"This feels...weird." Illyria said, sitting with Beulah in the room that Paul Heyman always had set up for them.
"What does?"
"Being here without Rob. I came here in the first place just because of him and now he's not here."
"But you're here for Jim now." Beulah pointed out and Illyria sighed.
"Yeah I know and don't get me wrong I love Jim and I love being here for him but this is just all new to me, I've never been here without Rob."
"Well, will I do?" A voice asked from the doorway and Illyria turned to see Terry Brunk standing there with a smile on his face.
"Terry!" Illyria jumped off the couch and hugged him tightly. "Oh my god, what are you doing here?"
"I've got a match tonight against Pete (Justin Credible)."
"Wait...you didn't get suspended?"
"No." He replied as they walked back over and sat down on the couch. "I wasn't caught with as much as Rob was so they decided not to suspend me."
"Baby did..." Jim trailed off, walking into the room and smiled when he saw Terry. "Never mind."
"What is it?"
"Nothing, I was just gonna ask you if Terry came to see you yet."
"Oh, okay. Do you have a match tonight?" Illyria questioned, getting up and giving him a kiss.
"No but I do have to do a run-in on Knox when he stops the striptease." Jim said, wincing slightly at the look she gave him. "Baby I'm just doing what they tell me to do, you have nothing to worry about."
"I know...still doesn't mean I have to like it." Illyria grumbled causing him to laugh.
"Well, Terry and I have to go get ready so you just hang out here and grumble your sexy little ass off."
"Screw you Jim." Illyria growled playfully, sticking her tongue out at him.
"When we get back to the hotel you can."
"Yeah, if you're lucky." He laughed and swatted her on the ass.
"You know you can't resist me."
"Get out of here before I decide to test that theory."
"Ooh that sounds like a challenge and you know how much I love a challenge." Jim stated, smirking down at her.
"Ugh! James Fullington get your gorgeous ass out of here before I have to kick it."
"Yeah...promises, promises." He said, laughing as he and Terry walked out of the room.
"Remind me again why I put up with that?" She groaned, walking back over and sitting next to Beulah.
"Because you love him." Beulah giggled.
"Oh yeah." Illyria sat back to watch the show as it started and she couldn't help but laugh as Paul Heyman talked about being everyone's Messiah. "You know, if I didn't know him any better than I did I'd think he's truly lost it."
"He can play his part well."
"Yeah, no kidding." Paul met up with Tom in the back and Tom wanted to know what was going through Paul's mind but Paul said there was no time to explain because his match was next. "Who the hell is he going against? He's not even dressed for a match."
"You're going to be pissed when you see who it is." Beulah said and Illyria looked at her funny. She turned back to the monitor just in time to see Tom walking down towards the ring and Illyria growled when she saw who he was going against.
"You've got to be kidding me! He's going against Andy (Test)?"
"Yeah." Tom got some offense in the beginning but it didn't last long and Test ended up beating him with a roll-up where his feet were on the ropes.
"What the hell? He used the damn ropes!" Illyria exclaimed, angrily.
"Tommy will get him back."
"I sure as hell hope so." Kelly and Candice's striptease started causing her to groan. "Here we go." She watched as they danced together for a few minutes then Mike Knox came out to drag Kelly off stage like he always did only this time an arm reached through the curtain and tapped him on the shoulder with a kendo stick. Mike Knox turned around and Jim stepped the rest of the way through curtain and whacked him over the head. He beat him with the kendo stick as they fought on to the stage and with only finally blow to the head Jim sent Mike flying through the back of the stage. Jim drank a beer on stage and Illyria started giggling uncontrollably.
"Lyria what's so funny?" Beulah asked, looking at her strangely.
"I keep expecting him to start stripping." She explained through her giggles.
"Expecting it or wishing it?" Beulah laughed.
"Both." He walked off stage and made his way to the back. "Damn, not tonight I guess." When Jim didn't come back right away she thought something was up but before she could dwell on it her cell phone rang. "Hello?"
"Illyria Ann it's me...you better get by the gorilla position now."
"What? Why?" Illyria asked, standing up quickly.
"Barbie (Kelly) is hitting on Jim big time and he can't shake her." Terry explained and Illyria growled.
"I'll be right there." She snapped her phone shut and headed towards the door.
"What's going on Lyria?"
"Seems Barbie's up by the gorilla position hitting on my man."
"Ooh I gotta see this." Beulah laughed as she followed Illyria out the door. They walked up towards the gorilla position and Illyria's eyes narrowed in anger when she saw Barbie Blank standing in front of Jim with her hand on his chest.
"Hey bitch!" Illyria called out and Barbie turned to look at her. "Yeah, I'm talking to you...if you want to keep that hand attached to your skank body I suggest you get it off my man." She growled, stepping closer to them.
"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do if I don't?" Barbie asked, a arrogant smile on her face as she continued running her hand up and down Jim's chest who just stood there with his hands at his sides. "He needs a real woman not some little girl like you, honey." Illyria growled again and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. "Why you little..." Barbie went at her but before she could get very far Illyria hit her squarely in the chin with a superkick.
Illyria bent down over her prone body and laughed evilly. "This little girl just knocked you the fuck out bitch."
"Okay...where the hell did you learn that?" Jim asked, wrapping an arm around her waist as they walked back down the hall with Beulah who was still laughing.
"One of the advantages of Shawn Michaels being one of my favorite wrestlers. Rob introduced me to him not long after he joined the WWE and I asked Shawn to teach it to me."
"Lyria!" Paul Heyman yelled and she groaned.
"Shit, I'm in trouble now." Illyria turned to Paul and sure enough he looked pissed. "Yeah Paul?"
"What the hell just happened?"
"I got a call from Terry saying that Barbie was hitting on Jim and he couldn't shake her off so I came out to see what was going on. I told her to get away from him but she wouldn't listen and kept rubbing his chest so I pulled her hand of him. She came at me and I was simply defending myself...why?"
"Because the whole thing was caught on camera and played in front of the crowd." He explained and her mouth dropped open. "I just got a call from McMahon wanting to know if I had that planned. When I told him it wasn't he said that he loved it anyway...congratulations Lyria you just became a part of ECW."