A/N - If you're reading this, Thanks for being patient with me. Thanks to the Guest that has been reading this fanfic, I really appreciate it. This story has made me a fan of this pairing.. oddly, I'd be a fan of the couple that then inspires the story but not this time and I guess that's why I like updating this fanfic more than others. ANYWHO.. I hope you enjoy this chapter... the next coming up real soon. Read, Review and Enjoy x
Chapter 4 – Looking ahead
Nikki and Brie had made amends overnight. Meaning that working together would be much easier than the past couple of days. They both had a new focus, to make their stamp on the divas division.
Now, the San Diego twins had some brilliant storyline ideas that would definitely set off the divas division. Their biggest idea, taking the mediocre Daniel Bryan storyline they were in and bringing in Gail Kim. The couple would spark The Bellas to turn bad. Now Nikki knew she was a stronger heel character than Brie and so they would have to work hard on that but it wasn't impossible.
If all goes well with Stephanie McMahon and the other creative scriptwriters then maybe it may launch them into title contention. Although, that wasn't the main objective for getting the green light for this storyline, it was a nice thought. However, all they wanted to do was to show the fans a new, darker side of The Bella Twins.
You can't start fresh in the WWE, only change and adapt. So a lot was riding on this meeting, which caused Nikki to feel nauseous.
"I want this so bad Brie; we need a change. We can't keep playing the girls next-door fighting to be on Daniel Bryan's arm every Monday night."
"No, I agree. We deserve some proper Divas action and so we just need to go about it the right way in this meeting this afternoon"
Nikki nodded in agreement. If it was going to work, it had to be dealt with in a professional manner. That meant, they couldn't throw a tantrum as soon as things start to look bad.
"So, we've got a lot of time before that meeting. Do you want to hang out since we're not competing in tonight's house show?"
"I'd love to but Randy and I were gonna go visit this little restaurant he found in town. You're welcome to come?" Brie smiled
"No way, I'll definitely pass"
"You're choice. Now that you mention it, I better change; I bought a new blue lace dress the other day. It's so cute! He's gonna love it"
"You mean, love taking it off" Nikki muttered
"That too"
"Ewww! Too much information! I'm gonna leave now because of that.. That was torture"
Brie watched her sister get up and leave, shaking the unpleasant thoughts out of her head.
[At the Arena]
Nikki was feeling restless; she needed to do something in order to pass time. She started helping the WWE backstage crew do little jobs around the arena such as shifting costume crates and checking off equipment. It was boring but at least she felt useful.
When she was finished up, she wanted to sit down in the arena. However, she took the long way to get there, instead of going through the black curtain and down the ramp, she climbed a lot of stairs to reach the section of seats that she wanted.
She took her place in the seat way up at the back. She looked down at the tiny square at the centre of the arena. These were the cheap seats but in Nikki eyes, they were the seats that mattered to someone out there and appreciated being in the moment.
"They said you were here"
Nikki looked up expecting to see a stagehand but it was The Straightedge Superstar himself.
"What's up?" she asked
He sat down beside her, admiring the view from high above.
"Oh nothing, so… is this where Nikki Bella comes and hides from the world? Because this isn't a very good hiding spot"
She slightly smiled at his remark.
"It's where the cool kids sit"
He laughed and so did she.
"What have you got on this afternoon?" he asked
"A meeting with Stephanie and the scriptwriters" she said in a business-like tone.
"Sounds serious"
"Yeah, for Brie and I it is"
"I bet. Listen, it's not enough to want it. You have to show them why you deserve it"
Nikki thought about what he said and she knew that he was right.
"Getting to the top of the mountain is one thing…" she started
"… Staying on the top is another" he finished off
"Yep, which means I can't sit around here all day. I guess it's back to the gym for me. What about you? What have you got planned in the afternoon?"
"Need a sparring partner?"
"Oh I handle workouts alone usually"
"So I've seen but I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve that you might be able to benefit from"
Nikki raised an eyebrow, hearing the uncertainty in his voice "You're unsure?"
"Well, I know you will definitely benefit from. You don't even have to go back to the hotel gym. We can do an one on one session right here?"
Nikki amusingly shook her head and reluctantly accepted his help. From what she's seen of him, he's done nothing but be a nice person to her and when you make a new friend, you have to be prepared to take on the notions that go along with them. That includes compliments, nice gestures and occasional help from time to time.
[Women's Locker room]
Luckily, Nikki had friends such as Alicia Fox whom she found in the locker room. The restless Bella wasn't carrying any gear on her and so she was hoping Fox had spare training shorts that she could borrow. Fox was all the more happy to lend her a black singlet as well as shorts. Her cheeky grin on her face was starting to creep her out.
"What?" Nikki asked
"Oh nothing." She mused
Nikki quickly changed in the bathroom before coming out and seeing a giggly Alicia Fox.
"You're starting to scare me"
"It's just, well, I received an anonymous tip that you and a certain Chicago superstar have been getting quite close" Alicia teased
Nikki kept a neutral expression on her face, not giving anything away to her energetic friend
"Must have been Brie" she brushed off, waiting to see if her foxy friend will take the bait.
"She said it was you" Alicia said in a high-pitched tone
Nikki narrowed her eyes "You said your tip was anonymous"
The wild diva remained quiet. Then Nikki continued.
"We are just friends, like you and Justin Gabriel?"
"Honey, you know Justin and I are like this close…" she indicated with her hand "To going out"
"Kane then? Just like you and Kane"
"Oh.. Okay but FYI, you two would look totally cute together!"
"No but thanks anyway…"
"It's true"
"I meant for the gear" Nikki said rolling her eyes with a smile as she left for the ring.
[The Ring]
The Brunette Diva swiftly came down the ramp, her long dark brown hair flowing with each stride.
"Did I mention you are the fastest diva to ever get changed?" Punk called out
Nikki climbed into the ring, ignoring his comment. She stood up taking the spare hair tie on her wrist to tie her hair back into a ponytail. His olive grey eyes watching her intently; she stared back at him with a questionable expression.
"Do I have something on my face?" she asked
"N-No" he stuttered
"There better not be" she said brushing her face with the back of her hand.
"There isn't. Anyway, what do you want to get started on?"
"Did you take a hard bump while I was gone? You were teaching me remember? Monkey see, Monkey do" the brunette diva joked but it wasn't a successful one.
"We both have the same fighting style right Nik? And so.."
Nikki screwed her face and lost herself in her thoughts again. Nik? She thought. She never really knew anybody who called her by that nickname before, not even Brie. Then her mind dawdled to the point made before by The Straightedge Superstar. "We do have similar fighting styles," she whispered to herself. They were both agile in the ring, technicians in their own right, a touch of high flying skills but a big difference that separated them both was Nikki lacked powerful submission manoeuvres. Before she could point that out, Punk was in her face with his hands on her shoulders.
"Hello? Are you listening?" he spoke in a demanding tone.
"Yup!" she spoke loud and clearing her throat whilst taking a step back so that he would let go.
"What did I say last?"
"We have similar fighting styles?"
"You're unsure?" he teased
"I have to say it a lot more to see if I like the sound of it" she retorted.
A cheeky grin came across his face as he took his hand and brushed it through his short dark hair.
"Right, lock up and go for a submission" he said
Nikki smirked because if there's anything she'd like to do, it was to show the guys what the divas have to add to the game. They circled each other like a triad of sharks singling out its victim. Without warning, they both charged each other, locking arms challenging each others strength. Just as he asked, Nikki went for the submission move she thought was appropriate from a lockup position. Breaking the hold, both hands tightly gripped on his right arm, she twisted his arm. Nikki then with her left leg stepped over his twisted arm, using the swinging momentum to drop down into an arm bar submission hold and applied pressure. He tapped for Nikki to let go and she instantly broke the hold.
He sat up shaking his arm yet still smiling.
"Do you sometimes wonder why you signed up for this?"
"Doesn't everybody? Well, except John Cena"
"Very true" he laughed.
"Now, why did you go for that submission hold?" he asked
Nikki felt that she was back with Bill Demot again, justifying every move she made, every decision. He put Brie on the spot a couple of times but never as much her. She never questioned why and as a result, she never knew. Was it because she was seen more as the leader of the duo? It's possible but Nikki knew it was more probable.
"Clean, a little exciting and underrated," she answered.
"Interesting, now it's my turn"
A gleam in his eye and a devious smile made even a strong-willed Nikki Bella slightly nervous. They circled each other once again before locking up. He repeated the same exact submission move, which he had executed perfectly but unlike him she wasn't about to tap out; annoyed that he wasn't showing her anything she didn't know already. There was always a unique way out of a submission, always! He had the move locked like a true expert. He was the better submission stylist out of them two. Using her free arm, she fired two massive blows on his shin. From her soccer days, she knew without shin pads it had got to hurt. He grimaced at the second blow and so she mounted all the strength in her fist and tried one last time and he let go favouring his left shin.
"OOOOOuuuuch! What was that for?!"
"Serves you right, you used the same move as I did"
"In a real match, we lay punches, kicks, forearms and clotheslines to each other regularly. I don't go complaining that you stole my move"
Nikki apologized before allowing him continue
"The reason why I demonstrated it on you was to show you how it felt to be locked in that textbook submission hold. You didn't lock it in properly. When you applied pressure, I wasn't sure when to sell."
She nodded taking in his advice then offered him a hand up.
"By the way, you punch like you kick someone" he added
"I played soccer so targeting the shins is kind of instinct"
"Instinct?"
"Mostly out of habit for revenge. If someone tried gunning me down or Brie, it was game over for them"
He shook his head. Then gestured for them to continue training. They went on for another hour and half. Nikki was taking to it like a pro and Punk was correcting when needed which was hardly often. They only stopped once for a 2-minute break because Nikki was eager to learn more and Punk was more than happy to oblige. Just before they were going to lock up one more time, they were startled as music started playing
I HEAR VOICES IN MY HEAD….
They both looked towards the top of the ramp to see Orton and Brie making their way down. Brie made the cut signal and just as quickly as the music started playing, it had stopped.
Nikki couldn't help but laugh at her own sister, it was like she was transported back into high school again but she guessed that love can do that to a person. Make you look… soft.
The couple hopped into the ring, Orton holding the ropes for Brie who gave him a sly smile. Good manners and flattery would get you anywhere with a woman… except a Bella. Nikki noticed the two were dressed for a workout, perhaps they were on their way to the gym but she could never guess correctly with those two.
"Working in the ring without me sis? That should be a crime"
"Like your shoes? Look at them! They scream first degree murder" Nikki remarked looking at her sister's bright red Nike shoes. Brand new by the looks of it she thought.
"What?" Brie looked down, modelling her shoes "Red is our favourite colour. Don't you like them?"
"Red heels, red jackets, red shirts, red dresses, red shorts, red accessories but not red running shoes? I'm surprised somebody hasn't dropped a house on you already, they don't make ruby slippers anymore" she retorted.
This made CM Punk laugh, he moved over to Orton.
"Have you seen them two fight before?" he asked Orton.
The fiery twins turned their attention to Orton who remained silent and raised his hands in the air indicating he was staying out of this one.
"Not in a match scenario to answer your question Punk" Nikki replied
"Well how about it? Let's go right now" Brie challenged
"Please, I beat you before and you still didn't follow through on the bet"
"Double or nothing?" Brie spoke with determination.
"How do you even double a free shopping spree? No"
CM Punk stepped in between the two.
"I have an idea"
Both twins decided to silence their bickering to hear him out.
"You and Randy vs. me and Nik. Winning team gets the losing team's combined month's salary to split 50/50"
Nikki laughed, "You're kidding, if we lose they gain way more money then we stood to gain if we won"
"I'm in" Randy spoke,
"Same here" Brie said.
"It's just a bit of fun," Punk said
There he went dropping the 'F' bomb. Nikki quickly started humming an Eagles tune in her head to refrain herself from panicking because once you start, it's impossible to stop. Fun, she couldn't even bring herself to fathom. It was the very thing that she was criticized about by the one who knew her the most. Her emotions didn't betoken a disturbance just made her seem absent to those around her in order to find comfort.
"Nik? Are we in or out?"
They all looked at her waiting for an answer