Mike flies out to Payback. Not that he's been booked, he doesn't expect to be used, but at least he'd only be a few hours away from where Raw will be held... and can spend some time with his friends at the arena. He also takes some comfort in the fact that he won't be alone backstage- Del Rio also hadn't been booked, which makes him smirk just a little. Alex had been placed on the panel, and Ricardo of course was doing Spanish commentary, so Mike wanders the halls, breathing in the bustle of a pay per view, his phone never out of his hand as he wants it nearby in case AJ should call or text if she should get bored and lonely in their LA home. Though she had been limiting how often she'd actually call him, not wanting to distract him- as if there was much to distract him from-, or add to his guilt about his being there while she's all alone. Most times, he ends up calling her, equally eager to hear her voice, make sure everything's ok.

There's a divas title match tonight, Alicia stepping up as #1 contender in AJ's absence, and Mike wonders if his wife is watching for this reason, looking through the gorilla to find Alex staring through the glass walls dividing him from the ring. He's not sure if things are still rocky between the two, though the way things are going- various rumors of the girl claiming she's Tom Phillip's girlfriend, and now this thing with JBL... He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "Geez, what a mess," he mumbles, jerking slightly when his phone rings. He smiles upon finding his wife's number flashing there, answering it. "Hey, sweetheart. Missing me already?"

"Always," she says simply, her soft breaths grounding him in ways not much else can. "I'm not watching, but I heard through the Internet grapevine that my divas title is being defended right now. Tell me what's going on?"

"Sure," he agrees, turning to watch the monitor. He runs her through the match, wincing when Alicia is beaten and consequently loses it, once more rampaging around ringside. AJ's soft chuckles warm him as he describes what the diva is currently doing, his lips twitching up into a smile as well.

"She learned from the best, I suppose," AJ says simply, Mike listening to soft rustling as she sighs, probably shifting into a more comfortable position so they can talk longer. "I wish you were here."

"I wish I were too," he tells her with a small smile. "I'll be home on Tuesday... and then hey, you can come with me while I film that thing for Deal With It. Would you like that?"

"Mmm, I'm starting to feel like your good luck charm, something you bring with whenever you have something to film."

"Well, you do bring me good luck. You definitely give me something to work for, and many things to look forward to when I'm done." He smiles as she giggles helplessly. They talk quietly until the main event ends, Mike looking up at a successful Shield celebrating in the ring. "Hey, sweetheart, I have to go talk to Alex. I'll call you as soon as I'm back at the hotel, ok?"

"Oh, alright," she says in a mock pouting voice. "Don't keep me waiting for too long."

"I won't," he promises. "I love you. Talk to you soon."

"Love you too," she murmurs. "Bye."

"Bye." He hangs up and stands, brushing his pants off before he wanders out towards gorilla to wait for Alex to finish up on the panel, nodding at Del Rio as he wanders around, probably waiting for Ricardo to leave the commentary table. The former ring announcer leaves the ringside area first, Alex still busy with the post-show analysis, and Mike claps him on the arm as he walks past, exchanging a smile with him before he joins Alberto. Mike chuckles softly when he hears Del Rio ask something about Paige, Ricardo's embarrassed voice echoing back towards Miz as he listens to Alex discuss the various matches seen tonight, Mike leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Finally the show ends, staff quickly exiting, eager to return to their hotel rooms and rest for awhile before moving onto the next town, the next event. Mike pulls away from the wall as Alex makes his way past the curtain, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, kid. How're you doing?"

Alex waves half-heartedly at the other crew members who had been involved in the post-show production, turning his attention to Mike. "I'm doing ok."

"No, you're not." He squeezes him. "I saw your face when Alicia was in the ring. You've heard the rumors."

"Kind of hard not to. And I wouldn't say they're rumors when they're things she's saying." He keeps his head up, looking away from Mike as they walk side by side to the locker room.

Mike licks his lips, tilts his head. "Look, man. From someone who's been interested in a crazy chick- and don't you dare tell AJ or Alicia I said that, I like my head where it's at- you just need to... roll with the punches. It really sucks, I know, and it hurts a lot when they do these things but I also saw the way you looked at her at my wedding. So you need to decide if she's worth the pain, or not. If not, then drop her. If you think she is, then hang on for a little longer. If anything, AJ and I are living proof that these things can shake out better than ever imagined." He lifts his hand and lets Alex stare at the wedding ring on his finger, smiling slightly. "Not saying that you and Alicia are meant to go as far as AJ and I have, but I wouldn't give up on her this easily if you really like her."

Alex groans, digging his fingers in his eyes. "I really do. Dammit, I shouldn't. Especially now, but I do."

Mike chuckles sympathetically and half-hugs him, shaking his head. "Relationships suck like that, huh? But they're worth it... usually."

"You're always so encouraging," Alex laughs weakly.

"I know, right? I guess just another reason I'm so awesome." Mike smirks, glad that he at least made him laugh. "Now come on, let's go back to the hotel. I have a wife to call, and I think you have some thinking to do."

"Alright," Alex agrees, following him through the halls to do just that.

The next day, Alex isn't put on the panel, and Mike isn't booked again so they hang out backstage, Alex still lost in thought as Ricardo and Alberto discuss Real Madrid while passing the time until Alberto's qualifying match against Dolph Ziggler for Money in the Bank, arguing through their laughter in a way that only long-term best friends can. They're all still sitting there, Mike in the process of texing AJ, when the locker room door crashes open and they all look up to find Alicia standing there, a mischevious gleam in her dark eyes as she stares at Alex, twirling her black shawl around. She's clearly still riding the high of beating Nikki Bella down and Alex swallows thickly as Miz and Ricardo take the hint, immediately getting to their feet. "El Patron," Ricardo hisses down at the motionless man, nudging him with his knee until he too stands, looking surly and confused.

All three of them avert their eyes as they walk past Alicia, not wanting to cause her to lose it on them too. As soon as they're alone in the room, Alicia smirks, her eyes softening as she saunters up to Alex, dropping her shawl on the floor. "I haven't seen a lot of you the past few days," she says quietly, pressing her hand to his chest as he looks up at her, eyes dull and grim. "Are you mad at me?"

"I don't know," he answers slowly. "I thought maybe you were too busy with Tom Phillips or JBL to spend time with me." She looks momentarily confused, trailing her fingers up his shirt until he cups her hand, stopping her teasing touch and his reactionary shivers. Mike's words echo through Alex's mind as he stares into her eyes, trying to find some semblance of the girl he'd danced with at the wedding.

She frees her hand from his, Alex immediately missing her warmth, as she takes a couple of steps away from him, collecting her clothing from the floor and tenderly folding it on the couch next to him. He watches her, certain that she's now going to be bored of him and his jealousy, leaving him in the dust, but she stays. She sits next to him and stares ahead, her lips twitching into a small smile. "You know, I was thinking. All of the things you said about Ricardo Rodriguez, how jealous you were of him getting booked in NXT while you were still sitting on the sidelines. How it was affecting your friendship. And all I could think was... I didn't want to ever feel like that. Yes, I've been used regularly enough but it's not... what I want or need. I want more opportunities at the divas title. I want that belt back around my waist." She rests her elbows on her knees and buries her chin in her palms, staring ahead as she thinks through what she's saying. "So I go out there, and I raise hell. I destroy things at ringside, I steal people's drinks and food, hats and anything else I can get my hands on. I slap people, I kiss people... I do everything I can, I say the first thing that comes to my mind, no matter how insane it seems. And I make people talk. And you know, I received a divas title shot partly because of it. No, I didn't win, but I'm not ready to give up. I like being the center of attention, and I will definitely like being champion again."

Alex tries to follow this, wondering if his own myriad of reasons for how he'd treated Ricardo sounded as confusing as hers, his lips twitching into a painful frown, as she turns to look at him. "You're saying you didn't mean any of it?"

She stands and slinks closer, straddling him, her eyes intent as she cups his face. "Not a word... not an action..." She presses a kiss to the side of his mouth. "I have no designs on Tom Phillips, and I definitely have none on JBL. Never have, never will. I know we've never discussed what this... between us is, if we're going to be exclusive, or just a fun little fling, and I'm ok with that. Not every couple needs to move as fast as AJ and Mike did, anyway. We have fun together, and that's all I need. As long as it's what you need, too, I don't see why things have to change right this minute." She softly kisses him on the lips, smiling down at him as she brushes her fingers through his hair. "But if you ever feel differently, then come to me and we'll talk about it... but for now... what do you say we continue having fun? Hmm?"

"Ok," he agrees breathlessly, holding her close as she leans into him, presses him down into the couch. "I'd like that."

She giggles, peppering warm kisses along his jaw. "Good. I would too."