A/N: Yes, ANOTHER update! I want to get as much published before I move in 12 weeks! Thank you for your reviews!
Chapter Fifteen: Fear
Brooklyn, NY – Present
Quinn zipped up her gym bag thankful her torture session at Crossfit with Colby was over. He had taken to keeping her busy and not left alone to overthink the situation with Jon.
"You did great!" said Colby with his bag slung over his shoulder, "How do you feel?"
"Like my legs are about to give in on me," replied Quinn with a small smile, "Thanks Colby. You've been so awesome and I've been nothing but a miserable bitch."
"Nah, you're a sweaty miserable bitch."
Quinn elbowed Colby in the side as they left the gym. The pair got into Colby's hire car and headed back to the hotel. In a couple of hours, they would be at the Barclays Centre for the Live Event. Quinn pulled her phone from her bag and sighed when she had no message from Jon.
Back at the hotel Quinn headed to her room to shower and get her gear ready. As she pushed the door open she was welcomed to a large bouquet of red roses. Quinn dropped her bag to the ground and picked the card out of the middle and opened it.
Enjoy the roses you Home Wrecking Whore.
Quinn ripped the card and picked the roses up and dumped them into the trash can by the bench. She walked through the hotel room and stripped her clothes off before getting in a hot shower. Quinn blinked rapidly, refusing to let the tears fall. She wouldn't let them bring her down. She refused to let the haters get to her. They didn't know her. They didn't know the full story.
Nashville, TN
Jon checked his emails and breathed a sigh of relief. After getting the okay from Renee about the statement regarding their separation, Jon had asked his agent to release it. Renee stated she would release her own on the same day.
The email he read stated it had been released to the media. Jon closed out his emails and dialled Quinn's number. He wanted her to know the good news.
"Hey," answered Quinn's voice after three rings.
"Hey. I miss you," replied Jon, leaning back against the headboard of the bed.
"I miss you too. How are you?"
"Yeah, alright. You?"
Jon frowned as Quinn seemed to hesitate in her answer before speaking, "I'm fine. Just been to the gym with Colby. Crossfit is horrible."
Jon chuckled, "I know but its sometimes good to really get your sweat on."
"I can think of many more… self-beneficial ways to get my sweat on."
"Can you now?" murmured Jon, closing his eyes to imagine the sultry smile that would most likely be on Quinn's face.
"Mmm-hmm," came her reply before he heard a distant sound of knocking interrupting the conversation, "Just hang on a sec, Jon."
Jon said nothing as he heard Quinn answer her door, followed by the sounds of Saraya's cheerful voice.
"I have to get going. We're grabbing a bite to eat before the show," said Quinn.
"That's fine. I actually called to let you know the statement about the break up with Renee has been released to the media and Renee will be releasing her own."
"Oh great. Thanks for letting me know."
Jon frowned. That reaction wasn't the one he was expecting but he could only assume Quinn was reacting how she was because Saraya was in the room with her,
"Yeah… I'll let you go. I love you."
"I love you too. Bye."
"Bye."
Jon ended the call and looked down at the screen that was once again showing the image of Quinn from Christmas. Something was definitely bothering Quinn and he wanted to know what it was.
Tampa, FL – Present
The days that followed, Quinn was inundated with Twitter messages that she was the cause of Jon and Renee separating. It got to the point that Quinn logged out of her Twitter account on her phone and that even Saraya and several other of her friends had tweeted to the fans that her relationship with Jon was none of their business. Quinn hadn't said anything to Jon about. She didn't want him feeling more stressed about the situation and she knew he was trying to can the currently story line on Smackdown he was in with Renee, Mike and Maryse.
It had been planned that the original FCW people from when Quinn was with the group were going to have a bonfire on the beach like they did all those years ago.
"Is Alberto able to come?" asked Quinn as she and Saraya got out of the taxi and got their gear from the boot.
"No. He is spending it with his kids at his restaurant. I'm fine with that," replied Saraya, "I'm flying home after Raw to spend a day or two with him."
Quinn smiled, "Jon said he would try and make it but he had press this afternoon so he isn't sure he will get here on time."
Quinn and Saraya headed down the beach where they spotted Colby, Joe and Jon Fatu getting the fire going as Trinity went about setting chairs up.
"Hey lovelies!" greeted Saraya as her and Quinn neared the set up, "I brought drinks! Quinn brought food!"
Quinn laughed before turning as they heard a yell behind them. She grinned at the sight of Danielle and at Ivelisse walking alongside her.
"Hola bitches!" greeted Ivelisse with a big smile on her face.
Quinn hugged both women as more people from their FCW days turned up. Colby set up a stereo and the music started as Quinn helped Trinity and Danielle set the food up.
"Did you make that?" asked Trinity gesturing to the potato salad Quinn pulled the lid off.
"Yeah. A recipe from my grandmother. It's pretty easy," replied Quinn, "I baked the cake for later as well."
"Damn girl, you need to teach me how to cook. I tried to make scrambled eggs the other day and Jon near choked on them they were that rubbery."
Quinn and Danielle couldn't help but chuckle at Trinity's story.
As the night continued on Quinn joined in on dancing with Saraya, both fully getting into the Gangnam Style, much to Colby and Joe's amusement.
Quinn poured herself another drink before spotting a bottle of vodka in the esky. It was the same brand as the one she had brought and sculled down the night of the rape. Quinn placed her cup on the fold up table and muttered to Danielle beside her she was going for a walk to clear her head. Before Danielle of any of her friends could respond she hurried away from the warm fire and loud music and closer to the water's edge. A cool breeze blew up from the water and nipped at her bare arms that she had crossed, digging her nails into each arm.
She couldn't ruin tonight. She couldn't have a relapse and panic attack right now.
"He's locked up. He can't hurt me. I'm safe. I'm safe. I'm safe," whispered Quinn repeatedly, desperately trying to calm her racing heart and rapid breathing.
Jon grinned as he made his way across the beach towards the glowing bon fire and music. He hadn't been sure if he would make the New Year's Eve party in time but after his last interview he had literally sped to the airport to make his flight to Tampa just in time.
"You made it!" greeted Joe, giving Jon a fist pound.
"Yeah, just. I didn't think I would make it," said Jon, accepting the beer from Joe and taking a swig.
"You've missed up pretty amusing things already. But hey, you're here man."
Jon smiled and looked around, wanting to see Quinn and spend as much time with her as possible, "Hey where's Quinn?"
"She was over by the drinks esky not that long ago. She might be over that way still."
Jon thanked Joe and walked around the bon fire to the drinks, spotting Saraya sitting with Danielle, Ivelisse and Trinity.
"Hey. Any of you seen Quinn?" asked Jon, startling the women.
"Shit, man. You bloody scared me half to death," retorted Saraya, "She went to get a drink… with you Danielle. Where'd she go?"
"She got weird when she got her drink and said she needed fresh air. She went for a walk that way," said Danielle pointing towards the ocean and the rocky area further along.
Jon gave Danielle a curt nod and headed in that direction hurriedly. He pulled his phone out and lit the torch on it and held it out to see ahead of him better as he jogged. He didn't know how intoxicated Quinn was or what could have caused her, in Danielle's words, to go weird.
Quinn climbed up the large boulder, hearing the waves crash against the other rocks a few metres away. She sat down at a smooth spot and pulled her legs up to her body and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees. Back up the beach she could see the bon fire and hear the distant sounds of music.
Quinn shuddered as the image of her rapist's face flooded her mind and the memory of his breath seemed to claim her senses. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead on her knees as she took a deep breath, willing herself to not fall into a relapse. She had come too far in the recent years and didn't want her work at moving forward to unravel at the mere sight of a vodka bottle.
Quinn let out a startled scream as a hand touched her shoulder. She looked up in alarm at a torch light, her heart racing until she saw the familiar face.
"Jon," gasped Quinn as he sat down beside her and turned the torch off.
"Come here," he replied with a murmur, pulling Quinn into his arms. Quinn wrapped her arms around Jon's torso, resting her head on his chest, her own breathing and racing heart calming at the sound of his steady heartbeat.
Jon pressed a kiss to the top of her head feeling Quinn's body relax as the minutes passed.
Quinn finally lifted her head to look at Jon, using one hand to stroke down the side of his face to his neck, "I didn't think you would be able to make it."
"And miss spending New Year's Eve with you?"
Quinn smiled and kissed Jon lightly on the lips, "I'm glad you're here."
"So am I… Danielle said you went a bit odd back there and took off… is everything okay, Quinn?"
Quinn bit her lower lip and looked away from Jon. She breathed in deeply and slowly let it out before answering him, "I-I saw a bottle of vodka… it was the same brand and size that I had brought the night I got… I got raped. Just seeing it and being in Tampa… it brought memories, feelings and even smells back and I didn't want to cause a scene and ruin everyone's night so I went for a walk in a hope of clearing my mind," Quinn stopped and looked over at the bon fire, "But they weren't stopping and I felt like I was relapsing into the mess and person I was after… after the rape and car crash. I didn't want to go back there. It terrifies me that the possibility of it happening is there, Jon. I don't want to be that scared, broken person."
"Quinn… babe… the fact you don't want to be that person proves you aren't going to be. You are strong… amazing… perfect in every way and I'm the lucky bastard that gets to call you mine."
Quinn smiled, shifting to face Jon better, "I think I'm the lucky one."
"Let's agree to disagree on this one."
Quinn laughed, "Okay. Fine," she looked over at the bon fire and sighed, "I suppose we should head back. It would be rude of me to keep you away from your friends. Joe and Colby were quite excited to party with you tonight."
"I think," said Jon reaching out to cup one side of Quinn's face with his hand, "They can wait a bit longer."
Quinn leaned towards Jon, closing the gap between their lips as they kissed slowly, drawing it out and just wanting to feel the sensation of physical contact. Jon pulled Quinn closer, making her straddle his lap as his hands slid underneath her tank top. Quinn gasped at the feel of his hands on her bare skin as her fingers ran through his hair.
"Do we have to go back?" murmured Jon as he broke the kiss, his thumbs rubbing back forth on Quinn's sides.
Quinn chuckled and daringly pressed a kiss to Jon's lips, pulling away slowly which elicited a groan from Jon, "We do. Joe and Colby miss you. Besides, we have all day tomorrow with each other and most of Monday and Monday night after Raw."
Jon sighed and allowed Quinn to stand up and start making her way down the boulder, with Jon following close behind.
The group were all sitting around the fire as it ticked closer to midnight. Joe and Colby sat to one side of Jon with Quinn sitting between Jon's legs and leaning back against him. Quinn was chatting happily with Saraya and Trinity as Jon talked with Joe and Colby.
Despite Quinn's moment of weakness she felt this was the best night and time she had had in such a long time. It was simply a group of her friends and boyfriend hanging out and enjoying being together.
"It's count down time!" announced Joshua Fatu, who had arrived shortly after Quinn, as he moved around the group handing out sparklers to everyone.
Quinn stood up with Jon, holding her own sparkler as everyone started counting down to 2017.
"10! … 9! … 8! ...7! ... 6! … 5!"
Jon turned Quinn to face him, a warm smile on his face.
"4! … 3! … 2! … 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Jon pulled Quinn closer and kissed her deeply before both broke apart and lit their sparklers.
Quinn let out a cry of surprise as Saraya pretended to poke her in the rear with it, "You'll pay for that!"
Laughter took over the group as Quinn chased after Saraya towards the ocean, both waving their sparklers until they toppled into the ocean.
Quinn sat in the water laughing her head off with Saraya, both shrieking in surprise as a wave crashed into them.
"Help me up," cried Saraya as Quinn staggered to her feet and held her hand out.
Quinn tried to pull Saraya up but fell backwards into the water, earning more laughter from their watching friends.
Thankfully Jon and Colby came to help them out of the water with Quinn shivering from the breeze.
"H-Happy New Year," said Quinn to Jon pulling him to a stop as they neared the bon fire.
Jon looked at Quinn and kissed her in response before speaking, "Happy New Year, babe."
Late Monday afternoon saw Jon and Quinn walking into the Amalie Arena hand in hand. Many people who knew Jon greeted him happily, after having not seen him in quite a while.
"I better go find my locker room. You go catch up with your peeps," said Quinn, smiling up at Jon, one hand holding onto the bottom of his jacket as his hand was entwined with her other.
"My peeps?"
Quinn chuckled, "Yep. I need to go find my peeps now."
Jon gave his own chuckle and leaned forward, kissing Quinn on the lips, "Don't be too long."
Quinn winked, slapped Jon on the arse and skipped away much to Jon's amusement.
Quinn found her locker room, along with Saraya, Ashley and Mercedes. The women chatted about their new year celebrations and got ready for the night's show. It promised to be a big one with Goldberg and Brock Lesnar appearing, along with the start of Quinn and Saraya's feud together.
Quinn headed for the hair and make-up station, zipping a Harley jacket up over her ring gear. She'd created a couple more outfits for her character and was wearing one of the new ones. It was a blue crop top with a built-in bra with thick straps and golden rivets across the top edge of the bust and some in the middle above her abdomen. She donned black denim shorts with a worn look to them. The side of the shorts had a fringe design with leather cords hanging loose down the sides. As Quinn waited for her hair to be done she fixed up her knee high blue socks with two white stripes at the top. She wore mid-calf high black boots with black leather riveted buckles running around the boots.
That night her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail with a braid added into it to keep with her eccentric look. Blue eye makeup was added to her eyes with various shades used, along with a dark red lipstick.
"Done!" stated Maggy, "You look gorgeous and ready to kick butt."
Quinn smiled, "Thanks Maggy."
Quinn left the make-up station and checked the time. Her segment would be in fifteen minutes so she made her way for the gorilla area and spotted Saraya already there in her Paige gear.
"Ahoy hoy!" greeted Quinn, hip bumping Saraya.
"Hey love," replied Saraya, "Ooh, love the hair and make-up. How do you think they will react to you tonight?"
"I honestly cannot say. It could easily go either way, but whatever happens, happens."
The theme of Paige blasted around the arena and the crowd let out a loud cheer. She strode out in her usual manner, one of her shirts hooked into her pants as she side skipped down the ramp. She threw the shirt into the crowd before removing her jacket and stepping up the stairs and emitting her usual scream.
"Recently Paige and Harley have developed a bit of a feud and I think it comes down to both not being your typical female superstar. Both are considered outcasts and I guess neither one wants to share that role," said Corey Graves, "Honestly, I think Harley is more of an outcast then Paige."
Suddenly the theme of Harley echoed around the arena with the signature dings followed by, "I need a gangsta… to love me better…"
Harley strode out in her new ring gear and the response from the crowd was extremely mixed. Harley smirked down at Paige who was pacing around the ring like a caged animal. Harley twirled, throwing her hands up and skipped and twirled down the ramp, giggling at Paige when she reached the end of the ramp.
"After Harley ended her feud with Dana Brooke, I honestly thought that Charlotte would take her turn at the Smackdown transfer but Paige got in first," said Michael Cole.
Harley slid into the ring and the bell rang for the start of the match. Instantly Harley and Paige locked up into a grapple. They were both determined to gain the upper hand and prove who was the better female, superstar outcast on Raw.
Paige managed to throw Harley back, slamming her down onto the mat with a fierce shove. Harley arched her back out with a cry as Paige circled around her. Paige leaned down to grab Harley by the hair only to be met with a slap across the face. Paige stumbled away, holding her face as Harley rolled and stood up, shaking her head.
Harley ran forward and hit Paige with a clothesline. She turned and grabbed Paige, yanking her up and Irish-whipped her into the nearest turnbuckle. Paige slammed into it and stumbled back with Harley jumping and hitting her in the back with both boots.
"Harley is showing no mercy tonight!" cried Corey.
Harley backed away as Paige rolled out of the ring, clutching her back. Harley pointed to Paige and ran across the ring at full pelt and dove through the ropes to hit Paige, only Paige turned and smacked Harley across the face. Harley hit the ground side on with the crowd yelling out in awe. Paige looked around her before screaming out, "THIS IS MY HOUSE!"
The crowd yelled in agreement as Paige marched over to Harley and pulled her up and shoved her directly into the barricade. Harley slammed into it and rolled onto her back breathing heavily. Paige stood over Harley with a smirk.
"What's the matter Harley? Too crazy for you?" yelled Paige before she pulled Harley up onto her shoulders.
"Oh no!" said Michael, "This doesn't look good for Harley!"
Paige stepped to the steel steps and lifted Harley to throw her onto them. Harley managed to land on her feet and spun, kicking Paige across the face before stepping up onto the side of the ring and jumping onto Paige's shoulders to whip her through the hurricerana. Paige managed to counter it, slamming Harley into the side of the ring as the bell rang ending the match as both hadn't gotten back into the ring on time.
It didn't matter though as both women were hellbent on beating the other one until they couldn't walk. Paige slammed her boots into Harley's mid-section over and over as she sat slumped against the side of the ring. Referee's came running from out the back with two pulling Paige away from Harley. The other referee knelt beside Harley to check on her but Harley shoved them away and stood up. She looked at Paige and ran at her with Paige breaking free of the hold of her referee's. Both met either other halfway and exchanged continuous blows as the referee's tried in vain to break them up.
"This is insane!" cried Corey, "I've never seen two women more determined to destroy the other since Lita and Trish Straus days!"
Harley stepped back from Paige and ran at her, spearing her off the ramp and down to the hard ground. Harley rolled off Paige and slowly got to her feet as security came from out the back to keep Harley away from Paige.
"NO!" yelled Paige, shoving hands from those trying to help her away. She slowly stood and tried to get at Harley but the referee and security guards combined kept the two separated.
Quinn hugged Saraya as she got back stage as the commentary team went over what had just happened.
"I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?" asked Quinn.
"Nothing I can't handle. You?" replied Saraya.
Quinn grinned, "Nothing I can't handle."
They headed down the corridor when Quinn spotted Jon walking towards her. She skipped over to him but his serious expression slowed her skip into her standing still.
"Why didn't you tell me?" demanded Jon looking hurt, confused and angry.
"Tell you what?" replied Quinn in confusion, twisting the towel in her hands.
"About all the harassment you're copping from fans online or even at meet and greets!"
Quinn didn't speak and looked down at the ground as Jon turned and stormed off leaving her unsure of what exactly had just happened.
A/N: A nice feud with Paige and relationship dramas… review!