The final day in Japan goes by too quickly and before they know it the roster is back in Los Angeles for Smackdown Live. Ravyn and AJ have managed to keep Gallows and Gun quiet about their relationship. Though with them knowing a bit of weight feels like it's been lifted off of their shoulders.
Ravyn yawns as she sits down on one of the steel chairs in the large conference room where the production meeting is about to begin. JJ sinks down to her left, the rest of the women's roster surrounding the table with them. Mark Carrano enters the room and quickly gets everyone on board with the future direction of the Smackdown women's title. The meeting seems to drag on forever while some of the women plead for better storylines. Others, happy with their current slots, stay quiet but offer helpful advice for the division.
Vince and Hunter join the meeting as they start to discuss the number one contenders Battle Royal for tonight's show. Hunter can't help but smile when Ravyn and JJ get brought up. Vince listens to a few different pitches for the match but ultimately decides on one that makes Hunter beam with pride. The meeting wraps up soon after and the girls all head back to the locker room to start getting ready for the show. Ravyn sits on a wooden bench in a quiet part of the locker room where she had left her gear bag. A few minutes later JJ rolls her bag over and plops down next to her best friend.
"You ready for this?" JJ asks her.
Ravyn looks at her friend and smiles confidently, "Of course. We've waited our whole lives for this."
"This is going to be your first TV match since you got hurt," JJ continues.
Ravyn nods, "I think Japan was a good warm up for it. We got to work a lot over there. I'm so ready to do this."
JJ nods in agreement and starts fishing her gear out of her bag. Following suit Ravyn reaches for her bag to grab her gear and start getting dressed too. As she unzips the bag in front of her she gasps and jerks her hand away from the zipper. As if she had been bitten by a snake.
JJ looks at her like she's crazy, "What's wrong?" Carefully Ravyn reaches back to the bag and slips her finger inside, revealing a small origami flower. JJ recognizes it instantly. "Corey," she growls like an angry mama bear. The delicate flower, crafted from a chewing gum wrapper, dances across Ravyn's finger tips. JJ fumes at the thought of Corey coming into their locker room to hide the gift while they were in the meeting.
"I wish he would just go away," Ravyn almost whispers.
Seeing her best friend so obviously upset JJ's tone softens, "You okay friend?"
Ravyn nods, trying to fight back tears, "I was hoping we would get to have our match before he got here."
JJ places a hand on her friend's knee, "Let's get dressed and meet up with the rest of the girls. I think getting to work will help keep your mind off of that jerk."
Ravyn cracks a smile, hoping that the redhead is right.
For the first time in five months Ravyn stands behind the curtain in Gorilla getting ready to step out for a solo match. Tyler and Dango step to either side of her and grin.
"You ready?" Tyler asks, knowing the answer already.
She smiles, "I've never been so ready."
"Go get it girl!" Dango encourages her as their music hits.
As a surprise entrant in the battle royal she enters the arena last, to the shock of the crowd. There's a mixture of cheers and boos coming from the audience. Dango drinks in the attention while Tyler smirks cockily at her side. They tease a quick flirty kiss at the top of the ramp. She takes a long look at herself in Tyler's selfie stick and adjusts her colorful hair. A sultry grin to the camera and she's on her way down the ramp with the boys. The rest of the women glare at her. Knowing that one more competitor lessens their chances of a title shot. The bell rings and eight women collide.
Eva and Carmella get launched over the top rope almost immediately by JJ and Becky. Tyler and Dango point at them and laugh on the outside. The girls retreat up the ramp while the action in the ring continues. Ravyn locks up with Nattie in the center of the chaos. The two of them grapple into a corner where Tyler and Dango grab Nattie's ankles, giving Ravyn the advantage over the blonde woman. One of the referees on the floor sees the interference and banishes the boys from ringside. Ravyn is almost eliminated by Becky when she gets distracted by the boy's eviction. Luckily she manages to lock her leg around the bottom rope and slide back into the ring.
As she stands up she comes face to face with Nikki Bella. The crowd slowly starts to roar as the two of them exchange heated words. Nikki shoves Ravyn and the crowd explodes. Ravyn staggers back and smirks before hauling off and punching Nikki square in the face. The buzz in the arena is deafening as the two girls brawl all over the ring. Eliminations seem to happen left and right. Finally it comes down to Ravyn, JJ, Becky and Alexa. A few of the previously eliminated women remain at ringside selling their injuries. Alexa eliminates Becky, and as she turns around JJ clotheslines her over the top rope.
The crowd pops as JJ looks over her shoulder across the ring at her best friend. Ravyn smirks as the crowd roars at the thought of the fan favorite facing off with one of the most hated women in the company. The two women exchange looks that allow the already excited crowd to boil to a fever pitch. As Ravyn takes a step towards JJ, Maryse reaches into the ring under the bottom rope and grabs JJ's leg. Distracted by the blonde woman JJ grabs at her, giving Ravyn the opportunity to toss her over the top rope.
A stunned silence falls over the crowd for a split second until the fans realize what had just happened. The boos start almost immediately as Ravyn raises her hand in victory as the number one contender for the women's title. She revels in the reaction of the crowd as she makes her way back up the ramp. She steps back through the curtain to see JJ waiting for her. The girls hug each other tightly , thrilled to finally be starting a program together. Tyler hovers behind JJ waiting for his turn to congratulate Ravyn. When he gets his chance he pulls her into his arms and squeezes her proudly.
A single pair of hands begins to clap slowly, almost sarcastically. Ravyn, Tyler and JJ turn to find Corey leaning against the wall smugly. His sinister sneer sets all of them on edge. Tyler positions himself between Corey and the girls protectively.
"Your boyfriend can't keep me from congratulating you," Corey's lips curl into a wicked smirk. "You looked great out there tonight."
"Fuck. Off. Graves," Tyler growls with more anger than either of the girls had ever seen in him before.
"Relax Breeze, she'll be done with you soon enough." Corey chuckles and steps closer to the trio. "I hope you realize every time you've got her in bed though, she's thinking about me."
Tyler lunges at Corey and the girls barely manage to hold him back. Corey snickers malevolently and blows a kiss to Ravyn before slipping away down the hallway. Tyler's balled up fists of rage slowly start to uncurl as the threat diminishes.
"I'm going to walk you to your room tonight," Tyler informs Ravyn, not even giving her the option to refuse. "I don't trust that asshole."
"Thanks," Ravyn wraps her arms around him seeking the reassurance of his strong arms.
His demeanor is much less rigid once he's got her safely in his embrace. JJ rests a hand on her friend's shoulder. Tyler escorts the girls back to their locker room.
True to his word Tyler drops Ravyn off at her hotel room later that night. He waits until he hears the door click shut before heading down the hall to his own room. She flips on all of the lights and changes into short shorts and a tank top. She fishes her 3DS from her bag, settles down on the king size bed and loses herself in an intense game of Tetris. AJ strolls through the door half an hour later. He can't help but smile when he sees her. He leans his bag against the dresser and turns his phone screen towards her.
"Gallows wanted me to congratulate you on your win tonight," she smiles at the gesture. "But be warned. If they decide to put the belt on you he will expect you to pick up the tab at the bar!"
"That sounds like Big Hoot," she smirks as she shuts the screen of her 3DS sitting up against the wooden headboard.
He makes his way across the floor to the bed and crawls up over her. One of his hands brushes past her cheek and sinks its fingers into her long dark hair. Their lips meet tenderly at first.
"I guess it's my turn to congratulate you then," his voice husky as he kisses her again. Their kisses grow rougher as their excitement rises. His hand comes forward to cup her cheek before it travels down to her neck. His thumb brushes across the front of her throat. The rest of his fingers grip lightly around her neck as they had many times before.
Instead of leaning into him and playing along like usual, this time panic floods her body. Her eyes grow wide with fear as she feverishly starts to slap him away. She throws kicks and punches almost as if her life depends on it. Although AJ is in front of her all she can see is Corey's face.
"Whoa, whoa, Babe. What's wrong?" AJ's feet hit the floor as he backs off of the bed to give her space.
She almost leaps off of the other side of the huge hotel bed. AJ watches in a state of frightened shock as she desperately attempts to fight off a panic attack. Her distressed breathing soon turns to chocked back sobs as she tries not to cry.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she squeaks out in between ragged breaths.
Still baffled by her outburst he cautiously makes his way around the bed to her side. Hesitantly he reaches out and pulls her into his arms. "Shhh," he tries to quiet her sobs. "Tell me what's wrong." The southern drawl makes his voice seem even gentler and accepting.
He gives her a little space but keeps his arms wrapped around her. She hesitates at first, but soon the entire story spills from her lips. She explains all of her and Corey's past and the events that had transpired since his appearance at Smackdown Live. AJ does his best to console her while trying not to let anger overtake him. She can feel his body tense up any time she describes an interaction she's had with Corey lately. He brushes a lock of hair from her face and kisses her forehead as she finishes up her explanation. She sighs, finally able to catch her breath after crying in his arms.
"You ok?" He asks already knowing the answer.
She nods, not ready to risk attempting words. As they lay back in the bed Ravyn reaches for her phone to check some emails before bed. She's met with a Twitter notification email... from Corey. The words in front of her make her shake involuntarily. AJ takes the phone from her and reads the tweet out loud.
"It's driving me insane. Although you try to fight. Dragged from the silence where you hide."