"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Bryan cut in the second I made to head for Randy's locker room. I paused and glanced back at him, trying to play innocent.

"I was gonna go see –"

"Randy?" Nikki teased, throwing me a glance behind John's back as they passed by. Brie's arms crossed dangerously, and I shot a glare at my 'best friend' as I sighed. Of course, Nikki couldn't keep her mouth shut, and we'd all had another round of 'Randy's not a good guy' and 'ever since you started hanging out with him…', and I was losing my patience. Any more of this and I'd spill my secret just to get some peace and quiet.

"Jamie –" Brie started.

"I'm not," I said, nearly wincing at how unconvincing my lie sounded. Brie's glare intensified, and she was immediately backed up by a very unamused Papa John, who had paused to give Nikki a hug goodbye.

"That's right. You're not wandering off tonight. Between some masked assassin and those punks from NXT, you really think we're gonna let a trouble magnet walk around alone?"

He gave me a pointed look before he peeled off from the group to head for his bus. I scowled after him.

"I'm not a trouble magnet," I mumbled; Bryan snorted.

"You're the exact definition of a trouble magnet."

"You're the exact definition of an asshole," I shot back, and he reached over to ruffle my hair.

"It's so cute when you try to be all angry. Like a little pouty chinchilla."

"I was texting AJ this morning about it," Brie cut in, swatting Bryan's hand away from me and smacking mine down as I reached to mess with his beard. We both stuck our tongues out. "Seriously, you two," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "Anyways. She said that Renegade cornered her and threatened to hurt her if she didn't give him –" she paused for dramatic effect and leaned in –"sexual favors."

Bryan and I snorted on reflex and we had to smother our snickers at the furious look Brie shot the two of us. What other kinds of Renegade rumors were floating around? Nikki, who had rejoined us now that John was gone, let out a scoff and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right. That slut was probably on her knees the second he walked up."

"You just don't like her because she's gotten further with John than you have," Brie sneered; that launched a very high-pitched shouting match, which Bryan and I quickly left to them as we pulled ahead.

As more and more 'evidence' had been coming out about the scandal between John and AJ, Nikki had been a little more sensitive on the subject of her new man than usual. Of course, she and John weren't public with their not-really-official relationship just yet, but Nikki wasn't enjoying the scandal attention.

"Just please, stay in the locker room and don't get yourself into any trouble during the show," Bryan sighed, looping an arm over my shoulders, if for no other reason than to keep me close.

"When have I ever gotten myself into unnecessary trouble?"

"We don't have enough time left on this earth to answer that."

As we headed down the hall backstage, it hit me that Bryan and John both had matches tonight. Perfect! If I played my cards right, slipping out would be a cinch. The only obstacle were the twins, but I could handle them well enough.

Once inside, Bryan ruffled my already-messy waves and shoved me off him, giving a cheeky grin as I scowled in his direction. The twins had caught up to us, and though the noise level had been reduced, the words were just as heated. Bryan and I rolled our eyes.

"I'll see you guys later," he said, pulling Brie away from the argument to give her a kiss. As he backed down the hall, he gave me a look. "And Jay, I mean it. Stay here."

"Sir, yes, sir," I barked out, snapping my heels together and giving him a salute. With a snort and shake of his head, he was gone. Half my problems had just walked away on their own, so now the twins were the only thing in my way.

Of course, just because my luck was super spectacular, the twins stayed with me for the entire first half of the show. I'd even been accompanied to the bathroom. To add insult to injury, they went so far as to put me between them on the couch.

I was trying to downplay my nerves, but I was fighting a losing battle. Randy had texted me twice now, asking where I was. We'd agreed I'd stick with him tonight. No match for me, but if anything came up, I'd be no good to Stephanie, Hunter, or Randy in my jeans and tank top.

Somehow, my terrible luck got even worse. After Cesaro's match, my phone went off and I was met with an unsettling text from Hunter.

We've got a situation. My office, asap.

Just freakin' fantastic.

Nikki and Brie were still camped out, going off about how they wouldn't mind eating a three course meal off Cesaro's abs – gross – and I had no escape planned. Just as I was about to vault over the couch and make a run for it, Vickie Guerrero popped up on the screen.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Nikki snapped, leaning forward as Vickie announced there were eye witnesses to John and AJ. "Is this like funny to someone or something?"

"You know, maybe Vickie actually has a point. Like, what if John really is –" Brie began, and even Ifelt the heat from the scowl Nikki threw her sister. Just as Vickie went to show the pictures, John's music hit.

"Well this isn't gonna end well," I predicted, and then shifted just a hint away from Nikki as she snarled to AJ,

"Get that little fucking smirk off your face, you stupid bitch! He's mine!"

She was like, two seconds from foaming at the mouth. Brie and I exchanged startled glances, and she jerked her head towards her sister. She wanted me to calm the raging beast.

"Dude, look. John's gonna put it to rest," I soothed, running a hand gently up and down her back. "See? He told Vickie nothing's going on –"

"You want something to talk about?" AJ spat at Vickie, coming forward. "I'll give you something to talk about!"

And then AJ whipped a very startled John around and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

The screech that came out of Nikki was unholy.

Brie and I flinched down and covered our ears, only to whip around a moment later when Nikki vaulted the couch. She was out of the locker room before either of us had realized what had happened.

"Oh shit!" Brie gasped. "Nikki! Wait!"

As much as I knew I should have been running after her as well, it hit me that this was my chance! A heartbeat later and I was in the out of the locker room, running the opposite direction of the twins' shouting.

Turning to sprint down the next hallway, I nearly collided with the back of Bryan. I came to a screeching halt, inches from him, making a panicked face as I skittered back almost comically. He was talking heatedly to Kane about anger management; neither man noticed me diving back behind a pile of equipment crates.

After a few moments, the extremely dysfunctional tag-team headed down the hall, leaving me alone. I waited until I couldn't hear them anymore before getting a move on.

I didn't waste any more time as I vaulted over the crates and took off for Triple H's office. I skid to a stop, threw the door open, and slid inside. Hunter and Stephanie looked up, amused smiles on their faces as I leaned against the wall to catch my breath.

"All good?" Hunter mused, and I gave him a cheeky smile.

"Harder keeping this secret than I thought."

At this, the look on Hunter's face dropped a bit, and he leaned forward. For a heartbeat, it hit me that they could be pulling the plug. Casting me aside and getting rid of Renegade. Maybe they'd decided it wasn't a good idea to give me such a big chance –

"Jamie, we just heard that Del Rio's planning to call out Renegade tonight. Demand a reveal," he began, and I furrowed my brows in question, not understanding his statement. "And…" He met his wife's eyes, and she gave him a nod. "We think you should do it."

My brows shot up, and I looked between the two of them. We'd planned to keep Renegade's identity secret until well into 2013. In fact, if things went right, there had been talk of having me reveal at Wrestlemania. But just a week after my debut?

"It's not a bad thing," Stephanie assured, catching my expression. "But we've noticed the issues you've been having with hiding what's going on, and we'd really like to give you the chance to make a name for yourself as the first female superstar."

"We'd rather see you rise through the ranks as yourself, not behind a mask," Hunter agreed, and I could barely believe what I was hearing. They wanted me wrestling? I only just now realized my mouth was open and I snapped it shut.

"I just… wow. You really mean it?"

"Of course, Jamie," Stephanie laughed, coming around to rest a hand on my arm. "You're good enough to keep up with the guys, and we want them to see that. So when Del Rio calls you out, do what you have to. We're behind you."

I left their office in a daze, my mind going a hundred miles an hour. Tonight I was going to show who I really was. And as amazing as this was going to be, as soon as my friends saw…

Oh, god. I hadn't even thought about that. Brie was going to kill me. And then she'd bring me back to life to let Nikki have her go. And then Bryan, and hell, even John would probably jump in on the chance to kill me for this.

Brie, Nikki, and Bryan had been my mentors for years. They'd molded my wrestling abilities and brought me up to the level I'd needed to start my WWE career. And now they'd find out I'd gone behind their backs, gone to Randy Orton for my training, started a whole life without them even knowing…

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that when I turned the corner I accidentally collided with someone and nearly fell over. Strong hands caught my arms, and I looked up at a bemused Randy.

"Hey, Space-Case," he teased, and I gave a weak smile. Immediately his face dropped into worry, and he tugged me aside. "What's wrong?"

"Del Rio's calling me out," I said quietly, wrapping my arms around myself and glancing around, trying to keep my nerves in check. "And Hunter wants me to reveal myself."

"You're not excited?" he asked, voice sincere with confusion. I'd talked about how amazing it was going to be when I finally got my reveal, and I knew he was just as eager.

"It's just… my friends are already wound up from this last week. And now it's gonna come out that I've been lying and sneaking around. I just… don't want to do something to put a wedge between any of us. You know?"

"I do," he promised, propping a hand on the wall beside my head to lean a little closer. "But I also know how much they care about you. Seen it first hand. I think they'll understand how big this is for you. You won't lose your friends over something like this."

Though I knew Randy had a point, I was still so wound up. What if something went wrong? What if Del Rio turned this around and humiliated me? What if Bryan and the others turned on me for lying? What if the WWE Universe hated having a female superstar so much I got sent back down to NXT? What if –

Randy's hand cupped my chin gently and tilted my head back to meet my gaze. He was giving me a warm smile, his soft blue eyes glinting as he leaned a little closer. It was like he could read my mind.

"Del Rio's fighting me tonight. And if he calls you out after the match, I'll be right there at your side. And I'll be at your side when you face your friends, too. You won't have to do this alone."

Time seemed to slow just a bit as I stared up at Randy. It hit me suddenly, how close I'd gotten to Randy so quickly. How much he meant to me. He'd stayed with me and helped me start my career, and he barely knew me six months ago.

Now, I couldn't imagine doing this without him. When I realized how important he was, it struck me that it almost did seem like we were in a relationship. And for just a brief moment, I let myself think about what Nikki had been saying. What would it be like, dating Randy?

Almost immediately, I shut that thought down. I was some nineteen-year-old kid from NXT that looked like a frazzled oompa-loompa most days, that was thirteen years younger than him. I wore old jeans and ratty t-shirts and didn't even own a thing of lipstick. No way he'd give me a second look, compared to the other divas around us.

We heard Del Rio's music start; Randy was up. Our moment together was broken up, and the thoughts I'd had of dating Randy faded to the back of my mind. Randy tipped my chin again playfully as he started to back away.

"Remember, I'm right there with you tonight," he promised before he disappeared around the corner. Tonight. Alberto Del Rio. Shit. Now that I was alone, the panic was back, and I found myself stumbling nearly in a daze to grab my ring attire and prepare for the chaos.

Randy hit the RKO for the win, and I barely kept back the cheer of excitement. I allowed a smirk – safely behind my mask – as I spared a glance around me. The few people out in the halls were all preoccupied with their own tasks; I'd double-checked to make sure Brie hadn't passed by again.

Nikki and John were in a heated fight in one of the back rooms after what had happened with AJ. John clearly didn't kiss her back when she jumped him in the arena, but that didn't matter to my best friend. As soon as tonight was over, I'd be right there with her to either kick John Cena's ass or eat six gallons of ice cream and order unnecessary amounts of colorful sex toys. Nikki's anger was unpredictable. But right now, I had another problem to worry about.

As expected, when Randy got on the turnbuckle to celebrate, Del Rio had snatched a microphone and was now glowering around the arena.

"That," he snarled, nearly shaking with rage. "That is the kind of loss I will accept. Fighting a valiant fight with a man of honor!"

The crowd began to boo Del Rio as a replay of our last few match-ups played on the big screen. I smirked at the look of fury on his face. "But to lose to a coward like Renegade!? That, I will not accept!"

And here it came; the moment I'd been dreading. Del Rio turned to the ramp, and snarled,

"Renegade! If you have any cojones, you'll come and face me!"

The crowd was in a frenzy; some booing Del Rio, and some starting up a chant of REN-E-GADE! REN-E-GADE! I met the eyes of the manager at gorilla position, and nodded. My music began to play, and a heartbeat later, I came out on stage.

Between the screams of those around me and the blood rushing through my ears, I couldn't even hear my music. The insults Del Rio was throwing my way went unnoticed, but I did my best to play it off and look unimpressed at whatever he was spouting.

When I reached the ring, I hopped onto the apron and vaulted over the ropes, standing just a few feet from the furious man. For just a heartbeat, I let my eyes flick to Randy. He was on the apron, leaning on one of the turnbuckles, watching with a controlled expression. I realized he was glaring at Del Rio, and it hit me that I should probably be paying attention to what he was snarling.

"…and that's what you are! A coward! Hiding behind a mask, hiding behind Orton and Daniel Bryan and Kane! That's all you do can do, coward!"

As he stopped to catch his breath, I moved around the edge of the ring and took a mic from one of the camera men. When I turned back to Del Rio, he was still fuming. I twirled the microphone as I began to pace around him, moving just a hint closer.

"You really so insecure that getting beat by me upsets you this much?" I growled, keeping my voice low as I could. Del Rio's eyes flashed a dangerous shade and he took a step forward. I had to shift back to stare up at him as he towered over me. Clearly, we were done with the banter.

"Take off that mask and face me like a man," he dared, lips twitching into a snarl.

"Well," I sighed, reaching up and pulling my hood down; in one swift motion I yanked my mask off and threw my beanie aside. "We're gonna have a problem with that."

The screams of the fans were deafening; the entire arena seemed to rumble with their excitement as Del Rio's jaw dropped. My blonde hair had come out of the bun I'd wrangled it into and it spilled down my shoulders; Del Rio's eyes kept flicking between it and my bemused smirk.

"No!" he snarled, taking a step back from me. "No! This cannot happen! This is a joke! A girl doesn't get to wrestle with us!"

"Well it looks like I can. I mean, I did beat you last week, didn't I?"

Del Rio's eyes flashed furiously, and he took a step towards me just as Stephanie's music hit. Del Rio, Randy, and I all turned to stare at the entrance as she came out, smirking down at the ring as she addressed us and the WWE universe.

"My husband Triple H and I have made an executive decision to try something new in the WWE," she began, gesturing to me, which earned another roar of support from everyone around us. She opened her mouth to continue, but Del Rio cried out,

"A girl is going to be wrestling with superstars now?! That's not a possibility –"

"Oh, I think it is," she said coolly; did he really not realize she was female, too? "Del Rio, it's clear this young woman was able to take on not only Damien Sandow –" the crowd cheered, "Wade Barrett," even more cheers, "Dolph Ziggler," the crowd was ecstatic, "but the infamous Alberto Del Rio."

Stephanie actually had to wait for the crowd to settle down; just as the cheers died out, a wild chant of REN-E-GADE broke out. I couldn't hide my grin as I turned and took in the thousands of fans chanting for me. Randy met my eyes, and gave me a wink.

"We asked her to prove that she could keep up with the big boys," Stephanie finally continued, "and she certainly did. So now, I'd like to officially introduce the newest superstar to our roster."

Stephanie waved her hand up at the big screen as my official music began to play and my ring name was displayed.

JAMIE LAWLESS.

"Jamie Lawless?" Del Rio taunted, sneering my name as he stared down at me. I stuck out my hand and gave a cheeky grin; laughter bubbled through the cheering crowd.

"Nice to meet you."

Del Rio, not surprisingly, didn't take my offering. He swatted my wrist away and returned to standing over me to spit out insults.

"That wasn't you. Last night, last week, there's not a chance it was a pathetic, half-pint little brat that got the best of me!"

"It's really just sad how upset you are over losing in a fair fight," I pointed out, only enraging him more. "Really, is it that insulting that you got your ass handed to you by someone half your size?"

"A woman cannot wrestle!" he spat. "They just slap and roll around! Go back to the divas, where you belong, you little –"

"Excuse you," I cut in with a scowl. "No need to be a jerk. And besides, most of those divas wouldn't have a problem leveling you like I did, so I'd be careful who you insult –"

Del Rio's hands slammed into my chest and I stumbled back into the ropes. Fine. He wanted to piss me off? I wasn't holding back. Randy was already halfway across the ring to no doubt put Del Rio into an RKO, but I launched myself forward. Del Rio was expecting a tackle, and as he ducked I sprung up and threw my legs out.

Locking my ankles around the back of his head, I swung my body around as hard as I could and took Del Rio with me in a fierce Hurricanrana. As I twisted, I jerked my legs down and slammed him mercilessly into the mat face-first. My legs pulled back and I rolled across my shoulder, pushing myself up onto my feet.

The crowd was on their feet, this time chanting LAW-LESS! LAW-LESS! LAW-LESS! as Randy grabbed my wrist and threw my hand up in victory. My music started again; I turned and stood over Del Rio to give a two-finger salute. Randy laughed and sat on the middle rope, opening the ring to let me out. We jumped off the apron and Randy slung an arm across my shoulders, leading me back up the ramp as chants of my name followed us out.

The room was split; on one side of me, Nikki and Bryan were nearly giddy with my reveal. Bryan was raving about our match at Survivor Series. I'd been worried he'd be pissed about me going behind his back for mentoring, but he hadn't been quiet about how much I'd kicked ass the last few nights.

The other half of Brie and John – the wet blankets, as Nikki had named them – were standing with arms crossed, still not understanding what had just come to light.

"I just don't get where this is coming from," Brie began again, and I let out a weary groan, dropping onto one of the benches in the locker room now that I'd changed, lounging in my Renegade pants and a black tank, too lazy to get completely out of my ring attire. "You told us you didn't want to wrestle anymore –"

"No, I said I didn't want to be a diva," I corrected, and Brie scoffed.

"You knew what we meant, Jamie. I just don't think you've thought this out. Del Rio, Ziggler… that's one thing. But what about wrestlers like Big Show? Kane? Khali?"

"So what, you guys think I'm not good enough –"

"That's not what we're saying," John added gently, and this time, Nikki jumped in.

"Then quit insulting her and think about how amazing she's been! Jellybean's

already been fighting the boys –"

"And we've all seen the bruises from that," Brie snapped, arms crossing a little tighter.

"All of us get bruised every day," Bryan said soothingly; he was thrilled I'd stepped up my game enough to become a superstar. He was acting exactly like a ridiculously proud older brother, and I was so thrilled to have his support I could almost ignore Brie's immediate shut-down of my career. "Jay's tough. She can clearly take what they've been dealing out. We all get put against a tougher opponent sometimes. But we should trust her to know her limits."

"I trust her," Brie argued. "It's her opponents I don't! Half the assholes in the locker room don't know the meaning of a fair fight. She's half their size –"

"Which doesn't mean anything –" Bryan cut in; I sat up from the bench, looking between the two groups. Neither were even looking at me anymore.

"It's different with you –" John began in exasperation, and Nikki crossed her arms. Their argument from earlier wasn't completely settled, it seemed.

"Because he's a guy? You're saying that just because she's a girl she can't wrestle?"

"No, that means she should stay with the Divas, where she won't get thrown around like a doll –"

Slowly, I got to my feet. All four of them were facing each other, nearly foaming at the mouth, arguing my points for me. As I kept my eyes on them, I began to back out of the locker room. I reached the door; no one had noticed I wasn't taking part in my own argument.

Without any more hesitation, I slipped out of the door and whirled, racing down the hall and whipped around the corner, half expecting one of them to chase after me. I slammed into someone again, but this time my victim was able to catch my stumble and keep us both upright.

"You really need to look where you're going," Randy teased gently, holding my arms as he stared down at me. "I was just coming to check on things."

We both went silent, clearly able to hear the shouting match just around the corner. He gave me an apologetic smile and squeezed my arms just a bit.

"You okay?" he prompted, and I shrugged, dropping my gaze.

"Nothing I wasn't expecting. I just…" I took a deep breath and looked up, finally meeting his eyes again. "It kinda hurts hearing my friends doubt me so passionately, you know? I mean, I'm so glad Bryan and Nikki support it. But what John and Brie have been saying…"

"C'mon, Jay," he teased, a hand coming up to cup my chin. "It's not like that. They're just worried, and this is a pretty big bomb to drop on them. Just give it some time, let 'em cool down. When it all settles, I think they'll see where you're coming from."

"Yeah?" I asked softly, not entirely believing him. John was one of the most stubborn people I'd met, and when Mama Brie got riled up…

"Yeah," he said firmly, and then Randy leaned down and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me to his chest.

I'd never hugged Randy before – he wasn't exactly the hugging type, like Nikki. Surprisingly, it was extremely comforting. For as vicious as he seemed in the ring and to other people, I was seeing a gentler side that he apparently reserved just for his friends.

My own arms wrapped around his waist and I leaned heavily against him, shutting my eyes and taking a deep breath to settle my frazzled nerves. We finally pulled apart; his hands trailed down my arms softly as we did and he smiled.

"I've got a meeting with Steph," he said apologetically as we finally stepped apart. "But I'll come find you after the show. You gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine," I assured, smiling up at him as convincingly as I could as he began to back away. He gave me a playful warning frown.

"Stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Oh come on. I'm not that bad."

Randy rolled his eyes, but paused long enough to give me a wink before he was out of my sight. Still a little surprised by the hug, I almost didn't notice that CM Punk was on the screen across from me.

"My victory last night? That's not embarrassing. Beating Ryback and John Cena single-handedly in the same match, now that's something to be impressed by," Punk argued, and Heyman nodded in agreement, lifting his own mic.

"What's embarrassing is that Ryback had to have a girl protect him!"

Hey!

"Don't get me started, Paul," Punk howled, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes. "How pathetic was it watching this itty bitty brat do what Ryback couldn't!?"

I was at gorilla position before he finished talking, blood boiling in my veins. This wasn't how things were gonna be. If someone had a problem with me being on the roster, they'd say it to my damn face.

"If you ask me, it's embarrassing overall that the McMahon's would even consider letting someone like her in the ring with actual wrestlers! It's just insulting –"

"What's insulting is the fact that you two think you're important enough to run your mouths for half an hour and force these poor people to suffer through this 'celebration'," I cut in, already halfway down the ramp as I glowered at the men.

When the crowd saw I was here to defend myself, the boos at Punk and Heyman turned into cheering. I jumped up and grabbed the top rope, easily pulling myself onto the apron before I vaulted over into the ring. To my amusement, both Punk and Heyman actually took a step back.

"So here's the thing. If either of you have a problem with me, you can say it to my face. I'm right here," I laughed, holding my free arm out in invitation. "So come on, let's hear it."

Punk sneered as Heyman rolled his eyes; I gave a cheeky grin and leaned back casually against the ropes.

"Nothing? That's funny, you two didn't have a problem running your mouths when you were alone."

"It's beneath us to argue with someone that won't even be on the roster in a week," Heyman sneered, and Punk laughed in agreement; I smirked.

"Awful big talk coming from someone who had to have three punks from NXT help him win last night."

"Like you have room to talk," Punk cut in; clearly, I'd hit a nerve. "Considering you lost your match last night."

"Yeah, I did. But at least I didn't sneak my win like a little bitch." Punk's face darkened. I held out my hands in invitation, but he didn't advance. I pushed off the ropes, and took a step forward. "If I'm such an embarrassment to the WWE, if I'm so unworthy of fighting with the 'big boys', then why don't you come prove your point? You and me, right here. Right now."

The crowd erupted as I dropped my mic, ready for the fight. It was no surprise that Punk shook his head and turned away. The crowd began to boo as he turned back to sneer,

"You're not worth my time, you little brat –"

FEED. ME. MORE.

All three of us whipped around to stare as Ryback came surging out from gorilla position. He was furious, just as furious as I had been coming out, and his eyes were locked onto Punk. Someone else hadn't appreciated the insults either. I gave a laugh and took a step back, giving clear access to the pathetic men to my right.

Ryback reached the end of the ramp, and a flash of black caught the corner of my eye. I whipped to look back and caught Rollins launching at Ryback; a heartbeat later, Ambrose and Reigns joined the attack. For a moment all of us were stunned; even the fans.

Ryback broke free of the attack and whipped Reigns to the right, into the barricade, and then did the same to Rollins on the left. He stepped over Ambrose as he climbed into the ring.

Rollins and Reigns regrouped quickly and climbed in with him; I went to take on Rollins when I spotted Ambrose reaching for Ryback's leg. Without hesitation I ran forward and did a baseball slide under the ropes to put myself out of the ring and between Ambrose and his intended victim.

Good lord, he was tall; at least as tall as Randy, but with a wider, more intimidating frame. I certainly hadn't taken in how massive these men were last night. He was at least a foot above me, with broad shoulders and muscular arms that flexed as he studied me.

His hard, blue eyes burned into me; he didn't even blink as we faced off. He stepped an inch to the left, and I mirrored him. I didn't miss the look of amusement that slowly took over his expression; he didn't think I was a threat. Fine - I'd be using that against him. As little as I was compared to him, I knew I was the faster of the two of us, and I had a good feeling about my chances.

Ambrose moved for the ring again and I moved with him, staying between Ryback to give him a chance against the bigger opponents. He smirked down at me as he stepped forward; on instinct I took a step back to distance us, and I bumped into the apron. I could see our stare-off featured on the screen, so I matched his smirk with one of my own. The crowd was loving it.

"I'm not above hitting a girl," he warned, lifting a hand to flex his fingers menacingly. I rolled my shoulders back and balled my fists.

"Neither am I."

Ambrose moved first, trying to grab me and fling me aside. I locked a hold onto his wrists and shoved forward, making him stumble back. As he tried to regain his footing, I let myself drop and my weight pitched him forward. I swung forward between his legs and pulled his arm with me, letting him hit the ground face-first.

Maybe now he'd think about taking me seriously.

As I rolled on my knee and turned, Ambrose was already pushing up; the smirk was gone, replaced with a snarl. He caught me with a hard forearm to the jaw, expecting me to stumble out of his way, but I snagged his arm and let us fall back. He barely caught himself from landing on top of me, and I slipped my knees up between us and kicked up, launching him head-over-heels off of me and onto his back.

Rolling back onto my shoulders, I did a kick up and went to spin and face Ambrose again as an arm wrapped around my middle. Rollins, having noticed that I was actually able to hold my own with his teammate, turned and tossed me into the ring, following a moment later. Ryback was being pummeled in the corner by Reigns, so at least for now it'd be a fair fight with Rollins and I.

He threw a few hard hits to my gut but I was too fired up to care; even without the extra padding of the vest I'd been wearing, I barely felt his hits. I kicked at his thigh and ribs, driving him back from me so I could whirl and throw a buzzsaw kick to the side of his head.

Rollins dropped to his knees, stunned, and then another set of arms slipped up under mine and heaved me back. Before I could orient myself, Ambrose threw me into a vicious powerslam.

Just as I bounced off the mat, Rollins – back on his feet – scooped me up. For a terrifying moment I was hoisted up over his head, and then he threw me over the top rope. I landed hard on my side, slumping onto my stomach with a groan. My head was spinning, and my limbs didn't want to cooperate.

Desperately, I wanted to get up and throw myself back into the fray, but I couldn't stand. All I could do was watch as Ryback was dragged from the ring and lifted into a triple powerbomb through the announce table.

As Punk disgraced Ryback even more by standing over him, I heard the crowd erupt; footsteps came thundering down the ramp, and then a hand was rolling me over onto my back.

"Jay," Randy breathed, patting my face as I tried to focus my eyes. He was kneeling over me, face almost panicked. I caught his gaze snapping up, and I turned to see Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns, now leaning on the ropes, smirking down at the two of us.

Though I could tell Randy considered going after them, he looked back down at me and his focus changed. An arm slid under my shoulders, and he helped me sit up slowly. The crowd clapped and cheered me on as Randy secured his hold around my middle and helped me stand. I leaned heavily on him as I stumbled backstage, grimacing at the twinge in my side.

Brie, Nikki, and the guys were just running around the corner. It had all happened so fast I could imagine they didn't even realize I was out in the ring until it was too late.

All arguments aside, my friends helped escort me with Randy to the trainer's room; Bryan held the door as I was ushered in by my posse. The medical trainer glanced up and looked surprised to see me.

"Back so soon?" he mused, and I actually chuckled.

"Just can't stay away," I agreed, wincing as Randy all but lifted me onto the exam table. Though they put up a valiant fight, Doc eventually shooed everyone from my side – except Randy, who was steadying me. John caught his eye and ordered,

"Make sure she's okay."

As much as they didn't like him, coming to my aide seemed to give him a hint of amnesty; Randy nodded in agreement as they backed out of the room, and Doc began his exam.

Randy stayed next to me the whole time, an arm wrapped across my back, hand curled around my far hip. About ten minutes later, the door opened again, and this time Ryback was being escorted in by a group of referees.

He fell heavily onto the table next to mine, and I convinced Doc to check on him and leave me for later. Thankfully, he just gave me the all-clear and gave me permission to leave; I didn't waste any time scrambling off the exam table.

Randy helped me stand, and we resumed our earlier position, with me tucked to his side. I wasn't as frazzled and aching as I had been earlier, but the support was much welcomed. As we went to find the others, a hand reached out and snagged my wrist. Turning, I caught Ryback staring up at me intently.

"I wanted to thank you. For tonight and last night. Since I got here, no one's had my back. And you jumped in twice," he acknowledged, and I gave him a small smile. "Really. You need anything, the big guy's got you, pipsqueak."

"Don't mention it. Feel better, alright?" I said with a smile, and he held out his hand. We fist-bumped and shared another quick smile as I headed out of the trainers room. Randy and I walked down the hall. His hand stayed wrapped over my hip, and I moved my own arm to lay across his waist, grateful for his support.

When we reached the locker room, Randy paused and gently tugged me to face him. I found myself nearly chest-to-chest with him. Though I immediately took a step back to distance us, he didn't seem to mind the closeness. He smirked down at me and gave me a curious stare.

"What?"

"I gotta know. When I tell you to stay out of trouble, is that like an open invitation to you?"

I laughed and gave him a cheeky grin; his eyes flashed with amusement as he leaned just a little closer. My breath hitched as his nose brushed mine, but he was simply leaning in to give me a swift kiss to the cheek. He pulled back and tipped my chin playfully as he backed away.

"You better find your friends. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright. And Randy?" I said, catching his hand as he began to turn away; he paused and raised a brow. "Thanks. For everything."

"Don't mention it, kid," he teased, giving me a wink before he sauntered down the hall. With a goofy grin on my face, feeling on top of the world, I turned and nearly ran into Brie and Nikki. One had a look of barely masked anger, the other had a look of absolute glee.

"Did Randy Orton just kiss you?" Nikki gushed first, just before Brie cut in with,

"I thought you said you were just friends!"

"Hey, hold on," I said quickly, throwing up my hands before they could work themselves into a frenzy. "He is just a friend. A kiss on the cheek doesn't mean anything. Okay? So don't – quit giving me that look, Nicole!"

"Let's go ask John and Bryan if kissing someone's cheek is just friendly," she cooed, already turning to saunter back into the locker room. Brie was much less amused, arms crossed with a scowl as I shuffled past her like a toddler going to time-out. It was gonna be one hell of a week.

As annoying as it was to sit through another rousing game of 'Randy Orton isn't good for you', I noticed that at least – for now – Brie and John's apprehension was gone. Neither of them ragged on me for my career choice, and though I knew the conversation was far from over, for now I'd take what I could get.

A/N: AHH! Jamie and Dean's first encounter... it's a lot of fun writing them together so y'all are gonna be getting a lot more of it!

Wow! All the amazing feedback you guys have given me seriously makes my day! I love hearing your ideas and your thoughts about the chapters. It makes me want to write them even faster, so please, if you like it (or hate it) or have any requests/ideas/critiques please let me know!

For those interested, Jamie's official music is Monody by The Fat Rat (specifically beginning at 1:47) if you wanted to listen. Her signature move is the Hurricanrana, and if you're unfamiliar I totally suggest looking up the Litacanrana on youtube to get an idea of how it's done.