A/N: I own nothing, so don't sue. This is a Dolph Ziggler/AJ Lee (Zigglee) song-fic. The song used is "Dark Side" by Kelly Clarkson. Just to be clear, I give full credit to Kelly Clarkson for the song. She owns it, not me. Reviews are very welcome. Enjoy.
Dark Side
There's a place that I know.
It's not pretty there and few have ever gone.
If I show it to you now.
Will it make you run away?
Or will you stay?
Even if it hurts.
Even if I try to push you out.
Will you return?
And remind me who I really am.
Please remind me who I really am.
Dolph Ziggler sat on the floor of his hotel room, his back pressed up against the door. He could hear her pounding relentlessly on the other side, her fists slamming against the hard wood so forcefully that he could picture bruises already forming on the tanned skin. He fought the strong urge to whip the door open and stop her, to pull her into his arms and kiss her damaged hands. He wanted to take her pain away, but she wanted to do the same for him, and he couldn't allow her to do that. He had too much baggage for a petite girl like AJ Lee to handle. He hated to hurt her like this, but he knew that he would end up hurting her in the end anyways, so better to get it over with now, like ripping off a Band-Aid.
"Dolph! Dolph, please open the door! Let me help you! Dolph!" AJ pleaded on the other side. Dolph squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out her voice. This was something that he had to do, for both AJ and himself.
He could never put AJ through the agony and sadness that he had gone through. He was protecting her, or at least that was what he told himself. I have to do this, he thought to himself over and over. I can't let her in. I can't.
He had a dark side about a mile wide, and he wasn't sure if AJ could deal with his frequent mood swings and snide comments.
But a part of him hoped and prayed that she could.
Everybody's got a dark side.
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody's picture perfect.
But we're worth it.
You know that we're worth it.
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?
After about a half hour of AJ's begging and pounding, it suddenly got quiet. Dolph opened his eyes and listened hard, and when five minutes passed without any noises on the other side of the door he tilted his head back and rested it against the scuffed wood. AJ had given up on him, just as he'd been trying to get her to do. His heart ached with the knowledge that he had hurt her and that she was never coming back, but it was for her own good. He'd just have to heal.
Just when he was about to get up and go to bed, a piece of folded-up paper slid through the crack under the door and came to rest by his right hand.
Dolph stared at that piece of paper, his head cocked to one side. He reached out and picked it gingerly up, as if it was a bomb about to go off. He unfolded it with shaky fingers and read what was written inside.
Dolph,
Let me start out by saying that I love you. That's never gonna change, no matter how hard you try and push me away. I understand that you have problems, believe me, I have them too. But I know that if you just let me in, then I can help you. I don't want you to continue to go through the pain that you live with every day. I want to do whatever it takes to help you, and if it means dealing with your dark side, then I'm okay with it. I have a dark side too, everyone does. It's just a matter of knowing how to control it. So, I'm just going to sit out here until you decide that this is ridiculous and you open the door. And I'm willing to wait as long as it takes for you.
AJ
Like a diamond.
From black dust.
It's hard to know.
What can become.
If you give up.
So don't give up on me.
Please remind me who I really am.
Dolph reread the letter one more time, a few tears sliding down his cheeks and staining the paper. Then he set his jaw and crumpled the letter up in his fist. The sharp edge of the paper sliced open his thumb, but he didn't care. He stared at the opposite wall, tears still running down his cheeks. He wiped them away with the sleeve of his sweatshirt, telling himself that he had to be strong. But his mind kept returning to the letter, and he slowly unfolded the paper and read it again, his fingers trailing over each word. He bit down hard on his bottom lip, drawing blood. The coppery taste of it filled his mouth, waking him up.
Dolph balled the letter up again and pulled himself shakily to his feet. He reached for the doorknob and slowly turned it.
Everybody's got a dark side.
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody's picture perfect.
But we're worth it.
You know that we're worth it.
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?
AJ scrambled to her feet as soon as the door swung open, and Dolph met her strong brown gaze. He held out his closed fist to her and slowly uncurled his fingers, revealing the crumpled-up letter sitting on his palm. AJ's eyes flitted to it and then back to his face, her expression one of hope mixed with fear.
"Please let me in," she whispered, her voice trembling a little bit. "I love you so much..."
Dolph looked at her for a full minute before he suddenly overturned his hand, letting the letter fall to the floor between them. AJ's eyes followed it from his palm to the ground, and the faint spark of hope that had been burning in her brown gaze extinguished itself.
AJ swallowed hard, and then she bowed her head and began to turn away, meaning to leave. Before she got more than a few steps, strong arms went around her and pulled her back against a solid chest. Stunned, AJ spun around in the embrace and gazed up into Dolph's teary blue eyes, her mouth hanging open slightly.
"Thank you for loving me," Dolph whispered, clutching her to his chest as if he never wanted to let her go.
AJ, realizing that Dolph wasn't breaking up with her, wrapped her arms around his shaking form and pressed her forehead against his. "We'll battle your dark side together," she promised him.
Dolph closed his eyes, knowing that everything was going to be all right from now on.
Don't run away.
Don't run away.
Don't run away.
Promise you'll stay.
END