Well, I know a lot of you are sick and tired of Daniel hurting AJ, so in this chapter, our favorite Jersey girl will finally fight back. And that's just the beginning of her newfound strength and confidence. I hope to have AJ and Punk together within the next couple of chapters and I have a pretty good idea on how I'm gonna get them together. Furthermore, I think it's time for AJ to experience some happy times in her life. She's been consumed with pain long enough. It's time for the RAW general manager to be able skip down the hallway with happiness.

Oh, and if you're wondering if her becoming the GM will play a factor in my story, the answer's yes. Let's just say, Daniel's gonna get what's coming to him; this time in a more psychological manner.

Enjoy and happy reading!

Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!

X

Monday Night RAW

Quicken Loans Arena

Cleveland, Ohio

May 14th, 2012

AJ felt herself being slammed against the wall by Daniel's body. He placed his forearm underneath her neck and parted her legs with his knee so that she wouldn't be able to kick him where it hurts. She looked into his light eyes and saw a man ready to kill. Over the last month, every time he hurts her, he gets hurts himself. And that pissed him off so much because he was supposed to make her life a living hell, then leave her laying like trash. Now that someone has stepped up to protect her, he's gonna have to do whatever it takes to make sure that Punk goes down, too.

"Leave me alone!" she managed to scream out. All she got in response is a hard slap across her face.

"Shut the fuck up, little bitch! You think I'm gonna let you get away from me?! You think Punk is gonna keep saving your naive little ass by kicking my ass?! I don't think so! Look at my face, AJ! This is just the gist of what your little savior had done to me!" he growled right in her face.

"Let me go, Daniel! Why won't you leave me alone?! You got what you wanted!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

"I don't care! I just don't care! I told you that I'm gonna wreck your life, but you're making it even harder for me! You're not gonna breathe a word of this to anyone because I still own you! Otherwise, I'll even go so far to cut you up into little bitty pieces and spread you all over the damn world. Ain't no one's gonna even miss you when I get through with you!" Daniel snarled, his face contorting in anger and humiliation.

"You don't own me, Daniel! I'm not your property. I'm my own person and I will be treated with respect! I'm not gonna let you hurt me anymore!" AJ snapped, using all of her strength to finally push him off of her. He landed on the carpet floor with a thud; pain shooting up his back and shoulders. He looked up at his girlfriend with shock and fury registering on his bearded face.

"Have you lost your mind, tramp?! Do you know what you did?!" he roared as he finally got up from the floor.

AJ's face was now contorting in anger. She was once again standing up for herself. "No, I haven't lost my mind. I know what I did and I feel damn good about it. If anyone lost their mind, it's you!"

"You bitch!" he screamed as he lunged at her. She screamed out in pain when he once again slammed her against the wall. He wrapped his hands around her neck and proceeded to choke her; squeezing her throat with all of his strength. She struggled to break free from him, but he squeezed her neck even harder; his face twisting in a sadistic and cruel manner.

"P-please let me go," she stammered, still struggling to break free from his ultra tight grip. Before long, however, Daniel's anger reached new heights and he ended up slamming her down on the floor.

"You're not going anywhere, whore! You're mine!" he screamed as he finally released the tight hold on her neck. AJ was gasping for breath and attempted to crawl away from her ex, but he was quicker; stomping his foot on her lower back and grabbing her legs to drag her away from the door, which he knew where she was heading.

"I told you before that we have some unfinished business, AJ. You owe me. It's time for you to pay what you owe," he snarled as he turned her over on her back. He quickly pounced on her; pinning her down with his body and slapping her hard across the face with his hand.

"Stop struggling or you're gonna make this much harder on yourself! I told you that you're gonna pay what you owe and that's exactly what you're gonna do!" he snapped, slapping her once again. But that just fueled her fight to get away from him even more so she continued to struggle against him. Then, in a move that even shocked him, she managed to knee him where it hurts in such a hard manner, he had no choice to roll off of her body. Daniel rolled over on his side and groaned in pain, clutching his balls in his hands. He couldn't believe she actually kneed him.

Taking the opportunity to make sure he doesn't retaliate, AJ managed to get up from the floor and proceeded to kick him all over his body; kicking his ribs and stomping on his body just like he had done to her a month ago. Daniel howled out in pain; trying so hard to stop her from kicking him, but she was relentless in her kicking. All of the anger, frustration and pain he put her through were now being unleashed. She just couldn't take it anymore.

"You're not gonna hurt me anymore, Daniel! You don't own me! I'm not your property! I'm not your whore! I'm not your personal punching bag! But, you're right about one thing: Punk can't always be there for me! And now you've just witnessed the brand new April Jeanette Mendez! I'm not gonna take your shit anymore!" the Jersey native screamed as she kept kicking him with all of her strength. Daniel kept trying to get her to stop kicking him, but it was no use. He was sore all over his body again and this time, he can't blame Punk for what was happening. He still couldn't fathom having a girl kicking his ass, much less his ex-girlfriend kicking his ass.

When she finally got done, she was breathing heavily and backing away from her ex-boyfriend. AJ got satisfaction in seeing the goat face withering on the floor; clutching his sides with his hands and moaning in pain. Without warning, she picked up a folding steel chair that was laying in a nearby corner and proceeded to raise it over her head. With tears forming in her eyes and seeing her ex starting to get up from the floor, she slammed the steel object right onto his head, knocking him out cold.

The only sounds you could hear is AJ breathing heavily and sobbing quietly as she dropped the chair down on the floor. She stood over her fallen ex-boyfriend for a moment, seeing him completely knocked out on the floor with pain still ebbing all over his immaculate little body.

"Now who's worthless?" she asked, tears still streaming down her beautiful olive toned skin. Taking a deep breath, she knew what she had to do.

She got the hell out of the women's locker room to get some help for herself.

Then she's gonna go to her best friend's sleep over party at the hotel and have some fun again.

It was time for her to reclaim her life.

X

Holiday Inn

Cleveland, Ohio

May 14th-May 15th, 2012

Dragging her bags behind her, AJ hummed quietly as she made her way towards Kaitlyn's hotel room. The rest of her night had went smoothly with no more problems to encounter. After finally fighting back against her ex-boyfriend and leaving him laying battered and bruised in the women's locker room, the Jersey native learned that Daniel could be out of action for a while as a result of what happened. At least she won't have to deal with him messing with her for the time being because she didn't know how much more she can take being tormented by her ex.

Realizing that she doesn't have to worry about Daniel messing with her for a while, AJ arrived at Kaitlyn's hotel room a moment later. She could hear the music inside and that made her smile. Spending time with her friends has become stagnant; mainly because of Daniel keeping her on a tight leash when they were actually together.

She raised her hand up and knocked on the door hard. She heard Kaitlyn tell a third party to turn the music down as she opened the door and looked into the eyes of her best friend.

"AJ! So glad you could make it!" Kaitlyn beamed as she embraced the Jersey native with enthusiasm.

"I see you got started without me, Kait. Is anyone else here?" AJ asked as she stepped inside the room, dragging her bags behind her.

"Yeah, Layla's here. I think she went into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. Why don't you get settled and we can get this sleep over started!" Kaitlyn squealed with delight. AJ just shook her head and laughed as she sat her bags down and started changing into her pajamas.

Within minutes, all three ladies were sitting on the bed, comfortable in their respective pajamas and snacking on a big bowl of popcorn. For AJ, being with her girlfriends and having fun has been something she's been missing for a long time. Between having to deal with her ex on a daily basis, gaining a new male companion in CM Punk and even trying to keep her career as a diva on the up and up, it was giving her a massive headache.

"So, AJ, are you seeing anyone new since the goat face dumped you on national tv?" Kaitlyn asked, changing the subject and getting serious.

AJ shook her head and sighed softly. "No, not really. I haven't really been seeing anyone new for over a month. Besides, Daniel won't leave me alone."

"What?! He hasn't left you alone?! AJ, what's going on?" Layla asked, looking at her best friend with a worried glance on her face.

AJ sighed deeply. "Well, he's been harassing me ever since Wrestlemania; blaming me for losing his title to Sheamus in just 18 seconds. He belittled me in front of the entire world, saying that he never loved me and I was nothing more than a pretentious little girl who can't get the job right. He dumped me, then he threw me out of the ring; vowing to make my life a living hell. And he had done a pretty good job of it, too."

"AJ, how come you didn't say anything about it? We could've helped you if you were in trouble," Kaitlyn said, her face contorting in sadness and sympathy.

"Because I couldn't say anything about it. Daniel kept me on a tight leash. He alienated me from everyone I knew; including some of my closest friends. He threatened to kill me if I ever said anything. He abused me; getting beat up every time something bad happens to him, he takes it out on me. And, even after he dumped me, he still won't leave me alone. In fact, he attacked me right after he dumped me; bashing my head against the concrete wall and stomping on me like I was trash. He said he's gonna keep hurting me until he practically runs me out of the company," AJ explained, breaking down.

"That son of bitch! I can't believe he did this to you!" Kaitlyn snapped, wrapping her arms around her best friend.

"That's not the worst of it, ladies. CM Punk found me laying in the pool of my own blood and took me to the hospital. When I got out and decided to go home to heal, Daniel wouldn't let up. He kept calling my house, sending me threatening texts and he even sent me threatening e-mails. I ended up having to change my cell and home phone number, blocked him from my e-mail and blocked him from texting me. But, even that didn't stop him because the next time I ran into him, he told me I should've stayed at home. I told him to leave me alone but that pissed him off because he slapped me. Then he tackled me down on the floor and proceeded to beat the holy hell out of me. However, Punk came to my rescue and ended up beating the crap out of him as they were locked into a janitor's closet. When he came out, I ran to him and hugged him; thanking him for coming to my aid," AJ said, breaking out into a tiny smile, for which Kaitlyn and Layla couldn't help but notice.

"That's good. Punk's a standup kind of guy. That's one of the reasons why I like him. So, what about when Daniel cost you the chance of winning the divas' title last week? I didn't even know anything about it," Layla said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Believe me, I didn't even know what was happening until it was too late. Apparently, Daniel was hiding underneath the ring just as I climbed up the turnbuckle. He came out from under the ring and grabbed my ankle. I told him to let go of me, but he didn't and ended up yanking me off the turnbuckle, for which I landed in his arms. The son of a bitch ended up slamming me against the steel steps, then he threw me back into the ring. I was completely knocked out and didn't know what was going on until I got into the trainer's room. When I finally woke up, Punk was there; telling me that he beat the crap out of the Daniel again for what he had done to me," AJ explained, sniffing softly.

"I can't believe Daniel would do this to do; and in front of the millions of people watching. It just goes to show that goat face doesn't have any regard for anyone in his life. Not even for himself," Kaitlyn huffed angrily.

"Well, something good did come out of that night: Punk and I developed a friendship. He vowed to be there for me, no matter what," AJ said, smiling again.

"You like him, don't you?" Layla asked, getting right to the point.

"Well, yeah, I like him. But like I said before, I'm not seeing anyone at this time. I don't know if I'll ever be able to have a relationship again since Daniel still won't leave me alone. He's ruining my life and just last week, he ambushed me as I was heading towards the locker room and he said that he'll forgive me for being stupid if I do him a favor," AJ said, snorting in annoyance.

"What favor?" Kaitlyn and Layla asked together.

"He demanded that I take him back. Can you believe that shit? After everything he had done to me, he expects me to take him back and act as though things are fine and dandy between us? I don't think so! I told him I'm not taking him back, but he wouldn't have it. He told me if I don't take him back, he has footage of me being drugged. He allowed his friends to have sex with me while I was knocked out. He said that he'll have no problem putting that footage on the internet and portray me as a whore. I told him it doesn't matter because he'd already ruined my life. As I turned to walk away, he kicked me in the back of my head," AJ said, shaking her head in anger.

"AJ, why didn't you report him to Vince? You know the boss cares about you," Kaitlyn said, still shocked at what the Jersey native was telling them.

"As I mentioned before, Daniel threatened to kill me if I breathed one word about this to anyone. Plus, he can always destroy the footage and make me out to look like a liar; not to mention, he has friends in high places who can back him up. I can't get away from him ever if I tried," AJ broke down again and sobbed quietly.

"Oh, man, that's messed up. He'll just keep messing with you even if you somehow get him in trouble. So, what happens now?" Layla asked as the three ladies laid down on the bed with their arms around each other. AJ was in the middle and felt safe with her best friends beside her.

"I know I can't report him to Vince because he can lie his way out of anything. And, besides, earlier tonight, when you left for your match, Kaitlyn, Daniel showed up inside the locker room and intended to attack me again. However, this time, I was able to fight back. I kicked the hell out of him, then I bashed his head with a steel chair. I showed him that I wasn't gonna take his crap anymore," AJ said, feeling proud for finally standing up for herself.

"Wow. I bet that shocked the hell out of goat face for what he put you through," Kaitlyn said, smiling brightly.

"And that's just the beginning. Daniel won't know what will hit him if he keeps messing with me. I know Punk can't protect me every single day, so it's time for me to fight back and stand up for myself," AJ declared.

"Good. That means we got our best friend back!" Layla squealed with delight before she grabbed a pillow she was laying on and began playfully hitting the ladies with it. Kaitlyn and AJ joined in on the fun and before long, the three of them engaged in a playful pillow fight.

For AJ, being able to be happy and laughing again has been something she's been missing for a long time. The new AJ Lee will be more confident, stronger and more resilient than ever before.

And Daniel Bryan will not take that away from her.

X

Monday Night RAW

Air Canada Center

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

May 21st, 2012

AJ was once again seen walking down the hallway, heading towards catering, looking over her shoulder to make sure Daniel doesn't plan another sneak. She hasn't seen or heard from him since last week, but she didn't know whether to take this as a good thing or not. The New Jersey native surely wasn't taking any chances this time. So much so, that she began becoming more cautious about being alone in the locker and even coming into the arena by herself.

However, things weren't all bad considering the hell her ex had put her through. For one, she gained a new friend in CM Punk. AJ was so consumed in getting her life and career back on track that she hasn't seen or talked him all last week. Well, that's about to change.

When she finally arrived in catering, she spotted the Chicago native sitting a table by himself, reading a Archie comic book and laughing silently at Jughead's antics. Wanting to surprise him, she started sneaking up behind him and covered his beautiful hazel eyes with her soft, delicate hands.

"Guess who?" she teased, laughing softly.

"Hmm, well, I recognize the hands, but I can't picture the face behind these beautiful hands," he teased back as he gently removed her hands away from his face and shot his head up to see who was standing behind him. A huge smile appeared on his face when he saw the woman standing behind him.

"AJ! I'm so glad to see you!" he beamed as he jumped up from his chair and pulled her right into his strong arms. She let out a happy sigh because she was with her male friend again.

However, as fate would have it, something more was brewing between them and they didn't even know it.

Or do they?

Coming up in the next chapter: Daniel returns to work; angrier than ever. Will AJ's newfound confidence hold up when she runs into him again? And will AJ and Punk realize their feelings for each other before it's too late? Stay tuned!

Please review!