Chapter XIII: An Acceptance of Blessings
Luck had it in for her so far as Cheryl had managed to miss seeing Batista at the house show and at RAW. Last week, the storyline bout between Cherry Leigh and Lita had been set up as they had gotten into a backstage fight again with Eric Bischoff intervening and making the match for the next Monday. The redhead paused at the door when she heard her name.
"Don't tell Cheryl about them," Victoria quietly warned.
"Tell me about what?" she asked, pushing the door aside anyhow.
Victoria's face screwed up and she whispered, "Oops."
"Nothing," Trish added.
Lita condescendingly shook her head at the two of them. "Do you promise not to kill anybody?"
"Depends on what it is," Cheryl replied, putting her hands on her hips.
"Promise," the other redhead demanded.
"I promise…" she trailed off but continued after Lita's glare, "…not to kill anybody today."
"Good enough," Lita replied. "They've hired another diva contestant and brought anothergirl up from OVW—Candace and Melina."
Cheryl's eyes dropped to the floor and she slumped down to the bench. "There's no point in getting angry when you can't do anything about it," she said and then looked back up. "I worked with Melina and she's okay. We got along, generally because we didn't talk to each other but I don't remember Candace. How bad is she?"
"She wascut early on but I don't thinkshe's as bad as the idiot triplets," Victoria volunteered. What ended up being bad was that they were too overeager to make friends with both sides of the lockerroom. Melina, all of a sudden, was showing interest in Cheryl when she never did in OVW. Lita encouraged the women wrestlers to attempt to be friendly with the new hires since they were making an effort.
Cheryl needed a moment away from them despite their attempts at being amiable. Nidia's absence, warranted or not, still hurt and she could use the woman to confide in at the moment. The brunette was still officially on her honeymoon and Cheryl refused to interrupt the precious time. A walk to hospitality and back would do her good.
A forbidden chocolate chip cookie in one hand and a bottle of water in the other, Cheryl was caught off guard when somebody grabbed her arm from behind. She spun around, hiding the cookie behind her back, to find a grinning Edge. "I haven't talked to you in a while. Where you been hiding?" She shrugged her shoulders. "With Dave, I bet. Haven't seen him around much either," the blonde mused with a 'hmmm.'
"Did you ever, uh, get him back for, you know," she stuttered, trying to steer their conversation into another direction.
"Yeah," he answered, beaming a large, toothy smile, "yeah, I did. He hasn't said anything?" She shook her head. "I'll let him tell you."
Cheryl resigned herself to never knowing and not really caring either. "You been okay? Seriously? You and Dave seem to be avoiding everybody lately?"
"Everything's fine, really. I've been caught up in Nidia's wedding and all."
"Ah, Nidia. That went well?"
"Mmm-huh," the redhead replied, thinking about a way to get out of the conversation. Yes, she hadn't talked to Edge lately, mainly because she was absorbed in Dave, and, yes, they had been avoiding everybody recently because of the break-up. She hadn't even told Lita and Victoria, so there was no way she was going to tell Edge, that is, if he didn't wheedle it out of her anyhow.
"Just out of curiosity, what exactly are you hiding behind your back?" Edge asked, trying to peek around her.
"Nothing," she replied, twisting away. He tried to look around her the other way and she turned to the other side. "Why does it matter?" she asked and couldn't help but laugh at his dodging around and their turning in circles over a simple cookie.
"'Cause maybe I want some."
Cheryl whipped around with her back to him and crammed the rest of the cookie in her mouth. "foo 'ate," she muttered through the crumbs.
"Too late? You dog!"
"I know," she replied, after swallowing and taking a drink of water.
"I miss hanging out with you," he said with a snort of laughter.
"Me too," Cheryl sighed, slightly surprised at herself for missing someone's company other than the girls'.
"After you ask Dave about me getting back at him, let's hang out together."
"Okay," she slowly drawled, wondering what in the world the man had done. "Well, I gotta go. My match is coming up soon."
Lita and Cheryl walked through the high spots again of the match in question during the commercial before they were to perform when the members of Evolution walked by after their in-ring promo. Cheryl's eyes caught Dave's form and then immediately dropped to the cold floor before she turned back to Lita. She could see him watch her out of the corner of her eye for a moment before moving on with the group.
"You not getting any of that sweet ass?" Triple H laughed, slapping Batista on the back. "If she was mine, I'd tell her like it is…"
Dave whipped around, grabbing Hunter's wrist. "Don't talk about her like that."
"Sounds like somebody needs to get laid," he nervously replied and tried to pull away.
"I said, 'Don't talk about her like that,' and she's not yours, so keep your nose out of our business," the dark-haired wrestler angrily replied.
"Dave," Ric Flair ordered, putting a hand on his shoulder. "He's just kidding you." Batista turned to glare at Flair and then threw Helmsley's arm back at him before stalking off.
Cheryl's body had reacted to Dave's skimpily clad one as she saw Triple H slap him on the back. Her heart had twisted to the point of taking her breath away as his muscles, perfectly sculpted muscles that begged to be touched, tensed. By then, the faction was out of her sight. The tension crackled in the small space and Lita stopped talking about the match. "What's going on?" she demanded.
"Nothing. So, we end after the hurricanrana but then—"
"You and Dave didn't speak to each other," Lita observed.
"We kinda broke up…I think. It's something I don't want to talk about. I'd rather focus on our match. Now, after the hurricanrana…" Cheryl stopped at the sympathetic look in Lita's eyes. "Please don't talk about this to anyone and, whatever you do, don't try to put us back together. It's something we have to work through if… Alright, what else do we need to talk about for the match?"
The bout went off without a hitch. Cherry Leigh fought cleanly against the women's champ until Lita almost had her pinned. She then began to incur a few warnings from the ref, such as hair pulling and using the ropes. However, Lita came out on top with the belt. Cherry Leigh rolled out onto the apron while the other redhead celebrated in the ring. She then slipped back in with a steel chair and laid Lita out before exiting to a chorus of boos. It was only about to get worse.
After the commercial break, Cherry Leigh pleaded before a seated Triple H. She paced with a can of beer in her hand, something Cheryl only drank because Creative wanted her character to do so. "Is that enough for you now? They think I'm on your side and, if they want to be that way, then here I am."
Hunter folded his arms across his chest and regarded her with pursed lips. "So, what are trying to say, you want in on Evolution?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not asking but if you let me in…"
"To answer your question, turning on Lita isn't enough. You're gonna have to do something else to prove yourself, to prove your loyalty…"
Cherry Leigh rolled her eyes and glanced away from the camera. "Alright, what is it?"
An evil grin spread across Helmsley's face as he steepled his fingers together. "First things first, we need to refine your taste," he said, taking the can from her hand and replacing it with a champagne flute. The vignette cut as she tossed the liquid back.
The fans wouldn't learn for two more months what the grin meant. Batista's place in the faction was already on shaky ground and the time was ripe for him to turn on Evolution also. Within the next couple of weeks, Cherry Leigh was to hook up with Batista and act as if she's on his side as he leaves the group. Once on the other side, she, as the guest referee, was to turn on him in his first match against Triple H for the title and she and the rest of Evolution would leave him a bloody mess in the ring. Cherry Leigh would then become the third member of the faction.
Cheryl dropped to her couch in a fit of laughter when she read the storyline, which had been sent to her home. She had been indulging in some fanfiction and so many stories had that female member of Evolution as they rode the waves of the top, while, of course, maintaining that quintessential relationship with one of the other three eligible guys. Cherry Leigh was the first official female member of Evolution and the group was nothing but Triple H, the one man every wrestler hated, and Ric Flair, an old fart that needed excess skin removal surgery. Whatever keeps me in the business, I don't care, she thought and tossed the large envelope aside.
However, she did begin to care about her storyline with Evolution as the next RAW called for her to put the moves on Batista. It would have been so easy if they were still together but the vignette director made them do the scene three times because they were so stiff. Flair and Helmsley exited the lockerroom, leaving Cherry Leigh alone with Batista. She insinuated herself into his lap and a surprised Batista protested, claiming he didn't want to lose any important body parts because Hunter caught him with his sister.
"We'll just make sure he doesn't find out," she purred and proceeded to kiss him, relaxing the tense man.
When the director yelled cut, the two sprang apart, their skin burning from where they had touched. With filming wrapped up, Dave and Cheryl stood facing each other for an awkward moment, wondering what they should say to each other. "I-I'm gonna go," she said, jerking her head in the direction of the hall and then moving off when he nodded.
Cheryl had no idea how she was going to make it through this storyline with her nerves intact. Every hair on her body stood on end and her insides were jelly. Feelings were pulling her apart as she wanted to touch him again and be kissed but she was still angry at what he had said to her and that he had yet to apologize.
When she thought it couldn't get any worse, Cheryl pushed open the door of the women's dressing room. The redhead's stomach started to churn at the strong scent in the room. "Someone sent you flowers," Victoria announced, "I think someone's trying to make it up to you."
Cheryl stumbled backward until her back met solid wall when she saw the large vase of lilies. The room was closing in on her and she couldn't breathe. Her gaze was fixed on the white flowers of death and her feet were rooted to the spot. Fighting down the nausea the scent always caused, she couldn't believe that someone had dared send them to her. Lita had to shake her to bring her out of the trance and Cheryl rushed outside, the sickly sweetness still in her nostrils.
"What did Dave do to you?" Lita, asked, smoothing Cheryl's hair back from her face while she held her head between her knees. The newer diva shook her head in response. The redhead continued to stroke the other's hair until she was ready to talk.
"W-was there a-a card?" Cheryl finally murmured, her white face turning red in anger over the sender's audacity.
"No," Lita softly replied.
"I'll kill the bastard," she muttered under her breath, realizing that only Dave Batista knew the flowers repulsed her. He hadn't said a word beyond what was necessary while filming the vignette earlier, adding guilt to his name according to her. Non-confrontational, my ass, she thought, jerking up from where she sat.
"Cheryl, what happened?" Lita asked, putting a hand on her arm. When the offended woman didn't respond, Lita was sure all she could see was red. From past experience, she knew to let her go and get it out of her system but hoped no one "important" was around.
Cheryl slammed her first against Batista's lockerroom door. "How could you?" she seethed when he opened it.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Dave replied.
"Don't play dumb with me. The lilies?" she angrily demanded. He furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Someone sent me lilies and you're the only one I told about that."
"And that's exactly why I would never send you any. Someone else had to."
She rolled her eyes at his suggestion. "Alright, smartass, who did?"
"I don't have a clue," Dave replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Either way it goes, it better not be you," she replied, poking a finger in his chest and turning to go.
His hand shot out to grab the door handle and blocked her way. She jerked her fiery eyes to his, expecting to find anger, but was surprised to find pity. "This proves my point exactly," he said and removed his hand from the knob.
Halfway down the hall, his words hit her like a ton of bricks. Dave was right, more right than she wanted to admit. She was still hanging onto Pierce, that extra little bit, forming a wall that was just a few inches too high to climb over. She felt hopeless, hanging by her fingernails to the top of that wall. The distressed woman sank to the cold concrete floor as she gasped for breath. The realization had hit her physically as well.
Glancing at her watch, she remembered Shawn Michaels' invitation to his study group. Finally regaining her breath, she shakily rose and began to wend her way there. Shawn was the next best thing to her parish priest. She paused a moment, wishing she had something to cover her bare shoulders, but then slipped inside and settled into a chair outside the group. Shawn waited until Jeff, a guy that Cheryl remembered as working in pyrotechnics, finished speaking. He then beckoned her over, pulling up a chair beside him. "It's about time," he said with a smile, recognizing her state of distress. "We were just takin' pray'r requests. You have any you wanna add?"
Cheryl opened her mouth but closed it as she saw the five guys and two ladies in the room staring at her with genuine interest. "Un-unspoken," she meekly answered and looked down at her hands which she was twisting to the point of making her knuckles white. She and Shawn Michaels were on opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to their beliefs. She had grown up Methodist and then "converted" to Episcopalianism for Pierce. While it wasn't required to be married in the church or to take Communion, she still did so believing it would strengthen their marriage. Despite the difference in beliefs, she respected Shawn's and assumed he did the same of hers. She considered herself spiritual rather than religious but Shawn's passionate prayer for those around him helped to relax her. Her mind no longer raced as she focused on her feelings of betrayal, betrayal of love and trust.
This week was apparently Alice's week to do the devotion and Cheryl listened to her soft voice speak of the true meaning of Christmas and the peace and love it brings. When she finished, everyone filed out but Michaels and Cheryl. With the room empty except for those two, Shawn turned his chair towards her and asked, "Do you need to talk?"
She slowly nodded, took a big breath, and let it all tumble out. Shawn listened intently, nodding occasionally but never showing any sign of judgment. "What did I do to be so unlucky with men?" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "I'm sorry," the redhead said much softer.
She glanced at her watch and Shawn put a hand over it. "I've got all the time in the world you need," he said and she dropped the arm with the watch on it. "Cheryl, do you realize how blessed you've been?"
"I've had the worse luck of anyone," she sighed, dropping her head into her hands, her elbows propped up on the table.
"You keep sayin' 'luck' and 'fortunately' and talkin' about what you've lost. Cheryl, you were given a gift in your husband. You weren't unlucky in losin' him. You were blessed with, what, five years with Pierce, five years you wouldn't have otherwise had. You're not unlucky with Edge or any of the other guys you've dated. Y'all weren't meant to be. And you're not unlucky in running into this bump in the road with Dave. You are blessed by havin' another person to love. I can tell by the way you talk about'im that you love'im. Cheryl, you are blessed, not unlucky, accept those blessin's, don't resent what you call bad luck, embrace the gifts you've been given and quit lamentin' what you think are losses."
Cheryl sat still, barely nodding her head as she took in Shawn's words. She finally lifted her eyes to him and said, "Thank you."
"Any time, and I mean that," he replied and squeezed her hand. "Think about what Dave said and think about what I just told you," he added as she rose to go.
When Cheryl returned to the dressing room, the lilies were gone and she had nearly forgotten about them. She was too busy deciding on what to do next than to worry about who had sent them but the girls immediately wanted to know what had happened. Keeping the story to the bare minimum, she hoped for little sympathy as now she realized that most of her misery had been brought on by herself. For fear of her reaction to learning the sender's identity, Cheryl said nothing about wanting to know but the other women made comments about the possibility of who it could have been.
After the show, Victoria pulled her aside and whispered, "Nidia may be gone but that doesn't mean I didn't learn anything from her. I know who sent the flowers…Stacy." Cheryl's mouth dropped open as she quickly forgot about the fact that somehow Victoria knew about her and Dave breaking up and Lita was probably the culprit. "I overheard her talking to Melina. Melina was saying something about you getting lilies at OVW from this guy and flipping out because of something with your husband and then Stacy laughed and said 'I know.'"
"Oh, really?" she said, her cheeks turning red and her eyes lighting up with anger as she remembered the episode. This was exactly why she didn't want to know who sent them. The first guy she tried to date after Pierce's death had stupidly sent her lilies to the training facility. She had had much the same reaction, except she had locked herself in the bathroom for half the day, attempting to gain some self-control to be able to make it back to her hotel room. She had confided in one woman there who had apparently passed it on to someone else for Stacy to know her reaction had to do with Pierce.
"Cheryl, you're already on thin ice with management." She didn't hear a word as she saw the person in question enter the dressing room. "You know what they think about backstage fights," Victoria warned and grabbed her as she darted out toward the blonde, having learned quickly to stand up for herself. Cheryl ripped her arm out of Victoria's grasp and speared Stacy into the wall from behind. After a few well-placed punches, she threw the woman on the ground, driving a knee into her back and pulling her arms painfully backward. The entire lockerroom only watched, either not wanting to get involved or enjoying Stacy getting what she deserved.
"Tell me why," Cheryl ordered. Stacy said nothing and her attacker jerked her arms tighter. "What did I do to you?"
There was still no response but, with a few twists, the blonde cried out, "It's your fault Molly was sent to SmackDown!"
"What does Molly have to do with it?"
"She's my lover!" Stacy cried.
Cheryl dropped the diva's arms and slid off of her. "What? But Test…"
Stacy skittered away from her and began rubbing her shoulders. "Test was a cover-up," she replied, rolling her head then testing her swollen jaw with her fingers. "Do you know the things the writers would try to make us do if they knew? Or what the guys would think or say? So we didn't want it to get out that we were lovers. Too late now," she added, glancing around at the curious stares.
"Why me?" Cheryl asked, resting against one of the lockers.
"Molly was sent over to make a place for you," the blonde spit out.
"But it's not my fault."
"It's all your fault," she vehemently replied.
"I didn't come in here with the plan to get rid of Molly," Cheryl explained. "I idolize the woman."
"She's gone and you're not," the former cheerleader replied through clenched teeth.
"There's nothing either of you can do about it," Lita stepped in. "This has got to stop."
"I'm not apologizing," Cheryl quickly said, jumping the gun.
"Me neither," Stacy added, crossing her arms and turning her head away.
"Fine, no apologies," Lita mediated, "but can we manage a truce?" Both women whipped their heads around to glare at her. "You don't have to be best friends. Just stop this childish fighting."
"I promise to leave her alone if she promises to leave me alone," Cheryl said petulantly, picking herself up off the floor. Stacy nodded and Cheryl held out her hand to help her up. The blonde thought about it for a second and then accepted. "Truce?"
"Truce," Stacy replied and they dropped hands.
"Now, not a word of this goes outside this room," Victoria announced in a threatening voice. "I can easily find out where each of you live and the backstage rules don't apply there." The moment ended there and the ladies in the lockerroom drifted back to their usual sides.
TBC…