Disclaimer - I do not own WWE or any of it's characters. I only own my character Siren and her family.
Thank you to hrodenhaver and dallas1990 for choosing to favorite and follow this story and myself.
Also thank you to calwitch for the amazing review of chapter 3.
So just to help you guys out while you read this, every thing that's in bold is "in ring action, promos, text messages or social media posts", bold and italicized are "flashbacks", and italicized is "phone calls".
Reviews are appreciated, let me know what you like or don't and if you see anything spelled wrong :)
Also please let me know if you'd like to see a prequel to Wake Up.
Thank you!
The song for this chapter is "Dear Daughter" by Halestorm
And he was correct. As soon as they arrived at the arena where Money In The Bank was being held, Joe and Jon were waiting in the parking lot outside of the rig.
Tasha and Colby had woken up about two hours before hand, they had gotten dressed and Colby had fixed them a small breakfast. As they pulled into the parking lot Tasha spied Jon and Joe awaiting her. She turned with a sad smile to Colby, "I'll go out first and take them into the arena."
Colby nodded with a sigh. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, Tasha."
Tasha shook her head, "I told you, Colby, stop apologizing. We have no control over The Authority and what they choose to make us do. All we can do now, is try to fix what's broken. Do you still consider them your brother's?"
"Yeah, I do."
Tasha smiled, "Then we take it one day at a time. Things will get better. We just have to be patient."
Colby scoffed, "Patience isn't one of my virtues."
"Don't I know it." She grinned giving him a wink as she opened the door and stepped out.
"So where's the traitor?" Jon snarked as they started walking towards the arena.
Tasha rolled her eyes, looking over at Joe with raised eyebrows. "You told him?"
Joe held up his hands in defense, "I had to. He wanted to know why I wasn't with you."
"You could have lied." She stated.
"We don't lie to each other. We're family." Jon snapped.
"Sometimes Jon, a little white lie, hurts less than the truth." Tasha snapped back before she walked ahead of them into the arena.
Colby watched his three former friends walking across the parking lot, well two now that he had Tasha back. But he was afraid of how long it would last, he was positive that Jon would try his hardest to change both hers and Joe's slowly changing minds.
"They still care about you, ya know kid."
Colby turned to Daryl who was still sitting in the driver's seat. "How do you know?" He asked softly.
"They travel together, I drive, they talk. Mostly about all of the old times ya'll shared together. They're mad at you son, but they don't hate ya. Like Tasha says, give it time, ya'll be hanging out like old times in no time. She's a smart lady."
"Yeah, she is." Colby said watching Tasha walk off from Joe and Jon disappearing into the arena.
"You love her don't you?" Daryl said with a smirk, he already knew the answer by the look in Colby's eyes.
"Yeah, I think I do."
"Then don't give up. A woman like her don't come around but once in a lifetime."
Tasha was upset with Jon and Joe as she walked into the arena. She understood their anger with Colby, but honestly she didn't know how long they were going to hold that grudge.
After checking in with Stephanie and Hunter who had tried to ban her from ringside due to her nose, she walked to the interviewer's area to do an interview with Renee. It was no secret that she had had her issues with Hunter and Stephanie over the years. But when it came down to it, no matter how ruthless they seemed, they really did care about their superstars.
Tasha smiled at Renee as she walked onto the interview set, the blonde getting up to give her a hug. "You look good, considering…" Renee said with a giggle as she motioned to Tasha's eyes.
The brunette chuckled, "Yeah. Hunter and Steph told me no makeup on Sunday, they wanna sell the injury."
Renee nodded as the two took their chairs and the interview began. "Welcome to exclusive, I'm Renee Young. My guest tonight is someone who has been at the epicenter of what is shaping up to be one of the most heated rivalries of all time. She is the former Alpha of The Shield, Siren."
"Hi, Renee. Thank you for having me." Siren smiled as she looked at Renee, careful not to stare at the cameras around them.
"Thank you for coming. I know you're not feeling 100% right now, I'll make this quick so you can get some rest. So, first of all I wanted to ask you about Seth Rollins. We have heard over the last couple of weeks since his betrayal of The Shield, Roman and Dean's feelings, but you haven't really had a chance to say how it made you feel."
"Honestly, Renee, it broke my heart. Seth was the one I was closest too. We did everything together. Traveled, went sightseeing, went to dinner, went to the gym. Everything. I feel like not only did we lose a valuable member of our group, but I lost my best friend."
"So, a lot of fans have been asking if you guys would ever forgive him. What do you say to that?"
"I don't know about Roman and Dean, they're still pretty upset. Me, however, I've already forgiven him. Everyone in this business knows you'll get a lot farther if you play ball with The Authority. Seth has aspirations to be World Heavyweight Champion. And with The Authority by his side, that'll happen for him, I have no doubts. To the fans, have I forgiven him yes, will I forget what he did, no."
"Okay. So one last question. Monday night on RAW, we saw you get hit in the face with a ladder by Kane. What was the diagnosis from the doctor's and how are you feeling?"
"Well, I have a hairline fracture in the bridge of my nose. They said it should heal in a couple of weeks. Until then I'm gonna have two extremely black eyes."
"So are you still gonna be ringside for Roman and Dean's matches on Sunday night at Money In The Bank?"
"Yes of course. Nothing is gonna keep me from backing up my guys."
"Well, you heard it here first, we will see Siren ringside on Sunday. Thank you so much for coming by, Siren. And for you fans remember Money In The Bank starts at 7pm eastern time on Sunday and is available on the WWE network."
Tasha bids Renee goodbye and starts heading for the locker room, but her cell phone ringing pauses her. She takes it out of her back pocket and smiles as she sees her mother's picture on the screen.
"Hey mama."
"Hey sweetheart. I just wanted you to know that we'll be landing in Boston in half an hour."
"Okay great. I can't wait to see you all."
"Same here. Your daughter has been talking nonstop the whole flight about getting to see her mommy."
Tasha sighs with a smile. "I miss her so much. I'm so glad I'm gonna have her with me for a few months."
"Yeah. It'll be nice for you both. I just hope it doesn't inconvenience you with all the traveling and hotel rooms."
"Not at all. She's never an inconvenience to me."
"Okay, well we'll see you shortly honey."
"Okay mama. See you soon. Bye."
"Bye."
Tasha hung up her cell phone and forgetting finding Joe and Jon she walks out to her rig. Climbing inside she finds Daryl lounging on the couch.
"Hey D. My family is landing in half an hour."
"Well then." He said climbing to his feet. "We better get to the airport then."
"Okay." She smiled. "Do you mind if I ride shotgun with you?"
"I'd be delighted Ms. T." He said motioning to the other captain's chair.
Tasha moved up front sitting down in the leather chair and strapping on her seat belt. The two made idle chat about her family as they drove through town. They arrived at the airport ten minutes before her family's plane was set to land. Tasha placed her black Oakley sunglasses onto her face, pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tugged on her Shield ball cap.
While a few fans might recognize her, the simple disguise usually managed to fool most of them. Placing her cell phone into her back pocket she walked into the airport. Of course she was recognized by several fans, she gave them a genuine smile, sighing several autographs and posing for pictures. Tasha knew what it was like to be a fan, to meet someone you watched and looked up to. While most of the Superstars got irritated at being approached, especially after a long flight or if they were tired, Tasha never did.
She understood that without fans, the WWE wouldn't exist, the fans made them who they were. The fans were the ones that bought the tickets, bought the merchandise, made their own signs and spent their hard earned money traveling the world just to see them perform. What kind of role model would she be, if she ignored the people that made it possible for her to do what she did. Not just in the ring, but Hollywood as well.
Tasha's favorite thing to do besides Tribute To the Troops, was meeting her fans. Whether it be at meet and greets, or Comic Cons and all of the other conventions that she was booked at. It kept her humble to see all of the people that she inspired on a daily basis while living her dream.
After saying goodbye to her fans, she headed to the boards, finding her family's flight information she walked to the gate their plane was set to arrive to.
Ten minutes later she was bouncing with excitement as the passengers started to trickle into the waiting area. Her smile brightened the room as she heard a little voice exclaim. "Momma!"
Tasha kneeled down as her 3 year old daughter Kailynn rushed out of the tunnel and into her waiting arms. "Hi baby! Oh, I missed you so much."
"I missed you too, mommy."
The two parted, Tasha stood up to hug her mom, dad, sister and future brother-in-law. After picking up her daughter they went to claim their bags and then headed out front to the waiting zone.
"So, did we get a limo again?" Her little sister Taylor asked.
Tasha shook her head with a smile. "Nope. We're riding in that." She pointed to the Concept Hauler parked to their left, Daryl was standing outside waiting for them.
"Is that yours?" Her sister asked excitedly.
"Yep, all mine." Tasha said proudly, "Let's go."
The group approached the rig and Tasha introduced her driver. "Everybody, this is Daryl, my wonderful driver. Daryl this is my mother Teresa, my dad Jim, my sister Taylor and her boyfriend Kenny. And this is my daughter Kailynn."
The group shook hands before Daryl opened the door and showed them inside, before he returned to the driver's seat and began their drive back to the hotel. Even though Tasha had more than enough room, she figured her family would be more comfortable in the hotel rooms.
As they drove her family gushed over the rig, saying how nice it was and how proud of her they were. When they arrived at the hotel Tasha shooed Daryl off to go have some fun, as she didn't have to be back at the arena until Sunday afternoon for the show. She got her family checked in and then settled into their rooms. After much pleading from her daughter, Tasha agreed that they could all go down to the pool and relax.
So after changing into their bathing suits, the group grabbed a few towels and rode the elevator down to the ground floor. As there were mostly WWE personal in this hotel Tasha didn't have to worry about fans right then. She loved her fans and knew she would not be where she was without them, but it was still nice to just be able to hang out with her family without distractions.
As Tasha was splashing around in the shallow end with Kailynn she heard her name being called from behind her. "Hey, Tash."
She turned to find her best girlfriends Renee, Paige and Trinity walking towards the pool donned in their favorite swimsuits. "Hey ladies. Come on in. The water's nice and the drinks are fresh." She said holding up her beer bottle with a smile.
The three women got their drinks from the bar, they were then reintroduced to Tasha's family. They took the three seats beside Tasha's family and started chatting amiably together with her family.
About an hour later there was a deep chuckle from the side of the pool, Tasha knew that velvety voice anywhere. She turned smiling up at Joe and Jon.
"Looks like we're missing out on all of the fun, Jon."
"Na." Jon said shaking his head. "It ain't fun till we've arrived." He laughed before he ran and cannonballed into the pool beside Tasha.
Tasha spent several hours sitting on a chair watching Joe and Jon play in the pool with Kailynn. The two were like Uncles to the little girl and she adored them. A pang in her heart reminded her that there was one missing. And she dreaded when Kailynn realized his absence.
The day ended with Tasha and her family having dinner with Joe, Jon and the three Divas. After which they all headed back to the hotel for a good night's rest.
Saturday was spent sightseeing, as Tasha took her family to all of the amazing spots she had found. As they were looking for a place to eat lunch Tasha got a call on her cell. She answered it and after a few minutes she hung up with a smile. "How do you guys feel about barbeque?"
An hour later they were standing in the front yard of a house Tasha had spent quite a lot of time at. She smiled as a man walked out of the house and Kailynn was the first to notice him.
"John!" She ran to him and he gathered her up into a bear hug.
"Hi, munchkin. I missed you."
Tasha smiled as she watched John and her daughter talking. While John wasn't sure about ever having kids, it couldn't be denied that he was great with her daughter. John set Kailynn down and hugged Tasha.
"I'm glad you came."
"Thanks for the offer, J."
John Cena smirked at his best friend, he turned from her hugging her family. It had been quite a few years since he had seen them. He then motioned Tasha to the house. "Come on, mom's dying to see you."
Tasha smiled as she entered the house and was immediately embraced by John's mother, Carol. "Oh, honey. It's so good to see you. I've missed you very much."
"I've missed you too, mom."
Even after John and Tasha had gotten a divorce, Tasha was still considered a part of the Cena family. She even still had her engagement ring that she wore on the ring finger of her right hand. She had tried to give it back after they had divorced, but Carol insisted that she keep it. It was a white gold band with a purple diamond shaped like a tear drop and flanked by two triangle diamonds on the sides. It had belonged to John's great grandmother and had been passed down to his mother. Since she had given birth to five boys, the ring went to the first of her sons to get engaged, which had been John. Tasha became the daughter that Carol had always wanted, and as such she would have been offended if Tasha had given the ring back.
The two families had a wonderful barbeque, followed by a game of their favorite pastime, whiffle-ball.
As the day turned to night the two families sat around a fire pit in the front yard, laughing and talking about old times. Knowing John and Tasha both had to be up early for Sunday, John bid Tasha and her family goodbye as they drove back to the hotel.