Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Hoping to have the next chapter up a LOT quicker than usual, but for now, please read and review! Zelkina xx
There was blood, so much blood. From Rebel, from Orton, even from Dean as a result of a not so errant chair from Randy Orton. Yet still, Rebel and Orton went at each other as if their lives depended on it. And then Dean was forced to watch and follow at a distance as they took the fight around the arena, making use of chairs, tables, barriers and equipment boxes, before getting back to the announce tables. After upper cutting Randy in a nasty manner, Rebel turned to Dean.
"Help me get him up!" She exclaimed, a wicked grin visible under the blood streaming down her face. Dean shook his head with a nasty smile, and headed over to help. There was a pause however, as Roman came down to the ring, surprising them both.
"What, you think you're going to do that without me?" he asked, laughing. The three stood up on the announce table, hoisting Randy up in to the air and triple power bombing him through the Spanish announce table. He lay in among the wreckage as the three looked down on him, a groan escaping his lips. Roman nudged Rebel, and held his hand out in a closed fist. She laughed and joined him, Dean noticing also and giving his infectious grin as he too joined in the iconic gesture of The Shield. As the Viper stirred a little, Rebel jumped down, and heaved the man in to the ring, delivering a final blow with a chair before deciding on the ultimate insult, and putting him in to a nasty submission hold. She chose none other than the evil choke hold he'd put her in a few weeks prior, even the same positioning. Randy was blinded by blood, now he couldn't breathe, and after a moment of trying to fight it, he tapped out. Rebel was helped to her feet and announced the winner by the referee, and was joined by Dean and Roman, both men congratulating her and Roman holding her hand up as a symbol of respect, before the three left for back stage, leaving Randy battered and bleeding on the ring floor.
"That's not going to be the end of it, you know this, don't you Rebel?" Hunter looked at the Diva as she sat in the chair opposite. Blood was now dry, stitches in place, and bruises beginning to show. Rebel sighed with a nod as Steph pushed a hot drink towards her, Vince also watching on concerned. It was time, Steph had decided, to make him aware of what was going on between the pair.
"I know, believe me I do. He's not going to quit till I either break before Mania, or Mania breaks me. And if by some small miracle I win, well, he's not going to take that lightly either." She replied, before thanking Steph for the drink.
"You put up quite a show today, Rebel. I doubt he'll come after you for a few weeks." Vince said, leaning on his knees with his elbows.
"I'd like to think so, Mr McMahon, but I doubt it will be me he goes after. I think it will be Dean." She said, Randy's words echoing through her mind.
"He thinks you two are an item?" Vince asked. Rebel nodded.
"I'm sure of it. We're not, however, but we are pretty close friends. Going after Dean would be a great way to try and upset me." She said, before pausing, frowning.
"What's the matter?" asked Steph.
"I just...I can't understand why he's taking so much of an issue with me, about this. Surely a veteran should be pleased someone is achieving this in a shorter span, that I'm clearly trying everything, willing to give my all? I don't understand where it's all coming from." She said aloud, finally giving voice to what was bugging her.
"It's not you that's the problem, Rebel." Vince said gently. "Randy was always going to be jealous anyone achieved more in their career than he had. You see, he believes, however misguided it is, that as a third generation wrestler, he is the be all and end all. That he should just have titles fall at his feet. We all know that's not true, I mean, look at Roman for god's sake, he's Anao'i, if anyone should have bragging rights it's him and The Uso's. Randy, on the other hand, feels entitled to having the titles we hold in such esteem. I kept hoping one day he might come to his senses, but maybe I'm going to have to eat my words, and realise that might never happen." Vince shook his head. "The guys can hold their own with Randy, I know that. They won't tolerate his crap. But with you...I'm worried about what he'll try. How far he'll go."
"I'm a lot tougher than I look, Mr McMahon." Rebel said with a smile. "It's going to take a lot to take me out completely. Is there nothing we can do to give me, and the others, a bit of a break? While I can handle him, like I said, my body won't stand up to Roman at Wrestlemania. Add to that Roman, Dean and Seth constantly in the line of fire for having my back all the time...Roman can't be injured this close to Mania either. There's a serious risk to both of us this close to the event." Rebel said, spreading her hands before her as if an answer would appear on her palms.
"Well...I suppose...the next time he attacks you we could suspend him till Mania?" Steph asked, looking over at her father.
"It's a possibility. But so close to Mania, he's got his own fight to worry about now. Perhaps a whiff of the fact he'll get suspended would stop him from attacking you." Vince said after some thought.
"You mean, spreading a rumour?" Hunter asked. Vince nodded. "you might be on to something. Who do we know that can't keep their trap shut?"
The rumour spread like wildfire, but Rebel didn't have time to be concerned with Randy's behaviour. Something else was on her mind, and that was The Meet. The Friday 6th March found her heading to New York City with Triple H. She had no idea what to expect here, she had never even known it existed. Rebel guessed that previous years she hadn't been thought important enough to attend, but was corrected by Hunter when he said that people thought she was simply a bit of a recluse when it came to the Meet, and hadn't wanted to come.
"You honestly don't need to worry, Rebel. I've taken care of everything. Hotel, travel the lot." He said with a smile as they got off the plane.
"You didn't have to, H, I could have managed it," she began but was silenced by Hunter waving her protests away. They had gotten out to a limo by the time Hunter had finally managed to shut Rebel up and insist on it being ok that he paid.
"Look, I'm going to let you in on a secret, Rebel. I feel bad, not because Randy has issues with you, I feel bad about that, but also because I should have given you a chance to prove yourself a long time ago. You've showed time and time again that you can handle whatever the guys throw at you, win or lose. You've done a hell of a lot in a short time there's no denying that. So think of me paying for all this as...well as an apology of sorts." He said as the limo drove them to a hotel.
"Hunter...it's ok, I kinda know why you didn't do it sooner. You had valid excuses, after all." She said, putting her hand on the COO's as he shook his head. "But thank you. For everything." She gave his hand a squeeze, and let go. "So...what's the plan exactly for this thing?"
Rebel had to admit, this thing was planned meticulously. She knew damn well other wrestlers were in town, she knew that they were all heading to the Meet. But there wasn't a whiff, not a sighting or mention. The hotel they were staying at was so high end, Rebel wondered if Hunter had bought their silence as well as their services. Not a flicker of recognition from the staff as Hunter checked them in, and they were shown to their respective rooms. Hunter told her to stay in her room, and he'd come get her when he was ready. After a nod and a few words of agreement, she went in.
Turning to look at the room, her jaw dropped. It wasn't a room, it was a suite! Rebel looked over the crisp white furniture, the mock fireplace, the large TV screen she could see at the end of the bed in another room. Everything was clean, sharp, it was a modern suite. Hell, there was even a faux fur rug in front of the fire!
"Hunter, I'm going to kill you. This is WAY over the top," she said to herself, looking round at everything.
She stayed in her rooms till he came to get her, and found herself whisked off to Madison Square Garden where she did some promo work. Then, the next day, she was taken to a radio interview, before being taken back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. She was quiet in the car on the way to The Meet, unsure what to expect.
"You'll be ok, Rebel." Hunter said, breaking the silence. "You'll have a blast. There's plenty of people going that you will know, Dean's going to be there." He added as if that should cheer her up. "I know how close you two are."
"Well…I…we're good friends," she stammered, caught off guard. Hunter laughed.
"You're more than that, Rebel. You are head over heels for Ambrose, even if he's too dumb to see it. Yeah, I know you think he can't see it, but I'll let you in on something, guys just as nuts about you as you are about him."
"Doubt it Hunter. Doubt it very much." Rebel replied laughing. "He wouldn't know if I liked him that way if I slapped him upside the head with a massive sign declaring it." Hunter laughed also.
"I don't think he's that much of an idiot, Rebel. Joking aside, I can tell he really rather likes you. He's worried sick about you, you haven't seen his face when he's watching you fight just lately." Hunter said in a serious tone. "Tell him. What's the worst that can happen, he says no?"
"Not right now. We all have too much going on. After Mania, maybe. I'd be happier waiting till then." Rebel shook her head. If Hunter was right, and Dean did like her that way, she wanted nothing on her mind when she asked him on a date, or anything else for that matter.
Rebel had lost track of where they were during the drive and conversation. When she finally decided to pay attention, they were driving through an industrial estate. It was long past quitting time, the factories stood silent and empty of life, warehouses the same. Except as the car slowed to a stop, she could see one was still active. Fencing surrounding the building had recently been renewed, it was up to eight feet high and was topped with barbed wire. Security were heavily present, ad were checking each car ahead of them as they went in. This had to be it, Rebel realised. This had to be where they were going. Driving in to the gate, the car was stopped, checked out inside and out, and allowed on their way. They drove, to her surprise, right in to the warehouse in question. The car was guided to a parking spot, and Rebel spotted a familiar looking motorbike in one of the spaces. They parked and got out, before Hunter took the girl by the arm and lead her to a set of stairs next to a lift.
"Ok, Rebel, this is it. We go up these stairs, and we'll be at The Meet. There's a lot of people here who want to meet you. You ready?" He asked. Rebel took a deep breath, and nodded. "That a girl. Let's go meet some people." Hunter smiled, he could tell Rebel was nervous as hell but was putting on a brave face about it all. He took her by the arm again and they walked up the stairs together, and through a large set of double doors. Rebel found herself faced with tonnes of people looking at her and Hunter, or at least, at her.
"Ladies and Gents, Triple H and Rebel Wild have arrived." Announced a voice and Rebel cringed as more people appeared, looking over to where they stood. Silence seemed to stretch on forever as she gave a nervous smile.
Then the room erupted in to noise again, or so it seemed to Rebel. People called to her, greeted her with cheery smiles. Those closest came over to introduce themselves, and Rebel was first introduced to The Rock as he came to greet them both.
"Rock, how are you, how have you been?" asked Hunter, shaking his hand warmly.
"Fantastic Hunter, and you?" Rock asked, and offered a hand to Rebel as Hunter replied.
"I'm great, thanks. Rock, I'd like to introduce you to Rebel Wild." He said, gesturing to her.
"Great to meet you, Rebel." He smiled, shaking her hand. "Roman's told me so much about you. Care to join me for a drink? I'd love to know what mess my cousin has gotten himself in to." Rebel looked at Hunter who said nothing but gave her a not so gentle shove towards The Rock, and without so much as a word he wandered off to go greet Rick Flair and Batista. Rock smiled at her as he walked her off towards the bar she could see set up, a large rectangular feature in the middle of the room, double sided so there was somewhere to sit at all times. They reached it, and Rock pulled out a bar stool so she could sit down.
"So, what are you having to drink?" he asked, smileing as behind him Rebel spotted Tommy Dreamer and Kurt Angle chatting with Sammi Zayne and Paige.
"Oh...um...a vodka and lemonade, if that's ok?" she said, feeling rather small.
"Vodka and lemonade it is." He replied, before flagging down a server and ordering. "So, Rebel, tell me a bit about yourself, tell me who this gutsy, crazy, wild animal is that's facing my cousin for his shiney little belt." He said, flashing a smile at her.
After a little while chatting to The Rock, he ordered her another drink, and offered to show her around the venue and explain what was happening in each section. It turned out that every year, the major sports entertainment organisations would take turns paying for the costs of The Meet. This year it just so happened to be the WWE's turn. The warehouse was divided in to four sections. The first, Rebel and Rock were already in, was the bar area. The long rectangular bar seemed to streatch forever, either side filled with tables and chairs, the wall on one side lined with booths, toilets on the other. Then came a viewing area. Large tv screens were set up, each with various games consoles and a host of games related to the companies attending, like WWE, TNA, Ring of Honour, UFC etc, and a few favourites from other genres of game such as Assassin's Creed, Forza and the like. The third section was set up with four rings, allowing people to fight across promotions as they pleased. Each ring was set up complete with mats around the outside, and barriers, forming a arena like fence complete with a walkway section. A walkway went between the four, leading to the final section. Here, a stage was set up, instruments etc ready to go, sometimes bands associated with the organisations would perform, sometimes the stars themselves would perform. Rock walked her back to the bar again, and said he would catch up with her later, and to enjoy herself. He waved to Alundra Blaze as she walked past, and Rebel turned to the bar to get herself another drink.
She had only just began on it when a familiar voice spoke to her.
"Glad you came, Rebel." It said, and Rebel shook her head with a smile.
"Should have known you'd find me, after the shit that went down with Randy, I expected a call. Gotta admit, it surprised me that you didn't ring."
"Well I'm beginning to wonder what the use is in berating you, to be honest. You're pulling crazy shit with alarming regularity." He said, and Rebel looked at her friend to see the twinkle in his eye. "I think it's starting to be your trademark."
"I would have gone with defence mechanism, personally." She laughed. "Seriously though, I'm in a whole world of shit now, dude, I don't see myself coming out the other side. If i do, I sure as hell won't be coming out the same." The alcohol was allowing her to speak her mind and making her feel much more at ease with doing so. "And this mess is my own doing."
"Something bugging you, Rebel?" he asked, getting a nod in reply. "Spit it out then girl, what is it?"
"Well...what if Randy's right? That I can't win at Mania, that he was right in that I should have just outed myself in the Rumble instead of staying put?" she asked.
"Horseshit, Rebel. Yeah, I get you're scared, you're terrified right now, But there's no reason any of what you said is true. You're nowhere near incapable of winning at Mania. Hell, I'd say your size versus Roman is an advantage!" he exclaimed. "And yes, you are going to come out the other side different. It will change you, because you'll come out the other side with a belt round your waist." He replied. They sat and chatted together a little longer, before they went their separate ways. Rebel was keen to keep her friends identity a secret until they were both ready to reveal it. He had agreed he would be at Mania, that was enough, Rebel decided.
As she crossed the bar area, having spotted Dean as he made his way back to his friends, she found herself stopped time and time again by others. Asking how she was, was she scared? Did she have a game plan? Did she think she could do it? As she chatted to Batista, AJ Styles, James Storm and Rhonda Rousey, others watching on, Kane's voice came cutting through the air.
"Rebel, there you are! I've been looking for you all evening!" it said, making her turn. "Come on, dude you have to meet her, she's the girl I was telling you about, set the whole place on fire," Rebel looked to where Kane stood, clearly more than a little drunk, pulling someone by the arm. A 6ft 10 in, 299lb someone who Rebel looked up to more than anyone else in the business, and had yet to meet. He came over at Kane's behest, a smile on his face and a whiskey in hand. He looked different in jeans and a shirt instead of his usual ring attire, and if possible, that un-nerved Rebel more so. Rebel swallowed hard, it seemed like the whole place had gone quiet to hear the conversation that would happen between the two. Even the people she had been speaking to had backed off a few steps.
"Rebel Wild, let me introduce you to The Undertaker." Kane said, gesturing from her to the man stood in front of her. "Undertaker, meet the next WWE Champion, Rebel Wild." There was a pause, then The Undertaker reached out a hand to shake Rebel's, which she did so trying hard not to show how much she was shaking.
"I am very pleased to meet you at last. Kane has told me so, so much about you." He said as he let go of her hand.
"P..pleased to meet you also...Sir..." She managed, not even sure if she could call him by his name.
"Sir? Please, call me Taker," he said, knocking back the rest of his glass as Rebel did so with hers, trying to hide her nerves. "It would appear we are both out of drink. Care to join me for one?" he asked, offering an arm as Kane wandered off to speak to someone else.
"I'd love to," she said, more confidently than she felt.
Rebel found herself talking most of the night away with her idol. They watched people fight, talked about their upcoming matches, discussed past matches. He gave her pointers, they shared experiences with different types of moves. It was nearly four AM by the time the night was over, and Rebel knew she wasn't going to forget what little she could remember the following day. The man could seriously drink a lot of whiskey.
Waking the next day, she had the hangover from hell. Looking over at her phone on the bedside table, she saw she had changed her wallpaper from a picture of her, Dean, Roman and Seth, to a picture of her and The Undertaker. There was a bit of paper underneath it, and she picked it up, puzzled. Opening it, she saw a scribbled note. If you need anything, no matter how small, call. Undertaker. Rebel smiled. Her idol had her back. Her friends had her back. Hell, her boss had her back. This was it now, there was nothing else worth worrying about except for Wrestlemania. And she knew that Randy Orton was going to try take her out in any way he could, to stop her from getting to the main event. A main event that at first, she hadn't wanted, but now, knew that her very career was on the line. It would propel her higher than she could ever imagine if she won. It would be a women's first, a diva holding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. If she lost, she would forever go down as the woman who threw it all away, that her desire for the gold was greater than her in ring ability. Randy Orton would have a field day with her defeat, Rebel thought to herself with a scowl. She could not allow that to happen. She had to beat Roman, no matter what the cost.