So, I completely understand that the whole NXT invasion thing is scripted, but let's say, for the sake of fiction that it wasn't. The idea of all of that will make so much more sense as the fic progresses, I promise!

Happy reading, all! I hope you enjoy!

With his hands on my hips, Paul Lloyd Jr. shifted me ever so slightly in his lap as he looked around the lockeroom at his fellow NXT rookies. Eight pairs of eyes were staring at the monitor in the lockeroom, and simultaneously, they each glanced around to each other. With a unison nod, they moved. Paul pulled me to my feet, standing along with his fellow NXT competitors. On the monitor that the rookies were so fixated on was the main event of RAW that saw John Cena facing CM Punk. I looked at each face in the room, feeling increasingly distressed. The eight rookies headed towards the door, filing out one by one. I followed the tall dark-haired man known to the WWE Universe as Justin Gabriel, walking quickly to keep up with his long strides.

"Paul," I said. "Paul what's going on?"

He paused, turning to smile at me gently. He brushed the back of his hand against my cheek. "Nothing to worry about, love."

He kissed my cheek quickly and headed to catch up with his peers. I followed closely, hearing the distinct voice of Bryan Danielson say: "Cena's in for it!" Walking faster now, I grabbed Paul's elbow, pulling him to a stop.

"What's going on, Paul," I asked forcefully. "Tell me!"

Stu Bennett, otherwise known as Wade Barrett, who towered over me completely stopped, patting the top of my head. "Run along now, deary," He said mockingly. "This is for the men to handle."

I swatted at him, pushing him away. "Get away from me."

Paul narrowed his eyes at Bennett, who walked away snickering. He rested his hands on my shoulders, looking in my eyes. "Arianne. Sweetheart. Don't you worry. It's just business."

"Business? Paul that's my brother out there!" I exclaimed. "What are you all thinking?"

David Otunga stopped next, turning to face me. "Let me break it down for you, baby girl. John Cena is the poster boy for everything we want. Everything that we've been working out asses off for, and he's not even as good as half of us! We're doing what we gotta do to send a message to this place that we aren't just here for them to look over and pick through like someone's closet. We're not playing around, we're for real. It's nothing personal on you, little girl," Otunga said scathingly. "Big brother just happens to have everything we want. What better way to send a message than to get at the top dog."

I shook my head. "What are you going to do to him! What the hell is going on!"

Paul put his arms around me, directing me away from Otunga. "It won't be that bad, love..."

Heath laughed. "Don't sugarcoat it for the princess, Pauly," He drawled, shaking his red hair out of his eyes. "It's gonna be brutal."

Paul frowned as I looked up at him with wet eyes. "I'm sorry, love..."

"Paul don't do this," I pleaded, grabbing his arm. "Please. There's got to be a better way. This is insane! This isn't right! Paul please!"

David Otunga spoke up again, placing his hands on my shoulders from behind. "Move along, little girl. You're holding up the movement."

I elbowed Otunga in the ribs as hard as I could, turning and shoving him away from me. "Don't touch me, Otunga! Get away from me!" I returned my attention to the South Africa native. "Paul don't. Please. You're more than this. You're better than this! Don't you think there's better ways to make things happen? What about all your talent and how hard you've already worked! Don't do it like this."

"Arianne, darling. It's not personal. It's just business," Paul cupped my face in his hands, kissing my forehead gently. He whispered: "I love you, still."

I grabbed his wrists tightly, shaking my head. "Please don't. Paul please."

"Get in your positions boys," Stu ordered in his heavy British accent. "It's almost time."

Paul kissed my cheek gently. "I'm sorry."

I watched helplessly, tears in my eyes as Paul and the rest of the NXT rookies dispersed through the arena, heading to separate places to enter the ringside area. I headed back to the lockeroom, tears streaming down my cheeks. I scrubbed my hand over my face as I ran into a sling wearing Randy Orton. Randy Orton and John Cena didn't always see eye-to-eye but I never had an issue with the WWE's Apex Predator.

"What's wrong, Ari?" Randy asked, resting his good hand on my shoulder.

"The rookies are uprising," I said. "They're headed out there to beat my brother silly."

Randy narrowed his steely blue-gray eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Yes! My boyfriend is going out there with every intention of really hurting my brother!" I cried. "Randy I have to do something."

I'd made up my mind, I was going out there to help my brother. I turned towards one of the arena entrances and started walking with a purpose. Baffled, Randy followed close after, grabbing me around the waist with his good arm, wincing at the pain the sharp movement sent shooting through his separated shoulder.

"Arianne stop!" Randy growled, spinning me around. "Are you crazy? You can't go out there with all those guys! You have no idea what they're going to do. You can't go getting yourself hurt. John would go ballistic!"

"That's my brother, Randy! I need to help him," I dissolved into Randy's arms, crying. "He's always helped me."

Randy sighed, patting my back awkwardly. "It's business, Ari... I'm sure it's scripted."

"Then how come we didn't know of it, Randy?" I asked into his chest.

Randy was silent, thinking back and realize that it indeed, hadn't been written anywhere he'd seen in the script for the night. "How'd you find out?"

"I was sitting in the lockeroom with Paul," I sniffled, lifting my head. "Him and the rest of the rookies were watching and then just all of a sudden stood up and left. He wouldn't tell me what was happening but Otunga said that they were going to send a message because John's the 'top dog'. Because he's the 'poster boy' for everything they want. God Randy I don't get this."

The Viper sighed, wiping tears from my face. "Some boyfriend you've got there, Ari."

"Randy he's not a bad guy," I said defensively. "I just don't get it."

"I'm sorry little Cena," Randy kissed the top of my head in a brotherly manner. "John's a tough guy. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"That doesn't make a difference Randy," I cried. "I know John's tough but that's not the point! This is wrong. Paul..."

From behind us, a lockeroom door burst open and John Hennigan and Ron Killings came flying through the door. John slid to a stop, his eyes fell on me and snapped his mouth shut. Ron slammed into his back and Randy pulled me out of the way before we were victims of the domino effect John created.

"H-hey little Cena," John stammered. "Have...err... man, what's going on out there?"

I turned my watery eyes to John for a long moment before burying my face in Randy's chest again. Randy rolled his eyes as Ron elbowed John. He frowned and patted my back gently.

"Sorry little Cena," He said. "It's... so messed up what's going on out there."

I spun around from Randy's arms, yelling: "Then why isn't anyone helping?"

"I thought it was kayfabe," John said. "That it was planned and we weren't allowed."

Randy sighed. "We have no idea what's going on."

I stay silent, my eyes fixated on the nearest monitor. Nothing and no one was safe from the wrath of the rookies. They had torn apart the ring, the announcer's desk, and the safety mats at ringside. Not only did they assault CM Punk, Luke Gallows, and John Cena, but Jerry "The King" Lawler, referees, and Justin Roberts, the ring announcer. I watched as Paul climbed to the top rope, standing and staring down at my brother for a moment before hitting his beautiful signature 450 Splash. I turned back to Randy, burying my face in his chest again. Randy rubbed my back gently as he watched with narrowed eyes at the monitor and the retreating NXT rookies. The eight returned to the backstage area, most looking proud of themselves. Randy, John, and Ron glared at the passing men while Paul stopped, the only one looking sympathetic. Randy tightened his grip on me protectively, narrowing his eyes.

"It's best if you walk away right now," Randy said, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't speak to her and walk the fuck away."

I raised my head, looking at Paul with wet, red eyes. I shook my head at him sadly as Randy led me away from Paul and in the direction that they were bringing John back on the stretcher. I pulled away from Randy and hurried over to my brother.

"John! Are you okay?" I cried.

"I'm fine, baby girl," John said, grabbing my outstretched hand. "Don't worry, Ari-kid. I've had worse. I'll be alright."

I sniffled, squeezing my brother's hand. "I don't get it. Why...?"

"I couldn't tell ya, Ari," John said. "Look, you get back to the hotel, okay? I'll be fine. We still got breakfast in the morning."

"John you're not going to be up to breakfast in the morning," I said. "You'll need to rest."

"Don't tell me, girl," John tried to laugh, but winced. "Go on. I'll let you know how things are in the morning."

I nodded slowly and leaned down to kiss my brother's cheek. John smiled at me slightly as the medical crew loaded John into the ambulance. I stood there while the ambulance pulled away, watching helplessly. An arm went around me from the side and I jumped before noticing it was only Randy.

"You need a ride back to the hotel, little Cena?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said softly. "That would be great. Thanks Randy."

I headed back to the divas lockeroom to gather my bags and met Randy in the parking garage in the arena. I loaded my bags into the trunk and helped Randy with his.

"Are you okay to drive, Randy?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," He replied. "The sling is mostly for show. It hurts a little but I can deal."

We climbed into the car and Randy took off for the hotel. Once we arrived and checked in, I gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before we went our separate ways. Knowing that Paul would eventually be there and we'd already planned to share a room, I sent him a brusque text message telling him what room we were in. Unlocking the door, I flipped on the lights and drug my bags inside. Shuffling through my suitcase, I pulled out my toiletry bag and a pair of pajamas, heading into the bathroom for a shower. Before I started up the water, there was a knock on the door. Sighing, I wrapped a towel around myself and headed to the door. Standing on my toes, I looked through the peephole to see a sympathetic looking Paul. Sighing, I unlocked the door and opened it, turning away from him immediately.

"Arianne..." Paul said softly, reaching out for me.

"Close the door," I said. "I really don't want to talk to you right now. I'm taking a shower and going to bed."

Without looking back, I walked into the bathroom and shut the door and moments later the water was running. I hated being mad at Paul. I loved him and had for a long time. We'd met when I first came to FCW, and I felt connected to him instantly. He was a wonderful guy, loving and talented. He appreciated the fact that I was there to learn and live my dream and become accomplished as a wrestler, not just to be a pretty face. He liked that even though we both lived by the 'never back down, never quit' mantra, I was a different person from by brother. Paul and I had started dating relatively quickly, but that had been okay with us, because there was a lot of common ground and a lot of love between us. When I returned from the bathroom, hair wet and dressed in pajamas, Paul looked over at me, watching as I put things back into my suitcase and turned to him, finally. He stood and walked over to me, putting his arms around me. I crossed my arms, refusing to return his hug. He kissed the top of my head, squeezing me tightly.

"I'm sorry, love. I really am." He whispered.

I pulled out of his embrace and walked over to the bed without a word. I climbed in and turned away from my boyfriend, still silent. Sighing, Paul headed into the bathroom for a shower of his own and by the time he returned, I was fast asleep. He shut off the lights and climbed into bed.

Waking up the next morning in Paul's arms was both lovingly familiar and deeply irritating. In sleep, my anger at him didn't matter. His arms were warm and a place I always felt loved and safe. I looked over at his face for the first time since the night before and he looked sweet and peaceful, the man I loved. A bitter feeling welled up in me, the man I loved had taken part in some serious brutality that involved my brother. When family was involved, things like that were a serious problem in my book. But I loved Paul, he was incredibly important to me and he made me happy.

I glanced over Paul's shoulder at the clock. Seven o'clock. John wouldn't be up for another few hours, especially the way he was feeling. Sighing softly, I closed my eyes and drifted off again. About an hour and a half later, I woke again, this time to the smell of something sweet, something savory and the irresistible allure of coffee. I pried my eyelids apart and saw Paul sitting at the table, reading. In front of him was a white covered plate. Sitting up, I ran my fingers through sleep-disheveled hair, raising an eyebrow.

"What's all this?" I asked.

Paul stood up, walking over to me. He kissed my forehead gently, wrapping his arms around me before I could pull away. I looked up into Paul's eyes, confused.

"I have a lot of making up to do, love. I know I hurt you yesterday and I don't know what I have to do to make it right but I'll do it," Paul said. "I'm sorry. I know it's probably hard to believe right now and I don't blame you for a second if you don't but from the bottom of my heart I'm sorry. Arianne, I love you."

I sighed. Paul's sincerity and those eyes were hard to say no to, hard to stay mad at. I leaned my head on his shoulder and he kissed my cheek gently.

"It may not be much, love, but there's breakfast here if you want."

I bit my lip. "I really shouldn't. I'm going to breakfast with John... whenever it is he wakes up," I sighed. "But thank you anyway."

Paul smiled. "It's okay, love."

"Paul... I'm sorry about last night," I said. "I was rude to you. I was upset but I was rude and that wasn't fair..."

"Arianne, don't apologize. I deserved it. What I did is far less forgivable. I completely understand you being upset with me." He said.

"John may not be so... understanding. He has a tendency to hold a grudge." I said.

"I understand that," Paul said softly. "I understand I can't possibly be one of your brother's favorite people right now."

"John doesn't dislike a whole lot of people, but there's eight on his list right now." I frowned.

Paul nodded. "I can only imagine the type of hell I'm in for."

I leaned forward and kissed Paul on the cheek. "If you want to stick around after all this, then I commend you, baby."

"I wouldn't leave you, Arianne."

I smiled as Paul pulled me close and kissed me deeply. I shifted myself so that my legs were on either side of his body, I wrapped them around his waist, crossing my ankles and pulling him forward to me. Paul braced himself with his hands as to not squish me as he hovered over me. Paul kissed at my neck and collarbone while my fingers scrambled across his bare back. Paul crawled to his knees, pushing me back while he lifted me up. I wrapped my arms around Paul's shoulders as I broke the kiss with a gasp. Paul grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it over my head. I lifted my hips as Paul stripped my bottoms off, and grabbed the waistband of Paul's loose pajama bottoms, dragging them down his hips. Paul wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me, slipping himself into me at once. I cried out, digging my nails into Paul's back. Moving and panting in unison, I almost didn't realize the first few bars of my brother's entrance theme playing from my phone on the bedside table. Paul slowed his movements and I peeled my eyes open. The temptation to ignore the call was high as Paul pushed himself a little deeper inside me. I whimpered as he kissed my neck and the music stopped. I kissed Paul's lips, wrapping my legs around him again, pulling him in close. The music began again and I sighed both in frustration and pleasure as Paul slowed again and the music continued to play.

"I have to," I panted. "It's John."

Paul paused, lifting me with one arm so I could reach back and grab my phone. I jabbed the answer button on the touch screen and held the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?" I said, trying to control my breathing.

"You just waking up, Ari-kid?" John laughed.

"Y-yeah. What time is it?"

"Almost nine," John said. "Shake out the sleep, girl!"

"How the hell are you awake and so chipper right now." I asked.

"You know me, not much can keep me down," John said. "What room are you in? I'll swing through and pick you up."

"Six fourteen," I said. "Give me a few okay? I gotta shower."

"Okay kid. I'll head down in a little while."

"Okay," I said. "See you in a bit."

I hung up, dropping the phone off the side of the bed. Paul smiled at me, leaning down to kiss me.

"I didn't kill the moment, did I?" I asked as we broke away.

With the way Paul continued to move, the answer, decidedly, was no. I gripped Paul's shoulders and he buried his face in my neck, when we climaxed together. Letting out a long, slow breath, Paul kissed along the side of my neck, up to my ear, then along my jaw. He gently laid his forehead on my chin and she pressed my lips to his hairline.

"I love you, Paul." I whispered.

He raised his head, smiling at me. "I've been waiting to hear you say that all night." Paul kissed me gently, moving backwards and laying me down on the bed. "I love you, too."

I sat up and glanced over at the clock. A 'little while' for John usually meant about ten minutes and almost twenty had already passed, he was being generous. Just as I slid off the bed to head to the shower, there was a knock on the door. I cursed softly and grabbed the t-shirt and the shorts I'd slept in from the floor, jumping into them as I went to the door.

"You're not ready yet, kid?" John laughed.

"Sorry, I dozed," I bluffed. "I gotta shower, but I won't be long."

"Well I'll wait for you."

"John... not such a good idea," I said quickly, lowering my voice. "Paul's here."

Annoyance flickered in John's eyes for a split second but he blinked it was gone. "Right. Well, call me when you're ready, okay?"

"I will. Love you, big brother."

John grinned and ruffled my hair. "Love you too, kid. Now shake a leg, girl!"

I smiled as I shut the door and hurried towards the bathroom. I stopped and kissed Paul quickly as I passed before disappearing for a shower. When I returned, Paul was lounging on the bed, still nude and watching television. I paused when I saw him. Paul had an absolutely beautiful body. He was lean and toned. Muscular in all the right places, defined and completely perfect. Shaking myself, I pulled my eyes away from him and dug through my bag for clothes. When I looked up, Paul was watching my with a smile on his face. I smiled back at him and dropped the towel, sliding on my panties and slipping a light blue halter dress over my head. I dug my hairbrush out and ran it through my dark blond hair, leaving it laying long and loose at my shoulders. I picked up my purse and slung it over my shoulder, sliding my feet into a pair of white wedges. Walking to the bed I pressed a kiss to Paul's lips.

"I'll be back in a little while baby." I said, picking up my phone from the floor and heading out the door.

I jabbed the down button for the elevator, then placed a call to my brother. John was already down in the lobby, mingling with fans. Once the elevator doors swished open, I stepped on and rode it down to the lobby level. Stepping off, I spotted John in the center of a group of about six fans. John Cena was always a fan favorite, a hit among the WWE Universe. Arianne Cena, however, was not. In the ring, I was known as Ari Rose. A conjunction between my nickname, and Rosalie, my middle name. The WWE Universe were to have no clue that we were siblings. That, however, wasn't exactly easy, with technology these days. With Google and Wikipedia and the like, it was easy to find out that John and I were brother and sister.

Not that the Cena family resemblance would ever let us deny being related. John and I looked remarkably alike. Where John's face was square, strong, and masculine, mine was heart-shaped, soft and feminine. My nose was smaller than his and we both had sky blue eyes. Our smiling dimples were identical and my lips were full and my mouth was slightly wide. John waved at me as he spotted me and a few of the fans turned, claming towards me. I signed a few autographs and posed for a few pictures before John and I were able to leave. Once we reached the restaurant and were seated, and our food ordered, I questioned John about the night before.

"So... how are you feeling? After last night, I mean." I asked carefully.

"I'm alright. A little banged up and sore but nothing I can't deal with," John said, shrugging. "Your man has a serious 450, Ari-kid."

I frowned. "John, about Paul..."

John sighed. "Ari... I'm not gonna say anything bad about him, because I know you love him. I don't care what he does to me kid, just as long as he doesn't hurt you."

"He feels bad, Johnny," I said, sipping my drink. "He likes you, he really does. I don't really get what happened last night. There's no explanation or excuse for it..."

"Arianne its business, kiddo. I'm not exactly happy about it though." John said.

"Business doesn't mean anything when it comes to family," I frowned. "You don't hate Paul, do you?"

"I don't hate anyone, Ari-kid," John said. "He's not one of my favorite people right now. I'm not gonna say that I don't want you to be with someone because I know that how you feel about him. He and I just aren't gonna be friends for a little while."

I nodded sadly as the waiter came with our food. We ate in relative silence and once we finished and John paid the check, we headed back to the hotel. I hugged my brother when we returned and headed back up to the room with Paul. I unlocked the door and noticed him snoozing on the bed. He either hadn't bothered to, or had fallen asleep before getting up to take a shower and put on clean clothes. I dropped my purse on the table and walked over to the side of the bed, leaning over Paul. I kissed his cheek, then his lips and his eyes fluttered open. I smiled at the sight of his warm hazel eyes and kissed him again.

"Back already, love?" He murmured against my lips.

"I've been gone for an hour and a half, Paul." I laughed.

Paul looked over at the clock, yawned, then smiled. "I meant to get up and shower but... I never made it that far."

I laughed, and leaned down, kissing him gently. "Go get a shower. We've got a drive ahead of us, babe."

He chuckled softly and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Getting to his feet, he kissed my forehead and headed into the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the bed and wiggled my feet out of my wedges. I pulled my suitcase over to the bed and dug a pair of flip flops out of it and shoved the sandals inside. I laid back into the warmth Paul's body heat left behind, breathing in the scent of him. I closed my eyes, sighing. Backstage heat on the NXT rookies was going to be almost unbearable in the next few weeks, months, however long this whole rebellion was going to last. The relationship between Paul and I was no secret among our colleagues, but naturally, the dysfunctional family of the WWE always showed solidarity when harm fell upon on of their own at the hands of outsiders. I wondered how they were going to react now, and prospect of negative reactions really frightened me.

The sound of the bathroom door opening pulled my eyes over to where Paul walked out. His hair was dripping, the towel around his waist was hanging low on his slim hips. I sighed, I could stare at Paul's body all day, it was like he was chiseled out of stone. Paul chuckled at me as he threw his towel at me and started to dress. I laughed and threw it back at him, sitting upright. He slung the towel around his shoulders and shimmied into a pair of jeans. He slid the towel from around his shoulders and playfully snapped it at me. I laughed and jumped out of the way but Paul snapped the towel again and it hit me in the back of my thigh. I stung like crazy and I yelped. I whacked Paul in the chest and he grabbed me around the waist, pulling me against him. I tilted my head back and met his lips, and he squeezed me before we broke apart.

Paul kissed my forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too, babe," I smiled. "Almost ready to get going?"

Paul sighed, squeezing me again, one of his hands wandering low and resting on my backside. "Not particularly."

"Easy, honey," I giggled. "You're going to have to calm yourself down. We've got a long drive."