helloooooo! back for another update, but before we get into this shizniz, id love to say a huge thankyou to Raquel-the-Writer for commenting on every update so far, you're awesome :) in saying that, thankyou to everyone who comments, makes my day every time, so please do make sure you drop a comment :)
i think it's safe to say we're almost halfway through this little cherub? and that if I get a good enough response, i might even do a Shield fic or something similar :)
also just for the purposes of having a good finisher, Seth's curb stomp isn't suspended in this story.
anyhow, enjoy this, and if you haven't yet, chuck a listen to Daughters of Darkness by Halestorm - kind of Ary's theme.
ALSO, quickly, if you haven't quite figured it out just yet, check back in the day after the airing of smackdown for a new chapter.
Ary is set to walk on stage, waits behind the curtain for Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett to finish their match. She's not donned in her wrestling gear - tonight, it's not her that is fighting. Instead, she's in some leather leggings, boots up her calves, usual red sleeveless hoodie. Her eyeliner is heavy and her eyes are burning, her hurt wrist is wrapped in some black tape, but all that Ary takes from this is that her promo needs to hit hard and needs to hit home - to everyone.
So when Wade steals a clean win over Dolph, his music isn't even playing for fifteen seconds before Ary motions for hers to start. The crowd changes in their attitude and when the guitar starts, Ary pushes through the curtain and onto the ramp.
Wade stares her down as he walks up the ramp, but she only stares right back. The arena is flooded in darkness and then a single spotlight drenches Ary in her pose, arms spread wide and head thrown back. Slowly, she lowers her face and glares straight into the camera. Unwavering. Unrelenting.
"Ary Hale looks ready for a war…"
She climbs into the ring and leans against the ropes closest to the camera that has her on the titantron. She stares and stares until her music fades out, then moves to the corner, snatching a microphone from a technician that stays ringside.
Ary drums her finger tips across her collarbone. She lifts the microphone to her lips, pauses, and then stares straight into the camera once more.
"There is not a single diva in that locker room that can match me in this ring," she starts. "Not a single woman who can wrestle me toe to toe and come out on top. No one. You've brought your best moves and your best finishers and you've expected that to be enough.
"And you know the funny part? Here's where I agree with The Authority. You have to adapt to survive. You adapt to beat who you can't beat, to win what you can't win. None of you have done that. You've got the same moves, the same attitudes, the same disregard for this company that you've always had. Give divas a chance? What a joke when you can't even make yourself stronger. I can talk you from this city on this little microphone right here and I can make you tap out with a simple hold. Adapt to survive."
Slowly, Ary's voice becomes harsher. "Adapt to survive. Seth Rollins, you call yourself the architect, you sell yourself as the future, you say you play this game of human chess better than anybody… Rollins, this is no game. There is a reason I have held this title for over two hundred days, there is a reason I stand here above everyone else, there is a reason these people cheer for me, and it's not because I play a game, it's because I adapt, I fight, I conquer.
"You're trying to get into my mind, Seth Rollins, trying to mess with my head, you say that no one has ever messed with anyone like you, but you've just messed with someone who will make your life a living hell. You knock me down and I'll get back up, you take me out and I'll show up the next day. Seth Rollins, you can put me through a table and I will still fight back. I will pick you apart from the inside out.
"So I have a message. For the Divas locker room, for Seth Rollins, for the Authority," Ary chuckles darkly. "You keep thinking that you have one over on me, but let me make myself extremely clear; back off. You do not want to see what I'm capable of when I am angry."
About to climb out of the ring, Ary stops when she hears Seth Rollins' theme over the speakers. Her face doesn't change except for the grin that starts to spread across her lips.
"If Ary has any common sense, she'll leave. But… is that a smile I see? Is she smiling? John, I'm not sure what I'm seeing…"
Seth stares at her with a face of stone and the J&J Security boys flank him, and trailing behind while looking unimpressed and not interested is Kane.
"Miss Hale," Seth drawls into his microphone. "What a pleasure, as always."
"Seth Rollins," she replies smartly, "Never a pleasure."
He sneers at her, climbs between the ropes. "Two times you have now thrown my hospitality for your own mistakes back in my face. I've tried being nice, oh, trust me, I have. I demanded that you join us and you still believe that you actually have a choice… Ary, the choice has already been made for you. You're part of the Authority, whether you want to be or not, which means I control you. I own you."
Ary laughs into the microphone, "You own me? Seth, you don't even own that championship around your waist; the Authority does. You're their own little puppet… you don't even own yourself."
Seth's nostrils flare and he drops the microphone from his mouth. The crowd is cheering loudly and then start chanting 'you sold out'. He smiles at that. Chuckles. "You all say that like I should be ashamed of it. For you, Ary…" his eyes trail back to her and then he smirks. "Kane, as the Director of Operations, you know what's best for business, correct?"
Kane nods, frowns at Seth, wonders where this is going.
"Then if you know what's best for business, Kane, you will take action against Ary Hale for defying us." A grin forms on Seth's face and he turns back to the diva. "You will choke-slam Ary Hale… we'll see how she gets back up after that."
The stadium is overcome with jeering and booing, and Seth moves to stand in the corner, motioning for Kane to obey him. Frowns as he sees the smile on Ary's face. She walks up to Kane, right in front of him, holds her arms open. Screams 'come on!' at him, shoves him backwards. When Kane does nothing, Ary smiles again.
Ary grabs the ropes behind Kane and slips under them, walking back up the ramp and onto the stage. Doesn't even look back at the World Heavy Weight Champion who is almost frothing at the mouth in anger.
By the time Colby has finished his match with Jon, Ary has had time to change into some nicer clothes - a black strappy cropped singlet, wet-look jogger pants, and tall, black ankle boots. She's just pulling on her beanie when Colby pushes the door open to their shared locker room.
"Good match," is the first thing she says, smiling at him through the mirror.
He grins back at her, kissing her quickly on the lips before grabbing a towel off the back of a chair. "I'm gonna have a quick shower, then we can hit the road with Jon and Renee."
Ary nods. "I'll go find Jon or Renee and hang out with them for a bit. I need to do a fallout promo, but text me when you're done so I can let you know where we are."
Colby nods at her and ducks into the bathroom. When Ary's double checked the room after packing both hers and Colby's duffle bags, she slings her belt over one shoulder and green parka jacket over the other, grabs her bag, and leaves the room.
She finds Renee with a camera crew and with a subtle nod drops her bag, turning on her heel and walking back down the corridor.
"Ary, if I could just get a word with you about what we saw out in that ring earlier tonight-"
Ary turns again, throwing a glare over her shoulder but softening when she realises it's only Renee. "What about it?"
"Do you feel lucky to have escaped Kane's wrath?"
"Look, I know it was definitely a brash thing to do, but it wasn't luck…" Ary pauses and looks over her shoulder. "I know that Kane seems like a really scary guy, but when you strip him down, he's nothing but a man who is sick and tired of being pushed around. I had a gut feeling that he wouldn't do it, and he didn't, so here I am."
"Though Seth Rollins has been almost like a thorn in your side, what about the divas locker room? Are you not scared of the repercussions from what you said tonight?"
With a shrug, Ary says, "Not really, Renee. Not scared of them, per say, just… waiting. I want more, y'know? I want them to be the best they can be. I mean it's good when you're at the top, but I'm not chasing anything anymore, and I want that rush of having to lift my game because someone's got one over me."
Renee thanks her and moves onto Nick Nemmeth (who shoots a smile at Ary before the camera reaches him), and Ary picks her bag back up. She has a fair idea where Jon is going to be and walks into the almost empty catering room.
"Hey, Jon," she says warmly as she approaches him. "Nice match tonight."
He looks up at her through his fluffy sandy blonde hair and smiles through a mouthful of a sandwich. "How ya' going, Princess?"
Ary rolls her eyes at the nickname and sits down across from him. She eyes his plate, steals a piece of tomato. "Pretty good. Can't complain, right?"
Jon smiles at her and agrees. "Just how it is. Tell you what though, as soon as we get to Ottawa I'm setting up Mortal Combat and I'm going to enjoy kicking Colby's ass."
"If you can beat me first," Ary teases. "Tell you what though, loser shouts breakfast."
"Deal."
Ary chuckles at the memory of teaching Renee how to play properly. "Renee any better at it? Or are you just being rude and beating her every chance you get?"
He rolls his eyes. "If she spent anytime with me, she would." Ary tilts her head, gives him a look. "Oh, no, trust me when I say we're good, but that woman does so much for the company off the books, it's actually a little crazy. I only get to see her a couple of hours a day."
"Well isn't it a good thing that JoJo is taking over Fallout then, huh?" Ary smiles at the tired man in front of her and reaches across to ruffle his hair. "Also, none of Colby or your music tastes during the drive, please. My mind can only take so much metal."
Jon snorts at her, choking out a disgruntled laugh. "Says you who listens to Halestorm on repeat. Big jump from Halestorm to that Ezra guy, isn't it?"
Ary kicks him gently under the table and looks at her phone, putting it away once she's texted Colby to let him know where they were. "Perfection comes in all kinds of voices."
"Sure, sure, say what you want."
There's a moment of silence, and while Jon finishes off the rest of his sandwich, Ary gives him a good once over. "Been a while, hasn't it?"
He simply nods back at her. "Last time I saw you was when I pulled you off of Orton. You were kind of a bitch that night, couldn't believe it when you slapped him."
"Yeah, well, shit happens," is her only reply as she sheepishly stares down at her hands. "Dunno though, I missed seeing your stupid face while I was back home."
Jon acts hurt for a second, then looks up at her through narrowed eyes. "You never did tell me why you took the time off. I mean, apart from the fact that you broke your wrist, you didn't have to leave, yet you did."
"Yeah." Ary takes a deep breath. "Padre was in hospital. Suzanne called me a couple of nights after and told me that he'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's , but it wasn't like we didn't see it coming. The man's getting pretty old, y'know? It was bound to happen. So yeah, I took some time off to go down to Cali and make sure everything was okay. Took him a while to remember why I was gone…"
When she trails off, Jon gives her foot a reassuring nudge. "He'll be fine. Lived a full life, nothing to be ashamed of."
"He watches this, you know? Watches the WWE. Told me he likes you because you're weird, that he dislikes Colby because he's a spoilt brat."
Jon laughs at this. There's a shuffle and then Colby walks in alongside Renee, smile wide.
"You two talking shit about me?"
Ary smiles brightly at him. "Of course."
He drops his bag, dashes towards Ary, wraps his arms around her to lift her up and over his shoulder. Ary squeals and slaps his ass repeatedly, commanding to be put down. She looks up just in time to see Renee kiss Jon softly, giggling at the sight in front of them.
Colby turns, ducks to pick up her duffle and then his, and calls out for the other two to follow him to the car.
"You got my title, NeyNey?!" Ary yells around the corner.
"Aye aye, ma'am!"
The car ride is short and sweet. Ary drives for the first hour, then lets Colby take the wheel as she slips into the back with Renee. And, as promised, when they get to their hotel in Ottawa, Jon whips out the game and sets up his PS4.
In the end, Colby ends up shouting breakfast.
They wake up the morning after entangled in each other, five hours of solid sleep under their belt, and relax for an hour before realising they actually do need to be functional today.
Colby almost rolls onto Ary. "I don't wanna get up."
"You have training to do," Ary laughs at him. "This is the routine you have set for yourself, this is the routine you must follow."
"No," he replies. "No, I don't have to do anything, right? I can just show up tonight and get assaulted by you and then come back here, right?"
Ary laughs again. "Well you can stay here then. I need to go for a run and do some Pilates."
Colby levels her with burning eyes, crooked smirk forming on his face. "Or you could do Pilates here. In front of me. Naked."
"I could."
Now interested, Colby pushes up onto his elbow and lets Ary slither out from under the covers. She's not wearing a thing apart from cheeky underwear and light taping along her left wrist. He watches as she stretches her arms above her head, lets his eyes trail down the curves of her torso, the shape of her ass, the long line down to her feet.
"Or…" she starts, looking back over her shoulder at him, "You could join me in the shower."
Colby is straight out of bed then, pushing Ary against the wall, the soft skin of her breasts pushing against his bare chest. He kisses her softly and circles an arm around her waist. "Good plan."
They have the water too hot but neither of them really care to change it, and when they emerge, Colby is flushed red in the face and ready for the day ahead of him.
The scheduled match that night for Ary is against Ariane, and Colby has nothing except a contract signing where, according to him, he's set to throw some serious shade. So he heads to the ring with Jon and Joe after his cross-fit session, leaves Ary with the other diva and Renee, and lets the night unfold in the exact way that it should.
The match between Cameron and Ary wasn't set to happen until Kane got sick of hearing Seth complain about her.
When she hits the stage, the pop is large, the crowd is loud, and Ary feels shivers running up her spine. She's in her usual ring gear, strappy crop top replacing her sleeved top. All black apart from the red sports bra underneath.
The match lasts for a good two minutes of back and forth action before Ary takes control. She lands hit after hit, blow after blow, and climbs to the top rope in preparation of landing a massive drop kick when she feels the hands on her back. She's pushed forwards, lands awkwardly on the ropes, drops to the ground after bouncing off the apron.
Ary clutches at her face as she stares up a Jamie Noble, taps her hand on the floor. When he jumps down, Joe reaches her other side. Both lift her, throw her back into the ring, and wait for Rollins' music to start. And when it does, Ary rolls onto her stomach and watches with a hand still across her jaw.
"Since Kane can't do what is asked of him," Rollins spits into a mic, "Looks like I'm going to have to do this myself."
Ary stands when Seth walks into the ring. She flicks her hair over her shoulder and clenches her fist as she sees him motion to his personal guards.
The J&J Security boys jump into the ring, one on either side of Ary, and stare her down. Cameron has already left, match ended from a disqualification. Ary hisses and ducks under arms reaching to grab her. She slips between the two easily, then backs into something very solid and something very human. Seth Rollins.
She doesn't even have time to react before Seth wraps his arms around her middle, calling the security boys over to grab a hold of her properly. Though she struggles, one kicks the back of her knee in and she falls heavily to the apron.
"Maybe this will make things much clearer," Seth growls into the microphone. He drops it, puts a foot on the back of Ary's neck and pushes her so that she's lying face down. Jamie and Joe have their knees in her back, keeping her from getting up.
Seth's foot is off her neck then as he runs towards the ropes, bounces off them. The J&J boys quickly move to get out of the way, and Ary has just seconds to roll to the side to avoid his boot planting her face into the ground. She feels hands try and grab at her but somehow she slips out of the ring and underneath the apron.
"Hale has disappeared under the ring, trying to escape the onslaught from Rollins and J&J Security…"
Luckily enough for Ary, none of the boys have actually realised her escape had led her under the ring - they look around for her, confused, and Seth Rollins is stomping above her like a child in the middle of a tantrum.
"Cole, I haven't seen this kind of pure domination from Rollins since he was part of the Shield-"
Ary finds her weapon of choice, grins to herself as she rolls back into the sight of the arena. There's a stick in her hand as she crawls up behind Seth Rollins.
"Look! Look at that, Ary Hale has slipped back out from underneath the ring with a kendo stick in her hand, and Rollins has no idea!"
She slams the stick across his back once, twice before the others notice that she's even back in the ring. Jamie marches towards her and receives a swing to the gut, then the back of his head, and Joe swings her around with a hand on her arm, but falls back when the kendo stick hits the side of his neck.
Ary ducks and weaves between the three as she attacks them with all of her strength. She still feels the pain of the fall in her back but grimaces her way through it and turns, pivots, delivers blow after blow until Rollins is on the floor and writhing in pain. She lowers the stick against him again and again and again, driving it into his back, and watches as red welts show up along his smooth, tan skin.
Triple H's music hits, blasts through the arena, and he storms out with a microphone in his hand.
"Ary!" Triple H belts, his figure bolting down the ramp and sliding into the ring. "That is enough! You have my word he will leave you alone, but you gotta go get some fresh air, take the night off!"
Ary snarls through her teeth at Triple H as her whole body aches, and then tosses the kendo stick at his feet. She snatches a microphone off of one of the camera men and storms right back up to Triple H.
"You want me to back off?" She growls. "You want me to back off your little precious future? Can he not handle himself? Is that what you're worried about?" She points to Seth's writhing body and backs away from Triple H.
"Ary, you got what you want," he tries to reason, "You got what you want, and if you don't leave, I can promise you that we're going to lay charges."
The diva hisses through her teeth, absolutely seething, and tries to calm down. When she rolls from the ring, she takes the microphone with her and slams her palms into the apron, then runs one through her hair.
And then she's laughing. She turns, stares at Hunter, tilts her head to the side. "If you think that's gonna stop me… you should know me better than that, I'm gonna kill him anyway."
Ary bolts back into the ring, ducks around a livid Triple H, and grabs Seth, twists his arm though hers, throws a leg over his shoulder, locks her other ankle under his chin and against his throat… and locks in Hells Gate. With a vicious scream, Ary throws her head back and listens to Triple H shouting at her. When he takes a step closer, she shakes her head, yells "One more step and I crush his trachea!"
He threatens and threatens her, screaming, "I will strip you of your championship, Ary Hale, let him go!"
It's only when Seth covertly runs his fingers along her collarbone that she finally lets go. He falls flat on the mat, grabs his throat and coughs. Triple H looks as red as a fire truck and she slips back out of the ring, bares her teeth at him.
"Leave," he commands.
And she does.