Canary and the Coal Mine

One Year Ago

“Introducing first, from Raleigh, North Carolina... Summer Rae!"

A shaky breath left me as my opponent's theme music blasted through the halls of the performance center. Nikki caught my apprehension and came to stand in front of me; in her ridiculous heels, she seemed to tower over me.

“You’re gonna do just fine, Jellybean," she promised, teasing me with the pet name she’d given me. "You've been practicing for this match all month. Don't let her in your head."

“I know, I know. It’s just, this means so much to me, and I'm just so worried –" I ran a hand subconsciously through my hair and Nikki actually gasped, swatting it back down.

“Don't mess it up!"

“Nik," I whined; she pursed her lips but let me continue as she began to fuss over my hair again. I’d let her style it – a rare occurrence – and she was milking her opportunity for all it was worth. "With my shoulder, though, I'm just worried that I'm gonna blow my big chance. You heard Hunter and Steph. If I can pull this off –"

“Don't think like that. Remember what Bryan told you. Treat it like any other match,” she reminded, hands smoothing down the top of my uniform as she abandoned her attempts to tame my hair. "Brie and I wouldn’t let you go out there if we didn’t know you could kick that hoochie’s ass."

A grin came onto my face; since Summer had begun climbing up the ropes of NXT, the twins had taken a strong disliking to her. They both said it was because she just wasn’t that good, but it was pretty clear they were jealous. Bryan and I had a running bet on which twin would snap first

“You’re up," Nikki said, wrapping me in a hug as Summer's music faded out. The grin on my face faded as my best friend pulled away; she gave me a good luck kiss on the cheek and then hurried back to her seat. As I got in position, I peeked through the still-swaying curtains; a groan of disbelief escaped me. She’d told me she was coming alone, but I could see both Brie AND Bryan in the stands. All my mentors, idols, and friends here to watch the biggest match of my career. Fan-freakin-tastic.

“And her opponent," the announcer called out as I took a deep breath. "From Ouray, Colorado… Jennie Lee!"

The guitar riffs began to play, and I came out, much less seductively than Summer. The crowd cheered for me; I'd become a well-known diva in the NXT the last few months, and I'd easily become the face for our match.

Unlike the other girls, I didn't wear seductive ring attire and I didn't come out dancing. I wore black cargo pants, black boots, and a loose, black muscle shirt with a white sports bra underneath. My long, blonde hair – painstakingly and now pointlessly curled by Nikki – hung loose around my shoulders, well past my chest now. I wanted a haircut but both twins refused to let me near a pair of scissors.

Summer smirked at me as I stalked towards her, stepping onto the apron and then using the top rope to vault into the ring. No bending over and showing my ass. My opponent squared up to me, and I was more than a little irritated to be reminded how tall she was. I was just a couple inches under Nikki and Brie, at 5'2, and here Summer was strutting around at 5'10.

She used her height to her advantage, purposely towering over me and eyeing my smaller frame dangerously. Her bright pink lips curled into a smirk as she flipped her own blonde hair over her shoulder.

“Ready to learn your place?"

“Already know it," I growled, flicking my brows up at her dangerously. "It's standing over you after I get my pin."

The smirk dropped off her face and came onto mine. The bell rang, and we dove at each other.

NOW - November 12, 2012

“I'm her ride," Nikki argued, taking another pass around the hallway, Brie close on her heels. "And I have our room key! She wouldn't go without me!"

“We've asked everyone," Brie began as they came around the corner. I barely had time to turn away and flip my hood up before they spotted me. As good as my ring attire was, I didn't know how it would hold up to the people closest to me. Maybe they’d just keep going, like they had before. They already passed me twice with no incident. Luck, however, apparently wasn't my friend. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the twins pause and observe me. I'd have to test out my disguise a little earlier than planned.

“He's new," Nikki whispered. Slowly, I turned to face them. Both girls froze, staring down the hall like deer in headlights. Immediately, Nikki shoved Brie forward; I barely managed not to roll my eyes at them.

“Ask him!"

“No! He looks creepy!"

I was glad the mask hid the grin on my face; I held perfectly still, eyes locked onto the pair of them. I had to admit it was pretty fun terrifying the twins. Finally, I was getting revenge on Nikki for all her stupid pranks. Despite what she thought, saran wrap on the toilet was not hilarious. As soon as they figured out it was me under the disguise, they'd kill me, but for now I'd have my fun.

“You ask," Brie insisted, nudging her sister forward. Nikki’s eyes widened and she rounded on her sister.

“Just do it, Brie! You’re more approachable!"

“You don’t even know what that means!” she hissed; there was a possibility that was true. “I don't even recognize him! What if he's a serial killer?"

“Then I'll make sure Bryan lets me pick out the outfit we bury you in!"

“Bitch!" Brie hissed, but they both crept down the hall towards me. I managed not to blink for their entire escapade towards me, which clearly freaked them out even more. They paused a few feet from me, both girls looking ready to take off in either direction any moment. In these boots, they actually had to look up at me for once. I crossed my arms slowly; the vest under my jacket bulked me out a bit, making me look tougher. With the bandana over my face and the beanie to hold my hair up – plus the hood of my jacket over top – all they could see were my eyes. Which, compliments of my contacts, were a startling white.

When neither of them spoke, I slowly lifted one brow in question. The twins shared a quick glance, and finally they managed to flash me very nervous, very unconvincing smiles.

“Sorry, to uh, bother you," Brie managed as Nikki took a step back, clinging to her sister's arm. Put them with divas, they were unstoppable. But strange, masked superstars, and they were useless. "We're looking for our friend."

Brie flashed me a picture of myself – hair down, green eyes, not dressed like a psychotic ninja – and Nikki added quickly,

“Her name's Jeanette, but..." I stared at the twins for several moments, dying of laughter internally while barely narrowing my eyes. "But um, she goes by Jamie. She's short and sassy, and usually doing something she shouldn't..."

Nikki slowly trailed off, and I gave a single shake of my head before turning away to continue down the corridor. I could hear them both whispering desperately as they skittered around the corner.

Once they were out of earshot, I let myself snicker into the bandana, searching for Stephanie. My match was just after this one – Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler – and it wouldn't be hard to follow the momentum. Alberto Del Rio was more heel than anything right now, and I'd be a fresh face out there. Like Hunter had explained, it would help put the hot-headed wrestler back in his place. Besides, it had been a few months since a new wrestler had been added to the roster. So long as I could win my match, it would be a permanent change.

As I rounded the corner, towards gorilla position, Stephanie met my eyes and she beckoned me over, looking concerned. Never a good sign; I ignored the twisting in my gut and came up beside my boss, crossing my arms once again. After checking to make sure we were alone, I leaned closer and whispered,

“What's wrong? Is my match cancelled?"

“No, but there might be a change," she murmured, nodding at the screen. Randy was gaining a one-up on Ziggler, but Del Rio and his personal announcer – Ricardo – were already out at ringside, circling the mat. "I won't stop them, but…” She glanced at me and her face was scrunched in thought. “We can either have you debut next Monday, keep it a clean match, or you can jump in if things get hairy with Orton. You'd be out there with three of the hardest hitters –"

“If Del Rio jumps in, I'll go help Orton," I assured eagerly, hoping to convey all my excitement through my eyes. Finally! My WWE premiere, and I had a feeling it would be one to remember.

Then

Summer took another blow to the face, and she dropped hard, clutching at her jaw and gasping for breath. As she staggered to her feet, I rushed forward and dropped; catching myself on my hands, I lifted my body up and swept both my legs around, taking Summer to her ass as I spun out of my move and stood gracefully. I could hear Nikki, Brie, and Bryan screaming wildly as I dropped back down for the pin.

And then the ref bumped into my back as he circled to drop for the count, and I lost my grip. That was all Summer had needed; she shoved a shoulder up, threw me further off balance, and rolled me onto my back. Her annoyingly long legs scissored my head in place as she jerked my arm back up to her chest and pulled

Unbelievable pain shot through my entire arm, and alarm shot through me. Nikki did this on me all the time in practice; the pain should have been in my shoulder and back, not my forearm, and not as violent as it was right now.

“Summer, let up," I gasped out; she laughed.

“Tap out!"

“No, Summer, seriously," I tried, but she tightened her legs around my neck. The pain burst even brighter as she twisted it my arm a little further back. She was doing it completely wrong. Tears sprung to my eyes; I had no choice but to tap. My hand swatted the mat quickly, not even able to process the embarrassment of my loss while Summer had me in this hold.

Nothing happened; the ref didn't order her to stop, and Summer apparently didn't notice. The crowd did, and they were shouting out for the match to end. The ref was preoccupied arguing with the announcers about his accidental involvement. Of freakin' course. My hand moved to her leg, and I tapped hard several times; Summer just pulled harder and I let out a cry of pain. I heard Nikki shouting for her to let me go as I continued to beat on Summer's knee and thigh. She twisted just a bit further, and I cried out,

“Summer! Stop!"

She let out a bark of laughter and shifted, digging her heels into my opposite shoulder and adding to the excruciating pain I was in. She knew I was trying to tap out. This was no doubt her punishment for the accidental elbow to the face in our last match that left her with a black eye. But this was different; the pain I was in was nothing I'd felt before.

Desperately, I tried to pull free, but the searing, white-hot ache in my arm was too distracting. Every time I shifted, it got worse. The ref, having finally come around to look at us, saw my tapping. He dropped next to us and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Summer! Let up!" the ref ordered. "She's done!"

Summer gave a final jerk of my arm, and I felt bones snap. The crowd saw the give of my arm; my shriek of pain drowned out their horrified cries. Summer finally dropped her hold on me and I curled in on myself, clutching my arm to my chest as I cried in pain. Nikki, Bryan, and Brie were at my side before the ref. Nikki wrapped her arm around my shoulder and hugged me close, trying to comfort me as the medics swarmed the ring. I lifted my eyes and met Bryan’s gaze. He wouldn't say a word about this to me for several more weeks, but in that moment I understood the panic in his eyes.

I wouldn't be making the Diva's roster for quite some time.

NOW

I found myself desperate for Del Rio's intervention; if they messed with Randy, I'd be running out there to fight side-by-side with the Apex Predator, which was only one of my biggest dreams.

Randy hit Ziggler with a hard DDT, and got into position for his RKO, just as Del Rio jumped onto the apron. I tensed, but Stephanie caught my arm and nodded at the screen. Randy knocked Del Rio back, and though he caught a hard kick from Ziggler, he still managed to drop him, and get the pin.

“We're in the clear –" Stephanie began as a wave of disappointment settled over me, only to surge back up as we watched Ricardo leap into the ring and wrap his arms around Randy's neck. Though Randy tossed him, Ziggler and Del Rio were in the ring a heartbeat later, and I was taking off for the arena. I wove past the other superstars, heart in my throat, eyes locked on the ramp entrance.

Del Rio and Ziggler had Randy in the middle of the ring, beating him down, and I flew out from backstage. The crowd erupted in confused shouts; who was I? Was I here for Randy, or the assholes?

I leapt up and snagged the top rope, using my momentum to swing me over and into the ring, and then just like that I was in the middle of the brawl. I dove at Ziggler and caught him hard in the chest with a backhand, and then used all my effort to throw him over the top rope; Del Rio let out a snarl and I turned for him.

Wrangling his head into an air-tight grip, I stumbled back and pulled the much bigger man off Randy, delivering a series of high knees to his stomach and chest before throwing him out of the ring as well.

“We've got an unnamed wrestler out in the ring with Orton, and he just went to town on Ziggler and Del Rio!"

“The masked man wasting no time in flinging the attackers onto the ground, making this an even fight – Rodriguez is already out of the ring as well!"

“Well, Michael, we were worried what would happen with Team Foley being without Kofi Kingston – Orton's usual tag partner – but it looks like this new kid just showed us what could potentially be the next pair!"

I circled the ring dangerously; I was small, but that didn’t detract from the punches I was packing. I'd just proved I could brawl with the big boys, and it was clear my opponents were realizing that. Randy got to his feet, stumbling a bit, and met my eye. We didn't have time to linger on each other, though, as Ziggler began to circle the ring. Randy and I paced back and forth animatedly, watching each other's backs as Del Rio and Ziggler took positions by the announcement table.

A new voice rose up over the crowds cheers; Randy and I turned, side by side, to stare up at Teddy Long as he paused, microphone in hand. What was going to happen now? I kept on my toes, eyes sweeping to keep Ziggler and Del Rio in check, just in case. The two of them were eyeing me, and with a tremor of excitement, I realized they were actually wary of me.

“Well, apparently, Vickie Guerrero is too busy obsessing over the AJ scandal. And since this is a super show, I'm going to do something super!" Randy and I exchanged a quick glance as Teddy finished, "On behalf of Smackdown manager Booker T, this match will restart as a tag-team match, right now!"

The crowd went wild, and Randy turned to me and now we studied each other; his clear blue eyes burned into mine, and now I was the one that felt a little intimidated. A flicker of bemusement went over his lips and then he stuck out his hand to me, playing up our charade to the crowd. Slowly, I slipped mine into his, and we shook once before moving to our position at the turnbuckle.

“We're in for a treat tonight. We're just being told that Randy's tag-team partner is an up-and-coming superstar from NXT, Renegade."

“King, I think you'd agree that this kid's already made quite an impression on the crowd, and on the other men in the ring!"

As I went to step back, figuring Randy would want first shot, he gave me a quick smile and nodded to the ring. My heart sped up; he was letting me open the match?!

“You got this, kid," he told me, taking his post on the apron as I turned to Ziggler. As I began to circle, I caught sight of Randy motioning to the crowd to cheer me on, and a grin broke across my face. This was so freakin' awesome. Ziggler only spent a second sizing me up, and went in for an arm to the face. I ducked back and spun, catching him with two hard kicks to the side and back. He stumbled, and I capitalized.

“Renegade gets a knee to the back, but – OH! Renegade hits with a Hurricanrana! Ziggler is on his back! He's dazed, and I don't blame him!"

“For such a small size, that kid can really bring the A-game moves! Ziggler's trying to get to Del Rio, but he's pulled back by Renegade! They're on the ropes, now, Renegade going for a Russian leg sweep-"

“And Del Rio interfering! Getting in a distraction, and now the newcomer is thrown across the ring! Ziggler tags in Del Rio, and this isn't looking good for Renegade!"

Del Rio picked me up by the neck, man-handling me with ease. He looked taken aback by how light I was – maybe 120lbs, soaking wet. Once he realized I was easy to lift, he wasted no time in picking me up and planting me hard on my chest. He dug his knee into my back and looped a ridiculously muscled arm around my neck to pull me into a painful arch.

For a horrible, breathtaking moment, I was back at NXT, at Summer's mercy, my arm on the edge of snapping. As I scrambled to break free, Del Rio laughed. My self-control was waning rapidly; submission holds were my biggest weakness. Ever since my injury, I did what I could to avoid being caught in them. But Del Rio was fast and I'd been too dazed. Panic began to take over and I writhed; part of me was already wanting to tap out.

But from behind me, I could hear Randy chanting at the crowd to cheer me on; their cries for me settled the instinctive fear in my gut, and I let myself go limp. Del Rio was surprised for half a moment, and that was all I needed. I slid backwards, out of his hold, and I lifted myself on my hands. Del Rio was on his feet, turned to strike at me, and I swung my body around hard. My legs connected with his knees, and he flipped back, hitting the mat with a resounding thud. I wanted the cover, but I wasn't stupid. Randy needed in. I turned and met his eyes, diving forward, and a hand grabbed my ankle.

Ziggler hauled me back into the corner as Del Rio tagged him in. The ref didn't care enough about the illegal move, and soon I found myself being manhandled by the Show Off. Fangirling aside, I barely braced in time to block as he turned me around and held me by my neck, going for the Zig-Zag. I hooked my arms under his and, with a desperate burst of strength, flipped him over. I tried to hold him for the pin, but he was still too fired up. He flipped easily and then put all his weight on my neck with one arm as he covered my body for the pin.

The ref didn't see the illegal hold, but Randy did. He dove through the ropes and kicked Ziggler off of me; I rolled to my side, gasping for breath. Randy, back in his corner, hung over the rope and motioned desperately to me. With all I had I tried to scramble forward.

“C'mon, kid!" Randy cried, but to my dismay, Ziggler had also realized how easy I was to lift. Unlike Mysterio and Kalisto, I wasn't as solid. I was strong, yeah, but apparently nothing that made the boys sweat. Ziggler looped an arm around my stomach and hauled me back from Randy, throwing me into the far turnbuckle. I stumbled forward from the impact and we met in the middle of the ring; immediately he had the upper hand. If I'd just been tagged in, I had no doubt I could take him. But right now, still lightheaded from his illegal pin, I couldn't brace as he flung me hard back into the corner.

Dazed, I hardly had time to prepare as Ziggler caught me with a high-kick to the chest. As he grabbed my shoulders, though, I twisted easily and caught him in a Russian leg sweep. We both hit the mat hard, and I took a second to orient myself.

“Renegade and Ziggler, both a little stunned from that fall, are crawling now. Ziggler's on his knees, and yes! He's got Del Rio!"

“Renegade desperately reaching for Orton! Del Rio's nearly got him –"

With all my might, I threw my body forward, and my hand connected with Randy's. I fell and rolled out of the ring, hitting the ground hard as I fought to catch my breath. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ziggler circling the apron for me and I tried to sit up. No way I could fight him off me right now. Randy caught the movement and dove to the side, knocking him back away from me before turning to Del Rio.

I'd gotten my senses back enough to pull up onto the ring, just in time to see Del Rio slam Randy's head into the mat; Randy somehow got to his feet, but he barely knew where he was. He stumbled towards me, and desperation took over. I dove forward, tagging myself in before flying at Del Rio. I slammed him hard into the mat, but he threw me off. As we skittered back, I regained my footing, and we dove at each other. As we collided, I ducked under his arm, looping it over my shoulders before I did another leg sweep. This time, though, I flipped myself with him, doing a 360 spin before landing easily and flipping Del Rio's legs up for the pin.

“One… Two… Thr –" the crowd chanted as Ziggler slammed into my back. I sprawled onto Del Rio, and as Ziggler grabbed my hoodie to haul me back, Randy was at my side to fling him back over the top rope and give me time to recover. I crawled away from Del Rio as I got to my feet, and braced in the corner, ready for another Hurricanrana.

Hands slammed onto the mat at my feet and I spun, expecting Ziggler. Ricardo Rodriguez smirked up at me, and I acted on instinct. I threw my leg out, horizontal, and caught an attacking Del Rio in the stomach; he was trying to capitalize on the distraction. As he stumbled, I spun on one leg and delivered a high kick to his chest so hard he actually flipped back and landed on his stomach. I dove forward and flipped Del Rio onto his back, scooped his leg, and tucked his shoulders to the mat.

”One… Two… Three!"

The bell rang, and the crowd went absolutely wild as my music blasted through the stadium. Del Rio was pulled out from under me by a furious Rodriguez as Randy rolled under the rope. He reached me and pulled me onto my feet, and threw our arms up as the crowd cheered.

Cheered for me.

Then

”Jay –" Nikki tried again, and I curled a little tighter on the bed. Irritation spiked through me as my bulky cast bumped against my chin, and I shoved my arm under the pillow. I could hear the hushed conversation from Brie and Bryan at the door as someone sunk onto the bed. Nikki's arm wrapped across me as she scooted to sit at my side; her hand rubbed soothing circles on my back as I cried into the pillow.

“Jellybean, it’s gonna be okay. Your cast comes off soon, and Stephanie said we can get you ready for next year –"

“If it heals right, which it might not," I said bitterly, voice thick with the anguish I was feeling. All these years I'd worked my ass off, preparing myself for the chance I'd been fighting for the last three years. And now that I was finally old enough, I'd gone out for NXT and had my shot at getting on the roster. In just months, I was benched and back in the training cycle.

Summer had bent and twisted just right to fully break both bones in my forearm, and it had been an open fracture, much to Nikki's dismay when she'd noticed. I'd never seen anyone faint as fast as she did. So after surgery and a warning to take it easy for six to ten weeks, I'd just been hit with the reality that the reason my fingers were tingling and numb could be a result of nerve damage. And if that was the case…

“Don't count yourself out," Nikki murmured; I was one of the rare few that saw her soft, serious side. "I know what you're like. This isn't a death sentence. Lesser wrestlers have come back from a lot worse. You'll be fine in a few months, and we'll get back in –“

“And how long will it be until I can get a chance at being on roster again?" I whispered. "Divas don't get added on as quick as Superstars, Nik. It took me months to convince Stephanie and Hunter. And I blew it."

“No," she said firmly. "This is on Summer. Not you. You didn't do anything wrong. And when we get you back –"

“Nicole," I murmured, curling a little tighter. "I don't want to do this right now. I just wanna sleep.”

I didn't miss Nikki's worried sigh, didn't miss the dejected whispers outside the door with Brie and Bryan. I didn't miss the sympathetic glances I got from the doctors or the trainers. Didn't miss the false hope in the twins' voices as they boosted up my spirits of getting back in the ring. The nerve damaged was confirmed a few days after the cast came off, and though I could work to get myself back to where I'd been, it'd take time. It'd take longer to get back to a hundred percent than it'd taken me to get this shot at the roster, and I knew I wasn't high up enough in the company to be worth investing that much time and effort into. The others pretended not to be as worried as they were. Stephanie barely masked the disappointment when I told her, and Hunter tried his best not to let the resignation sink into his voice.

The others up-and-coming divas didn't take me as a threat now. All my moves - hell, my whole wrestling career was based around grappling and submission locks. Bryan had trained me; what else was to be expected? I was small but I was quick, nimble, and I'd learned submission takedowns from one of the best in the game. Now I couldn't do any of it. It was more out of desperation than anything that I found myself at the gym, beating into the punching bag with unwrapped hands so hard my knuckles were bloody and dripping.

“I think the bag's already dead," a voice said from behind me, and I let out a huff of frustrated laughter, flipping my hair out of my eyes as I turned. The stranger – which really, was no stranger at all – offered me a bemused smile at the expression I had. I’d seen him wrestle for years, and had even run into him a few times at the center, but I’d never met him one-on-one. Up close and personal, it was easy to see why the other divas were so infatuated with him...

“Just making sure. You never know with his kind," I joked, shoving away from the bag and wincing at the pain in my hands. He stepped forward and held out a hand, asking for mine. I hesitated, eyeing his hand first before my gaze flicked up to his dark blue eyes.

“C'mon, kid," he chuckled, reaching out and looping his fingers around my wrist to pull me in. "I don't bite.”

“I sidled up to him as he examined my wounds; before I knew it, we were sprawled out on the floor leaning against the gym equipment. We sat facing each other as he gently cleaned the blood off the skin and wrapped my fingers gently.

“Thanks," I said softly as he ripped off the last piece of tape and pushed my hand back into my lap. He gave a warm smile, eyes glinting in the bright lights. He stood and then turned, holding his hand down to me. My fingers slipped into his again, and I was on my feet a heartbeat later. We stared at one another for a moment and I gave his hand a light squeeze.

“I'm Jamie."

His smile widened and he squeezed back, staring down at me as he said softly,

“Randy."

Now

“Wait!" Del Rio hollered from the ring, having gotten his hands on a microphone. Randy and I paused halfway up the ramp, and I turned to face the ring. Del Rio was hanging over the ropes, face twisted into fury. "Show me your face!"

When I made no move to pull the mask down, Del Rio let out another snarl, and Randy actually laughed at his reaction. The furious wrestler ran a hand through his hair and then pointed an aggressive finger in my direction.

“If you have the nerve to jump me in the ring, the least you can do is show me who beat me!"

I raised a hand to my hood, but just as Del Rio leaned in to get a better look I gave a two-fingered salute. He let out a snarl and I stifled my laughter, turning to follow Randy backstage, accompanied by the cheers of the crowd. The moment we were out of the line of sight, Randy wrapped his arm around my shoulder and tucked me back away into a nearby closet. I could hear a few other wrestlers passing by, congratulating Randy on our win.

“Where's that NXT kid?" one of them ask, and I heard Randy point them in the wrong direction. I moved quickly, knowing we were short on time. I ripped my hoodie off, and then peeled away the mask and beanie. As I frantically undid my tactical vest off and threw it behind me, I shimmied out of my cargo pants and then dropped to kick off my boots.

Now in only a tank top and panties, I grabbed my original clothes off the shelf and yanked my jeans on as I shoved my feet into my converse. As I whipped on my overshirt and shoved evidence of my other identity into my duffel, I redid my hair into a swift, messy bun and then tapped on the door. Randy opened it a moment later and laughed; I raised a brow.

“Forgetting something?" he mused, and I immediately looked down; I was fine, from what I could see. Randy chuckled and tipped my head back, locking his eyes on me.

“Green looks better than white," he hinted, and I gasped, whirling to hide myself even though we were alone. I pulled my contacts out quickly, dropping them in the trash nearby.

“Better?" I asked quickly, and Randy smirked as he tugged my hand to pull me after him, taking the duffel from me as we went.

“As good as you’re gonna get," he teased, and then Nikki's voice drifted down the hall. I gasped and took a step back. Randy raised a curious brow, and I motioned for him to go.

“My friends are hunting me and I still look like I ran six miles," I said, backing down a separate hallway towards the Diva locker room. This time, his smirk spread into a toothy grin.

“Or, you know, wrestled Alberto Del Rio."

“Just go, I'll see you tomorrow at the gym," I laughed, picking up my pace. Randy winked at me and continued down the hall as I whirled, ready to sprint the rest of the way.

Almost immediately, I slammed into someone solid and we both went to the floor. Stealthy getaways weren't always a strong-suit with me. There was a yelp of indignation from the body beneath me as I was shoved mercilessly onto my ass. The victim of my collision scowled as he stood, fixing his robe as he did so.

“Oh, shit, sorry Mr. Sandow –" I began, and he gave a startled gasp, clutching at his chest.

“Young lady! Watch your language! This is a business setting!"

“Said the grown man in a fluffy bath robe and pink spandex," I pointed out, getting to my feet. Damien's face drew into a deeper frown and he flipped his hair over his shoulder.

“Where is your respect –"

“Jamie!"

Well, of course.

Brie was at my side a moment later, giving Damien a tight smile as she locked a vice grip on my wrist. For such a small woman, she had an alarmingly painful hold. The fuming wrestler matched Brie's stare and he scoffed.

“Brianna, is this ignoramus that Jeanette girl you were looking for?" he asked, a tone of disgust coloring his words as he glanced over me. Brie’s hand tightened on my arm as she began to pull me back down the hall.

“Yeah, this is her. I'm so sorry, Damien. We didn't mean to bother you. Good luck on your match!" she called as Damien turned and stormed back the other way, muttering about disrespectful children. The moment he was out of earshot, Brie turned to give me an incredulous look.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you!" she exclaimed, pulling me around the corner, only to call out, "I've got her! She's over here!"

Nikki, Bryan, and even John Cena (whom Nikki had undoubtedly roped into our family shenanigans again) turned from their position interrogating a few guys at the locker room. Nikki gasped in relief and put a hand over her chest as we came up to her, and she immediately pulled me into a hug.

“Guys, seriously, it's not like I was kidnapped or something," I began. "I was just walking around!"

“Yeah, getting yourself into trouble," Bryan laughed, noting the look on his girlfriend’s face. I gave him an indignant glance and scoffed,

“What makes you think –"

“It's you," he countered, glancing at Brie. Okay, fair. "Where'd you find her?"

“Insulting Damien Sandow," she said dryly, and I turned to see a very unamused scowl on her face. Bryan snorted as John stepped up beside him, looking amused as well.

“It’s about time you showed up," he said, pausing at Nikki’s side. They’d been on a few dates, and for once I actually approved of the guy she was crazy about. Her previous track record was disappointing, to say the least, but John seemed like a good guy. Besides making my best friend happier than I'd seen her in a long time, he was actually making an effort to get to know the rest of us. He'd even been going above and beyond to show he cared about me, which was an honest accomplishment considering my knack for trouble. As I gave him a sheepish grin, he studied my appearance and frowned just a bit. "You okay?"

“Fine," I promised, but now the twins had taken another moment to examine me. Brie pushed my hair off my shoulder and pulled the collar of my overshirt back.

“Is that a bruise?!"

“Wait, why are you all sweaty?" Nikki asked, wrinkling her nose.

“Is this new?" Bryan cut in, waiving the twins back to examine my neck on his own. He wasn’t just my mentor – he was practically my big brother, and he didn’t like seeing me hurt. The painful memory of Ziggler's arm pinning my neck resurfaced as I swatted everyone’s hands away from me.

"I was doing some exercises with some other guys backstage," I told them. Which, I mean, wasn't a total lie... I offered a shrug as glanced at Brie and Nikki. "I didn't think I needed to let my parents know where I'd be."

Brie scowled.

“Well when you just disappear and come back all beat up, we’re gonna be a little concerned.”

“Bryan, are you concerned? Or do you think I’m old enough to cross the street without holding someone's hand?”

Brie rolled her eyes, preparing to launch into an argument with me as Bryan shot me a look of exasperation, tugging his girlfriend back to walk with him.

“I've got a match, so we'll catch you later," he said, already halfway down the hall and not showing any signs of slowing down. I always roped him into the arguments with Brie and it was clear he wasn’t ready to be the peacekeeper tonight.

“Jamie, you don't need to tell us everything," John began, bringing us back on track. "Just let us know before you disappear.”

“I was super worried about you, Jellybean,” Nikki agreed. Her hand brushed over my bruise again and she actually frowned, studying my injury. “And for good reason. How’d you get this? And why were you picking a fight with Damien Sandow?”

“I wasn’t picking a fight,” I sighed, rolling my eyes. Brie always blew things out of proportion. “One of the wrestlers was showing me a move and he slipped. It's no big deal," I tried to wave off, but to my surprise, John stepped forward. He pulled my hair back and examined my neck; what was I, some exhibit in a gallery? His eyes darkened just a hint with concern and he stepped back to look down at me.

“Which one hurt you?"

“Uh, let's see. 'Bout a foot above me, shirtless, sweaty…"

Nikki and John rolled their eyes as I sniggered.

“As long as you're okay," John sighed, though I could see both he and Nikki weren’t satisfied with my dodgy answer.

I'd known the twins for years, having met them the day I started at NXT. They'd been my first friends in Florida – working at the developmental center – and had taken me under their wing. My dad died when I was eight, and I didn't have any other family to go to. The foster system hadn't done me any good; Brie and Nikki were the closest to family I had now.

Bryan and I had been friends even longer - when I'd been (illegally) wrestling in the indie circuit at 16, he'd been my partner in crime and we'd climbed the ropes together. When he'd gotten signed to NXT, he'd pulled me out of the indies with him and helped me truly get on my feet for the first time in my life. John was slowly becoming part of our rag-tag family as well. Though he and Nikki still weren't completely official yet, he'd been hanging around us for a while now and we'd grown on each other.

I teased him a lot and called him Papa John – to go along with Mama Brie – because they worried the most. Bryan was a snotty older brother most of the time, and Nikki was a big sister and best friend. Really, with them in my life, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.

John walked Nikki and I back to the Divas locker room – mostly to ensure I didn’t wander off between now and the end of the show. As we settled into one of the couches to watch Bryan’s match, I checked the text I had waiting, and my heart actually skipped a beat.

From: Stephanie McMahon
Amazing match. Crowd can't wait to have you back.

Then

“You're serious."

Hunter stared at me across the desk, a bemused expression on his face. Randy, standing behind me, rested his hands on my shoulders for reassurance. I took a deep breath and nodded as Randy explained,

“I've been training with her the last few months, and I gotta say, she's one hell of a wrestler. Way past the intensity of the Divas. She takes hard hits, and gives worse than she gets. She's even taken me out a few times."

Hunter actually looked marginally impressed; I had a feeling Randy freakin' Orton didn't come in talking up many people from NXT. Again, Hunter went back to studying the footage we'd given him. A match I'd just had with Randy that ended with my Hurricanrana and a well-deserved pin.

“Well," he sighed, switching off the footage and looking back at me. "Let me talk to Steph. If you two want to wait, it'll just be a few moments."

A few moments. That's all he was giving the future of my WWE career? I wanted to add my own thoughts, but Randy knew me too well now. He gripped my shirt and tugged me out of the chair, giving Hunter a smile.

“We'll be outside."

As the door shut, I began my incessant pacing; it drove Randy crazy. He leaned against the wall, watching me for just a few moments before letting out a sigh.

“Jay," he said simply, and I came to a disgruntled stop in front of him, folding my hands together behind my head. He reached out and rested his hands on my shoulders to soothe me. Over the last few months he'd become a close friend. Outside of the Bellas and Bryan, I didn't have anyone I spent time with. Randy, though, had been my constant companion. When I'd suggested trying to wrestle with the superstars instead of the divas - like I used to in CZW - he'd been with me from the get-go. With a minor surgery and some physical therapy, the nerve damage was nearly a thing in the past.

“Chyna was allowed to wrestle with the guys," he reminded. "And all you've done, all that Hunter's just seen, he'd be crazy not to let you into at least one match. You know how much the fans would eat up a little thing like you taking down a superstar?"

“But what if I'm too little? I'm hardly even above the top rope –"

“You know what? So are Kalisto and Rey Mysterio. But they still kick ass every week and take down Big Show and Sheamus. You could too."

“I just… if I get turned down again… I can't be a diva. I just don't belong there anymore. It's not what I want. I want to be in the ring with you. With Bryan and John. I miss wrestling like I used to in the indies, and I just... I want a chance to make a name for myself and I know I can't do that as a diva -"

“And we'd like to give you that chance," Stephanie said, from where she and Hunter had been listening at the door. "Jamie, what Hunter showed me was amazing. I haven't seen moves like those from a female wrestler since the Attitude Era, and that's saying something."

“Oh wow," I breathed; Stephanie McMahon never gave compliments. "Thank you so much –"

“We'd like to give you a match," Hunter added. "Nothing big, but Del Rio's been letting his ego get away from him, and I'm sure you'd be just what we need to put him in check."

“Hold on, you want me to wrestle Alberto Del Rio?" I gasped, and Hunter nodded with a grin. "Oh my god!"

Randy pulled me to his side and squeezed my shoulder as Hunter beckoned us inside. It was really happening. In just a few weeks time I'd be in the ring, live on Raw, with Alberto Del Rio.

Finally, I'd get a chance at my dreams.

NOW

“Dude, what the hell happened?!" Nikki gasped as she came out of the bathroom; I glanced at my shoulder in the mirror as I headed for bed. Sure enough, a wicked bruise had blossomed where I hit the mat after my hard Russian leg sweep on Ziggler.

“It's not like you've never had worse," I tried to deflect, digging through my bag for my charger. Nikki's hands grabbed the edge of my tank top and pulled up to show my back and stomach.

“Nicole!" I squeaked, jerking back and swatting her grabby fingers away from me. Her face was twisted into concern.

“Jellybean," she started, and I rolled my eyes at the nickname. "There's no way you got that from a few practice moves. That's like, hard-hitting impact," she said, motioning to my back. I could practically feel Del Rio's knee digging into my spine, but I scoffed.

“I bruise easier than you guys," I reminded, ducking away from her scrutiny as I climbed into bed. "And if you're sleeping under the covers, you're putting a shirt on."

Nikki planted hands on her hips and scowled; she was in a pair of booty shorts and a bra that wouldn't hold everything in when she started tossing and turning. The two of us always shared a room, and somehow we kept ending up booked with just a single king bed. Luckily Nikki and I were close enough that it didn't bother us, but she wasn't the most... conservative diva. At this point, I'd gotten to more bases than John Cena, and not by my own choice.

“I’m sure John wouldn’t make me wear a shirt," she pouted, and I gagged. Not even officially dating and it grossed me out. "It's nothing you've never seen –"

"You're a cuddler and I'm not your boyfriend. I don't wanna wake up smothered by your airbags again," I shot back, and she let out a laugh as I threw a discarded shirt at her. As she reluctantly clothed herself she let our conversation drop. We crawled into bed and I snapped the lights off, curling up on my side and favoring my bruised shoulder.

As beat up as I was, I felt better than I had in nearly a year. I'd wrestled on Raw against Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio as Randy freakin' Orton's tag-team partner. And the crowd wanted me back.

As I went to set my alarm, I saw a waiting text from Randy, and opened it with a smile.

Brought your A-game, Jay. I'm proud of you. See you in the AM.

Yeah. Talk about one hell of a night.