Flames

Wrestlemania 35, part 2

Logically, Becky knew she shouldn't have been hanging around Seth's locker room. She knew exactly what would happen—well, perhaps not the specifics, but she had known one of them would end up out of their own head. Now she needed to get her head back on her shoulders and focus on her match. Event fatigue was already setting with the audience and she couldn't blame them; even if you didn't include the pre-show, it was a long night. Depending on how things went, Becky might technically win on Monday, not Sunday.

When there was a knock on her locker room door, she froze for a moment. As much as she would love for it to be Seth, there was no way she would be able to even hug him without scrambling her thoughts all over again. "Becks?" It took her a moment to recognize Charlotte's voice. "You busy?"

"Nah, I'm good. Come in." Becky blew a piece of hair out of her face. She loved the punkish style, but it was going to be an utter disaster by the time the night was out.

Charlotte was all dressed, save her robe. The plan was for her to have an elaborate helicopter entrance, so she would need to start her preparations soon. "Hey, Becks." She enveloped her shorter friend in a hug.

"Hey, Char. Hey, jugs." It was a running joke between them, and the only reason Becky had felt comfortable using Charlotte's breast implants as ammunition during their feud. "Ready for your ride?"

Charlotte gave her a very pointed look. "It looks like you already had the best ride of the night," she laughed. "You better get that dopey look off your face or you're going to give Ronda a run for her money in the Silliest Expression category."

"Argh." Becky started to raise her hands to her face, but then remembered all the hard work the ladies in make-up had done to complement her gear. "I knew I shouldn't have gone to congratulate him privately, but I'm so proud of him. . . ."

"I know." Charlotte looped an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Have some cold water and think really unsexy thoughts. Imagine having to wear those stupid shorts of Ronda's that keep riding up."

Becky nearly choked on her laughter. "Not a visual I needed, Char."

"No, but it worked, didn't it?" Then Charlotte sobered, turning Becky to face her and holding both her hands. "Woman, I am so happy for you. You deserve all of this: the attention, the main event, the double title. Even the good sex."

"Oh, well, I'll tell Seth we have your blessing then, should I?" Becky pulled Charlotte into another hug. "Thanks, Char. It means a lot."

"I know. The only person other than me that I would want to have this moment is you," Charlotte said, "and I can't wait to see it." She was already in full make-up too, and when tears came to her eyes, she dabbed at them gingerly. "Okay, okay. No tears! The stupid boys don't have to deal with this," she said with a laugh, grabbing a tissue from Becky's kit and patting gently at her cheeks. "I'll go do my thing and I'll see you out there. Love you, Becks."

"Love you too." The love and respect from Charlotte helped steady Becky through the rest of her preparations. The cold water helped too, though wiggling out of her ring gear enough to go to the bathroom was an art in itself.

Becky's ring entrance wasn't as flashy as Charlotte's or Ronda's, but she didn't mind. That wasn't what being The Man was about. She had fought and bled—literally, thanks to Nia Jax—to get her spot at Wrestlemania, and it was enough to hear her music and see her name emblazoned on the screens. The match wasn't without its hitches, and she was sure Ronda was going to be full of gripes whenever she decided to crawl back to WWE, but at the end of the three count, it was Becky's hand that was raised, her shoulders draped in titles.