Memphis stirred and turned in her sleep. A few feet away on the flat screen television an old episode of I Love Lucy played loudly in the background. Her eyes fully opened and she sat up, glancing over at the clock before reaching over for the remote and turning down the volume. It was a little after midnight which meant that she must have dozed off. The WWE was between travels and instead of going back to Long Island, she had taken Phil up on his offer to accompany him back to his house located in a suburb right outside the city limits of Chicago. He had been excited to bring her back to his home but all had seemed to change in an instant the minute their flight had taken off. The couple had been making small talk and all had been well until the subject of Randy Orton had come up. Instantly Phil's whole demeanor had changed. Randy had seemed to have that effect on them, the both of them but Memphis' reaction had been oddly different and Phil couldn't quite figure out why until she explained everything to him. Before the show she had found him alone on his bus and they had talked, cleared the air so to speak. A truce had been drawn and Memphis was comfortable with that. Obviously her boyfriend wasn't.

They arrived back in Illinois in the early evening in time to enjoy dinner at a local restaurant in the city that Phil had chosen as the forum for his new girlfriend to meet some of his closest friends and even his brother. It had been nice, a fancy Japanese restaurant where the food was delicious. Being in Chicago made Memphis feel closer to Phil as he was slowly letting her get to know more about him and his world. They'd had a good time. Everyone was nice and had gotten along. The mood was light and the conversation plentiful but Phil seemed to be sullen and distracted. After a few hours he had driven them back to his place and dropped Memphis off before taking his brother home. He had said he would be right back. While waiting for him, a naughty thought overtook her. She lit some candles and took all her clothes off except for some of the Straight Edge arm bands he often wore to the ring. She wanted to surprise him when he returned home but a few minutes turned into an hour or so. Memphis had eventually taken the bands off and crawled beneath the cool sheets.

"Punk, is that you?"

He turned on the light and she winced as the brightness burned her eyes for a few seconds.

"What's with all the candles?" he frowned as he blew them out.

She made a face.

"They were for you. I was trying to be romantic and sexy but so much for that. You were gone forever and I ended up falling asleep. What took so long?" she casually asked.

He shrugged.

"I thought I was just gonna drop Mike off but he invited me in and we ended up talking for a while and I just lost track of time."

His explanation was reaonable enough but it raised a flag that he wasn't even looking her in the face.

"Are you sure that's it?"

"Yeah," he took his shirt off and fell into bed beside her. "What else would it be?"

Normally they laughed and joked, talked, watched TV together or made love. Instead, Phil turned his back.

"Punk…"

"Good night, Memphis."

"No," she stated emphatically.

"What?"

She leaned over and physically rolled him so that he was facing her.

"Dude, what is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem."

"Don't lie to me. You're the guy that speaks his mind, that makes no apologies for anything and now you're going to sit here and just avoid the issue? I know we're not gonna always get along and see eye to eye on everything but the least we could do is talk about it."

"Fine. Talk."

"Is this about Randy?"

Phil rolled his eyes.

"What about him?"

"You tell me. Punk…"

"That's not a subject I'm really interested in. I'm tired and I'd like to go to sleep without Randy Orton in bed with us, if you know what I mean. Way too creepy of a threesome."

He turned but she hit him with a pillow.

"I'm being serious. Let's talk about this."

"Okay, okay."

"I want to know why you're so pissed off."

"You want to know why I am so pissed off?"

"Yes. Please enlighten me."

"Fine. You're a smart woman and I care about you a lot. Things are going great for you at work now and I'm happy for you because you went through a hard time at first. I know it's a relief that everybody stopped being so shitty towards you but just because things are cool now, I don't think that's a reason to forget all the bad things that were done to you in the beginning."

"Forget? Are you serious right now? Listen, Punk, you went through it with me but let's not forget that I was the target. The insults, the humiliation, the tasteless ribs?"

"Exactly. It was horrible for you which makes it even more mind blowing that you're so quick and willing to forget then forgive the guy who masterminded it all."

She took a deep breath.

"So this is about Randy. You're upset because I went to see him,"she bit her lip. "I knew it. I knew this would happen, that you would react this way."

"It is what it is. Do what you want. It's your choice."

"Then why can't you respect it?"

He looked right at her.

"You really want to know why?"

"Yes. I asked you, didn't I?"

"Because I'm in love with you," he blurted out.

Memphis' eyes grew as big as saucers. That was an out of left field bombshell that she had not been expecting.

"What?"

"I love you and every day I have to see and work with the asshole that made you miserable for months, the one who nearly destroyed your career and it takes everything inside of me not to beat his ass into the ground. Now that he is full of apologies, all of a sudden you want to just erase every awful thing he ever did to you. That's not right, Memphis. It's not right and it's not smart."

"I think he is really sorry this time."

"How do you know? I mean, how do you really know it's not just another setup?"

"Because I heard him, okay? Look, I didn't tell you before but that day Randy came to see me in the hospital he had sat at my bedside and he talked to me. I was zonked out on the Morphine so it looked like I was sleeping but I could still hear him. He didn't know that. I felt like he was being very sincere and very genuine."

Phil just shook his head.

"I don't care what you say. He's still a bad guy."

"Maybe, maybe not. But people are capable of change. We're all human and we all make mistakes. I am not gonna make excuses for the guy. I don't know why he did what he did and I certainly don't think he is a saint or anything now but I just want the tension and bad blood gone between us. I guess he wants that too. We all have to work together, might as well be civil."

"And that's it?"

"Of course. Nothing more, nothing less. Promise."

Phil sighed.

"You're a good person. You have a tough exterior, Memphis but you're a big twinkie on the inside. That's part of what I like about you but I don't want that to get you in trouble, I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't."

"They don't call Randy Orton, The Viper, for nothing. That guy is a snake. He can't be trusted. Whatever he is saying, you can't just buy into it and this new and improved good guy image is just a crock of shit if you ask me. I know him too well and I've known him for a long time."

"I appreciate you looking out for me, I really do, Punk but it's okay. I'm not a child. I am a big girl and I promise you I don't need to be looked after. I can take of myself, you know that."

"I do know that but just be careful. Be smart. Remember, a leopard doesn't change his spots, he just camaflouges them."

"It's okay. I still know what I'm dealing with and who I'm dealing with."

"Good. It could be coming from some place real and genuine even though I doubt it. It could be the prelude for another setup or he could be trying to get you into bed."

"Oh please," Memphis laughed out loud.

"I'm serious."

"I know you are which makes it that more laughable. Come on, Punk. That's just silly. Personally, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt but yeah I recognize that I could be wrong. I don't think it is another setup and if it is, he is only going to end up screwing over himself and his own career. And as for that last part, I think sex with me is the last thing on Randy Orton's mind. Even if it wasn't, he has no chance in hell with me and we both know that. Besides," she grinned, crawling over to him and letting the sheet fall from her naked body. "You're the only man in that locker room that has a chance of getting me in bed. Ever."

She playfully nipped at his ear.

"I'm totally mad at you and you think you're gonna make it all better by being naked in my bed and kissing my sensitive spots."

"Oh yeah," she moved down to his neck. "Is it working?"

"Hell yeah," he wrapped his arms around her, letting his lips crash into hers as he laid her flat on the bed.

"Oh Punk," she giggled. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Love me or leave me," he shrugged.

Memphis got serious for a minute.

"What you said before…"

"Which part?"

"You know which part. You, you told me that you love me, that you're in love with me. Did you mean it? Is it true?"

He nodded.

"Of course it's true. You're an amazing woman. How could I not fall in love with you, Dollface? I never had a chance."

She smiled.

"You are the sweetest man, you know that."

"I do my best."

"I mean that. You look out for me. You take care of me. You're there when no one else is. You have my back and that's something I haven't had a lot of in my life. It's pretty nice."

"I'll always have your back. I'll always be here for you," he smoothed her hair. "You're special to me and I just want you to know that. I really do love you."

"What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"The gods must like you."

"I'm not kidding. I've been taking care of myself for so long that it's hard for me to let go and be vulnerable and let someone else take care of me. It's really hard for me."

"Then let me make it easy for you."

Their lips met and her eyes closed. The last thing she had been expecting or looking for was a boyfriend but Phil Brooks had managed to change all that. In fact, he had changed her life. He was a great guy and he really cared about her. To her he had always been an amazing friend and support system but the more he proved himself, the more she saw him in a different light. Maybe it was time to let down her defenses and be vulnerable. For so long she had been holding out and holding back. The hardest part was letting go. Maybe it was time.