Thursday 1st December

I'm can't believe you got to meet Bull Nakano! I'm so jealous right now.

Alexa hit send on the direct message to Phil before returning her attention back to the other tab on her laptop, the picture of him and the Japanese woman up on the screen. The WWE were doing a couple of shows in Japan and he had been one of the people selected to go. For some reason Bull had been backstage during one of these shows, giving Phil the opportunity to meet her.

Ha! I told her what a big fan you are of hers. She said she was a fan of yours too and can't wait to see you come back.

Really?! Oh my God! That's so cool!

Happy Birthday, by the way!

She rolled her eyes, typing out a quick thank you before shutting down the laptop. It was her 26th birthday, a fact she had successfully managed to hide from everyone down in developmental. Reaching over to grab her phone from the coffee table, she sighed when she saw it was flooded with messages.

Happy Birthday! Hope to see you soon! - Jason.

Happy Birthday, chica. Your father would be so proud to see the wonderful young woman you've grown in to. - Vickie.

¡Feliz cumpleaños! - Mando.

Happy B-Day, biatch. - Scott.

Glancing over at the clock, she let out a groan when she saw the time, knowing she needed to head down to the FCW arena soon. Instead of helping the women with their tag team elimination match that they had tonight, she had been asked to help Adam train some new girl who had just been signed.

''Try it again.''

Alexa sighed as she watched from the corner of the ring, it seemed like the hundredth time Adam had repeated that phrase over the course of the last hour. The new girl, Danielle Moinet, was still having trouble learning to land correctly on the mat. The normal reaction for anyone, was to put your arms down when you fall. But that wasn't the way you're supposed to do it; you need to fall and let your back take the bump, which was obviously easier said than done. Every time Danielle tried to take a bump, she fell and instinctively put her arms out.

After watching a couple more failed attempts, she pushed herself out of the corner and stepped towards the pair. ''Mind if I try?''

Adam shrugged before moving away and taking up her previous position against the turnbuckle, watching on in interest. She waited until Danielle had got to her feet reaching out and lightly shoving her to the ground.

The blonde landed on her elbows and looked up at her in disbelief. ''What the hell was that for?''

Alexa leaned down and grabbed her hand, pulling the woman to her feet. ''Matches may be planned out in advance, but not every blow. You're not always going to be ready, you need to learn how to fall.'' She explained, shoving her again.

Danielle's elbows took the force of the impact yet again. ''Could you at least tell me when you are going to do that?"

After trying this technique a few more times, only to have the same results, she called Adam back over and muttered something in his ear. Waiting until he'd dropped down to his hands and knees, Alexa led Danielle backwards, stopping her when she was just in front of Adam.

Danielle rolled her eyes. ''Really? You're just going to pus-''

She was cut off when Alexa shoved her and she went tumbling backwards over the man behind her. Instead of landing on her elbows, this time she landed flat on her back, her arms stretched out to her sides.

''How'd that feel?'' Alexa asked, looking down at her with a smug grin.

''Better.'' She admitted, slowly getting to her feet.

Adam followed her example and smiled at her. ''Try it again, on your own this time.''

Danielle nodded and moved away from them. Squaring her feet and bending her legs, she jumped up and backwards, landing on the mat on her back. She let out a relieved laugh as Alexa and Adam shared a high-five.

The three of them spent the next few hours in the ring, Danielle getting more comfortable as the time went on. She impressed Alexa with her attitude; she wasn't scared to get physical in the ring and had no problems in taking hard bumps. It was only her first day, so she was understandably still really sloppy, but Alexa knew she would get the hang of it eventually.

''I'm impressed.'' Adam told her as the pair headed down the hallway to the locker rooms, the training session having just finished.

''Yeah, she's got a lot of potential.''

He chuckled. ''No, not with her. With you. Not many people have the aptitude to train newbies, you were really good with her.''

She shrugged, a blush slowly rising up her cheeks at the unexpected praise. ''Is it weird that I kind of enjoy it? It's nice to think that by helping now, I could have some small impact in the future of women's wrestling.''

''It's not weird at all.'' He reassured her with a smile. ''You know, I think when you retire - which I hope is a long, long way off - you should have a serious think about what you want to do. I think you'd make an amazing trainer, here or elsewhere.''

''Yeah...''

He slapped her on the back before he headed over to the men's locker room, leaving her in the hallway. Pausing in the doorway, he called out. ''Don't worry about it now, you've got a long time to think about it.''

Ten minutes later, Alexa hurried out of the building and into the parking lot. Chris and Jess had insisted on taking her out for a birthday meal, she had been due to meet them at the restaurant ages ago.

''Lex! Wait up!"

Alexa kept walking, but turned her head to see Colby jogging up to her. ''Where are you going all dressed up?''

She glanced down at her outfit; a lilac skater dress with her cropped leather jacket over the top, teamed with a simple pair of black ballet pumps. Cocking an eyebrow, she asked. ''This is dressed up?''

Colby snorted. ''I think any time you aren't wearing your Converse means you're dressed up.''

She laughed, the man had a point. ''I'm just going for lunch with Chris and his family.''

''Are you coming back for the show later?''

''Probably not.''

''You have to!"

''Why?'' She asked, narrowing her eyes at the hint of panic in his tone.

He rubbed his neck awkwardly. ''Uh, you just do.''

They came to a stop as they reached her car, she unlocked the door before throwing her bag in the backseat. ''That's not even a real reason, Lopez.''

He watched as she slipped into the driver's seat, sighing before he grabbed onto the door to stop her from closing it. ''Look, you have to come because Shaul's organized a surprise party for you. Though, I guess it's not much of a surprise now...''

''I'm going to kill that girl.'' She muttered, throwing her head back in exasperation. ''She knows how much I hate my birthday.''

''All you have to do is show up, have some cake, maybe a few drinks... how bad could it be?''

Colby had been right; it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

Alexa had arrived at the arena shortly after the show finished, finding her friends hiding in the practice room, waiting to shout 'SURPRISE' as she walked in. Colby gave her a subtle thumbs up as she delivered an Oscar-worthy performance, pretending she was genuinely shocked to find them all there. Shaul had outdone herself, decorating the entire area with balloons and Happy Birthday banners. There was even a table covered in food, drink and a large chocolate cake, which hadn't lasted very long. The 'party' lasted for a few hours, before the younger members of the roster decided to head to a bar to finish the night off.

''Balloons are super weird... like, happy birthday, here's a plastic sack of my breath...'' The birthday girl stated, glancing up at the balloon she was holding.

Matt and Colby had kept the drinks flowing in her direction all night and it was becoming painfully obvious just how drunk the woman was.

''You're the only weird thing around here, chica.'' Shaul snorted, looking over at her drunken friend.

Alexa opened her mouth to respond but stopped, losing her train of thought as she caught sight of something across the room. Jon was standing at the bar talking to a scantily-clad redhead, a smirk on his face as the woman draped herself all over him.

''Uh, I need another drink.'' She groaned, tearing her eyes away.

''Your wish is my command.'' Matt spoke as he appeared beside her, placing the tray of drinks down in the centre of the table.

She reached out to grab one of the shots, quickly knocking it back before reaching for another one. Shaul sighed and swiped the glass from her hand. ''Hey, I think you should probably slow down.''

''Sorry, Mom.'' She retorted, rolling her eyes.

Matt laughed as he slid into a seat across the table. ''It's her birthday, leave her alone.''

Shaul shrugged, leaning back in her chair. ''Far be it for me to be the voice of reason for a change.''

''Maybe you should have a glass of water or something.'' Claudio piped up.

''Urgh, fine!" She pushed the chair back and stood, legs wobbling slightly. ''I'll get some water... you guys are buzzkills.''

She stumbled as she started to moved away from the table, Colby laughed, his hand quickly darting out to grab a hold of her waist to keep her steady. ''Lex, you're a mess.''

Flipping him the bird, Alexa carefully made her way over to the bar, noticing Jon and his 'friend' had disappeared. Just the mere thought of what they might be doing made her heart drop, she knew this whole thing would end in disaster. Shaking her head, she asked the barman for a glass of water, thanking him before heading back to the table, determined not to let him ruin her night.

Friday 2nd December

Waking up to a pounding head and an overwhelming sense of nausea in the pit of her stomach, Alexa whimpered at how rough she was feeling. Shutting her eyes tightly, she took a deep breath and tried to fight the bile rising in her throat.

It was no use.

She sat up abruptly, throwing her duvet off her as she jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom, getting there just in time to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet. A few moments later, she felt someone's hand on her back as her hair was gently pulled away from her face. She was surprised to find Jon kneeling beside her as she glanced around, wondering what the hell he was doing there? The question died on her lips and she quickly turned back, continuing to retch into the toilet.

Jon left her briefly, returning a few minutes later with a glass of water. She downed it all before leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes. ''Are you turned on right now?''

He laughed, dropping down to join her on the cold tiles. ''Oh, yeah, I can barely control myself.''

They sat in silence for a while, Alexa waiting until she was sure her stomach had settled before turning to look at him. ''Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but what are you doing here?''

''You don't remember?''

''Would I be asking if I did?'' She sniped.

He chuckled as she scowled across at him. ''I'm sure you're aware, you were pretty wasted last night... when Shaul left, she made us promise to make sure you got home safely. Me and Colby brought you back, but he was worried you were going to puke in your sleep so I offered to stay with you.''

''Well, thanks...'' She said softly. ''I, uh, thought you left with that chick at the bar.''

''No, she wasn't really my type.'' He let out a snort.

A smile crept onto her lips. ''I thought anything with boobs and a pulse was your type?''

''Funny... besides, I still have to give you your birthday gifts.''

She turned to look at him, quirking an eyebrow in surprise. ''You got me a gift?''

''Gifts.'' He told her pointedly, pushing himself to his feet and holding out his hand in front of her.

She let him yank her to her feet, letting out a small whine as her stomach protested. ''Urgh, this better not be anything perverted...''

''Come on.'' He mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Alexa let him drag her down the stairs and into the living room where she saw a small, gift-wrapped package on the couch. He picked it up and they both took a seat before he thrust it in her lap, looking at her expectantly. She slowly unwrapped the present, glancing up at his smirking face as she pulled out what was inside. Holding it out in front of her, she laughed. In her hands was a black 'Explicit Mox Violence' t-shirt, from Jon's old days at CZW.

She quickly slipped it over her head and looked down on the logo emblazoned on her chest. ''It's awesome, thank you!"

''Looks good on you.'' He smiled as he got to his feet. ''I'll just go get the other one...''

Alexa curiously watched on as he moved over to her front door and stepped outside, returning a few seconds later. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief at what he had in his arms. ''Are you serious?''

He set the mountain bike down on the floor and grinned over at her. ''Yep.''

She blinked. ''You got me a bike?''

''Yep.''

''I seem to recall telling you that I don't actually know how to ride a bike...''

''Exactly.'' He said simply, patting the bright pink helmet that was resting on the seat. ''I'm going to teach you.''

''Lex, stop shooting me those looks, I've got the bike. It's steady.'' Jon said, for what felt like the hundredth time with forced patience. ''Just put your other foot on the pedal.''

Alexa's breath hitched, the bike wobbling a little as she lifted her foot up onto the other pedal. ''I don't like this...''

Jon rolled his eyes. ''You haven't even started riding it yet. Right, I'm going to walk you forwards, and what I want you to do is pedal—push your feet down on those—''

''I'm not completely inept, I know what the pedals are!''

The few attempts that followed in the next ten minutes didn't go as planned.

Alexa was adamant that it was all Jon's fault when she fell over, accidentally stomping on his foot in the process as she tried to catch myself. She kept getting distracted by his stong hands on her waist. Somehow, she doubted it was an accident, his fingers kept slipping underneath her t-shirt, and every time they touched her was like a little electric shock.

The second time, she squeezed the brakes too hard and managed to flip herself over the handle bars.

Then, when she finally thought she had the hang of it, the laces from her Converse got caught in the chain, grinding her to an abrupt halt. Jon though it was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing as he tried to free her laces.

Alexa's eyes were watering from the stinging in her hands and knees; most of the skin had been scraped off during her first fall earlier. She was getting more and more pissed off with every passing second. What twenty-six year old could ride a bike?!

Jon finally untangled her lace from the chain and stood, glancing at her earnestly. ''You almost had it there.''

"Almost doesn't count! I must be doing something wrong..."

"You want me to put some training wheels on the bike?" He asked jokingly.

"Do you want me to kick you in the balls?" She returned, laughing when his mouth snapped closed. ''Come on, I've never quit anything and I'm sure as shit not starting now."

He gave her an approving nod as she mounted the bike again. ''I'll run along and help keep you balanced until you get going. Okay?"

Alexa nodded, a look of steely determination on her face as he put his hands on her hips. ''Okay.'' She told him, forcing herself to concentrate on riding the bike, rather than his hands on her body.

''Okay... Go!"

Jon broke into a fast walk as she began peddling, the bike starting to move forward. As her motions became more rapid, he found himself moving up to a jog and then a light run. Ever so gently, he lifted his hands off her hips. She didn't seem to notice their absence, continuing to peddle confidently and keep enough momentum that she was moving forward smoothly. He slowed his running and Alexa pulled ahead of him, cruising down the sidewalk easily.

"Okay, Lex, stop!" He called out a moment later.

Gently squeezing the hand brakes, Alexa skidded to a stop and put her feet down. When she turned around, her eyes widened in shock, expecting to find Jon standing right by her. Instead, she saw him standing way back near her house. She smiled and turned the bike around, starting to peddle the bike back. With a small wobble, she started out slowly but soon picked up speed and her motion smoothed out. As she reached Jon, she hit the brakes, looking up at him with a triumphant grin.

"See? I told you that you could do it!" Jon laughed at the childlike glee on her face.

Alexa jumped off the bike, using one hand to keep it upright and throwing the other around Jon's neck, pulling him into a hug. She couldn't deny how touched she was that he had remembered some offhand comment she made months ago, then went to all this trouble for her. It was one of the nicest things anybody had ever done for her.

"Thank you." She said, pulling back and looking up at him with a genuine smile.

''Anytime.'' He replied softly. ''Now, come on, let's get you cleaned up before you get an infection or something."