Sunday 20th May 2012

''Lex!''

Her lips curved into a smile as she pushed back the chair and stood, pulling the older woman into a tight hug. ''Hey, Vickie.''

After only seeing each other fleetingly a handful of times since Alexa's return, the two women had made plans to meet for lunch in catering before everyone arrived at the arena for the pay-per-view that night. The pair exchanged text messages and phone calls on a regular basis, it was rare that they got to meet face-to-face and spend some time together.

''You're looking great, Lex.'' Vickie looked over at her as she took a seat. ''Being back on the road has obviously been good for you.''

''I think it has. Among other things.'' She replied, the corners of her mouth turning into a coy smile

''Ah, yes, Shaul told me you were seeing someone. How's that going?''

''Really well. Jon's... he's pretty awesome.''

The other woman smiled at the happiness radiating from her. ''That's great, I'm really pleased for you. You deserve some happiness after... well, you know...''

''I know.'' Alexa replied, letting out a soft chuckle at the awkward way she cleared her throat. ''It's cool, Vick.''

''Speaking of Randy, how are things with that since you've been back?'' She questioned, her eyes lifting from the menu in front of her to search her gaze. ''Has he given you any more trouble?''

''Not for a while. A few weeks ago, he stopped me in the hallway to apologize.''

''You believe him?'' Vickie cocked an eyebrow.

''I don't know. I'm not even sure if I really care anymore.'' She chewed her lip. ''I mean, I get that we're going to see each other at work, it's unavoidable. But aside from that, I don't want anything to do with him. It's stupid but he still just makes me so angry... I can't help feeling like I did back then, you know?''

Vickie opened her mouth to speak before pausing, having an internal debate over her next words. ''Did you ever tell him?''

Alexa's eyes dropped back down to the menu, her mouth setting in a hard-line as she shook her head. ''No.''

She spoke softly. ''He deserves to know.''

''Can we drop it, please?''

''I've let it drop for four years, Lex.'' Vickie sighed as she watched the younger woman pointedly avoid her gaze. ''I watched as you lay in that hospital bed like nothing had happened. You didn't react, you didn't grieve... you didn't do anything.''

''Vickie-''

''You're like a daughter to me, you know that. I care about you and it makes me so, so happy that you're happy... but I really think you should tell him and get it all out in the open.''

''Like you said, it's been four years... I don't see how telling him now will achieve anything.''

Vickie reached out to take her hand in hers, holding it tightly. ''It means you can finally move on and try to let go of all the anger and hate you have for him.''

''That's never going to happen, Vick.'' She stated surely. ''I don't think I have it in me to forgive him for what he did to me.''

''You don't know until you try... I know he did some unforgivable things he deserves to know.'' She told her. ''You lost a baby, Lex... but so did he and he doesn't even know it.''

July 14th 2008

''You need to hurry up and get out of here. I think I'm going to get kicked out if I get caught using their intercom to page Dr. Dre one more time.''

Alexa couldn't help but let out a soft snort as Shaul dropped into the seat beside her bed, her arms full of snacks from the hospital shop.

Vickie came stomping in behind her, not looking particularly impressed with her daughter. ''You really need to stop doing that.''

''Sorry.'' She replied, not sounding remotely apologetic as she rifled through the shopping bag. ''Oh, shoot, I forgot to get your candy. I'll be right back.''

Shaul rushed out of the door just as Alexa's doctor appeared, holding a clipboard and looking sombre. ''Miss. Torres... How are you holding up?''

''Fucking fantastic.'' She retorted sarcastically.

''Lex!"

''What?'' Her eyes shot over to where Vickie stood. ''I've broken my neck and they said I'll never walk again. How am I supposed to feel?''

''I'm not going to pretend like I understand what you're going through, but what I can say is that we are going to do everything in our power to help you, okay?''

Unable to nod, she just blinked across at him before Vickie forced out a smile. ''Thank you, doctor.''

The doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. ''Uh... actually, the reason I came down here was... when we were treating you, we ran some tests, just as a precautionary measure. I'm really sorry to have to tell you this but I'm afraid you've lost the baby.''

''Excuse me?'' Alexa gaped at him, a look of stunned disbelief on her face. ''Did you just say 'baby'?''

''You- you didn't know you were pregnant?'' The doctor asked softly.

''Is this some kind of sick joke? What the fuck?''

''I'm sorry, I just assumed you knew.''

Vickie shot the man a scathing look. ''Do you seriously think she would've wrestled had she known?''

''Oh my God.'' Alexa clamped her eyes closed, feeling like the wind had been kicked out of her. ''This is not happening...''

Maybe Vickie was right, maybe Randy did deserve to know. But there was one thing she had been wrong about.

She did grieve.

At first, she didn't really understand why she felt sad about losing something that she hadn't even known was there. But, after a while, it hit her. To her, the 'baby' had kind of represented her relationship with Randy; all the good things before they had been tainted by what he had done.

So, Alexa did what she did best and deflected; turning all the grief and pain into anger, which she directed towards Randy. It was her way of coping and it had worked well, so well that nobody had even noticed. Well, Chris and Jess had noticed that she was down and that's why they had her move in with them. But they didn't know why, only Vickie knew the full story.

The anger had lessened slightly over the years, and she often found herself wondering what her life would be like if the baby had survived. Would she be a good mother? Would they have been a boy or a girl? Would she have been able to forgive Randy, for the sake of the baby?

There was a long list of questions that she would never have the answer to. And that was still what bothered her the most, to that day; the 'what ifs'.

''Lex?'' Beth cautiously stepped into her view, frowning slightly as she looked down at her. ''Are you alright?''

Alexa heaved out a sigh as she ran her hand through her hair. ''Not really.''

''Want to talk about it?''

''I... I guess everything's just getting on top of me.'' She admitted softly. ''It doesn't help that the last time I was in this arena, I broke my neck...''

Beth's eyes widened. ''Shit, I didn't realize.''

''Yeah, I didn't until I got here.'' She gave a wry chuckle. ''It's just a weird feeling, you know?''

''I bet it is.'' The blonde slid onto the bench, wrapping a supportive arm around her shoulder. ''You want to know something that'll cheer you up?''

The Latina cocked an eyebrow at the woman. ''Go on.''

''Vince saw our practice earlier and loved it, so we're getting an extra ten minutes.''

''Seriously?''

''Seriously. We've got almost thirty minutes to show everyone what us 'women' are capable of.''

Over The Limit

''This bout is set for one fall, and is for the Diva's Championship! Introducing first, the challenger; from Buffalo, New York... The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix!''

The fans near the barricade booed, earning themselves a stern glare from the blonde as she passed them on her way to the ring.

''So, last month Nikki won the Diva's Championship from an injured Beth Phoenix.'' Michael Cole explained. ''Then, a week later at Extreme Rules, Sierra beat Nikki for the title. And the bad news for the Bellas didn't stop there. The following night on Raw, after losing their re-match, they were fired by Eve.''

''So this is essentially Beth's re-match, here tonight.'' King added.

''That's right.''

The crowd let out a loud cheer as Sierra's music blared through the speakers, the woman appearing at the top of the ramp, grinning as she slapped the front of the title wrapped around her waist.

''And her opponent; from Juárez, Mexico, she is the WWE Diva's Champion... Sierra!"

''Oh, man!'' King cried excitedly upon seeing her. ''Did it just get a little hotter in here, Booker?''

Booker T laughed. ''Sierra is looking mighty fine tonight, King.''

''Well, guys, I hope Sierra knows what she's getting into.'' Cole interjected. ''Because, according to an interview on , Beth claims she plans on hurting Sierra here tonight. She said, quote, 'Sierra hasn't earned anything. She has no idea what she's gotten herself into.' End quote. Beth believes that Sierra swooped in and took the championship that was rightfully hers.''

''I had the chance to speak to Beth earlier.'' Booker added. ''She said she's focused and over her ankle injury. And tonight, she's going to bring a whole world of hurt to Sierra.''

King snorted. ''I don't think I've ever seen Beth Phoenix when she wasn't focused or didn't have that sour look on her face.''

The bell sounded, the two women staring each other down as they slowly began to circle each other. They lunged towards each other and locked up in the middle of the ring, both women vying for the upper hand as they grunted and shoved one another.

Sierra finally managed to gain the upper hand, getting Beth in a headlock. The blonde powered out of it moments later, sending a few hard elbows into the champion's gut before throwing her towards the ropes.

Beth took her down with a powerful shoulder block on her return, landing a few vicious kicks to her stomach before yanking her up by her hair.

''Watch the hair, watch the hair!" The referee warned.

The Glamazon just hit him with a fierce glare before, once again, sending Sierra into the ropes, her arm outstretched ready to hit her with a clothesline on her return. Anticipating this; the brunette expertly ducked underneath and ran towards the ropes on the opposite side of the ring.

Just as Beth turned around, Sierra jumped, planting both feet on the middle rope and using it to springboard backwards and executing a picture-perfect moonsault. She didn't account for Beth's strength, though, the other woman catching her easily and countering her move into a scoop powerslam.

''Whoa! Did you see that?!'' Booker cried.

1-2-

Sierra kicked out as a replay played up on the screen. Despite the fans love for her, they let out a cheer as they watched it back, obviously impressed by the pure power of Beth Phoenix.

''Sierra needs to learn that risks don't always pay off.'' Michael said. ''Especially when she's in the ring with Beth.''

Gripping Sierra's ankle, Beth dragged her into the middle of the ring before she dropped to the mat and locked in the inverted cloverleaf.

''Oh, look at this...'' Booker mumbled.

Sierra cried out in agony as Beth applied more pressure to her leg, shaking her head stubbornly at the referee when he asked if she wanted to quit. ''No!"

King spoke. ''She's not givng up.''

''She might not have a choice.'' Michael scoffed from beside him.

The crowd got behind Sierra as she started to slowly drag herself forward, a loud 'Sierra' chant flaring to life as she stretched her arm towards the rope.

''Sierra determined here...''

''She needs to get to that bottom rope.''

Boos surrounded the arena when Beth briefly released the hold, only to drag the other woman back into the centre of the ring. She applied even more force to the hold, contorting Sierra's left leg in such a way that her foot was touching the back of her head. She was screaming in pain as Beth grabbed her boot and used it to whack the back of her head, the crowd letting out 'oohs' of sympathy.

''What in the world?!''

''Using her own foot as a weapon here!'' Michael cried, impressed.

The referee eventually intervened and tore the woman away, giving Sierra some breathing room. She staggered onto her knees, her hand flying to her back as her face screwed up in agony. The referee dropped to his knees beside her, making sure she was fit to carry on as Beth laughed from the other side of the ring.

''The crowd going wild here, and I echo their sentiments, I can't believe I just saw that!''

King chuckled, agreeing with Michael. ''Your leg is not supposed to bend like that.''

Sierra was just starting to get to her feet when Beth rushed over, delivering a hard kick to the side of her head which sent her straight back down again.

Smirking, The Gamazon held up her hands, letting the referee push her away.

Sierra used the ropes to drag herself up as the blonde approached her again. This time, she was ready and sent out a hard kick of her own, hitting Beth in the stomach. Letting out a wild scream, Sierra gripped onto the ropes with both arms and lifted her legs, clutching Beth's head between her ankles.

''Sierra still fighting.''

Booker laughed. ''She's like a little spark plug.''

Keeping one leg on Beth's shoulder, she raised the other one in the air before letting it drop down. It connected with the woman's head, sending her staggering back a few feet. Sierra moved towards her, intending to hit a running bulldog, only to have it countered into a scoop slam. Beth scored another two count before Sierra kicked out, much to the crowd's delight.

Beth argued with the referee over the count before pulling the other woman to her feet, picking her up by her throat and throwing her into the corner. She hoisted Sierra up so she was perched on the top rope, hitting her with a few punches before positioning her hands at her crotch and neck. Using her pure strength, Beth lifted the other woman from the turnbuckle into a gorilla press.

''Oh my God, unbelievable!'' Booker called. ''Look at the strength here!''

''Gorilla press slam?'' King predicted.

Beth carried Sierra into the middle of the ring, the woman kicking her legs frantically as she tried to escape the hold. It worked, Beth's grip faltered and she dropped down in front of the woman, quickly hitting her with an arm trap neckbreaker.

''How much does Sierra have left?'' Michael asked as both women scrambled to their feet.

''I don't even know how Sierra can stand after what Beth did to her leg earlier!'' King's tone was disbelieving as he watched the action in the ring.

Beth was the first to her feet and started to rain down blow after blow on Sierra's head. The champion soon fought back, the two of them exchanging blows. Beth shoved her away and Sierra rebounded off the ropes, coming back to aim a kick at the other woman's shoulder.

Her foot was grabbed in mid-air, the blonde smirking as she swung Sierra's leg around and away from her. Sierra followed the momentum, letting the same leg come up as she jumped, hitting Beth in the temple with a dragon whip, sending the other woman to her knees.

While she was stumbling to her feet, Sierra dashed towards the corner, running up the ropes like they were steps before launching herself backwards from the top rope. Flipping through the air to face Beth, she landed on her shoulder and swung her body around, planting her head first into the canvas.

''Whoa!'' Booker yelled. ''What the hell was that?!''

''I think, ironically, that was a phoenix flying tornado DDT.'' Michael responded with a chuckle.

1-2-

Beth only just managed to get her shoulder up before the referee slammed his hand on the canvas. Sierra pushed herself to her feet, her face set in a determined grimace as she bent down, grabbing onto Beth's head to pull her up.

The Glamazon weakly fought back but was subdued by a few elbows to the face before she was shoved towards the ropes. Sierra ended up being the one thrust into them when Beth countered, but she countered that; pressing her hands down to the mat and performing a handspring back elbow off the ropes, à la Tajiri.

Beth was down for the count and Sierra grinned, pointing over to the corner. She made her way to the turnbuckle and climbed quickly, balancing herself on the top before flying through the air. She executed the corkscrew shooting star press like she had a million times before, landing on Beth and hooking her leg for the pin.

1-2-3!

The arena erupted in cheers as the referee raised her arm in victory, the other arm holding the title belt proudly above her head.

''Here is your winner and STILL WWE Diva's Champion... Sierra!''

''Well, I think that was one of the best matches I've seen tonight, guys.'' Booker stated. ''Both women were on form tonight.''

''You're right, Booker.'' Michael voiced his agreement. ''And I think that'll be the last time Beth Phoenix underestimates Sierra.''

''That was fucking amazing!''

Bryan snorted out a laugh at Phil's blunt declaration, the pair watching on in amusement as Alexa and Beth shared a lengthy hug. Their match was up next, and both men had watched the monitor intently as the two women had theirs. They had both performed exceptionally well, garnering a reaction from the crowd that was unheard of in the Diva's matches of late.

''I agree.'' Came a voice from behind the group, they all turned to find Paul striding towards them. ''It was fucking amazing.''

Alexa grinned at the man's words. ''Thanks, Paul.''

Beth shot her a smile. ''We wanted to show everyone what the Divas' division were capable of."

Paul nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "Well, I think you did. Hopefully now we can get Dunn on board and start changing things around here.''