Chapter 13 - All Bets Are Off

"Yeh sulking because yeh lost?" Stephen smirked, watching his rookie slump down onto one of the beds inside the quaint hotel room. She had been quiet since she had finished her match, mulling over what she could improve on for next week.

"It would be nice to win for a change," Lou didn't want to sound ungrateful. She loved the experience she was getting in the WWE, especially with Stephen by her side.

"Take them as they come, lass." He pulled his shirt off, throwing it into his suitcase. The plan for the evening was to go and check out the casino, though he didn't intend to make any bets, he had a feeling Lou would be spending a fair amount of her money.

"I still can't believe Katie slapped me. I'd hate to get on the wrong side of her out of the ring." Lou shuddered at the thought, running her hand over her cheek.

"How's yer neck?" Still at the other side of the room, he gave her the once over. Unlike him, she had been lucky with her neck injury, only giving her a slight bit of pain now and again.

"It hasn't been giving me any trouble, so that's a good sign I guess." Subconsciously she rubbed her neck, smiling softly at Stephen's concern.

"Yeh guess?" Stephen lifted up his hand and beckoned her over to him. "Come here." Lou groaned and slumped back onto the bed, ignoring his request.

Stephen couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her behaviour. He moved across the room to her, gently lowering himself on top of her, resting his weight on his arms either side of her.

"Ste, what are you doing?" Smirking at her question, he gently pushed his lips against hers, delighted as she sighed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her back arched up off the bed, rubbing her body against Stephen's, the contact sent tingles flying up her spine and across her body. He pulled back from her, watching her chest rise and fall as she tried to catch her breath.

"Ah'm just making sure yer alright," Stephen spoke in a short breath, his eyes staring into hers.

"I think you better check again," she smirked, revelling in the fact she had brought a smile to her pro's face. He didn't have to be told twice. Dipping his head down he captured her lips, a groan rumbling in his chest as she arched her back and pushed herself into him again. She pushed on his shoulders, making him roll over onto his back. Lou's legs straddled his hips, moaning as his hands gripped onto her thighs, bringing her closer to him.

"What's that?" Lou took note of the faint ringing that was now audible in the room. "Is that your phone?"

"It's nothin', lass." Stephen tried to pull her back down to him; the heavy tugging deep within him wasn't going to be ignored. He pressed his lips against her throat, holding her still so his lips could travel across her smooth skin.

"I think it's your phone." Feeling Lou slip through his fingers Stephen groaned. She climbed off him, moving over to his pile of clothes that he had dumped on his bed next to his gym bag. She found his blackberry and upon seeing Drew's name on the screen she wondered what on earth he would want. They had only seen him 10 minutes ago. "You were right, it was nothing." Lou smiled and returned to her position over Stephen, grateful that had a little while before they ventured into the casino.

Katie sauntered out of the bathroom after putting the finishing touches to her make-up. She looked across the room to find Stu stood in front of the floor-length mirror, checking over his hair. He smirked at her reflection as his hand patted down stray ungelled strands; she sent a simper back his way, approaching him from the side.

"Nice shirt," she laughed, pulling at the collar playfully. "Manly."

He glanced down at what he was wearing, clearly oblivious to what was so bad about his choice of clothing. "What's wrong with it?"

"Don't you think that the pink's a bit much? And the detail on the collar..." She trailed off, "Seriously, what the hell are you thinking?" Katie pointed to the pink paisley pattern lining the inside and then proceeded to poke at the collar of the black shirt. He shrugged her off, turning to face her.

"I like it."

"Trying to win the bet by wearing shit clothes isn't going to work, just so you know."

Stu feigned hurt, his hand clutching against his chest over his heart. He gave her the once-over and couldn't stop the smile creeping onto his thin lips.

"Neither is wearing a really tight dress. Anyone would think that you're trying to entice me."

"Yeah because I need a tight dress to make you want me," she quipped, moving around the bed to put on her heels. "I bet you'd rather I was naked, under these covers, and waiting for you to fuck me."

"Well there's nothing stopping you from doing that," he chuckled lightly, pulling back the cotton covers and motioning for her to get in the bed. Katie laughed, getting up and walking towards him. He stared down at her as she plucked at the buttons of his shirt.

"If I'm getting naked then so are you." As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Stu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

She pulled him down to her by gripping hard onto the material of his shirt, her lips a hair's breadth away from his ear. "No," he grunted when she backed away from him, a cocky smirk plastered on her face. "But you should take off that shirt anyway. Burn it, even."

Stu glanced down at his shirt, beginning to regret buying it in the first place. Perhaps he could give it to Cody; he would wear anything and not care what anyone thought. Katie's somewhat gentle jibes had gotten to him, as much as he hated to admit it.

"New shirt," he mumbled to himself, hoping that his rookie hadn't bothered to listen.

Wandering through the casino, Lou slipped her arm through Stephen's. The flashing bright lights were overwhelming, drawing people to wherever they could lose their pay check.

"So what's your weakness?" She asked, gazing around the room to see what she could spend some money on first.

"Excuse me?" Stephen laughed, scanning the room for anyone they would know. A lot of people from the roster were out in full force, making the most of their time in Las Vegas.

"I love the slots," Lou nodded towards the closest row of slot machines.

"Ah thought yeh'd be glued to the poker tables." Stephen mused, remembering the poker game where she cleaned Stu out, much to his amusement.

"Later, I like to warm up first."

"In a bit, Stu's over there." The Irishman pulled her arm from his and pressed his palm to her small of her back, guiding her through the room.

"How yeh doing, fella?" Stephen greeted his friend, almost ignoring Katie. "And yehself, lass?" He nodded towards the brunette who smiled back.

"Just enjoying the time off and celebrating the win." Stu crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing the couple with a smirk.

Lou stood close to Stephen, watching Stu carefully. She still didn't like him. "How about another game of poker?"

"Haven't you lost enough tonight?" The Englishman bit back, smirking as he watched the blonde's smile disappear in a flash.

"You know what-" Lou moved around Stephen, pointing her finger at Stu but she was stopped short.

"How about a drink? Come on, lass," he tugged on her elbow, trying to pull her away from the Englishman. "Yeh seem to like starting trouble these days." Stephen spoke close to hear ear so anyone they passed couldn't hear.

"I'm not starting anything. God that man knows how to push my buttons. I don't know how Katie puts up with him."

"He's not all bad." Stephen defended his friend but Lou shook her head. She would leave Katie to deal with Stu; she seemed to be doing a pretty good job so far.

"I just don't trust him Stephen, especially with what he's doing with Katie. It's like he's brainwashed her." Stephen rolled his eyes, knowing full well that Katie was capable of standing up for herself. And if anyone had a fighting chance against Stu, it was his equally feisty rookie.

"Ah think they were made fer each other." Stephen grinned, leaning against the side of the bar once they had reached it.

"Wait, you're approving of their twisted relationship now?" Lou couldn't quite believe that he wasn't siding with her.

"They're adults, they can do whatever they like."

"Sounds like Katie's not the only one who's brainwashed." She mumbled, annoyed that her pro was agreeing with Stu. So they had been friends long before she had entered the picture, but to change his mind so suddenly just didn't sit well with her.

Stephen gripped onto her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "How abou' we focus on our relationship, no' theirs?"

Lou sighed, annoyed that she had let herself get so annoyed. Katie would come to her if anything was wrong. She was also a grown woman, capable of looking after herself. If she needed her, so be it. But for now she would put all her attention on improving her skills in the ring, and maybe with her Irish pro as well.

Katie sighed as Stu was dealt another hand at one of the many poker tables. There was a crowd forming quickly, so it was easier for her to hide her tells from the other players. It didn't look good for her pro.

"You sure you don't need any help there, Stewie?"

"Don't call me that," he retorted, his temper quickly rising. "And I'm perfectly fine playing with myself."

"Uh huh, I bet you are..." Katie laughed, nudging his arm when he didn't crack a smile at her joke. "Come on, where's your sense of humour?"

"My head's in the game, alright?"

"I'm a great mascot and an even better judge of character. Do you not want me here?"

"Why don't you go and get yourself a drink or something?"

"Why don't you let me hang out?"

He threw another plastic chip into the middle, increasing the potential winnings. Katie watched him with a glare, her eyes boring a hole into his skull as he continued his game. He flipped his cards over, thinking he had a winning hand but instead found himself losing to an older gentleman from across the table. Stu slammed his fist down onto the surface in frustration, his remaining plastic chips clicking together in the pile he had assembled as he did so. "You're throwing me off."

"I'm not doing anything," she argued, placing her hands on his shoulders to lean over him and mumble in his ear. "And I haven't done anything for a week."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Yours!" Her answer invited questioning glances from the other people sat at the table. She laughed nervously as all eyes were on her before gesturing towards the dealer to begin another game.

"How is it mine?" Stu asked, trying to keep his voice down so they avoided causing a scene. Katie refused to back down, her voice maintaining its level.

"You wanted this. You're the one who bet me that I couldn't last a week without you. Well, you know what? At midnight, I would have proved you wrong."

"I'm not getting into this with you right now." He reprimanded, sliding his cards towards him as they lay face-down on the table.

"Why can't you just admit to me how you really feel, huh?"

Stu scoffed, turning his attention back to his cards which were hidden from the other players sat at the table. "I could say the same thing to you," he laughed bitterly, not even turning back to look at her. "Just leave me alone for a bit."

"Fine, if you don't want me here then I'll just go off and find someone else to talk to," she turned back to him quickly, her hair whipping in the air as she did so. "And by talk I really mean fool around and have sex with. I wonder where Ziggler is..."

"Whatever, Katie."

"I'm going to tell you how great he is in bed. How much better he is than you."

"Then I'd know you were lying," he answered with a chuckle. "You won't find another man as good as me."

"Wanna bet?"

"Bet?" He pursed his lips, feigning bewilderment. "I'm confused as to what we're already doing here..."

"You're unbelievable," Katie argued, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared him down.

"Thank you," he replied, his back completely to her.

Katie huffed, pushing her way through the growing crowd without looking back. If he was going to be like that, then fine. She would go and find her fun elsewhere, even if there was no Dolph Ziggler to shamelessly flirt with.

Stu shuffled through the casino, adamant of seeking out his rookie. He weaved through people stood around different tables, his eyes immediately finding Lou and Stephen hanging around a crowded blackjack table. Drinks in hand, they were having a great time just being in each other's presence. Stu frowned; he didn't actually believe that Katie would be with anyone else but them tonight, obviously she was up to mischief again. Yet, she was nowhere to be seen around the table. He pushed his way through to get to his acquaintances, receiving grunts and glares from certain people; he ignored them completely, tapping Lou on the shoulder.

"Where is she?" She turned around to meet his focused stare, the smell of the malt whiskey he had just swallowed still fresh on his breath.

"Katie? She's over there." Stu's jade gaze followed Lou's gesturing hand to settle on his rookie sat on a barstool chatting to a random, and well-off looking, gentleman. She laughed uncontrollably at one of his no doubt ridiculous and unfunny jokes, her hand landing on the man's chest to steady herself. Clearly she was reaching her limit. Stephen noticed the Englishman's scowl and the quiver of his Adam's apple as he let out a breath. He offered him a smile, but his attention was fully focused on Katie acting like putty in the man's hands.

"Yeh alright, fella?"

"No, I'm not," he mumbled, turning back to them, feeling like he had witnessed enough. "I've fucking had enough of this." Lou looked at him confused as he retreated through the crowd and advanced towards where his rookie sat.

"What's he doing?" She asked Stephen, who contently wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled her way.

"Call me crazy, but Ah think he's jus' grown some balls."

It was like he was a man possessed. If this was an attempt to piss him off then it was working. The Englishman passed by many people in order to reach her, earning interested stares from strangers; he commandeered all the attention available, his presence was overwhelming. He could only take so much teasing before he snapped. This was it. He reached the bar, listening in on the man's pretentious views about things that Katie obviously didn't care about; she smiled and nodded along, taking a sip of the drink he had bought her out of kindness. She stiffened up when the man's hand slipped to her thigh and lightly squeezed the exposed flesh. Stu narrowed his eyes; that should have been him, no matter how much he tried to deny it. It was time to do something drastic; something that would prove what he truly wanted.

He walked up to her, quickly grabbing her hand and spinning her off the stool to face him. She stared up at him like he was crazy, raising her eyebrows and silently commanding an answer from his mouth. The man she had been chatting to shot up, his bad temper swift. He too, wanted an answer.

"What the fuck?"

Stu turned to him, holding his hand out to stop any arguments. His voice was warning, but at the same time deep and brooding. "Back off, mate."

His cold stare was enough to get him to leave, taking his beer with him and weaving through the crowds of people stood around tables. Stu shook his head, presuming that he would be off lurking for his next fix. He wouldn't let that happen to Katie; he didn't want her to be just another number. He certainly didn't want anyone else to have her. Still, his rookie stared up at him, wanting him to explain his actions. He focused in on her pink lips, full and parted, and had to swallow hard; if this was what it was going to take then he would do it right here, right now.

She yelped as he tugged her towards him, his breath dancing across the apple of her cheek. Her eyes slipped shut when he crashed his lips to hers, not as forceful as previous encounters but equally as passionate. She moaned softly, linking her arms around his neck to pull him closer, not wanting to break the kiss for anything. Onlookers could only ogle, distant co-workers seemed perplexed. He slid his tongue into her mouth, his fingers stroking over her brown locks and down her body to settle on her hips, the fabric of her dress sliding upwards slightly. Neither of them could care about who saw them; it just no longer mattered. Katie threaded her fingers through the soft dark curls at the back of his neck, the warmth of her touch seeping into his skin. He inwardly smiled as he felt her relax; the way she was reacting made it seem like she felt exactly the same as him. She pulled away from him being left completely breathless. Stu pressed a quick kiss just below her ear, his deep voice making her shiver.

"Don't fight me on this one."

"Where the hell are we?" Chesca lazily asked.

"Wanna know something?" Hawkins replied after tilting his head back to swallow the last drops of Jack Daniel's in his bottle. "I don't know."

The two looked up; Chesca and the New Yorker were in front of a small building that was of a pinkish colour. On the peak of the roof, a cross that must have been visible from miles was lit up by neon lights. In a curvy calligraphy above the entrance door was a sign; Chapel de San Josè.

"I bet it's... It's a church!" Chesca said, leaning with her elbow on his shoulder and taking the whiskey bottle away from his hands; much to her disappointment, it was already empty.

"Church?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. "Since we're here then, come on." Curt let his hand slide down her arm, lacing his fingers with hers and bringing them up to his mouth to leave a kiss on her smooth skin.

"Let's have this tour then." With glistening eyes, Chesca smiled and let Curt drag her inside the chapel.

The smell of flowers inebriated their senses whilst soft organ music played in the background; it made everything feel as if they were in some kind of dream. The chapel was completely empty, the three rows of white wooden benches were at each side of the walkway leading to the arch decorated with white roses that served as the altar.

"Can I be of any help to you?" A short man with dark hair and a moustache, talking with a strong Mexican accent came in from the same entrance. Curt took his cowboy hat off and lifted it above his head, greeting the man that appeared to be the priest.

Curt's cowboy outfit was impeccable. Black leather pants and high boots, a silver belt buckle with the skull of a bull decorated the top of his pants. A dark grey plaid shirt covered his torso and a black bandanna around his neck completed his look; he could have come straight from a Clint Eastwood movie.

"We were just looking around. Nice place." The young rookie said, her hand never leaving Curt's as she looked down at her cream coloured cowboy boots. She took the chance to pull down the material of her denim jeans shorts over her toned thighs.

"Erm... Can you give us a moment, man?" Hawkins said to the priest, patting his shoulder. The man nodded and busied himself in adjusting the flowers wrapped around the arch's column.

"Chesca?" Curt asked to McIntyre's rookie, in a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Marry me."

"What?" She gasped, her eyes wide with surprise as he drunkenly smiled at her.

"You heard that right," he continued, "Let's get married. Here."

"Christ," Chesca replied nervously. "My parents won't like it."

"They'll adore me like my mom will adore you."

"Lou and Katie will kill me; I named them as my bridesmaids..."

"Fuck, Ches!" Hawkins burst out laughing, leaning down to kiss the young woman's lips with greed. "I love everything about you. Be my wife. That's it."

Chesca listened to her pro with wide eyes; she had never seen someone so determined in wanting her. She didn't know what she was doing but it looked like something fun to do. The images of the first night with her new husband already made her giggle.

"Let's do this."

They lay exhausted, tangled in the sheets; their limbs were intertwined as they attempted to catch their breath. Katie turned her head to see Stu staring up at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling sharply, a satisfied smile etched on his face. His arm reached out to her, draping across the slim expanse of her shoulders and pulling her closer to his chest. She bit her lip; it was strange how different she felt about closeness after they had accepted their feelings for each other. Intimacy was a brand new concept. Her fingers stroked down his chest, tracing the grooves between his hard muscles. He dropped a kiss to her forehead and felt her press further into his embrace. She lifted her head to meet his gaze, her lips curving into a blissful smile. Stu grinned, cupping a flushed cheek in his large hand, his thumb stroking softly over her cheekbone. This was the side to the Englishman that she hadn't seen before; his guard was down, his true actions speaking for him. She could feel his hot breath against her skin as he slowly leaned closer. Katie closed her eyes as he kissed her deeply, slowly moving his lips against hers and revelling in her flavour. A series of knocks to the door disrupted their quiet moment. Stu gripped her tighter in a possessive hold; he had no intention of moving.

"Leave it," he whispered against her lips, hoping that she would ignore it like he was trying to.

Maybe; just maybe, they would give up and go away after a while. Katie sighed contently as his palm travelled to her lower back; forgetting the person on the other side of the door was getting easier with every ministration of his hand to her skin.

"Katie! I know you're in there!" Lou shouted from the hallway, her voice muffled by the thick wood but still audible from the sheer volume. She banged her fist hard against it several times, becoming increasingly frustrated when no one came to answer. "Come on, open the door right now!"

Stu groaned, pulling himself out of the bed and tracing heavy steps towards the entrance of their hotel room. "I'll deal with her."

"Stu?" Katie's voice stopped him mid-step. He slowly turned to see her wrapped in the bed sheets, her hair unkempt, lips plump and bruised from his kisses; just the way he liked her best.

"What?"

"You haven't got any clothes on." She giggled as he looked down at himself; nothing but glorious skin. He chucked back, watching her get up and search for something to slip on quickly. She grabbed her discarded underwear and buttoned up his shirt on her slim frame before seeing to her impatient friend. The Englishman followed close behind, keeping himself well-guarded by Katie's body as she opened up the door.

Lou rolled her eyes at the sight before her. "Oh my god. That's the second time you've appeared naked in front of me. Are you allergic to clothes or something?" Her question was clearly directed at Stu, but her answer came from Katie's mouth swiftly.

"Oh come on, it's not like you can see anything this time."

"She stole my shirt," he quipped, snaking his arms around Katie's waist and grasping at the material with his fists.

"But not your pants..." Lou argued, her hands set impatiently on her hips. "Can't you house that thing?"

"Why have you always got to ruin our good time, Louise?" He asked, pressing his lips to Katie's neck before looking to her for some back up. She shook her head with a small smile, deciding to steer the conversation into another direction.

"Where's Ste?"

"In our room. I need to talk to you; it's pretty urgent." The New Yorker was beginning to sound frantic; the sight in front of her began to fizzle from her mind as she kept a tight hold on her phone, keep feeling the need to check it every ten seconds.

"Yeah, I got that. What's happening?"

"I just got the weirdest voicemail from Ches."

Stu let out a frustrated sigh; Lou had interrupted their alone time for that? "That's great." He interjected, lengthening the vowels to emphasise the blatant sarcasm; he pushed Katie forward so he could try to close the door again. "Bye now." Katie couldn't help but tut at Stu's careless attitude, stopping him from shutting Lou out. They had completely lost track of Chesca over the course of the evening; god knows what she was up to.

"What did she say? Is she alright?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "She sounds wasted. Here, have a listen." Lou passed her phone to Katie, instructing her to press the button for the speakerphone. The line was crackling; the unmistakable laughter of Curt in the background as Chesca slurred and murmured into the receiver.

"Drew needs to fuck off and leave me alone...Who the hell does he think he is? Worming his way into my business...But Hawkins is so sweet though...I need you guys...You need to be here...Witnesses-" The message cut off before anymore could be said. The whole situation was pretty cryptic.

"What the fuck is she on?" Katie asked, confusion setting in as she looked to Lou for an answer. She shrugged, taking back her phone and checking over the call's status.

"She sent it like an hour ago when we were down in the casino. Oh, hold on..." They stared at Lou, the sound of a new message coming through. "Oh shit."

"What?"

"Check it out."

"She didn't..."

"They got married?" Stu laughed as Katie held the phone up for him to see. A photo of Chesca and Curt looking worse for wear and pointing out their wedding rings with goofy smiles on their faces stared back at them. "Jesus, they really must be pissed."

"This isn't funny, Stu!"

Lou snatched her phone back, trying to keep a level head. "What are we going to do?"

"We?" Stu scoffed, shaking his head. "We're not going to do anything."

"He's right, Lou," Katie finally said, "Come on, it's really late and we won't be able to do anything about the situation until the morning."

"Besides, they're probably consummating that marriage by now." Stu tightened his arms around Katie's waist, pulling her against him with a hungry look in his eyes. The English rookie took that as a massive hint, and turned back to Lou.

"Look, just call her up, ask her if she's okay and then get back to Ste. The poor sod's probably waiting for you, naked, in bed..."

Lou pursed her lips, battling a visible dilemma. Perhaps they were right; even if they managed to find Chesca it was probably too late to do anything about her nuptials tonight. She sighed, glancing down at her phone once more before giving in. "Alright, I'll see you guys in the morning."

Katie waited until Lou disappeared down the corridor before closing the door. She turned around to see Stu immediately reach for the buttons on the shirt she was wearing. He deftly released the two halves, running his lips across her collar bone. Her nipples scraped against his chest when he possessively pulled her close, laying a passionate kiss on her lips. "Let's go back to bed."

She responded favourably, backing him towards the bed, her lips never leaving his. Once again their moment was disrupted by sharp knocks on the door. Katie pulled away from him, coming to the end of her tether. "Oh for fuck sake! Can't we have a little privacy?" She buttoned up the shirt once more, instructing her naked pro to sit tight under the covers. Her eyes narrowed when she opened the door. "Drew?"

"Lassie! Ye' gettin' in there wit' me mate again, huh?" He slurred his words, his hands bracing the doorframe to keep his balance.

"What are you doing here?"

"Comin' back to the room Ah paid for," the Scotsman pushed his way into the room, not paying mind to what he had just disrupted. It would have been worse if he hasn't lost his keycard; he could've walked in on something rather memorable. Stu shook his head disapprovingly as he sat up in bed. His best friend looked incredibly worse for wear.

"Your breath stinks!" Katie grimaced as she took a step back from Drew. He fell backwards onto the armchair with a drunken chuckle. She turned to Stu and shrugged her shoulders before looking back at Drew who was nursing his temples with shaky fingers. "You haven't seen or heard from Ches by any chance?"

His blue eyes darkened at the mention of his rookie's name. He seemed angry; maybe he knew more than they did.

"She buggered off wit' that idiot."

"And you let her?"

"Ah'm jus' her pro. Ah can't stop her from doin' what she wants." He let out a deep sigh and ran a hand over his face. "Ye' don't mind me stoppin' here, do ye'?" Stu looked at Katie who had her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't happy that they had been interrupted. He offered her an apologetic smile before trying to explain the situation to Drew.

"Actually mate-"

The Scotsman jumped up with a lopsided grin. "Good, ye' won't even know Ah'm here."

He placed an arm around Katie's shoulders but she was quick to shrug him off. The room had rapidly grown tense since his arrival.

"...Drew, we're going to have sex."

"We are?" He asked, surprise evident in his tone. "But Ah don't like ye' like that, lassie."

She made a disgusted face, like she would ever sleep with him. Stu laughed at his friend's stupidity; he knew he was drunk but he surely couldn't have been that ill-informed. Katie patted Drew's shoulder, nodding towards the bed after. "Not me and you, Casanova. Stu and I are going to have sex."

"Haven't ye' had enough o' that already?"

The Englishman smirked, his response was husky. "You can never have enough."

"Why don't you go and look for Ches?"

"Or go and speak to Ste. He'll be able to take care of you." Stu suggested, watching as Katie attempted to guide his friend across the room and out of the door.

"Chesca?" Drew knocked on the door anxiously. He hadn't seen his rookie since the night before when he had left her with her so-called boyfriend, or better, fuck buddy. He knocked again, and with a sigh he waited.

A few moments later the hotel room opened; a visibly tired but friendly Curt was right in front of him. He was all dressed up to go to the gym for a morning workout; he left the room and slowly closed the door behind himself.

"Relax, man," the blond said, his right hand patting him on his shoulder, "Rookie's in the shower, she'll be good to go in a sec." Drew didn't know what annoyed him more; the fact that Curt hadn't let him in or that he was talking to him as if he were to protect Chesca from the big bad pro.

"Alrigh'" he replied, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Ah'll wait 'ere, thanks." Curt tried to smile at Drew, but he wouldn't even look up. Resigned, he dragged the gym bag with him through the hallway, walking to the elevators.

As his back slid down the wall and he ended up sitting next to Chesca's room, Drew took a deep breath as he thought of the night before. Even though the NXT episode had gone wonderfully for the two of them, Chesca hadn't behaved with him the way he would've liked her to. She had left him alone as both Stephen and Stu had spent time with their rookies, without any apparent reason. He would have liked to offer Chesca dinner - like a civilized and kind person – and be the friend he wanted to be to her. Nothing more. Yet, she hadn't given him this possibility.

And Curt? There was something in him that had made him forget how close he could be with him. They both couldn't get a chance in the main event, they were forced to work twice as hard to get noticed and simply having a match at a house show was a huge event. Truth was, and Drew refused to admit it, that he'd have liked to be in his spot. To be the one that Chesca ran to after her matches to ask if she had done well, to be the one to give her advice so she could get better; it wasn't only a matter of sleeping with her. Taryn seemed so dull compared to her; that was why he kept on being attracted to his rookie, even though it was the last thing he should have been.

Once again, the door was pulled open and Chesca finally emerged from her room. An Oakland Raiders jersey stopped at her hips, she had thrown on a pair of grey sweatpants and tied her hair up in a loose bun over her head; not a trace of make-up was on her face, well, maybe a little from the reckless night before. Her left hand delved into one of her pockets as her right one picked up her backpack. Drew cleared his throat so she would acknowledge his presence and the girl finally looked at him.

"Hey," she said, trying not to get lost in his blue orbs. "Nice to see ya."

"Really nou'?" Drew replied, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips. He took a long look at her; saying she was exhausted wouldn't have covered it. Yet, he didn't want to know why. "Where did yeh go last night? Been lookin' fer ye'."

"Here and there," she shrugged her shoulders and started walking down the corridor, "Visiting Vegas, I guess." Drew rolled his eyes as he walked next to her.

"Ye' guess?"

"When are you going to stop answering with questions?" She finally replied, annoyed. She stopped to look at him once again, and under his tough exterior she could totally say that he looked worried for her - she wasn't expecting that.

"Okay," Drew finally sighed, "Ye' win. Want tae train this mornin'?" He tried to change the subject, "No Taryn in the middle, an' no Curt. Jus' ye' an' me, practicin'." Chesca took a glimpse of his face as he said so. He was trying to smile and reassure her, and he had just proposed to do what she loved most in the world; pure and simple wrestling training, good to release the mind and the best way to get rid of a hangover.

"Cool," she told him, "Let me get warmed up, huh?" Drew felt his concern slide off his shoulders, knowing that she had accepted his proposal of being normal with each other. But right when he was about to apologise for being too inquisitive, he saw her left hand almost in slow motion raising up to push the elevator's button. There he saw a golden shiny thing around her ring finger, and he felt his heart sink.

"What in the world is that?" He stretched his arm to grab her wrist, as Chesca wouldn't even react to his question.

"Ches?"

"Oh come on..."

"Ye' got married?" He asked, almost whispering so that no one could hear it, trying to contain the anger building up. "Are ye' crazy, stupid, or what?"

"You're saying that just because it's Brian!" Unbelieving, Drew kept on staring at her.

"Of course," he said, with a bitter smile. "Of course it's him ye' married in bloody Las Vegas."

"Listen up, alright?" Chesca had now decided to get angry, "I may regret it, but he has a blast all the time. He doesn't have secrets, he doesn't want to take control of me or my life, he's..." she took a breath as Drew continued to stare, "He's good for me."

"Yer talking nonsense..."

"And above all," she unexpectedly inserted a hand in his jeans' pocket, taking his own wedding ring out of it and waving it in front of his face, "Now, we're even." Reality hit him. Even if in God knows what chapel she had gotten married in, it was legal; she was now Mrs. Myers, or Hawkins, if she preferred. And he couldn't do anything about it. He could only cope with the fact that it was time to get over all the feelings he had for her.

"Hope ye' left me a slice o' cake." He let her wrist go. Taking his wedding ring, he angrily slipped it on. He felt like a grip around his heart as he did so, but he tried not to think about it.

"Too bad you weren't there for the official pictures," she shot back at him, as she got inside the elevator. "See you at the gym."

Drew stood there, speechless. He wanted to open his eyes and realise he was in a bad dream. He blinked once, hoping not to see the doors closing and Chesca behind them, looking down at her shiny gold wedding ring.

A/N – Thank you xj0j0x, xHalosandwings, ResplendentAnarchist, peeps8705, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, Pinayprincesa, anonymous, Ree Howerton and Stright Edge Queen for the reviews. We apologise for the long wait, hopefully it wont be that long next time :) Lou, Katie and Chesca