In a matter of moments, Sonya and Charlotte were going to be introduced for their appearance on The Clementine Show. After some deliberation, they had decided not to tell their host ahead of time that they were going to come out as couple on the show. They figured it would be best if Clementine was as surprised as everyone else. There was no danger of Clementine or the producers being mad at them for it, as the news would be a massive exclusive for the show. If anything, they ought to be delighted that their show had been the one chosen for the bombshell announcement.

"Still sure we're doing this?" Sonya asked Charlotte quietly. Out in the studio, they could hear the audience applauding the start of the show.

It would have been ridiculous for Charlotte to have felt no nerves at what lay ahead. The truth was that her stomach was churning. However, reminding herself of the band aid analogy she had come up with when first floating the idea, she was determined to go through with it. "Absolutely," she said with a smile.

Sonya smiled lovingly at her girl. She was thankful for the fact that in 2019 they were likely to receive widespread acceptance of their relationship and sexuality, although hers was already known to the public. There would of course be some idiots who chose to throw homophobic abuse around about them online. There was no avoiding that. The best way to react in her opinion was to ignore the negativity. The homophobic mindset was on the decline, and would continue in that direction.

In the studio, Clementine, a thirty year old African American woman who was famous for her friendly but effective way of getting her guests to open up about themselves, and also for presenting her show in baseball cap, was finishing welcoming viewers to the episode. Next would be the introduction for Sonya and Charlotte, who were appearing for the first half of the hour long show.

"Tonight, we begin with two very special guests," Clementine said. "Leading the rise to prominence of women's professional wrestling over the past few years, from WWE, please welcome Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville."

The live audience applauded enthusiastically as Sonya's entrance theme began to play. Thanks to the wonders of technology, the wall that formed the backdrop behind the chairs where Clementine sat with her guests transformed into a picture of Sonya and Charlotte taken from the Smackdown episode after Wrestlemania, showing the one time they had stood together at the top of the entrance ramp both wearing championship gold.

Walking out into the studio, both beautifully made up and wearing expensive dresses purchased especially for the occasion, Sonya and Charlotte smiled and waved to acknowledge the applause before continuing over to the host, who was standing ready to greet them. Charlotte had brought her Women's European Championship belt with her, and was carrying it over her shoulder.

Clementine exchanged a peck on the cheek and a few words of welcome with each of her guests, before motioning them towards the chairs that were waiting for them. As Clementine sat down opposite them, sitting in a relaxed manner as was her usual style, the applause and Sonya's music faded.

"Charlotte, Sonya, welcome," Clementine said warmly. "It's great to have you on the show."

"Thanks, Clem. It's great to be here," Sonya said on behalf of them both.

Clementine half turned to look into the main camera and towards her audience. "We have two of the very best female wrestlers in the world right here. Both are former WWE Women's Champions, and Charlotte is the current Women's European Champion." She turned to Charlotte. "Charlotte, you have your title belt there. I had a close look at it backstage earlier, and it's beautiful, I must say."

A cameraman got a zoomed in shot of the title belt.

"It must be a mission having to take something like that everywhere you travel?" Clementine asked. Her first question of the interview was deliberately intended to draw the ripple of laughter that came from the audience, and to put the guests at ease.

"It does get interesting at times," Charlotte said with a broad smile. "Putting it in your luggage would be a big risk in case the airline loses it, so often you have to carry it on. And that means going through security, where nine point nine times out of ten you'll get pulled aside and asked to explain what it is. Once people find out, they often want to stop and take pictures with the belt and stuff like that, which is fun don't get me wrong, but it can be awkward when you're in a rush."

Clementine smiled and there were a few quiet laughs from the audience. The host turned to Sonya. "Sonya, you were recently the Smackdown Women's Champion. What did it mean to you to be a champion at a point where women's wrestling is more popular than ever before?"

"It was a huge honour," Sonya replied. "There have been some amazing, ground-breaking female wrestlers in the past, but right now? The women in WWE are by far the strongest group in terms of talent that has ever been established. With that being said, winning the Smackdown Women's Championship is an achievement I'll be able to look back on and be proud of for the rest of my life."

"Earlier this year, you defended the championship at Wrestlemania, the biggest WWE event of the year," Clementine said. "This year, Wrestlemania happened to be at MetLife Stadium in your home state of New Jersey. That must have been an emotional night for you?"

"It sure was," Sonya said reflectively. "Performing at Wrestlemania, especially as a champion, is a huge milestone in any wrestler's career. To do it at MetLife, so close to home, was extra special for me. There's nothing like walking into arena that size when you're one of the performers. It's literally a sea of people as far as the eye can see, and they're all cheering, or in my case booing, because I'm a bad guy."

"You look like a bad guy," Clementine commented. The audience burst out laughing, as did Sonya and Charlotte.

"Thanks, Clem," Sonya said through her laughter. "That means a lot."

Once the laughter died down, Clementine moved on to her next question. "In recent months, the two of you have been playing a couple on-screen. Sonya, you're the first openly lesbian wrestler in WWE, which I personally think is brilliant, but Charlotte, this must have been a unique experience for you? What has it been like pretending to date a woman in Sonya?"

Charlotte and Sonya looked at each other. That was the setup question they had been waiting for. "Well, here's the thing," Charlotte said slowly, summoning her courage. "We started off acting out those roles, but that didn't last all that long. We've only told a few people this so far, Clem. We've been dating for real for the past few months."

"Oh my!" Clem exclaimed in delight, joining the audience in breaking into spontaneous applause.

Sonya looked at Charlotte, feeling like the happiest woman in the world. The smile on Charlotte's face showed that she was feeling much the same way. Sonya had never felt more in love than she did in that moment.

"Just to be clear," Clementine said over the applause, "I had no idea they were going to announce that tonight. Guys, I really am so happy for you. You make a lovely couple."

"Flairville!" a woman shouted out from the audience.

"What?" Clem asked, looking in the direction the voice had come from.

"She said Flairville," Sonya said, still smiling. "That's the hashtag we use in WWE. I guess it's now our ship name, for people who are into that kind of thing."

"Flairville it is," Clementine smiled. "Guys, let's hear it again for Flairville!"

Another round of applause went up.

"That was really brave of you," Clementine said to Charlotte while her voice was somewhat masked by the applause.

When the applause came to an end, Clementine spoke to Charlotte again. "Charlotte, am I correct in saying this is your first relationship with a woman?"

Charlotte nodded. "You are. So I guess I just came out live on your show."

Applause started again as people reacted to the courageous act. Clementine stood up, offering a hug to Charlotte. Charlotte got up and accepted the gesture from the smaller woman, being careful not to knock her baseball cap off in the process. As she went in for the hug, she saw tears in Clem's eyes.

"That is one of the best moments I've ever had on my show," Clementine said quietly so that only Charlotte could hear. As they parted, she wiped her eyes.

"Thank you," Charlotte said.

Spontaneously, Sonya decided to get up and go to Charlotte. As Charlotte turned around, she walked into Sonya's arms and they kissed each other, applause still filling the studio.

"I love you, Queen," Sonya said into her ear.

"I love you too, honey. I'm proud and lucky to be with you. You're my whole world."

They kissed again and Sonya said, "Flairville for life."

END

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read this story from beginning to end, and special thanks to those who have left reviews along the way. Based on those reviews, I know that some of you have enjoyed reading the story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. As an author, that's the best thing of all.