Daveny sat comfortably at ringside, her toned and trimmed body adorned in a sexy and fitted black dress. The Monday Night RAW had been uneventful and Seth Rollins had been scheduled to do a run in to help his ally Evan Bourne. The two men had amazing in-ring chemistry together and it was their real life friendship that had brought Colby to the WWE in the first place. A feud had been brewing with Bourne and Antonio Cesaro. Cesaro had recently aligned himself with fellow heel Damian Sandow and the week before, Damian had interfered in a match where Bourne had the upper hand. When the same scenario repeated and Evan Bourne was being kicked senseless in the middle of the ring, it had been his good buddy, Seth Rollins, who had run down the ramp to even the score. A quick succession of crowd pleasing highflying moves, and Cesaro and Sandow had been forced to retreat.

Daveny sucked in a breath as Seth and Evan took the mic. The point of the promo was to tease an upcoming tag team match. Rollins and Bourne, the baby faces, were going to call the bad guys out. It was a test to say the least. Rollins and Bourne were over with the fans individually and as a potential team. Their high flying was second to none and what had made them stand out stars on a grand stage mostly inhabited by giants. But there was more to being a Superstar than just looking the part or wrestling the part. You had to have the whole package that made up the It factor. And the final piece of that puzzle was mic skills.

You had to talk. You had to engage the audience. Whatever you said had to be believable. If you were a heel, your job was to be a jerk, to piss off the crowd and get booed and jeered. If you were one of the good guys, you were supposed to get the cheers. Make them love you with each breath. And every fan and performer knew that the worst possible thing was to not get a reaction at all.

Seth Rollins was an almost total package. His one setback was talking. Sometimes it sounded like bad acting or like he was blatantly reading from a cue card. Other times it wasn't so bad but everyone knew that it was the one element that could keep him from true headliner status. Recognizing the weakness, Colby had worked diligently at improving. He could cut a promo at the breakfast table about whole grain waffles…and he often did. Practicing, learning, perfecting…and Daveny was by his side, supporting and coaching. After all, she made a living working for the WWE talking.

It was mid card action right before a commercial break and the scripted promo was not to last long. Knowing he was under scrutiny, it was the one thing that made Colby nervous. He repeated his lines and it sounded good…it was as good as she had ever seen him do it until the very last few words. He stumbled over a syllable and quickly recovered. It was not too noticeable. The fans didn't seem to care and the show went on for another hour and a half.

It was customary to get on the road after the show and get something to eat. At that late of an hour, it was usually fast food or a chain like Friday's or Hooters. For the most part, the roster got along but just like at every job, there were the cliques of friends who traveled and ate together. They would have one more show ahead of them and then on to next city before two days back home in Charlotte. The food run was uneventful and the drive to the next city a little over four hours. The couple arrived an hour or so before dawn and immediately checked into their room. The travel schedule could be considered grueling, brutal even but Daveny helped to make the most out of it by romanticizing the situation. She and her man on the open road, staying in a different hotel every night…it was oddly sexy. She had changed into her bed clothes and was brushing her long, dark hair in the mirror. Colby had taken a shower alone and he had been in there forever.

"Babe," she knocked a couple times on the door. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," he finally answered after a few seconds.

Daveny frowned and opened the door. The water was still running but he was out, still wet, a white towel wrapped around his chiseled waist as he had taken a seat on the edge of the tub.

"Colby. What's the matter?" she asked softly.

He shrugged and looked down.

"Nothing. I…"

"Hey," she tilted his chin up to meet hers as she took a seat on the closed lid toilet across from him. "Doesn't look like nothing. What's wrong? Talk to me."

"I don't know, I was just thinking about earlier."

"Colby…"

"I messed up, Day."

She rubbed his knee. She hated it when he beat himself up over every little thing. But that was just a testament to how bad he wanted it.

"Honey, it wasn't bad. You stumbled over a word. It's live. It happens. The promo was great."

"I just didn't want it to go wrong, you know? Yeah for Punk or Cena or Orton, it would be no big deal. The guys heading talent and especially Vince…they know those guys can deliver."

"So can you.

"I just need it to be smoother. I get nervous and it shows."

"Love, you are way too hard on yourself."

"I'm in the big leagues now. Baby, I have to hold my own."

"I know."

He shook his head, a look of wavering confidence flashing across his handsome face.

"I know they're watching me in the back. And I know, um, the world is watching. I'm not stupid. I hear what people say."

"And what is that?"

Colby shrugged.

"Look, I love Matt to death. We have been good friends for a long time. He's a great guy and he has done a lot for me career wise. And I love your dad. Yeah, I respect the fact that he is a legend and I am grateful for him taking me under his wing and stuff but when it comes down to it, I have a personal relationship that is separate from our professional one."

"Of course, babe."

"And I love you," he looked soulfully right into her eyes.

Daveny just grinned.

"You better."

"You know I do. I love you for you. I have loved you ever since the first time I laid eyes on you. And it has nothing to do with your dad."

"I know that. What are you talking about? Where in the world is all this coming from?"

"This is my life, my career. I came from nothing and overcame everything just to get where I am today. And I am proud of that, so proud of it. I know I have a long ways to go, I know the promo thing still needs a lot of work. And I just don't want people, fans, to think that I have a job because of your dad or that I am with you because of your dad."

"Oh Colby, come on. Nobody thinks that."

"Baby, take my phone and you can pull up the Internet and look at about 15 dirt sheets that would say otherwise."

She rolled her eyes.

"What do they know? You're paying attention to dirt sheets now?"

"No. I mean, it's not supposed to matter, what they say, what they think…but when it comes down to it…it really does."

"Look at me, Colby Lopez," she cupped his face in her hands. "You're the hardest worker I know. Nobody wants it more than you. That's why you're on RAW every Monday night and it has nothing to do with who my father is. And what we have…this is real. And it is beautiful and powerful and it goes so far beyond wrestling. None of that other crap even matters."

"Baby…"

"So you need to keep working on your mic skills? So what? No one is perfect. Everybody has something that they have to improve upon. Take the greats…Flair, Austin, The Rock, Shawn Michaels…they all had to grow and get better and guess what? It happened. It happened for them, just like it will happen for you, too. God, you are so hard on yourself…"

He sighed deeply and was quiet for a minute.

"Can I tell you something?" he finally looked back up at her.

"Anything. Always."

"I…I'm afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Yeah," he chuckled sarcastically in spite of the emotional situation. "I must sound like a real pussy for saying that."

"No, no…"

"This is it for me. WWE was the end goal. You make it here to entertain the fans, to impress the McMahons, to make your mark…not to hear, 'good luck on your future endeavors, kid'. And honestly that is my worst nightmare. It's failure. And for what? To go to what? I don't have a college education. Hell, there was nothing else I ever wanted to be. So that is why this is so important to me. I just want to be the best, baby. I want to be someone the fans look up to, someone my peers respect, someone you can be proud to call your husband. Because that's what I want, too. I want a family and I want to keep building this life with you but I want to be able to take care of us…always."

Daveny swallowed hard. This meant everything to him. Though he was great at what he did and worked for it every single second of every single day, the pressure to succeed, to keep the momentum going had to be unbearable. He had been involved in the business for years but he was still considered rather green by WWE standards. There had been a lot of buzz about him, now he had to live up to it. How many times had a guy with a "lot of buzz" been hired, then faded into relative obscurity because Creative and the writers jut didn't know what to do with his character. She was touched by his honesty, his sincerity, the fact that he loved and trusted her enough to share such private thoughts like that. And it touched her, especially, when he brought up the subject of marriage, even when it was indirect. She could of nothing else that would make her happier than to one day be Mrs. Colby Lopez.

"Want to know what I think?"

"I always want to know what you think?"

She gave him a real smile.

"I think you're a great wrestler…and a very good man. And I think you're going to be fine. Just go out there and keep doing what you're doing. Trust the training. Don't over think things and even though I know this is your livelihood, you have to remember that wrestling is supposed to be fun."

Colby looked at his girlfriend. The sound of her voice. The way that she looked at him, the way that she touched him. The way that she believed in him.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said quietly.

She gave him a cock headed grin.

"I thought wrestling was the best thing that ever happened to you."

He shrugged.

"That's what brought us together. I kind of think of it like killing two birds with one stone."

"It's gonna be okay," she stood, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet as she turned off the water. "We, everything, is going to be just fine, baby."

He gave her a kiss.

"Thank you."

"Let's get ready for bed. I just want to lie in your arms."

Daveny turned to walk away, leading him by the hand but she stopped him.

"No, I mean it. Thank you."

Loving someone meant being there for them, giving you their all, being that strong force when the other person wasn't quite so sure of themselves. Love. An emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. Colby and Daveny were truly the best representation of that.