~ What Lies Beneath ~

Summary - Abbie's a tough nut to crack but when she joins WWE and her career takes off, she makes unexpected allies. Will anyone get past her guarded demeanour and discover what lies beneath? A story of romance, friendship and insight into life on tour with WWE.

Author's Note - This is a brand new venture of mine :) I've been wanting to write it for a while now. It has no relation to my other story 'The Best Job in the World' but if you like this one, you might like that one too :) Thank you for reading!

Warnings - Strong language throughout and possible scenes of a sexual nature ;)

Disclaimer - I own no-one but Abbie in this story. This is merely a work of fiction; it all came from my brain. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

~ What Lies Beneath ~

~ Chapter One: ~

Standing in an empty parking lot at 5am wasn't Abbie's idea of fun. She cursed under her breath. Why was the bus late? She pulled her black cap lower over her face and zipped her hoody up to the top to keep out the cold early morning air. There seemed to be people congregating around the front of the hotel. Surely they wouldn't park the buses there? She was sure the letter told her it was the back entrance. She reached into the backpack slung low over her shoulder and tugged open the zip; her black painted, short-cut finger nails struggling to unpick the seal of the envelope. She gave in and ripped the side impatiently, pulling out the piece of folded paper.

"Fuck" she muttered under her breath. It was the front of the hotel they were being picked up from.

She grabbed her luggage and wheeled it along behind her, making her way around the side of the hotel. She dressed comfortably for travelling, her soft, grey ¾ sweat pants sitting low on her hips and white DC sneakers cushioning her feet as she walked. She slung her long black hair in a low ponytail under her cap and wore no make-up as usual. It suited her quiet and unpretentious personality.

She spotted the hoard of fans waiting by the entrance of the hotel. They shouted and snapped pictures as WWE superstars exited the hotel one by one and filed onto the buses. Why were there two? She had no idea which one she was supposed to be on. She sighed and removed her earphones.

"Excuse me?" she asked one of the men loading luggage into the hold of the nearest bus. "This is my first time travelling with the WWE, which bus is mine?" she asked him.

"Are you a heel or a face?" he asked.

"Erm, heel I think" she said, checking her letter.

"Then you want the bus on the far side" he smiled, pointing.

They have separate buses? This was some crazy shit. She followed some guy with platinum blond hair to the other bus. Her bag was loaded into the hold and she climbed the steps into the bus. It was huge. She was hoping to get there early and grab a seat away from everyone else but that plan had been foiled. Her eyes scanned up and down, searching for a good place to sit. Most of the superstars and divas were seated, chatting away or setting up a travel pillow to get some rest.

She was suddenly nervous, like it was the first day of school again and she didn't know anyone. The problem was, she really didn't know who anyone was, she'd seen next to no WWE programming before, all of her experience had been at Ring of Honor. She sucked it up and grabbed the nearest free seat. The man next to her looked up from his book, his eyes barely visible under his cap. She quickly pushed her backpack under the seat, pulled out her own book and turned up the volume on her iPod. This was going to be awkward, she could sense it now. She watched him from the corner of her eye, failing to realise that he too was doing the same. She noticed his many tattoos which completely covered each of his arms. Among others, she spotted four aces, a clover and the words 'luck is for losers'. She smiled a little at the irony. His other arm sported some classic art. She had always been a fan of tattoos though she only had one of her own on the side of her left foot. She sank lower in her seat, put her book away and tipped her cap forwards, closing her eyes and hoping for sleep to take over…

He dragged his suitcase out of the revolving door and into the usual onslaught of fans shouting things at him.

"CM Skunk!" he heard some kid yell.

Oh how original. He'd never heard that one before. He dumped his bag in the hold and climbed onto the bus. He was the first on, as always. He picked a window seat near the front and threw his backpack into the overhead locker, pulling his t shirt down and his black cargo pants up before making himself comfortable. He yawned lazily, leaning further into the window of the bus and changing the song on his mp3. He checked his watch, coming up to 5am. It was still dark outside, the street lights shone like orbs through the tinted one-way glass of the bus. Slowly, other superstars starting filing onto the bus; no one sat next to him, they never did. They knew he liked his space. He wasn't a morning person; he just liked to shut off the world with his music and a good book.

Several superstars passed him, glancing at him as they went by. He acknowledged Mike 'The Miz', one of the few guys in the locker room he could tolerate, with a slight nod of his head before his eyes fell back down to the book. The annoying chatter grew louder as more and more seats were filled. Just as he became engrossed in his book, he noticed someone sit down next to him. He internally growled and looked up. He was surprised to find he didn't know her. Realising it was probably her first day, he decided not to be a complete ass and make her move like he would normally. At least she didn't disturb him and try to introduce herself enthusiastically like some bubbly airhead. Those kinds of people annoyed him.

His eyes discreetly took in her long black hair and milky white skin. She had icy blue eyes and an aura that said 'please don't talk to me'. He liked that, it reminded him of his own personality. He returned his attention to 'Saga of The Swamp Thing' and settled down for another long and tiresome bus journey.

Abbie groaned a little as her eyelids fluttered open. She was horrified as she realised she'd been leaning on someone's arm as she slept. She sat up quickly, embarrassed. She looked up at the man under her long eyelashes and noticed he was smirking at her blushing face. His lip ring glinted against the light reflecting in through the windows. It was daylight now and most of the bus was awake.

"Shit, sorry" she mumbled as she reached for her backpack. 'Fuck Abbie, every fucking day you have to do something new to embarrass yourself' she thought to herself. The man merely chuckled a little and returned to reading his book. His jacket smelled good, it still filled her nostrils as she fumbled with her phone.

Satisfied she'd been pressing buttons long enough to make it look like her diversion was a real message, she pushed the phone into her pocket and decided to return to her book 'Torment - A Novel of Dark Horror' to save any more awkward glances. The remainder of the five hour bus journey from just outside Canberra to Melbourne Australia went by with little excitement. Before they knew it, the buses were pulling into the car park of another expensive looking hotel. Abbie was beyond exhausted. A 17-hour flight from her hometown of Cheyenne, Wyoming to Canberra was the first time she'd ever been to Australia and the lack of sleep was slowly eating away at her.

She packed her things back into her bag and stood up. As the bus slowed to a stop, the other superstars were rummaging in the overhead lockers for their things. Abbie picked her way through them and stepped off the bus into the warm mid-morning air. She took her cap off and ran a hand over her head, smoothing out the hair before replacing the hat. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear and waited for the driver to open the hold.

She was forced to wait a while as some of the bigger guys helped unload everyone's luggage. Luckily, hers was near the front. The only problem was that she didn't know what the procedure was for checking into hotels. She assumed they would all have pre-paid reservations already booked by the company but decided to wait around a little to see what everyone else did. They were thankful that word hadn't gotten out about their arrival and no fans were yelling at them this time. She watched as the man she sat next to earlier pulled the last of the baggage out of the hold and walked inside pulling his own suitcase alone behind him. She followed along with another group feeling distinctly out of place.

Once inside the huge marble lobby, the queue for check-in was understandably huge. Rather than stand in it, most of the superstars allowed the divas to check in first and sat in the seating area, chatting and checking emails. She noticed each of them pull out a card and show it to the receptionist before they were allowed the key to their rooms. Shit, here we go again. Disaster day part two…

Another early morning, another fucking hotel. Phil sighed as he propped his suitcase up against a pillar and sat on it. As usual, he became lost in his own thoughts for a while, his music drowning out the world. At least that was until he noticed someone trying to get his attention. His eyes rose from the floor, all the way up to her face. It was the girl from the bus. He noticed her lips moving and removed his earphones so he could actually hear a word she was saying.

"Sorry to disturb you but to be honest, I have no clue what the hell I'm doing. Any chance of some guidance?" she asked.

"Err, sure" he chuckled.

"Do I need one of those card things to check-in? Because I don't have one" she told him.

"If it's your first time travelling, just show them the letter you got with Vince's signature and your name on it. You have the letter right? Cause if not you might be sleeping outside" he laughed.

"Yeah I got the letter" she smiled a little.

"Then you need some photographic I.D. too" he explained.

"Yeah, I got a drivers license…thanks" she told him.

"No problem" he told her before replacing his earphones.

He watched as she joined the line. She had a mystery to her, and she didn't seem to be pretending to be someone she wasn't. He was used to fake people, fake smiles, fake everything around him but she didn't seem that way. It was refreshing. It struck him as odd that she would choose to ask him for advice over the smiley, way too happy for their own good people like Cena or one of the girls. Maybe because she sensed that he too didn't fit in somehow. Either way, he was getting fucking sick of sitting here waiting. He joined the line; no one else seemed in a hurry. He checked in, showing the receptionist his WWE pass and set about finding his room.

He dropped onto the bed, throwing his suitcase into the corner. No use in unpacking, they'd be moving on again in a few days. He'd stopped exploring hotel rooms too, they were all the same. Occasionally he'd be lucky and find something interesting but that was rare. He stared up at the ceiling for a little while longer before rubbing his face and forcing himself up. Gym time.

Abbie walked out onto the balcony of her hotel room. She sat down on one of the deck chairs and opened up her backpack. She pulled out her schedule. She didn't have to be at the arena until tomorrow. Not the type to sit around and do nothing, she resolved to find the nearest gym. She packed some things and headed down to reception to enquire.

He sat in reception once more, waiting for Mike. God he hated waiting around, but Mike was always the last person ready. He finally spotted him across the lobby. He also noticed that girl again. She followed Mike down the stairs and waited by the reception desk.

"You ready now Ms. Mizanin?" Phil asked rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, some of us like to change our clothes now and then" Mike quipped in response. "Who's that girl?" he asked, gesturing towards the desk.

"No idea" Phil answered, grabbing the keys to their rental.

"Didn't she sit with you on the bus?" Mike asked, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips.

"Yeah, cheeky bitch" Phil joked.

"We should ask her if she wants a lift, looks like she's got a gym bag there" Mike mused.

"Nah, she'll find her way" Phil responded.

"Hey, try not to be too charitable" Mike laughed. "She's new, she probably has no clue what she's doing" he continued.

Phil sighed and watched as Mike approached the girl and offered her a lift. He saw her eyes flick over to him and back to Mike. Looks like she agreed. Phil grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Mike and the new girl followed him outside where the car was parked.

"Nice" Mike remarked when he saw it was a black Audi A4. Phil opened the trunk and threw his bag in. He held it open while Mike loaded his in with the dark-haired girls' before closing it and getting into the drivers' seat. He stole a quick glance at the girl in the rear view mirror; she was looking back at him. Their eyes met for a split second before she turned away and resumed gazing absent-mindedly out of the window.

He sighed frustratedly as Mike began chattering away. Sometimes, it was nice to have someone to travel with, but he couldn't escape the part of him that longed for peace and quiet. Call him what you will - a loner - maybe he was, but that's how he liked it. The few close friends he had, he was fiercely loyal to them, he would jump through fire for them, but for the most part, he was lone wolf.

"So what's your name honey?" Mike asked her.

She laughed a little and visibly raised her eyebrows at being addressed as 'honey'. "It's Abbie" she told him. "And you guys?" she asked.

Mike laughed; seemingly surprised she didn't know their names. Phil wasn't shocked, it explained why she distanced herself from the others, she had no interest in their celebrity status. She just looked upon them as wrestlers, no different to herself.

"I'm Mike…" he told her. After a pause and being stared at by Mike, Phil realised he was expected to speak.

"Phil" he said plainly.

"Nice to meet you both" she added politely.

"You too. Have you watched a lot of WWE then?" Mike asked casually.

"Barely anything actually, so sorry I don't know who any of you guys are" she laughed a little.

Mike chuckled and fell silent for once. It stayed that way for the rest of the car journey. Once at the gym, the three went their separate ways. Phil watched as she lifted a few weights before using the cross-trainer. At least the girl knew her way around a gym. He proceeded to finish his work-out with some abdominal crunches and some light thigh work before moving to the kick bags. He worked through his exhaustion until he was satisfied with his efforts. He showered and changed before seeking out the others. He was eager to back to the hotel; maybe he could have a nap; that would be nice.

He spotted Mike across the room, having a mothers' meeting with some other guys. Phil brought his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly. He really didn't give a shit that ten or so angry guys glared at him for the disturbance.

"Mike! Hurry the fuck up!" he yelled at him. Mike pouted and reluctantly strolled over.

"We're going to the bar later for drinks. You're coming whether you like it or not grouch" Mike quipped as he walked straight past and out to the car.

"Motherfucker" Phil grumbled under his breath. He scanned the room for the girl. What was her name again? Abbie - that was it. He saw her sitting cross-legged in the corner reading. He walked over.

"Hey, did you want a ride back to the hotel?" he asked her. Her head popped up as her eyes surveyed his form from under her eyelashes.

"Oh, yeah if you don't mind…sorry if I was holding you up" she told him.

"Nah its fine" he told her, chewing his gum as was a habit he'd developed.

She rummaged around in her suitcase. Mike had asked her to go for a drink at the bar with them tonight. Normally she would decline such an offer in favour of staying in with a book and a glass of wine but she felt the need to meet some of her new colleagues, however excruciating that was going to be. She pulled out her trusty black jeans and a tight-fitting black t-shirt with the outline of a guitar on it in white. She pulled on her favourite black hoody. She rarely went anywhere without it.

Abbie quickly stepped into a pair of flat black pumps, brushed her hair quickly and used a little body spray. She grabbed some money and her phone and left the room. Upon reaching the hotel bar, she saw Mike getting drinks. She smiled at him as she approached.

"What are you drinking?" he asked over the noise.

"Oh…just a coke please" she told him. "Thank you" she said as he handed her the glass. She wasn't accustomed to having drinks bought for her.

"Come meet everyone" he said as he led her over to the table. She counted about six other people. "Everyone, this is Abbie, a new diva right?" he asked, turning to face her.

"Yeah" she answered, an awkward smile playing on her lips. The term 'diva' still threw her. She was going to have to get used to it though. A few of them nodded in her direction.

"Abbie, this is Alex, Daniel, Ted, Cody, Ron and Phil you've already met" he introduced them.

"Nice to meet you" she said quietly. She hated feeling like she was an unwanted addition to their evening. Social gatherings generally weren't her scene. She shuffled in next to Phil and sat awkwardly while the others chatted.

"Not a big drinker then?" Phil asked her, breaking the tension a little.

"Not really. I don't mind the occasional glass of wine but that's it" she smiled. "You either?" she asked, looking at his glass.

"No, I don't drink" he told her.

"Oh, that's cool" she mused.

"So where you from?" he asked, the conversation starting to find its' feet.

"Wyoming" she answered.

"Oh cool, where abouts?" he asked.

"Cheyenne" she told him. "What about you?" she asked.

"Chicago, Illinois" he told her proudly.

"Nice city" she smiled.

"I love it, it's beautiful" he said. "Any time I get to spend there is special" he added.

"I couldn't wait to get away from home" she laughed.

"How come?" he asked gently.

"I dunno, I just don't like it" she said quietly, already thinking she had said too much. She changed the subject. "Your tattoos are awesome" she told him.

"Thanks" he smiled.

"Is it just your arms?" she asked.

"Nah, I have loads" he told her as he proceeded to show her all of them. He pointed out the one behind his ear, on his stomach and those across his chest. Abbie felt much more relaxed now, and a little less alone. The light-hearted chat was comforting. The others were now playing darts and drinking a lot of beer. Abbie and Phil remained sitting in the corner quietly, content just to watch. As she tried to focus on the conversation, she occasionally noticed the guys' eyes on her. It made her extremely uncomfortable. Some rough experiences in the past made her nervous and untrusting, especially of men. She shook off the feeling and tuned back into the discussion.

"How about you? Got any tats?" Phil asked her.

"Um, yeah. I have one on my foot" she told him, shuffling a little further along the seat to bring her leg up. She pulled her jeans back a little and showed him. It read 'apuntar a las estrellas'. Either side of the words was a little black star.

"Wow that's pretty, what does it mean?" he asked her.

"It's Spanish for 'shoot for the stars'" she said, folding her jeans back down and sitting back against the seat.

"That's cute" he smiled.

"Thank you" she laughed. They spent the rest of the night talking hobbies. Abbie was surprised to find they had a lot in common. They were both obsessed with horror films, novels and comic books as well as sharing a love of baseball and martial arts backgrounds.

She drifted off to sleep that night feeling a little less like the outcast she had always been…

Please review. This is new territory for me and I'd like to know your thoughts, I have more chapters ready, when I update will depend somewhat on numbers of reviews.