"I dare anyone to say we aren't a wrestling power couple!" Lily exclaimed with glee as she struggled to wiggle into her jeans Friday evening. "I'm never working out with you again. My thigh muscles are bulking out of control. Back on topic, both of us are on our way to sold out Axxess meet and greets. I know people are going to say 'oh, the only reason Lily sold out is because of her dad' but the truth is it was already 60% sold out on the first day before they decided to turn it into a father-daughter session. People actually paid to see me. I still can't believe it."
"Believe it, babe. I am so proud of you. You've come so far," he smiled. "I was going to wait until tomorrow night but now is the perfect moment."
"What?" she asked curiously and he pulled a little black box from behind his back. Her eyes widened in shock because she was not expecting this, at least not now. A chill of fear ran down her spine because her dad was going to kill him. "Fergal, what? I-I-I-"
"Oh, it's just a promise ring. I'm not even down on one knee," he laughed which relaxed her a little. He opened the box. Taking it out, he tilted it up so she could see the engravement inside: Two Hearts, Too Sweet. Then he slid it on her finger. "I'd give a speech but I think the ring says it all."
Lily felt stinging in the corners of her eyes but she blinked them away because her mascara wasn't waterproof. She raised her hand to look at her ring. It was a gold band with two interlocking hearts lined with diamonds. She hugged him. "It's beautiful and I love it...and you. I'd thank you for it but I'm already running behind."
"We have all night for that," he winked.
She thought Summerslam Axxess was a big deal but Wrestlemania Axxess was on a different level. Fans were everywhere and they needed a security escort just to get from one place to another.
Lily looked around. "Hey there's my dad and Hunter. Let's go."
Shawn's eyes went straight to her hand. He picked it up to examine it. He looked from her to Finn. "What the hell is this? Did you give this to her?"
"I would hope so," Finn replied sarcastically.
"Who do you think you are?!" he hissed. "I don't know how they do things over in Ireland but here in America any decent man asks the father for the daughter's hand in marriage and my answer is no!
Hunter looked over her shoulder. "And on top of that it's a small, bullshit ring! You have a million dollar salary plus a percentage of your merch sales and this is what you get her? You should be ashamed of yourself!"
"I was too distracted by the very idea of it to even notice the ring!" Shawn added. "Lily, I am insulted that you said yes to that popcorn machine ring. Have some respect for yourself."
Lily rolled her eyes. "It's a promise ring, guys."
"Oh..." Shawn blinked. "Well, I guess that's alright."
"And I'll have you two know that that small, bullshit, popcorn machine ring probably cost more than all the Hall of Fame rings WWE will be giving out tomorrow put together," Finn sounded slightly offended. "Lilith, my meet and greet doesn't start until another hour but I'm going to walk around for a bit and catch up with you later."
Lily's hand cramped after a long evening of signing autographs. Her and Shawn were down to their last two fans.
The first was a teen girl wearing Lily's upside down heartbreak shirt. "You deserve to be on that card Sunday and I'm not talking about the battle royal."
"I agree," Shawn said, signing his name before sliding it over to Lily.
Lily signed before giving it back to the fan. "All good things come to those who wait. Thanks for your support."
"I know that this is an autograph only session but can I please take a selfie with you?" she pulled out her phone.
There was a security guard standing behind them earlier that turned down selfies for them. Not only because it was an autograph signing but because if one fan got a selfie they all would want one. He left when the line winded down to the last 10. Lily stood. "Sure."
A guy who appeared to be in his 30s wearing a DX shirt approached. "Shawn Michaels, it's going to be so awesome to see you guys finally going in tomorrow night. I only wish it happened a few years earlier so Chyna could've been there."
"Thank you. I wish the same," Shawn had his head down signing. Lily was wearing a low cut shirt and the guy was practically drooling over her.
"Oh and Shawn, Lily needs a real man instead of Finn Balor. He's a loser indie darling who looks like he belongs on 205 Live," he said and Shawn laughed, sliding the picture over to Lily.
"The only loser here is you," Lily handed the picture to the guy without signing. "Have a nice day."
"That was rude," Shawn replied when the guy left.
"No, rude was you laughing instead of defending him especially when you were smaller framed back in an era where Vince preferred his top guys to be at least 6 feet tall and roided up," she pointed out.
"Me defending him?" he snorted. "I don't think so."
"After all this time if you still don't like him that's fine but at least fake it to outsiders. That guy is going to run straight to Reddit and post that you don't like your own son-in-law and that I'm a bitch because I refused to sign!"
"Son-in-law," Shawn scoffed. "He may have put a childish ring on your finger but until he walks you down the aisle he's no son-in-law of mine."
"Can you stop flip flopping please? One day you're okay with him, the next day you're angry again. Pick an emotion already and stick with t!"
"I was okay because when I looked at the other men backstage I acknowledged that you could've done worse but that was just the main roster. I've been making some rounds since I got here Thursday and have met some nice young gentlemen with bright futures ahead of them from the NXT and NXT UK rosters."
"God, are you serious right now?" Lily's mouth fell open in disbelief.
"Yes! That promise ring is an ominous symbol of what's to come. Why settle for the first guy you meet when you can have your pick? There are so many more compatible options out there," Shawn argued.
"Hmm, I wonder what you called "Divas" back in your day who explored options? Slut, whore, live-in ring rat or all of the above?"
"Slut?" Shawn's brow knitted in confusion. "Who said anything about sleeping around? I'm just saying you shouldn't put your all into a relationship with a 37 year old man. You walk around in a bubble where only he exists. What's going to happen if he gets hurt? At his age it's only going to get harder and harder to bounce back. If it's a career ending injury do you think he's going to want you on the road without him around a roster full of men? What's going to happen if he decides to go join his buddies over at AEW? Do you really want to sleep with the enemy? What's going to happen if he decides to quit because he's ready to settle down and start a family. Your career is just beginning so you definitely can't afford to pop out baby-leprechauns."
"The snide comments about his culture are getting old because I'm sure he can find a couple negative things to say about Americans," she rolled her eyes. "Tuesday when you get back to San Antonio I'm going to tell mom to take you to the doctor because you're clearly going senile and we need to combat it in the early stages. You are the worst father ever!"
"Lily!" he grabbed her arm but she snatched away.
Charlotte appeared to have just finished an interview when Lily stormed by. "Wait, where's the fire so I can know which area to avoid?"
"Can we switch dad's? Mine sucks," Lily blurted.
"Do you think growing up with my dad was easy?" Charlotte scoffed. "I know you weren't raised in the business like I was but to be honest that was probably a good thing. At least your dad knew where Shawn Michaels ended and Michael Hickenbottom began. I don't even know who Richard Fliehr is. I was stuck with the Ric Flair all day, every day. Let's not even get into the scandals, the drinking, the arrests and the many, many divorces. Please, you'd be begging to have Shawn back in a week."
"That may be true but you've been with Andrade for like what? Three months? Already he's been to North Carolina around Ric and the rest of your family. I've been with Fergal since last year and besides Christmas there has never been any peace between them. Just neutral feelings and indifference from my dad. Why can't he just leave us alone and let me live my life!"
"I'm not making excuses for him but I'm 33 and I've been married twice. At this point my dad doesn't care who I date as long as I'm happy. You're only 18 and I'm assuming this is your first real relationship. Naturally Shawn is going to be concerned."
"There's concern and then there's control and he's crossed that line," her jaw tensed thinking about what the argument was about.
Charlotte must have read her expression. "Okay, let me be quiet because I'm obviously speaking about a situation that I don't have all the details on."
"No, a lot of what you said makes sense but yeah, there's a lot more to this story than just an overbearing father," she sighed. "Anyway, congrats on making history. I'm going to walk around and see if I can find Ferg."
"Thanks and I think I saw him over there," Charlotte pointed.
Because his meet and greet started an hour after hers, his line was still incredibly long. She noticed a few fans from her line in his as well. Finn was in the middle of a Finn freeze when the crowd finally noticed her standing there and reacted.
"One second, guys," Finn waved her over and pulled them away from any listening ears. "What's wrong?"
"My dad..." was all she needed to say for him to understand. She decided not to mention the 'options' thing because it would only ruin him for the rest of his session.
"Don't worry. After this I'll take you out to dinner and we'll talk about it," he replied.
"That's the thing though, I don't want to talk about it because I'm done with him," she firmly stated, trying to look and sound calm. A few fans had their phones out and without context it would probably look like they were having an argument if she frowned or raised her voice.
"Don't say that because you know you don't mean it. I thought we moved pass the feuding father and daughter phase," he chuckled.
"Whatever I'm going back to the room..."
"No, you don't need to be alone right now," he said.
"My mom is probably swiping dad's credit card in Bloomingdale's shopping right now so maybe I'll go catch up with her," Lily shrugged.
Finn turned to his crowd. "Do you guys mind if she hangs around?"
"No," the crowd yelled back at him.
"Thanks for the invitation but I decline," Lily shook her head and was booed. She didn't want to do the creepy Kim Orton thing invading his signings and forcing herself on his fans. "Okay, okay! I'm going to stand over here off to the side and if we have a mutual fan I'll step back in."
Besides a few girls and kids who wanted solo pictures with Finn, they either had a lot of mutual fans or just people who wanted to take a picture with 2 Superstars for the price of 1.
***
Lily just wasn't in the mood as she watched the muscles in Finn's abs tightened. She remained silent as her hand slid up and down, waiting for it to be over. Finn's breathing was very fast and his head pressed back hard against his pillow. He made fists with his hands and clenched his teeth. His chest and stomach glistened with sweat. Suddenly, his hips began to buck. And then it happened... His body jerked with each subsequent sperm burst, as his breathing slowed.
"It's been a while since I got a good old fashion handjob," he sighed.
"I'm still pissed with my dad to do anything but that doesn't mean you have to lay there sexually frustrated."
"You still haven't told me what it was about yet."
"Read for yourself," she passed him her phone. "Just like I told him it would end up on Reddit."
"'Awkward encounter with Shawn and Lily Michaels today at Axxess signing. So after waiting last in line for almost 3 hours today I finally arrived to the front. I made a harmless joke about Finn belonging on 205 Live which Shawn found funny but she flew off the rails and threw my picture in my face without signing. I paid 150 to see them and this is how I was treated?" Finn finished reading. "That's all?"
"Yes, plus he lied. He said I needed a real man and called you an indie darling loser who belonged on 205 Live. I did not fly off the rails or throw anything in his face. I politely handed him back his picture and told him to have a nice day. I find it laughable that he thinks 150 is enough money to disrespect my boyfriend to my face and expect me to take it. No amount of money is," she asserted. "I'd hope you'd do the same for me."
"I would. It hasn't happened to my face yet though and hopefully it never will. Some fans are just entitled assholes. It's nothing new," he shrugged. "I'm trying to figure out why you're mad at Shawn though. Sure he laughed but at this point I don't expect anything less from him. That's not enough for you to be 'done' with him like you told me earlier. Did anything else happen between you two?"
She contemplated telling him the truth but nixed the idea. There was no point now. "No, I'm just annoyed in general but the fact that he did it in front of a fan is what really got to me. This only gave them a show and something to talk about. Keep the animosity behind closed doors."
"Ok, that I understand. Now that I think about it, I am annoyed that he'd laugh. One of the reasons why I looked up to Shawn the way I did was because he was a smaller wrestler prospering and I knew that if he could do it, I could do it," he replied.
"My thoughts exactly!" she agreed.
"Are you sure that's it?" he asked. "I feel like there is something else that you're holding back."
"Yes," she yawned, turning her back to him on the pillow. "I'm tired. Goodnight."
***
"The longer my hair gets, the less villainous I look," her blonde locks had grown out long enough to tuck behind her ear. She turned her head from side to side in the bathroom mirror in the hotel.
"It's the hall of fame, you don't need to look villainous," Finn yelled from inside the room.
Naked, she sprayed herself with a body shimmer that made her skin look golden. Now she had to wait for it to dry before dressing.
"Need some help? You missed a spot on your back," he positioned himself on the bed to watch her from where he sat.
"Stop being a perv!" she laughed, grabbing the doorknob.
"If you close that door you'll be finding yourself another date for tonight!" he replied.
"I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem," she countered, wiggling her naked ass at him. When she was dry, she stepped into her light pink one shoulder gown. It was fitted and had a leg split. "Come zip me."
He stepped behind her in the mirror and did the deed. "There you go."
She looked at their image together. He was wearing a black suit with a light pink tie and handkerchief in the breast pocket to match. "We look like we're going to the prom. I'm waiting for you to pull out a corsage or something."
"We have to do that classic prom pose in front of the cameras tonight at least once," he turned them to the side and wrapped his arms around her waist for demonstration. "And I have something better than a corsage."
"What?" she made eye contact with him through the mirror. He'd already bought her a ring, what more could there be.
"Close your eyes," he insisted.
"Really? Fine," he sighed, obeying. She felt something cold slide around her neck. She opened her eyes and gasped at the diamond necklace he secured. She touched it. "Thank you! It's perfect."
On the way to the elevator they ran into other Superstars and couples. Maybe she was biased but she thought they looked the best.
"Let's go find my mom so she can sit with us," she told him when they arrived at the Barclays Center. They went backstage where the inductees were.
Nattie was standing around talking to her husband when she spotted Lily. "Hello gorgeous!"
"Hello yourself," Finn replied.
"Huh?" Nattie's brows knitted.
"Oh, we have this thing where we...you know what nevermind," Lily laughed. "You look amazing."
"Thank you. I love that our dads are going in together tonight," Nattie said. Lily could see that her eyes were beginning to water so she consoled her by rubbing her back. She still felt bad about her promo on Nattie's and Jim's relationship a few months ago. Nattie pulled it together and took a deep breath.
"I can't wait to hear your speech tonight. I know you're going to kill it. I see my parents over here so I'm going to go join them," she replied. "Mom!"
"You look beautiful, Lily," Shawn complimented.
Ignoring him, she only addressed her mom. "Are you ready to go sit down?"
"Picture?" a photographer stood in front of them. The four of them together with Lily making sure to stand in between Finn and her mom. Shawn and her mom. Lily and Finn opportunity to prom pose. Then the photographer had a request. "How about one with just Shawn and Lily?"
"Alright," Lily muttered. The two stood together awkwardly and she shrugged his hand off when he put it around her shoulder. "Mom, lets go."
They were shown to their seats in the front row.
"Do you want to do the red carpet interviews?" Finn asked.
Not really because she knew she'd be asked about Shawn and would have to fake it but he seemed to be into it so she agreed. "As long as it's not Cathy..."
"Nah, we'll go over to Charly," he replied. Charly was standing near Cathy who was interviewing someone else.
"Tonight your father will become a two time hall of famer going in solo in 2011 and now with DX," Charly held the mic to her. "What are your thoughts on that."
"I'm happy to be here tonight because I missed his first induction. DX's induction tonight is well deserved. They've accomplished so much as a team and as solo acts. You can't even talk about the attitude era without mentioning DX and I am so proud of him," she answered robotically with no emotion as if she was speaking about a stranger instead of her father.
"Finn, on Sunday you'll have a chance to win back your Intercontinental Championship from Bobby Lashley. You're bringing out the demon... Wait, is this an engagement ring I'm seeing," Charly gasped. The cameraman lowered his camera to her hand. Charly's voice raised with excitement when she said it so Cathy's head jerked around as a result.
"Not yet but we're getting there," Finn replied.
"We'll be on the lookout. I'll let you guys take your seats," Charly said, as the next couple approached.
"I hope it's not as long as last year's," Finn said once he sat down.
When DX rode out on their tank, everyone stood but her butt remained firmly planted in her seat. Finn was moving to stand but she grabbed his knee to keep him down as well. At one point the camera panned to them. Finn smiled but her expression was blank.
Later Lily showered the body glow off. She asked if he wanted to join but he declined. He'd been oddly quiet since they returned. She walked back into the room wrapped in a towel. "I'm still thinking about what happened to Bret. That was crazy! Why Bret? He's so nice and doesn't bother anyone. If that guy just had to attack someone it should've been Hogan at least...or my dad."
Finn was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at the floor. When he raised his face, his expression was stern. "Lily, you've either been outright lying to me or lying to me by omission. I want the truth."
"W-what are you talking about?" she stuttered.
He let out an exasperated sigh. "Do you really expect me to believe that you snubbed your own father on his big night over a laugh?"
There was no choice but to come clean. "My dad was gearing up to play matchmaker..."
"Matchmaker? To who?"
"To me. It's Mania weekend so every division is here. Apparently he came across some NXT and NXT UK guys who he thinks are better fits for me," she revealed and he shot to his feet. He threw his jacket off and then jerked his tie loose around his neck. "Fergal, what are you doing?"
"Enough is enough. Get dressed!" he demanded. Rage was laced in his voice and this was the angriest she'd ever seen him.
"I wouldn't have told you if I knew you'd be upset," she said quietly.
"Of course I'm upset! For months I've taken his shit trying to be respectful but there's a breaking point for everything and this is it," he angrily replied.
"You know what, you're absolutely right," she acknowledged with a nod. His tone didn't call for delay so she shrugged on his suit jacket. It fell to her thighs like a dress and she buttoned it before sliding her feet into a pair of slippers. "Let's go."
Finn was fuming as he stalked down the hallway. "Call your mom and see if he's in their room."
"I'll text her. If I call she'll ask extra questions that I don't feel like answering."
Lily: Is Dad in the room?
Mom: No, I'm not even in the room.
Lily: Where r u?
Mom: Catching up with some WAGs from back in the day. Shawn is down at the hotel bar.
Lily: K. Have fun
"Downstairs we go," she said, showing him the text and they headed straight to the elevator.
People were speaking to Finn when they entered the bar but he didn't stop to chat. He walked like a man on a mission and even though he held her hand she was struggling to keep up.
"There's a lot of people in here so please don't cause a scene," she whispered.
"That all depends on him," he replied.
"Oh no," she groaned.
"What? I'm not going to hit him or anything. He's a 53 year old man walking around in a body that's been worn down by years of ring wear and tear. I didn't even hit him when he hit me," Finn laughed which made her feel a little better.
"And there he is," she spotted him in conversation with Roderick Strong. The talk ended because they shook hands before Roderick walked away.
Finn cleared his throat to make Shawn aware of his presence. "I can guess he wasn't one of the men you had lined up for Lily because he's just as old as me and married."
Shawn looked at her. "You told him."
"Of course she did," Finn answered for her. "I know you're still in denial about this but we are very much a couple and that's what couples do."
"You look here..." Shawn began.
"No, you look. I don't want to hear you attempt to rationalize this. What if one of the guys came up to me and said, 'Hey I know you're happy with her but Lily's too young and childish for you. You need a real woman. Here's a list of female superstars who are a better fit!' That would be bullshit and what you did to your own daughter was bullshit. You are not going to stop until you push her away for good. During those other incidents I was the voice of reason and even yesterday before she told me everything I was trying to reason with her but now, if she never speaks to you again it wouldn't make a difference to me. As a matter of fact it may be better that way because every time you're around for longer than 5 minutes you bring nothing but drama into our lives! I'm too old for this shit so you damn sure are."
"And you're just going to stand there?" Shawn asked Lily.
"What am I supposed to say, Dad? He's absolutely right. Today was the last straw and I don't know what you could possibly do that would make up for it. I'm sorry but I'm with Ferg on this. As a matter fact, I'm not even sorry," she grabbed his hand and walked away.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, it was hard but it had to be done," she shrugged. "What do you want to do now?"
"Well, you know during Mania weekend a lot of indie promotions plan shows in and around the host city so a lot of my old friends from Japan and from the OG Bullet Club are in town and wanted to hang out. I told them no earlier because you were upset but since we're out now, do you want to go?"
"Let's do it!"
***
Lily stood backstage watching the women go out for the preshow battle royal.
"I thought you were going to be in it?" Finn asked from behind, already in his demon paint.
"Eh, it's not worth changing into gear for. I sent Hunter a text last night and told him to let an NXT girl have my spot," she replied. "The Smackdown girls are crazy for going out there after the way they were screwed over with the last minute title change to Charlotte. You know I love her to death but that was bullshit."
"Can I be honest for a second? Everybody can't send Hunter a text telling him what they will and won't do. I'm just saying..."
"Are you trying to say that I'm privileged?" she pretended to be offended. "The only real perk I have is being able to smart off with Hunter. No, they can't but at some point you have to stand up for yourself. That's how the women's evolution started in the first place. Passive aggressive tweets and retweets are fine but if they refused to go out there, the fans wouldn't blame them and there was no way they'd get fired after the way they've been treated."
"Yeah, the rest of the division did get sidelined in the last few months but your time is coming," he encouraged.
"Yeah and I'm going to make sure. I'll be back in time to see you off before your match," she walked away to find Hunter's office.
"Come in," Hunter yelled after she knocked. When she swung the door open he was shirtless.
"Ah, it wouldn't be Wrestlemania without the King of Kings inserting himself onto the card complete with an entrance longer than the Undertaker's," she snorted.
"I will never get used to seeing you with short hair. I have a few bones to pick with you little girl," Hunter said.
"As always..."
"Why are you showing up in group pictures with the competition? I don't care what Balor, Gallows and Anderson do because that's where they come from but your father is a WWE loyalist. He never wrestled for another company, you never see him propping up another company and you damn sure never see him hanging out with people from other companies."
"Calm down, I signed a 5 year contract which means I'm not going anywhere anytime soon so it shouldn't matter who I associate with," she rolled her eyes.
"It matters when every single man standing around you including Finn was holding a drink. You're the face of an anti-drinking campaign," he countered.
"Correction: I'm the face of an anti-underage drinking campaign. The only person under 21 in that picture was me and I wasn't holding anything. I didn't taste one drop of alcohol besides what was transferred from Fergal's tongue when we kissed," she smiled.
Hunter cringed. "Did not need to know that."
"I know but you know I like to take any opportunity I can to make you and my dad squirm."
"Speaking of your dad, what did you do to him?"
"I didn't do anything to him."
"Apparently you told him that he was the worst father ever and then sent your boyfriend after him."
"He is and I didn't send Fergal anywhere; he went on his own to have a conversation that was long overdue," she replied.
"You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, raised in a mansion, showered with anything you wanted, went to the best schools and now you have a WWE career. It could've been worse, Lily," he chastised.
"Okay and I acknowledge all of that but it still doesn't give him the right to try to pimp me out to other men!"
"Wait, what?" his head snapped.
"Oh, he didn't tell you that he's been scouting development talent for me to date in another failed attempt to ruin my relationship. I'm surprised you aren't in on it since those are your handpicked guys," Lily stared at him accusingly.
"It's Wrestlemania weekend, Lily. I have far more important things to be concerned with than your relationship. When things slow down in a few weeks maybe I'll resume doing my share of plotting against you two but as for right now that was all Shawn and he didn't tell me anything about that. He only mentioned the 205 Live thing."
"Yeah, well it happened. Moving on, I didn't come in here to talk about my dad or watch you flex in front of the mirror. I wanted to talk about my direction post Mania..."
"You want to talk about your direction on the biggest and busiest night of the year?"
"Yep, because tomorrow is officially the start of a new season and I want to make sure I'm fresh on your mind because it seems that I've been forgotten about."
"No, you haven't. You're where you are for a reason. It's part of your character arc. We don't want another Charlotte Flair pushed straight to the top situation with you. Just hang tight for a bit and it's all going to work out," he assured.
"If you say so Hunter but if I don't see any progress by Summerslam I'm going to be back and I won't be as civil," she stood from her chair. "Good luck tonight. Don't pull a quad."
"Thanks, I guess," he chuckled.
Lily watched the monitors during the show all the way up until it was time for The Demon to make his entrance. The Demon was undefeated so she knew he'd win but still she jumped up and down backstage when he did. As always she waited for him behind the curtain.
"They gave you the good pain tonight. Usually it's smudged or sweated off by the time the match ends," she kissed him.
"Well the match was less than 5 minutes. If I had about 10 more it would be on the canvas. It's actually on you now," he said, scrubbing her lips with his thumb.
"Leave it, I want everyone to know I've been marked by The Demon," she replied.
As they walked they passed Shawn. "Hey congrats. I'm happy for you."
Lily held her hand up to silence him. "Save it because we know you don't mean it."
***
"Sometimes I actually enjoy this crowd better than the Mania crowd," Lily noted the next night in the locker room.
Hunter: My office. ASAP.
"Lily, your father-" Hunter began before Lily interrupted.
She huffed. "I don't care."
"Well forget it," he leaned backwards in his chair and linked his fingers together.
Sighing impatiently, she leaned against the wall. "Fine, what is it."
"Shawn called a meeting with Vince today that resulted in us putting a title on you tonight," he divulged.
An intense wave of shock hit her as her heart dropped. Her mouth opened and closed several times like a fish gasping for air as she tried to think of something to say. "Tonight of all nights?"
"This has always been a night of twists, turns, debuts and the unexpected, why not?"
"After that historic moment last night? Becky was finally crowned and you're going to take it away from her already?"
"It'll play into her 'the authority is trying to screw me' grievance," he replied.
Lily always dreamt of this moment but not here, not now. She was officially panicking. "Do you think I'm ready?"
"Don't you? Isn't that the reason you burst into my office last night?"
"I did but I was thinking it would happen gradually like I would have time to get used to being in the spotlight before a title run. I don't know if I'm ready for this yet," she confessed.
"When opportunity comes knocking around here you better answer because who knows when it'll come around again."
"Oh my god! Well at least I had special gear made for the battle royal before I decided to pull out. How do you think the crowd is going to react?"
"Who cares," he shrugged. "You're heel."
"And my dad did this?" she blinked.
"He did," Hunter confirmed with a nod. "He came to me first but I didn't think it would be the best idea right now because the fallout between Becky, Ronda and Charlotte hasn't played out yet. Plus, I wanted to build you up a little but he decided to go over my head and go directly to Vince. You're young, blonde, pretty, a generational superstar, competent in the ring and your face is shown on every channel throughout the day on your commercial so mainstream. Of course Vince said yes."
"I guess this is his way of redeeming himself. I won't say all is forgiven but at least he trying...."
"Alright, get out of here. You've never faced Becky before so I think you have some things to talk about," Hunter replied. "Then come back. We're going to discuss what you want to say."
The intensity and combination of her fear, excitement and anxiety caused Lily's heart to pound so hard she thought she was threatening a heart attack. She couldn't even see straight and the hallway felt like it was spinning as she walked.
Lily almost felt like passing out and Becky was right there, approaching her. She could make out the red hair as her eyes adjusted. "Becky, I don't know if they told you but there's going to be a title change tonight."
"I heard," Becky replied. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, just a little nervous. I hope you aren't mad. It's been a long road for you and to have it taken from you this quick can't be what you imagined..."
"No, but I lived my dream last night already. It's in the books and I couldn't be more satisfied," Becky replied. "Things weren't going as well as they are now for me when I went to shoot The Marine 6 with Shawn. I remember him giving me advice saying, 'When you go back there, go back with a different air about you. Go back knowing that you're a star, and make sure you hold yourself like that.' And that's exactly what I did. I listened to him, and I came back here and knew I was gonna take over the world, and that was my whole goal. I think I did well. It's not over but if I can help someone else get their moment, especially Shawn's daughter, I'm all for it."
***
Finn was waiting to see a copy of tonight's card when Lily appeared out of nowhere. She was dressed in what appeared to be a feminine version of Shawn's Wrestlemania 12 attire but the silver hearts were upside down.
"Whoa, you have a match tonight?"
"Yes!" she smiled from ear to ear.
"Against who?"
"I'm not sure yet. I'm just happy to be going out there," Lily replied and he could tell that she was blatantly hiding something.
"You seem so giddy. Is something going on?"
"You'll just have to watch the show and see. No spoilers," she winked. "So what do you have going on tonight?"
"I have no idea. I'm waiting to hear something now. I think I'm..." he trailed off when he saw her smiling again. "What, Lilith?"
"Nothing! I love you," she kissed him on the cheek. "I have to go."
Becky opened the show. He was expecting Ronda or Charlotte to confront her but instead Lily's music hit.
"Oh, Charlotte-lite. Look kid, I already defeated the superior version of you last night in the main event of WrestleMania. Run along and continue being handed everything without working for it a day in your career," Becky confronted.
Lily raised the mic to her mouth but was drowned out by loud boos and Becky chants. As she got closer to the ring, she could see Becky's smug smirk.
"From the moment Michaels was attached to my name they've hated me so those Becky chants and boos? I don't give a damn about them or your Beckbeard, I mean, neckbeard fans. Let's talk about being handed something. You were flat out handed a spot in the Rumble that you hadn't earned especially after you lost to Asuka an hour before. Then, after you were taken out of the Mania main event, a match between you and Charlotte took place that would decide your fate. Ronda interrupted the match to hand you your spot back. You'd come out here for weeks and whine about being held back but in reality you've been pushed more than anyone! I've never had a title match, I've never had a proper feud besides that Nattie crap which doesn't count because she sucks and there have been several Raws where I've sat in catering watching the monitors. Meanwhile, you beat Charlotte for the title at Hell in a Cell, retained over her at Evolution, main evented at TLC, stood toe to toe with Steph and Hunter, got to mock Cena in his return on Smackdown and last night, main evented Wrestlemania and won. Do the math and tell me who's been handed the most? I'm not Charlotte so your recycled handed everything argument is invalid. Usually, your ace in the hole is going personal and hitting below the belt but I'm taking that power away from you, too. Yes, I'm a Michaels and only here because of my dad. Yes, I'm a spoiled rich kid. Yes, I got drunk one night and threw up all over myself. And yes, my boyfriend is way too old for me. I think that just about covers everything," Lily argued and a few fans seemed to be coming to her side. She continued. "Tonight is the night that I finally get handed something and that's a title match for the RAW women's championship. I'd challenge for both titles but I'm not selfish enough to hold two titles hostage from the division like you're doing now! Oh and Hunter wanted me to tell you that the match starts...now."
The bell rang and Lily started the match gaining the upper hand and grounded The Man with a thunderous dropkick, but Becky had a backfist ready. Lily took the fight to Becky with a flurry of strikes including a kick to the face, but Becky was having none of it and dropped Lily with a jumping forearm strike.
Backstage, Finn couldn't figure out if Lily was actually going to do it or if they were just giving her the opportunity to show the world that she was a threat and belonged in the title picture in the coming months.
He got his answer when Becky began selling pain from last night. Lily pushed her face first into the ring post hard and when Becky turned around she was caught with Sweet Chin Music. 1...2...3.
Finn gasped in shock and those around him reacted the same.
'The winner of this match and the new Raw Women's Champ, Lily Michaels!' that announcement brought goosebumps to his arm.
The crowd initially popped when she kissed the title and raised it above her head but because the place was littered with smarks they had to find some way to hijack the moment. A dueling, 'don't deserve it' followed by, 'yes she does' erupted.
Lily climbed out of the ring to hug her mom and then she went down the line and hugged his parents. Then as she began to walk up the ramp, Shawn's music played which surprised Finn because this would be the first time they were seen together on WWE TV. It apparently shocked Lily too because she stopped for a moment before running into his arms. Shawn appeared to be blinking back tears as he whispered something in her ear that she responded to with a nod. She wiped her eyes with her before facing the crowd again to hold up her title.
Finn began walking toward gorilla to meet her. Everyone in gorilla including Mr. McMahon clapped for as they entered. They walked a little further away and began talking.
"I'm still mad at you but thank you for making this moment epic!" she said to Shawn.
"I know, I know. I'm embarrassed at what I did but now's not the time to get into that," Shawn replied. "You know I love you, right?"
"Yes, Dad, I know," Lily nodded. Looking up, she caught eyes with Finn and smiled.
Shawn turned around and saw him as well. He walked Lily over to him. "I'll leave you two alone."
That was nice but Finn wondered when Shawn would revert back to his old ways again. Eventually, Lily would forgive him if she hadn't already but he didn't plan on forgiving or forgetting any time soon.
"I'm not sure yet. I'm just happy to be going out there," Finn mocked her.
She laughed. "If I told you, it wouldn't have made the moment as special. There's nothing better than legit shock which is why I said no spoilers."
"You're absolutely right. Congratulations, baby. I'm sure there are many girls who they could've sent out there but no one would've worked the mic and the ring better than you tonight. Forget those people, you totally deserve it," he pulled her into a lingering hug. "I love you, champ."
"I love you too, champ," she said. "Let's go home so we can have champion sex."
"Uhm, babe, there's over 2 hours left in the show," he chuckled. "It didn't end after you were crowned."
"Oh yeah," she pouted. "I guess I can go get my side plates done now while I wait."
Alexa hugged her from behind. "Congratulations! I still hate you."
"Thanks, I still hate you too," Lily replied.
"I can't wait to take it off of you," Alexa said.
"You'd actually have to get back in the ring first in order to do that," Lily countered.