A/N: I've been on vacation in Japan this past month, so I haven't had time to update any of my stories. I apologize again for the long wait. But thanks so much you guys for the support! I was not expecting to get 4 reviews after the previous chapter, but I very much appreciate it.
The next upcoming chapters will be taking place around Christmas time. If I can get those up around Christmas, I will.
Also, one of my favorite wrestlers will be making their first appearance in this chapter.
December 2, 1997.
"Hickenbottom! We've heard your theme song about a gazillion times," Dayna exclaimed from her place in the backseat. "Change the station, or else I'm going to lose my damn mind!"
Shawn frowned at the sound of his last name coming out of her mouth. Ever since Dayna found out, she derived great pleasure in annoying him with it. He already didn't like his last name, but it sounded even worse coming out of Dayna's annoying pie hole.
They've been in the car for the past two hours or so traveling to the next state and Shawn and Dayna have been going at it since the early hours of the morning. The brunette wanted her turn to drive, but Shawn refused to 'gamble his life away', so he made Hunter drive instead. Then he wanted to play his Sexy Boy theme song throughout the entire ride, but Dayna wasn't having any of that.
"You've already lost your mind, sweetheart," Shawn shouted over the sound of the radio and the wind howling as they sped on the road.
Dayna huffed as Shawn began to dance in the passenger seat. She was half tempted to lean over, smack him upside the head and blame it on Hunter, but instead she leaned towards the driver's side.
"Hunter, tell Shawn how stupid he's being right now," Dayna demanded the younger man.
Hunter rolled his eyes in response to this. It had been about a couple weeks since they'd begun traveling together, and it certainly had been an eventful time, but not in a good way. All Shawn and Dayna did was argue, about where to eat, what station to listen to on the radio, and a bunch of other meaningless stuff. It was amusing at first, but he just about had enough of all their disputes and having to play referee. Sometimes, it felt like he had two children to look after, and it wasn't what he signed up for.
Before Hunter could respond, Shawn immediately interjected, "Hunter, don't listen to her. You're on my side, remember?"
"How very cool of you to emotionally coerce your friend," Dayna stated sarcastically as she leaned back into her seat.
"At least I have friends; unlike you, because you're a bitch."
Dayna's eyes shot open at Shawn's remark, "Screw you, asshole!"
Shawn couldn't help but chuckle, "Thanks but no thanks. I'd rather not catch your cooties."
"Cooties? Are we in elementary school now? Grow up and get a hobby, Hickenbottom..." Dayna retorted before she was interrupted by Hunter slamming both his hands on the steering wheel.
"Enough, both of you!" Hunter exclaimed through gritted teeth. His face was beet red, and he proceeded to clutch the steering wheel tightly. "I have enough on my plate as it is, and now I have to deal with you two moaning and bitching at each other like two preschoolers. Both of you need to grow some balls and start acting like mature adults."
Shawn and Dayna were immediately speechless as Hunter continued his rant.
"Now, because I'm in control of this vehicle, I get to choose what we're going to listen to. And if you don't like it, well... tough shit."
Upon saying what he needed to say, Hunter proceeded to turn on some classical music before turning his focus back on the road in complete silence. Shawn and Dayna slumped back in their seats with their heads hung in defeat, looking almost like two children who had been scolded by their parents. Of course, they could argue all day if they wanted to, but they chose to hold their tongues for Hunter's sake. Now that Joanie was no longer on the road with them, Hunter had to work extra hard to maintain a long-distance relationship with her, and it was tough on both of them. So they couldn't really blame him for lashing out the way he did. Poor guy couldn't seem to catch a break.
No one spoke another word during the remainder of the ride; however, Dayna snuck a few glances in Shawn's direction, unaware that Shawn was doing the same to her through the rearview mirror. At this point, they were both fed up with each other and had arranged to meet with Vince to discuss alternative plans after the show. They were the top stars in the WWF after all, so he would have to accommodate them. However, they were unaware that Vince had other plans.
Later that evening...
"Ladies, you have any plans this evening?" Rena Mero aka Sable asked Dayna and Sunny as they were in the locker room gathering their things after the show.
Sunny flipped her blonde hair and gave a smirk to the two women. "Shawn's taking me out for a fancy dinner tonight. Then, we're heading to the club for a drink or two, and we'll just spend the night enjoying each other's company."
Sunny's smirk grew bigger as she saw the repulsed look on Dayna's face, "Shawn's quite a catch, isn't he?"
The brunette held back the urge to laugh. A catch? More like a miss. Then again, Sunny also had an inflated head, so they deserved each other.
"I wouldn't blame you if you were jealous," Sunny said. "Because most women would kill to have a piece of the Heartbreak Kid."
"She's not wrong about that," Sable said, causing Dayna to give her a weird look. "I mean, you can hate him all you want. But you have to admit he's one fine man."
Dayna flung her bag over her shoulder, getting ready to rush out of there as if her life depended on it. But then she turned to the two women with a smirk of her own.
"As attractive as he may be, I will not bother, because I already have a man."
Sunny raised her eyebrows at this, while Sable couldn't help but grin wholeheartedly.
"Ooh, you need to spill the beans on this one, missy," Sable replied, taking a seat on the bench and motioning for Dayna to do the same. "Where'd you meet him?"
Dayna noticed Sunny looking at her with expectant eyes, waiting for her to give the answer to Sable's question. Why couldn't she have picked a better hobby?
"We met online about a year ago," the brunette replied, earning some raised eyebrows from Sable and Sunny. "I was sitting in my hotel room one night, scrolling through my email. And I saw that chat rooms were now a thing, so I decided, 'Hey, why not check it out?' Soon after, he popped in and we hit it off."
"Have you even met this guy yet?" Sunny questioned, placing her hand on her hip in an almost condescending manner. "What if he's like some sort of serial killer or something?"
She really had no intention of ever meeting this guy in person, but Dayna knew she'd never hear the end of it if she told them that. So she decided to stretch the truth a little bit.
"As a matter of fact, I have met him," Dayna said. "And he is, in my opinion, the hottest creature to ever walk this planet. He'd probably make Shawn piss his pants in shame."
Narrowing her eyes, Sunny wasn't sure if she should believe Dayna. But as the bimbo she was, she bought it.
"I'm out of here," Sunny grabbed her bag, no longer in the mood to hear Dayna gushing over some guy, "Don't want to keep Shawn waiting. Enjoy the rest of your night, ladies."
Once Sunny was out the door, Sable gave Dayna a knowing look.
"Be honest with me, Dayna. Did you really meet this guy, or were you bluffing?"
Dayna let out a defeated sigh and asked, "Was I that obvious?"
Sable nodded, "Dayna, you're a very talented wrestler. However, your acting skills could use some improvement."
Dayna face-palmed herself for being so darn obvious. Well, at least she managed to convince Sunny.
"Okay, fine. We haven't met in real life. But he is the kindest, funniest person I've ever come across online. And he's a mama's boy. Can't go wrong with a man that respects his mother."
Sable's eyebrows went up in response. It was crazy how love could turn a normally reserved girl into a chatterbox.
"Here, take a look at this," Dayna opened her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper with words printed on it, "I sometimes print out my emails so I can read them on the road."
The brunette wrestler handed the paper to Sable, who took it slowly. She then began to read TexanBoy01's email aloud:
To my ray of sunshine,
I hope you've had a wonderful week so far. As for myself, I can't say the same. I have a lot riding on me at work, and it's been hard to live up to everyone's expectations. I have quite the reputation as a valued employee, but there is a downside to that: people don't like me. Sure, they might get a drink with me or two once work is over, but that's it. I get lonely sometimes, but receiving an email from you is like seeing that light at the end of the tunnel. One glance at it, and I can breathe again. All my worries fade away, and it's almost as if I've never had them to begin with. I know this may sound corny, but it's true. And I wanted to say thanks. For giving me something to look forward to at the end of the day. You are cherished, and I thought you should know that.
Sincerely yours.
"That's so sweet," Sable responded upon reading the last sentence on the paper, "Sounds like this guy's got it bad, and he doesn't even know you."
Dayna ran a hand through her hair bashfully, mumbling, "I guess so..."
Both women were abruptly interrupted by someone pounding on the locker room door.
"Dayna! Vince wants us in his office; get your ass moving!"
The brunette rolled her eyes upon recognizing Shawn's voice at the other side of the door.
"Shove it up yours," Dayna replied back, smirking when she heard Shawn storm off muttering to himself incoherently.
Sable sighed to herself as she heard the exchange. Workplace drama was so overrated.
In Vince McMahon's office...
"Shawn and I were thinking that I should do my own thing apart from DX," Dayna stated as she forced herself to make eye contact with Vince.
"Come again?" Vince raised an eyebrow at her request.
She opened her mouth to explain, but Shawn decided to cut in. "What she meant to say was this arrangement isn't working out because she's a pain in the ass. She whines about everything, she botches her lines, and she's giving Hunter and me gray hairs."
Shawn plucked out a strand of his hair to show as proof, but this only made Dayna snicker.
"Grey's a good color on you, Hickenbottom," Dayna smirked cockily, "Why don't you get a new face to match?"
"Why don't you get a new attitude, skank?" Shawn spat out, causing Dayna's brown eyes to flare up in anger.
Vince sighed heavily, almost regretting his decision to have them work together.
"Any more of this bickering, and I'll have no choice but to reduce your next salary," Vince stated, his tone now more serious.
Upon hearing this, the two wrestlers immediately ceased their arguing.
"Now that everyone's settled, I'd like to share my thoughts on the issue," said Vince as he rubbed his hands together, gathering his thoughts. "First of all, I have no plans to disband anyone from DX anytime soon. So, Dayna, you will have no choice but to remain where you are until I come up with a better plan for you. Secondly, Hunter came to me with some concerns about the traveling arrangements. Therefore, he will no longer be required to travel with the two of you. However, you two will resume traveling together."
Shawn looked over at Vince in shock. Why was he forced to deal with the wench on his own? And how was he going to cope without his best friend?
"The reason for this is that I would like for the fans to have the impression that the two of you are romantically involved."
Shawn and Dayna both looked at Vince like he was growing a second head.
"Hell no!" they both exclaimed in unison.
"Why not?" Vince inquired as he sat at his desk with his hands clasped together. "I think the fans will eat it up. Just picture it. The WWF Champion and the Women's Champion dominating the roster together will bring our ratings up so high, it'll make Bischoff cry."
Shawn and Dayna were both aware that the WWF and WCW were competing against each other. Ever since Bret Hart, the former face of the WWF, had left the company to sign with WCW, Vince McMahon had become increasingly determined to create content that would attract more viewers. The show had started to become more raunchy, and this especially showed in a lot of DX's routines. Dayna was even encouraged to dress and behave in a more sexy way to appeal to the male audience, and it wasn't her thing. Although she could never outright refuse to do it, as she'd get a pay cut if she did.
"With all due respect, sir, I don't think this is a good idea," Dayna claimed.
"Because you two can't get along?" Vince finished her sentence. "Sometimes we need to work with people that we may not get along with. That's how life works. And also, I believe you two have a chemistry that's hard to come by."
Hearing this, Dayna felt as if she might regurgitate her last meal onto Vince's desk. She probably had as much chemistry with Shawn as a tomato did with a jar of peanut butter.
"This should wrap up our meeting for tonight," Vince stood up from his desk to gather the paperwork, "Next week, Dayna, you will accompany Shawn to his match against the British Bulldog. And you will need to give him a congratulatory kiss after his victory. With that said, you two are free to go."
Shawn and Dayna both left the office after shaking hands with Vince. As they walked down the hallway together, Shawn glanced over at the brunette woman.
"So, what kind of kiss are you going to give me?"
But before the dark-blond man could get an answer, the brunette wrestler headed off in the opposite direction from him, of course not forgetting to give him the finger on her way out. She couldn't bring herself to talk to him or even look at him after all that had transpired. It was all his fault she was in this predicament in the first place.
In the hotel room...
Dayna leaned back against the pillow, exhausted from the day's events. While all the other wrestlers went out for drinks and relaxation, Dayna had decided to stay in her room for the night. She normally enjoyed going to the clubs, but Joanie, her usual drinking buddy, wasn't there. And tonight, she wasn't feeling it. She also didn't want to risk running into Shawn, as she'd probably lose whatever sanity she'd managed to have left if she did. There was no way he wouldn't be there; he went to the clubs so often, that he might as well live in one.
The brunette stared at the phone on the nightstand, debating whether or not she should call someone for a quick chat. She still kept in touch with Joanie, but she was in some discomfort the last time they spoke over the phone. So Dayna decided that it would be best to let her rest. But there was one other person that came to mind.
Dayna reached over to grab the phone, dialed the number, and waited for an answer.
"Hello..?" a somewhat gruff voice responded.
Dayna could not help but smile upon recognizing the voice, "Bret! Hi! Is this a good time to talk?"
There was a short pause before she heard Bret respond back, "Blade's keeping me busy right now, but I can talk."
Dayna shook her head and chuckled, "That little stinker. You just gotta love him."
Not many people knew this, but Dayna had been friends with Bret and Owen since she was a child. Their fathers, Stu and Henry, were good friends and used to wrestle together in their youth, so she and her sisters spent a lot of time at the Hart Mansion. Dayna was closer in age to Owen, but she and Bret had a close bond, almost as if they were brother and sister. Every time she encountered some challenges at work, Bret was usually the guy she would go to for guidance. She also loved that he hated Shawn's guts as much as she did.
"What's going on?" Bret inquired, despite knowing the answer to that question. "Is that bastard Shawn giving you a hard time?"
Dayna let out a loud sigh, causing Bret to pull the phone away from his ear.
"That would be an understatement," Dayna stated. "Vince wants Shawn and me to enter into a kayfabe relationship. I have to kiss him too. How fair is that?"
Now it was Bret's turn to sigh, "Kid, that's just business. Regardless of how you feel about him, you have to be a professional."
"Yeah, I know," Dayna responded as she glanced over at her laptop screen on the nightstand, frowning when she saw that TexanBoy01 hadn't responded to her last email. He was usually online around this time of night, but she did recall him saying that he would occasionally go into town with a few of his buddies and enjoy some leisure time after work. Or he was probably busy. "But why does it have to be Shawn of all people? I'd prefer to kiss anyone else. Hell, I'd even make out with Owen if he weren't a married man."
Upon hearing this, Bret had to suppress a chuckle, "I'm not sure if Owen would be flattered or creeped out by this. You're practically like a sister to him."
"If that's the case, I'll guess the latter," Dayna said before the two fell into a brief, comfortable silence.
Truth be told, Dayna had always found Bret to be more attractive than his brother Owen. She might have even had a thing for him during her early adolescence. However, the age difference between them was too substantial, so nothing ever came of it. When Bret got married and started his own family, it was a hard pill for her to swallow. But after meeting TexanBoy01, things changed and she no longer felt the need to latch onto Bret, even though they still occasionally touch base.
Speaking of the devil, Dayna's computer dinged, indicating a new message from her anonymous online friend. The brunette quickly pulled the phone back to her ear.
"I'm gonna go now, Bret," Dayna spoke quickly, "But we will talk soon. Take care of yourself, and give my regards to the rest of the family."
"Okay. Take care, Dayna," Bret said in response before the call disconnected.
Dayna placed the phone back on the receiver before grabbing her laptop and positioning it onto her lap.
TexanBoy01: What's cookin', good lookin'?
GorgeousDay: Nothing I cook up would ever be as hot as you.
TexanBoy01: You certainly know how to charm a man.
GorgeousDay: I do indeed.
TexanBoy01: I love a woman who has confidence.
GorgeousDay: Likewise for me, but with a man. Not a woman.
TexanBoy01: What are you up to tonight?
GorgeousDay: Just sitting alone in my room. I'm surprised to see you online. I thought you'd be out and about with your friends.
TexanBoy01: I was, but I ditched them. I didn't want to miss my chance to talk to you.
GorgeousDay: Aww, you just made my day!
TexanBoy01: And you made my entire year. In all seriousness, I still don't understand all this technology shit, but you're worth the hassle.
GorgeousDay: Right back at you. You have no idea what kind of day I was having before you popped in.
TexanBoy01: Please do tell.
GorgeousDay: It's a long story, but my boss wants the scumbag and I to pretend that we're dating. For work-related reasons.
TexanBoy01: It seems odd that your boss would make such a request.
GorgeousDay: Like I said, it's a long story. And it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go into detail about it.
TexanBoy01: How are you coping with the situation?
GorgeousDay: I don't know. Part of me wants to walk out, but I know that's not an option right now. My dad has had some health issues in the past few years, and I've been left to help foot the bills.
TexanBoy01: Damn, I'm really sorry to hear that.
GorgeousDay: I don't know how much more I can take of the scumbag. I wish he'd just disappear off this Earth.
TexanBoy01: I'll give you some advice, sweetheart. The best thing you can do in this situation is disengage. If you constantly obsess about how much of an asshole he is, you're giving him free rein over you.
GorgeousDay: You're right. I just wish I were as strong as you are.
TexanBoy01: Believe it or not, honey, you're stronger than you think. I may seem like I have my shit together, but most of the time, I don't.
GorgeousDay: You always know what to say to make me feel better. How do you do it?
TexanBoy01: I'm just speaking the truth.
GorgeousDay: Honestly, you're like my knight in shining armor. I don't know who you are or anything about you, but you've managed to turn my life upside down, for the better. Does any of this make sense to you?
TexanBoy01: It does, sweetheart. And I'd have to say that you've had just as much of an impact on me.
GorgeousDay: I hope you don't mind, but there's something I've been wanting to ask you.
TexanBoy01: Is this a marriage proposal?
GorgeousDay: Of course not! What I wanted to ask was if you would want to meet me?
When TexanBoy01 didn't respond, Dayna's heart dropped, wishing she hadn't asked such a question out of the blue. She had told herself many times that she wanted things to remain as they were between her and TexanBoy01. But as they were conversing, some part of her couldn't help but fantasize about meeting the potential love of her life in person and waltzing away into a happily ever after, just like in the fairytales. However, she should have known that he wouldn't want to meet her. They were merely strangers that happened to encounter each other via the Internet, so she probably didn't mean much to him. There was probably a chance that he had some other woman on the side. Maybe even a few...
Dayna logged off and shut her laptop closed, deciding not to wait for TexanBoy01's response to her question. She knew she wouldn't be getting a good night's rest after this, so she reached into the nightstand drawer to pull out a bottle of sleeping pills. After taking a dose, she crawled into the bed, attempting to clear her mind of any thoughts of TexanBoy01. If worst came to worst, they could just forget the whole thing and continue as they were. At least she hoped that would happen.
Within a few minutes, Dayna eventually drifted off to sleep; the day's events replaying in her mind.
One week later...
To: GorgeousDay
From: TexanBoy01
Subject: I'd love to meet you!
Hello, beautiful,
I want to apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I was occupied with other matters, courtesy of my boss and obnoxious colleague. I will be in Nashville next week on business, and I'd love to buy you a drink or dinner if you're in the area. We can discuss specifics later, but let me know if you'd be open to this. In the meantime, try not to let the scumbag get on your nerves. He isn't worth the time of day.
Sincerely yours.
Dayna's lips curved into a smile as she reread the words on a printed copy of TexanBoy01's most recent email. Her hands and legs began to tremble in anticipation; she couldn't believe that she was finally going to put a face to the alias that she had been corresponding with for almost a year. It must have been a coincidence that they were due to travel to Nashville for a live taping of RAW is War. But the timing worked out perfectly regardless.
The only thing she had left to do was get through the workday with her heinous coworker. Speaking of the devil, the door to the women's locker room burst open, and Shawn strode in with his usual cocky smirk. Upon seeing him, Dayna quickly shoved the printed email into her back pocket and pretended to be occupied with going over her script.
"I hope you're in a better mood tonight," Dayna reluctantly looked to her left and saw Shawn leaning against one of the lockers, chewing on what seemed to be a strongly scented peppermint-flavored gum. He grabbed another stick out of his pack and offered it to Dayna. "Want one? Please say yes, because you need it."
Dayna rolled her eyes in response, "What are you doing here? In case you haven't noticed, this is the women's locker room. Or did Vince assign you to wrestle in the women's division?"
Shawn laughed sardonically, "You think you're so funny, huh? I asked you a question last week, but you were too busy with your head up your own ass to hear me."
Dayna's eye twitched in annoyance, but instead of getting angry or arguing back, she simply smiled innocently.
"I'm sorry. I must have been so distracted by your sexy body that I forgot to answer. Could you please repeat your question?"
There was a hint of sarcasm in that statement, but Shawn seemed to buy it anyway; the cocky smirk immediately reappeared on his face.
"As Vince had mentioned in our previous meeting, a kiss is scripted for after my match with the British Bulldog. What kind of kiss are you going to give me?"
Dayna let out an audible huff at this. She so badly wanted to tell him to go ahead and kiss her ass, but she resisted the temptation.
"How about I just give you a quick peck on the cheek, and we can be done with it?"
"But the fans want the spicy stuff," Shawn retorted, "Something that will bring in the ratings."
"Well, Vince can find another way to get his ratings up, because I don't want your filthy mouth anywhere near mine. End of discussion."
Before the blond man could say anything more, Dayna turned and left the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Letting out a frustrated scoff, Shawn decided to follow suit, but just as he placed his hand on the doorknob, something on the ground caught his eye. It looked to be a small folded up paper, perhaps one of the women wrestlers dropped some trash on their way out. Curiosity overcame him, and Shawn bent down to pick up the paper, unfolding it in the process. He opened it up and his entire face paled upon seeing the contents. It couldn't be...
A/N: I would like to have Chapters 4 and 5 completed by the ending of this month, but we'll have to see. In the meantime, feel free to follow, favorite or review if you haven't already. Thanks for reading!