Alex has to go handle pre-show duties soon but he takes a minute to knock on the diva's locker room anyway. When Paige answers, he doesn't even have to say anything. She nods at him before turning to look in the recesses of the room. "Alicia," she calls out, her voice dark with barely restrained tension. "You have a visitor."
Alicia brushes past her, her eyes lighting up when she sees Alex, running right into his arms. "You look handsome," she offers, brushing her hands along the creases of his suit.
He grins down at her, his hands gentle against her lower back as he holds her flush against him. "And you're gorgeous as ever. Competing tonight, huh?"
"Yeah," she murmurs. "With Natalya against the Bellas..." Her eyes are clouded over with sadness as she peers up at him. "They could've hurt AJ permanently. I'm going to make them pay for it tonight."
He smiles at her, leaning in to kiss her slowly. "I believe in you, Foxy. Give 'em hell for all of us."
"I will." Another kiss and he reluctantly takes his leave of her, turning back in time to see her blowing a kiss towards him. He grins and mimes catching it out of thin air before walking towards the preshow set, a bounce to his step as he goes.
Alicia turns back inside, wincing as some loud, British rock song comes from Paige's cell phone, the dark haired diva checking her phone as Alicia ducks into the showers to avoid the grating noise and finish getting ready for her match. "Hello?" Paige asks as soon as Alicia is out of sight. "AJ? Are you alright?" They had swapped phone numbers before their frenemy status became more enemy than anything, but neither had really used them, so it makes Paige worry, especially when AJ doesn't say anything, the only thing audible on her end of the call being her breathing. "AJ? Did you butt dial me or...?"
This brings out a laugh from the former diva's champion. "No, sorry, I was just... um, yeah. Hello." She hesitates again, Paige considering going to Mike, not sure what to make of this random phone call, if something's really wrong. "Well, um, I just wanted to talk to you about Tribute to the Troops."
This causes her to relax, even as she raises her eyebrows. "Oh... alright, what about it?"
"The trainer is still really reluctant to clear me to compete, which is fine... I think I need some time to accept everything that's happened," she admits tiredly. "But that means there's a free spot in the Divas battle royal at Tribute to the Troops. Do you want... to take my spot? I'll notify the board of directors, I'm sure they'll be agreeable when I insist on it being you taking my spot."
Paige stares at the opposite wall, smiling a bit. She had been sure Eva Marie or someone else like that would get the spot but AJ had chose her personally... "Yes, of course!" she exclaims. "I, I would be honored. Thank you, AJ."
"You're welcome. I have to go now, my eyes are hurting... but I'll be watching Wednesday, if I'm feeling better. I'm sure you'll kick a lot of ass in there. Bye."
"Bye," Paige whispers, subdued by AJ's belief in her, first with the divas slammy, and now this... She's still smiling when Alicia comes back out but even her suspicious glance can't take away Paige's pleasure. She accesses Twitter on her phone and announces that AJ is her fairy godmother in a tweet that confuses a lot of those who follow her. She grins.
Alicia pulls at her boots one last time before going out to meet Natalya, still unsure what the hell Paige is so happy about. Shrugging it off, she focuses on what's to come with the Bellas. Even though she doesn't get the victory, Natalya achieving that via submission, she's pleased at her part in it anyway, the two Divas walking side by side backstage. AJ had looked so beat down, pale the last time Alicia had seen her... she shakes her head and hugs Natalya once more before they take their leave of each other, Alicia eager to get ready to go so, as soon as Alex is free, they can leave together for the hotel to check on AJ once more before they get some sleep.
Super Smackdown is the next day and Tribute to the Troops, which she'll be going to alone as Alex has more NXT business to handle. He's dedicated to proving himself via training and promo class, and she refuses to make him feel bad about it, no matter how lonely she gets without him sometimes. These thoughts fresh in her mind, she greets him with a soft, lengthy kiss when he finally joins her at the curtain, his hand warm on her arm as she smiles. "I love you, Alex."
"I love you too, Foxy," he tells her. "C'mon, let's go find Miz and check in on AJ. I know you want to."
"You know me so well," she sighs, leaning against his arm as he guides her down the hall to look for the tag champions.
-x
Paige has a busy hour on Main Event the next night, first refereeing a chess match between Titus O'Neil and then competing against Emma, which she walks out the winner of. She's grinning brilliantly when her phone rings. She looks down at it, face brightening even more when she realizes that it's Ricardo. "Hullo, love," she greets him, shivering slightly as she leaves the arena and walks towards the car, the mid-December chill cutting through her jacket. When she's able to slip inside of the car, she's relieved to avoid the wind, turning the heat on as soon as she can.
"Hola, mi fuerza." She can tell he's smiling as well, which makes her feel good. He had been so glum since both AAA and ROH decided they didn't want him accompanying Alberto, it had worried her, especially when she'd had to leave. "Guess what?"
"What?" she asks, holding her free hand up to the vents, closing her eyes as the warm air washes down her arm, easing her chill somewhat.
"I'm returning to the dojo tomorrow night because they have a match for me at the end of the month, after the holidays. Like that saying... if you get knocked down, you have to get back up on the horse, right?" He chuckles as she laughs, her adoration for him growing. "I wish you could be here to watch, cheer me on... but I understand. Tribute to the Troops is important. I'm glad it worked out that you could compete there. Too bad it was at AJ's expense, but I'm sure she'll be ok soon."
"I hope so," Paige murmurs. "Well, love, I'm happy that you're resuming your training tomorrow. Right now, I'm about to head back to the hotel and get some sleep before we have to fly out to the fort in the morning. I'll be home as soon as I can after Tribute to the Troops so you can tell me all about how your training session went."
"I look forward to it, Paige. I love you."
"I love you too." She smiles, hanging up and tapping her fingers against the steering wheel as she stares out of the windshield, releasing a deep breath. "Hmm," she sighs, pulling out of the parking lot to head towards the hotel.
The next day, after a long wait in the airport, followed by a quick flight to Georgia, they're all greeting the various troops and their families, a lot of the faces familiar and eager for the event that's to be held that evening. Their excitement is contagious, Paige growing more and more impatient as the hours pass to show her abilities in the Divas Battle Royal scheduled for that night. She's wearing mostly black gear, so when it's time to select a hat, her choice is pretty obvious. The only hat that calls to her is a black one that says Bah Humbug, her eyes and hair looking even more striking with the darker colors on.
She stares at herself in the mirror before snapping a picture of herself, giggling softly when she sends it to Ricardo. When he responds with a text a few minutes later, she laughs for real. Can you keep that hat?
I'll try, she promises him. Time to compete, wish me luck! But she doesn't have time to see his response, the tech choosing that moment to come get her. She walks to ringside and enters, eager to be the winner of this battle royal. For awhile, things are looking promising, but she gets trapped out on the apron by the Bellas. For a wild, frustrating moment, she understands how AJ must have felt, trying to protect the divas title from both women, and she grabs the first thing she sees, hoping to distract them with the mistletoe that had been on the turnbuckle post. Neither seem that impressed, however, and kick her off of the stairs, eliminating her. She grunts as she lands, angry and annoyed. She starts to crumple the mistletoe in her hand before relaxing her fingers. It's not that plant's fault, after all, she reminds herself. It had been her mistake for leaving the ring during a battle royal, she had basically eliminated herself.
On her way backstage, she checks the clock and swallows, doing some quick math. It'd be ridiculous, painfully late, but she thinks she can manage it. And if anyone wouldn't mind, it'd be Ricardo, she's sure. So she quickly changes, packs, and races out to her car, once more starting it up and peeling out of the parking lot, driving as quickly as she dares to the expressway. It's a long drive, she probably wouldn't have come close without GPS, but she makes it around 3 AM, yawning as she pulls up at the now familiar gate. After getting permission from Alberto, Ricardo had given her the access code so she enters it and watches as the gate automatically opens, allowing her inside before closing once more.
Thankful that his room is on the first floor, she can tell he'd noticed her arrival when his light clicks on, his insomnia usually keeping him from sleeping too well, especially after a training session or match. Her lips part into a soft smile as he opens the front door, gaping out at her. "Paige?!"
"G'morning, love," she greets him, shaking her head as he steps aside to let her inside. "I did tell you I'd see you as soon as possible. Besides, I had something to show you. Maybe you can help me get the bad memories out of this thing..."
His eyes are locked on her, it so shadowy in the foyer that he doesn't notice at first when she holds the mistletoe up over him, but then he tilts his head and stares up at it, blinking. "Huh...? Didn't you already buy a half dozen of these things last week? Where did this one come from? And... why does it have bad memories?"
She smiles at him and leans up, pressing her finger to his lips. "This little monster cost me the divas match at Tribute to the Troops when I tried to distract the Bellas with it... and I thought, well if anyone could help me rid this thing of its bad mojo, it'd be you." She finds his hand and squeezes his fingers. "What do you say? Wanna give it a try?"
His breath tickles her finger and she giggles. "Si, si, let's- yeah, let's do that," he tells her, dragging her further into the house so that they can do so without risking interruption.
She's sitting on the windowsill in his bedroom, the moon gleaming down onto them as they kiss lazily, the mistletoe trapped haphazardly in the lock over their heads, their fingers interlaced as she hums into his mouth. "What do you think?" she breathes into his skin. "Think we worked out all of the bad vibes in this thing?"
He laughs and kisses her again before shrugging. "Maybe. Or maybe we should work at it a little longer..."
Paige smiles but then pulls away, nuzzling his nose with hers when he looks disappointed. "First things first, I wanna hear all about your night at the dojo. I saw a picture of you sitting in a chair with headphones on and an eyemask? If that's the new style of wrestling training, sign me up," she teases him gently.
"It was Neuro Entrain," he shrugs, nudging her lightly. "It's supposed to help relax the body and mind... I have a pamplet somewhere..." He looks like he's about to go search for it but she catches his hand and drags him over to sit next to her on the sill.
"Too late to read pamplets," she says softly, resting her head on his shoulder. "Tell me the highlights?"
He laughs a bit, stroking her hair. "Alright. I can do that," he murmurs, telling her about how the whole experience had helped him to feel more relaxed than he had in years, emotional stress and physical wear and tear all but forgot as he'd meditated, not even aware that a dojo worker had taken the picture until they'd asked him if he was ok with it being posted on their twitter account. After a few moments, he realizes just how quiet she is, staring down at her. She's fast asleep against him, her lips parting sweetly, and he sighs, carefully dislodging himself from her and lifting her. He's gentle as he leads her back to the bed, settling her down on the soft mattress before sinking down next to her. "I love you, Paige," he murmurs, wrapping an arm around her and peering over her back at the window, where the mistletoe still hangs.
He smiles before falling into the deepest sleep he's had in years.
-x
Paige isn't used to having Thursday and Friday off, but since there's no Smackdown to end the week, that's exactly where she finds herself. Which is good, she enjoys spending as much time as she can with Ricardo. And with Alberto out again, busy with things for AAA, they have the house to themselves, Sofia busy in the kitchen. "She likes to get a head start on testing recipes for Christmas," Ricardo explains with a grin as they wander the grounds hand in hand.
Paige nods, still trying to take in all that Alberto's home has to offer. He has multiple garages, the sizable garden that Sofia tends, the pond, the trees where that hammock hangs, and so many other things she's sure she's yet to see. Ricardo walks quietly for awhile, trying to let her take it all in, when he leads her towards one of the garages. She smiles over at him, some of the daze leaving her dark eyes. "Where are you taking me?"
"You'll see," he hums, ignoring her questions afterwards. As they walk between two garages, she thinks she knows. There's a freshly built building just a few feet away, little more than walls, a roof and foundation, spaces for windows not even cut out yet, though there's a door. He leads her inside and she glances around, tilting her head. Even with the door shut behind them, there's enough light to see and she giggles faintly as their footsteps echo in the empty space. "What do you think?"
"I think Alberto has way too many cars for one man," she says, grinning as Ricardo releases a soft laugh.
"You should see his Mexico ranch. It is... much, much more than this." Squeezing her fingers, he walks out into the middle of the room and spins in a circle, taking it all in. "Before, when I worked for him, I would be in charge of making sure the exact vehicle he wanted was waiting for us at the arenas... got shipped back home safely... everything." His smile turns glum as he stares up at the wooden eaves overhead. "One time Sheamus stole one of the cars and took it on a joyride... It was the first time I truly saw hatred in Alberto's eyes. But things were different then, he had been in WWE for years and had yet to achieve the success he wished for." He remembers spending hours trying to clean the car, fix what Sheamus had done to it. It had been exhausting physically, and heartbreaking mentally, because Alberto hadn't spoke to him for days afterwards.
Paige slips closer to him and wraps her arms around him, kissing the back of his neck. "You can't blame yourself for Sheamus' actions," she chides him softly. "Alberto shouldn't have either."
He nods, tapping his head. "See, I know that in here. It's just a little harder for..." His fingers drift to his chest. "...here to get the message." Her arms are warm and steady around his midsection and he leans into her, relieved for her close affection. "Gracias, mi fuerza," he whispers.
She smiles and nuzzles closer to him, enjoying the peaceful interlude of what had been a very busy, stressful few months for the both of them. On top of that, with the door shut and only their own voices to echo around them, it feels like they could never be disturbed again, the outside world entirely closed off from them.
Finally Ricardo pulls away and turns to face her with a gentle but mischevious smile, cupping her hands. "You know what an empty building is also good for?" She shakes her head as he leans closer, kissing her. "To play in," he shares quietly and she pulls away, staring into his face, eyes widening as his words and their meaning registers with her.
Relieved she'd opted to wear sensible boots, she steps back. "Ricardo..." she says warningly, only half-serious as he approaches her. "No-" But he only takes another step towards her and she's off, jokingly trying to avoid him as he chases her around the hollow space. She's not sure how long it lasts, her laughter and squealed gasps each time that he nearly corners her the soundtrack for the next while until finally he snags her when she gets a little too close and pulls her into him, holding her tightly against his chest, face buried into her hair as he catches his breath after running after her for so long.
"Got you," he murmurs, kissing her shoulder.
"Yes, you do," she responds, leaning back into him and stroking his arm before tilting her head to look him in the eye. "Always." His smile is surprised and delighted and she never wants it to leave his face again, her fingers tracing up his jaw before she kisses him warmly.
