Chapter 29
- "You are wrong, bear, I did it because I care."
Finn's traits went distorted by anger and he threw Damian out of the ring to corner Mina and grab her face, forcing her to look at him.
- "Are you going to betray me?" He asked.
- "Finn, I can't love what you've become, winning this fucking belt will only keep you in your delusions. If losing can bring back my Teddy Bear, so be it" she answered without blinking.
Finn's eyes narrowed at these words and he lifted Mina over his shoulders to throw her on the mat. He then straddled her to pin her and forced a kiss on her lips. The seamstress tried with all her strength to escape, but the Irish wrestler was too heavy and to strong for her. She heard the referee hit the mat for one, two. She suddenly felt lighter, Damian had broken the pin by sending Finn away. She hurried to get up and felt her back being painful, her belt couldn't protect her from falls. She escaped the ring to catch her breath and check on her back, whatever her role in this match was, it wasn't worth being injured again and ending in a wheelchair.
Damian prepared to give Finn his Broken Arrow but he escaped with a kick. The two men then started to exchange chops, their torso becoming red and the skin breaking, letting droplets of blood appear.
In the locker room, Rose was anxiously watching the match on the screen, squeezing JD's hand at each violent fall, the Judgment Day had invited her to watch with them in their club house. She was scared for Mina, knowing that her previous injury could cause her to be harmed and that Finn was crazy enough to take advantage of that. Each time he would cause trouble, she had been able to calm him down, but today he was unleashed. Rhea and Dom were not cheering, JD was tensed, this match was not for the show. Damian, Finn and Mina were on the ring to sort out their personal problems and the entire group would suffer from that.
- "Don't worry, she will be fine" JD whispered to her ear.
- "You are as worried as I am" she answered. "If Finn loses, he will be crazy."
- "And if Damian loses, Mina would be in danger too. Don't worry, we are here, I am here."
Rose squeezed his hand again, she liked the caring side of JD, even if he had made it clear that he was more into one night stands. She didn't really care, she was not in love, just interested.
- "Come on Mina, get this freaking belt and send these two idiots back home" Rhea snarled.
- "Do you really think she can do it?" Rose asked.
- "Who knows… she never told you about the time she almost knocked JD out?" Dom said.
- "Come on lad, it was a training" JD pouted.
Mina was back in the ring, curled around Damian to make him give up the match, unfortunately, he got up with Mina still curled around him, he put her in the ropes, chuckling at the situation. Finn was not so gentleman and speared Damian before pulling his hair with one hand and punching his face with the other. Blood started to stain the mat and Mina felt her heart tighten, she didn't want to see Damian being hurt. She rushed behind Finn to grab his wrist mid-air and stop him.
- "Finn, please, stop" she pleaded.
For one second, she saw Finn hesitating, maybe he hadn't completely lost his mind. He let go of Damian to grab her arm and got up face to her. He then grabbed a hand full of her hair and ripped of her gear on her shoulder, half exposing her bra. Luckily, her breasts needed a lot of support and she was wearing sports bra under her gear.
- "Now ya trying to seduce me to save him little whore?" Finn yelled.
He then started to rip the rest of her gear but Mina headbutted him in the nose, making him lose balance and allowing her to escape.
"Motherfucker" Damian rushed and grabbed Finn by his throat, giving him his South of Heaven, but instead of pinning him, he went directly to check on Mina.
- "Are you alright? Take my jacket if you want to" he said.
- "I'm okay Damian, so is my bra" she answered.
Damian was suddenly thrown away and landed face first in the turnbuckle, he laid down on the mat, half conscious from the shock. Finn rushed to him to stomp him on his neck and back, wanting to injure him badly. Just as he was about to kick his face again, Mina ran in the ropes and speared him as hard as she could, sending him away from Damian. She then covered him and the referee hit the mat. Before he could hit the third time, Finn kicked out and send Mina over the third rope, making her land just in front of the announce table. Just as the Irish man turned his head to face Damian, he received a devastating punch across the face, making him fall on the mat. The long-haired Puerto-Rican seized his chance and chokeslamed him before covering him for the count of three.
The bell rang and the crowd erupted in cheers as Damian raised his hand as a sign of victory, joined by Mina, who hugged him tight, under the hateful gaze of Finn.
In the locker room, Rhea, Dominik, JD and Rose were celebrating Damian's victory, both happy to see him win and to see that Mina was safe. JD hugged Rose before lifting her and making her swirl around him. They saw on the screen Damian putting his title on Mina's shoulder before guiding her out of the ring, hiding her showing bra; both were smiling at this victory.
The door burst open and Finn stormed inside the club house, ready to gather his things. When he saw the ones he considered his friends happy about his loss he threw chairs across the place and yelled.
- "You're all happy I have to leave huh?" he shouted before smashing a table. "You bastards are celebrating this son of a bitch!" His face was red with anger.
- "We are just happy all this mess is finally over" Dom said innocently, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Finn pushed the young man away before hitting him with a chair. Rhea and JD rushed on him to save the poor Dominik and also received hits.
- "Finn, stop" Rose said with her faint voice.
- "You betrayed me too you bitch!" Finn yelled, starting to strangle the red-haired seamstress. "I thought you were on my side, but you are no different from them!"
Rose's face started to turn red as she was lacking oxygen.
- "Do not touch her!" JD shouted before grabbing a chair and hitting Finn.
Damian and Mina entered the club house and joined the fight, trying to submit Finn before someone got hurt. The security came in and made Finn get out of the room. Mina then kneeled next to Rose.
- "Are you okay?" she asked
- "Yes, Mina, I'm good, just scared. Are you uninjured?" Rose answered.
She chuckled at her concerns.
- "I'm sorry, but the gear you made me did not survive the match" she said with a smile.
Hunter joined the Judgment Day at the end of the show. He congratulated Damian and Mina for their victory, before looking at the room they were in.
- "I had Finn escorted out by the security. He will be in the first plane to bring him back home." he announced
- "What will happen to him?" Mina asked.
- "He will have to leave the Judgment Day and I excluded him from the company for a couple weeks. He will have to get checked by a psychologist before coming back" he sighed. "I'm sorry it turned out that way."
They all sighed in relief. At least Finn won't cause a mess in the hotel.
- "Damian, Mina, go to the medical area and get checked, better be sure everything is alright, it was a tough match."
They did as told. Damian suffered some cuts on his face and chest, but nothing was broken, despite his face getting swollen. Mina was alright, just receiving recommendations to rest her back and avoid any hard moves. They went to the showers to get clean and dressed before heading to the cars.
Finn had already disappeared with his rental, Mina headed to her car with Rose, letting go of all the pressure when she pressed the gas pedal. It was over, Finn was gone, she had no reason to be scared anymore.
After a well deserved dinner and getting changed in more comfortable clothes, Damian stood up in the middle of his hotel room, wondering if he should join Mina for a song. She had been through a lot lately and he was not sure his presence would allow her to get the rest she deserved even if he was craving her sweet presence next to him. "Come on big man, if she doesn't want to, she will say no." Taking a heavy breath he got out of his room and headed to Mina's, knocked on the door but got no answer.
- "She is with Rhea" said JD's voice behind him.
- "Finn was the one she trusted the most, she needs some time" Rose added.
- "Yeah, I can get that" he answered. Beside Rhea, Finn was the one he considered as his best friend.
- "You need to talk too" JD said. "I know I am not the best one for that, but I really want to help."
Damian gestured the two of them to follow him in his room. After all Rose was Mina's friend and JD also got betrayed by his best friend lately.
- "What do you want to talk about?" He asked JD.
- "You miss her, right?" the Irish man answered
- "It's more a statement than a question" he told.
- "She misses you too" Rose said. "You broke her heart, but she couldn't get over you."
- "Really?" Damian asked, a sparkle of hope in his dark brown eyes.
- "Yes, but as you kept going back and forth with her, she got lost in her own feelings" Rose said.
- "Question is: do you want her back" JD asked.
- "Yes" Damian simply answered.
He had to be honest with himself, nothing could make him happy but Mina and despite being scared to hurt her again, he truly wanted her to be back with him.
- "Well, we might have an idea" JD said with an enigmatic smile.
Several weeks after, they were all back in Florida, having a couple rest days and some training time at the Performance centre. Well, Mina and Rose still had to work hard with the attires as some superstars got a liking for creative and scandalously complex costumes since they saw what she could do with Seth's crazy ideas. She didn't need to bury herself into work anymore, knowing that Finn wouldn't come to bother her. She was humming AC/DC's Thunderstruck while sewing fringes to Bayley's attire when she notices the corridors had become black. She looked at Rose, who also seemed surprised.
- "Do you think they left without us?" the taller woman asked.
- "They better not!" Mina chuckled. "No way JD had left without saying you good bye"
Rose blushed at her boss's mockery, JD and her had been in a friends with benefits kind of relationship and it was for the best, she enjoyed the sex, so did he, and they didn't have to carry any emotional luggage between them. It was supposed to be a secret but Mina was way to clever and observant to not to notice something was happening.
- "Maybe we should go look for them" Rose said.
Both women shut off their machines and wandered inside the gigantic building, heading first to the gym, where nobody was to be seen. They tried the locker room where they found JD, who informed them Rhea, Dom and Damian were still there, but he had no clue where. They walked in the corridors, they tried the creative department, the headquarters, the cafeteria but the three missing wrestlers were nowhere to be found.
- "Come on, they are pretty easy to spot normally" Rose said.
Mina sighed, the last thing she was hopping to do today was wandering in this gigantic labyrinth after nightfall during winter. They came across the arena place, where NXT was usually shot. Three doors were in front of them, one leading to the arena, another one into a restricted area and the third one to a locker room.
- "We better separate" JD said. "Rose, you take the locker room, Mina, check the arena, I'll go to the technical room."
- "Why on Earth would they be in the technical room?" Mina asked.
- "Damian I don't know, but Rhea and Dom could enjoy the privacy" Rose answered.
- "Nevermind. Let's find them." She answered while pushing the door, then stopped when she noticed they had let her the biggest room. "Hey guys, seriously you…"
Too late, they had already disappeared behind their respective doors. Sighing in resignation the touched the wall, hopping to find the light switch. Music echoed in the room, a guitar was being played. She then heard Damian's deep voice humming the beginning of a song she recognized as HIM's In Joy And Sorrow. A faint light went on from the ceiling, enlightening the ring where Damian was sitting on a tall stool, playing the guitar while looking at her in the eyes.
- "Oh, girl, we are the same. We are young and lost and so afraid
There's no cure for the pain. No shelter from the rain
All our prayers seem to fail"
Mina was surprised he knew that song, she had been listening to it recently but never in front of him, moreover, it was not his type of music. She walked toward the ring, where Damian was still intensely looking at her while playing, sometimes turning his gaze to his right hand to make sure he wouldn't miss a note.
In joy and sorrow, my home's in your arms
In a world so hollow, it's breaking my heart
In joy and sorrow, my home's in your arms
In a world so hollow, it's breaking my heart
Mina smiled at the chorus, understanding why he chose this song, she was feeling the same way.
Oh, girl, we are the same. We are strong and blessed and so brave
With souls to be saved, and faith regained
All our tears wiped away
Damian felt the stress leave his body when he saw her smile, the message was understood. He had trained for weeks to be able to play and sing this correctly, sometimes cursing the band that made it for being so childish and cheesy. Truth to be said, it was close to what he was feeling for her. At the beginning he had thought to sing Still Loving You but there was no way he could reach the upper notes with his baritone voice.
In joy and sorrow, my home's in your arms
In a world so hollow, it's breaking my heart
In joy and sorrow, my home's in your arms
In a world so hollow, it's breaking my heart
She joined him on the ring and started to sing along with him, not noticing the room was now fully lit, and that four heads were observing them from the technical shelves, just under the ceiling. Damian felt his heart ready to explode when she looked straight in his eyes to sing the last words.
My home's in your arms
In a world so hollow
It's breaking my heart
When the last notes faded, he saw tears appearing in Mina's eyes, tears of happiness, he discarded his guitar and wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her hair and getting his lungs full of her smell.
- "I love you" he whispered in her ear.