Sunday 18th March
Her house was pitch black when Alexa pulled into the driveway, making a frown appear on her face. Saraya was home so she should be able to see the light from the living room through the glass on the front door, but everything was in darkness.
She had been over at Chris' house. He was on the road at the moment so she had ventured over to visit Jess and the kids, spending some time with them before she, too, left to join the tour.
Yanking her phone out of her pocket, her eyes skimmed over the text the Brit had sent her a little while ago.
You need to get home ASAP, emergency!
She exited the car and made her way over to the door, swinging it open and tentatively stepping inside. ''I swear to God, 'raya, if the emergency is you being drunk and trying to swing from the ceiling fan again-'' Alexa was forced to stop her rant when she was almost blinded by the lights suddenly flickering to life.
''SURPRISE!''
''Motherfucker!" Alexa almost tripped over at the sight of Ettore, Matt, Shaul, Saraya, Joe, Colby and Darren grinning at her from inside the foyer. ''I hate you guys, you know I don't like surprises! What if my heart exploded from the shock and I died!"
Colby rolled his eyes and repeated a phrase similar to the one she had uttered to him several days before. ''Stop being so dramatic.''
Her eyes wandered over everyone with a small smile; everyone there had become like family to her in the past year or so, it was really strange to think she'd be leaving them in two days. Before she could dwell on her thoughts, a pair of arms latched around her neck and pulled her into a tight hug. ''Was this your doing?''
Shaul beamed proudly at her. ''Yep.''
''Uh, no.'' Saraya joined them, narrowing her eyes at the Latina. ''I helped too.''
''Fine, she did help.'' She admitted with a shrug. ''But it was my idea.''
''You do realize that I'm still going to be around, just not as much as usual.'' Alexa pointed out. ''You didn't have to do all this.''
''We all know how hard you've worked for this, Alexa. We had to mark the occasion somehow.'' Darren piped up with a smile.
She pulled him into a hug, burying her face into his chest to hide her teary eyes. ''I'm going to miss you guys.''
''Hey, uh, why didn't Jon come tonight?''
The 'party' didn't last very long.
Citing old age as his excuse, Darren had been the first to leave after giving her a warm hug and promising that he would see her on Tuesday. Smackdown and NXT were both being taped the night after Raw in New Jersey; Darren would be there as part of his role as commentator. Ettore and Joe followed shortly after, both men having early training sessions the following morning. Colby and Matt had left not long ago, telling her they would watch Raw and come and visit her as soon as she got back to Tampa later in the week.
Alexa glanced over at Shaul expectantly, waiting for a response. ''I don't know, he just said he was busy.''
''Oh...'' She mumbled, taking a long sip of her beer. Her heart sunk and for some reason, she felt a sting of rejection wash over her.
''Are you and Jon... you know, together, or something?'' Saraya looked over at her curiously.
''No.''
''Pfft. I call bullshit.''
Alexa and Shaul shared a look before the former turned her attention back to the British woman. ''Why?''
''Because it's totally obvious.''
''We're friends, that's it.''
''Friends my arse.'' Saraya scoffed. ''I'm willing to bet a hundred that you're doing him.''
''Saraya!" She cried, reaching over to slap her on the arm as Shaul cackled from the chair in the corner.
''What? Come on, spill. I know you must have hit that, at least once.''
''Oh, it was more than once.'' Shaul supplied with a grin.
''I knew it!" Saraya declared with a smirk. ''Friends don't look at each other the way you two do.''
''It wasn't serious, we were just having fun.'' Alexa told her softly. ''We said we were going to stay friends, but obviously not since he didn't want to come tonight.''
''Maybe he was busy, like he said.'' Shaul tried to reassure her.
She glanced down at her phone before raising an eyebrow. ''It's almost midnight, what could he possibly be busy doing right now?''
''Text him.''
''And say what, exactly? Hey Jon, I'm pretty pissed at you for not coming to say goodbye before I leave and I think it's because I might be I'm in love with you...''
Saraya rose her eyebrows while Shaul let out a happy whoop. ''I fucking knew it!''
The comment earned her a glare from Alexa, who could feel her face turning a deep red. She couldn't believe that she'd just blurted that out. Sighing, she leaned back against the sofa and screwed her eyes closed. ''Shit.''
Monday 19th March
Alexa sat in her rental car, drumming her onyx-painted nails on the steering wheel as she tried to calm her shaky nerves. Raw was being held at the United States Wells Fargo Center that night and she had been parked up outside for the last twenty minutes, trying to force herself to go in.
Glancing over at the clock on the dash, she checked the time before sucking in a breath and opening the door. After collecting her bags from the trunk she started to make her way towards the entrance, her sunglasses thankfully covering her eyes as they nervously darted around the area.
''Holy shit! Lex?!''
Alexa froze and a smile creeped across her face as she turned, finding John Cena behind her with a confused look on his face. ''Hey, Johnny.''
''What are you doing here?''
''I said you might be seeing me sooner than you'd think.'' She replied with a smirk, the pair continuing their walk inside the arena.
''You're back for good?''
''Yep.''
A beaming smile broke out on his face and he slung an arm over her shoulder, pulling her into an awkward sideways hug as they walked. ''That's great! I'm really happy for you, Lex.''
''Thanks.''
''So, what are you going to be doing?'' He asked. ''There's no women's matches tonight as far as I'm aware, except for the one being taped for Superstars...''
''You'll just have to wait and see, like everybody else.''
After parting ways with John, she checked in with Stephanie and Paul before asking one of the crew members to help her find her way to the dressing room she would be sharing with Chris and Phil. The three of them were sharing for that night only, so they could go over the script for the night and make sure everyone knew what they were doing.
Since she was the first one there, Alexa took the time to quickly change into her outfit for the night. Since she wasn't actually going to be doing any in-ring work tonight, she was pretty much free to wear what she wanted. She had decided on a short skater dress which was white with a pattern of black flowers dotted all over it. Over that, she had on her leather jacket and her trusty Converse were on her feet.
She ventured out of the room briefly to head to the make-up department and when she came back, face done to perfection, Chris and Phil had arrived.
They spent some time going over their scripts, each adding their own ideas, before they started to tell her about some of the original plans for their feud. Some of which had been vehemently quashed by Vince and the creative team.
''Yeah, so I wanted to legit tattoo my initials on him. Vince initially loved the idea and approved it, but he eventually changed his mind.''
Phil nodded. ''I loved the idea, I was pretty pissed when he nixed it. He said that I've already go so many tattoos, what's one more going to do?''
''I said, 'you don't understand, a tattoo is a personal choice.' It's like a girl who has a lascivious lifestyle and has sex every night, that's her choice... but if someone rapes her, then that's wrong. Same with tattooing; I tattoo my initials on him, he's got a thousand, but he's still going to always see that in the mirror.''
''Vince still didn't like it, so we kind of had to sit down and literally right before the show where we were going to do the tattooing, we kind of went into the whole Punk's dad is an alcoholic issue.''
''You guys are completely crazy!"
''What? We didn't actually do it.''
''Only because Vince said no!"
''We-''
Phil was interrupted when a loud knock echoed through the room, the door opened and a stage hand peered around. ''Guys, show starts in twenty. Alexa, Punk, if you two head down to gorilla and Chris, if you come with me and I'll show you where you need to be.''
The Canadian nodded and rose from his seat, giving Alexa's shoulder a firm squeeze as he passed her. ''Good luck, killer.''
She laughed. ''Thanks.''
As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Alexa turned to face Phil. ''Please tell me I'm not making a huge mistake by coming back? I'm worried about not delivering what people expect... what if I suck?''
''You're right, you are making a huge mistake.''
''Phil!" Scowling, she threw out leg, smirking when it connected solidly with his shin.
He rubbed his leg with a wince but carried on his teasing. ''Everyone's going to laugh at you, well, the people who even remember who the hell you are, that is. Or maybe the entire crowd's going to be sitting in silence as they try to figure out who you are.''
Alexa paled as he spoke, the words coming from his mouth were exactly what she was scared off. She didn't have the chance to respond as he carried on, hitting her with a serious look. ''Alexandra Torres. For as long as I've known you, you have never doubted yourself. Not once. Don't fucking start now, okay? I know you can do this and you know you can do this.''
RAW
Face stern and lips set in an angry line, CM Punk made his way down to the ring.
''Well, I can assure you that CM Punk is not in a good mood.'' King commented from ringside. ''After, well, Chris Jericho dropped a pipebomb on Punk!"
Michael Cole spoke up as the WWE Champion climbed into the ring in front of him. ''Ladies and Gentlemen, the WWE universe has been buzzing about the situation between CM Punk and Chris Jericho on Twitter.''
The man inside the ring started pacing as the titantron played a clip from last week, when Chris Jericho revealed to the world that Punk's father was an alcoholic.
''Right off the bat I want to let everybody know, that Chris Jericho's not here tonight.'' He held up an arm to put a stop to the boos that erupted at his revelation. ''Which goes to show you exactly the kind of man Chris Jericho is. But, at the end of the day, him not being here; it's a gift. Because Chris Jericho pissed me off... last week, Chris Jericho, in front of the entire world, he said that my father...''
Punk trailed off, taking in a deep breath as he looked around at the crowd who were showing their support; his name echoing through the arena as they chanted.
''In front of the world, Chris Jericho said that my father is an alcoholic... hey, and you know what? I'm not sure it was supposed to be some sort of a big secret, certainly those close to me know it to be true. But it's not Chris Jericho's story to tell, it's none of his business! And, it's not so much that he said it, or how he said it... but the fact that he said it in front of the entire world. And here I am, standing in front of a live audience, millions of people watching around the world and I'm, basically, on front street, under a microscope, I'm naked for the whole world to see.''
A few wolf-whistles could be heard through the loud cheers.
''I look out here and I see everybody. I see little kids. I see grown-ups. Parents. Brothers. Sisters. There's not a person in this building right now- or sitting at home- that hasn't been somehow been negatively affected by the disease of alcoholism!'' He nodded at the crowds cheer of approval. ''I'm not going to let Chris Jericho's words swindle some little kid into thinking that because life dealt him a crap hand, that he can't somehow shake it off and still be destined for greatness! He wants to make light of a serious subject, all because he wants to get in my head and under my skin for some sort of advantage at WrestleMania? Chris Jericho wants to play head games, and he wants to somehow say that I'm pre-disposed to to drink? That it's in my genes? That I crave alcohol? That just goes to show that he doesn't know me, at all! And it backfired, Chris! It's backfired because if there's a devil in my DNA, it's now your problem. And at Wrestlemania, if there's a monster inside me, I'm going to let that monster out! I refuse to let my past dictate my future. There isn't a person on this planet that should let a past nightmare, dictate or cloud their future dreams! Chris Jericho forgot to tell you the finish of that story. And that's that my father has worked extremely hard, just like dozens, and millions of people around the world, and he has overcome his addictions. He has beat his demons! He doesn't want you to know the facts, and here is the most important part; I am proud of my father!"
He paused in the ring, taking in the cheers with a small smile, before continuing. ''I am proud of my father and I am proud of the fact that I am straight edge, because it's real! And it comes from the heart! And it's true! And it's tattooed on my skin for a reason! Because it's what I believe. I'm proud of being straight edge and I'm proud of my father and all the obstacles that he's overcome and Chris Jericho, that's exactly what you are to me. You're an obstacle. You can go around an obstacle. You can jump over an obstacle. Or I could be like you and I could dig a hole, I could crawl under that obstacle. But I'm here to let you know that at Wrestlemania, you Chris Jericho, are my obstacle and I'm going straight through you! To prove, once and for all, that I am the BEST IN THE WORLD!''
The mic dropped from his hands and the roar from the crowd dampened the sound of his music. He stepped over to the ropes and made to climb though them, when his music suddenly cut and a voice called out.
''Punk! Punk!''
Chris Jericho appeared up on the screen, the audience instantly breaking out in jeers at the sight of him.
''Punk! Listen to me.''
CM Punk leaned his forearms on the top rope, his eyes fixed on the man on the screen.
''I want you to listen to me! I... I didn't think it was right for me to be there tonight, I didn't want to face you in person. I want you to really listen to what I have to say, I want you to really hear this. Because, um, all the points you've been making right now, are right. I was out of line for what I said last week and I'm sorry. And, this is Chris talking to you right now. There's no Jericho here, there's no fancy jackets or bravado... it's me and, uh, I was out of line. I crossed into territory that I had no right to cross into. It was none of my business, like you said, I should have never brought it up and I am... I'm sorry. I apologize to you, and uh, I hope you accept my apology. I can promise you I'll never say anything about your father on this show again. I'm giving you my word on that...''
Punk was staring up at the screen, an unsure look on his face as the crowd booed, clearly not trusting the man's words.
''However... your sister... that's a whole other ball game, isn't it?''
Punk glared up at the screen, shouting 'no' angrily as the booing started to get even louder.
''Oh, come on, Punk. I found out all about your sister's substance abuse problems-''
CM Punk quickly picked up the discarded microphone. ''Chris, shut up! What are you talking about?!''
''It's well documented your sister has problems with drugs and, as anybody knows, drug addicts will do whatever they can to score their fix. Anything. And I'm sure you're still proud of her, I'm sure you still love her just like you claim you're proud of your father. But, come on, seriously, there's a pattern starting here, Punk! Your father's an alcoholic, your sister's a drug addict and you're going to end up just like them. It's inevitable. Punk, you're going to drink, it's your destiny. And it's a good news, bad news situation, Punk. because the good news is substance abuse and alcoholism can be overcome... it can. Bad news, when I beat you at Wrestlemania and become the new WWE Champion... that's something that you'll never overcome... Ever.''
A murderous expression took over Punk's face and he slowly raised the microphone to his lips but he was cut off, the opening riff of unfamiliar music starting to play.
She takes to the spotlight
To the stage
You can tell she craves it by the look on her face
Everyone can't help but stare away
The crowd broke out in confusion as 'Rock n' Roll Queen' by Skarlett Riot blared through the arena speakers, even CM Punk was looking up the ramp curiously.
She's a diva and a rocker 'til some followers see
You're gonna watch her move
And watch her groove
But she steals the show
You're gonna get down low
She's a rock n' roll queen
The cheers were deafening when Sierra finally emerged from the curtain, sauntering out onto the stage.
''It's... oh my God, that's Sierra!'' King exclaimed in surprise.
''Ladies and gentlemen, this is the first time we've seen Sierra in almost four years!'' Michael Cole informed the audience. ''Ever since she accident in which we saw her tragically break her neck.''
The woman in question was making her way down the ramp, her eyes locked on the ring and a stoic look on her face. The corners of her lips started to quirk up slightly upon hearing the ear-splitting chants of 'Sierra' rang around the huge arena. Sending the camera a wink as she walked past, she quickly jogged up the steel steps and ducked through the ropes.
''Now, don't get me wrong, I'm happy she's back... but what is she doing here?'' King wondered.
Cole spoke up from beside him. ''I'd hazard a guess that it has something to do with those two men. She's good friends with both of them, it can't be easy to just stand back and watch this all unfold.''
CM Punk eyed her with a look of confusion as she approached him, raising an eyebrow when she held out her hand expectantly. The cheers from the crowd were still going strong and, shrugging, he placed the microphone into her hand. Sierra smiled up at him before turning to face the bewildered man up on the titantron.
''Chris Jericho, clearly just as shocked as we are to see Sierra here today.'' King pointed out.
The music faded out and she waited for the noise to die down before she slowly raised the mic to her lips. ''So... I think it's safe to assume you're all pretty surprised to see me here tonight?''
CM Punk nodded across from her as they crowd voice their agreement.
''I came out here for two reasons.'' She stated, holding two fingers up in the air to emphasize her point. ''First of all, I wanted to tell everyone that, obviously, I'm back- ''
Her voice was drowned out by another round of thunderous 'Sierra' chants vibrating through the air. She ducked her head down, smiling softly as Punk clapped from the other side of the ring.
''Thank you... now, the second reason I came out here tonight... Chris Jericho, I need you to tell me something...'' She copied Punk's motion from earlier, leaning her forearms on the rope as she stared up at the screen in front of her. ''When did you become such a little bitch?!''
The crowd went wild and the man in the ring let out a loud laugh.
''I don't think Sierra's very happy with Jericho right now!'' King chuckled.
The Canadian glowered at her, spitting angrily. ''How dare you? Why are you even-''
She held up and hand and quickly cut across him. ''Shut up, I'm not finished... I think everyone here knows that I'm pretty good friends with both of you, or at least, I thought I was. For the past couple of weeks, I've sat at home and watched you try to pick apart Punk... trying to, like he said, get under his skin... throw him off his game. And instead of saying all these things to his face, you chose to do so from behind the safety of a camera... Punk was right; you not being here tonight does show everyone just what kind of man you are... you're nothing but a pathetic, spineless coward!''
''Shut the hell up!"
King let out a loud snort from ringside. ''Looks like the tables have turned, Sierra's the one getting under his skin!''
Sierra smirked before she spoke again. ''Chris, you said that it's inevitable for Punk to go down the same road as his family... I disagree... the only inevitable thing about this whole situation is the huge ass-kicking you're going to get at Wrestlemania! And that brings me to the second reason I came out here tonight, to make an announcement... I'll have front-row seats for said ass-kicking because, at Wrestlemania... I will be the special guest referee for your match!"
''What!?" King cried as the crowd roared in approval.
Michael Cole scoffed. ''How is that fair?''
She dropped the microphone to the canvas, a dull thud sounding just before her new entrance music started up. Sierra and Punk shared a high-five in the ring before stepping through the ropes, heading up the ramp with his arm slung over her shoulder.
''Oh. My. God!'' Alexa squealed loudly as she stepped backstage. ''That was fucking awesome! Did you hear that crowd?"
''I know, looks like they remember you after all.'' Phil laughed, scooping her up in a hug as she launched herself at him. ''Welcome back, kiddo.''
''That was great, guys.'' Stephanie McMahon nodded approvingly as she approached them. ''It's like you've never been away.''
Pulling away from Phil, Alexa beamed up at the older woman. ''Thanks, Steph.''
The older woman nodded before handing her a thick wad of paperwork. ''You're not booked for any of the live events after the Smackdown taping tomorrow, so you'll have time to go through all this when you get home. It's your schedule for the next couple of weeks, I know we said we were going to ease you in gently... but based on the reaction tonight, I think we'll probably be adding more to that.''
Alexa glanced at Phil who just shrugged before turning back to her boss. ''What do you mean?''
Stephanie grinned, pulling her into a one-armed hug. ''I haven't seen a live crowd pop like that in years! And you're currently trending worldwide on Twitter.''
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. ''Seriously?''
''You should take a look, maybe send out a tweet to-'' Stephanie's head whipped to the side, her name being called through the backstage area cutting off whatever she was about to say. Turning to face Alexa, she offered an apologetic smile before backing away. ''Duty calls!"
''Holy shit, have you seen this?'' Alexa spoke, scrolling through her Twitter news feed in shock.
Chris had been waiting for them in the locker room with an excited smile on his face, the man enveloping her in a tight hug almost as soon as her and Phil had walked in. They spent a few minutes going over their promo; nitpicking at things they could have improved on or done differently, but overall they were all happy with it.
The two men laughed from across the room, watching as her eyes lit up with all the comments she was reading. Stephanie wasn't lying; #Sierra and #Sierra'sBack was trending worldwide and she had been inundated with supportive comments from the fans. She decided to read through them all later and quickly composed a new tweet.
RealSierra: I'm back, bitches!
''Since we're done for the night and it's not like we have to rush to New Jersey, you guys want to go grab a Starbucks or something?'' Phil asked, looking between the pair.
''Starbucks? You mean over-priced Tim Hortons without doughnuts?'' Alexa scrunched her nose in distaste. ''I'll pass.''
Chris snorted out a laugh and shared a high-five with her.
''Canadians.'' Phil tutted with a small shake of his head. ''What about IHOP? I think I passed one on the way in?''
Half an hour later and they were sitting in the restaurant, laughing and joking while they ate. ''This is better than sex." Alexa moaned as she took another bite of her chocolate chip pancakes.
Phil guffawed before taking a gulp of his drink. ''Jesus. You must be going through a dry spell."
Chris levelled her with an amused look, opening his mouth to bite out a witty retort. Quickly swallowing her mouthful, she sent a warning look his way which immediately silenced him.
''Oh, hey, did I tell you that I got my tour bus?'' Phil spoke up, missing the exchange between his companions.
''Only, like, a gazillion times.'' She rolled her eyes teasingly. ''I get it, you're all fancy now.''
''You won't be wanting any rides in it then?'' He smirked, shoving another forkful of food into his mouth. ''
''Well, I didn't say that...''
''I thought Kofi was your road wife?'' Chris asked.
He shrugged. ''I can have two.''
''That's how it starts, Philip. Soon you'll have a whole hareem and-'' She was cut off when she felt a gentle tug on the side of her shirt. ''Are you Sierra?''
Everyone turned to the source of the voice, discovering a little girl standing just beside their booth. She must have been about nine or ten and was dressed in one of her old t-shirts.
Alexa nodded, shuffling her body around to face her. ''I sure am.''
The girl bit her lip nervously, eyes dancing around the other occupants of the table. ''I...''
''Oh, don't mind them.'' She said softly, leaning down to whisper in her ear. ''I know they look really scary, especially him-'' Her thumb jerked towards Phil, who responded by poking his tongue out at her. ''-but they're not, I promise.''
The girl let out a giggle and nodded. ''You're my favourite.'' Her eyes shone with excitement as she slowly held out a notebook and marker. ''Can I have your autograph?''
''Of course.'' She grinned at her and took them both from her, leaning the book on her lap as she flipped it open to find a blank page. ''What's your name?''
''Emma.'' She replied excitedly. ''I'm going to be just like you when I grow up!"
Alexa looked over at her and paused in signing the book. ''You are, huh?''
She nodded eagerly. ''Yeah! You kick ass.'' The guys around the table chuckled as the girls eyes widened and she looked around frantically. ''Don't tell my Mom I said that.''
''I won't, don't you worry.'' She reassured the girl before signing the page, closing it once she was done and handing it back to her.
''Thank you so much!''
Alexa grinned, giving the girl a little wave as she bounded off towards the table where her family were seated.