Everything Felt So Wrong

-February 27, 2014; Winter Park, Florida-

With her Divas championship hanging over her shoulder, Tessa walked through Full Sail Live. The first person she spotted was, much to her relief, the man who wrestled as Adrian Neville. He had already changed into his trunks and was stretching against a wall.

"Guess who gets the honour of keeping me entertained tonight?" Adrian rose to his feet and hugged Tessa.

"Look at you, love," he smiled at her and pointed at the belt. "I'm in the presence of royalty."

"I try, I try. Will we be rulers together after tonight?" She asked him, referring to his NXT Championship that would take place as the main event.

"That would be telling," he said pointedly, wagging his finger at her. "You'll have to wait and see just like everyone else."

"You're killing me, here, PAC," she joked.

"I saw you talking to Cena before. You look like you're friends with John bloody Cena."

"I am," Tessa nodded, laughing at the look of shock that appeared on Adrian's face. "What?! I'm friends with Nikki and by default I'm friends with John."

Adrian shook his head in disbelief, "Bloody hell. You been with the company barely any time at all and you're already friends with the most important guy in the company."

Tessa shoved his shoulder and rolled her eyes as he started to joke about her friendship with John Cena being the only reason she won the Divas Championship so quickly. She argued with him playfully until she realised that they were walking towards the main crowd of superstars.

"Um, so... I'm going to stay clear of Rami."

"It's been so long, Tess."

"I just don't want to start anything," she sighed. "I know you two are best friends so I'm not going to keep you away from him all night."

"I think he'd be happy to see you. He's really proud of what you've done," Adrian told her. Tessa shook her head.

"You know what happened last time I saw him." She referred to having the door slammed in her face. The two had spoken a fair amount since she returned to the United States. "I'm not going to start anything."

Tessa, despite Adrian trying to assure her that nothing was going to happen, decided that it was definitely better if she stayed away from Rami. It had been her plan since she found out she would be going to NXT.

Tessa wandered off in the opposite direction and didn't really mind who she ran into – almost no one on the NXT roster had been working the same independents as she when everything went down – though she was pleasantly surprised when she came across the NXT Divas: Bayley, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte.

They all looked up in surprise as they saw the Divas Champion walking towards them and were even more wide eyed when she asked if she could sit with them. They all nodded and made a spot for Tessa who smiled at them and immediately engaged them in a conversation about what television shows they were all watching.

The conversation turned to animals as Alexa asked to see photos of Bayley's new dog, Arnold. Tessa's face lit up at the sight of Border Collie puppy.

"You named him Arnold?" Tessa cooed, "He actually looks like an Arnold, oh my."

"Do you have a dog?"

"No," Tessa shook her head. "It doesn't feel right being on the road so much. I have fish though, six little angelfish."

"Fish? That's so boring," Alexa laughed.

"I'm deathly allergic," Tessa stated, laughing too. "I was going for irony."

The girls laughed as Tessa shrugged nonchalantly. They continued their conversation about animals while they waited for the live show to start.

Tessa knew that she was about to cry – technically she had already started – but she was making no effort to hide it. She was proud – insanely proud. The match she had just witnessed would be burned into her mind forever as one of the best she had ever seen. She wasn't exactly surprised.

"Are you okay?" Bayley asked, noticing the tears that were falling down Tessa's cheeks. "What's wrong?"

"That was just a really good match," Tessa said as she tried to dab away the tears with the backs of her fingers. "Those guys mean a lot to me and to see them doing so well... I'm really pathetic, I know."

Bayley shook her head, "No, I get it."

More tears formed as she watched Cesaro pull Sami Zayn into a hug and whisper something in his ear. She would never know what was said between them – knowing them both it would be their secret forever – but plenty of things flew through her mind and they made her heart swell.

"It's been so long since I've spoken to either of them properly... I just want them to know how proud I am."

"You should just tell them," Bayley said happily. "I won't lie: I've heard what happened. That doesn't mean they're going to get angry at you for complimenting them."

At that moment Rami and Claudio walked backstage. Her teary eyes follow them and she smiled lightly. They both looked at her – Claudio didn't seem too fussed, he just continued to walk but Rami's eyes flickered up and down her body and he paused only to be guided out a door by Triple H.

"You aren't going to cry all night are you?" Bayley asked cautiously. "I'm a bit worried that you might dehydrate."

"Depends on the rest of the matches," Tessa answered, breathing out a laugh. "If Adrian Neville wins then I can make no promises."

They laughed together as Tessa wiped the last tears from her eyes.

Tessa paused and held her breath upon hearing something around the corner. She tried to work out who it was by just listening for a minute but all she could decipher was that they were crying. She sucked in a deep breath and followed the crying. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of Darcy Quinn sitting on the floor, hugging her legs and sobbing into her knees.

The blonde looked up upon hearing Tessa's footsteps and hastily made to wipe away her tears and turn her head away.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Tessa asked quietly, kneeling down in front of Darcy.

Darcy inhaled deeply and shot her a half-hearted glare, "I'm nobody's sweetheart." She hiccupped dramatically, all seriousness being removed from her sentence by the jolt that moved through her body.

"Sorry," Tessa apologised. Her brow furrowed in worry as Darcy began to cry again. She was definitely the last person Tessa expected to see. "What's wrong? Do you need me to call Jon?"

"No!" Darcy shouted in protest, lunging forward to take hold of Tessa's shirt. "Don't call Jon!"

"Alright, alright," Tessa said calmly, covering Darcy's hands with her own. "You have to tell me what's wrong."

Darcy shook her head and pulled her hands back, wrapping her arms around her legs once more. She gasped slightly, her body clearly struggling through the sobbing. Tessa moved to sit beside Darcy, instinctively wrapping an arm around Darcy's shoulders and squeezing tightly.

"Why?" Darcy asked breathlessly. "How? What possesses someone to cheat?"

Tessa froze. She couldn't breathe. She looked down at Darcy and thought over her options. She didn't have many.

Whenever she'd been asked why she had cheated on Rami, she always told the truth – that she loved Colby just as much. Telling that to Darcy would kill her just as it had done Rami. To hear that the one you love is in love with someone else is the worst pain imaginable. Even so many years later Tessa can see Rami's face crumble as she tells him she loves Colby as well. It's an image engrained in her mind that shows no signs of leaving.

"I don't know, Darcy," Tessa sighed sadly. "I can't tell you."

"Why did you?" Darcy asked in a quiet voice. It was completely unrecognisable. Tessa took a deep breath, preparing herself for the explanation but she found her voice getting stuck in her throat. "Does he not love me anymore?"

Tessa couldn't stop the tear that slides down her cheek when she heard Darcy's voice crack horribly. Darcy was broken, something Tessa could never have prepared herself for.

"Everyone's different," she chose to say. "I can't tell you why Jon would do that but I'm sure there's a good reason. A misunderstanding, maybe?"

"It just hurts so much," Darcy sobbed, clutching at her chest. "I've never felt so worthless."

Tessa squeezed the blonde tighter. Colby had told Tessa all about how hard the younger woman's life had been. From what Tessa knew, Darcy had always been told she was good for nothing. To hear that it was heartbreak that made her question herself was the saddest thing Tessa had ever heard.

Tessa didn't say anything else, just kept a tight grip on Darcy as she blinked back her own tears.

"You're so far from worthless, Darcy."

-February 28, 2014-

Tessa was a little horrified when Rami was the first person she saw as she headed into the NXT arena. She was more horrified when it looked as though he was going to stop her and talk with her. In response to the almost contact, Tessa picked up her pace and quickly went about finding Paige so that they could discuss their match. It had been her intention to do so, anyway.

Tessa gasped, she had been walking so fast and checking over her shoulder so frequently that she had bumped into someone backstage. A pair of hands gripped her upper arms to steady her.

"Whoa, where's the fire?"

"Sorry," she apologised quickly, taking a step away from the man who she had collided with. She smiled when she recognised him. "You're Sami Callihan."

"You're June Jacobs," he said back in much the same tone: surprised and impressed. "What were you running from?"

Tessa shook her head, "Nothing. I tend to walk too fast and don't pay much attention to where I'm going. This happens far too often."

No, actually, she couldn't remember the last time she'd physically bumped into someone because she hadn't been looking where she was going. Though, he didn't need to know that.

"Okay, watch yourself then," he said kindly, stepping out of her way. "Also it's not Sami any more. Just in case we ever meet again in the depths of this place it's Solomon Crowe. That other guy has my name."

Oh, she knew it.

"Okay," she nodded, "I'll keep that in mind. You can call me June, Tia or Tessa. I answer to all three now."

"I'm surprised you haven't gone through an identity crisis."

She shrugged her shoulders lightly at him with another smile gracing her face. She waved goodbye to him as she continued down the corridor in the direction of the Divas locker room.

-Taped for NXT, March 6-

Paige's music hit and the crowd cheered for her entrance and she did her thing on the way to the ring when she took a microphone from Byron Saxton.

"I know that all of you watched NXT ArRival last night – if you didn't then you missed out on a fantastic night – but what you didn't know was that Tia, the Divas Champion, was hanging around backstage and she's even here tonight. It was great to finally get to meet her," Paige assured the crowd before she shrugged and continued, "I just want to show her that I am the better wrestler. So, this is me challenging Tia to a match that'll prove who the best champion is."

The obligatory few seconds passed, leaving the crowd and Paige to wonder whether or not the challenge would be answered.

She barely knew your name.

Tia grinned as she walked onto the stage and in the ring Paige smiled. Tia, wearing her ring gear, had a microphone in hand, her championship around her waist and showed a peace sign to the NXT audience who cheered for her. She was elated at the reaction and jumped up happily before walking to the ring with a spring in her step.

"The last time I answered a challenge I won this championship," Tia answered, gesturing to the butterfly on her stomach. "You have yourself a match, Paige. May the best champion win."

Paige nodded, the usual 'I will' was implied by her smirk.

They both walked to the same side of the ring to place their microphones down and give their championships to Byron Saxton to mind at ringside, Tia, being the polite one, stood back and motioned for Paige to go first.

A referee made his way to the ring and the two stood opposite each in the centre of the ring. Tia, as always, held out her hand for her opponent to shake and Paige shook it before putting on her game face and beginning to move in a circle around Tia. Tia reacted instantly, mimicking the action and the Divas began to goad each other in the middle of the ring.

Tia lunged forward first but Paige ducked and caught her in a waist lock.

Tia barely had time to try power out of the hold before Paige dropped her into a front mat slam. Tia immediately rolled away and moved to a sitting position, surveying Paige from the floor.

She pushed herself to her feet, nodded in approval before quickly rushing at Paige. The sudden speed caught the Brit off guard and Tia was able to apply her own waist lock. She toyed with her opponent, tightening the hold and writhing around instead of going straight for offence.

"It's very rare that Tia allows her opponents to get the better of her in quick succession. There's a reason she's champion after such little time in the company: she's the best," Regal commented as Tia let go of the hold, took Paige's right arm and jumped into the air. She was able to manoeuvre Paige's arm between her legs and rest her legs over Paige's chest. Paige fell to the ground as the armbar was locked in.

"Paige won't go down without a fight and she's proven that before."

"Oh, I know that. Paige is the NXT Women's Champion, she's the best we've got down here, I just think that Tia will get the better of her in this match. Not only has she trained in Japan but even before she got into wrestling she was training in Judo and what you're seeing right now is a classic Judo move."

Tia pulled at Paige's arm and pressed her legs down, attempting to hyperextend Paige's arm but she was forced to break the hold when the NXT Diva reached the ropes.

Paige's hands gripped into the hair on Tia's head and the next thing she knew she had been thrown across the room by her hair. She groaned in pain and held onto her head as Paige moved over to her. Tia thrashed as Paige lifted her and began to apply her Scorpion Cross Lock.

Before Paige was able to get hold of Tia's arm, the latter began to furiously strike with her arms.

The sudden attacks caused Paige to flinch and, after a particularly vicious jab to the stomach, she was forced to let Tia go.

The move Tia performed next had become a signature and a precursor to the end. Tia dropped down and hit Paige with the low spinning kick, knocking her onto her back before rolling her onto her stomach.

Tia stood over Paige and reached down to grab her legs. Paige began to squirm, understanding what was about to happen. Tia, after applying the cloverleaf, leant backwards so that the back of her head was almost touching the back of Paige's.

Paige managed to hold on for a little while but eventually she gave in and Tia heard her hand connect with the mat.

Tia let go immediately – being the fair competitor that she is – and helped Paige to her feet. Paige was weary at first but ultimately accepted that hand Tia was offering her.

Tia pulled Paige into a hug before the referee even had an opportunity to raise her hand.

"Well done," Tia said breathlessly into her opponent's ear.

"Thank you," Paige said back, pulling away and raising Tia's hand into the air.

The referee handed them both their championships and they held them high above their heads.

-Off Air-

Tessa had had enough time to shower and warm down before the first taping had even finished and when she was done she wandered through the building in search of someone to talk to.

After getting along so well with Charlotte, Alex Bliss and Bayley the night before, she was happy to see them all sitting together and she joined them. They were all giggling at something and she was interested to know what it was.

She looked at them expectantly when she was with them but they only laughed harder and held the phone to her. She reached out for it but before she'd even seen the image on it she knew that it looked familiar.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping. "This photo's – I don't know how old this photo is! I'm almost positive I wasn't even out of college. Oh god."

"You look cute!" Alexa commented, taking back her phone. "You look so in love."

"We were," Tessa said quietly, more to herself than the girls. "How did you get that?"

"Your brother posted it on his twitter," Bayley told her and Tessa felt the colour run from her face.

"Does he do that regularly?" she asked, taking the phone back so she could look at it again.

It hadn't happened before and she was thankful but she didn't know what Jimmy was trying to get at. It wasn't a malicious act – he wasn't capable of being malicious, anyway – but it wasn't something that he should have been doing.

She looked back down at the photo and saw a photo of herself and Rami; she must have been about 20 meaning that Rami was 22. It didn't surprise her at all that she was holding up a peace sign – she explained to the girls that she was the queen of MySpace mirror selfies back in the day – or that Rami was trying his hardest to conceal his face.

Across the room she noticed that Rami had his phone out and was frowning a little at the screen. He lifted his head and their eyes met, he moved his phone up, silently letting her know that he was looking at the photo of them, and she immediately dropped her gaze and then the phone onto the table.

a/n: all the thanks in the world to CarolReigns, nmoxracha, Imagineer1392, StraightEdgeQueen, UntilNeverDawns, ajroleplays, deanambooty and Livin on the EDGE for reviewing!

Christmas one shots guys!