Mel
Chapter 3 - Last Minute Decision
A/N: I figured I'd get a jump on this chapter, because I'm eager to write this fic. I actually enjoy writing this one because I have so many ideas for it. I guess we'll see how it plays out. :D
Dislcaimer: Is John Cena still in the title picture? Then no, I don't own WWE.
Chapter Summary: The big mixed tag team match brings along some mixed feelings. Ken feels it is a huge imposition, while Melina considers it a chance to prove to Dave that he's not in charge of her. Throw in the possible stirring up of an old romance, and nobody's going to be happy.
!#&()+
Ken Anderson, who was currently transforming into the brazen Mr. Kennedy, laced up his wrestling boot, trying to shake the thought of his confrontation with Melina a couple of hours earlier.
"Who needs her?" He asked himself, turning his attention to the other boot. But, as he felt his anger rising again, he caught himself this time. She was actually attempting to be nice to him, and he had yelled at her, so maybe he was to blame for the fight earlier.
"Hey, Ken?" A voice came through the door, followed by a mess of blonde hair. Ken recognized the woman as one of the stagehands that he had befriended no sooner than he had been drafted to Raw.
"Hey, Kris. What's up?" He asked politely, glad for the momentary distraction.
"Vince told me to come give this to you. It's a playout of your match tonight," she responded, handing him a white sheet of paper.
"I already have a playout of my match tonight," he replied, confused, but taking the paper nonetheless. Kris suddenly looked surprised and a bit uncomfortable.
"You mean Mr. McMahon didn't tell you? Your scheduled match has been changed. It was a last minute decision. Instead of a single's match against Ted DiDiase Jr., you're going to be in a mixed tag team match against him and Jillian," she informed him, to which he groaned and sat back down on the bench.
"The match is in twenty minutes! How am I going to be able to learn all this by then? And...wait a second. Who's my partner going to be?" Ken questioned her, suddenly becoming suspicious.
"It's been pushed back to a later timeslot to give you time to go over it with everyone. You have about an hour. And, your partner is going to be Melina," Kris answered, clutching her clipboard to her chest and exiting before things got more dramatic.
Ken sighed and placed his head in his hands. He knew this would not go over well. Annoyed, he ripped the sheet up off the bench and headed out the door to find the other three involved.
He found them having a chat with Maria, who was the first one to notice Ken and the look on his face. She excused herself quickly, saying something about leaving the stove on in her dressing room.
"There's no stoves in our dressing rooms," Jillian called after her, emitting a slight giggle. Maria notioned to Ken, causing Jillian to stop laughing.
Melina and Ted looked to see Ken too, and Melina gained an irritated expression at the fact that Ken had just chased Maria off with his bad attitude. Of course, his attitude was nothing compared to the chilling indifference of Dave, last she saw of him.
"No need to get upset. It's just a match," she scolded him, not nearly as crestfallen by the news as he was.
"Yeah. Just a match that just so happened to appear on the card 'bout three seconds ago. It doesn't just happen, Mel," Ken stated, to which she gave a dry chuckle.
"Why don't you just cut to the chase of whatever you're accusing me of?" She replied, strangely calm.
"No, I'm not accusing you of anything. No. I'm just saying it's weird. Somebody must've said something about what happened earlier," Ken continued, the fast-talking of his alter ego making a sudden appearance.
"What is this thing I must've said?" Melina inquired, still assuming he thought it was her doing.
"You tell me," he answered, taking a step closer to her.
This little debate was taking a quick ride towards the way their earlier conversation ended, so Melina decided to try to end it.
"If I had complained about what happened earlier, why would Vince have put us in a match on the same team?" She implored him, hoping he would see that she was right and stop arguing with her.
Apparently, it worked, because he stammered for a few seconds, but never formed an actual sentence after that. Jillian and Ted watched on in a mix of perplexity and amusement.
"I, for one, am not angry about this match. Then again, I have some self-restraint and don't get mad every time I don't get my way," Melina muttered, clasping her hands together in mockery.
"Are you kidding? That's all you do," Ken shot back, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the abrupt hurt look on her face.
Jillian Fletcher, better known as Jillian Hall, decided to be the voice of reason.
"Hey, come on guys! We have a match to go over. You guys are supposed to win, if it makes you feel any better..." Jillian attempted to persuade them. She and her character were quite a contrast. Jillian Hall was a loud, arrogant poor excuse for a person, while Jillian Fletcher was quite sweet and soft-spoken.
"Fine by me. Like I said, I don't have a problem having this match. If anything, it should get back at Dave--" Melina rambled, before realizing she'd released a bit of information she had hoped to keep personal and cutting herself off.
The pained look that followed insinuated something mysterious to Ken. What did any of this have to do with Dave? Had he done something to her? And was it Ken's fault?
"What about Dave? What did he do?" Ken asked, closing in on Melina as she backed closer to the wall.
"Nothing. And what happens between Dave and I is none of your concern, anymore," she responded, in an icy tone that made Ken's stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot.
She was hiding something and he knew it, but he knew she'd never tell him about it. Ken dropped the issue momentarily and looked back to Jillian and Ted who were examining the playout sheet for their match.
They both had disturbed looks on their faces, that soon turned to grins. Melina noticed this, as well.
"What? What is it?" Melina asked them, bracing herself to hear whatever had them so entertained. Jillian struggled to stop laughing long enough to inform them of what she and Ted were reading.
"Oh my God. This says that after you pick up the win...M-Melina, you're supposed to kiss Ken!" Jillian roared, before breaking into even more laughter with Ted.
Ken threw a shocked look toward Melina who shared his sentiments. He noted the way her eyes, which had been surrounded by a thin line of shimmering, white eyeshadow, shifted anxiously around the room.
Was there fear in her eyes? And, if so, what was she afraid of? He had no time to be angry about the kiss. There was something seriously wrong with Melina, and he intended to find out what.
A/N: Sorry so short, but I got the point across. :) Oh, and wish me luck, everyone! After some preparation, I'm going to be attending KYDA Pro Wrestling Training to get some training and hopefully, one day, I'll achieve my dream of becoming a professional wrestler! It's a good school, because it's the same one Mickie James graduated from! We're from the same area, so maybe I'll get to tangle in the ring with her, someday.
Nikks