Monday 5th December

''Why are you here again?''

Alexa glanced up as Colby's head appeared over the top of the seat in front of her, the man looking down at her curiously. ''I've got a meeting with the boss so I figured I'd just tag along with you guys.''

Raw that night was being held at the Tamp Bay Times Forum and a small group from the FCW roster had been selected to appear in a dark battle royale after the main show. It was only a ten minute drive from the FCW arena so they had hired a small mini-bus to ferry them all to and from the show.

''What's the meeting about?''

She hesitated, not really sure if anybody was supposed to know about her upcoming return yet. ''Beats me.''

His eyes narrowed suspiciously but he took her word for it, returning his attention to the conversation going on around them. Matt and April were deep in conversation with Ettore about the pros and cons of social media, both of them being fans of Twitter and trying to convince the other man to join.

''You should totally join, it's pretty cool.'' Alexa piped up, causing the group to turn towards her.

April snorted. ''If nothing else, it'll give you the chance to see some of the gems she comes out with.''

Matt laughed and nodded in agreement, producing his phone and scrolling through his timeline. ''Listen to these... I just sneezed on my phone and it made little rainbow sparkles all over the screen. I'm pretty sure that makes me a Wizard... Putting on your bra when your skin is wet is like wrestling with Satan... I'm at the gas station, just witnessed a little boy steal two fun sized Twix bars by shoving them in his afro. This child is resourceful and will go far in life... Cars should come with ejector seats for emergencies. Like when the person you're riding with has shitty taste in music. I'm talking to you, WWERollins.''

The group laughed at the offended look on Colby's face, the man placing a hand over his heart. ''That cut me deep, Lex.''

''This is my all time favourite.'' April coughed to get everyone's attention. ''There's a finger-sized hole in the wall of the bathroom. I want to put my finger in it. As a woman, I now understand glory holes.''

Ettore did a spit take, effectively getting his drink of water everywhere as Matt guffawed beside him.

Colby shook his head in amusement. ''I worry about you sometimes, Lex.''

Jon, who was sitting across from Alexa quirked an eyebrow at her. ''You're honestly the weirdest fucking person I know... maybe that's why I like you so much.''

Her heart pounded against her chest, seeing the sincerity in his eyes and she cleared her throat. ''And here's me thinking it was because of my banging body.''

He shrugged, smirking at her. ''That too.''

It was shortly after 2 p.m. as the group piled out of the mini bus and made their way into the arena. As usual on a Monday night, backstage was busy with the usual hustle and bustle of people preparing everything for the show. The guys all wandered off to find the men's locker room while April headed to the women's, leaving Alexa alone to search for Stephanie's office.

After some help from several crew members, she finally found it, the woman in question standing just outside the door as she approached.

''Alexa, so glad you could make it, come in.'' Stephanie greeted her with a genuine smile and a hug before welcoming her into the office and offering her a seat. ''You're looking really well.''

Alexa smiled warmly, sinking into the black leather couch opposite her boss. ''Thank you, you too.''

''Thank you.'' The older woman beamed across at her. ''So, I'm guessing that Chris has probably already told you why I requested this meeting today?''

She rolled her eyes and nodded. ''You guess right, big-mouth strikes again.''

Stephanie laughed and shook her head. ''Well, he's nothing if not consistent.''

''He said that you were thinking about having me make my return soon?''

''Yes. Obviously, you know about Chris coming back in January?'' At the other woman's nod of confirmation, Stephanie continued. ''Well, he's going to be heading into an angle with Phil which will lead up to a match between the two at Wrestlemania. Now, in the past you've had angles with both of them and the fans know that you're good friends with both of them outside the ring. Creative thought it would be a good idea to get you involved, sort of act as a... buffer... between the two.''

Alexa swallowed the lump in her throat, giving Stephanie a nervous smile. ''Uh, that sounds great. But...''

''But?''

''Are Phil and Chris okay with this? I mean, it sounds like it's going to be a pretty awesome rivalry, won't I just get in the way?''

Stephanie laughed again. ''Of course they're okay with it, it was their idea! I think it'll be great, give a different kind of dynamic to it that we're not used to seeing.''

The younger woman sat in a contemplative silence for a few moments before speaking. ''Okay.''

A wide grin broke out on Stephanie's face. ''Great! Now, we haven't got a specific date yet, but it'll be sometime after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Chris and Phil will be kept informed but we want it to be a surprise, so we need to keep it as quiet as possible.''

''I can't tell anybody?''

''Ideally, no. But, if you really do need to tell someone then that's fine, as long as they don't leak it.''

''No problem... uh, will I be put right back into matches? Or just getting involved in the Punk/Jericho angle?''

''We'll play it by ear, see how things go. Obviously, it would be great to get you back in the ring as soon as we can. I'm sure you've noticed, but the women's division has been somewhat lacking recently. I think you could inject some much needed life into it, I know Beth and Nattie are looking forward to working with you.'' Stephanie leaned forward to resting her arms on the desk, shooting the woman in front of her a reassuring look. ''I can tell you're nervous, but I have no doubt in my mind that this is going to be great.''

Alexa let out a nervous laugh. ''I wish I had your confidence.''

''You do.'' She reminded her with a smile. ''I remember when you first came here, all those years ago, you were one of the most confident women I'd ever met. You just need to find that again.''

They chatted for a little while longer before Alexa departed, leaving the other woman to focus on her busy schedule for the night. She soon found herself wandering through the hallways of the arena. Her sense of direction had always been somewhat lacking, which had been a running joke in the locker room when she had toured with the roster. Despite the numerous signs that the WWE crew stuck up on the walls to help people find their way around, she was well-known for her habit of getting lost in the arenas.

It took her a while but she finally found the catering area, which is where she thought the FCW gang would most likely be. She was right; Ettore, Colby, Matt, Aaron and Jon were seated at a small table off to the side, chatting quietly amongst themselves. The rest of the group were over by the food carts, loading their plates.

''You boys been keeping out of trouble?'' Alexa offered the small group a smile, snatching a piece of pineapple from Colby's plate and shoving it in her mouth.

"Hey hoover, that was mine." The Iowan spoke playfully, raising an eyebrow at her.

''Didn't your mother ever teach you to share?''

''Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?'' He returned.

''Nope.'' She grinned before quickly swiping another piece.

He just shook his head at her. ''So, what was the meeting about?''

''Oh, I just had to sign some paperwork and stuff, nothing important.'' She shrugged.

''LEX!"

Alexa barely had any time to react, turning around just before Nick Nemeth grabbed her in a tight hug, spinning her around. Squealing, she clutched his neck tightly before he eventually put her down.

''Nice to see you too, Nicky.'' She ruffled his bleach-blonde locks, laughing as he scowled at her nickname for him.

The pair had first met back in 2006; Nick had been part of the 'Spirit Squad' when they were feuding with D-Generation X. Alexa had been in the middle of her small stint with the infamous faction at the time

They spent a couple of minutes catching up before they were joined by the other participants of the battle royale, everyone crowding around the table to do a quick run through of the match.

Leaving them to it, Alexa wandered over to the refreshment table, helping herself to a bottle of water before turning around, immediately bumping into someone. Her eyes landed on the man in front of her and she failed to keep the lack of enthusiasm from her voice. ''Randy.''

''Lex.''

She moved to step past him, only for him to shift the same way and block her path. Repeating the action the opposite direction, she frowned when he did it again. ''Can you move, please?''

''If you answer me something.''

Sighing, she folded her arms over her chest. ''What?''

''Which one of them are you fucking?'' He asked casually.

A stormy look crossed her features as she glanced over to the table in the corner, her eyes instantly meeting Jon's concerned ones. ''None of them.'' She stated, returning her gaze to him. ''Not that it has anything to do with you.''

''You're a shitty liar, Lex, always have been.'' Randy tilted his head at her, an amused grin on his face. ''Has it ever crossed your mind that whoever it is, is just using you? Hoping you'll put in a good word with management so he'll get called up to the main roster quicker...''

Alexa let out a snort of disbelief, shaking her head at the man in front of her. ''You're unbelievable.''

''No need to get so defensive, I'm just looking out for you.''

''Yeah, well I don't need, or want, you to.''

''You remember what it's like, don't you? Woking so hard to move up through the ranks of the company... it doesn't hurt to have somebody fighting your corner...'' He trailed off, looking down at her with a pointed look. ''You should know that.''

Her eyes narrowed angrily. ''What's that supposed to mean?''

Randy leaned down, speaking quietly into her ear. ''I think you know that if we hadn't been together, you would never have gotten so far.''

Alexa's jaw set and she reacted on instinct, anger flooding through her as she violently shoved him, sending him stumbling back a few steps. She heard the entire room descend into a stunned silence, but found herself not caring in the slightest.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Paul boomed as he march over to them, glancing between Alexa and Randy.

Alexa's stormy eyes didn't stray from the man in front of her. ''Why don't you ask Randy?''

''It's nothing.'' He insisted, his voice faltering slightly.

''No, it wasn't. You just accused me of fucking the talent in exchange for helping them get fast-tracked to the main roster. Then, implied that if it wasn't for you, my career would never have taken off. I don't even care if you-'' She swept her eyes around the room. ''-or anybody else here thinks that about me, but I will not have you saying that kind of shit about them.''

Paul looked dumbfounded at what he had just heard, feeling disgusted at his old friend. He knew there was a lot of animosity between the former couple in front of him, but he never thought Randy would stoop so low. He had known Alexa since she had started in the company; she was one of the most talented, hard-working and passionate people he knew in the industry, just the idea that she had slept her way to the top was laughable.

''Lex-''

''I'm not finished, Paul.'' She cut the man off as politely as she could, turning back to Randy. ''They have all worked their asses off to get where they are today, you'll never know what it's like to have to work your way up from the bottom like they did... like I did... When have you ever worked for anything in your entire life? You couldn't cut it in the Marine Corps and the only reason you even got a shot here is because of your Daddy... You're pathetic.''

The was a stunned silence as Randy stepped forward, red-faced and clenching his fists at his sides. ''You're such a fucking bitch. No wonder I left you.''

''Okay, that's enough.'' Paul finally intervened, wedging his frame between the two of them. "Everybody needs to calm down before this gets even more out of control. Randy, go to my office. I'll meet you there shortly.''

The man eventually nodded, glaring down at Alexa one more time before walking away. Once Randy was gone, Paul steered her over to one side. ''Look, I know things are... bad... between the two of you, but this can't keep happening.''

''Not to sound petty, but he always starts it.'' She told him with a shrug. ''I'm a professional, I've got no problem being civil to him. But he's got to do the same. I'm not going to put up with all the shit he keeps giving me every time we see each other.''

He nodded, giving her a tight smile. ''I'll talk to him.''

Alexa sat alone at the back of the mini-bus, her head leaning against the window as she waited for the rest of the guys.

She had managed to briefly catch up with John and Phil during the show, the latter giving her a belated birthday gift; a signed photo of Bull Nakano that he had procured the previous week when he had been over in Japan.

Not even that had managed to improve her mood; the confrontation with Randy was still fresh in her mind and the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

How dare he try to belittle her career like that?

She had busted her ass for years to get to where she did; their relationship had nothing to do with her success in the WWE. She knew it, he knew it, everybody knew it. The only reason he had even suggested it was because he wanted to get a reaction out of her, and it worked.

Alexa hated that he still had the ability to get under her skin, even after all the time that had passed.

The only consolation was that Paul had witnessed the whole thing. Hopefully he would be able to talk some sense into Randy. She really didn't want a repeat of this every time they saw each other, especially with her return looming.

She was jostled out of her thoughts when she felt somebody jump onto the seat beside her, turning to find Jon staring at her, eyebrow raised.

''Why are you sat in here by yourself?''

Shrugging, Alexa turned away from him, resting her head back on the window. ''I watched your match, you were all awesome.''

The smirk on his face could almost be heard in his voice. ''But I was your favourite, right?''

''Goes without saying.'' She lifted her head from the glass, taking note of the empty bus. ''Where are the others?''

''Probably still back in the locker room, getting their shit together, I don't know.''

''You should've waited for them.'' She admonished lightly. ''Plus, I'm pretty sure some of the suits wanted to talk to you.''

His face screwed up in confusion. ''About what?''

''I overheard a couple of them talking with Paul when I was watching the match, they're thinking of sending you and Colby on the road this month. You know, do a few dark matches to get a look from the producers.'' A faint blush spread over her cheeks as she continued. ''And, I uh, might have put my own two cents in...''

His eyes danced in amusement. ''Oh shit, what did you say?''

''Just that you two were both awesome, and if they didn't call you up soon then they were stupider than they looked.''

Jon's deep laugh echoed around the bus. ''That mouth's going to get you into trouble one day, sweetheart.''

''I've made it so far, I'm sure I'll be fine.'' A mischievous smile spread across her face. ''Besides, I never hear you complaining about my mouth.''

''There's good reason for that.'' He smirked over at her. ''Listen, about what Orton said to you earlier...''

''Which part?''

''All of it.'' He clarified. ''You know none of it's true, right?''

''I know that.'' She scoffed. ''My self-esteem isn't so easily crushed, I know that what he said was a load of bullshit. But it still pissed me off. And the fact that I let it get to me, just pissed me off even more.''

''He's a cunt.'' Jon huffed out angrily. ''I should have marched over there and fucking punched him.''

Alexa blinked at him, a hint of surprise on her features at the foul language. ''That's sweet and all, but you would've just ended up kissing your career goodbye.''

He mumbled something under his breath before taking hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together gently. ''His face when you said that shit about his Dad... I thought he was going to blow a gasket.''

''Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said that.'' She shook her head, letting out a light chuckle.

''Why not? It's true, he is only here because of his old man. I have to say though, it was pretty hot watching you go off on him like that.'' He told her, a roguish grin flitting across his handsome face.

''Yeah?''

''Yeah, you're sexy when you're ang-''

Alexa cut him off abruptly, leaning forward and pressing her lips to his; gently coaxing his lips open, slowly rolling her tongue over his. She whimpered as he returned the gesture, her hands shooting up to tangle in his shaggy hair. Guiding her body with his hands, he pulled her forward until she was practically sat on his lap, their lips still crashing together.

They eventually broke apart when they heard the familiar voices of the guys just outside the bus, managing to settle back into their seats just as the door to the bus opened. Jon glanced sideways at her, silently communicating that they would be finishing this later.