Disclaimers: I own nothing or anyone associated or affiliated with TNA. I own only the original characters. This is just a fictional story that came from my imagination.
Chapter Content & Trigger Warnings
: Some drinking

Chapter 3

Nashville, Tennessee
December 31, 1997


"Oh, wow," Ella gasped as she rode with her parents down the winding country road which led to the Jarrett's mansion. She could see it even now, still a mile or two away. The three-story, white brick manor peeked through the thick shelter of trees, shrubs, and hedges that accompanied the forest near the new home. "Look! There are six different chimneys on the roof," she exclaimed in excitement, as she played with a lock of her long, dark hair. "I bet each bedroom has a fireplace! Oh, I'd love to have a fireplace in my room! Uncle Jeff and Aunt Nina sure went all out on their new home," she chattered.

"Well, they've worked hard for it, and earned what they have," Nathan Roberts commented, as he slowly guided the family's large SUV down the gravel road. He took every opportunity he could to instill in his teenage daughter that hard work was the only thing which truly paid off in life. "Just goes to show what you can have when you are patient, and hard-working."

"Don't worry, Daddy," Ella smiled at her father through the rear-view mirror. "You've taught me well enough to know I shouldn't blow all of my money. I promise, I'll take care of any finances I have."

Nathan smiled back at his daughter with pride. "That's my girl." He glanced at the mansion again and let out a little whistle. He slowed the car down even more so he could get a good look at it from a distance. "It's really gorgeous," he said after staring at the huge home. "It looks like something out of a glitzy holiday movie."

Andrea, nodded. "Yes, it does. I'm very proud of Jeff and Nina. This place is just amazing." She leaned forward in her seat to get a better look. "It's decorated beautifully for the holidays." She rolled her window down a little and inhaled the crisp, winter air as it rushed into the vehicle. "Smell the air," she smiled at her husband. "It's always so fresh and clean."

"Yes, and I love it," Ella agreed, "But Mom, I'm in spaghetti straps-could you please put the window back up," she chuckled. She continued to ogle the stunning home as her mother hit the button to roll the window back up.

Admiring the New Year's decorations her mother had pointed out, Ella noticed the mansion held strand after strand of white Christmas lights framing the front porch and roof. The Jarrett's huge Christmas tree was still in the picture window and lit up with all the colorful decorations.

"This is so awesome," Ella giggled, already unfastening her seat-belt as they got closer. "I can't wait to see the inside."

Though she was excited about the mansion, she secretly admitted to herself that she was relieved the Jarretts built their new home on the same land. She could not imagine never running through the woods again, or strolling barefoot through the open fields.

"Yes, baby, but don't forget we're here for a family party," Nathan gently chided. He steered the car around a curve in the road, gravel crunching under the tires. "You'll have plenty of time to look at the house. Besides, aren't you excited to see your friends?"

Ella felt a stab of pain, mixed with panic at the mention of 'friends'.

Joe, she thought instantly.

Even now, three years later, he was still on her mind incessantly. She had not spoken to him since the day he broke her heart. She had emailed him once, but only because she felt she had no other choice. Joe called her several times after his seventeenth birthday, and Ella insisted on her parents telling him she was out with friends, or busy studying. He finally gave up on phone calls and resorted to an email. Ella did not read it. She merely clicked 'Reply' and sent him three sentences:

You are bound to know how I feel about you, Joe. Please, give me the time I need to try and get over you. Be happy.

~Ella

Then she deleted her email account, started a brand new one, and messaged all her friends to let them know of the changes. She asked all the mutual friends of hers and Joe's that they not inform Joe about the new email. Luckily, they all seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation.

Probably due to AJ, she mused, knowing he had understood her pain. He had tried to keep in touch with Ella over the years, though it was hit or miss. She was lucky, however, that she got to see him a couple years prior, when he'd come to visit at the old Jarrett home on a Christmas holiday. She was more thankful for that visit than AJ would ever know. He'd led her to the Lord during the holiday visit, and Ella became a Christian.

She grew more nervous as they came even closer to the mansion. So many of her family friends had gone off to wrestling school like Joe, and she had not seen them in a long time. And it didn't help that most of her friends were now working for Jeff's company, Total Nonstop Action. But AJ, Talia, and Angel had tried their best to stay in touch despite their hectic schedule. The company put on weekly pay-per-views, but Jeff and his business partner, Dixie Carter, were working hard to get a network to sign them on.

"Ella?"

She realized then she had not responded to her father from moments before. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Don't get me wrong. I've missed Uncle Jeff and Aunt Nina so much. I also can't wait to see the others. It's been so long. I've not seen AJ since that Christmas I got saved. And I haven't seen Talia or Angel in about three years. And-"

"Or Joe, for that matter," Andrea cut in lightheartedly, not noticing the flush which crept up her daughter's young, pretty face.

"Y-yeah," Ella said brusquely. "I just hate that the only way I can keep up with my friends' lives is to read the wrestling gossip sites-which aren't even accurate ninety-five percent of the time. And usually they're only talking about storylines, at that."

"Well, honey, they all stay very busy," Andrea interjected, turning in her seat to face her daughter. She patted her hair, the same dark hair Ella had inherited, making sure the coiffure hadn't come free of its up do. "You know how hard they have to practice and work."

Ella nodded, "I know. I just worry that they've forgotten about me. We all used to have such great times together."

Nathan chuckled, slowing the car's speed even more. "Sweetheart, they haven't forgotten you. I doubt that's even a possibility."

But Ella wasn't hearing him as her thoughts slipped back to Joe. Her stomach felt as if it were turning somersaults. I'll see him tonight, she thought.

It was inevitable. How would she handle it? How would he act? Would he be glad to finally see her? Or would he hate her?

"Ella?"

Ella snapped out of her reverie of the past, and glanced up at her parents, "I'm sorry…what?"

"We're almost there. Here's your wrap, sweetheart," Andrea smiled, handing the garment back to her daughter. "I still say you should have brought a coat."

"Oh, Mom, I'll be fine. All I have to deal with is the walk from the car to the house."

"We're here," Nathan cut in, pulling into the large circular driveway of the Jarrett mansion. He drove around to park with the many other cars on the other side of the large home.

"We have to walk all the way back around to the front?" Ella asked, her brow furrowing. Between the mansion's large size and her new heels, she would have blisters rubbed on her feet within minutes.

"No, Jeff said to enter from the back. That's where the party is being held," Andrea explained, gathering her purse and preparing to get out of the vehicle. Nathan killed the car then, and Ella pulled the sheer, pale lavender wrap over her bare, ivory shoulders. She smiled as she looked down at the gown she wore.

The garment was the same shade of lavender lace as the wrap. Silver threaded designs swirled up through the lacy material, giving it a hint of sparkle. The corseted back exposed the soft skin of her back, the bodice hugging her torso as well as her small waist. The dress flowed out gracefully from her slender hips into a full skirt, just barely skimming the floor. Now an adult, she had taken to wearing her waist-length hair down, free and flowing. She had, however, taken pains with it that evening, rolling it and sweeping some of the soft waves up into a partial up-do. Ella was truly glad her uncle had made the New Year's party a formal one. She and her parents rarely went anywhere together, as busy as her father stayed, and so she didn't get to dress up for parties very often.

Feeling like a royal princess, she stepped out of the car, and followed her parents to the mansion's patio where a set of French doors was open for guests to enter through. The beautiful veranda was lavished with Christmas lights and both red poinsettias, as well as white. She looked around at the wooded area around the home and fell in love with the Jarrett homestead all over again. She envied the wonderful life her little cousins would always have here. It was so different from the Roberts' own city-style home. Ella gave one last reflective peek at the thickness of trees and pictured herself sitting under one, shaded from the sun on a warm spring day and reading one of her favorite books; only the sounds of nature to distract her. Joe's image invaded her fantasy suddenly, and she could see him sitting down beside her in the grass, smiling and playfully pulling her onto his lap, book and all.

She shook her head to erase the hopeless fantasy from her mind's eye. Such daydreams were for children anyway. She slowly trailed after her parents into the mansion, trying to slow her pounding heart. Just past the entryway Ella found the banquet room, where the New Year's Eve party was taking place.

Her jaw dropped as she took in the beauty of the huge party room. A white, veil-like material draped downward from the ceiling in graceful swoops, and above it were tons of white lights; the combination giving the room a soft, candle-lit effect. Another large Christmas tree stood in one corner, a couple of buffet tables held all kinds of food and desserts, punches, and glasses of champagne. The alabaster-colored pillars throughout the room, sparkled with various colors of iridescent ribbons spiraled around them.

Many of the guests had already arrived and several were dancing to the music blaring from a huge sound system set up near the buffet table. She noticed Alex Shelley dancing with Daffney, and Ella chuckled. What with Alex's fairly clean-cut image, and Daffney's goth style, they made an unlikely pair. She took note of Talia and Chris Sabin in one corner of the room talking as they danced; their bodies snuggled close together. Smiling, she admitted to herself what a perfect fit the two were, and wondered how long it took them to realize they were perfect for each other.

She turned then, to inspect the rest of the large room, and spotted a guitar and piano set up with a microphone. Somehow, I think I'll be singing later, she chuckled to herself. "This is so beautiful," she thought out loud as her gaze swept over the whole room.

"Well, so are you, darlin'."

Recognition, followed by a grin, crossed Ella's face as she spun around to the voice that had complimented her. "Uncle Jeff," she squealed, and then launched herself into his waiting arms. "Oh, my Gosh—I've missed you and Aunt Nina so much!"

"We've missed you too, honey," Jeff replied, hugging Ella tighter. "I can't believe it's been two years since we saw you last."

Ella nodded, and pulled away, straightening Jeff's suit jacket. He looked his niece over from head to foot, and shook his head. "And now you're all grown up, and so beautiful."

"Thank you," a blush crept up her pretty face then. "You look amazing; and so happy. How is Aunt Nina doing? The girls?"

She hadn't seen her little cousins since the last time she visited. Kayla was six at the time, and Jennifer had been two. She could not imagine how much the little girls must have grown.

"They are all doing terrific," Jeff answered, taking her wrap from her shoulders so he could hang it up for her. "Nina's around here somewhere. The girls are in bed already. Nina goes and peeks in at them every little while."

Ella nodded and started to speak when she felt a hand grab her shoulder and gently whirl her around. In the next instant, her face nearly made contact with a hard chest.

"Ella," she heard AJ Styles' voice drawl affectionately. "Is that really you," he asked. "Where in the world have you been? We were wondering if you'd changed your mind about coming." He held her away to get a better look at the young girl. "Gosh—you look beautiful," he exclaimed, smiling. "How did you grow up so fast?"

Ella laughed, and at the same time felt tears burn her eyes. "Fast? Three years—well, two in your case—isn't fast, AJ. And I'm sorry for being late. We nearly ran out of gas and had to stop to fill up. Daddy never pays attention to the gas gauge," she explained, and then hugged AJ close. "Gosh, it's so great to see you."

"Well, you have fun kiddo," Jeff interrupted with a smile. "I'm gonna go see my sister and brother."

"Okay, see you after a while, Uncle Jeff," she smiled back at him and then turned back to AJ. "So how are you," she asked. "I've missed you all so much."

"Well, we've missed you too. And I'm doing great," AJ smiled, his blue eyes crinkling in his excitement. He ran a hand over his short-cropped brown hair. "And so is everyone else. No one has had any injuries in several months."

"Well, that's great," Ella smiled as she brushed her hair over her shoulder. "As well as a relief." The happiness left her face for a moment, and her sapphire eyes darkened with guilt. "So, um—how's...J-Joe been?"

"He's okay," AJ answered truthfully. "He asks about you. A lot. Of course I can't tell him much since I've not really seen you in, well…a long time."

Ella nodded. "I know. It's been too long."

"You do know he's coming here tonight, don't you?"

"Yes. I know," she said softly and sighed. "And I'm scared."

AJ hugged her again. "Don't be scared. This is Joe we're talking about."

"Giselle?"

She heard the unmistakable voice of Sabin, and turned to face the clown of TNA. Alex hurried up beside him as well. Ella giggled in excitement. "Well, if it ain't Dumb & Dumber," she teased the tag team as they pulled her into a hug.

"Hey," Sabin pouted, as he straightened at his sandy blond hair. "We are not dumb."

AJ laughed then as he playfully slugged Sabin in the shoulder, "Obviously you are if you don't realize by now to not call her 'Giselle'."

"Well we haven't seen her in a few years," Alex said, grinning at Ella. "We thought maybe she'd grown into it."

"Trust me," Ella laughed, "I've not grown into 'Giselle' yet. And I probably never will. Only Mom and Daddy call me that—and that's only when I'm in trouble."

"Oh, my God! Ella!"

The four friends turned toward the girlish squeals which erupted behind them. They saw Talia and Angel running straight for them. The girls collided with Ella and held on tight.

"Talia! Angel," Ella squealed in return as she returned the hugs. "I'm so happy to see you guys!"

"Likewise," Angel smiled. "We've missed you so much."

"Yes," Talia agreed. "It's not been the same without you. Oh, and we actually go by Angelina Love and Velvet Sky now. In the ring anyway."

"Ah, ring names," Ella chuckled. "Well they're great. They fit you perfectly."

"I can't believe you're actually here," Angel exclaimed. "After the way Joe hurt you-"

"Let's not talk about that tonight," Ella said lightly, hugging both her friends again. "I don't want everyone to think about it," she smiled and added, "I'm not." She hoped nobody could tell she was lying through her teeth. She figured AJ knew, but that was different. He had shared her pain with her.

Angel and Talia's commotion had tugged all attention to their small gathering, and several others congregated around them, finally noticing Ella in their midst. She hugged and joked with each one of them, feeling part of her old self returning. She felt a surge of pure joy at seeing all her old friends again. She realized many of them were several years older than she was, but they all seemed to have a lot in common. The TNA Knockouts, what the female division became known as, all admired Ella's gorgeous dress; and secretly, so did some of the male wrestlers. Or rather, they admired the young woman in the dress. They could not believe Ella had changed so much in only three years.

Kevin Nash was giving her a fatherly hug when an extremely tall man with short, medium blond hair and bright, deep-set blue eyes made his way over to the group. He was almost as tall as Kevin. Ella felt as though she would get a crick in her neck if she looked up at him for long. She gave him a friendly smile and then turned her attention back to ribbing Alex and Sabin about their IQs. The man watched as the group of friends shared another laugh.

Kevin turned and noticed the man on the outskirts of the group and motioned him over. "Get over here and say hi, boy…you're now part of the family too," he drawled.

He indicated Ella with a point of his thumb, and said, "This is Ella Roberts, Jeff's niece. Ella, this is Matt Morgan, the newest member of the TNA roster."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Ella smiled. "Welcome to the family." She smacked her forehead then, "Sorry...I totally sound like I came out of one of the Godfather movies, don't I?"

Matt laughed, and reached his large hand out to shake hers, "Nice to meet you too. And thanks. It's great to be a part of such a great company, and family."

She took his hand and could not believe how it swallowed hers.

Matt seemed to read her thoughts as he laughed, and said, "Don't worry. I won't crush you."

Ella laughed as well, and replied, "All you big guys are just teddy bears. Kevin's proof of that."

And that's how Joe found her. Laughing, and happy.

With her hand in Matt Morgan's.

AJ noticed him approaching the group then. He leaned back out of Ella's line of view as she was hugging Kurt Angle, who had just joined the group, and pointed to her, mouthing the words: "Dude! Ella's here!"

Joe gave him a glare that had AJ shrinking back into the safety of the group. The moody Samoan was already in somewhat of an irritable frame of mind, knowing he would most likely be seeing Ella at the party. He wanted to see her, but was a little apprehensive, knowing how things had been left between them. He took another look at Ella then. In truth, it took him a moment or two to realize he was looking at Ella Roberts. He didn't realize how grown up she would look after only three years. Somehow, he still expected to see the gawky young girl who wore a ponytail and no makeup. The girl who was barely even in high school. Now, he thought, the ugly duckling became a swan. But even that didn't seem an adequate enough description. She had an inner radiance which seemed to light the room all on its own. Something about her was different.

He noticed she had grown her dark hair to a very long length. The thick waves of hair cascaded from the top of her head, where a good portion of the mane was pinned, and flowed down the graceful slope of her back to her waist. He admired the ivory skin of her delicate shoulders. And when she turned slightly, he saw her face.

She's an angel, he thought, his heart skipping a couple beats. There wasn't a better word to fit her appearance. She had filled out, but was still extremely slender. She had grown a few inches in height as well, though she was still much shorter than he was. Suddenly nervous about approaching her, he took a deep breath. "Breathe, Joe," he told himself. "It's just Ella."

As he headed over to the group of friends, he felt in his pocket for the little jewelry box which held the pendant he had bought for her as a late Christmas gift. It had been an impulse buy and he suddenly felt nervous about giving it to her. He walked over to her then, and lightly touched her shoulder. "Ella?" She turned to his voice, and for an instant her face seemed to pale, but then he saw a blush flood her cheeks.

"Joe."

Ella forced herself to smile, and looked the large man up and down. He had abandoned his usual jeans and t-shirt, and donned a charcoal suit minus a tie, and a black dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. It was a drastic change. His thick, jet-black hair was in its usual short cut, and seemed to accentuate his dark eyes. He looked even more gorgeous than she remembered, and she could not take her eyes off him.

They stood there for a moment, just staring at each other, having no idea what to say. Oblivious to everyone around them, they did not notice when their friends gave each other knowing looks and backed away to give the two the space they needed.

"H-How are you," Ella finally managed a full sentence.

Joe decided to try and break the ice in an unconventional kind of way. "Well, I've not been too great for the past three years."

Ella's head dropped and she could not meet his eyes. To her dismay, his hand touched her chin and he tilted her head back, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"See, I lost contact with a great friend. My best friend. And, I was hoping I'd see her tonight so I could fix whatever went wrong."

"Maybe there's nothing to fix," Ella said softly, going along with his facade. "Maybe she just needed time away from you. To get over a painful time in her life."

"But she could have explained that," Joe replied with a light tone of bitterness in his voice, "instead of lying about being sick. She left without even saying goodbye, knowing I wouldn't see her again for a long time. She didn't stop and think about how that would make me feel, or how much I would miss her."

"Joe, you don't understand," Ella said, dropping the charade. "I…I-I…" She looked over his shoulder and nearly winced. Christy Hemme was walking toward them. No doubt to stake her claim on Joe. "Can we talk about this later," she asked abruptly.

"Why don't you talk to me now?"

"I just can't, okay," she said softly. Glancing over his shoulder again, she swallowed hard. "Please, Joe—just go dance with Christy, or whoever you're here with, and make this easier on both of us."

With that, she turned and left him standing by himself, feeling more hopeless than he had ever felt in his life.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

"Is Joe acting kind of strange to you guys," Ella asked, as she and some of her friends danced to the beat of Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It".

"How so," Talia asked, playfully bumping hips with Ella.

"Well…he—It sounds crazy, I know—but he almost seemed like he was…flirting with me a little while ago. And he was looking at me really funny."

"Pffft…what's crazy about that," Alex asked, grabbing her hand and giving her a spin. "And as for the 'funny' way he's looking at you—I think that's fairly obvious, since I've caught him staring at you tonight like you're a Samoan delicacy."

"Really romantic, Shelley," Angelina scolded, as she watched Ella's face go crimson.

"Well, I could have come up with a lot worse," Alex threatened in a childish manner. "For example, 'Joe's been staring at Ella all night like he'd love to give her-'"

"SHELLEY!"

The whole group of friends shouted over him to cover up whatever crude thing he had planned to say. At the same moment, Ella threw herself at him and slapped her hand over his mouth, "My parents are here," she hissed at him, her eyes darting over the entire room to make sure they were not nearby. To her horror, she felt Alex's warm tongue brush over her palm. She squealed and began wiping her hand off on his shirt, "You sicko!"

She couldn't help laughing however as he wriggled his dark eyebrows at her. When no one else could, the Motor City Machine Guns could always make her laugh. She gave him an affectionate hug. "Thanks, Alex. I needed that laugh. I should have known I could count on you."

"Hey, I'm really good at lots of other stuff too," he said, a mischievous sparkle in his brown eyes. "So if you ever need a really amazing-"

"Whoa," Ella cut him off, laughing again. "I have no idea what you were about to say, Alex, but remember: Just because I'm now eighteen, doesn't mean every man in this room wouldn't murder you and dump your body in the well outside. Without hesitation."

He groaned in mock-frustration. "That sucks!"

"We are just not meant to be, Alex," Ella said, melodramatically, placing the back of her hand across her forehead like an old-fashioned southern belle. "Whateva shall we do?"

"How about a dance?"

Ella turned to face Matt Morgan smiling down at her. She smiled back at him and glanced over at Alex. "I do declare, Mr. Shelley—I have found myself another," she drawled, as she lowered her hand from her head to Matt's hand. As she allowed Matt to lead her away, Alex bellowed, "NOOO! Why? Why?"

Startled by the loud outburst, Ella turned to see him fall to his knees and let out some very real sounding sobs. She and Matt burst out laughing when Shelley grabbed his heart. "Oh my goodness… He's nuts-"

"Oh wow—did he just latch onto Talia," Matt asked, laughing loudly.

Ella nodded, dabbing tears of laughter from her eyes. "Yep—And here comes Sabin, in 3-2-1…Ouch," she commentated, laughing hysterically with Matt as they watched Sabin slap Alex upside the head.

"I swear, they really are the Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels of TNA," Matt chuckled, as he pulled Ella into his arms. They began swaying to an old classic tune of Frank Sinatra's.

"Yes, when Alex and Sabin are present—there's never a dull moment at Uncle Jeff's parties," Ella said, still laughing. She looked up at Matt, as they danced around the floor. "How tall are you," she asked suddenly. "You've got to be pushing seven feet."

The large man seemed to blush a bit. "I'm just shy of six-nine."

Ella nodded. "Thought so. If I had no connection to the wrestling world at all, I'd be amazed at such a height," she chuckled. "But when you've grown up around guys like Kevin Nash, and Chris Parks, you get used to incredible heights very quickly."

"I am amazed someone as little as you could get used to it at all."

"Hey now, I'm five-foot-six," Ella said teasingly. "I'm above the average height for a woman."

Matt smiled. "So you are." He really liked Ella's sense of humor, and her talkative nature. She seemed like the type of person who never met a stranger. And she was quite pretty. He would not mind getting to know her better, but he was not sure how Jeff would take to that. I'll just have to take it one day at a time and see how it goes, he thought.

But in the next instant, Ella's hand was removed from his shoulder, and the large man turned to meet a pair of furious black eyes.