Monday 14th October
''Motherfucker...''
And to think, Alexa had been in such a good mood.
The past few weeks had been spent going back and forth between Tampa and Vegas, but it had been worth it, her and Jon were finally settled into their new place and looking forward to their future together. She was relaxed and refreshed after having the past several weeks off, and this weekend had been the start of her return.
She had just spent an amazing few days in New York doing Comic Con. Saturday she had been joined by Phil, and the pair had a blast doing their panel and meeting the fans. She had been dubious at first but their friendship finally seemed to be back to where it was, something which she was extremely thankful for.
So, that morning, after a delayed flight she had eventually arrived at St. Louis International, rented a car and headed straight to the arena... only for the car to break down near the St. Louis Zoo, leaving her alone and stranded by the side of the road. Then, to make matters worse, her phone died because she had forgotten to charge the battery before going to bed last night. Having no other way of contacting anybody, she had to settle on waving frantically at passing traffic until someone finally took pity and pulled over to help her.
Using the phone of the man who had come to her aid, she called the company who she had hired the car from. They offered to come out and fix the car but it would have taken too long, so she declined, deciding to just walk the rest of the way to the arena. They apologized profusely for the inconvenience and issued her with a full refund over the phone. She thanked the man who had stopped to help her he drove off as she was removing her luggage, which thankfully wasn't much.
After leaving the car keys inside the rim of one of the tyres for the rental company to find, she set off on her way.
Alexa stalked into the Scottrade Center just over an hour later, scowling as she pulled her suitcase along behind her. The walk to the arena had taken a lot longer than she thought it would, especially since she had no idea where she was going, her feet were killing her.
On the plus side though, she had probably worked off all of the junk food she had eaten the day before.
Glancing up at the production board, she skimmed over it quickly before following the directions to the women's locker room. Finding it empty, she dumped her bag in the corner before making her way to catering. There weren't many people in there; just a few members of the production staff eating around the tables and one or two wrestlers. She sent a little wave over to Danielle and Curtis, the pair huddled together as they chatted, before grabbing herself a bottle of water from the counter at the head of the room.
She took a long sip as she turned and started walking out, pausing in the doorway as Brie and Daniel came strolling in hand-in-hand. Before either of them could say a word, Alexa reached out and wrapped her arms around them.
Confused, the couple returned her hug and waited until she pulled away before sharing a glance.
''What was that for?'' Brie asked with a smile.
''Well, one; I really needed a hug. And two, congratulations, guys.''
Daniel beamed across at her as his hand found Brie's. ''Thank you.''
''Come on, let me see the ring.''
The man rolled his eyes as Brie giggled, lifting her free hand to show her friend the new addition.
Alexa whistled, raising her brow at him. ''D-Bry has good taste, who knew?''
''Knock, knock?''
The conversation inside the room immediately halted; Joe, Colby, Jon and the Runnels brothers looking up as Alexa peered around the door.
''Lex, hey!'' Dustin beckoned her inside. ''Come in, come in, we're just going over the match.''
She sunk into the seat beside Jon, giving him a gentle nudge in greeting before lifting her eyes to the group. ''Sorry I'm late.''
Colby gave her a once over, taking in her dishevelled appearance with a small frown. ''Where have you been?''
''You wouldn't even believe the day I've had.'' She let out a sigh. ''My stupid rental broke down half way here, so I'm standing by the side of the road, waving like a lunatic to try to get someone to stop and-''
''Why didn't you just call somebody?'' Cody questioned.
Joe snorted at the embarrassed look on her face. ''You forgot to charge your phone again, didn't you?''
''Maybe...'' She mumbled sheepishly, Jon shaking his head in amusement beside her as the others laughed. ''Anyway, so eventually this guy stops and lets me use his phone and I call the rental company. They said they'd come and fix the car but it would take a while, so I thought, fuck it. I'll walk.''
''Oh no...'' Colby uttered as he tried to keep the smile off his face, guessing where this was heading.
''Yeah, so I ended up fucking walking, like, four miles here, carrying all my luggage...'' She lifted up her leg to show them her black, studded ankle boots which had four inch heels. ''... In these.''
Cody raised an eyebrow. ''That's actually pretty impressive.''
Joe nodded in agreement. ''How long did it take you?''
''Almost two hours, but I did stop at McDonald's on the way.''
RAW
''You know that the American Dream is sitting at home, rooting for his two boys to become the new Tag Team Champions!'' JBL commented, raising his voice so he could be heard; the vocal crowd cheering encouragement for Goldust, who was attempting to fight out of the headlock Roman had him in.
''It was thanks, in part, to Dusty, that-''
''Dusty made a name for himself right here in St. Louis!'' JBL cut across Michael.
''-that Cody and Goldust are even here tonight.''
The cheers rose as the veteran managed to fight his way to his feet, delivering a hard punch to the Samoan's gut. Just when Goldust thought he was free, Roman quickly sent a knee to his chest before whipping him into the corner.
His years of experience coming into play, Goldust scouted it perfectly; managing to catching himself just before he hit. Instead, he ran up the turnbuckle before launching himself backwards from the second rope, hitting Roman with an elbow to the face, sending both men to the canvas.
''And a back elbow!'' Michael cried. ''And now, Cody Rhodes, pacing on the apron! He realises this could be the turning point of the match, if he could get in here!''
Goldust pounded his fists on the mat as he tried to will himself to his feet, his brother leaning over the tope rope as he crawled towards him, spurring him on as the crowd cheered. Just as the man was about to lunge forward and make the tag, Seth came running across the ring, hitting Cody with a forearm to send him flying off the apron.
''Rollins with a cheap shot!''
The heavy chorus of boos washing over him, Seth moved into the corner and jumped up, perching on the top turnbuckle for a moment before standing and mocking Goldust. Smirking as the boos got louder, the Iowan jumped, only to be caught in mid-air and nailed with a powerslam.
''Yeah!'' King laughed. ''Caught in mid-air!''
Using the ropes, Cody pulled himself up onto the apron, lashing out with a kick as Dean tried to stop him. The United States Champion dropped to the ground, leaving the other man to stand and extend his arm towards his brother. Just as Seth reached his corner and tagged in Roman, Goldust finally made the tag.
Fired up, the younger Rhodes brother ducked a clothesline from the Samoan before hitting him with a flurry of right hands.
''Turning point perhaps, Rhodes unloading on Reigns!''
''It had better be a turning point.'' JBL stated dryly.
Roman countered, swinging Cody towards the ropes and ducking down; the other man coming back and countering with hjis trademark drop down right hand.
''Shades of his brother, there!'' King pointed out.
JBL laughed as Roman remained standing, a loud roar ripping from his throat. ''I think he just made Roman Reigns mad.''
Cody cut off the man with a punch to the face, dodging out-of-the-way as the Samoan sprinted at him and grabbing hold of his vest, sending him straight into the ring post. He dropped down and rolled him up with a schoolboy, almost getting the three count.
''Did he get him? No! Two and a half, near fall!''
Cody climbed to the top rope as Roman slowly staggered to his feet, waiting until the other man was upright before launching himself backwards, landing hard on the other man and going straight into the cover.
''Moonsault! Cover! One, two-''
Roman just managed to roll his shoulder off the mat, much to the crowd's displeasure.
''And Reigns powers out!''
Ambrose leapt up onto the apron, shouting abuse at the man before Cody nailed him with the Disaster Kick on Ambrose, sending him to the floor. Roman stumbled to his feet, running towards Cody onto for the other man to use the ropes as leverage to pull himself up and land a kick to his face.
''Need to capitalize.'' King said. ''The numbers game is not with The Shield right now. Do something, Cody.''
The Samoan reeled back, giving Cody time to climb duck through the ropes and onto the apron. He waited until Roman was standing before jumping up, spring boarding from the top rope with a dropkick.
1-2-
Rollins entered the ring and broke up the pin before the three count; Goldust coming right in after him, dragging the man out by the hair. Both men rolled outside, where their brawl continued.
''This thing is breaking down, but with no disqualifications, I thought this would have happened a lot sooner.'' King admitted with a chuckle.
''This is all legal, King.'' JBL pointed out.
Inside the ring, Cody dodged another clothesline from Roman, countering and setting up the Cross Rhodes. efore he could follow through, he was hit from behind by Ambrose, sending him to the mat. Goldust tried to come to his brother's aid only for Ambrose to send him right back out again.
''You just knew this was going to happen.'' Michael sighed; Ambrose and Rollins launching a double beat down on Cody in the middle of the ring.
''You know who else knew this was coming?'' King asked. ''The Authority. Triple H and Stephanie. They knew this was going to happen.''
''Come on, this is all legal!'' JBL came to his bosses defence.
''Why else would you make this no disqualification?'' Michael added.
Seth and Dean dragged a beaten Cody to his feet as Roman smirked, giving his trademark roar.
''And Goldust, with a steel chair!''
The man quietly slipped into the ring unnoticed, swinging with all his might and nailing Roman right in the back.
''Woah!''
Goldust wasn't finished there; Rollins and Ambrose recieved the same treatment before he sent the latter flying over the top rope.
''It's all legal!'' JBL repeated.
''That was a Tito Ortiz swing, right there!'' King laughed.
Roman dove at him, clubbing him with right hands to the back until he was subdued, giving him a few kicks once he was down for good measure.
''And just like that, The Shield with the numbers in their favour!''
''Man, it's quick how things turn around.'' King agreed.
'You idiot, you never put the chair down!' Roman laughed, reaching down to pick up the fallen object, waiting for Goldust to rise with a smirk.
''Uh-oh.'' King mumbled. ''Goldust may live to regret taking that chair in there...''
JBL nodded. ''Goldust has sealed his own fate.''
''The beginning of the end for Gold-''
Cheers erupted as Goldust ducked under the chair shot, bouncing back from the ropes and landing a crossbody ontop of the chair and Roman.
''Reigns misses wildly! And Goldust- chair on the chest to Reigns!''
''And Cody and Rollins still going at it!''
Outside the ring, Cody gained the upper hand in his brawl against Seth Rollins; sending the man face-first into the steel steps before using them to go for a Disaster Kick. Seth managed to catch him mid-air, countering and powerbombing Cody into the barrier.
''Oh my God!''
The crowd let out a collective 'ooooh' as a replay played up on the titantron, the image soon being replaced by the action that had resumed back in the ring; Goldust and Roman had both recovered and were now exchanging blows.
''I don't even know who's legal in this match.'' King admitted. ''Is it Goldust and Reigns?''
''I think it's all legal.'' JBL replied.
Goldust gained the advantage, hitting an atomic drop on the Samoan before his tag partner tried to intervene. Rollins earned an atomic drop for his troubles; Goldust dropping down and catching him with an uppercut before sending him over the top rope. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Roman using the ropes on the other side of the ring to drag himself to his feet, so he ran, clotheslining him over the top rope and tumbling out with him.
''Everybody's out of the ring!'' Michael cried. ''Chaos! Bodies everywhere!''
Dean rushed towards the pair before launching an attack on Goldust. The older man briefly fought back against the flurry of punches before he was driven back into the apron by Roman.
'THIS IS AWESOME! THIS IS AWESOME! THIS IS AWESOME!'
Roman grabbed the back of Goldust's head, preparing to send him into the barrier only to be sent into it himself as the other man countered.
''This IS awesome.'' King noted, agreeing with the crowd's loud chant.
Goldust and Ambrose quickly became tangled in a brawl, the former managing to fight through before Roman came barrelling towards him. Dean watched on in shock as his Shield team-mate hit a vicious spear on the older Rhodes, both men crashing through the barrier and into the time keepers area.
''Oh my God!''
''Wow!''
''These guys are destroying each other!'' JBL said happily. ''I love it!''
'HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!'
A replay showed up on the screen, the commentators gushing over that while Ambrose ran around the ring, grabbed Cody, roughly shoved him into the ring before returning to Roman.
''And Ambrose, how smart is Ambrose? Realizing Goldust is down, he ran across to the other side to get Cody back inside the ring, and he's now dragging Reigns back in to win this match up!''
''This is going to be...''
King was cut of as a raucous cheer suddenly lifted through the arena.
''What is this?''
The cheers grew louder as the cameraman finally caught sight of what the fuss was all about; Sierra was rushing through the crowd via the walkway that The Shield usually used.
''What the- oh my God!'' Michael exclaimed. ''Sierra's back!''
Ambrose straightened up, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips as he watched her vault over the barricade. He sauntered towards her, holding his arms either side of him as he goaded; 'Come on, hit me with your best shot!'
A look of sheer hatred washed over Sierra's face and she pulled back, slapping Ambrose across the face with all of her might, his head snapping sharply to the side.
''Woah!''
King whistled. ''Nice!''
But she wasn't finished; Sierra brought her hand back with equal force to nail the other side of his face with a backhand slap. Ambrose heaved in a breath, his jaw clenching angrily as he slowly turned back to face her, his cheeks now sporting matching red marks, much to Sierra's delight.
Ambrose didn't get the chance to react, because the woman stepped closer, and with one kick, nailed him right in the crotch. There was a collective 'Ooooh!' from the crowd as his mouth dropped open, but no audible sound came out. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees, cupping himself with both hands as he collapsed onto the ground.
King cheered. ''Hell hath no fury!''
''I don't think she's finished there, King.'' Michael said, watching as she moved around their table to grab a chair.
''Uh oh, Rollins is up, and he doesn't look happy to see Sierra!''
JBL scoffed. ''Well, I'm not surprised, Michael.''
Seth ran across the ring, sliding under the bottom rope and turning to face his former team-mate, only to be met by a well-placed chair shot to the face.
''OH MY GOD!''
The Iowan slumped down beside Ambrose, Sierra barely sparing them a glance before she turned to face the ring; the two men inside slowly getting to their feet.
King laughed. ''She's a one-women wrecking crew!''
Roman was the first one up, slowly stumbling towards the ropes and looking down at the woman, shock evident on his face. She sent him a little wave, smirking as Cody crept up to the ropes; the man launching himself off them and going for the Disaster Kick.
''Cody, off the distraction-''
Roman just managed to duck out of the way, turning to see Cody land hard on the canvas behind him.
''And Cody misses!''
''No, don't do it Sierra!'' JBL implored, seemingly reading the woman's mind.
''What-''
The crowd went crazy as Sierra landed another chair shot, this time to Roman; the Samoan dropping to the mat instantly. Cody lifted his gaze to meet Sierra's, the woman nodding towards Roman as she finally let the chair fall from her grip, the metal clanging against the steel steps as it landed.
''Come on, Cody!'' Michael implored. ''Come on, capitalize!''
He crawled towards the motionless man, hooking his leg for the cover as the crowd chanted along with the referee's count.
1-
''Look at this!''
2-
''He's going to do it!''
3!
''He did it!'' Michael cried, the crowd roaring behind him. ''New champions!''
''Somebody arrest that woman!'' an indignent JBL demanded.
''Here are your winners, and NEW WWE Tag Team Champions... the team of Goldust and Cody Rhodes!''
The two men inside the ring celebrated their epic win as Sierra hopped back over the barricade, laughing as she made her way back up through the stands.
''Sierra came tearing through the arena, and knocked out EVERYBODY!''
''Hey, wait, wait, wait...'' King interrupted, his attention on the ring.
An irate Triple H had just slipped inside, giving Goldust a hard shove as he stormed around, tearing off his jacket angrily.
''Triple H is livid!''
''Can you blame him?'' JBL asked.
At the top of the stands, Sierra lifted her arms up and down along with the crowd; a huge 'YES' chant spreading through the arena, only serving to make the COO even more furious.
''Sierra, getting some revenge on the men who attacked her last month!''
''Look at the Game, he is livid!''
''Oh, there's going to be hell to pay for Sierra, no doubt about it.''
Scenes of the Rhodes brothers celebrating their title win and Sierra high-fiving the crowd while Triple H seethed inside the ring filled the screens before Raw faded to black.
''You're toxic, I'm slippin' unnnnderrrr...''
''With a taste of a poison paradise, I'm addicted to you, don't you know that you're toxic..."
"Would you two please, shut… the hell… up?" Joe groaned from the back seat.
Alexa turned to fix him with a glare, her features softening when she saw the obviously uncomfortable position he was in. The big man was curled up at an odd angle, seemingly trying to get a moment of rest. But, of course, as soon as his eyes had drifted closed and sleep had started to overcome him, Alexa and Colby had decided to have one of their infamous sing-alongs.
''Sorry, Fabio.''
Jon chuckled from beside him, meeting his girlfriend's gaze with a grin. ''Don't apologize, babe. Joe here was just saying the other day how much he missed our car rides.''
''Aw, Joe, did you miss me?''
He grunted. ''I'm starting to re-think that decision.''
Alexa snorted, moving back into her seat and glancing out of the window, watching the traffic flash by. The group were currently an hour into thier four hour journey to Kansas City, ready for the Smackdown taping the next day. As far as she knew, she wasn't actually booked to be on the show, but she had a last minute e-mail requesting she attend so she'd had to catch a ride with the guys. Which wasn't ideal; since they weren't expecting an extra person and had only rented a small car, making the trip an uncomfortable one.
The car fell silent for a little while before Colby glanced her way from the driver's seat. ''Hey, did you hear about Joe's argument with Orton?''
''What?'' Her eyebrows furrowed together. ''No. What argument?''
Joe suddenly thrust his knees into the back of Colby's chair and the man frowned, realizing his mistake as he glanced back at Jon in the mirror. ''You didn't tell her?''
''Obviously not...'' Jon drawled.
'Alexa's eyes narrowed as she glanced between the three men 'Tell me what?''
Joe groaned from the backseat, the man much more alert than a few minutes ago. ''Hey, while we're on the subject, did you tell her about your run-in with Show?''
''Not cool, bro.'' Colby scowled. ''Not cool.''
''Karma's a bitch.''
Jon just watched on in amusement as the two men started bickering between themselves, his girlfriend growing more confused by the second. He finally decided to take pity on her, shifting in his seat and leaning forward so his head was in between the front seats.
''Long story short; at one of the house shows a little while ago, we had a tag match and someone botched up a spot-''
''Randy botched the spot.'' Joe interjected firmly.
''Randy botched the spot.'' Jon amended with an eye roll. ''So, when we get backstage Joe and Randy had this huge shouting match in front of, like, the entire locker room.''
Alexa sighed, leaning her head against the seat as she returned her gaze to the man beside her. ''And how did you manage to piss off Paul?''
His eyes flicked her way briefly before he shook his head, mumbling; ''It was stupid.''
''He didn't shake his hand.'' Jon supplied, shrugging as Joe sent a glare his way. ''What? Just laying it all out there.''
''Show does get real pissy when people forget to shake his hand.''
''Oh, I didn't forget to shake his hand.''
Joe let out a small chuckle from the back. ''Colby here doesn't know how to shake hands properly.''
''What?'' She scoffed. ''How can you not know how to shake hands properly?''
''Apparantly my grip wasn't firm enough... Shut up Jon.''
Whatever filthy comment he had been about to make was cut off and his mouth snapped closed, the man slumping back into his seat with a pout.
''Seriously, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever fucking heard.''
''That's what I said!''
''You didn't?'' At her friend's nod, she groaned. ''Colb, you idiot. You don't argue back, you just accept it and move on. Same goes for you, Fabio.''
''But I didn't do anything wrong! It's not my fault that his hands so goddamn big I can never get a good grip on it.''
''Yeha, and it's not my fault Randy botched a move and was too pigheaded to admit it.'' Joe added with a frown. ''Fucking asshole.''
''Look, I know it's shitty, but guys in your positions can't be pulling shit like this, especially with guys in spots like Randy's or Show's. All it's going to do is get a shit ton of heat on you and cause you more trouble than it's worth.''
A tense silence fell over the car for a moment before Colby risked a small glance in her direction, a teasing smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.
''Sorry, Mom.''
A/N - So... I'm back! What did you think?