Title: All Fall Down

Rating: T-M, depending on the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own WWE or its superstars/divas.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Jerry "The King" Lawler, who tonight on Raw passed out at ringside and is currently receiving medical attention in Montreal. My prayers are with you King.

Wow. I can't believe that thirteen chapters later and we're finally here. It's been a pleasure writing this first installment for you guys and I am excited to share the second installment with you soon. Thank you for making this the most reviewed story I've ever written. Now, if you could do a little drum roll in your heads real quick for me? The title of the second installment of this series is…

[Staring At It]

I hope to have it up in about a week, so keep a look out for that, and please go check out my other AJ/Punk story 'Thinking Out Loud' as well as my other fictions. Who knows you might find my other favorite OTPs refreshing. My YT Channel (UseSomebodyxx) is also open for your Punklee pleasure if you love seeing vids of them together. If you have any songs you'd like to suggest for the vids just message me on there. Oh! And I may or may not have another AJ/Punk story in the works. It's a very different idea; kind of a Romeo & Juliet remix meets a Nexus/WWE feud. What can I say? These two inspire me. Now kick back relax and enjoy this last (Loooooong) chapter. Thank you again for all your feedback. Muah (Kiss).

July 15th, 2012 (Money in the Bank)

After having the trainers check to make sure her neck was still in perfect condition she shooed them away. She just needed to catch her breath for a moment or two then she would be right back out their refereeing the match. Punk had knocked her in the face with his elbow pretty hard, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She also knew it wasn't his fault.

She cursed herself silently the moment she hit the floor for being stupid enough to climb on the apron where neither man could see her. Save for Daniel, who locked eyes with her for a split second before pushing Punk into her. It was a rookie mistake, and she should've known better.

The match was still in full swing on the monitor in the trainer's room and she watched intently for the perfect moment to make her return.

The deep clearing of a throat unhinged her from the television and upon turning her head she found Kane staring at the screen as she had been.

"I never saw the appeal in two men fighting over a woman," he spoke in a gruff voice. He'd be competing in the ladder match soon but found just enough time to come and check on the resident crazy chick.

"You did it when you fought Matt for Lita," she spoke, refocusing her eyes on the screen, "Besides…they aren't fighting over me."

The words stung but Kane remained composed, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her with confusion. She looked so sad while watching as Daniel had just acquired the kendo stick and began beating the WWE champion mercilessly with it. He noticed her wince as the weapon made impact against Punk's lower back several times and he screamed in agony.

"Well they're certainly fighting because of you," Kane pointed out.

AJ just shook her head. "And they wouldn't be if there wasn't something in it for either of them if they won."

"Didn't know you offered yourself up as a consolation prize," he earned an icy glare for that comment and felt the room temperature drop.

"I'm not offering myself up for anything." She sneered, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a match to call."

She shoved past him, knocking her shoulder forcefully against him so he knew he annoyed her few peaceful moments. She wasn't going to stand there and be objectified by Kane's comments and misunderstandings of her intentions. Even if they were friends and he helped her to make sure Punk retained without anyone being the wiser, he should know better.

"In whose favor?" He called after her retreating form.

She paused at the door, her eye twitching at the question. For a moment she considered telling him off but pressed on with determination for the gorilla. AJ would be damned if another referee called for that final bell at the end. She started this and she would be the one to end it tonight.

All of it.

Kaitlyn walked quickly through the halls of the US Airways Center. Her match was soon, but she paid it no mind. Alex was here. At least, that's what the text Kofi had sent her said. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest as she neared the locker room Kofi had messaged her to go to. She hadn't seen or heard from him since the Great American Bash and the idea of him being within physical reach tonight brought a huge smile to her face.

In the back of her mind she remembered the days when he attentively pursued her. He would search for her through arena after arena. Night after night, until he found her. Now, here she was doing just as he had done for months on end.

It was amazing how much had changed.

Finally, she'd made it to the door and stared at the handle. Quickly, she collected herself before entering. Visions of jumping into his arms and having him burying himself inside her clouded her mind the moment she received the text and now the vision would be realized.

"Alex," she called with a smile peering inside.

There was no answer and no sign of the former rookie at first glance. Stepping further inside, she took in the blank surroundings. The room was completely bare of furnishings like the normal locker rooms and dimly lit. Noticing a back room, which she presumed to be the bathroom she walked toward it and called after him once again. She received nothing but an echo in return.

A scream escaped her when she heard a loud bang sound behind her and turned to face the door. There before her wearing a smirk was Dolph Ziggler.

His hair was smoothed back as if he hadn't competed at all tonight. He wore a pair of dark-washed jeans with black dress shoes peaking out underneath and a black blazer over his white v-neck.

"Figured you'd want to congratulate me," he said holding up the blue briefcase leaning against the door he just shut.

Kaitlyn wasn't amused by his actions and rolled her eyes. "Where's Alex?"

Dolph chuckled at the annoyance in her voice. Her eyes told a different story of concern though.

"Well, I needed some sort of tactic to get you back here. The Letterman stud was as good as any," he laughed.

"Then congratulations on receiving another opportunity like you always do even at someone else's expense," she snorted and shoved past him for the door. The moment her hand laid over the handle Dolph roughly gripped her shoulder and turned so her back was pressed against the door and she was trapped between the cool metal and his hard body.

Dolph's eyes burned into hers as he flicked the lock to keep out prying eyes.

"You want to keep acting cold?" he asked in a harsh whisper, "You want to blame me for your 'man candy' losing out on an opportunity because I'm simply better than him? Fine. But let me make one thing perfectly clear," he said leaning down to her ear, "He. Left. You."

The words destroyed her immediately and he knew it by her gasp, so he continued.

"Instead of sticking it out and trying to get better he up and left to go and compete elsewhere," he cupped her face gently and swept his thumbs over her cheeks, "He knew he could never measure up to the kind of man that you deserved. So he quit. He quit on himself and he quit on you."

"That's not true," she said unconvincingly.

"Oh but it is," he argued moving his hands down slowly to caress her neck, "And you know there was only one man who could ever be good enough for you."

Hands fisting in the waterfall of her blonde-brunette locks he pulled her forward and slammed his lips to hers. Unceremoniously, Kaitlyn didn't find herself rejecting the advance. She found herself reacting to it. Somewhere along the way she'd forgotten what Dolph's lips felt like. He urged her lips apart with his tongue forcefully and began exploring her mouth further relishing in the memory. The memory was nowhere near the real thing.

For the second time that night, Dolph had come out on top with a victory.

Eve tilted her head in curiosity as she stared at the man before her. He was beaten, broken, and clearly angered after the intensity of his match. He'd fought a long hard battle and unfortunately didn't receive the desired result. As the trainers finished patching him up, he sat there with a heated expression on his face.

She knew where his anger was directed and rightfully so. AJ Lee had made a fool of him and cost him what could possibly be thought of as the most important match of his career. Daniel Bryan could have become the WWE Champion for the first time, but the 95 pound pre-pubescent built diva had seen to it that he didn't get the three-count.

Perfect, Eve thought with a smile and sauntered her way into the room.

She let her hips sway tauntingly just enough to gain his attention and locked her green eyes with his blue ones.

"What do you want?" Daniel spat with a venomous tone. He wasn't in the mood to deal with another diva this evening, least of all Eve Torres and her man-eating abilities. She just released an unamused laugh before placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I wanted the same thing you did tonight Daniel," she taunted, "but it appears we're both going home unsatisfied."

She dropped her hand away and pouted. Releasing an angry breath, the American Dragon ran a hand over his face before hope down from the trainer's table. "I'm not in the mood Eve-"

"Oh, I don't blame you," she reasoned, "I'd be a great deal upset if I were you after what you went through tonight. Losing to CM Punk for the third straight payperview in a row, missing out on another opportunity at the WWE Championship…which you probably won't receive again for quite some time, and to top off all of that you were once again humiliated by an underweight psychotic bitch."

She let the words sink in for him to process and smiled with glee as rage continued to grow on his face. "Tell me Daniel, was this defeat more humiliating than Wrestlemania or is it a close second?"

Daniel was ready to tear sultry woman apart, which Eve was hoping for as his enraged eyes connected with hers. Holding up her hands in mock-surrender the diva continued to drive her point home.

"Because if it was, breaking up with her on national television isn't going to be enough to return the favor. I'd say a more drastic approach is necessary," Noting the way his facial expression morphed into confusion she knew she was successful in hitting the final nail on the coffin.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about letting bygones be bygones. I forgive you for leaving me hanging in the ring last Monday thus causing me to lose against the worthless little terror," she began, "But I have my own agenda and I figured after tonight you deserved some of what I have to offer. So, tell me…what are you willing to do to make sure AJ Lee not only receives the humiliation and suffering she deserves but that her new hero suffers along with her?"

He thought about this for a moment. Eve was a conniving woman, but she was still smart. Aligning himself with her could prove useful in the long run and as everyone knew…Daniel Bryan wasn't a man who could just let things go.

"What did you have in mind?"

A cunning smile spread onto her features as she began to discuss several ideas with him. Eve Torres had lost her match tonight, but she never lost when it came to getting even.

CM Punk sat tapping his fingers patiently on the decorative armchair that adorned his hotel suite. Having showered, dressed comfortably, and eaten; there was nothing else he could do but wait. Normally he would be enjoying a marathon of 'The Walking Dead' or burying his head in a comic book but tonight was completely different because of a sweet brunette that he expected to come by. He would have guessed that she would've shown up before now. When she didn't, he was forced to spend an hour with his own thoughts.

He thought about tonight mostly. The match and her involvement at the forefront. Her introducing the steel chair for her own amusement, the desperation he felt when Daniel Bryan had him in a make-shift form of the 'yes-lock' with a kendo stick and his hand reaching for hers, the smile that formed on her face as she looked on to her ex-boyfriend's handy work.

She helped him…and he was severely pissed. But she made the three-count and handed him his title, which he ripped from her hands roughly before making his way around the ring to celebrate his victory. When the camera's shut off, he quickly told her to meet him later on at the hotel and walked past her without a second glance. It seemed only fair that the harsh way he commanded her to meet him be received with the woman's impeccable ability to keep him waiting.

He was always waiting for her and he found himself wondering why he was waiting anymore.

The soft knock on the door ended his waiting game and he sighed before getting to his feet and walked to twist the handle. Her referee gear was gone and replaced with a simple maroon tank that hung on her body loosely and he could make out the faint black sports bra accenting the shirt underneath. Cut-off blue jean shorts hugged her hips and her typical black converse adorned her feet but all Punk could see was her face as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

He moved aside, holding the door open for her to enter and shut it gently before walking past her once again and over to the balcony double doors. He opened those for her two, and motioned for her to follow when he glanced back and noticed she still remained by the door at the front.

He sat himself comfortably on the chair outside and looked to the stars twinkling above them when she sat in the chair beside him. Silence overtook them for what felt like hours until AJ finally spoke up.

"Are you alright?" She asked already knowing the answer but felt the need to try and get him to say something, anything to break this tension.

"You tell me," he said offhandedly.

AJ hung her head. Anger she expected but the guilt that flowed through her was unbearable.

"I'm sor-"

"You should be," he interrupted, "My body is wrecked and my mind is spinning in circles. I was perfectly content with my life being normal before you went and turned it all topsy turvy. But you know what's worse?"

AJ shook her head, the tears ready to flow.

"My heart is broken," that got her attention as she almost did a double-take and regarded him with a shocked expression, "and you made it happen. You. This little geek goddess from Jersey managed to take something I thought I lost a long time ago and destroy it. You went too far tonight AJ."

"I'm sorry," he rolled his eyes at her apology, "I never meant for things to get that brutal but you and Daniel took it to that level. Not me. Yes, I introduced an equalizer in the form of a steel chair but you should give me credit for introducing something I once used to help save your life from Kane."

"That's another thing," he argued, "You booked the help from a monster without any consideration of my ability to handle the situation on my own-"

"And we're back to square one with you being unable to say 'thank you'. I told you that you weren't doing this alone and I meant it."

He sighed, "I'm a loner AJ. Always have been and probably always will be but you just can't grasp that."

"No," she stood from the chair and loomed over him like a parent scolding their child, "What I can't grasp is your inability to let someone in. And I mean let someone all the way in, but I guess that's to be expected when you spend your life coveting the gold more than the person you care about."

He looked to her at that with an incredulous expression before it turned dark and stood to tower over her.

"You want to be let all the way in? Fine! I'm sure I know what you're going to ask, so go ahead…ask it."

She flinched inwardly but remained in her determined stance. She wasn't going to break, she had to know. "I want to know about the girl you left before me. I want to know why you would leave a person you love for the glory."

Punk laughed almost evilly, "So Bryan spilled the beans did he? Figures, he knows exactly what to say to get inside your head, but part of that is because you let him. You know why you let him get inside your head AJ? Because you aren't over him!"

"Stop avoiding the question and tell me!" She screamed back stabbing a finger into his chest.

He'd never seen a woman so passionate in his life. AJ Lee was a spitfire but she was also impulsive and irrational at times. It turned him on and scared him half to death. I returned to sit, but she never moved, merely squared her feet as she looked down at his hanging head. With a heavy heart, he began to recount the story she wanted to hear, the one he buried deep years ago.

"Her name was Maria," AJ recognized the name immediately and knew of her relationship with the WWE champion, "We met in the indy circuit and quickly got together. We were very similar in our lifestyles as well as our pasts. She was quick to gain a career in the WWE whereas I was struggling to be noticed. We were still together when I finally made it to ECW and went on to become a champion. Somewhere along the way her career went dry and she got a little jealous of my success. She became angry that I was so focused on retaining a championship instead of her. It also didn't help that your precious Daniel Bryan sank his claws in her."

AJ shook her head at the insinuation, Daniel and Maria? Punk nodded at her surprised eyes.

"Yeah," he continued looking at her as he spoke, "Daniel…once my friend, was also jealous of my success as well as my relationship with her. He convinced her I was going to drop her for the title. I…I loved her…I would-I would never…any way, I found out and told him to back off, that he could never have the title or Maria. It never registered to me that I couldn't have both. In the end, he didn't listen and Maria slept with him."

AJ's hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a gasp. How could the man she used to care for do something so horrible to his friend? Then again the signs were all there but she refused to acknowledge them. He sniffled only a bit that she had to check to make sure she heard the noise correctly. Obviously this was a sore subject and she made it worse.

"Oh Punk," she breathed sitting back next to him.

"I was-I was upset that she would do such a thing and we ended it badly. My only way to get even was to make sure her career was ruined while my success continued to grow and finally management took notice."

"So that's why she was released…"

He nodded, "They came up with another bullshit excuse for her leaving, but I knew the truth. She couldn't face me at work or what she had done. I kept Daniel out of my life for awhile, I respect him as a competitor and a wrestler and I am genuinely happy he's found some sort of success here since you and I both know how hard that is to come by…but I didn't trust him and I never will. When I look back on it though part of me wonders if he was right-"

"No," AJ cut him off, "No. He was wrong. Very wrong. Phil…" he released a shaky breath at her saying his full name, it felt almost right. "You are a good person. Daniel-Daniel is horrible and what he did…he was wrong and jealous. You deserve much better than those two…you…you deserve much better than me."

Punk was at a loss for words at that statement and he looked to find her staring at the stars above. She was a dream…a crazy dream that he used to wish to wake from. Now things had changed. There was a lot out in the open now and he felt somewhat relieved that the weight was off his shoulders.

"So what do we do now?" He asked. One pressing issue was out of the way but their feelings were still up in the air.

AJ looked back to him with a longing he couldn't place and much like the night before she pushed him through a table, she placed her hand gently on the back of his neck and pulled him in for a slow kiss. It was sweet, like her and at that moment he knew that a little bit of his heart had been repaired along with her faith in him.

When they pulled away she stared at him. She stared at the man that had dubbed her crazy, showed her little indifference on camera, and helped her get over the ex that tore her to pieces. They'd fallen down, but were still able to rise from the ashes of their troubles…together. It seemed fitting.

"We'll keep getting up after we all fall down."