a/n Joyeux Noël? The first person to review this chapter will be review number 100. I'll write you a one shot, promise!
-August 31, 2010; Backstage at NXT; Final-
It was the NXT finale. The night we'd crown the winner of season 2. The night I had to say goodbye to the boys who had been nothing but a pain in my ass.
"You ready?" Ted appeared by my side, linking my arm through his.
"Non." I shook my head and took a deep breath.
"At least you stayed to see this out." I felt an arm link through my free one. I sighed happily.
"I missed you." I admitted quietly.
"I missed you, too."
"You hate me. Why would you miss me?"
"Because you're Claire and I'm Cody. I'm always going to miss you."
"Group hug!" Ted shouted and moved around to pull us into a hug. "Thank fuck you guysw are talking again." I walked with Ted and Cody – who I was going to have to have a proper talk with – to the NXT locker room. All of the boys were back for the night's events. The final three were Kaval, Michael McGillicutty and Alex Riley.
The second generation superstar in me wanted nothing more than to see Joe pick up the win in his father's name. The wrestler in me, though, wanted Kaval to be promoted to the main roster and take the company and the world by storm. Then there was me. I wanted Alex to win. I wanted him to do well. I knew that he had a place on the roster regardless of the result but the title shot was what I wanted for him.
Taking my arms from the boys, I knocked on the door.
"Everyone decent?" I asked, 'yes' being thrown back at me. I opened the door with a huge smile, "Who's excited?!" Brandon smiled at me, Joe nodded but Alex avoided my gaze.
"The other Pros are coming around in a second." Ted announced and they all nodded, finishing taping up their wrists and putting on their knee pads.
"Do you know the result?" Brandon asked me and I shook my head.
"Honestly, I know as much as you do. It's killing me."
It had never really crossed my mind how much I would miss everything about this company. Sure, I'd had the realisation when I was forced to take a break but I knew deep down that I would come back, I had just been banned from wrestling, not from working.
It was as I watched the three final rookies warm up for the last time that I realised the affect they had had on me. They got on my last nerve most of the time but they had become family, hell Joe and Windham had been family for years - the kind of family that you only see at reunions, but still family.
And to know that I was leaving it all behind for good - save for an appearance or two when the show comes through LA but, honestly, would they ask me back? I'd been nothing but trouble for them in the past year.
"Stop thinking so hard, you'll tire yourself out." Ted threw his arm over my shoulder.
"Drôle." I mumbled quietly.
Soon after the Pros all came into the room, I avoided Michael's gaze like I would be turned to stone if I even so much as looked at him. They were joined by one of the production crew who was here to tell us how the night would progress.
I wasn't too bothered by what the boys had to do in the ring; I trusted them enough to know that they would get the job done. I was just wondering who was going to win so my interested peaked when Mark – the production guy – said: "Now to the good stuff."
"On with it." Michael said sternly, not pleased with the dramatic pause.
"Alex, you will be the first person eliminated tonight." Kevin sighed but nodded in understanding. "Kaval, you will win NXT Season Two." Michelle and Layla screamed in excitement and hugged their rookie. I smiled at him proudly, the wrestler in me was happy. Ecstatic even.
Then I was uninterested again, I just watched Kevin's face as he tried to hide his disappointment. Michael was standing beside him, massaging his shoulder, relieving his own stress at the same time. He looked up for a split second but that was all it took. His eyes connected with mine for millisecond before he shook his head and looked back at Mark. I did the same thing though much slower and more shaken by that one look.
"Alex! Stop walking right now!" I called after the former rookie who was walking in the opposite direction with slumped shoulders.
"What?!" he asked me, essentially snapping. "Sorry."
"Don't apologise. You're pissed off, I get it. I understand." I assured him but he shrugged and huffed. "I am proud of you, you know. You're going to go places. You've got a contract and you're going to get to work some more with Mike and he's about the best person you could get."
"You're just really biased." He said with a small smile and I nodded.
"Probably, yeah. But that doesn't change the wonders it's going to do for you." I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed him tight. "You're going to kill it."
"Isn't this touching."
"Bonsoir, Michael." I greeted him in a somewhat cheery tone even though it practically killed me. I had to make the most of the little time I had left, and if that meant faking happiness, I guess that's what I had to do.
"You," Mike pointed at Alex and then down the hall, "Need to calm down and come with me."
"Can I, can I talk to you later, please?" I asked Mike once his back was turned. He looked over his shoulder at me, raising an eyebrow. "Please? It's important."
"I guess." He nodded slowly and started walking back down the hall.
"I'll find you then." I said but he didn't show any signs of having heard me.