Thursday 17th November
Alexa ignored the looks she was getting from some of her co-workers, keeping her gaze locked on the wall in front of her as she maintained a steady pace on the treadmill; the heavy sound of Metallica blasting in her ears from her iPod.
The TV tapings were happening that night, so the majority of the FCW roster were in attendance; either training or preparing for their match. Because they were recording the next two weeks shows back-to-back, there was a lot more on the card than there normally was. As usual, Alexa had spent most of that morning helping the women put together their matches.
Shaul and Živilė were competing for the Queen of FCW crown. Ariane and Celeste were teaming against Christina 'Caylee Turner' Crawford and the new girl, Ivelisse 'Sofia Cortez' Vélez. She had been one of the contestants on the most recent series of Tough Enough, but had been eliminated from the show due to a severe leg injury. The WWE had signed her to a developmental contract ealier that month, and from what little Alexa had seen of her, she definitely had potential. And April had her last match with FCW that night against Ashley and Živilė. She had been going back and forth since May but was now moving over to the main roster permanently.
The women who knew her fairly well immediately noticed that something wasn't right with her; the foul mood she was in was etched all over her face. Shaul, knowing exactly what was bothering her friend, reassured them all that it was nothing to worry about and that they should just drop it. As soon as the session was over and everybody was happy with everything, Alexa had practically ran out of the door to head to the gym area. Working out had always helped her to clear her head... most of the time.
Slamming her hand on the stop button, Alexa waited until the treadmill slowed before jumping off. She grabbed her water bottle and chugged down a few mouthfuls before slipping her iPod into her pocket and making her way across the room to the exit. Just after she rounded the corner into the hallway, she spotted Joe and Jon walking towards her; the pair obviously heading to the gym.
Not really in the mood to talk to anyone, but not wanting to be rude, she shot them a small smile before quickly breezing past them. The two men slowed to a stop, both turning to look at Alexa's retreating figure in confusion.
After taking a long shower in the women's locker room, Alexa changed into a pair of jeans and a simple leopard print jumper, her feet clad in her trusty Converse. She took a seat on one of the benches and pulled her purse from her gym bag, slipping out the photo of her father that she kept inside. Smiling sadly, she traced the picture with her finger.
''That your Dad?'' Jon's gravelly voice made her jump, she was so engrossed in her thoughts, she wasn't aware that anybody had joined her. He took a seat beside her as she nodded. ''You look a lot like him.''
''So they say.'' She murmured thoughtfully.
After their brief encounter in the hall, Joe and Jon had sought out the younger woman to see if she knew what was wrong with Alexa; both men having been worried at her unusual mood. They discovered that today marked the thirteenth anniversary of her father's death. And that, coupled with the previous Sunday being the sixth anniversary of Eddie's passing, understandably put her in a sombre mood.
''You, uh, want to talk about it?'' He offered, running a hand through his hair awkwardly.
''Nope.'' She replied quickly, sliding the photo back in its place.
''You don't have to be some tough shit twenty-four-seven, you know.'' Jon told her, waiting patiently for her to open up. He had never been good with emotional women, but he found himself actually wanting to comfort her.
''I know...'' She spoke softly, feeling tears swimming in her eyes. ''I just miss him... it's stupid...''
''It's not stupid.'' He assured her gently. ''I mean, I can't exactly relate or anything, but I think it's normal to feel that way. It's not something you just forget about and get over.''
Alexa nodded, sniffling as Jon pulled her into a sideways embrace. ''Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if he was still around, you know? Everything I've done... I just wish I could have shared it all with him.''
''I'm sure he would have been real proud of you.'' He reached out his free hand and brushed the tears from her cheeks.
They shared a moment just looking into each other's eyes before his face broke out in a tender smile, showing off the dimples she loved so much. Gently cupping the side of her face with his hand, he leaned across and slowly kissed her.
It was only brief and he reluctantly pulled away, giving her lip one last nip before stroking her cheek with his thumb. ''Lex, I, uh-''
''Ahem...''
The pair sprang apart and turned to the doorway, finding Shaul standing there with a shit-eating grin on her face.
Jon took a deep breath and rose to his feet. ''Uh, I'm going to go... somewhere else.''
Shaul smirked as she stepped aside to let the man pass before turning to her friend. ''Something I said?''
Friday 25th November
Alexa glanced down at her phone, her eyes scanning over the time for the third time in five minutes. Chris had arranged to meet her over an hour ago, but had yet to arrive. She had forgotten that the man was perpetually late. Letting out an irritated sigh, she called the bartender over and ordered another drink to keep her occupied while she waited.
She thanked the man as he set her drink down on the counter and unlocked her phone to check if she had any new messages. Her lips turned into a frown when she found her inbox empty, hoping that Jon would have been in touch by now. They hadn't spoken in over a week, since Shaul had interrupted whatever he had planned on saying to her.
As weird as it sounded, Alexa had felt like there was something missing without him around. It wasnt love, but she knew she cared about him, a lot more than she was willing to admit.
''Lexi!"
She turned around to see Chris strolling towards her and she grinned, remembering the very first time they had met.
Alexa smiled to herself as she walked through the arena at a leisurely pace, taking in the atmosphere. She had signed her official contract with Vince McMachon and the WWE executives six months ago. After training non-stop over at OVW ever since, she would finally be making her TV debut on RAW that night.
As she walked around yet another corner, it suddenly dawned on her that she had absolutely no idea where exactly she was going. She groaned inwardly but continued walking, hoping that she would run into someone who might be able to help her. After twenty minutes of wandering around the many identical hallways, she came to a halt, cursing under her breath.
''Ugly mouth for such a pretty little thing.''
Alexandra turned on her heel to see a blonde haired man smirking at her, obviously guessing her predicament. As she was an avid WWE fan, she immediately recognized him as Chris Irvine, the man who portrayed Chris Jericho.
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. ''Yeah, I got a lot more where that came from, Goldilocks.''
''Well, aren't we a little spitfire.'' He moved so he was standing in front of her. ''You lost?''
''Is it that obvious?'' She asked with an embarrassed chuckle.
He laughed. ''Just a little. Where you headed?''
''I'm supposed to have a meeting with Stephanie McMahon, she was going to go over everything with me.''
''Well, it just so happens that I'm also headed to see Stephanie. Come on.'' He linked arms with her and gently guided her down a different hallway. ''I'm Chris, by the way.''
''Alexandra, I prefer Alexa or Lex though.''
''Nice to meet you, Lex. So, what made you want to get into the wrestling business?''
''Hot men in tights, what can I say?'' She joked. ''No, my Dad was a wrestler. I went to all the shows with him when I was younger and I just fell in love with it.''
Chris smiled slightly. ''How old are you?''
''Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age.'' She tutted.
''Yeah, well, I kind of get the impression that you ain't no lady.'' He laughed as she nudged her shoulder into his in retaliation.
''That was rude... but probably true.'' She conceded with a smirk. ''If you must know, I'm eighteen.''
He raised an eyebrow, surprise evident on his face. ''Really? You must be really talented for Vince to hire someone so young. What did you do before coming here?'' He asked curiously.
''I travelled down to Mexico, spent most of my time down there on the indy circuits before I did some stuff for ROH. One of Vince's agents spotted me about six months ago. I've been training at OVW ever since and, well, here I am.''
''Mexico's great, I worked there for a while back in '92.''
''I know.''
''How? You were, what, 10?'' He scoffed.
''7, actually.'' She corrected with a smirk. ''I've seen the tapes, Corazón de León, you were pretty hot back then.''
''I'm still hot, thank you very much.'' Chris told her before they came to a stop outside a door. ''Here we are. We'll have a trade stories about our time in Mexico another time.''
Alexa nodded in agreement before knocking on the door, entering when she heard a voice call out. She smiled at Stephanie as she entered the room, Chris following close behind her.
''Ah, Chris, Alexandra...'' Chris snickered at the use of her full name but was silenced by a death glare from the young woman. ''Glad you could both join me. Take a seat.'' They did as she asked and sat down in the chairs opposite her desk. ''Now, Alexand-''
''Call me Lex.'' She insisted.
''Okay, Lex, the creative team have come up with a storyline for you involving Chris here. Tonight he has a match against Christian and you're going to interfere and help him win the match. Then next week Chris will introduce you to the audience.''
Alexa nodded. ''Sounds great.''
''Good. Well, I'll let you two go get ready. Chris, show her around, make her feel at home, okay?''
''Got it boss.'' Chris saluted her with a grin before grabbing Alexa's hand and pulling her out of the door eagerly.
It had been the start of a beautiful friendship.
Alexa laughed as he scooped her up in a tight hug and spun her around, placing her back on her feet a few moments later. She re-took her seat as Chris slid into the one beside her, ordering himself a drink from the bartender. They spent several minutes catching up, before the conversation inevitably turned to work.
''So, Stephanie called me the other day.''
''And?'' Chris looked at her expectantly.
''And she wants me to go in for a meeting next week when Raw's in Tampa.'' She finished, lifting her bottle to her lips and taking a swig.
''She, uh, didn't tell you what it's about?'' He asked nonchalantly.
Alexa saw through his faux innocence, narrowing her eyes at him. ''No...''
Chris' lips quirked into a smirk. ''Have you seen those new vignettes they've been showing on Raw?''
''The ones with the super creepy kids?'' Her brow furrowed in confusion. ''What's that got to do with...'' She trailed off and her companion laughed as he watched her eyes light up in realization. ''Oh my God! You're really going back?''
He nodded, a big smile on his face. ''It seems like the wrestling bug has bit me again."
She squealed, clapping her hands together. ''When?''
''January.'' He responded with a chuckle. ''I think you're more excited than I am!"
''I am!" She agreed. ''Wait, what does all this have to do with my meeting with Steph?''
He took a long swig of his drink before replying. ''I might have suggested that you make your return soon...''
Her eyes widened. ''Please tell me you're joking?''
''Nope.''
Chris watched on in amusement as she downed the rest of her drink before resting her elbows on the bar and putting her head in her hands. ''Are you fucking serious? Oh my God, Chris! I am nowhere near ready to go back yet!"
''Hey, calm down.'' He soothed, gently rubbing a hand on her back. ''Listen. Nothing's set in stone yet, that's why Steph wanted to talk to you first. But, I've been speaking to Darren and he says you're more than ready... I think you're just scared.''
She snorted and turned to face him.
''You can pretend it's not true all you want.'' He shrugged. ''But I know you well enough to know that you are.
Alexa sucked in a deep breath. ''I am scared. What if something goes wrong again? What if-''
''What if, Lex?'' It was Chris' turn to let out a snort. ''What if you get hit by a bus tomorrow? You never know what's going to happen, that's just life. You've just got to roll with it, take the good with the bad. I know how much you miss being out there, in front of those live crowds, doing what you do best. I know because that's exactly how I feel. But it must be even worse for you, missing it that much but being too afraid to get back out there. Stop being a chicken shit. You're the toughest person I know, you can do it, you've just got to take that first step.''
Alexa quietly mulled his words over as he ordered them some more drinks, realizing that he was right, as much as she hated to admit it. ''Thank you.''
''For what?'' He asked, sliding her drink towards her.
''For being a good friend.'' She smiled softly.
''You're my best friend. It's my job to talk sense into you when you need it.'' He replied with a grin. ''So, you going to do it?''
''Yeah, I think so.''
''Yes!" He cried, pumping his fist in the air. He spent a few minutes revelling in his victory before swiftly changing the subject. ''So, anyway, what have you been up to, besides training?''
''Uh, well, do you remember Jon?''
Chris nodded. ''What about him?''
''I've been sleeping with him.'' Alexa blurted out.
Chris spluttered on his drink. ''What?!''
''It's been going on for months.'' She added, avoiding the blonde's gaze. ''But I think I'm starting to get too attached.''
''Uh... I don't understand...''
She shot a sideways glance at her friend, who was gaping at her in disbelief. ''What? You want details?''
''No!" He raised his hands. ''Hell no! I really do not want to think about you doing anything in any kind of bed, with any kind of man, at any time."
Alexa smirked. "Your loss. I mean, he does do the most amazing thing with his-"
''Please, no more.'' He grimaced. ''Just spare me the details and tell me how you got yourself into this mess.''