A/N: Thanks for the reviews! This is an early update as Sunday I will be out with my family.
Chapter Nine: Worth It
Matilda pulled up outside a two storey house with blue painted window shutters. The front yard had a circular garden in the middle where a ghost hung from the tree. Matilda hopped out of the car and locked it before walking up the driveway and ringing the front doorbell.
A few moments later the door was opened by a woman with dark red hair and dressed up like a witch.
"You must be Matilda!" she greeted warmly, pulling Matilda inside by the hand, "I'm Samantha – Windy has told me so much about you! Come on, everyone is out the back."
"Nice to meet you," said Matilda as she hurriedly walked with Samantha through the house and into the backyard.
Windham stood by a barbeque, beer in hand talking with his brother, Taylor. Matilda spotted Adam and Jon Huber sitting on some chair by a fire pit. There were a few other people from the WWE Matilda spotted, who she greeted with a wave but Samantha led her straight over to Windham and Taylor.
"Look whose here!" announced Samantha happily.
"I told you Mattie was coming," said Windham, slipping an arm around his wife as he smiled at Matilda, "She thought I was lying. I explained to her you were travelling from Long Beach."
"Here I am," gestured Matilda with a smile, "You have a really nice place."
"Thank you," said Samantha before frowning at Matilda's normal attire, "Did Wind not tell you it was dress up?"
"Are you kidding? I came as myself. Best costume there is."
Samantha laughed, along with Windham and Taylor before the four fell into general chit chat.
Matilda laughed as she watched the children scatter around the yard in search of treats Samantha and Taylor had hidden. She was sitting by the fire pit, toasting a marshmallow when a cheer sounded. She looked up to see a group of her co-workers arriving and instantly noticed Jon among them. Matilda smiled brightly and hugged Saraya and Victoria, who instantly asked how her elbow was.
"Bruised," commented Matilda, "But not that painful anymore. Didn't you guys have a show in Billings?"
"Yeah, then Nikki conned John into getting us a private jet straight here," explained Victoria.
"Nice," nodded Matilda with a grin.
The women fell into talk about gossip and funny stories to the point Matilda forgot Jon was at the party – at least until he walked over.
"Oh, Foxy, Sam's made her cupcakes!" said Saraya yanking the woman by the arm and away from Matilda.
Jon sat down beside Matilda, a beer in his hand, "Hey."
"Hi," said Matilda with a glance at Jon before she fiddled with her marshmallow toasting stick.
"How's your elbow?"
Matilda moved her right arm about and smiled a little, "Bruised but alright. Good show tonight?"
Jon nodded, "It was good."
"Awesome."
"Yeah."
Silence fell between the pair with Matilda using her stick to draw patterns in the ground. Jon watched her draw the various patterns and shapes – neither really knew what to say or where to take the conversation.
Suddenly, Samantha walked over to the pair looking apologetic.
"Mattie, we've run out of ice… I hate asking this but could you and Jon please go get some from the market nearby?"
"Ah, sure," nodded Matilda as she stood up, dropping her stick to the ground.
Jon stood with her and both headed through the house and out the front to Matilda's hire car.
"Are you sure that was a smart idea?" asked Saraya watching her two friends leave.
"Someone had to push them in the right direction," replied Samantha as she twirled a twiggy stick between her fingers, "Otherwise they would spend the entire night sitting together in silence."
"Where's Mattie and Jon gone?" asked Windham, carrying a tray of cooked steaks, meat patties and sausages.
"To get some ice."
"We have five bags in the back freezer… Sam… what are you up too?"
Samantha smiled sweetly at her husband and kissed him affectionately on the cheek, "Never you mind your pretty beard about it."
Matilda pulled the car into the parking lot and into an empty parking spot. Her and Jon stepped out of the car and slowly walked to the entrance.
"Is it even open?" asked Matilda with a frown.
"I can't really tell," replied Jon.
They walked to the front door, but it didn't open. Matilda looked at the sign and sighed.
"It shut ten minutes ago."
"Of course."
Matilda let out a sigh and pulled her phone out, "Let's see if any service stations are open… surely one of them would sell ice."
Jon just nodded and Matilda googled service stations in the area. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a puff of air, not noticing Jon watching her actions in silence.
"Okay… there is one about five minutes from here. It shuts in twenty minutes so we should make it," said Matilda, looking up at Jon with a smile.
Jon nodded and they headed back to the car and were shortly back on the road.
"Can I ask you something?" said Matilda after a few minutes of silence, "Something that's worried me."
"What?"
"You and Colby… you two are pretty close… well, that's the assumption I got. You both are still friends right?"
"It's tense."
"Please don't let that be because of me."
"He treated you with disrespect."
Matilda sighed as she drove into the service station's car park, "I'm not worth losing a friendship over, Jon. You've known Colby a hell of a lot longer then you've known me."
Matilda hopped out of the car and headed into the store, leaving Jon to wait at the car.
A couple of minutes later she returned with three bags of ice. Jon moved forward and took them from her as she popped the boot and found a folded up tarp to lay across the bottom of the boot so the ice wouldn't melt onto the boot's material.
Matilda closed the boot and turned to find Jon standing right beside her.
"You don't get it, do you?" said Jon quietly.
"What's to get?"
Jon sighed and before Matilda could think or react he had cupped her face in his hands and was pressing his lips to hers in a soft, gentle kiss. Matilda stood still at first in surprise before her body finally reacted. Her hands rested on Jon's chest as her lips started to move against his just as softly.
The kiss was just as she remembered from their drunken night, yet it was even more than that. It was sweet, it was innocent.
Jon pulled away, brushing his thumbs across Matilda's cheeks as he looked her in the eyes, "You are worth it. You deserve to be treated with respect, Mattie."
Matilda looked back at Jon, moving her hands to his forearms, "Jon… I-I thought you-"
"I remember kissing you Monday night… it was something else… and I woke up before you did Tuesday morning… you looked so peaceful and beautiful, Mattie… and then I realised that I never hated you when you first arrived in the WWE."
Matilda frowned in confusion and Jon smiled, slipping his hands from her face and down to her waist.
"I was instantly attracted to you and me being the dick I am misconstrued it as dislike… yet I was always drawn to you. I had to talk to you – even if I was being a dick to you. You were magnetizing, Matilda. You still are."
"You just left a relationship… I… I do like you Jon, I really do… I don't want to be your rebound."
"I won't do that to you, Mattie," said Jon earnestly, "We can take this slow… at a pace we both are comfortable with… I just know I want to be more than your friend… more than the guy who pisses you off on occasion."
Matilda bit her lower lip, lowering her eyes to the ground before nodding slowly in agreement. She looked back at Jon and his lopsided smile instantly brought one to hers as he drew her in for another kiss.
Matilda snapped the book shut she was reading and slid off the large bed in her room at the Oxford Hotel in Denver. She grabbed her bag and slipped on her flats and grabbed her hotel room key and exited her room.
"Can we talk?"
Matilda spun around in surprise to see Colby standing by the staircase railing, "I actually have to get to the stadium."
"Just for a second. Please."
Matilda breathed a sigh of relief as Saraya, Victoria and Tenille arrived behind Colby, Saraya frowning at Colby when he turned to see who it was Matilda was looking at.
"Ready to go?" asked Tenille brightly, ignoring Colby's presence completely.
"Yes," nodded Matilda as she started down the staircase with Tenille.
"Leave her alone," warned Saraya to Colby coldly with Victoria shooting Colby the exact same look.
Matilda looked at the doctor expectantly after he finished examining her elbow.
"Come on, give me the all clear," begged Matilda, "I'm going on my first overseas tour in two days!"
The doctor chuckled, "It's fine – but any twinge of pain and you come see me straight away."
Matilda grinned and jumped down from the bed, "I promise! Thanks!"
She left the room and headed to the locker room to change into her ring gear, opting for her black jeans with rips in the knee's, a tan belt and dark green singlet with the fringe from mid torso, so that when she moved it allowed her toned stomach to show. Matilda pulled on her dark brown boots – they had easily become her favourite boots to wrestle in – then headed to hair and makeup.
The hair stylist teased her hair into messy curls and her face was given a minimal touch up.
As she left the hair and makeup room she was called over by Mark.
"So we know you still have the Wyatt family storyline but you do need someone to go at you for the Diva's title," said Mark.
"That's fair enough. Who do you have in mind?"
"Natalya. You're the one who cleaned out the unworthy divas and Natalya is a veteran – the only female to survive the dungeon. We want to kick it off tonight, so here is the script for the segment."
Matilda took the sheet and thanked Mark before he walked away.
Matilda leaned against the wall as she read through the script, murmuring her lines to herself, mentally picturing how she would deliver them. It was set to take part during a match between Bray and Dean, with Natalya coming out to make her grand return.
Matilda let out a sigh and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them she let out a scream of surprise as Jon was standing right in front of her.
"Shit!" swore Matilda, "Bugger me, you scared the life out of me."
Jon chuckled, "Sorry."
Matilda hit him lightly on the arm with a grin, "No you aren't. Tosser."
"Your insults wound my bleeding heart."
"Funny, I thought it was made of stone."
Jon laughed, stepping closer to Matilda in the process, "Your quick wit is one of the things that attracts me to you, you know?"
Matilda felt her cheek's flush and licked her lips nervously, "Aren't you worried Renee will see us? I told her we were just friends."
Jon sighed a little and stepped back – despite how badly he wanted to physically be close to Matilda, he respected Renee too much to flaunt the new, delicate relationship he was slowly moving into.
"After the show tonight we could get a late dinner?" suggested Matilda, "Nothing fancy… maybe… I dunno, Subway?"
"I'd like that," said Jon as he glanced around them furtively before pushing Matilda back into the shadowed section of the corridor, with large crates creating blocked off sections.
Matilda gasped but was quickly cut off by Jon's lips upon hers in a desperate, hungry kiss. Matilda wrapped her arms around Jon as he pressed his body against hers, his hands sliding up her side's as they explored the contours of her body.
Matilda glided her hands down Jon's back to the hem of his shirt. She pulled away a little, looking into Jon's eyes seeing them swirling with lust for her. He gave her a small smile and Matilda closed the distance between them once more. Jon's finger's trailed up Matilda's back as his lips left hers and moved their way along her jaw line to her neck. Matilda bit back a moan as Jon found a particularly sensitive spot, but her physical jolt of movement gave away to Jon the discovery and he moved back up right to look at her with a smile of victory.
"Shut up," muttered Matilda, though the smile on her face proved she wasn't angry or annoyed in the slightest.
"Shall I meet you at the stadium doors after the show?"
Matilda nodded, her hands resting on Jon's chest as he kept himself pressed against her, one hand twirling a curl around his forefinger, the other resting at her hip with his thumb brushing the bare skin back and forth, "Yes. About eight forty-five?"
"It's a date."
Matilda bit her lower lip and grinned. Jon let out a low growl and a second later had Matilda locked in a fiery kiss that left her breathless when he pulled away.
Sister Abigail slammed her hands on the mat as Bray Wyatt took a hard clothesline from Dean Ambrose. She stepped back and shook her head in frustration, dragging her fingers through her curly hair at the same time.
She turned around and looked at Luke Harper and Braun Stowman and simply shook her head at them both as she walked away, heading towards the ramp to exit the arena.
"I think Sister Abigail has had enough of The Wyatt's continuously failing to achieve a victory," commented Michael Cole.
"Can you blame her Michael? She is the Diva's Champion! Why would she want to be associated with them?" replied JBL with an agreement from Byron.
Suddenly the sound of Natalya's theme hit and the diva came running out and tackled Abigail down to the ground, pummelling her with a flurry of hits. Luke and Braun came running over but were quickly distracted by the music of Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. The two men bolted out to stop Natalya being hurt by the large men.
Natalya stood up from Abigail and Abigail quickly scrambled backwards towards the ring where Dean had gained a victory over a distracted Bray. Bray jumped out of the ring and stood in front of Abigail as Natalya eyed her.
Abigail slowly stood, jumping a little when Dean was crouched beside her, still inside the ring.
"You think you run the Diva's division," said Natalya, breathlessly into a microphone, "But you don't. I am Natalya and I am the only diva to survive the dungeon and I will be the next Diva's Champion."
Abigail shoved past Bray and dove at Natalya, knocking the microphone from her hand and pinning the diva to the ground. Abigail gestured for the microphone and Bray grabbed it for her as Luke and Braun held Tyson and Cesaro back.
"It looks like you need a dose of Redemption," spoke Abigail, chuckling at the end, "I look forward to delivering it you."
Abigail dropped the microphone and gave Natalya a shove she stood up, the sound of her music playing in the arena as she walked up the ramp and disappeared back stage.
"Serious?"
"We are. We honestly believe it's the right direction to go. Let's push this as a top billing feud," expressed Stephanie to both Matilda and Natalya back stage after their segment.
"Thank you so much, Stephanie," said Natalya earnestly, "This is just… such a big opportunity."
Stephanie smiled, "Nattie, I know you have been frustrated for a long time with not being at the top but Matilda is the perfect opponent for you. You both are highly skilled and will provide a match that will definitely eliminate the 'toilet break' mentality many male WWE Universe fans have. Matilda, you have given everything we have asked of you since you joined the company. You both deserve this."
"Thank you," replied Matilda feeling humbled by the opportunity given to her and Natalya.
Stephanie smiled at them both and quickly left to continue with tasks she had to do for the show. Natalya and Matilda grinned at each other excitedly.
"We are going to kill it," said Natalya confidently, "Prove to the bosses and the universe that we deserve this shot."
"Heck yes!" agreed Matilda giving Natalya a high five.
"I need to go tell Tyson. I'll speak with you tomorrow at Smackdown."
Matilda nodded and went on her way to shower and change, a grin on her face that no one could take away from her.
Jon looked up as Matilda exited the arena. She was dressed simply in skinny black jeans, a dark red, long sleeved top with a v-neckline and a dark grey cardigan on that hung loose at the front with no buttons. Her feet donned black slip on shoes and she had tied her hair to the side in a loose braid. It was a casual and simple look and Jon found it incredibly gorgeous – he liked the fact that Matilda felt no need to doll herself up to impress him.
"Hey," smiled Jon at Matilda, shifting his bag on his back, "All ready?"
"I am," replied Matilda, a smile on her face, "Ssssoooo want to hear some awesome news?"
"From the sound of your voice I would be an idiot to not hear it."
Matilda chuckled, "They are giving Nattie and I the opportunity for our match to be one of the main events at Survivor Series! And we will have main event build up segments in the lead up!"
Jon grinned, "That's brilliant."
Matilda was bouncing on her feet as they headed to the car, her smile large and happy, "I know! I'm so stoked! I didn't even dare dream of something like this… everything is just coming up roses!"
Jon chuckled as they reached the car. He popped the boot and slid his bag in and took Matilda's. Their luggage had been sent ahead to the airport with the other talents going with them to Scotland.
As Jon turned from shutting the boot he captured Matilda's lips in a light kiss, "I am very happy for you, Mattie. You deserve it."
Matilda smiled and simply hugged Jon back, enjoying the feel of his arms around her.
The waitress led Jon and Matilda to a private booth at the back of the restaurant, keeping them away from prying eyes.
"This is a nice place," said Matilda as she settled into her seat, with Jon sitting beside her.
"Yeah. I came here once with Joe and… Colby… and I enjoyed the food. Service is good as well," replied Jon.
Matilda nodded, "Well you will have to show me all the must see places in Scotland, Spain and England. I'm going to be a fish out of water overseas."
Jon smiled, "Then we must do the cliché thing and go on the London eye."
"Oh yes! I do want to do that and I don't want to drag Saraya to all the cliché tourist sights. I know she just wants a pint and fish and chips."
"You Australians and British people have odd names for things."
"I don't call a beer a pint. Aussie's call them stubbies or a cold one."
"I call it a beer. But you get the term brewski."
"Brewski?"
"Stubbie?"
"Touché," grinned Matilda.
Jon winked and the waitress returned to ask for their orders. Matilda and Jon quickly made their selections, along with drinks and resumed chatting while they waited for their orders.
As their conversation continued both unconsciously moved closer together, until Jon slipped his arm around Matilda and she placed her hand on his thigh.
"So tell me, your first ever wrestling show match. Did you nail it or fail it?" asked Matilda curiously, turning slightly to look at Jon.
Jon grinned, looking slightly cocky as he ran a hand through his hair, "Nailed it."
Matilda smirked, "Jon Moxley instant in ring boss, huh?
"What about you, Miss Harrison? Nail or fail?"
"Nailed it. My grandfather wouldn't let me compete until he knew I could perform the moves right and sell the assault moves from the opponent."
"What was your old ring name?"
Matilda flushed, "Tillie Girl."
"Tillie Girl?"
"It's what my grandmother would call me as a little girl. I was her Tillie Girl through and through."
"You really loved your grandparents."
Matilda nodded, fiddling with a napkin, "They were my everything… but anyway-"
Jon placed a hand on Matilda's chin and made her look at him, "You can talk about them… I know what it is to have people who aren't your parents and mean so much to you… losing them is the hardest experience a person goes through."
Matilda smiled, her eyes bright with unshed tears. She leaned forward and brushed her lips lightly over Jon's, "Thank you."
To: Matilda Harrison
Sender: Charlie Harrison
Subject: Responsibilities
Matilda,
This has gone on long enough. You think we haven't seen your antic's on the television? Dad is furious and wants you home NOW. You have a responsibility to this family and farm. How can you leave and expect us to carry on? You are so unbelievably selfish. Just like Grandpa was.
COME HOME NOW!
Your brother,
Charlie.
Matilda let out a deep breath before switching her phone off and handing the flight attendant at the gate her ticket.
"Enjoy your flight Miss Harrison."
"Thank you," smiled Matilda as she headed along the corridor and into the tube that connected to the plane.
"Oh, looks like we are flight buddies," greeted Jon, gesturing to the seat beside him.
Matilda smiled warmly and sat down. Jon glanced around and quickly leaned in kissing Matilda gently, brushing his thumb across her cheek.
"You okay?" he asked with a slight frown.
"I'm perfect," replied Matilda, entwining her finger's with Jon's, "Absolutely perfect."
A/N: Nawwwwwww!