Elimination Chamber, May 31st
Unsurprisingly, Ary really enjoys the Halestorm concert that Colby takes her to. Fast forward a couple of days and Ary stands with her back to the wall, mentally preparing for the Battle Royal she's about to enter.
The Bella Twins are out first, then Natalya, then Alicia Fox. All of them, all of the Divas stood out in the ring. Cameron, Brie, Emma, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki, Rosa, Tamina, Summer Rae, Nikki, Paige. All of them. Her championship is secure around her waist but Ary knows it's not going to be there for long.
When her music finally sounds in the arena, Ary waits for the guitar riff to push out from the curtains. Her face isn't a picture of serenity. It's a picture of finality. The chance of her retaining in this kind of match is close to none. So she stands at the top of the ramp and stares down at her competition, unhooks the championship from her waist and hoists it high into the air in a final statement.
And, given the chaos in the ring, it starts simple enough. She's pushed into the corner by the Canadian Hart, stomach burning in pain as she's punched over and over.
Ary doesn't keep track of the other Divas. She darts around the ring, helps eliminate as many people as she can, but both Paige and Nikki are seeming to be difficult to get rid of.
And soon enough, it's just between the three of them.
Yet, it's not.
Seth Rollins has other plans.
His music hits the speakers, lights flashing, and he soon stands at the top of the ramp with a little smile on his face. All the movements in the ring have come to a halt, the three women staring up at the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Seth saunters down the ramp yet takes his time, something so infuriating that Ary has come to the top of the ropes to yell at him.
"What the hell?!" She shouts. "What do you think you're doing?!"
The champion ignores her, walks around the squared circle, once, twice, and now the crowd are booing and Nikki and Paige are glancing at each other like they're formulating a plan. With the referee yelling at him to leave, Seth does the exact opposite. He climbs the steel steps, walks along the apron until he's standing just next to her.
Ary's confused and angry face flashes across the tron, but what she doesn't see is what's about to happen.
Rollins rocks forwards on the balls of his feet, smirk heavy on his face, hand wrapping around Ary's shoulder and pulling her mouth against his. A look of shock crosses her face and her eyes widen and luckily he doesn't do anything else, but he's still kissing her like it's the most natural thing in the world.
The crowd loses it, booing as loud as they possibly can, and Nikki and Paige share another long look as the WWE Champion steals a kiss from their champion.
When Ary finally manages to push away from him, hold her lips in shock, Seth Rollins simply smirks at her and drops from the apron. He walks back the way he came. Swaggers, really. And Ary is fuming, her dark eyes wide with anger.
She doesn't have the time to save herself when hands shove her forwards.
The fall, the impact.
The lights shining down at her.
The screams.
The cameras.
All of it.
"Ary Hale has been eliminated from the Divas Battle Royale for the WWE Divas Championship."
Gone.
All of it, just gone.
Her hands flew onto her face, covering her eyes, and for a long second tears burn at the back of them. Fuck. Fuck.
A couple of the fans yell out at her not to cry. So instead, Ary raises back onto her arms, watches the match from where she landed. And Nikki and Paige go at it. Until Nikki is somehow flung over the top rope, until Paige is announced the new WWE Diva's Champion. She grasps the title as close to her chest as she can and her face contorts into a mixture of happiness and crying.
Ary just sits there.
When she finds the courage to stand, Ary slowly nods her head.
A mic is thrust into her hands and she makes her way back into the ring, eyes finally latching onto Paige's heavily made up one.
"As soon as this shit with Seth Rollins is over," Ary almost growls, "that's coming back home. In the mean time, Paige? Look after it."
—
RAW Live, 1st June
Ary Hale is no longer the longest reigning WWE Champion. She's back at square one.
And Seth Rollins, somehow, even though he should have lost it? He retained. He retained.
As she watches him on screen and he looks like a grumpy kid, like one that's had his toys taken away from him. His arms are crossed, face pulled in a scowl. She feels worse.
When Triple H calls for Dean Ambrose, it's not his music that sounds. It's Ary's.
She doesn't have a microphone in her hand. She's not wearing her ring gear. She doesn't have her title. But what she does have is a murderous glint in her eyes. Almost chaotic. She stops at the top of the ramp, hands clenched into fists, looks at the smug Stephanie McMahon and her husband.
Seth looks just as smug because suddenly he's forgotten why he's so grumpy.
The man steps forward, holds out his hands and yells something incomprehensible. So Ary walks forwards slowly and very deliberately, never once taking her eyes off of the man that had cost her so much.
When she climbs the steps and walks so she's next to him, images of the previous night flash through her mind. What a precarious position; their roles are switched. And Ary wants to do something that will make her feel so much better, so much happier, wants to do something that will have the universe talking for weeks.
"Are ya hear to declare your undying love?" Seth cackles at her.
The only response she has for him is one that puts him on his back. Her fist slams across his face so quick and so swift that J&J and everyone else standing in the ring are too slow to react.
Ary's already jumped off the apron when Stephanie takes a threatening step forward, but when Seth looks up at her, she smirks. She's done what she's come for.
The champions face flashes across the tron and the audience screams in glee when they see it; blood is dripping from his nose.
—
"Oh my God, Colby I swear I didn't mean to hit you that hard," Ary says, covering her mouth in an attempt to smother a laugh.
Her husband sends a loose glare in her direction, fiddling with the tissue that's stuffed up his nose. "I'm never letting you hit me again."
She laughs again and curls into his side, plays with the pattern on his shirt, curls her toes under a cushion. "You know, I'm enjoying this storyline. I get to kiss you, hit you, have something to fight for, get to mess with you…"
"I swear you're actually turning into our local sadist, Hale."
"You love it."
"Without question."
In the corner of the room, Jon snorts. "You two are fuckin' disgusting."
"You know it!" Ary shouts back at him, smiling into Colby's chest.
—
Ary's chin tilts up, jaw locking. She's in frame in the same clothes she wore to the ring, her hair up in a messy pony tail, but next to her is Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.
"Ary, I will not tolerate such blatant disrespect to the WWE World Heavyweight Champion," the woman says. "And in accordance to your actions tonight, I have no option but to punish you."
The ex-champion doesn't say a word.
"I know that you were set to have your rematch tonight against Paige for an opportunity to win the title back, but…" Stephanie shrugs, sends a disappointing look to her husband. "After what just happened out there, we have no option but to take that away from you."
And it's all Ary can do to not smirk, because fuck it would be amazing right now to just smack Stephanie the way she'd smacked Seth Rollins.
But Stephanie continues speaking. "And honestly, I think it's time you prove how good you really are. So starting on Thursday night, you'll be put in matches that will test your courage and your in-ring ability. If you can make it through those tests… just maybe, we'll consider giving you a shot at Paige's WWE Divas Championship."
Then, Triple H clears his throat. "Ary, I think it's safe to say that you've learnt your lesson. We understand that Seth put you under emotional duress last night, but you have to be the bigger person here—"
"The bigger person?" Ary snaps, finally breaking free of her façade. "The bigger person? Oh, Hunter, you are so lucky that I'm not pressing sexual harassment charges against Seth Rollins, against you. I could sue you for millions because of your blatant dismissal of what Seth Rollins has done to me! He's injured me, put me intentionally in harms way, God, if I wanted to, I could sue you for putting me under emotional distress!"
She throws her arms out, raises her voice a little more. "I told you from day one that if push came to shove, I'd hit back just as hard! And just to spite you, Stephanie, I will wrestle every Diva in that locker room to prove to you that even though I don't have my championship title, I'm still the best! Do not push me to my limit, Stephanie McMahon, because I don't give a crap who your dad is or who your husband is or what you own — if you push me to far, I will tear this company apart."
woooooo the shortest update after the longest wait... im sorry? i knoowwww it's short but i felt like it was a great place to stop because it's like BAM BITCH.
do you want more TV progression or more fluff between Ary and Seth? or a mix? or what? let me know and it might help me get these out quicker :)
to my reviewers and readers, thanks for sticking around for so long! to Raquel the writer (same omg), T (heel or face? we'll see ;) oh oh oh and her and Brock, that's going to be fun to write! and flashbacks! yes! must get to those! debating this for the past hour has actually given me a couple of good ideas!), and Bajor10 (possibly, possibly not), thank you for reviewing!