A/n Sorry It ha taken me so long to update, the joys of Lockdown 2.0 and helping with my autistic brother. Also I thought with it being the fallout of Nova's reappearance, making it a long chapter was the most apt thing too do.
As she walked backstage with her head held high, Nova noticed the look of shock on the faces of both wrestlers and workers alike at her debut which made Nova grin like the cat that had got the cream, her anxiety of seeing her brothers after so long eradicated. Taking her cape off and taking a swig of water she had left purposely with a worker, she suddenly heard " well,well,well. You certainly got your point across didnt you" which made her turn around and come face to face with the looming and some would say terrifying figure of Mr Brodie Lee himself, who put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her " Thought I would start as I Mean to go on. Before I forget though, thank you for even suggesting this to Tyson. I dont know if I could cope with seeing them without any kind of backup". As he looked at the young woman in front of him, he saw something in her that not many did, her vulnerability and it broke his heart a little, knowing only a small bit of what she had gone through on her own and it made him want to protect her more than he thought. Smiling at the woman in front of him, he replied " you could little angel. You have more strength than you think. I have watched a few of your matches, your dad would be proud of you and your strength, id even go as far as too say you are better than your brother." After a couple of seconds of silence, Nova heard a french twang of an accent ask her "are you okay? You have been through hell tonight"and as she turned around to see who had asked her the question no one had asked her in a long time, she made eye contact with the man who asked and its was like everything stopped for a couple of seconds as soon as they made eye contact. Snapping herself out of her trance, her eyesight was diverted to behind him and to the incoming tornado that was her family walking over to her, "oh fantastic" she groaned as the men surrounded her and evil uno stated "we will protect you little angel" which put a smile on the purple haired woman's face that finally she had people to back her up when she needed it. As Dustin walked over to the group, the tears in his eyes were noticeable as he stared at the face of the girl, now woman he thought he would never see again after that day and said, dumbfounded and still in shock "Lee? Is it actually you? I cant believe it's actually you. You look so grown up and different" "so would you if you had to grow up quicker than you should've done" Nova heard Brodie say as he put his arm around the newest member of his faction in both a leader and brotherly capacity, a feeling that Nova wasnt used to,but hated to admit was a felling she had truly missed.
Looking at her oldest brother getting more and more irate at what was happening in front of him, she looked over at Cody's still shocked expression out the corner of her eye as she heard Dustin warn the man acting more like a brother to Nova than her own brothers had done in years "get your hands of my sister Lee, I wont warn you again". Seeing his brother getting angry, Cody seemed to snap out of the shock he was in and he walked over to where his sister and brother were having an intense face off. Seeing her brother and sister in law coming over, their faces still showing their shock ,Nova feeling stronger than she had done in years, replied back to her oldest brother, coldly which shocked Dustin who was innocently, some would say stupidly hoping that she was still that young kid who was his shadow all those years ago " Funny I'm your sister now Dust, seeing as I have proved you all wrong and actually made it on my own. As your brother stated that day, I am not a Runnels or a Rhodes and If I say so myself, I have done pretty damm well for myself not being one". Hearing about enough, Brandi walked forward and squared up to the purple haired woman, angry that her sister in law was back in the lives of the Runnels family after everything she had put them through since that day and the pain she had caused her brothers and sisters " Are you being serious Novalee" she deadpanned as Dustin added, backing off Brandi, worried they were going to lose the youngest Runnels sibling again "we were all hurt Novie. Cody didnt mean what he said, we have missed you so much. We tried looking for you, we couldnt find you anywhere. Where did you go.....". Listening to her oldest brother, the man she once saw as her hero, spout more lies to make him and them feel better just made Nova go from aggravated to furious as she bit back, unable to listen to anymore "I was 18 Dustin......18!, are you forgetting I was there. I was there when I saw the hate in his eyes and felt the slap around my face. Are you forgetting dear big brother, how you stood by and did nothing. I had to move on and change because I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE. I had to change so that I could survive on my own. Even after everything he has done, still he stands there like the petulant boy he once was and wants sympathy and I'm sorry but he isnt getting it from me, none of you are. Dont act like I am stupid or that you are this amazing and caring big brother, if you looked for me, you would've found me quite easily those first few months, I was living 10 minutes away from you". Feeling the tears threatening to spill from her eyes and not wanting them to see they were affecting her, Nova turned to the Man who had taken her breath away what felt like an eternity ago, the man she later learnt to be Stu Grayson, Marc outside of the ring and for some reason trusting him she asked him in a whisper "can you get me out of here" to which he simply nodded and put his arm around the woman and walked her towards her locker room, members of the dark order stopping Dustin from following her as they heard Brandi shout "this isnt over Novalee, not by a long shot" "I wouldn't expect anything less Brandi" Novalee yelled back, knowing the issues they had going. wasn't going to be resolved in a normal way a family feud would... they were Runnels after all, one things they didnt do was normal.
As they got closer to the Purple haired woman's dressing room, Nova heard the man she was seeing as her saviour for getting her away from her family ask, concern obvious in his voice "are you sure you are okay? If you need to talk....." " thank you I really appreciate it. Right now however, I just want to get going if I'm honest. Start the drive back so I can mope and eat my weight in ice cream" Nova replied, fighting the need to break down and cry as they walked into her dressing room. After the number of years she had spent going between indie shows and working all the hours god sent to put food on her table and basically live, Nova had got into the habit of packing up and leaving clothes out she could wear over her ring gear after an appearance or a match and this time was no different, so she simply slipped on her hoodie and some baggy sweatpants and quickly changed her shoes to some Jordans while Marc helped her out by putting her cape back in its bag. As she slid on her sweatpants, she heard the man ask her as she leant down to pick her shoes up "do you live close? I dont like the thought of a beautiful lady driving on her own upset?" and Nova smilled as she replied "somewhat close, ill be fine, I have been for this long, but if it makes you feel any better pass me your cell". After she took his phone and typed something in, she passed it back to him by sliding it into his pocket and replied " you can ring to check on me if that makes you feel any better". Getting the last of her bits together and packed up, Nova felt herself becoming very quiet as she felt her adrenaline disolvr and it was something that Marc picked up on as she heard him ask her " are you sure you are okay cherie? You seem very distant". Hearing this, Nova looked at him in shock, bar one person, no one had ever picked up on her ups and downs so quickly and more than that, actually cared about how she was feeling and it knocked her for six. As the last little bit of adrenaline disappeared , the feeling of being vulnerable came back and however hard she fought with herself, she couldnt hide it anymore, looking at him, Nova simply shook her head and broke down crying and the French Canadian quickly pulled her into a hug and soothed her ""its ok cherie, let it out". After a couple of minutes, Nova wiped her eyes and apologised for breaking down, embarrassed thats he had let herself to which he replied, wiping her mascara stained cheeks and under eyes with the pads of his thumbs "you have been through hell Novalee, you dont need to nor do you have anything to apologise for. I can tell you one thing for sure though, Your not alone anymore though. I know you don't know me or any of the dark order very well but I promise you, you dont have to put a mask on around me or anyone else. I'm going to drive you home.. no excuses. Let someone take care of you for a little bit, okay?" Nova simply nodded, not trusting her voice as he took the bags and added "I need to get my stuff and shower, then we will go okay?"and with that he opened the door and they both walked out.
As they walked to the Dark Order's dressing room, Marc thankfully helping her with her bags, Nova suddenly heard out of nowhere a voice that she truly never thought that she would hear again shout "Auntie Star?". Gobsmacked, she turned around and as she did, she was engulfed in a bone breaking hug by her niece Dakota who was crying. Prying her niece's death grip from her after Marc had grabbed hold of the bag holding her cape in it, Nova looked at the now woman in front of her and joked as she wiped her eyes "Blimey squirt. You look like your momma", but before she could day anything else, she noticed that Dakota was wearing the necklace that she had brought for her a couple of weeks before she was ostrised and added, surprised " you still have your necklace?" "I haven't taken it off" Dakota replied with a sniff. Noticing her niece was crying again, Nova felt her heart break all over again as she heard Dakota state "I've missed you Auntie Star" and with tears in her voice, Nova replied " I have missed you too Kots....so much. Pass me your phone" and taking her nieces phone from her, she quickly typed her number in and as she passed it back to her, she stated sternly to her niece " I am trusting you not to share this Kots okay. I dont want any of the family having it" and she touched her cheek and added "you ring whenever you wanna talk okay. We will sort you coming round and visiting me" and Dakota nodded and replied "I'll keep it to myself and I will ring later if that is okay" and she gave her auntie another hug and Nova kissed her forehead and they walked off in different directions. As they carried on walking, Nova looked at Marc and wondered why it was that this man that she had literally only just met a hour or so if that was making her feel so safe and secure.
When they eventually got to the Dark orders dressing room / clubhouse, Marc made sure he knocked loudly before bringing in the newest member and after he had let them know that she was with him, they both walked in, As soon as she did, Nova made eye contact with Mr Boom Boom himself,who pulled her into a socially distance hug and joked while looking her up and down, a gesture that was making the Bald man feel more and more angry "well Miss Novie, look at you. Where's that innocent flower gone that I met all those years ago" and as they both laughed Marc whispered loudly to nova, putting a hand on her shoulder "I wont be too long" to which Nova simply nodded, smiling as she watched him walk away, a feeling washing over her that she hadn't felt for a while. Turning back to Scott, Nova replied " I thought I'd try something different, plus thats face it, the whole innocent, doe eyed princess thing was never really me was it. Evil queen is more my aesthetic". As she sat down, after everyone had made a chance to introduce themselves, a part of Nova began feeling really uncomfortable and socially awkward, something that only since she had been thrown away had really made itself more obvious. After a few seconds, Nova was snapped out of her spiralling when suddenly a smiling woman sat next to her and introduced herself as Anna and stated " It's so amazing to meet you. Ive seen a few of your matches and you are amazing and such a badass. You seem so much more level headed then certain other people I could name as well". Sensing the woman's nervousness, and remembering what her father had said to her all those years ago about kindness and
Paying it forward, she smiled at the nervous woman and replied, all the while trying to calm the nerves of the woman sat by her "dont think of me as a Rhodes or a Runnels firstly, there's no need to be nervous around me I'm not royalty, even if my brother seems to think he is, I'm just the same as you. Secondly, thank you, I could say the same about you, you have a natural talent. If you ever need or want a training partner, hit me up, I am always up for training with a woman, training with guys isnt all its cracked up to be, I should know". As she took the younger woman's phone and typed her number in, she heard Anna say, this time sounding a little bit less nervous and more normal, if that was a thing within their business " are you sure? Thank you so much" "No problem, you were trained by Marshall right? I'm guessing the heel training was very basic for women if I remember right from what I have been told. I dont know much, but I can teach you everything I know If that would be handy for you as well" which made the woman nod, knowing and seeing how much of a heel the woman beside her was, she knew she would be the best person to learn a few tips and tricks from. Between talking and getting to know Anna for about 10 minutes and John trying his best to flirt with the woman and getting absolutely nowhere and a punch in the dick from the woman, Nova was starting to let the real her out without the fear of judgement and she loved it. After another few minutes, out the corner of her eye, Nova saw Marc come back into the room looking completely different, which made Novas breath hitch in her throat, something which Anna picked up on and whispered in her ear, joking " Breathe Woman plus put your tongue back in. Those sweatpants look a fortune, you dont wanna ruin them with your drool" which made her smile and instantly know that the two of them were going to become firm friends.
As Marc put their bags together, he looked at the purple haired vixen and smiled before asking her "are you ready to go?" to which Nova replied with a simple smile and nodded as Uno looked at his tag team partner confused and asked him "everything okay?" "Yeah I am just going to drive Novalee home, make sure she gets there safe with everything thats happened tonight" "such a gentleman" they all heard Alan Angels joke, which resulted in him getting a smack over the head with a bunch of papers by Brodie as he asked her " are you sure your okay little angel. You have been through a lot tonight, its okay not to be" to which Nova replied with a smile "I'm okay, I'm stronger than a lot of people give me credit for" she replied, all while trying to make sure her invisible mask was firmly secured, after one person seeing her let it drop, she didnt want anyone else seeing or knowing how she was feeling. As he looked at her, he sighed before stating " I'm a father Novalee, I can tell when someone is lying. I know you have had to rely on yourself for the longest time but you don't have to anymore. We are family and Dark Order or not, you can rely on us. When I spoke to Tyson, he gave me a small rundown of everything to help give me some context for my promo. Just know you don't have to worry about the fallout on your own, one of us will always be there for you". Hearing someone actually care about her made Nova speechless,and being unable to speak or even trust her own voice she simply nodded and with tears in her eyes she got up and left the room, Marc not far behind her. As the door closed, Uno turned to the leader and said to Brodie, concerned about the woman "anyone would think that they would of been proud of her for doing it her own way" "you'd think so, but you know the saying, God help anyone who dared to disrespect the queen. They're gonna pay for the pain they have caused her."
Meanwhile, the Rhodes family, Bar Dakota who was currently texting her long lost Auntie, were losing their minds at the arrival of the youngest Rhodes after so many years "why.... WHY was I not told she was here, yet alone joining the company? I'm a EVP in this company too, I had a damm right" Cody screamed "she wanted to keep it to as few people as possible Cody, I didnt even know she was here until I overheard Nick mention her name" Tyson yelled back "and besides, If she isnt a threat to you, why are you so concerned" " she has the ability and now the power behind her to burn everything we have worked for into the ground. Did you not hear what she said in that ring?" Cody stated and Tyson replied "she actually said it was your kingdom she wanted to burn, not the company" " Not helping" Matt interjected looking at the youngest son of the dream. Trying to calm a potentially explosive situation, Nick interjected and said " look, Nova isnt interested in doing anything to the company, she is actually a big supporter in what......" and before he could say anything, Brandi cut him off and added "so you two knew too, I can understand knowing my dear sister in law her getting her claws into and way with Tyson, but you two are married... with kids". Hearing how Brandi was talking about the young woman angered not only the bucks but Tyson as well and he stated calmly but with a sense of firmness in his voice " if the pair of you are going to be acting like this, I am not going to stand here and listen. Yes we knew , but you aren't going to punish her or us..... this is all your fuck up Cody, but I tell you something, from the few matches of hers I have managed to watch quickly, I'd be damm proud having her as a sister" and with that he walked out with Matt and Nick said to Dustin "if you were any kind of brother, you would be standing up for her like you should of done that day. We brought her here because shes not just good, she is badass" and with that he followed Tyson and his brother, leaving the Rhodes/Runnels family to think about everything.
As Nova got into her truck, Marc said to her as she typed into her sat nav the address of her house so that Marc could follow it " why do I feel that you being here is going to cause a ripple effect noticeable from mars" to which Novalee laughed and replied, sitting back "more like a high ass wild fire".