. I thought you understood that."

"Yeah, but you won't tell me why. Don't I deserve to know?"

"John, I'm sorry, we just can't be together. Please understand. It just wasn't working for me." Tears streamed down her face.

"Baby, this isn't you. Some things wrong. You look like you haven't eaten or slept in a week. Just tell me what's wrong, I wanna help." He tried to brush her tears away. She batted his hands away. Pushing her way past him, she left him alone in the closet.

She made her way back to her dressing room in tears. Flinging open the door, she was stopped by an arm on her shoulder. She looked up and stared into the face of Shane. "What do you want?" She said angrily.

"Now, now Maria. Is that anyway to talk to a concerned friend? I heard about you and Cena breaking up, and I just wanted to come and offer my condolences. And offer a shoulder to cry on if need be." He said, letting go of her arm and walking into her dressing room.

"Shane why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? Last week at the airport you were a jerk." She questioned.

"I have my reasons. I don't like to see you upset. Wow...It looks like you have quite the admirer. Do you know who he is?" He looked at all of the roses.

"No, and I wish I would stop getting them. I guess they are from some obsessed fan."

"Well, if somebody likes you this much, maybe you should go for it."

"I don't think that'll be happening any time this century."

"Well, I guess I better be leaving. I have a show to do, and so do you. You have to interview the ex tonight too don't you? I hope everything goes ok." With that he took his leave.

"How am I supposed to interview him, when every time I see him, my heart aches?" She said to herself. Getting ready took her about an hour, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of the camera waiting for John.

John came out soon after her, and didn't have an ounce of emotion on his face. His face was like stone, and he refused to look at her. Sighing under her breath, she prepared to ask him her first question. "So John, how do you think your match with Chris Masters will go tonight?"

He was silent for a moment, and still not looking at her replied, "I'm gonna win. And I'm gonna enjoy kicking his ass."

"Great. Good lu..." Maria wasn't given a chance to finish her sentence as John walked away from her. Letting out an anguished cry, she followed after him, dropping her microphone, and pushing the cameras away. "John wait up. I need to talk to you alone."

"Ria, you had that chance. You told me to go away, so I am." He replied. Continuing to his dressing room.

Maria continued to follow him. They got to his room, and she barged right in before he could shut the door. "John. I can't do this anymore. I love you dammit! I've tired to forget about you, but I can't. I need you too much." She threw herself at him, crying hysterically.

He grasped onto her and just held her as she cried. "Shhhh... Baby, it's alright. Why'd you break up with me then?"

"I had no choice. I can't be with you. If I am you'll end up hurt, and I couldn't stand that."

Lifting her chin so she was looking into his eyes, he kissed her on the forehead. "Baby, is this about your stalker? What happened now? I need to know."

"He kidnapped me last week and told me if I wanted you to live then I had to stop seeing you. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, I just don't want you dead."

"It's gonna be ok. Nothings gonna happen as long as I'm around. You should've told me sooner but that's ok. Go back to your dressing room, and lock the door. Don't answer it for anything. After my match, I'll come and get you. Until then, stay put. I'll see you soon." He pulled her into a deep kiss.

Breaking apart, she looked up at him smiling. "I love you."

"I love you too baby. Now, you better get going. Remember what I said." Patting her on the ass, he walked her to the door and watched her go.

Getting his stuff ready for the match, he failed to notice the person who snuck into his dressing room and knocked him over the head. He slumped to the ground in a heap.

Shane stood over Cena with a grin on his face. "That'll teach you to mess with my girl." Kicking him in the side for good measure, he went to collect his prize grinning all the way.