"When you're with me you don't need
to wonder if there's someone else.
I love you and there isn't
a person on this earth
that could compare."
-RM Drake

◇◇◇

FAST LANE 2015

"Could you see anything?" I smiled brightly as my sister's face filled the screen.

"Heard the heartbeat. I swear John got teary eyed but do not tease him about it!" She narrowed her eyes despite the excitement filling her face.

"I won't. That's cute, I hope I can be there for the next one. You'll be finding out the sex then?" I raised my eyebrow as she glanced past the screen and I soon saw Josie make her way beside her.

My sister and I could certainly be distinguished now and not just due to my twins since she had a pair of her own, but her bump was slowly showing and she had cut her long locks.

"I'll have to see what John thinks. I want it to be a surprise but we'll see. I have to go, good luck out there tonight!"

"Thanks!" I waved and saw the blank screen.

I sighed as I finished tying my sneakers and heard my phone go off again causing me to frown knowing it wasn't Brie until I saw who it was.

"Oh look who decided to contact me!" I sighed putting it onto loud speaker while his chuckles filled my locker room.

"I'm in the middle of nowhere most of the time, Bella. Time difference and all I figured there was no point in making the effort. I'm sure you're busy as well, keeping everything in check." His casual voice filled my ears while I felt myself getting annoyed due to it.

"Yes I am, and right now I have a match. So I don't really have the effort for this phone call, Randy."

"If you're mad I missed Valentine's Day. I'm sorry I..."

I rolled my eyes as the day meant for love was spent with Joseph in my apartment in San Diego...

"Randy, I'm honestly not in the mood. I don't feel like the effort its going to take me to actually pretend to be in the mood for you right now. So I'll save you the effort and end this call."

"Ni..." I shut off the phone and soon heard a knock on the door. I reluctantly stood up hoping it wasn't Stephanie to hit me with a surprise when I was on the verge of a breakdown with everything changing fast while I seemed to be the only one who hadn't. I was champion yes, but once I left the ring I was a lost fucking soul.

"Ready?" Paige grinned, while I rolled my eyes and sat down onto the bench again.

"I told you she was in a mood." Paige sighed followed by AJ, specs and all, since she was not in competition tonight.

AJ was being terribly booked as her contract slowly dragged to its end. It was clear she was being punished for the stunt we pulled back in November and while it entertained most of the backstage people. The Authority still had quite a say in matters and that was another thing leading to my mood.

The Authority would be out there tonight, ringside during my match against Paige as Stephanie made clear three weeks ago. I saw no threat in Paige, not because she wouldn't physically drain me but I trusted her. She would risk her job to tell me if they would be blindsiding me before allowing me to be hurt but I knew Hunter knew that as well so we were left in the dark. I had been going against The Authority despite being heel and while it helped get my anger out, and slowly believe that I was over Hunter as each week passing facing him led to each piece of affection slipping away.

I didn't have any matches besides live events and on TV I was simply on commentary and given a script.

They went from pinning me against everyone and the moment I basically told Stephanie I enjoyed it, I was tossed to the sides the best way a champion could be without being buried.

I was annoyed at them and annoyed at the man who claimed to love me because ever since my visit to Randy months ago he had basically just left me alone. He hadn't called, texted, and I had done the exact opposite. I'm sure the only reason he even bothered to call was because he would most likely be returning next month and wanted to have me under his spell again. Randy Orton loved me but couldn't even spare me a call?

"Why on earth would you be in a mood when you get to beat her up?" Aj nodded towards the pale Brit.

"Excuse you! She will not be beating me up, I will be letting her beat me up!" She kissed my cheek before slipping off her leather jacket to make herself comfortable.

"Sure"

I heard my phone going off again and was about to reach for it to turn it off since I knew Brie wouldn't be contacting me again, when it was snatched off the bench beside me by AJ.

"Randy Orton, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She questioned as she put him on loud speaker.

He sighed, "where is Nikki?"

"Out in the ring, doing what she does for a living" Paige screamed from where she stood at my dressing table fixing her mascara.

"Isn't that supposed to be involving you?"

"Oh yeah" Paige rolled her eyes in response not that he could see.

"So you know who my opponent is which means you have time to watch but no time to even dial a number" I couldn't stop myself from blurting out. Even though Aj and Paige knew we weren't anything, there had been times they had caught me attempting to contact him. And while I covered up the hurt filling me each time I got his voicemail or saw my texts were simply read, they of course didn't fall for it.

"Technically I wouldn't be dialling since you are on speed dial, Nicole." I could hear him smiling and if I had been holding my phone it would have flown across the room because I wasn't sure what was so amusing to him.

"I feel like we should be going but its clear you have upset 'Nicole' so Saraya and I will be mediators" Aj smiled while Paige glared her way.

"Paige, you tart!"

"Ouch!" Aj groaned as she placed my hairspray bottle beside her deciding not to toss it back to Paige.

"Saray.. Paige.. fucking give the phone to Nicole."
They giggled silently due to the clear frustration now filling him that they were so vocal and hearing his voice.

"Woah easy on the tone, Snake. See that's why Nicole doesn't want anything to do with your Snake." Paige smiled and I simply stood up to fix my make-up instead.

"Nicole happens to love my Snake. Nicole, come on." He pleaded slightly which caused Aj to pout but I shook my head, if he wanted to speak to me so badly it wouldn't have taken him so long to contact me.

"I was planning on shutting off my phone before they took over. I have a big match tonight, Randy I don't need to have you distract me."

"From what? Impressing your audience" He scoffed and by that tone I knew he meant Hunter who would be ringside as well.

"I guess since the audience has time to make an effort to make time to watch me." I sighed and as soon as the words left my mouth the line went dead.

"Seriously, possessive guys are hot but you can't stop thousands of fans from watching you" Paige rolled her eyes before grabbing some lipstick.

"So what are you and Randy?" Aj finally questioned.

"They're fuck buddies."

"We are not fuck buddies, we are nothing."

"Yeah because you usually get so upset over nothing. Don't you see what he is trying to do? And you're playing right into his hands or you were.." She wiggled her dark eyes, appearing even more so with her smoky eye shadow.

"What?" I scrunched up my face.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder. You're mad because you've wanted to speak to him because he seemed to be ignoring you. You were denying the poor guy so he had to go to desperate measures.."

I ran my fingers over my snap back briefly thinking of her words but I had made the effort to meet him. He knew my heart was fond of him and that was my mistake. I had become so comfortable with him that I ended up admitting how easily he affected me and hardly put up any fight. The fight was what kept him on guard and yes he was still fighting for my love but maybe there wasn't a point for him to try when I was so easily wrapped around his finger..

"Randy wouldn't do that, he knows how much I hate games, if he wanted to speak to me he would. And not now, two months fucking later. More like out of sight out of mind for him, let's go!"

●●●

I smiled as I stood over Paige holding my title, breathing heavily as she sure hadn't made it easy on me. I watched as she was helped out by officials before climbing the top rope, I briefly glanced back at Stephanie and Colby with no Hunter in sight. Maybe I shouldn't have made Randy believe Hunter mattered again but I was mad at him, and not being faced with him made it easier to just say fuck off Viper because I knew if he were here maybe I'd just sink into him and I didn't like it when he could just cut me off so easily.

"Congratulations Nikki, I must say that was impressive.." She moved to the ring and gestured for Colby to as well.

I dropped down from the ropes and positioned my title upon my shoulder with a slight frown as to why they were joining me. I was surprised that they hadn't meddled but also not sure what their plans were now as Colby seemed as confused as I was.

"Seth what do you think is the best punishment for someone who defies Authority? Who bites the hand that feeds them?"

"You gave me nothing!" I screamed despite not having a mic but raising my title.

"We gave you everything, we paved the way for you and then you turned around and behaved like the ungrateful bitch that you are!"

I rolled my eyes hearing the same story I had heard ever since Brie came back to the company, after I became champion and after Brie left.

"You gave me nothing and that's why you're so upset. You gave Seth that briefcase but you didn't give me this title, my sister gave it to me!" I snapped as it was the first time we were sharing a ring without my sister or Hunter near.
"And where is your sister now? Banished by you! You are selfish Nikki, you only care about your own needs and as long as you are happy the hell with everyone else. You think you can humiliate the Authority by your selfish actions and live to tell the tale?"

I shook my head with a smile briefly glancing at the pink and silver butterfly draping my shoulder while Colby simply stood beside her.

"What are you going to do to me? I am champion! You can't take it away from me!"

"Oh you are right, I can't take that championship away from you. But I can make you the most miserable champion that there ever was.."

"More miserable than I have been before? After I betrayed my sister! Bring it on but I hope that you know the only reason you are coming after me is because I am everything you can never be. I might be a lot of things, but you had a front row seat to my beating on Paige. No amount of training sessions with your egotistical husband will make you as good as I am because I have nothing else but this belt. And I used to be mad, when the world knows the other Bella is married to the great John Cena. So yes I agreed to betray the only person who truly had my back around here, but now I'm happy I am alone because that means I have no distractions. So please Stephanie! Be the spoilt brat that you are and use the power that your daddy gave you by default and beat me down every week and I'll just come back stronger. Because I don't care if the woman back there are stronger, I am champion and I run the division.."

"Everyone is invisible until they meet their match. And you might love being alone but I'm not."

"Well that's..." I felt the collision to my head cutting me off and immediately went down. I groaned and realized it had been Colby's briefcase and I wasn't even sure when he had shifted from her side.

"Lift her up!" I heard her command and he soon did.

"I'm so sorry" I heard him whisper into my ear and knew that briefcase could have given me a concussion if he actually intended it.

I glared at her as he held my hands behind my back despite feeling slightly reassured that this wasn't Colby tossing me to the side but simply doing what he was forced to do when the world saw him as the bad guy.

"You're weak!"

"No Nikki, I am your boss and you will bow down to me! Push her down!"

I felt my jaw clench as I tried fighting Colby's hold on me, one because I did not want to bow down to her when she was no Queen and two to make him look like he was doing a better job. But of course that led to him having to be more forceful as I went on my knees.

"Doesn't that feel like it should Nikki? On your knees for Authority"

I laughed a bit at her words which angered her, "hit me I don't care"

I felt her slap me twice and wiggled out of his arms as anger filled me, I would have been happy with a fucking pedigree.

"I owe you an expensive bottle of wine"

I nodded as she gestured for him to lift me up.

I groaned as I felt her heel to my abdomen causing him to let me go as I dropped to my knees again, coughing out due to the fucking wind being knocked out of me. It was clear she wasn't going along to any script, I was prepared for the pedigree but felt myself being lifted again and kicked again.

"What's that Nikki?" I heard her mocking tone. "Lift her up! "

"I hear voices in my head, they council me they understand they talk to me..."

I felt myself being dropped down as Colby prepared for Randy while Stephanie vacated the ring. He delivered an RKO to Colby while I tried getting to my feet only I was lifted into his arms. He wasn't supposed to be here...

I pushed him off me as soon as we got backstage and stormed off. Yes the stupid part of me that now held a weakness whenever her body neared his felt happy at his surprise return but the other part knew that part led to him believing it was okay to just disappear for two months.

"Are you afraid because I'm back and that leaves Hunter and I with some unfinished business?" I heard him as he pushed open my locker room door while I shoved my clothes in my bag just wanting to leave.

"I don't care, kill each other for all I care." I mumbled slipping over a hoodie and attempting to move past him.

"Back to Fearless Nikki..." He tutted.

"Always" I snapped.

"So you didn't miss me?" He frowned seeming hurt due to my actions.

"I stopped missing you after the first week of you ignoring me."

It wasn't true when just a month ago I was spilling my guts to Colby, dwelling on how Hunter was fading and the snake was the only clear factor for me even though whether I felt what he felt was a mystery.

"I was testing something" He smiled a bit not seeming affected by my hostility. But then again it was how we began, how we mostly were even though I was less so over the last few months he had handled me this way before so why would the Predator be turned away now.

"What?"

"My love for you, you know the whole absence makes the heart grow fonder. I wanted to see if what I felt was real, I mean I knew it was but I wanted to see if I cut ties for a bit, didn't see or hear you. Would The Viper still want you?" He shrugged while I rolled my eyes because it was clear he was amused while I wasn't as he repeated what Paige had suggested.

"Nice try, Orton. I'm so stupid, every time I fucking fall for it and you were just like all of them." I shook my head moving past him into the hallway.

"I saved you out there, Nicole" He lowered his voice wanting to get my attention but I focused on the random people making their way past the hallway, briefly glancing down to see the back of Randy Orton and walking on.

"You made your grand return defying Authority that's all." I attempted to move past him to head to the exit but this time he pulled me forcefully into my locker room again, slamming the door behind us.

"Why are you so mad?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? Because you left me alone, Randy! You look at me with those sad fucking orbs letting me think you're actually sad to let me go and then you just fucking disappear."

His jaw clenched slightly and I was happy it did so he could realize it wasn't the back and forth game between us but he had hurt me by just disappearing. While I knew he loved me, he knew I hated not having him there so why would he just not contact me for two months?

"I told you I would be busy and.."

"I'm sure you were" I sighed, I was his addiction here because he didn't have anyone else surrounding him. The women backstage had become familiar faces and the fans were something he only associated with at live events, he'd go from here to home but on set things were different.

"Nicole..." He shook his head running his hand over his face.

"You're all the same. That's why I won't love you because I know. You're away from me and I don't exist, don't spin me some stupid testing of a theory Randy. Because I'm always meant to be there when its convenient for everyone else."

He chuckled while I wasn't sure what was so funny. "You think I cheated on you because I don't have contact with you?"

I sighed and decided to pack the rest of my things away, that I had planned on texting Paige to bring, instead since it was clear he wouldn't be moving from the door."We aren't together so its not cheating"

I heard him groan before his heavy footsteps led to his shadow hovering over me. "I didn't fuck anyone. The closest I came to fucking was my dick pressed between your ass the morning after Christmas. Fuck Nicole, I fucking saved you out there tonight and figured you'd be happy but I guess you're upset that Hunter didn't think you were important enough to watch. "

I giggled slightly and sighed, "Yeah because Nicole Garcia loves Hunter but wants your attention so badly."

"And she has it. Even though she loves him, she has my undivided attention. I'm not meant to be here but I knew something was going down and I fucking saved you." He sat down beside my bag on the bench while I didn't bother looking at him. I hadn't spoken to Hunter in so long, to have him thrown in my face defeated the purpose.

"I don't need to be saved by you Randy. I'm trying to let them know I am Fearless" I whispered deciding to stare at him which was a mistake as I saw the amusement left his eyes and they were filled with concern.

"And they're trying to prove you wrong or was someone else gasping for air out there? I'm Randy fucking Orton being saved by me doesn't make you weak, it makes you stronger. I make you stronger, I make you fearless, I mean you are strong and Fearless on your own and I'm happy that you are. But you know when we're not focusing on this back and forth of 'you love me I don't love you', I make you stronger. I make you happier, I mean come on aren't you happy to see me baby?"

"No!" I rolled my eyes but he slowly stood up causing me to peek up at him.

"How about I show you how sorry I am for not contacting you and release all my frustrations built up for you every time I get close to you. That way you'll know that I haven't gotten rid of them with anyone else." Of course, try and seduce me when I am seeing red...

"I told you it doesn't matter, I have no right to get upset you aren't mine, Randy. So get rid of your frustrations with whoever you want." I folded my arms seeing his chest heave slowly up and down with anger.

"What is going on with you tonight? I'm used to you being difficult but..."

"But I usually give into you after you beg for long enough? Yeah that's a Nicole thing." I shrugged with annoyance at myself.

"You're punishing me for them? I'm not like your fucking mistakes who couldn't love you! "

I tensed slightly at his loud voice but stared at the tiled floors.

"No Randy. I just... you were right, I'm stubborn I push you away because you love me but now I'm pushing you away because you proved to me you're capable of being just like them. Making me feel unwanted, not miss me enough to contact me, just leave me wondering on my own. " My voice lowered as the anger slowly faded revealing the real reason for my annoyance.

"Look at my fucking hand, Nicole. I have worn this for the past two months. You ignored me too.." He whispered reminding me of when I had avoided him after he found out about the affair.

I sighed as I sat down realizing I had ignored him as well and yet again I went off on him when he reflected similar actions. "I was trying to help you. I hurt you by being with Hunter and I didn't see why I deserved to be in your life when I changed your views on someone you had looked up to for all this time. Yet your views hadn't changed on me."

"You fucking punish yourself when he could care less. I haven't spoken to Hunter, Nicole and that is my decision. You're acting like the weight of this affair is all meant to be on you. But it's not supposed too and whatever happens between Hunter and I or you and him pshouldn't affect us. I told you I would be here regardless of what you choose to do with him. What do I have to do to let you know that I'm not like Hunter or Nick?" He took a seat beside me with both of us staring into the mirror of my dressing table. He was right,  the affair consisted of two people but the weight was pushing me down the more I tried to rise...

I stared into his eyes focused on me for what seemed like forever and pushed back the smile as I felt a sense of happiness seeing it. His love, concern...

"Nothing, Randy. Because I can't help but compare you to them, you know why? Because you're right about everything. I'm afraid, afraid that I could actually be in love with you and not because you could be like them, just afraid that if there is a next step Orton, then what? You do know that if I love you, its not a Predator- Prey game, you're stuck with me. Stuck with my stupid indecisive moods, my fucking weaknesses. My neediness, my insecurities... You're stuck." Instead of the happiness due to his presence I saw a sad smile on my face reflecting back to me.

"You'd be stuck as well." I felt his hand pull mine apart as I had been playing with my fingers and I held his hand within my lap instead.

"Yeah but difference is I've been stuck with you since two years ago. You've been my annoyance, sexually frustrated Viper for an entire year but I've been the prey to you, you say you see it ending with me marrying you. But you have only dealt with my hurt caused by other man, from the outside looking in, what if you find out that they aren't the problem but I am? Then you're stuck and then you're bored and then two months pass without us talking and its a test. I don't want to be with someone who can last so long and just come in here like nothing happened. It might be hypocritical of me but..."

"I gave you time, Nicole."

"For what?" I stared beside me instead of the reflection which caused him to do the same.

"To stop being confused." He smiled and rested his forehead against mine, and I closed my eyes as his nose nudged over mine...

"Well that was stupid because you've just confused me more. " I whispered into his lips and felt him move back with a smirk as I opened my eyes.

"No I didn't. You were pissed at me because you wanted my attention "

"I still am..." I shrugged with a small smile resting my head on his shoulder.

"Yeah but now you're pissed because you know I am in love with you and you might be in love with me as well." He winked and placed a kiss on my forehead before resting his head on mine and staring at me in the mirror. From being so mad at him to this...

"And scared.... " I confessed as what happened in the ring filled my mind.

He frowned due to my words while I felt the pain radiating from my abdomen due to the very real shots that had connected with it.

"You just returned and I might be on my way out, Orton. We might be star-crossed" I teased.

"Why?" He questioned with confusion in his voice.

"I think Stephanie knows..."