Divas Prison Ch46
"Haha! Gin! Oh yeah, you can all kiss my ass!" Natalya said without any remorse in her voice as she slammed her cards down onto the table. "I win!"
"Ok, Nattie, chill out. You win, lets play another round." Becky said, a little taken back.
"Sorry Becks, it's just nice to win one, I don't think I've won for at least a week. Or maybe longer, who knows."
"Still, I thought she'd be the bad winner at this table." Becky indicated to Summer.
"Hey! I'm not a bad winner!" Summer said, pouting.
"Oh calm down, you've not really won much anyway, so I guess you couldn't be." Becky got the last words and dealt the cards for another round, a lot of groaning, sighing and quiet laughter later, Summer saw a card go down that made her eyes sparkle and her mouth drop open.
"Oh my god! I've got it! Look! Gin! I won one! Hahaha! Who's the loser now girls?" Two of her three opponents looked at her, quietly judging her. "Oh, um, right. Sorry, it really is easy to get carried away with yourself."
"It's ok, there's not a lot else to get excited about really. But is that how you reacted when you won awards?" Natalya couldn't help poking into Summers life prior to her incarceration.
"Oh god no, there's cameras there. You have to keep it inside. Win or lose, you're on camera. Win and you have to be calm, lose and you have to be gracious and keep smiling. That's worse, especially if you don't like the person who won, who may be on a rival show too."
"Did you win many?" Becky asked.
"A couple, not a lot. Those I did get are my prized possessions. They mean so much more that the money. The life was great, but that's gone. The awards are safe in my house and will still be there, whatever happens to me once I get out of here." Summer sounded happier than ever talking about her successes. She thought about how she was finally feeling acclimatised to the environment that fate and her own mistakes had forced her into. "Anyway, let's keep playing, we don't have that much longer, and I want to go for two in a row."
"Not if I have anything to do with it." Natalya smirked as she dealt the cards. "I want to take advantage of Lady Luck over here having a bad day." True as the statement was, it was partly designed to get a reaction from the only person at the table who's only contribution to the activity was playing her cards on her turn. "Come on Paige, play along, you normally wipe the floor with us. What's going on in that head of yours?"
"Don't ask Nat." Becky replied with a noticeable level of annoyance. "She's been in her own head for days now. Ever since that incident with Mickie."
"But she didn't get hurt did she? Rousey didn't take the bait and got them off her."
"Yeah, I know, and I hate thinking about what happened. It scared me, but Paige has been obsessed with it all. Living with her has not been its usual distraction from reality."
"What's the matter? Aren't you getting any? Well boo freaking hoo, join the rest of us for a while." The sarcasm in her voice showed she wasn't being mean, but it certainly made an impact on Becky, who looked away.
"That's not your business."
"Oh wow, you're really not are you?"
"Leave it Nat."
"No way. Paige, what is wrong with you?"
"Stop it." Becky suddenly came over angry. "She is the most loving, most affectionate person I have ever known. She makes me feel like a goddess. I'm sorry Pai." Becky still was feeling like she didn't do enough for Paige, but stopped short of admitting it publically. "She's such a good person, she feels guilty over everything that happened the other day. Like it was her fault that Rousey got herself taken out of here."
Natalya was surprised to hear it. She looked over to see that Paige's expression confirmed what she was hearing. "Paige, Ronda is nothing more that a thug. This experiment to bring her into a proper block instead so solitary was always going to end this way. Now she's probably gone from here for good, so you might as well forget about her."
Paige slammed her hand onto the table. "No she won't, none of us would be kept in The Lock for good. She saved my ass before, I know that. She's a hell of a tough girl. But she's not a thug. I think there's a lot more to her than you think Nat, more than just some soulless killer that she's been made out to be, only good to use as a weapon. I hope she comes back soon, then I can show you both." Paige got up, walked around the table, crouched in front of Becky with such a serious expression the orange haired woman was concerned what was going to happen. She didn't need to as Paige pulled her down, so they were out of most guards line of sight, planted a long hard kiss on her lips.
Becky fought the urge to jump on her right there and then, the kiss stirring her desire. It wasn't the time or the place, and Paige still looked deadly serious.
"Becky, you are a goddess. My goddess. That will never change. I'm not going looking for a fight, but Mickie put me in that position. You know that, you both do, and Ronda saved me. I have to thank her at least. Plus, she apologised for what she did for me. A person who does that has feelings. Mickie has none, her hired gun certainly doesn't. I love you both, in very different ways of course, but I need your support."
"Pai, please. You got involved in that because of her. They didn't want anything to do with you, or me, or any of us but her. It'll happen again and again while you do anything with her. Please, leave her alone. For me?" Becky held Paige's hand tight.
"Becky's right Paige. She's trouble. Best given a wide berth. For your own good." Natalya spoke just as seriously.
"I say talk to her." Summer interjected, with both Becky and Natalya turning and staring at the first comment she'd made in a while. "Don't look like that. She wants to help. And I've never had anyone help me like she did. Paige, if you think it could help her, then do it. Becky, it doesn't mean that she doesn't care about you. It's admirable how you look out for her. I know from the way she talked about you when we met, that nobody will ever mean more to her than you. But you know how she is. You need to let her do it. If she comes back of course."
Becky looked at Natalya for an opinion. "I still think it's bad news waiting to happen. But Summer has a point. You've never been able to stop Paige before."
"Yeah, and look what's happened as a result." Becky said, full of bad memories.
"But I'm still here." Paige quickly interjected. "I've gotten hurt, I'm not indestructible. But I'm here. I'm it's not going to happen here. She's not who you think she is Nat. She may have done what she's done, but she's not a thug. Or not just one. I saw something in her. She's a person too. Why wouldn't we give her a chance. We all gave each other a chance. Plus she's someone we would all like to be on the right side of, isn't she?"
Natalya raised an eyebrow. "Listen to you, sounding like some old time jailbird. Ok, I won't stop you, but remember, she has it in her to kill you where you sit."
That was the wrong thing to say in front of Becky. "No, she won't. I won't let her, she'll have to kill me too, I can't let her kill you Pai, I love you so much. I need you. You know I need you."
Paige gave Natalya a look as she kissed Becky's forehead and stroked it in that way that calmed her. It worked as it always did. "She won't kill me. I don't think she'll even try and hurt me, but I know you wouldn't let it, nor would any of the others. And the screws watch her too closely. You worry too much, but I love that you do. I wouldn't change you for anything."
Becky hugged her girlfriend. "I wouldn't change you either, but be careful."
"I will. Besides, who knows how long it might be."
As it turned out, while they had that conversation, plans for Ronda Rousey to return to A block were being finalised. Word had gotten out that she had been moved to solitary again, prompting the campaign that were protesting her permanent isolation to get back together and demand they release her back to a populated block. Punishment in solitary was justified for what she had done, but Warden Flair was already under a lot of media scrutiny for the escape, even with three of the four reported as being back in custody, and didn't want any of this to make the press on top of everything. It would come back on him for sure if he ever wanted to run for office, and he had always considered the possibilty of being a Senator or Govenor. After that, he had his eyes on the greatest office in the land, the Oval Office.
But if that was to happen, he needed to avoid any more PR disasters. He authorised Rousey to be returned to A Block, and intentionally leaked it to the media, to get more people onside. He was well known to be tough on crime, and some said it was his achilles heel as he had a higher reoffending rate than other prison wardens in the state. Showing his compassion was good for his future, he told himself. Whether or not he believed it was a completely different question, but it was the right call as far as the press was concerned. He was written up as a man capable of putting correct decisions above easy decisions. He could have told them that it was clearly a bad idea to let Rousey into general population, and none of them had the whole story, but in a world where everyone could put their opinions online and be taken seriously, this would keep more people onside, who could then be used in his bid to be elected. Flair sat back in his chair to marvel in what he felt was his own brilliance before leaving his office. It was already two pm and he had a tee time at three.
Without looking at any of his staff, he dumped the paperwork on the nearest desk and headed out the door. Nobody could stop him, least not the person who got the paperwork. He hadn't even acknowledged the presence of his own daughter behind the desk, but that wasn't any different to another day and was certainly the way she wanted it. Her eyes bulged as she saw the order and she quickly put the processes in place as she had been taught to make sure the orders were carried out. She knew she had to let the rest of her friends know what was happening as soon as she got back.
She had almost two hours worth of work time left, but with the Warden out of the prison, a lot less was done overall, the other office workers did their best to treat her as a co worker, but still kept their distance as they didn't know her from any other prisoner. They gave her a glass of soda, something completely against the rules, but nobody was there to care. She made sure it was gone before the guards came to secure her and return her to her block, eager to share the interesting information.
They barely got the handcuffs off Charlotte before she went bounding over to them. "Hey, you won't believe it, they're sending Ronda Rousey back here!" The others expression didn't change. "Oh. I thought that would do something. Isn't it a big deal?"
"Char, she's right behind you, didn't you think we would spot her?" Natalya said in confusion. Charlotte looked around and saw she was indeed correct. Two guards were conducting an extensive search of the returning Ronda, way more than Charlotte got when coming from the office, despite the fact Ronda had been in a solitary cell since she was last seen.
"She's still got the guards spooked, this is why you should leave her be too Paige. Paige?" Natalya realised nothing she said had been taken on board, Paige was standing and watching, waiting for the guards to let her be so she could go over. Becky spotted it too. "Please baby, be careful, I can't have anything else happen to you." Paige felt Becky hold her hand and could tell that Becky was shaking in fear.
Nothing scared Becky more than losing Paige, in fact, the black haired woman couldn't think of anything else that scared her at all. She bent over and kissed the top of her head. "I told you, it's ok, I really don't think she has any bad feelings towards me. I need to at least thank her for saving me a beating. She got sent away for it, could have been permanently but she still did it. I'm not letting being in prison stop me from trying to do the right thing when I can. I know you'll watch me like a hawk anyway. Just know I love you."
"I love you too, please don't be long." Becky said, trying to cover her fear in her tone. Paige gave her hand a squeeze and left them, going over to Ronda, who had taken a seat at the nearest table, the inmates who were sitting there were more than happy to give it up, even without being asked.
"Um, hi." Paige felt a little fear as she got there, but was determined not to give up. "I just wanted to say thank you."
Ronda hadn't looked up till this point, but couldn't hide the surprise on her face. "You?"
Paige thought about leaving again, but wouldn't let it happen. "Yes, you saved me from getting my ass kicked, and you didn't have to do it. You got in trouble for it, and I wanted to say that I'm grateful you did it, and I'm sorry you went to The Lock for it."
Ronda remained silent for longer than most people would. Paige was trying to think of something else to say before Ronda spoke. "Why are you talking to me?"
Paige knew what to say this time. "Why not?" Ronda looked away immediately so Paige continued. "Before everything happened, you apologised to me and I thought we could have had a chat, nobody else wanted to, and I thought you could use a friend. Nobody can survive in here without a friend."
Ronda squirmed in her seat. She didn't know how to react. "Why would you want to be my friend. Don't you know who I am?"
"Yes I do, and you terrified me at first. Well, you still do, but I thought I saw something when we talked. You'd come back from your visit with that Dan guy, and seemed different." Ronda smiled at that moment, telling Paige she was on the right track. "I thought maybe you weren't what everyone thought you were, and the more I talk to you, the more I think that's the case. If you don't want that, if you want to be left on your own, then so be it, but if I'm right, can I sit down?" Paige knew she'd played her cards and it was now all on Ronda. The silence was again longer. Paige was still fearful, knowing she could be knocked out any second if that's the direction the other, tougher woman chose to go. Then she got her answer. A simple nod of the head, and a look in her eye. A look of gratitude. Paige sat down with a smile.
"Great. Now, officially, I'm Paige." Paige held out a hand, which was accepted as the two shook hands.
"Call me Ronda."
"Hi, its great to meet you properly." Paige was pleased to have made the breakthrough, but could see Ronda was still nervous. She knew she had to be careful.
"So you want to know if it's all true right?" Ronda's interruption put Paige in a tough spot. There was mild aggression in her voice and if she didn't play it right, things could go wrong fast.
A/N: I know it's been a while and I can only apologise. I hope you still enjoyed it.
