THE QUEEN'S GAME

Chapter 25

"Get out of my face!" Charlotte smacked the woman in front of her and Hunter got wicked pleasure, watching her fall. Charlotte was a force. They were doing promo for their upcoming faceoff with Edge and Stephanie, and Charlotte clearly had the upper hand over Stephanie.
The max capacity crowd in New York City roared, booing Charlotte and he laughed until a chant broke out.
"You killed Mickey."
Hunter looked at her, only wishing he could dull her pain, but knowing he could only do what was best by getting her out of the ring. He couldn't allow this to continue. She looked devastated.
Grabbing her trembling hand, he pulled her toward him. She was clammy, the darkness had washed over her. He could see it in her eyes. At that point he'd had a change of heart. He didn't want to run. He wanted to stay and fight and to let her know it was fine to do so.
Pulling a microphone to his lips, he sighed into it. "Charlotte, don't go. Baby, stay with me."
She looked at him, nodding her head as a tear glistened in her eyes. "I love you."
The crowd erupted. He'd said it to her, the people that knew them best knew he was in love with her, but he'd never said it in front of a crowd. His revelation set their segment on fire. It was in that moment he knew what needed to happen.
He grabbed her hand tighter, got on his knee and heard pandemonium break out. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life. You've been there for me in the darkest hours and baby I can't imagine any day without you in it. I'm sorry we had to go through what we did, I'm sorry that maniac tried to kill you and you did what you had to do to protect the both of us, but I'm not sorry you're here. I love you so much, will you—"
"Marry me, Hunter."
The crowd was on it's feet and here Hunter was looking his dream woman in the eye. He wasn't sure if it was real or an attempt to allow him to be off the hook, but he knew no greater words had been spoken—even if they weren't real.
"Charlotte—I was going to ask you."
She smiled, wiping a tear from her eye. "So I guess the answer is yes?"
The crowd began chanting once more. "Yes, yes, yes, yes."
Hunter stood, picked her up and threw the mic to the side. He kissed her, in effect providing his proverbial answer and she wrapped her arms around him. So that hadn't gone as planned, he was sure creative was going to ream them once again for going off script.
Stephanie watched them with a dumbfounded look on her face while Adam just looked sad. Maybe he'd thought there was still a chance for him and Charlotte. They'd already proven there wasn't.
As they kissed the world stood still. Hunter ran his hands through her curly blonde hair and her sweet giggle fed his soul. He let his hands drop to her hips and imagined. What if this feeling was real?
Letting the sound of her laughter and the crowd's loud chants soar around them, Hunter closed his eyes until Stephanie's voice propelled him to open them.
"That's all sweet and cute. You're marrying my ex so soon after you broke us apart, Charlotte, but mine wasn't the only life you affected. I have someone else that has a very special message for you. I hope this doesn't intrude on the engagement night."
Stephanie motioned toward the monitor, and Hunter saw Madisyn's face appear. They'd met her and he thought she and Charlotte had bonded, but if Stephanie was the one who orchestrated the video he expected the worst.
"Charlotte Flair, lets see," Madisyn's voice spoke harshly. "My child is without her father because of that woman. There is only one word I can use to describe her—hero."
Hunter sighed, and Charlotte relaxed at his side where she'd been otherwise very tense.
"My husband was not a good man. He was abusive, he embodied everything I didn't want in a father for my daughter, and the day he died he attacked Charlotte and Hunter. Charlotte protected herself, there was no telling what he would have done to her or me. I'm late in saying this, I was ashamed, but thank you, Charlotte."
The people who weren't standing stood and yet again, another chant broke out.
"Thank you, Charlotte."
"Thank you, Charlotte."
Charlotte did a silent nod as a tear crept down her cheek. This was much more than a kayfabe storyline, this was her life, and she'd gotten the vindication she hadn't asked for but truly deserved. And from Stephanie of all people. Hunter noted the brief but genuine smile Stephanie flashed Charlotte and knew it was one of those times she couldn't hide the side of her that truly cared for Charlotte.
"No!" Stephanie yelled, breaking up the chant. "You're not getting away with this! You do whatever you want and don't have any consequences. You're going to pay!"
Charlotte quickly snapped back into character and slapped the mic out of Stephanie's hand. The crowd roared. They loved it. They loved her.
"Charlotte."
"Charlotte."
"Charlotte."
Charlotte pushed Stephanie to the ground and climbed through the ropes. She uttered a spiteful bitch and Hunter followed closely behind her. He wasn't sure what this was. Was she a heel? Was she a Babyface? What the hell was going on? And why had she cut him off in the ring? Was she still afraid of being that serious?
They were greeted by Vince and one of his staff as soon as they walked through the curtain. Hunter held his hands up in surrender.
"This was my fault. I went off script again and I know—"
"What are you talking about? That was brilliant. You dropping to one knee on national tv and you," he turned to Charlotte. "Stopping him in mid sentence with a proposal of your own. That was great tv. Now what do you two plan to do to follow up those little stunts? Next week has to build more momentum."
"I—we—things happened so fast, I wasn't thinking. They were just saying all these awful things about her and I needed it to stop." Hunter fumbled through his explanation and he saw a few different emotions dance in Charlotte's eyes. He wasn't sure what to make of them.
"Engagements can last as long as you want them to," she spoke. "Next week I'm gonna kick Stephanie's ass and Hunter is going to handle Edge once and for all and then we're done with them. That's the story we need to focus on more than anything."
"That's the plan," Vince agreed. "But are you okay? I know that had to be hard. I'm not asking as your boss. I'm asking as your Uncle Vinny."
"I did kill him, they're not wrong. I have to face it that some people are always going to look at me and see that."
"No matter how bad he was it's going to hurt just the same. I just want you to be okay. If you need time off—"
"I'm fine, Uncle Vinny." He smiled. She hadn't called him that since beginning to work for the company. Hunter felt as if he was intruding on a very private moment. They were close, but he'd known that already.
"Call me if you need me. Promise you will."
"I promise." She hugged him and he held onto her for a while. Hunter hadn't taken into account that he'd been like a second father to her a was probably as afraid of losing her as Ric had been.
"I like this dynamic you two have. Keep doing what you're doing. It's working." He skipped down the hall but paused. "Oh, and you have a match next week. A title match." With that he disappeared down the hall.
"What? Why?"
"You were supposed to still have the belt. He didn't take it away from you. You gave it away."
"Yes, to give the other girls a chance. I don't want things because I'm family."
"You're not getting it because you're family. You're getting it because you're the best."
"It feels like it's too soon."
"Victoria has held the belt before. It's your turn. You're ready for this."
"I guess I have no choice. But the rule stands. A new opponent every week. I don't want to stop until I've fought every woman in that locker room."
"Trust me, they know."
"You did this, didn't you?"
"No. I just—"
"Next time let me handle my own storyline, please. Don't make any grand gestures on my behalf."
She was actually pissed off. He had no clue why. She was just so happy before they went out. "Charlotte what's—"
"I'm ready to go, Hunter. Or you know what, I'm going to stay with Chyna tonight. I feel like we haven't had a girl's night in ages."
"You can't be serious. But I thought we didn't like spending nights apart."
"It's one night. It won't kill us. Maybe we need the break. We've been attached at the hip ever since we got back together."
"I don't need a break. Charlotte, can we talk about this?" He attempted to run his fingers down her jawline, but she stepped back.
"It's nothing, Hunter. I'll see you in the morning."
Giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she turned on her heels and headed toward their locker room. Billy was at his side a moment later.
"Something wrong?"
Hunter shrugged and ran a tired hand through his hair. "I don't know. She's staying with Chyna tonight."
"After that show you two put on? What the hell did you do?"
"I don't know. I just don't know anything, I guess."
Something had her angry. He needed to know what. It would bother him all night.
***
Charlotte tossed in the thick white sheets covering her and threw her hand up in frustration. She couldn't sleep. She'd been trying for hours.
"As much as I don't mind you being here, I really wish we could both get some sleep." Chyna was laying beside her, they'd been sharing her king sized hotel bed.
"Thanks for letting me bunk with you. I'm sorry I'm such a mess."
"It's okay." Chyna sat up. "But you can at least tell me why you're here and not with Hunter. I didn't think we'd ever pry you two apart again."
"We just needed some space. All couples do or they will go crazy."
"Not you two. You go crazy when you're not together. It's insane how much time you want to spend together."
"I just needed a few hours to myself. I needed to think."
"About what? The segment tonight?"
"Segment," Charlotte scoffed. "That was a mess, but it's not just that."
"The fake engagement making you crazy, huh?"
"I meant it."
Chyna flipped the light switch on and pushed her hair behind her ears. "What did you mean? I know it was rough and he had to improvise quickly but you guys handled it so well. You're a good team."
"I asked him to marry me. I meant it. I asked him to marry me on live tv and he told everyone he only started to ask me because he wanted the crowd to stop calling me a murderer."
"Oh." Chyna sat back, seemingly at a loss for words. "I see."
"I was so happy. I've been afraid of feeling this way for so long and when I finally get there he doesn't even think it's real. I was so embarrassed listening to him tell my Uncle Vince that we'd only done this for a story. It felt like he'd ripped my heart out. It just hurt."
"He's—he's a guy. They don't always get it. They're very dense sometimes."
"I made a complete fool of myself. I asked him to marry me, and he wrote it off as a plot point. I couldn't face him after that. It's why I couldn't spend the night with him. I was afraid I was going to cry in front of him."
"I'm sorry." Chyna just grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You really want this? Are you sure you weren't just caught up in all the emotions?"
"I love Hunter. Like I think of the man I was always supposed to be with and he exceeds it. He's my best friend. I don't tell him that, but he is. He's always there for me and he fought like hell for us even when I didn't. I will never find another love like this. I know that and I feel it with every breath I take. I know it's sudden and we were apart, but I don't want to wait. Seeing him down on his knee just made it clear to me. I want to marry this man."
"That's amazing. I mean—I'm really happy for you."
"It's not going to happen." Charlotte shrugged. "I did this. I made him feel like I'd never be ready."
"He loves you so much, and I know he can be dim, but if he'd known you were serious he would have married you on the spot. He's never been like this with anyone. He's so caught off guard when it comes to you. It's actually cute."
Charlotte sighed. "Is this weird? I'm sorry."
"It's not. You are two of my best friends, and your happiness means so much to me."
"I sometimes forget how selfish I'm being when I come to you with our problems. You and Hunter—"
"Stop that. Do you know he loved you before we even met? I didn't know you, but I knew there was a love before me. I knew he probably wasn't over it, but we needed each other at that time. I was going through a lot and so was he. We were never meant to be more than friends. I'm not bitter or sad about you two. I'm truly happy."
"I would never be able to do that. If me and Hunter didn't work out I'd still try to murder the next woman he was with. I'd be a jealous head case."
"And that's what makes us different. I love him—as his friend. I'd never fight anyone for being with him. Even when we were together and the two of you happened I didn't get that urge. That's how I knew I wasn't really in it for the right reasons."
"I wouldn't fight her, I'd kill her. Him too." Chyna laughed, causing Charlotte to finally break a smile. "I know, I'm not crazy, not usually."
"But love makes you do some crazy things. I have no doubt you're going to have everything you want with Hunter. You're just going to have to communicate with him about what those things are."
"How am I going to say any of this to him without sounding insane? What will I say, Hunter, I know we're fake engaged, but can we make it real?"
"It's a start." Chyna shrugged. "He's not some enigma. He's Hunter, the man you're in love with. He should be the easiest person in the world for you to talk to."
"He is."
"So why are you here?"
"Because I'm afraid."
"What are you afraid of?"
"That he's going to realize he doesn't want me." She'd been afraid of this since all the bad press started. He'd told her it didn't matter, but she'd seen him struggling to remain positive. He was putting on a brave face for her, but she'd heard him talking to Billy one night. He told him he felt like things would never be the same between them again. He had no idea she was standing behind him. She just slithered away without saying a word. Everything was taking a toll on him. He'd only even "proposed" to protect her.
"You can't be serious. He loves you more than anything."
"I know he loves me. We love each other, but this is a lot. He's stressed and it's all my fault. I don't want to force his hand. He'd do anything to prevent hurting me. Even saying yes."
"I refuse to believe or accept that. Talk to him or I will."
Charlotte sat with her thoughts racing. Maybe she'd needed this push. She was being a coward instead of acknowledging the promise she'd made to never keep things from Hunter. He'd made the same promise to her.
"I want to believe everything will be fine, but every time I get my hopes up about anything something bad happens. I'd rather be with him without the title than making him give me something I want out of obligation."
"Hunter has never been the type to do anything he doesn't want and never will be. If he does end up marrying you it will be because he can't dream of his life without you in it."
Charlotte nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. "What time is it?"
"It's three in the morning," Chyna advised. "We should get some sleep."
"We will, but I know why I can't sleep—I'm not in the correct bed."
Chyna smiled. "Go get some rest. Things will look better in the morning."
"It is morning." Charlotte pulled herself out of bed and slid into her slippers. She'd left most of her things with Hunter but she grabbed the bag she'd packed hurriedly and left Chyna's room.
Pushing the door to Hunter's room open after using the key card he'd given her earlier in the day, she hoped he was sleeping and that her stunt hadn't kept him up all night. He was already restless from all the other stress she'd brought to them. He needed his rest.
Dropping her bag to the floor, she jumped when he sat up suddenly. He looked tired and guilt built in her chest. He hadn't done anything wrong. This time it was her.
"What's going on?" His deep voice invaded her space.
"Nothing, I'm just tired. I couldn't sleep." She shrugged and his arms reached out to her.
"Come here." Her feet carried her to him and he grabbed the shirt next to him and swept the one she was wearing over her head. Next he dropped the shorts she had on and her legs buckled as he lifted her into his lap. She both loved and hated how perfect it felt. He'd been anticipating her return. She didn't deserve it after the way she'd behaved.
"You don't have to always be so understanding."
"I'm not," he informed her. "I'm pissed off at you, but I refuse to make myself suffer because you were being an ass. I thought we already discussed how punishing each other backfires because we end up punishing ourselves."
She chuckled and laid her head against his chest. "It does. But I wasn't punishing you, I was just taking a minute to myself. Why aren't you asleep?"
"Because I was waiting for you."
"How did you know I would be back? I was going to stay the night."
"You didn't take the shirt you like to sleep in and I just had a feeling you wouldn't be able to sleep. Tonight was stressful, and I highly doubted that Chyna was going to let you lay on her chest and hold you until you fell asleep."
"No, she wasn't that generous. But she did share her bed with me."
"No one with a brain would refuse you their bed."
"Should I go test that theory? There are a lot of beds around here."
"Do it and you'll see an explosion like never before in this place. But seriously, you sleep better when you're right here." He tapped his chest.
"How do you know me so well? We haven't even been together six months."
"A timeframe doesn't mean anything. I've known you so long and the only things I had to learn were the intimate details. Those and the different mood swings. Those are hell." He chuckled. "I pay attention to you and the things that bring you comfort and what helps you drown out all the other noise. That makes me feel good too. When you feel good I am at ease. It's about how we feel and what we want."
"Can we talk about what it is that we want? But I'd like to do it after we get some rest. I'm exhausted."
He kissed her forehead. "Definitely."
He laid back and pulled her with him. "You're not going to ask?"
"Ask what?"
"Why I did what I did tonight."
"You will tell me when you're ready. I know that you pick fights when you're struggling with your feelings. It's how you lash out, but I'm not going anywhere. I just let you have your moment because I knew you'd come to me and we'd talk it out at some point. I want us to get to a position where we can skip the lashing out, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Sometimes the lashing out is cute except when you leave me for hours. I ate dinner alone."
"Aawh, poor baby." She kissed him gently and he gripped her hips tighter. "I'm sorry I left you hanging. I'll buy you dinner next time. But I love how calm you are about this."
"You've had enough people dumping on you lately. You don't need it from me too. Tonight was a lot for anyone. You are entitled to a few meltdowns. Especially with all the curveballs I threw in the past. I just hope we can discuss it sooner rather than later. I like it much better when the air is clear between us. I told you, there is nothing you can't say to me. Please believe that."
"I do. It's my own insanity that makes me anxious. It's nothing you did. You've been perfect."
She wanted to tell him everything, but the fear rose in her chest. It was almost incapacitating.
"No one is perfect. Something obviously happened tonight to make you feel like you needed space. I know we spend a lot of time together. Maybe I'm too dependent on always having you here. It's just that the two months was a lot to process. Now that I have you back I don't like being apart."
"I want to be here. That's not a problem at all. I love being with you and all that we share. It's so special to me. I know that I can tell you anything—it's not that."
"Whenever you're ready I'll listen. I'm here as long as you need me to be."
He swept his hands down her back and she relaxed. Stretching her arms out, tucking her hands under him, she exhaled into the quiet room. She'd never felt more at peace or compelled to say what was on her mind.
"I meant what I asked you. I know you probably think I'm crazy, but I want this for the rest of my life. You and me—being a family, having kids one day, and just being each other's forever. I saw you on your knee in front of me and it made me realize that I needed this. You're the person I never want to be without. Hunter, will you marry me?"
He didn't say a word. Looking up at him, she smiled. He was the most beautiful sleeping person she'd ever seen. He was out cold.