just like the last chapter (which took me literally a day to write because i was in such a mood for it), i was SUPER excited to write this one, so if you enjoy it, leave a comment for me :D
also, TALK TO ME ABOUT THE ELIMINATION CHAMBER. please. like holy hell. like what.
also after the last chapter, just another friendly reminder that i do NOT actually know any of the superstars in person, therefore they may be complete opposites of what i write them as, yada yada, you know the drill.
enjoy, my lovelies (also i'm sorry about the length) (also thank you for the comments, though what would really be nice is more)
"You have another match against Colby?" Ary asks Randy, almost half way through her lunch while she looks at the card for the night.
"Yep," he affirms. "You?"
"Trinity. I dunno. Something like a match, anyway. Colby comes out halfway through and gets revenge for SmackDown, same old shit."
Randy nods. "You heading back to Good's after the show?"
"Yeah." Ary smiles at him and takes a deep breath. "I haven't seen his sister for a while, so she'll be all over me."
"I'm surprised she's not here, actually. She loves this place. Loves Joe."
"Probably scared of your face."
Orton sends her a glare, but his lips are quick to turn up into a smirk. "Harsh."
"Hardly." She smirks and looks over her shoulder at the over-sized Samoan. "Hey Joe, Allison's afraid of Orton, isn't she?"
The man behind Ary laughs at this and sends a grin over his shoulder. "Of course."
"Wanna step into the ring, go a few rounds?" Randy teases her, snatching the plate of food away from her face.
When time comes for Ary to leave for the arena, she hitches a ride in the back of Orton's bus. Bennett, Stephen and Hager had crowded the area, fighting over controllers to play whatever PS4 game they had set up (it definitely wasn't Mortal Combat, because Ary would have handed their asses to them on a platter). When her phone buzzes, she smiles down at the screen and excuses herself from the argument.
From: Colby Lopez
Message Received at 4:53PM
let me know when you get to the arena , got
some singings to do and a kid to meet but
should be done by the time you get here .
xx
To: Colby Lopez
Message Sent 4:55PM
I'm stuck on a bus with Orton, Hager, Stephen
and Bennett. i don't think this could get any
worse, but i wouldn't honestly be surprised…
From: Colby Lopez
Message Received at 4:59
just think of the things i can do to you once
you get here and im sure that will make
everything better ;)
To: Colby Lopez
Message Sent 5:01PM
Hush your damn mouth Lopez I don't have
time to deal with that kinda shit right now
From: Colby Lopez
Message Received at 5:05
ill be waiting in the locker room then for you
princess , fun things await ( like food and
tv shows )
From: Colby Lopez
Message Received at 5:06
actually we can skip the meeting tonight and
instead catch up on the latest GOT episode
ok
To: Colby Lopez
Message Sent 5:07
Sure thing buttercup, whatever you want
xx
(In the end, Paul ends up pulling them out by the ears so they can listen to Vince's speech about how proud he is of everyone, and they don't even get to watch ten minutes.)
Ary's in a fantastic mood. She slaps Naomi's ass on her way out of the curtain and then bops up and down to the first part of her song. "Naaa na na na na, naaa na na na na," she's humming to herself when her music hits.
She does her usual pose and then flicks the belt off from around her waist, climbing the turnbuckles and thrusting it in the air for a loud cheer.
"And introducing her opponent and the Divas Champion, from Monterey, California, Ary Hale!"
She hands the belt over to the referee and bounces up and down on her feet, shaking out her arms and legs. When the bell rings, the two divas dash forward and lock up, and Naomi is quick to shove her down into a head-lock and very quick to go flying over Ary's shoulder in a hip toss.
The circle each other again. Ary bolts forward, throws a foot against Naomi's right thigh and then bouncing to do the same to her left thigh. The woman yells in frustration and dashes forward to shove Ary's face away, taunting her as she bounces around the ring to dodge any blows. Ary can already feel the crowd losing interest.
So she bursts out from the middle of the ring and hits Naomi with a clothesline so hard it turns her inside out. The other diva makes quick time to roll out of the ring and gather herself, but when the ref starts counting she slips back in, and walks right into a dropkick that hits her hard in the chest.
Naomi screams and falls against the floor, and when she gets up she's knocked back down with a super-kick to the jaw. The crowd are cheering loudly again now that their favourite is back in power, and Ary's suddenly got this plan in her head that makes her stomach squirm with anticipation.
As she goes for a quick cover on Naomi, she whispers, "Suplex."
Naomi's only reaction is to push her off and groan as she holds her face. Ary stands, pulls Naomi's head up and under her arm. She runs for the ropes, bounces of the second one, about to flip on the third when Naomi wraps her arms around Ary's waist and turns her finisher into a German suplex.
She only just kicks out of the cover. Laying down with her face against the mat, Ary haphazardly throws an arm over the back of her head to hold the spot where her skull bounced off the apron.
Namoi doesn't get the chance to do anymore - Seth Rollins' music has blared through the speakers, the superstar himself walking out seconds later flanked by J&J Security.
Lifting her head, Ary crawls to the ropes on the left of her, looks up with a pained face at the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. And off the distraction, Naomi bolts forward and rolls Ary up, keeping the diva champion down for the three count and then bouncing off in celebration, but Ary is livid, can't believe what's just happened.
She pushes to her feet and hisses as Seth ducks into the ring, but she's still feeling the impact of the suplex and has a hand pressed to the back of her head.
"You and I need to have a talk," Seth yells into the microphone, angry. "Thursday night SmackDown you attacked me and J&J Security with a kendo stick and then held me in Hell's Gate. I have a bruised trachea! I mean, it's a miracle I can even speak!"
"And Triple H won't punish you because apparently I provoked you. So I'm here to even the score. And just because you're a lady doesn't mean that I can't get my sweet justice!"
Pain erupts across Ary's back as a kendo stick is slammed against her bare skin. The crowd is going mental, booing and jeering the J&J boys who are attacking viciously.
She's already hurting, so it doesn't take long before she's on the floor in a ball trying to protect herself. Rollins takes the time to get in a few cheap kicks to her ribs, and then he orders his security detail to retreat.
"Go get a table!" Seth yells into the mic, and then turns and stares down at Ary. "We're gonna teach you a lesson."
Once the table is set up in the ring, Seth pulls Ary up and plops her on top of the turnbuckle, sets his shoulders under her legs so that he can lift her up and off. Her torso is slumped against his face as she hangs in pain and Seth presses a stealthy kiss into her stomach before throwing her down on top of the table in a power-bomb almost reminiscent of those from his days with the Shield.
"Oh my God! Oh my God! Seth Rollins has… broken Ary Hale in half!"
"Ary Hale has been power-bombed through a table! She's not moving!"
Once that she's able to suck the breath back into her lungs, Ary coughs and shifts on the broken table pieces underneath her to curl her body inwards. Her back is aching with the impact and her head is still sore, but she knows that because of her perfect landing, she'll pull up fine.
Seth hisses down the microphone and hovers over Ary's body. "Try and get up from that."
Eventually she does. The referee and the ring side doctors rush to her aid after Rollins walks back the way he came from. She pushes their probing hands away from her body, shakes her head and rolls over onto her stomach to push herself up. The crowd are cheering so loudly for her and her arms feel like jelly, but with the help of Bret - one of the doctors - she's finally back to her feet. The doc doesn't let go of her as she hobbles over to demand a microphone from one of the tech guys, but lets go once she's leaning on the turnbuckles for support.
"Seth Rollins," she says, pain lacing her voice and a dangerous look in her eyes. She can see that the Titantron has changed from a view of the welts on her back to the side of her face, but she doesn't let it distract her. Sucking in deep breaths, Ary tries to form the sentence coherently. "You're going to have to try… a lot harder than that… to make me stay down."
Ary's escorted to the back by Bret and another man where she's immediately pushed into the medical examiners office.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she laughs, and even though her eyes are screwed shut, the pain's beginning to edge away. "Seriously, Doc, just give me an ice pack and I'll be good."
The door swings open as Bret is securing the ice pack in place with some large tape and in storms Colby.
"You okay?" Is his immediate question as he comes to grip her hand. "You went through a lot harder than I expected, I didn't mean-"
"I'm fine, Colby," she reassures him with an eye-roll. "Don't you have a match with Randy? Go on, scram."
Colby kisses her softly and then disappears with a swoosh.
Bret sighs as he taps Ary's shoulder. "All good to go, Ary."
She sits up and winces at the cold, then runs her hand along the lump starting to form on the back of her head. "Need more ice, though." He rolls his eyes and tosses a back together and hands it over to her. "Thanks, doc."
Official WWE Network photographers invade the room for photos to post to the site, and Doc looks at her skeptically.
"How many more bumps like this you gonna take?"
Ary shrugs. "Dunno. Tomorrow night I'm knocked off my feet, but it shouldn't be too much of a worry."
He rolls his eyes. "Just do your job and take the landings like a pro and you'll pull up fine. The last thing I want is to have to scratch you for your match against Trinity, okay?"
But like all things, Ary's good run without any injuries comes to a screaming halt during the taping of SmackDown.
As the Tuesday night rolls on, Ary watches with slight interest as Nikki and Trinity face off in a quick match. She's supposed to go down to the ring during Colby's match against Ryan, cause him a loss. Easy enough.
So she stands at the back curtain with her head on Colby's shoulder, waits for him to get called out.
"You winning tonight?"
Colby nods his head at her, drops a kiss on her black hair. "Of course I am."
"Is it off a distraction?"
He pokes her in the ribs, frowns, pouts his lips. "Why would you say that?"
She laughs at him and turns her lips to his bicep, presses two kisses there and then pushes him to the awaiting hands of the technical team. "Go get 'em, tiger."
Ary's music blares across the speakers half-way through the match-up, and she holds her hands up as the J&J boys circle around to her.
"You need to leave right now!" Jamie yells at her. "You're not welcome here, Hale!"
"I'm just…" she looks up at the champion who's staring at the exchange. "I'm reconsidering."
The two look at each other, then Jamie looks back at her. "You won't mind if we stay by your side then."
She smiles back at him. "Not at all."
And so the match continues, but Seth is confused and wondering why, all of a sudden, Ary is suddenly friends with his security detail. He doesn't pay attention, is dominated, and the rolls out of the ring to walk over to where the three are standing.
But Ryback follows him.
He runs at Seth, throws an arm up, can't stop his momentum as Seth ducks and his arm hits Ary Hale in the back of the head. She flies face first towards the ground and her head hits the padding with a sharp crack.
She wasn't supposed to land like that.
Ryback watches in horror as words reach his ears; "Ary Hale has been caught by Ryback's clothesline, her head bouncing off the ground on impact, and Cole, I think she's out!"
"No, no, no," Seth is murmuring under his breath. He looks up at the camera man, shakes his head, and hears Ryback mutter under his breath to get away. His security boys are pulling him back, shoving him into the ring.
"How is she supposed to compete against Naomi this Sunday after that!"
There are paramedics coming out and Seth tries not to run over to Ary, to cradle her head in his hands and will all of her pain away, and he can hear his words that he'd said to her over and over, you could get hurt, why do you want to do this, but she had smiled every time and told him not to worry.
His fists are clenched tightly in the black gloves and his hands are beginning to sweat, and even as he turns away to make sure Ryback doesn't jump him while he isn't watching, Seth can't erase the image of Ary's limp figure being manhandled onto a stretcher. He tries a smirk on his face, watches as Ryback drags his hand down his mouth. At least he doesn't have to pretend he's not devastated, Seth thinks bitterly.
Ary had landed wrong from the clothesline. His Ary. He barely participates the rest of the match, uses J&J Security to get him away from the ring and back up the ramp, doesn't even hold his title in the air.
"Where is she?" Is the first thing he says to Paul as he pushes the curtain back, a wild look in his eyes now that he doesn't have to bother to conceal it. "Paul, where is she?"
"Colby, stop," Paul grabs his arm, stops him from walking. "She's already on her way to the local hospital, we're not taking any risks. What we know right now is that she's still unconscious which means she's not in pain, and we'll get the hospital to call us when she wakes. Best case scenario, she's in for overnight observation with a concussion, okay?"
He nods with the new information runs his hands through his hair, dropping into a squat. "So stupid, so fucking stupid, this is so fucking stupid, Paul!"
There's a hand on his back and comforting words, but Colby can't pay any attention. So he stands, ignores Paul's words until there's a hand on his shoulder spinning him around.
"Where are you going?"
"To the hospital to be with my girlfriend, Paul."
"We have another segment to shoot, Colby, you have to trust that she's being looked after."
Colby puffs his cheeks and blows air harshly through his lips. "I swear to God, Paul, let me go. The promo can be done tomorrow night, okay?"
Paul watches sadly as the superstar scurries off. He'd had tears in his eyes when he'd walked through to the back, and Paul knows how much this man cares about Ary. He grabs his phone out, pulls both Ary and Colby of the upcoming house shows before the pay-per-view. They'd need a lot of time to recuperate and discuss as a couple what their best option was, and Paul wasn't sure he'd like the answer.