A/N: I figured since I'm currently recuperating after my wisdom teeth surgery, I would upload another chapter. But as usual, I've been busy with life and a writer's block hit me as well. I planned to take this story down at first, but since some people expressed interest in it, I will continue.
Thank you so much Debwood-1999 and Kathe70 for the favorite, follow and review on this story! It's greatly appreciated!
Also, the events in this story take place after the Montreal Screwjob, since Shawn had both the WWF and European titles around this time. I'm aware that the WWF didn't bring back the Women's Championship until 1998, but for the sake of this story, it was brought back a year earlier.
The room went silent for what felt like hours. It was bad enough that Dayna had to be around Shawn, even if it was only in passing, but now she had to work up close and personal with him? The universe must have harbored hate for her, because it had a way of dealing her the worse set of cards.
As Dayna sat there, trying to decide how she would process this information, Shawn was the first to speak up.
"This is all your fault, you know?" Shawn exclaimed for what seemed to be the tenth billionth time.
Dayna's eyes widened at his statement, and her hands began to clench together, "My fault? Didn't you hear what Mr. McMahon said? Injuries happen. It's part of the job."
"In that case, I'll break your leg and then give you some lame excuse for why it happened," Shawn retorted, but this only pissed Dayna off even more.
"If you break my leg, I'll break your face!" the brunette half-shouted as she got in his face.
"I'd like to see you try, sweetheart. I'll give you a free shot right here..." Shawn leaned forward and pointed to his right cheek, but Vince cleared his throat loudly to remind them that he was still in the room.
"If you two are done with your lover's spat, I'd like to get back to business," Vince said as he began to pull out some paperwork from his desk, "First of all, there will be a change in the current storyline, due to unforeseen circumstances. Dayna, the current Women's Champion, will get assaulted by Sable and Marc Mero. Shawn and the other members of DX will come to her rescue, and from there, they will form an alliance."
Dayna and Shawn fought the urge to shoot each other dirty looks as Vince continued on.
"This means that you two will be required to not only travel together, but you will also be required to make public appearances if it's deemed necessary. So, you two will be getting very comfortable with each other during this time."
Dayna opened her mouth to protest, but she knew better than to argue against Vince's orders. She couldn't allow this deviant to invade her personal space; wasn't it enough to share the oxygen in the room?
After going over additional stuff and signing paperwork, Shawn and Dayna were dismissed from Vince's office. The brunette had hoped for some silence, but as usual, Shawn had to open his mouth. "Can't you and Joanie find a way to switch places?" he asked. "You belong in a hospital anyway."
"And you belong 10 feet underground," Dayna snapped back, not in the mood to put up with Shawn's crap.
She started off in the direction of the women's locker room, but Shawn decided that he had more to say, "In case you've already forgotten, Vince said to meet Hunter and I in the lobby tomorrow morning."
Dayna chose not to say anything, but instead flipped him off in response as she walked into her locker room. She desperately needed someone to vent to, and she couldn't think of anyone better than her online friend.
Later that evening...
"Let me get this straight," Hunter stated as he pulled out two water bottles from the mini fridge and handed one to Shawn, "Vince decided to write Joanie out of this storyline and replace her with Dayna?"
Hunter spent most of the day in the hospital with Joanie, so he hadn't been able to meet with Vince to discuss the change in plans. Since Joanie had to be monitored overnight, Shawn decided to room with him so he could have some company, and to update him on what he missed. Unlike Shawn, Hunter had no issue with Dayna. But he wasn't sure how this was all going to play out, especially since Vince knew well that they could barely co-exist in the same room together.
Shawn took a swig of his water to ease the feeling of frustration that was building in him, "Unfortunately, yes. We're stuck working with the wicked bitch of the west for at least a couple months."
"Shawn, I don't understand this beef that you and Dayna have with one another," Hunter stated as he took a seat next to his friend on the sofa, "Sure, she's a bit stand-offish sometimes, but at least she's good at her job."
"Not as good as Tammy," Shawn grumbled, "She was in this business for years, and then Dayna decided to just waltz in out of nowhere and steal her thunder."
"I think you're being biased," Hunter said, "but regardless of what we believe, it's Vince's call to make in the end, not ours."
Shawn slouched against the sofa's armrest, still wearing a scowl on his face. Hunter decided to change the subject to something more lighthearted, not wanting to upset his friend any further.
"So, I've noticed that you've got yourself a new laptop, " Hunter nodded towards Shawn's opened duffle bag, "Have you figured out how to use it yet?"
"Sort of," Shawn replied. "I've been talking to this girl I met in a chat room...".
Hunter's eyebrows rose in response to this, "Really? What's her name? And how hot is she on a scale from 1 to 10?"
Shawn held his gaze down to the floor, "Well, about that... I don't know, because we've never met. And she hasn't told me her name either."
Upon hearing this, Hunter couldn't help but start laughing, "Are you serious, Shawn? This chick could be a fat girl that lives in her parents' basement."
"She is not," Shawn protested, "She goes to the gym regularly."
"And how do you know she's telling the truth?" Hunter asked, earning a shrug from Shawn in response.
Hunter shook his head. Shawn was prone to getting himself into messy situations that he sometimes couldn't get himself out of. This situation didn't seem too bad compared to in the past, but Hunter still thought that he should be careful. Not to mention he was technically cheating on Tammy.
"Is Tammy aware that you talk to chicks online?" Hunter decided to ask after some contemplation.
"Nope," Shawn bluntly replied as he took out his laptop from his bag and began to turn it on, "And she doesn't need to know. Because we just talk, nothing beyond that."
Hunter stared at his friend as he logged onto his email account, unsure if he should believe him or not. But he decided to just let it go for now, and proceeded to gather some things to prep for his shower.
"I'm going to wash up now," Hunter said right as he opened the bathroom door, "Don't stay up too late, alright? Vince will have our heads if we're not in the lobby by 10am."
Shawn waved off what he said in response, and Hunter shook his head before walking into the bathroom and closing the door.
Once Hunter was out of sight, Shawn grabbed his laptop along with his bottle of water and moved to a nearby desk. He took a seat and cracked a smirk when he saw that he had received another message from GorgeousDay. He quickly opened it and read what she had written.
Hello, friend,
Do you ever have those days when you feel as if the universe has turned against you? Today is definitely one of those days for sure. Now that I've been promoted, I have to work in close proximity with the slime bag. Some promotion this is! I want to apologize in advance if I end up rambling and giving you an entire essay to read. I'm just very beside myself right now, and I don't know how to process this all. A good friend of mine also got injured this week. She's currently in the hospital recovering from surgery, but I haven't brought myself to visit. I guess it's because I feel responsible for how it all happened. I'm a terrible friend.
I wish you were here with me. Although I know you're here in spirit, it would be nice to hear your voice and to see the kindness in your eyes. However, I realize that could never happen, so I will continue to communicate through AOL. It's better than nothing.
I will stop here before my ramblings get too out of hand. But I hope your day has been better than mine.
Sincerely yours.
Shawn let out a heavy sigh. It looked like he wasn't the only one having issues at work. He almost found it humorous that he and GorgeousDay seemed to have so much in common. Maybe the universe predestined for them to be friends, or something even more than that?
The Texan native shook his head at this thought. How could he possibly begin a relationship with someone he never met? On top of that, he already had a thing going on with Tammy. But if he were honest with himself, he wasn't sure how long that would last. Tammy seemed to like changing the subject every time he brought up the topic of moving in together, and she didn't seem keen on the idea of starting a family. Sometimes he wondered what drew them together in the first place. Even though they were the picture-perfect couple, they didn't seem to agree on or want the same things. Shawn couldn't help but believe that it'd be different with GorgeousDay, but what were the chances of them ever meeting much less becoming a couple?
He took another swig of his water as he thought of what to say to make GorgeousDay feel better. Maybe he could start his email off with a joke? Scratch that, neither of them were in the mood to joke around at the moment. Shawn deleted the draft, deciding that it'd be best to send her a message instead. He figured she'd still online waiting to hear back from him anyway.
TexanBoy01: Hi, gorgeous. I just wanted to say I'm here if you need moral support.
Shawn tapped his fingers against the desk restlessly as he waited for a response. He then released a sigh a relief once a new message appeared on the screen. At least she was okay.
GorgeousDay: Hi, sorry for ranting at you like that.
TexanBoy01: Don't be sorry, dear. I understand you're going through a rough transition right now.
GorgeousDay: Yeah, this week has been a series of misfortunate events.
TexanBoy01: Try to look on the bright side, sweetheart. At least you have a job and aren't struggling to make ends meet. Sure, it's no fun putting up with an asshole, but you'll get through it, I promise.
GorgeousDay: Thanks.
TexanBoy01: Anytime. Do you want to tell me more about what happened with your friend?
GorgeousDay: She got injured while we were working together.
TexanBoy01: How is that your fault?
GorgeousDay: I can't share any specifics, but I messed up my part of the job, and it may or may not have contributed to her injury.
TexanBoy01: I don't know if I can help much, since I'm not sure what you do for a living. But in my line of work, accidents happen a lot, and sometimes it can be dangerous.
GorgeousDay: My job is like that too. You have to know your stuff or else you could hurt yourself or someone else.
TexanBoy01: You didn't get fired, did you?
GorgeousDay: Lucky for me, I didn't. My boss assured me that the incident wasn't my fault.
TexanBoy01: See? You have nothing to worry about.
GorgeousDay: But my lunatic coworker insisted that it was my fault and I should be suspended.
TexanBoy01: A man can act cruel to a woman to seek her attention. I speak from personal experience.
GorgeousDay: Why can't he be like you and talk to me like a normal person?
TexanBoy01: It's easy for me to talk to you behind a screen, but in reality, I'm shy around women. So, don't take your coworker's attitude to heart. If he's anything like me, he has his own insecurities.
GorgeousDay: I'm feeling a bit better about the situation now. Thank you.
TexanBoy01: Of course. I'm always here if you need a friend to talk to.
GorgeousDay: Now I would like to know about you. How is your day going?
TexanBoy01: It's the same old thing with me. Though I've been having some work drama of my own.
GorgeousDay: Let me guess, you have to work with someone you don't get along with?
TexanBoy01: Exactly. She's a pain in the ass, but nothing I can't handle.
GorgeousDay: Bitchy coworkers are the worst! But I'm glad that you're so confident in yourself.
"Shawn? Do you know where my pager went?"
Shawn couldn't help but let out an exasperated huff at the sound of Hunter's voice.
"Be right there!" he called out before turning his attention back to his laptop.
TexanBoy01: It was wonderful talking with you, my dear. But I need to get ready for bed now, so I shall bid you goodnight.
GorgeousDay: Same here. I hope you have sweet dreams.
TexanBoy01: I'm certain they will be, because you'll be in them.
GorgeousDay: Gosh, you're such a charmer. Sleep well.
"Were you really talking with that chick for three hours?" Hunter asked once Shawn logged off and joined him in the bedroom. He had since found his pager next to the bathroom sink.
Shawn glanced at the clock sitting on the nightstand and shrugged in response, "I lost track of time."
Now dressed in pajamas, Hunter walked over to his bed and sat down, "I hope Tammy doesn't find out about this."
Shawn plopped down on his bed and rolled his eyes in response. "Relax, Hunter. She won't. Besides, it's not like I'm sleeping with this chick."
Hunter looked over at his friend in disbelief. Had he not heard of the term 'emotional cheating'? Hunter knew that if Joanie ever engaged in this type of behavior, he definitely wouldn't be okay with it. He could try to persuade Shawn to see his perspective on things, but he couldn't force him to change his ways.
"Whatever, Shawn. Don't say I didn't warn you," Hunter replied as he leaned against his pillow, turning towards the right to turn his lamp off. "Okay, lights out."
With that, the lamp dimmed and Hunter fell asleep immediately once his head hit the pillow. Shawn, however, continued to toss and turn in his bed. As much as he cared for Tammy, he was convinced that he and GorgeousDay were soulmates, because nobody else took the time to understand him like she did. Call him crazy for thinking that, but sometimes love had a way of bringing out the crazy in people. He loved Tammy too and had a lot of fun with her, but their relationship was missing something. Something that he was only able to find in a woman that he may never meet.
The Texas native lay on his back and released a frustrated sigh. Despite his reputation with the ladies, he never had the best luck when it came to romance. Oddly enough, most of his relationships ended with him being the heartbroken one rather than the other way around. Since 1998 was just around the corner, Shawn hoped that he would be able to find Mrs. Right by then, whoever or wherever she might be. He wasn't getting any younger after all. But he would just have to let fate decide its course.
After sitting up to take some pain medication along with some water, Shawn laid back down on his bed in a more relaxed state. Once again, his thoughts drifted over to GorgeousDay. What was she doing around this time? Was she thinking of him like he was of her? He certainly hoped she wasn't seeing or thinking of some other guy, because that'd be a major blow to his ego. These thoughts ran repeatedly in his head until his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep, dreams of his ideal woman flooding his subconscious.
A/N: I know this chapter is a bit short, but I plan to dive more into Dayna's perspective on TexanBoy01 in the next chapter. I'm not sure when I'll post it, since I still need to work on my other stories, but if I can get my creative juices flowing, I will have something up. Otherwise, feel free to give this story a follow, favorite, or review.