Flames

Light It Up, part 1

"I know the Saturday PLEs are better for a lot of fans," Becky sighed as she did her last walk around the tour bus to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, "but I kinda like the Sunday-Monday combo."

Seth laughed as he watched her sneak one last chocolate. Normally they didn't get much time to shop or sight-see when they were on tour, but since WWE had been in Europe for the past few weeks, they had actually had some time to enjoy themselves. For Becky, of course, part of that meant stocking up on good chocolate. "You're just saying that because it means you'll get to hit CM Punk two days in a row."

"Maybe if you're a very good boy," Becky grinned, "you'll be able to hit him today too." She wasn't surprised that Punk was happy to work with her and even willing to take a few hits. He had been a staunch supporter of the women's division for a long time, after all, and often advocated for the women to get more time, more opportunities. It was always refreshing to work within a feud with men who treated her as an equal. But Becky couldn't pretend that the return of AJ Lee—still officially up in the air, but rumoured to be happening—wasn't a big motivator too. "Man, being a heel is the best."

"I'm sure Punk will take that as a compliment in his own weird way." He stepped off the bus first and held out his hand for her. They were parked away from public view, so they didn't have to play Aloof Arrogant Heels until they were out on stage. "I'm sure AJ will be just as delighted to smack me." He paused, then laughed. "I think that says something about the two of you."

"Regular peas in a pod, we are." Becky was only partially joking. AJ was only a couple of months younger than her, so it wasn't as if AJ was the reason she started wrestling, but she was an inspiration all the same. She had fought against a system that valued sexiness over skills, left on her own terms, and had forged a successful career across different platforms while also championing important causes. "I like to think we could be friends. We have a lot in common. I'm sure Roux will adore her, if she ever gets to meet her."

Seth sighed as he nodded to a security guard. "Another auntie to add to the New Pictures list?"

"We'll see. She may not be too happy with me after tonight. Besides, I think Naomi took over the the top spot for a picture wishlist." Becky wasn't mad about it in the least. Naomi had been vocal about wanting kids and Becky cherished every update they got. Some came from Jimmy himself—who would, no doubt, in the grand tradition of expectant fathers, get 'injured' early next year so he could spend time with his new child—but Becky's favourites came from Naomi herself. Whether it was an ultrasound or a picture of baby clothes, Becky remembered the combination of delight and dread as the days counted down. She was trying to be as supportive as she could be without being overbearing and Roux, surprisingly, was a big help in that regard, since she had endless questions about babies and how they grew.

"You started a trend of champi-moms." Seth made a sour face. "That sounded a lot better in my head."

"Be careful," Becky warned. "We'll need to be at the top of our mic games with Punk." She was looking forward to working with someone who not only had top-tier mic skills but who would use them against anyone, male or female. "What's the next PLE? Do you think AJ could be ready in time?" She narrowed her eyes and poked his side as she darted through the metal detector before him. WWE was filming wrestler entrances now, but even those were staged—mostly to give the tired stars a chance to settle in before they had to be camera ready. "We didn't have much time to work with Nikki, and...."

Seth, wisely, glossed right over the Nikki reference. He knew Becky wasn't happy with how her match with Nikki Bella had turned out and no matter how much he tried to convince her otherwise, she just couldn't see it yet. Being trusted with a Legend or Hall of Famer returning to the ring after a long absence was like a vote of confidence from the higher-ups. Since her bout with Nikki hadn't gone as well as people had hoped, Becky was worried that AJ's potential return might go to someone else. She wouldn't mind if Bayley got it, or even one of AJ's so-called 'wrestling daughters', like Roxanne, but it was a match she would love to have. "You mean Wrestlepalooza?" Seth replied, shooting her a look.

"You know I can't say that without laughing," Becky grinned. "Or without making you laugh." Her accent stretched palooza out in a way that sounded unintentionally sarcastic. "But yes, that one."

"September 20th?" Seth pulled out his phone and scrolled through a few texts. "Yeah. So about three weeks. And it's not like AJ's not already in shape. The only real issue will be ring rust," he added, "and I'm sure Punk can help with that. We can do practice runs too, if she comes to the arenas."

Becky frowned. AJ's return—if it did come to pass—was going to be a big deal, and WWE wouldn't want to risk any footage, no matter how grainy or inconclusive, leaking out on social media before any big event. AJ had been a huge seller for the company back in the day and Becky had no doubts that fans would be buying every bit of AJ Lee merchandise they could get their hands on once the designs were finalized. "Depending on how long Hunter wants to stretch this out," she said. "They've been going back and forth with you two for a while...."

"Tell me about it." CM Punk raised his coffee cup in their direction. "I'm surprised they waited this long to get you involved, Becky. Although if it means I was spared hits like that one last night...." He shot Becky a look and added, "Creative wants to see all three of us to talk about what's going down tonight."

Becky peered around Punk. "So, AJ...."

"Styles?" Punk smirked. "Probably around here somewhere. You know how much they love him in France. I don't know why Hunter didn't have him win the title last night, but...."

Becky sighed. "April? Your wife?"

"Patience, grasshopper. SmackDown's going to be in Chicago," Punk added with a grin, gesturing to a corridor, "and I know you're fancy LA kids now, but you might want to come back to Seth's old stomping grounds on Friday."

Seth gave Becky a nudge as they followed Punk. "See? It's all coming together."

Becky still wasn't so sure. Women's storylines were still shaky things, and women's involvement in men's storylines often came off the wrong way, but she trusted Seth and Punk, and if AJ Lee was even half of the hellraiser she used to be—well, maybe people would remember Wrestlepalooza for more than its ridiculous name.