#valstory

[kentnaturaltribrid]

Just two full pages of history and valstory, very small stuff, nothing out of the ordinary. Of course, nothing new out of the ordinary about it.

There’s not exactly much else to tell, especially after the two whole pages worth.

[charomiami]

Part 3 Continuation of Farewell co-written with @helloaschefire

part 1 part 2

Long Post UnderCut, Story Post, Over Due Post. Sorry for the Wait!  queued post while part 4 is being worked on.  XOXOX Cliche trope alert I fangirl over, fight me LOL!

Valentina quickly found herself inside the safehouse of Home Plate. The corner of a pallet tried to take her feet from her while she tried not to trip over Dog and  Cupid.  She’d never been inside and found the dim light and close-packed clutter confusing. She got just a quick look around before Johan sat her down on an uncomfortable couch jammed in a corner. She saw a cloud of dust billow up around them as Johan rummaged around, full of nervous energy. Waving off what dust threatened to enter her nose, she found them surrounded by boxes of ammo, weapon systems, cans of food and potable water. Among the pallets of junk, she knew more than one box was full of liquor and chems. A small sigh escaped her.

Johan returned and handed her a small box of soaps shaped like roses. He carried in his other hand a bottle of whiskey. She spied the familiar bulge of a jet inhaler in his pocket. He fell onto the couch beside her, and with pain-filled eyes asked her, "How was the pie?”

"Pie? What?” It came back to her. She’d been at the Castle when he shoved a piece of pie at her and stormed off. “I loved the Pie. I wanted to save you a bite, but I couldn't find you."  She had looked for him a little later but was told he left. She would not tell him she felt oddly guilty when she tasted the pie, that didn't taste as sweet as she thought pie should because she wanted to cry. She thought he was mad at her, but she didn't want the pie to go bad?

He whispered, distracted, looking at her up and down. “Good, good, I'm glad."

"Johan, are you okay?" Valentina could not hide her concern or confusion.

"No, I'm not alright. I miss her," he said with a set jaw. He smoothed his left hand over his beard. "All the time."

"Ohhhhh Nora." She nodded while distracting herself with the faint rosy scent of the soaps. She smiled a tiny bit, not to be dismissive of his feelings, but happy that the cause of his distress wasn’t something dangerous or something she caused. Valentina still felt horrible because her number one goal was to see Jo happy, and tt was obvious to anyone he was not. She closed the soaps up and watched him with concerned eyes. This sad, grumpy bear broke her heart because there was nothing she or anyone could say that could take the pain away.

"Yeah, Nora.” He said her name with a sigh as he worked the cap off the whiskey. "Piper looks like her. Too much."

She blinked rapidly and turned her head to hid the shift from sadness to jealousy. Did she really have to hear about Piper too? What was she supposed to say? She decided to stay silent and patted her knee for Cupid’s attention. The scent of whiskey filled the dusty storage room. She pulled a sour face as she looked around at the clutter. She felt suddenly stupid for acting the schoolgirl at his hand grabbing. “I had no idea,” she said eventually. "I can't look at her anymore," he said while offering Val the bottle and the first swig. "I have to keep my eyes on the future. Not, not the past.” He didn’t see the safe house or Valentina’s discomfort. He saw his old life as just a shadow smear on the far wall. Gone. All gone.

She'd take the bottle with silent thanks more than happy to take a much much MUCH needed drink. One of those long pulls, burning throat or no. It's not the whiskey that made her choke after she pulled the bottle away from her lips. It was what he said and tried to cover up with a half ass cough? He never does that. Why was he.... she's  looking at him, with a little furrow in her brows, the back of hand drying the corner of her mouth and chin. She hands the bottle back to him with the other hand.  She wouldn't even realize she was doing it. That look. But it wouldn't last long.

And then, with a whiskey gravel voice, "I broke up with her. It was... wrong."

"You broke up with her because of Nora?" Lovely perfect Nora, Val couldn't be mad at a ghost, but Piper must have been. That woman could spit fire and cut with words. "I'm sorry, Jo." She didn't know what to say yet again. She shook the bottle for him to take because obviously, he needed a drink too.

He did need a drink and drank deep. The liquor turned his voice whiskey rough. "I'm an asshole, Val. I should've never hooked up with her. I should've...." He didn't know what he should have done. Kept it in his pants? Yes. That. He drank again.

When he paused to take a drink, she jumped in a little angry that he called himself out like that. "You're not an asshole, and besides, we all make mistakes." She didn't think much else about it and gave him a little shrug. Was she angry, at him? At Piper? At Nora? Maybe herself, but not him.  He was no asshole.

“She thinks you and me ..." Johan trailed off while giving her the sideways eye. She slapped her hand over her mouth to keep a laugh from coming out. "What? Piper said you and me.... What?" What a crazy notion, she thought, while also trying to figure how to explain what it was that made her laugh. Perhaps it was the egg on Piper’s face, because she and Johan did not cheat on her. Was Piper going to be angry with her too? “I mean, what?”

"Would it be so crazy? The thought of you and me. Together?"  He offered her the bottle since he'd been stingy with it so far. "I told her we weren't. I would never do that. I don't think she believed me."

Val bit her lower lip to keep words from spilling out when he asked about it being crazy. How dare he out her like this, here. Now. She was unaware what color her face was turning, white or red. She had more than a few familiar daydreams run through her mind as she reached for the bottle, refusing to meet his eyes as she did. Then she heard what he said.

‘I would never do that.’ His words.

They stung and made her angry. She tried to wash whatever was boiling up away with a strong drink, but putting alcohol on a fire never diminishes it, only encourages it.

"Never do that. What? Exactly? Is that? That you'd never do?"  Her accent was more apparent, her words bitten off. Why was she so angry when she was just so happy? Why did this man have her so twisted in knots? She thrust the bottle back at him before she shot to her feet.

Mumbling part to herself and part whoever could hear, "so... bin ich jetzt so, wie ich bin unwürdig, ein Witz. etwas, das niemand lieben oder lieben möchte"

She eyed the door and went to motion Cupid with her hand.

Johan watched, dumbfounded and confused as to why Valentina was so angry? Valentina had always been easy to talk to. Easier than any in the Commonwealth since he emerged from cryostasis. Now, she was unable to understand? He stood up, the bottle dangled from his fingers. "Dammit, where are you going?” He asked. “I would never cheat on her." Dog, from the shadows, darted in, quick as any cattle dog and deft as any wingman, to try to trip up Val's feet.

Dog’s sudden movement alerted the already whining Cupid, sensing her partner’s change in mood. Valentina’s faithful dog moved to jump between Valentina and Dog. Valentina spun on her heel, turning back the moment she heard him speak. Her original intention was to get some fresh air to clear her head and maybe cry. Why did he break her down so quickly? Any quip she had ready was dead in the air;  air that was also filled with two dogs vying for position around her lightly drunken feet in an already cluttered room. “I’m Sorry. Of course, that’s what you meant, Johan. I’m a trottel,” she said. Trying to step over and around Dog and Cupid, forced from her course and sent her right back to the couch, or what should have been the couch. Instead, Valentina found herself catching herself on Johan and looking up straight up at him.

He caught her. With one arm strong around her waist, He lifted his free hand, still holding the bottle, just brush her cheek. Her eyes. Her eyes. He lost himself in them until the Dog's low warning growl cut tension and his awareness blossomed to where they were. He let her go, that strong arm guided her behind him. Dog crouched by the door. Cupid did the same on the opposite side. The lock turned while he replaced the bottle with a pistol.Preston Garvey sticks his head into Home Plate.

Dog barked an immediate retreat when Preston Garvey stuck his head into Home Plate.  "Hello, General. We've been trying to get you on the com."

[greatvals]

Aku dan Waktu

Bolehkah aku mengadu pada waktuku? Sebentar saja. Biarkan aku bersama waktuku. Aku ingin semua menjadi lebih baik.  

Hallo. Aku kembali lagi,aku menulis ini ketika aku sedang bermain. Permainan yang ku mainkan cukup konyol. Banyak melibatkan perasaan dalam permainan ini. Perasaan aku, dia dan mereka hingga yang jauh disana. Semuanya terlibat. Bayangkan, bagaimana bisa kita terhubung dalam satu perasaan yang sama. rasa yang susah di sebutkan namun ada. Rasa yang dimiliki setiap mereka yang sedang berada dalam kebingungan dunia.

aku sedang duduk dengan segelas kopi di meja saat ini. Memainkan jemari di atas smartphone sambil berpikir setiap kata yang akan berbicara. Sudah cukup lama aku tidak  bigini, berserah diri pada segelas kopi. It’s TIME!.

Cerita ku saat ini bukan tentang bagaimana rasanya kepada siapa, tapi rasa kepada sesuatu yang tak berwujud, sesuatu yang selalu ada dimanapun aku berada. Kamu bingung? Aku pun bingung tentang hal yang aku rindu. Hal itu selalu ada, tapi tak nyata, selalu bisa namun susah, dia selalu bersamaku, terbuang percuma tapi tak pernah habis begitu saja. Dia adalah Waktu. Ya rasa rindu kepada Waktu.

Aku merindukannya, waktu yang dulu pernah ada. Waktu yang selalu menemani dan membuat ku tertawa, waktu yang selalu bisa membuatku malas keluar rumah, hanya terbaring menikmatinya hingga hari berikutnya. Aku rindu waktu itu…

Semua orang memiliki waktu dan butuh waktu. Begitu pula aku, Dan biasa setiap orang punya waktu untuk sendiri, untuk keluarga, teman, sampai dalam bentuk lebih luas yaitu masyarakat. Yang sekarang Aku butuh adalah, aku butuh waktuku. Biarkan aku bersama waktuku sendiri. Aku ingin memanjakannnya, menikmatinya hingga aku merasa sudah waktunya aku membaginya lagi kepada mereka.

Aku sedang lelah, lelah membagi waktuku kepada mereka. Aku rasa mereka tidak menghargainya, menghargai setiap waktu yang ada. Tidakkah kalian merasa bahwa waktu kita terbuang percuma dan kemudian membuat pusing sesama? Cobalah pahami, detik ini aku ingin kalian paham akan waktuku dan waktumu sendiri. Cobalah kembali pada waktumu, ceritakan tentang dirimu kemarin, dengarlah, betapa egoisnya kamu mengambil waktuku dan membuang waktumu seakan kau berhasil membeli semua yang kau mau.

Maaf bila aku terlalu melibatkan perasaan yang lebih terhadap waktu. Tapi inilah aku, aku sangat menyayangi waktuku, ketika aku membaginya kepada kamu, tolong hargai itu nikmatilah agar kau tahu waktuku dan waktumu bisa membuat kita jatuh dalam rasa yang sama. Apakah kau tidak rindu waktumu? Jika tidak cobalah untuk sendiri dulu. Kau akan tahu betapa indahnya bila berhasil menikmati waktu. Aku sangat ingin kamu mencoba hal itu, bila kau ingin, maka aku juga akan kembali pada waktuku, dan bila sudah selesai, kita bertemu lagi dan menceritakan apa yang terjadi saat kau tidak bersama waktuku. Aku rasa itu akan jauh lebih baik. Kau akan tahu artinya.

Izinkan aku. Dengan penuh mohon. Aku ingin kembali ke waktuku, hanya sebentar saja, kemudian kita akan bertemu lagi dan menghabiskan waktu bersama. selamat menikmati waktumu, aku yakin kamu akan segera dapat jawabannya.

Valdy Niadi

12 April 2017.

karena waktu tidak diam, dia berbicara dengan caranya dan aksinya. pahamilah, dia tidak tidur, dan tak pernah mundur. dia akan selalu maju pada tujuan yang satu. nikmatilah dengan bijak, tanpa keterpaksaan melainkan dengan ke-ikhlasan.

[vprgirl1887]

Your first job was at Mathias Heimark’s Discount Van and Truck Rentals.

It took some time to convince Brock that you wanted to take the job. He kept insisting that you didn’t need it. He made millions of dollars with WWE, and you were welcome to stay with him as long as you needed. It wasn’t about money, though. Money would be a nice side benefit, of course, since you’d feel much more comfortable going out and buying yourself things if you had money of your own, but it wasn’t about money.

You just wanted something more to do during the day. Even hanging out with Lorraine wasn’t enough. Your brain longed to feel challenged, to be stimulated by something more than the therapist trying to uncover blocked memories hidden within its depths. So, finally, Brock relented and you got the job.

“Heimark’s Discount Van and Truck Rentals; Angel speaking, how may I help you?”

Angel was finally starting to feel comfortable in her new position. She worked at the front desk in the small shop, answering phone calls and filing paperwork. She booked appointments for people to come in and rent vehicles, though Mathias and his other three employees - Jakub, Zoe, and Andre - had handled all the actual rentals. Angel just dealt with the paperwork.

“Certainly. Let me just take a look here...we have appointments available all day on that date, so is there any particular time that you’d like?”

She keyed the customer’s information into the calendar, smiling even though the man over the phone obviously couldn’t see her. She was really enjoying this job. She’d even found somebody who could carpool with her when Brock wasn’t around. Andre lived out in the country and had agreed that he could drive Angel to work any time Brock was away at work. “I’m a huge fan of his,” Andre had admitted to her eagerly when he’d first heard about her living situation.

“Alright! I’ve got you down for ten in the morning. Is there anything else I can help you with? No? Okay, have a great day and we’ll see you next week!”

Angel hung up the phone just as Andre walked in, a grin on his lips. “Morning, Angel,” he said, reaching over and tousling her hair as he walked by. She laughed softly, quickly smoothing her hair back down.

“Good morning, Andre,” she replied, smiling up at him.

“Already making appointments?” he asked, nodding towards the calendar on the screen.

“Yeah,” she replied. 

“Do we have anything for today?” he asked.

“Not yet,” Angel replied. “Not unless someone calls or drops in.”

Andre grabbed a chair from the waiting area, pulling it over and setting it behind the desk so he could sit beside her. “Pull up that movie we started watching the other day, then,” he said, and Angel laughed softly.

“Sure,” she said, opening up the desktop folder with all the movies saved to it. She’d been surprised when Andre had first suggested watching a movie to pass the time, but he’d insisted that it was okay with Mathias. He’d even called the boss so he could verify it to Angel, and Mathias had confirmed that any of the movies in the desktop folder could be watched as long as there was nothing else to do. 

Since Angel had started, there’d been a lot of times when there was nothing else to do. She’d made short work of the filing, paperwork, and document processing that had piled up before Mathias had hired her, and now, she and Andre were working their way through the movie folder.

“You know,” Andre said after about half an hour of the movie playing, “it’s really great having you here. You’re probably the most professional person who’s ever worked at this place.”

“That’s impressive, considering this is my first job,” Angel laughed.

“Well, you sure don’t seem like you’re at your first job,” Andre replied. “You get stuff done, and you’ve got everything so well organized at this desk. I haven’t seen the desk this clear in years.”

“Well, I’m glad you guys appreciate having me here,” Angel said.

“Oh, I’m just speaking for myself. I don’t know about the others,” Andre laughed. “It’s nice to have a girl to talk to other than Zoe. You know, because she’s...Zoe.”

“I don’t think she’s that bad,” Angel said, hitting the spacebar to pause the movie while they talked.

“That’s because she thinks it’s nice to have another girl around,” Andre replied with a laugh. “She’s walking on eggshells with you. The rest of us are sick of her.”

“Well, I like her,” Angel replied, gently smacking his arm. “Did you consider that maybe she got so tired of your flirting that she started acting awful just to shut you down?”

“Hey, now,” Andre laughed, “I’m gonna take that to heart.”

The phone suddenly rang, cutting off their conversation. Angel smiled over at him. “Duty calls,” she said with a laugh before answering. “Heimark’s Discount Van and Truck Rentals; Angel speaking, how may I help you?”

[valderamand]

Resettling the attic wasn’t the hard part. That proved a simple enough task with minimal dusting, for little of note remained in there beyond a single box and a community of eight legged denizens. The boy that now resided beneath that gambrel roof on the second floor appeared to be the more difficult piece of the puzzle.

Tavares, for the most part, remained silent. Valder sat at the kitchen table, a floor below, brooding over a hot beverage in similar silence. What was the boy up to? Looking over narrow, stone slabs of the streets below from the window his room granted him? Those same, dull streets that winded forward and sidewise, connecting tightly woven homes that kept the light of the sun from reaching much of the ground below in this corner of Ebonhawke. Still, a cavalcade of autumnal trees erupted from the ground below only half a block away, creating quite the pleasing sight from the attic’s vantage point. That is, until one glanced past the sparse forest to spy the yawning walls of Ebonhawke just beyond. Perhaps Tavares reflected on what brought him here to his new home as he took in those seasonal vibrancies. What did he think of his new home? Of Valder and Arvanna? Of anything? The lad, for the most part, remained just as much an enigma as Azagale. 

Azagale. Valder didn’t even seem to notice the scorching heat of the cup against the grip of his palm as he sank back into those revelations. That grip only tightened as the thought of her end came back to him. As Ishraat came back to him. Part of Valder knew the Lightbringer couldn’t be held entirely accountable. But when Ishraat turned to leave their home for good, Valder felt that almost irresistible urge to scramble over the table before him and pounce atop the Lightbringer; to make him scream in carnal agony until oblivion washed over Tyria itself. To crash upon him like a tidal wave of terror and efface him from the earth like the ocean dragging a petty sand castle into the sea. But the man, in truth, stood responsible for the quite literal creation of Azagale, yes? And so Valder sat ruminating over contempt on one hand and gratitude on the other. 

If anything, her memory lived on in Tavares. Anything but normal, the forces of the universe seemed to grant this fourteen year old a chance at another path. A path free from the Order. At first glance at least. For all he knew, the lad could be shadowing Valder for other intentions. So when they passed one another in the hallway going about their day, Valder couldn’t help the twinge of skepticism and mistrust. Perhaps Tavares could sense it. Intelligence seemed an apt descriptor for any Castaño.

Wandering out to the living room, the Vanguard retrieved his lute. Fingers drifted over the strings in a poor imitation of a song from aeons past. The same song played by an old hag at the docks of Lion’s Arch. The same song played by a dark paramour with golden eyes. The same golden eyes found in a certain fourteen year old boy. 

As Valder reclined atop a collection of pillows and blankets, lute in hand, that poor imitation seemed more and more clear. Soon, shadows of memories danced throughout the house to the tune of a melancholy memory. 

[charomiami]

Part 5 Continuation of Confession co-written with @helloaschefire  who started with Farewell. 

Thank you, Ash for giving me such a good platform. 

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

SUPER LONG STORY POST! And I’m not sorry. I am just happy we were able to get this done before Christmas. Y’all... I had a meltdown over my own deadline. and @helloaschefire put up with me... she’s spectacular.  BUT DONE DONE DONE YAY!

A dream of home, the family cabin in the alps, slowly faded while the rhythmic chopping of wood grew louder. Valentina wasn’t sure if her head was what was actually being split open or actual fallen trees. The pillow she tried so desperately to shove against both ears was worthless.  (continued below the cut)

But then it came to her. 1) Angel was supposed to be gone today. 2) Even if Angel had stayed, Angel wouldn’t be chopping wood knowing Val was sleeping.  As painful as it was she patted around looking for her gun, a gun, any gun and found none to be within reach. As she flung her limbs to wrap the blankets around her, she realized she was dressed. Valentina knew that if Angel were around, she would not be clothed.

Slowly she crept to the camper’s back window and peeked out to where the sounds, sunlight, and the vision of Johan’s bareback came pouring in. A short bit later, and two cups of coffee in hand, she braved the hangover and opened the camper’s back door.

Johan looked up with an expression hard to read thanks to the goggles he wore to protect his eyes, but there is a smile beneath them, brief but true. He leaned the axe against the pile and wiped his brow with the back of his bare arm. "She lives."

"Barely, but..." she was going to ask what that means, did he see her knocked out? Was she snoring? Was she drooling? Oh gods, please no sleep talking! She pleaded with herself.

"What are you doing?" She took the trailer steps carefully until bare feet hit the cool autumn ground.  Her arm stretched out to present a cup of coffee just for him.

He reached for the cup, fingers brushed against Val’s. "I am chopping wood."

"I can...see that" She waited a moment keep the silly girl inside in check at his touch. Her cheeks felt hot but she was hungover so she hoped she just woke up that way. 

"But, why? And why here?" Hair fell into her eyes as she sipped her coffee. She didn’t bother to fix her bed head as she watched him. Dog and Cupid sped by, chasing a rabbit. "I am sure Angel appreciates you cutting firewood for her, but..."

"She needed woodcut." He shrugged before taking a sip of the coffee. "Dad always said, you stay a place, you take care of it."

The smirk growing on her face faded as she started to blink. She was about to say something clever but his words robbed her of wit and blew the fog from her mind.

"Stay at a place, but you don't..." You don't stay here, did you stay here, what you don't stay here. None of these made it past her lips.  "I don't understand."

He unbuckled the goggles. As they pulled free, their presence lingered in the indentations around his eyes. He grabbed his shirt off the wood box by the trailer. "It's all right. You're still full of fog. Let's go back inside."

She still had no clue or maybe she did and she didn't want to admit it. The truth was scarier than any dream.

He held the door for her, squinting at Dog who yawned in response before cavorting with Cupid once again. The pair would keep an eye on the place while Jo and Val were distracted with each other.

She took as big a drink of her coffee as the temperature would allow and slowly turned to go back inside. As she crossed the threshold she caught her reflection and knew she needed to get right, inside and outside. Shamelessly she stopped in front of the mirror but made enough room to let him get by. 

She at least had the decency to apologize, "I'm sorry, I look awful." She whipped her hair up into an old ballet bun that had been second nature for most of her life.  "But a shower will have to wait I suppose." she half mumbled to herself.

"I don't think you've ever looked awful." Ducking, bobbing and weaving his way through the tiny space to the kitchenette. He would get her to a shower once she was awake enough to pay attention to their surroundings. "You want something to eat? Tato? Mutfruit? I think there are some beans."

She did a double take in his direction, as discreetly as she could anyway, with fingers pushing up loose strands and trying to wipe bits of makeup she left on. She was again about to say something but he beat her to the punch with an offer for breakfast?

She peeked around the little corner cut off, "You really don't have to but, I am hungry to be honest. Angel keeps some breakfast things in the cubby." Right where he was at. "There. But you have to let me help. You already did too much this morning."

She tried to secretly sniff her shirt collar and could smell she'd been sitting next to someone smoking those cheap cigarettes last night. The gag face was there and thankfully Johan could NOT see that!

While he was in the other area she quickly pulled off her shirt from the night before and was happily grabbing something clean she kept around Angel's for spares.

His shirt was draped over one shoulder. The goggles and coffee cup set aside on the counter. He found the cubby and the breakfast things. Cakes and bread, and butter? Score. "I don't mind. I used to do this for No..." He turned around just in time to see a bareback.

She pulled the shirt over and tightened her bun one more time before turning around and seeing Jo, in a domestic kinda setting with his shirt. She bit her lip and smirked,  a mental slap given and received before she tried to slink by him. He couldn't feel her eyes on his chest could he?! She gave herself another slap. Why god why? why do you do this I'm a good girl.

She grinned her best grin at Johan trying to play cool. She didn't hear him about to say Nora, nope nope. Lordy, Nora was a lucky girl. Yes, she heard it and it didn't bother her at all.

"You sure? You don't want help? I mean you've never been here," she offered. Her headache was growing smaller and smaller. 

"It's a big place. I will need your help not to get lost," he joked and gave her another smile that brightened his face and was suddenly gone.  He laid out things for her to eat. "Sit. You're not feeling well."

She hadn't seen him smile, well a true smile, this many times in such a short span. Why did she love it so much? She sat down the chair on the other side of the table that would allow her to face him.  She watched him as he kept putting things in front of her.

"I... feel better but" yes it was still there, but she was distracted enough to forget until she moved or looked a certain way.  "Please, you will join me, raring,  won't you? Don't forget to eat since you were working so hard. I can restock her stores later."

"Please?" She felt bad as it was, she put extra pout into that please to make sure he ate something for her.

"All right," he agreed. He poured more coffee before settling down opposite. Just the two of them. Again. The place was just as crowded as Home Plate but cozier. He felt more relaxed than he had in months.

Valentina tried to focus on her breakfast and coffee instead of him. It was torture. She started talking about breakfast they would have back home when she was little. She missed those days. She never told anyone a lick about home. Her mother, her sister, her father. Those moments. But they were just as out there as the fruit on the plate for Jo. She actually laughed telling him a story about her sister laughing milk out her nose, as she picked at the best parts of a mutfruit.

She liked the way he looked in the halo of sunlight coming in from the camper's cheesy bubble dome skylight. Why did he have to be so...

"Oh your coffee ..." She went to pick up the kettle thinking she'd been going on and on and it was time to stop.

He enjoyed hearing her stories of home more than she might ever know. He'd been homesick ever since he woke up and chatting with the Good Neighbor ghouls only went so far. They'd been changed by the war. Horribly so and their memories were fading. His and Valentina's were right there, on the surface. Every day they spent in this future became a comparison of what they left behind. It was unhealthy. They both needed to look forward, but here in this place. "It's all right. I've had enough." He reached for her hand, to keep her there. To hold her hand.

"Oh, okay." She was stopped in her tracks by such a simple motion. She forgot all about the kettle, all about home, all about everything but his hand on hers. She couldn't take her eyes away. She was scared to look up at him, to look him in the eyes, but she did.

"Johan," she was also scared to ask him what she should have asked him from the beginning. Even though he kind of dodged her question in the most charming way.  What is going on? Are you okay? Why are you really here? is everything okay? 

"How did you know to come up here this morning?" She laced her fingers in his, just this once before he would pull them away. How do you explain a touch that starts at the tip of a finger but touches your heart? She was going to suffer for this later and she knew it. She didn't care.

The thought of pulling away was as distant as their pasts. Their fingers in knots than laces. He took a deep breath and squeezed. He would not let her go. "I've been here since yesterday before you got here."

"Yesterday?" She didn't blink her amber eyes this time, instead, they grew slowly wider and wider. She was now a deer in the headlights. Before you got here. She started to put pieces together. She tried to withdraw her hand but it wouldn't budge.

Why the door was open to the camper

Why she smelled his scent in her dream.

Why she was still dressed instead of her usual.

Why he knew she wasn't well.

He heard it all? No no, she wouldn't cry. She said that was over. But the embarrassment was long-lasting. She put her head in her free hand and confessed, "I'm so sorry Jo. You weren't supposed to..."

"I know. Angel wouldn't let me leave. I'm sorry." He relaxed his grip enough that she could pull free if she wanted. He hoped and wished and prayed so hard she wouldn't untangle their fingers. "and then, it wasn't right to leave you like that, alone." He paused, brows furrowed because this was hard. He was taught not to be so expressive. Be the rock. Be her rock. But how could he if she did not want him to know how she felt?

She wished Angel would have stayed out of it, but it was still her own damn fault. Valentina didn't move her fingers. Instead, without looking, she ran her thumb slowly over his knuckle. 

"I just didn't think it was fair with everything going on and, then you and Piper and I got the wrong idea. But then at .." she looked up... "Was that a safe house or a warehouse?"

The question came out of left field and made him blink and look up from what she was doing with her thumb. "What? Oh, a little of both. I used it for a while when I was still tracking Kellogg, but now, seemed better used by the Minutemen."

Her humor was trying to kick in as a secondary. She nodded thinking about his answer. His expression made the tiniest of grins appear in the corner of her lips and in her eyes.

"Well, General." she shrugged softly. "What else can I do. You know my secret now. You have me at a very big disadvantage." She knew it wasn't too big. He was still holding her hand, and he had smiled. She could still feel his arm about her even if it was so brief a moment. He hid her for safety not out of fear. But now what? Did he know how close she was to daring him to kiss her or worse?

"I've known for a while, but I couldn't do anything about it. I...wanted to do something. I did. I should never have been with Piper,” he said.

"Awww... wait," Just how many aces does this man have up his sleeve? "What do you mean,  you've known a while?"

This would be the last ace. All the cards laid on the table. "Did I ever tell you that my grandmother came from Stockholm, raring?" He would likely take a hit for this ace. He braced for it, turning his head so he could watch her from the corner of his eye.

She did pull her hand away. She pulled her whole body away from the table though briefly. She moved around to his side of the table and rabbit punched him right in the shoulder in a torrent of words and phrases she was SURE he understood now. Each comparing him to a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"How, why you didn't tell me?" She jumped on his lap and punched his shoulder once more! "You let me make a fool out of myself, and you...." now there was a full-blown pout of all time and she would stay there with a hot glare until he had an answer.

“If I told you, you would have stopped. Right?”

“Well, yes. But...”

“But,” he cut her off gently. “Hearing that made this whole terrible world somehow, better.”

Each word from Johan’s mouth knocked down the last bricks in the wall Valentina had built, and all the words she never wanted to say came right out. It must have shown in her eyes as Johan’s hands rose up and cupped Valentina’s face drawing it closer to his.

“I’ve loved you for so long, Jo.”

“I’ve loved you even longer.”

Time seemed to freeze for Valentina, hearing Johan’s words. She fell to him and his lips with a kiss she’d held back for an eternity. He didn't hesitate and never would again. Warm mouths, soft caress of their lips, it was finally the moment they once only imagined.

Thank you YAY They are OFFICIAL now! YAY I am so happy! I’ll do a headcanon bullet-pointy thing for them later. I am slammed today with a commission and real life.

MY BALLERINA HAS HER GINGER GENERAL!

[vprgirl1887]

Your first real friend was Lorraine. After the whole ordeal that you two had been through together, you found it easy to bond. Her parents were overjoyed to see that she was safe, and they quickly welcomed you into the family. Lorraine was behind almost an entire semester in school, and much to her dismay, she was going to have to push everything back a year.

The two of you quickly started hanging out. Your leg was still messed up, and would be for a little while, but Brock was recovering well - the bullet hadn’t entered his arm, but had grazed it pretty badly, so he had gotten off lucky. All of you had, really.

Where Lizzie had been brash, impulsive, and reckless, Lorraine was thoughtful, intelligent, and goal-oriented. She even had a ten-year plan, though she was concerned that pushing back a year of law school would mess that up. “Does that ten-year plan involve marriage and kids?” you’d asked her at one point, but she’d shaken her head.

“No way,” she’d said. “I want to focus on my career first. Once I’m established in my career and can afford marriage and kids, then I can find someone. Besides, it’s easier to find someone when you’ve got money.”

“What if someone finds you before you’re ready?”

“Then I guess I change the plan.”

“Angel?”

Groggily, Angel’s eyes fluttered open. She was lying on the living room floor in a sleeping bag, and Lorraine was sound asleep on the couch. Brock was standing in the doorway, his blue eyes gazing intently towards her. Early morning sunlight was peeking through the window, lighting up the room just enough for Angel to make out everything around her.

“Hmm?” she grumbled, looking at Brock.

“I have to go,” he said, his voice soft so as not to wake the sleeping Lorraine. “I have a flight to catch. Lorraine’s parents are gonna pick her up later. If you go over there with her, make sure to lock up behind you.”

“Wait,” Angel said, trying to untangle herself from within the sleeping bag. She stood up, limping sleepily over to him and wrapping her arms around him. “Be careful wrestling tonight, okay? Your arm-”

“Yeah, the doctors are gonna check out my arm for themselves,” Brock said, hugging her back. “The doctors here said it should be fine, and honestly I’m probably not wrestling tonight anyways. It’ll probably just be a promo with Paul.”

“Well, we’ll be watching,” Angel replied, grinning up at him. She’d been slowly getting Lorraine into wrestling. Lorraine had quickly decided on Sasha Banks and Roman Reigns as favourites, though she had agreed that she’d always cheer for Brock when he came on. This was his first time going back to work since everything had gone down, though, so Angel figured that it was time for Lorraine to prove herself.

“Be careful on your leg, okay?” Brock said, gazing down at her. “Use your crutches if you have to That’s what they’re-”

“I know, I know, that’s what they’re for,” Angel said with a laugh. “I’ll be careful. Promise.”

Brock gave her a kiss on the forehead and then left. Angel was on her way back to the sleeping back when she heard Lorraine speak up.

“You really like him, don’t you?” she murmured, gazing towards Angel sleepily.

“Yeah, of course,” Angel replied, sitting down on top of the sleeping bag.

“Not like that,” Lorraine said softly. ‘I mean, you like him. Like, like-like.”

Angel paused when she heard her friend’s words. She was quiet for a moment, looking away. “Well,” she said finally, “you’re not wrong.”

They made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, making sure to clean up well behind themselves. Lorraine’s mother texted her that she was almost there, so they packed their bags to go stay the night at Lorraine’s house. They were just about to put their shoes on when the phone rang.

“I’ll get that,” Angel said. Brock had Lorraine’s number and her parents’ numbers so he could contact her while she was with them, but it might have been him calling without knowing that she was about to leave. She grabbed the phone. “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Miss Angel?” asked an unfamiliar male voice.

“Yes,” Angel replied curiously. “Who is this?”

“My name is Mathias Heimark,” the voice replied. “I own a moving van and tuck rental place just outside the city. As I’m sure you know, Arnold Thrane - the man who kidnapped you recently - rented a van from my company with the intention of using it to transport you and the other girl you were with to another location without your consent.”

“Um...yes?” Angel said softly, frowning. “I’m sorry, why are you calling me?”

“My company doesn’t have the best reputation, and after finding out what had happened with Thrane, I realized that I want to work on improving my company’s situation. I’m very sorry about what happened to you. I never would have allowed the van to be rented to him if I’d realized that it was for human trafficking purposes. I’ve decided to start work on legitimizing my company more and establishing more effective policies, and-”

“Okay, but what does this have to do with me?” Angel cut in, annoyed that this man only seemed to want to justify his actions to her.

“Well, after finding out what happened, I was told about your rather unique situation and since I was partially responsible for what happened to you, I wanted to make it up to you in some way. I was wondering if you’d be interested in a job working for me?”

“You want to offer me a job?” Angel asked, her eyes growing wide. Lorraine was watching, listening to Angel’s side of the conversation with bated breath.

“Yes!” Mathias replied. “You don’t have to answer me right away, but think about it and get back to me, alright? It’s the least I can offer you after my company and our lack of policy almost allowed you to be shipped away like that.”

“Umm...wow,” Angel said softly. “I can’t legally work, though. I don’t have an identity.”

“Cash only,” Mathias replied. “It’d all be under the table, if that’s okay with you.”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“Of course! Take all the time you need. If you are ever looking for a job, you have one with me.”

Angel thanked the man and then hung up, looking up to see Lorraine’s eyes locked intensely on her. “Well?” she asked. “Who was it?”

“The rental company that almost shipped us to Calgary,” Angel replied, frowning. “They want to offer me an under-the-table job to make up for what happened to us.”

[vprgirl1887]

Tagging: @sophiagriff

Your first rescue was not what you’d expected.

Then again...was it your first rescue? Brock had rescued you from a cold death in the woods, after all. Perhaps this was just your first police rescue. Either way, it wasn’t what you’d expected. You were crammed in the box, sobbing as much as you could against the duct tape after seeing Brock get shot. Was he even still alive? You had no way of knowing.

The van had started moving. It had been bumpy, especially as he got faster, and you once again had to resign yourself to the idea that you were never seeing Brock again. You had only Lorraine, and no idea where you were going. The van stopped, but then it didn’t start moving again. You’d assumed it was another red light, but then you heard voices and the sound of the back being opened.

You kicked your feet a little, hoping that somebody would hear you. A minute later, the chest was opened and you were gazing up into the friendly and familiar face of Officer Moreau. When he saw you, he grinned. You were saved.

Brock awoke in the hospital. He could hear the steady beeping of a machine, and there was a searing pain in his arm. He’d been shot. He couldn’t believe that man had shot him. But, more importantly, he had to know what had happened to Angel.

He started to get up. A nurse came rushing in. “Sir, sir, you need to lie down,” she said. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, and-”

“Angel! I need to see Angel,” Brock said. “Is she alright? Did they find her?”

The nurse frowned. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just sit down, and we can-”

“Where’s Officer Moreau?” Brock asked.

“Officer Moreau? He’s with - oh.” The woman paused, frowning. “With two young ladies...one of whom is named Angel. I understand now.”

“I need to see her,” Brock said.

“I can go and see whether she can come here,” the nurse replied. “Just please, lie down.”

“Promise that you’ll bring her here? Or at least Officer Moreau?” Brock asked.

“I’ll at least bring Officer Moreau,” the nurse said. “I can promise you that.”

It was several minutes before the nurse returned, to the point where Brock was considering getting up and going looking for her. She was pushing Angel in a wheelchair, though, and his heart leapt when he saw her.

“Angel!” he said. “You’re okay!”

“Brock!” Angel exclaimed, her face lighting up when she saw him. “Oh my god, Brock, I was so scared for you!”

“Scared for me?” Brock asked as the nurse pushed the wheelchair right up to the side of the bed. “Scared for you, you mean!”

“No,” Angel said softly, reaching out and gently taking his hand. “I was scared you were dead, Brock. I didn’t know what had happened until Officer Moreau found us.”

“Are you okay? Why are you in a wheelchair?” Brock asked, gazing intently up at her.

“Lower leg fracture,” Angel replied softly. “When he was handcuffing me, I told Lorraine to run, and he kicked my leg in so I couldn’t escape while he went to catch her...he broke my leg a bit.”

“Oh, Angel,” Brock said softly, lifting a hand and gently laying it on her cheek. “I’m so relieved that you’re okay.”

“I’m relieved that you’re okay,” Angel said, giving him a smile. “I spoke on the phone with Paul and-”

“I’m not worried about work right now, Angel,” said Brock, shaking his head. “All that matters is that you’re here and you’re safe. Work can wait.”

[vprgirl1887]

Secret Santa

Pairing: Reader X Brock Lesnar

Word Count: 2,351

Contains: Fluff. The annual WWE Secret Santa exchange is coming up and the reader has no idea what to buy for Brock Lesnar.

“Okay, [Y/N], it’s time to pick a name for Secret Santa!”

You raised an eyebrow as Alicia Fox walked up to you with Bayley. Both were wearing Santa hats with lights on them, and they were carrying a red and green elf hat. It was upside-down and filled almost to the brim with tiny slips of paper.

“Seriously?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. You’d hardly been a member of the Raw roster for a month; there was no way you’d be able to pick out good presents for anyone here.

“Everyone’s in it,” Bayley said.

“I think someone’s already got your name anyways,” Alicia added. She had a clipboard tucked under her arm, but the front page was covered with a sticker-covered sheet of red construction paper. “So you don’t have a choice.”

“I’m gonna suck at this,” you grumbled, but reluctantly stuck your hand in the elf hat. You rummaged around in the hat, pulling out a folded slip of paper. You carefully unfolded it and read the name written on it.

Brock Lesnar.

“Who’d you get?” Alicia asked, handing the hat to Bayley as she took out the clipboard and lifted the red paper so she could jot it down.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you groaned, turning the paper so Alicia could see it.

“Ooh!” said Alicia, scribbling it down on her clipboard. “Good luck!”

“Sasha had him last year,” said Bayley with a smile. “it’s not as hard as you’d think.”

“What did she get him?” you asked, perking up slightly. Maybe hearing what others had thought of would help to inspire you.

“A hat and gloves,” Bayley replied. 

“Good luck!” chimed Alicia, looping her arm through Bayley’s and scurrying off towards the next unsuspecting gift-giver. Again, you groaned. This was not going to go well.

You were lying on your couch, desperately searching the third page of Google search results for Brock Lesnar. There had to be some sort of information that would hint at gift ideas for him, but so far, you’d found nothing. Had this been several months ago, you could have simply asked around for Sable’s phone number and asked her to help you with ideas, but they had long since split up and you knew that wasn’t an option.

Flicking her tail, your cat was glaring at you from the far end of the couch. She was keeping your feet warm, but apparently wanted more attention. You sighed, finally closing your laptop and setting it aside.

“Sorry, kitty,” you mumbled, pulling her into your lap for some cuddles. “I just have no idea what to get for Secret Santa.”

The cat just meowed. Of course she couldn’t help you. She was a cat. At this point, you were half-tempted to just get Brock a mug and wrap it up in one of his own t-shirts. You’d barely spoken to him before. Part of that was because he wasn’t around often, part of it was because you were still new, and part of it was because you just had issues talking to men you were attracted to. You hadn’t mentioned it to any of the other girls, but he was absolutely your type.

Your phone suddenly dinged. Surprised, and a bit confused as to who was texting you so late in the evening, you grabbed it and checked. It was a text message from an unknown number, and all it said was “hey”.

“Hey who is this?” you texted back quickly, quirking an eyebrow. It was probably someone from work; Alexa had a habit of giving people your phone number and then forgetting to let you know.

“It’s your Secret Santa,” the number texted back. “I’ve got an early gift for you.”

“What is it?” you asked, suddenly intrigued. The Secret Santa Christmas party was supposed to be before the Christmas episode of Raw, and you were supposed to exchange gifts there.

“Brock Lesnar’s favourite candies are Snickers and Warheads,” the number texted back, and your eyes widened. How did your Secret Santa know that you’d drawn Brock’s name? And how did they know his favourite candies? “Also he’s been looking at this,” came a second message a moment later, with a link attached to it.

You quickly opened the link, which led to a really neat-looking hammer that opened up into a multi-tool with all sorts of other tools inside - a screwdriver, a bottle opener, a wire cutter, a knife... You immediately hit the ‘Order Now’ button, your browser autofilling your information for you to save time. Once it was ordered, you went back into your messages.

“Thanks,” you texted back. “You’re literally my hero right now.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you on Christmas,” came the response, and you, satisfied, gathered up your kitty and headed to bed.

You were disappointed that Brock hadn’t come to the Christmas episode of Raw. You’d been looking forward to seeing his reaction to his gift. You’d bought a pretty little Christmas box with a cartoon Santa face on the front. You’d put in a mug full of mini Snickers bars, a handful of full-sized Snicker bars, five packages of Warheads, a pair of those thermal socks that were supposed to be really great, and the hammer, which you’d wrapped in shiny red paper. It was obviously a hammer, but the red paper looked good.

All of the presents were neatly piled up on a table by Bayley and Alicia, and everybody was crowded into the catering area to receive their gifts. Alicia was simply grabbing the gifts at random, delivering them to their recipients and then clapping when they’d finished opening it. It was actually pretty fun to see what everybody had received. Cesaro had been given a massive cookbook, Seth Rollins had received a stack of t-shirts, and Mickie James had been given a pair of legwarmers that flared out the way her ring gear pants did. Everyone had a good laugh about that one.

When Alicia presented your gift to you, you were surprised by how large it was. You took the box from Alicia, which was wrapped in a striped red and green paper, and quickly tore off the wrapping paper. It was a basic cardboard box taped shut, and Alicia was quick to present you with an exacto-knife to get the box open.

The first thing you saw inside was a small box with the Bronner’s logo on it. You grabbed that first, opening it up and pulling out the ornament inside. It was a bright blue with snowflakes and white writing on it that said “There’s snow-one like you!” You laughed as you read that, showing it off briefly before moving along.

There were tons of random objects in the box, but each one of them was perfect for you. There was a large green hoodie that said “World’s Best Cat Mom”, there was a beautiful white scarf, hat, and mitten set, there were tons of various chocolates and candies scattered throughout the box - all of which were ones you enjoyed - and there was a jar full of chocolate chip cookie mix. There were a handful of cheesy romance novels, the kind you loved, and at the very bottom of the box, there was a small jewelry box - bigger than a ring box, but smaller than a necklace box.

Curiously, you pulled it out and snapped it open. Your jaw all but hit the floor as you saw the large diamond drop earrings inside. They were beautiful, and they looked expensive. You looked around the room, and everyone was watching you curiously. You carefully held the box up, turning it around so they could see.

“Wow!” exclaimed Sasha, her eyes going wide. “Damn, [Y/N], someone went all-out for you!”

You were utterly speechless, just staring at the earrings. After a moment, you began to take them out of the box - carefully, of course, because they seemed too precious to touch. You put them in your ears, turning your head a few times to feel the way they moved. 

“These are amazing,” you said softly. “Um - I don’t know who my Secret Santa is, but thank you so much. All these presents are great.”

“Woo hoo!” exclaimed Alicia, clapping, and this time around, a few other people joined in.

They carried on with the gift-giving, and though you enjoyed watching the others receive their gifts, you spent the rest of the evening curious about your own Secret Santa. All of these gifts had been perfect. Who could it have been that knew you so well? Some of the Secret Santas revealed themselves to their partners over the course of the gift-giving, but whoever yours was, they weren’t speaking up. When the party finished, there were only a few gifts left on the table. Your gift for Brock was one of them.

Raw itself went well, and by the time it was over, despite being away from their families, everybody was laughing and having a good time. Almost everybody was leaving as soon as the show was over, heading home to join their families. You were going home the next night instead, heading to see your parents for a few days before you had to go back to work. You decided to grab something to eat quickly before heading back to your hotel, but as you went into the catering area, you spotted Brock and Alicia over by the gift table.

You stopped dead in your tracks. He looked amazing, dressed in a suit and tie. You weren’t sure why he was so dressed up, but Alicia was just reaching to grab his gift when she spotted you. “Oh! Y/N, hey!” she called out, and Brock glanced over. A smile danced on his lips and you felt a blush come across your cheeks.

“Hey,” you mumbled awkwardly, walking over to them. “Coming to get your gift, I take it? I heard your Secret Santa was pretty disappointed not to see you tonight,” you said, a little bolder than you’d intended, but he chuckled.

“Delayed flight,” he replied. “I never miss Secret Santa.”

“Brock always gives the best gifts,” Alicia said. “Last year he made Charlotte cry.”

“From the looks of things, I think my Secret Santa did a great job this year,” Brock said, glancing into the box and eyeing up all the candy. He then set the box down and pulled out the hammer, turning it over in his hands. “I know exactly what this is,” he said, a grin slowly coming to his lips.

“Well, you’d better make sure to thank your Secret Santa,” Alicia replied. “I’ve gotta go now, though - see you guys later!”

“Later, Alicia,” you said as she bounded off, leaving you alone with Brock. Your heart was already starting to speed up, and his blue eyes were gazing intensely down at you.

“So, I believe I have you to thank for the gift?” he asked, holding up the hammer briefly before putting it back in the box.

“What? How did you know that?” you asked, your own eyes widening.

“Secret Santa is my thing,” he said with a shrug. “I don’t know why. I enjoy it, though, and I’m good at it.”

“Oh,” you said. “Well, yeah. I was your Secret Santa.”

“You did a good job,” he said.

“Not as good a job as my Secret Santa did,” you said, your hand subconsciously coming up to touch the large earrings you wore. “My Secret Santa was a champ this year.”

“I think you mean that literally,” Brock murmured, reaching to the table and picking up his Universal Championship from where it had been resting. It took a moment, but you suddenly connected the dots and your mouth fell open.

“Wait,” you said, “you were my Secret Santa?”

“Yeah,” Brock replied with a grin. “You were fun to shop for.”

“So...was that you who texted me with gift ideas? For yourself?” you asked.

“You were fun to shop for, but also really easy to shop for. I know that I’m hard to shop for, though, so I figured you’d appreciate a little guidance,” he said. He reached into the box and pulled out the mug full of snickers. “You obviously just used my ideas as a starting point and added some ideas of your own, which is what you were supposed to do.”

“So you bought me these earrings?” you asked softly, touching them again. “They’re beautiful, but - Brock, how much did you spend on these?”

“Not as much as I was willing to spend on you,” he replied with a smile. “Which reminds me, there’s one last part of your present. I’m glad you’re here so I can give it to you now.”

“Really?” you asked, surprised. “What is it?”

He smiled, reaching into the chest pocket of his suit and pulling out a small envelope. He held it out to you and you carefully took it, examining it for a moment before opening it up. Inside was a small Christmas card with a picture of Santa’s sleigh against the moon. You opened it up, and inside all it had was a poem.

roses are red, violets are blue, I’d like to go on a date with you.

Your eyes widened as you read the poem, and then you looked up at him. He was grinning, but there was something nervous in his eyes. Despite all the confidence and bravado, he was afraid you’d say no. You smiled up at him.

“Yes,” you said, your smile widening into a grin. “Yes, I’d love to go out with you.”

“Oh, thank god,” Brock breathed. “Do you want to grab dinner tonight? I know a place that’s open all night.”

“I’d love to,” you replied, still unable to believe it. What were the odds that you and Brock would get one anothers’ names, or that you’d both be interested in one another? As you left the arena with him, you were certain that you could hear jingle bells somewhere in the distance. It was a Christmas Miracle.

[vprgirl1887]

Merry and Bright Advent Calendar (prompts 9-16)

Click here to read prompts 1-8.

December 9 - The Perfect Tree

Valerie was still somewhat shaken over what Brock had revealed to her yesterday. He liked her? He was interested in her? He was attracted to her? How long had this been going on? Had it developed over the last week or so since they'd actually started interacting, or had he been interested in her since she'd first come to Raw? She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but she wouldn't have the opportunity to do so today. Today, she was at home. She was only home for a day and a half, and she'd be leaving again on Sunday morning to go back to work that afternoon, but a day and a half was long enough to help her parents get their tree set up. Even her brother was home from university, and they were all heading out to cut down a tree. Her family always tried to find the biggest one they could, so it was almost like a contest: split up once you reach the trees, find the biggest one, and whoever finds the biggest tree is the winner and gets to put the star on top at the end of the decorating process. Valerie usually always won when she wasn't judging, so she was looking forward to this. The problem was, she just couldn't get her mind off Brock. Did he want to be with her? Did he want to start a relationship with her? He and his wife had split up earlier in the year - incidentally, around the time that Valerie had come to Raw. Was it a coincidence? Or had her arrival somehow been a factor in their split? Had Brock been attracted to her for months without having said anything? She had no idea what to think of it all. All she wanted was to talk about it with him, but she couldn't. She was at home, and he was probably at home. Was Brock thinking about her? That tree looked pretty big - it was taller than Brock, she figured... because, of course, she was thinking about him instead of focusing on finding the tallest tree. "Val, let's see your tree," came a voice as her father, this year's judge after being last year's winner, walked over. Valerie was quiet for a moment, looking up at the tree. "This one," she said. "This is your tree?" he asked. "Yes," she replied. "Hmm," her dad said, examining it for a moment. "I'm pretty sure your brother found a bigger tree. Sorry, honey." Of course her brother had found a bigger tree. She wasn't thinking straight. All she could think about was Brock. Had Brock wanted to kiss her under the mistletoe? Was he going to buy her a present? Were they going to go on a date? Her mind was a mess of at least ten thousand different thoughts swirling all around. "Is everything okay?" her dad asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her against him. "You haven't been yourself since your flight landed. You've been so much quieter than usual." "I know," Valerie mumbled, leaning against her dad sadly. "Sorry, daddy, I just... I've got a lot on my mind. Yesterday one of my co-workers told me that he's interested in me, but he didn't say anything else and he walked off before I could ask him anything. I don't know what to think of it." "Who was it?" her dad asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not somebody that you can beat up," Valerie replied calmly, a smirk on her lips. "It's not that Seth Rollins, is it? I've seen Instagram posts of you two eating burgers together," her dad said with a smirk, eyeing her closely for her reaction. "No, it's not Seth," Valerie said. "It's Brock Lesnar." "Oh, wow," her dad said. "Definitely not someone that I can beat up." "Exactly," she replied. "Well..." Her dad went quiet for a moment, thinking about it. "Are you interested in him, too? Because if you weren't, I doubt this would be weighing so heavily on your mind." "I am," Valerie admitted softly. "I have been for ages...I just don't know what to think. Like, does he really like me? Does he want to go out with me? Does he want something long-term with me or does he just mean that he's interested in me like, you know..." "You want to know if he's serious about you or if he just wants to get in your pants," her dad said with a smile, and she sighed softly, nodding. "Yeah, pretty much," she replied. "Well, you're heading back to work tomorrow. When you get there, go find him, walk right up to him, and ask him for clarification. If he's interested in you, I think you two would make a handsome couple - you just have to find out what he wants," her dad said. Valerie was quiet for a minute, thinking it over. Her dad was right. There was no use in ruining this perfect day with her family by stressing about Brock when she'd literally have a chance tomorrow to find out what he was thinking. All she had to do was set it aside for a day and wait until tomorrow to worry about it. Slowly, a smile began to spread across her lips. "You're right," she said. "I'm sorry I've been such a downer. Let's go chop down a tree and take it home." "Not this tree, though," her dad said, beginning to steer her away from her choice of tree with a laugh. "Your brother's tree. It's bigger." "Of course it is," Valerie replied, smirking. "When he's the judge next year, though, you'll all be sorry."

December 10 - Reindeer

Valerie's suitcase rolled loudly behind her as she got out of the elevator, carefully peering at the numbers on the doors in the hotel hallway until she found the one that matched her room key card. She swiped the card and headed inside, sighing as she set her suitcase down beside the bed. It had been an exhausting flight. She'd managed to enjoy her weekend with her parents, trimming the tree and drinking way too much eggnog, but once she'd left, it became difficult to think about much else but Brock. What was he going to say when she approached him? She needed to know. From inside her suitcase, she pulled out the large stuffed reindeer that her brother had given her while she'd been home. It had mostly been a gag gift, but she loved stuffed animals and had decided to bring the reindeer stuffie to work with her. Well, not to work, but to the hotel. She set him down on the bed, pausing for a moment to examine the stuffed animal. She still hadn't been able to think of a name for it. Rudolph seemed too cliché, but she didn't know any other good reindeer names besides the ones Santa had already used. She jumped slightly at the sound of a knock at her door. She'd only just arrived, so who could it possibly be? Curious, she walked over to the door and looked out the peephole. She felt her heart drop into her stomach as she saw that it was none other than Brock Lesnar standing outside her room. She was hesitant for a moment, considering whether or not to answer, but then he knocked again. "I know you're in there, Val," he called out in a gentle voice. Biting back a sigh, Valerie opened the hotel room door, smiling nervously up at him. "Hi," she said in a small voice. He smiled down at her. "Hey," he said. "Can I come in? I think we need to talk." "Yeah, I think you're right," she said softly, stepping aside so he could come in. For a moment, as he entered, she was grateful that she'd only just arrived and hadn't had a chance yet to unpack. All of her belongings were still in the suitcase, which meant no dirty laundry lying around on the floor, no medications for him to judge her by, and no toiletries in the bathroom. "Oh, hey there little dude," said Brock as he walked further in, and Valerie's eyes widened in horror. All of her belongings were still in the suitcase... except for the stuffed reindeer. "Oh! Um - my brother gave me that," Valerie stammered, closing the door and hurrying in. Brock had picked up the reindeer and was turning it over in his hands, looking curiously at it. "This weekend?" Brock asked, looking over at her. "Yeah," she replied. "Did you name it?" he asked, an amused smile on his lips. "No," she said quickly, certain that she was blushing furiously. "You should name it Mistletoe," Brock replied, setting the reindeer back down where he'd found it and walking over to her. "Unless that's weird - you know, since your brother gave it to you." "It might be a bit weird," she said softly, curious as to why Brock was invested in the naming of her stuffed reindeer. Did he not think it was childish? "I was kind of thinking about Jingle, or maybe Cinnamon." "Cinnamon's a silly name for a reindeer," Brock replied. "Jingle's good, though." "You said you wanted to talk?" Valerie asked softly, going and sitting down on the edge of the bed. She grabbed Jingle, setting him down in her lap and looking up at Brock. "Yeah, I did," he replied, sitting down beside her. "I was kind of unfair the other day. I dropped a bomb on you and then didn't stick around to deal with it. It was a bit dickish. I'm sorry." "It's okay," Valerie replied. "I'm just...confused, I guess." "Ask me anything you want," Brock replied, smiling. "Once I've answered all your questions, I've got one question for you." "One question for me?" Valerie asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?" "Do you want to go out with me some time?"

December 11 - Silver

Valerie couldn't help but to be impressed that Brock had found such a nice restaurant open past midnight. It was Monday, which obviously meant that they had to work, but they'd agreed to go on a date afterwards. She'd been hesitant about trying to go out so late, but he'd assured her that he could find a good place to go - and, he'd been right. The atmosphere in the restaurant was quite elegant and classy. It wasn't terribly crowded, probably because it was so late, and on one end of the restaurant, there was a dance floor with a live band playing Christmas songs. The music was just loud enough to be enjoyable from anywhere in the restaurant without being too overpowering, which meant that they could maintain a conversation while they ate. Aside from the music, there was little noise but for the low din of conversation and the clinking of silverware. "So, tell me about yourself, I guess?" Brock asked after they'd placed their orders with the waiter. Neither of them had said much just yet. For Valerie, it was because she was nervous; she didn't know why he hadn't been talking. "About myself?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, yeah," he replied. "I mean, isn't that what people do on first dates?" "I guess so," Valerie replied, shrugging slightly. "I don't really, you know, date much..." "No?" "No. I usually don't agree to go out with anyone unless I know they're serious about it, which usually ends in long-term relationships," Valerie replied softly. "You're only the third guy I've been out with since I was a teenager." "That's impressive, to be honest," Brock said with a smile. "I haven't been on a first date in...well, in over a decade, I suppose." "Right...your wife," Valerie mumbled awkardly, glancing down at her water glass. "How about we agree not to talk about previous relationships?" Brock asked with a smile. "You talk about yourself, and I'll talk about myself." They chatted for a short while until their appetizers arrived, though it was difficult to find things to say when both of your life stories are already on the internet, ready to find with a mere click of a button and a visit to Wikipedia. Brock was a nice guy, though, and seemed genuinely interested in hearing about her. She found that she was talking way more than he was, going off on random tangents while he actively listened to what she had to say. They ate their appetizers mostly in silence, though it wasn't an awkward silence so much as it was just them enjoying their food. The food was great, and they were just finishing up their appetizers when their main courses arrived. "This restaurant's great," Valerie said to him with a smile. "The food's good, and the service is nice and quick." "It's a great place, I used to come here from time to time with..." Brock paused slightly, his voice trailing off. "Sorry." "No, it's fine," Valerie replied quickly, shaking her head. "You were married for, what, eleven years? It's hard to pretend like that time never happened." "Yeah, I know," he said. "But still, it doesn't seem fair to you to mention her." "Can I ask you a question?" Valerie asked softly before taking a small bite of her food. "Shoot." "Why did you guys end things?" Brock was silent for a minute. He took a bite of his meal, and Valerie wondered whether he'd answer or change the topic. Both of them were quiet, eating for a minute or so, before he finally spoke up. "I guess the love just...wasn't there any more," he replied. "I think we both knew, it and I think we'd both known it for a while. I guess we both just wanted to try to fix things, and we were trying to feel something again, but there was just nothing there." "That's sad," Valerie said softly. "I know," he murmured. "But anyways, let's not talk about that. Why don't we go and dance?" "What about our food?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow. She was barely even half-finished. "It'll still be here when we get back," Brock replied. "They check the dance floor, don't worry. Come on, I like this song." He stood up and took her by the hand, pulling her to her feet and leading her out to the dance floor. She felt underdressed compared to the other women there - they were all wearing beautiful gowns, but she'd opted for a simple little black dress with silver accessories. Nobody seemed to mind, though, and the couples already on the small dance floor readily made room for her and Brock to join in. His hand came to firmly grasp her waist, and his other hand took hers. She laid her hand on his shoulder, smiling nervously up at him. "You should probably know that I suck at dancing," she said, and he chuckled. "That's fine. I'll lead," he replied. It took a moment to get started, but soon they were dancing slowly along to the music. Silver Bells was playing, and it seemed like an appropriate song given how the evening had been progressing so far. "So...you like to dance?" Valerie asked softly. She had a feeling that dating him meant that she'd need to improve her dancing skills. "Sometimes," he replied with a smile. "In the right situation." "And this is the right situation?" she asked. "I'm pretty sure," he murmured, gazing down at her, "that any situation involving you would be the right situation."

December 12 - A Different Celebration

Tuesday night, while most of the fans were attending a televised Smackdown Live show, a handful of others a few towns over were attending a non-televised Raw live show. Valerie, therefore, was sitting backstage in the catering area with Alexa, gushing about her first date with Brock. "So then we went and danced, and-" "But Val, you're a terrible dancer!" Alexa exclaimed, her eyes widening. "I know! But he took the lead and it wasn't a total disaster!" Alexa burst out laughing. "Amazing," she said. She suddenly glanced up, past Valerie's head, and smirked. "I think I'm gonna go see if I can find Nia," she said, standing up abruptly. "Alexa?" "I'll see you around!" Alexa said, patting Valerie's shoulder quickly before leaving. Valerie raised an eyebrow, curiously watching her friend go, but a large pair of hands suddenly covered her eyes from behind. "Guess who," came a familiar deep voice from behind her, and Valerie giggled. "I have no idea," she said. "Ouch," Brock replied, removing his hands and sitting down where Alexa had been. "You go on a life-changing date with me only to forget my name the next day." "Life-changing? Did our date change your life?" Valerie asked teasingly, giggling, but before Brock could answer, a large covered platter was plopped down in front of them. They both jumped slightly, and when they looked up, they saw Paul Heyman standing across the table from them. "Paul?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tonight's the first night of Hanukkah, so I did what I do and I brought goodies," Paul replied with a smirk. "Oh, and hello, Valerie." "Hi, Paul," Valerie replied with a small smile. "What've you got there?" "Latkes, or potato pancakes," he replied as he lifted the lid off. Then, he held up a piece of paper. "Also, a sign-up sheet for a dreidel tournament next week during Raw. It's going to go on the Up Up Down Down YouTube channel." "That's awesome!" Valerie said, reaching out for the paper. As she scribbled her name down, Brock grabbed one of the potato pancakes and managed to shove the entire thing in his mouth. "You know how much I love these things, Paul," Brock said with a grin after he'd finished it. "I know," Paul replied with a shrug. "Are you signing up for the dreidel tournament? I can probably rig it so you get to compete against your girlfriend here." Valerie immediately felt her face heating up, but Brock didn't seem to react. If anything, he seemed proud, and he looped an arm around her shoulders. "I'd definitely sign up, but that wouldn't really be fair to anyone else in the tournament," Brock said smugly, and Paul chuckled. "You have that right," he said, nodding. He was quiet for a moment as Brock grabbed another potato pancake, and then he smiled. "I'll leave this tray with you guys. I brought another tray of these because I knew you'd probably eat most of them." "You're the best, Paul," Brock said, giving the other man a thumbs up as he started to walk away. Valerie giggled softly. It felt nice to be acknowledged as Brock's girlfriend by his manager, even if they hadn't really discussed the title yet. Then, she grabbed herself one of the latkes, figuring that anything with both the words potato and pancake in the name had to be absolutely divine.

December 13 - Home

Having a few days at home was usually a great thing for Valerie, especially when it was Christmastime, but so early into her relationship with Brock, she'd been hoping to stay on the road with him a little while longer. Still, she was excited to see her family, as she always was. She loved them to pieces, and they were proud of all that she had accomplished. They were the perfect family, as far as she was concerned. When she got to the house, they all hugged her. She was surprised to see that her aunt, uncle, and two younger cousins were also at the house, but the more the merrier, after all. Her mother hugged her, the loving and attentive housewife who'd always worked diligently to raise her and her brother, and then her father hugged her. "How'd it go with the guy?" he asked her in a hushed voice. "It went," Valerie replied with a giggle. "Good," her father replied with a nod before pulling back. Next, her little brother hugged her. He was usually away at school, so she didn't always see him when she visited her parents, though she had occasionally gone to visit him at his residence when she had a couple days off. He was doing well in school, and really seemed to be enjoying it, and while most of her family was proud of her, she was proud of him. After their greetings were exchanged, Valerie headed upstairs. It had been a busy few days with lots of flying, and between the late time and the jet lag that had her body thinking it was even later, she was exhausted. Luckily, she had a few days to herself that she was going to spend with her family before heading out again for the weekend. She headed upstairs to her childhood bedroom, which was always left as she'd left it. Her stuffed animals all sat on a shelf above the bed, and though it bore many of the reminders of her teenage years, there was also a nostalgia in the room linked to her younger years. The wallpaper, for one, had never changed - it was the same light pink striped pattern that her parents had chosen for her nursery back when they were first expecting her. The carpet was a neutral beige colour - it had originally been white, but her parents had quickly found that having a small child and a white carpet was a bad idea. Her phone began to buzz, causing her to jump slightly. When she pulled it from her pocket, she saw that it was Brock requesting a Facetime. She grinned, quickly smoothing down her hair before hitting the accept button. She saw his face grinning over at her. "Hey, beautiful. Looks like you made it home safely?" he asked. "I literally just arrived, otherwise I would have texted you already," she said. "I haven't even started to unpack." "It's fine," he laughed. He'd wanted her to text him when she arrived at her house, but between the line-up of hugs and the exhaustion, she hadn't had a chance. "So, let's see your house." "No way!" she exclaimed, laughing. "We've only been dating for a few days, there's no way I'm showing off my childhood bedroom to you." "Ooh, it's a childhood bedroom? They haven't even refurbished it into a guest room?" he asked, smirking. "Is that why the wall behind you is pink?" "Stop it!" Valerie laughed, covering up the camera briefly. "Maybe I'll show you one day, but today's not that day." "Fair enough," he laughed. "Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you were alright." "I am," Valerie said with a nod. "Thanks for caring." "Oh, I care," he replied, grinning. "Isn't it late over there?" "It's super late," she said. "I was actually going to get ready for bed." "Can I at least see that?" "Goodnight, Brock!" Valerie said, laughing. "Goodnight, Val," Brock replied, grinning before the call ended. Valerie sighed softly, setting her phone down on the nightstand and looking around. It really did feel like Christmas. She was home for a few days - not for Christmas itself, of course, but for now - spending time with her family and loved ones, and she had a boyfriend now - a boyfriend! - who cared enough to Facetime her to make sure she had arrived home safely. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

December 14 - Traditions

"Everybody into the kitchen for truffles!" Valerie all but shrieked with joy when she heard her mother calling upstairs. She scrambled to get dressed, throwing on a pair of red sweatpants and a black tank top before she rushed downstairs. She almost collided with her little brother at the top of the stairs, but he was much taller than her and was easily able to push past her and sprint down the stairs. "I'm going to get all the chocolate and you're not!" he called up at her jokingly as she rushed after him. "I'll fight you!" Valerie replied with a laugh. Her brother stopped for a moment at the bottom of the stairs to glance back at her over his shoulder, and it was just long enough for her to leap from the fifth step. Her brother let out a surprised cry, but still managed to catch her on his back, and he carried her the rest of the way to the kitchen. "Some things never change," Valerie's father mused from where he sat at the table, peeling an orange while Valerie's mother set out bowls of various coloured sprinkles and toppings - a bowl of red, a bowl of green, a bowl of chocolate sprinkles, a bowl of mixed sprinkles, a bowl of coconut flakes... "We heard there were truffles," Valerie's brother said as he set her down on the floor. "There are," Valerie's mother replied with a warm grin, setting down a large bowl of chocolate on the table. "Take a seat. I'll hand out spoons, and - oh...or you can use your hands, I guess..." It was too late, as both Valerie and her brother had each dipped their fingers into the bowl, scooping up a small handful of the semi-hardened chocolate. They both began rolling the chocolate between their hands, forming round balls, before moving the chocolate balls to a bowl of sprinkles. "Hey, I wanted the red sprinkles!" Valerie protested. "You can have them for your next one, have the green!" her brother said, and because his arm was longer, he got to roll his chocolate ball around in the red sprinkles while his defeated sister had to use the green for hers. Once the little chocolate balls were thoroughly coated in sprinkles, Valerie and her brother placed them delicately into the small paper cups that her mother was in the process of setting out. Making chocolate truffles was a family tradition, something they did together every year. Though Valerie and her brother were intently focused on their chocolate, their parents were focused on something else: Valerie and her brother. Both of them were smiling, both proud and nostalgic as they watched their grown children making truffles just as they had when they were little.

December 15 - Ugly Sweaters

With Valerie home for a few days, her parents decided that today would be the perfect day to get pictures taken for their Christmas cards. "Aren't you cutting it a bit close?" Valerie asked them, but they insisted that with ten days left until Christmas, they still had plenty of time to print and mail the pictures. Her mother decided the theme this year, and had seen lots of ugly Christmas sweater pictures online. As such, she'd decided that they should all wear the ugly Christmas sweaters for their photo. She and Valerie's father had even gone to the liberty of buying ugly Christmas sweaters for everybody. For Valerie's brother, they'd bought an ugly sweater of his favourite sports team. For her father, they had purchased a Star Trek sweater. For her mother, there was an ugly sweater with cats on it, and for Valerie - "You've got to be kidding me." Valerie's father grinned as he held up the sweater they'd bought for her. "The funny thing is, we bought this before you started dating him," he said. "We knew he was your favourite wrestler, so we figured it'd be good - you know, since you don't exactly have a sweater of your own available yet." "I'm not that over. Besides, now I'm dating him and I can't wear this!" Valerie said. "He'll laugh at me!" "I'm sure he'll be flattered, honey, now go put on your sweater," said Valerie's mother as she walked out of the bathroom, having just changed into her sweater with the cats on it. Valerie sighed, taking the sweater and heading up to her room with it. "You'll never guess what my parents are making me wear for our Xmas card photo," she texted to Brock quickly, setting her phone down before beginning to pull the sweater on. She was just sticking the first of her arms through the arm holes when it buzzed with his response, and once she had the sweater on, she grabbed her phone to check. "What?" it asked, and she bit her lip slightly. "Suplex City ugly Christmas sweater," she texted back. She paused to admire herself in the mirror for a moment. She had to admit, it did look good on her. She held up her phone to snap a quick picture before it buzzed again. "Hahahaha," he had texted back. Valerie giggled a bit before texting him the picture. "Valerie, let's go!" called her father's voice from downstairs. "Coming!" she called back. She stuffed her phone in her pocket and hurried down the stairs. It would be at least a dozen takes before they had a picture that her parents actually liked. Her brother would blink in at least three of them, her father would sneeze once, one take wouldn't even have her father in it because he wouldn't make it to his spot in time after setting the timer, and all the while, Valerie's phone was shoved deep in the pocket of her jeans. She couldn't check it until they'd finished the picture, so it wasn't until after the end of their photo shoot that she'd see Brock's reply to the picture, waiting patiently on the screen of her phone: "You look beautiful!"

December 16 - Unseasonably Warm

Saturday meant that it was time to head back to work. After an amazing few days with her family, Valerie was disappointed about leaving them behind, but she still felt that she'd had plenty of quality time with them. Plus, she was excited about seeing Brock again. She left early in the morning, texting sleepily with him while she waited for her flight. Their show tonight was in Tampa, so she'd been able to pack lightly compared to the last few weeks. Tampa, from what she'd seen on the internet, was pretty hot right about now. She took off her coat on the plane, and she immediately felt out of place upon landing. As she left the aircraft and headed to the receiving area to retrieve her luggage, she could tell that people were curiously looking at her, carrying a heavy winter coat over her arm. They probably wondered where she'd flown in from - she wasn't the only one with a winter coat in tow, though hers was definitely the bulkiest. "Val?" came a familiar voice while she waited for her luggage to appear on the carousel. She turned around, and her eyes went wide with surprise. "Brock!" she exclaimed. He opened his arms, and she tried not to look too excited to run forward into them. He hugged her tightly, his chin resting on top of her head. "When you mentioned your flight number, I decided to come and meet it," he said when she pulled back, and she grinned. "That's so sweet," she said. "I also thought we could go grab some lunch before we have to be at the arena," he added, taking her hand and walking over to the carousel with her to wait for her luggage. "I know this great little place by the beach. It won't be too crowded right now, so we could enjoy some of the warm weather before we have to head back up to where it's cold." Valerie laughed. "I'm not opposed to enjoying the warm weather," she replied, smiling up at him. "I'm also going to enjoy the company, though - maybe even more than the weather." "Well, we'll see about that once you step outside," he replied with a chuckle.

[vprgirl1887]

Merry and Bright Advent Calendar (prompts 17-25)

Click here to read prompts 1-8.

Click here to read prompts 9-16.

December 17 - Silent Night

Valerie, bundled up in her winter jacket, was just walking away from her car in the hotel parking lot. It'd been a long night, and she really wanted to get some rest, especially with Monday Night Raw the next day. She headed inside, smiling a bit as she entered the decorated lobby before heading to the elevators. All of the hotel lobbies they'd visited this month looked lovely, with massive trees covered in lights and all sorts of cute little decorations all over the place. Some of them had even decorated the elevators, though this one hadn't. She was in the elevator when her phone rang. A glance at the screen told her that it was her father, and a grin lit up her face. Quickly, she answered. "Hey, dad!" "Hey, honey. Where are you right now?" her father asked. His voice was low and serious, and Valerie's grin faded quickly. "In the elevator on my way to my hotel room, why?" she asked. "I just wanted to tell you that your Grandma Richardson's passed away," he said. Valerie's blue eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. "She - wait...what?" she asked. "Was there something wrong?" "No - well, yes, I mean... Advanced heart disease. She had a heart attack. Died peacefully in her sleep - they said it would have been quick and painless. I'm so sorry, honey." Valerie could feel tears welling up in her eyes as the elevator dinged to signal that they'd reached her floor. She stepped out of the elevator, feeling numb as she walked towards her room. "So close to Christmas..." she said in a soft voice. "I know," he said. "Are you gonna be alright?" "Yeah, I think so," Valerie replied, lifting a hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. She wasn't entirely sure whether it was true or not, but it was worth a try. "Okay," he said. She could sense doubt in his voice, probably since she was doubting herself too. "You have a good night, honey. Call us if you need anything." "I will, daddy," Valerie replied softly, fumbling around in her pocket for her keycard as she reached her room. "I love you." Her voice was starting to get choked up. "I love you too, honey," he replied. She hung up the phone and shoved it into her pocket, beginning to softly cry as she entered her room. "Val!" came a voice from within. "Babe, hey, I hope you don't mind but I asked Alexa and then we talked to the front desk and-" Brock's voice trailed off as he came into view and saw Valerie crying. She quickly turned away, but it was too late. "Valerie, what's wrong?" "M-my dad just called, and my grandma died," she mumbled in her choked voice as Brock approached her, putting a gentle hand on her back. "Oh, Val, I'm so sorry," he said. He pulled her into his arms, and she suddenly felt comfortable. She felt safe. As she nestled against him, she began to cry a little harder, burying her face in his strong chest and letting him hold her. There were a few minutes of silence before he, gently, scooped her up in his arms. He carried her to the bed, still holding her close against him, and then sat down with her. "I'm s-sorry," Valerie mumbled. "Sorry?" he asked. "Why are you sorry?" "I don't know," she said tearfully, pulling away to look up at him. "You w-were saying something and y-you obviously wanted to s-surprise me and now I'm c-crying-" "Val, stop that," he said, squeezing her gently. "You're more important than anything I had planned. Is there anything you need?" Valerie thought about it for a minute. Her crying had slowed somewhat, but she was still upset. She could feel fresh tears working their way to the surface. "Just...just hold me?" she asked in a small voice, wriggling out of his arms and lying down on the bed. "I don't want to be alone." "Okay," Brock replied. He laid down beside her and gathered her up into his arms, holding her close against him. Despite all the emotions bubbling beneath her surface, she felt safe and secure in his arms. She felt warm, and comforted, and she felt loved. He didn't say anything, and once her crying came to a stop, neither did she. The pair of them just laid there in silence, taking comfort in one another and eventually falling asleep in one anothers' arms.

December 18 - Sleigh Ride

Valerie was just stepping out of the shower when Alexa stuck her head into the room. "Val, Brock's here!" she chimed. Valerie looked up, glaring at her friend and grabbing a towel. "Well, Brock can wait," she said. "I'm not even dressed yet." "I don't think he cares," Alexa replied. "Get out of here," Valerie replied, grabbing another towel and throwing it at the blonde. Alexa laughed, ducking back out and closing the door behind her. There was a week left until Christmas. Valerie was still pretty shaken up after the news of her grandmother's passing yesterday, but as she'd told Brock that morning when they'd woken up together, she didn't want to let it dampen her Christmas spirit. If anything, she was more determined to enjoy the holidays because she knew that's what her grandmother would have wanted. She scrambled to get dressed, and when she stepped out into the main dressing room, she saw Brock standing with Alexa and Nia. "Are you even allowed in here? This is a ladies room," Valerie said. "We don't mind," Nia said quickly, grinning her way. "It's a good thing I didn't come in here to change, geez," Valerie said, shaking her head as she walked over to them. Brock greeted her with a quick kiss on the cheek and she could see her two friends getting all giddy at the sight. "You don't have any plans for tonight, do you?" Brock asked. "Aside from sleeping? No," Valerie replied. "It was kind of a rough match, and then I had to take the pin, so my pride's a little bruised." "Yeah, I saw," he said. "Your shoulder's alright, though?" "Yeah, the doctor said it was just bumped and it'd be sore, but that's all," she replied. "With how things have been going over the last two years, I'm honestly relieved." "Yeah," he agreed with a nod. "Well, before you go back to the hotel to sleep, would you be willing to go somewhere with me?" "That depends," Valerie replied with a quirked eyebrow, "on where that somewhere is." Less than half an hour later, Brock was pulling his car over to the side of the road. He'd driven her to the arena, so her car was already at the hotel, but this was nowhere near either the hotel or the arena. In fact, she wasn't quite sure what it was near - there was a park, but that was all she could see. "Where are we?" she asked as he got out of the car. He came around to open her door for her, and she curiously stepped out, looking around. "It'll just be another minute or so, I hope," Brock said. As he said it, as if on queue, there came a sight from around the corner: two horses trotting along, pulling behind them a sleigh covered in Christmas lights. Valerie's eyes went wide. "Is that what we're here for?" she asked, turning to Brock excitedly. He grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him slightly. "Yeah, it is," he replied. "I know you're tired, so it doesn't have to be a long ride, but I just-" "Brock, it's perfect," Valerie said, grabbing his hands and gazing up at him. "I love horse-drawn carriages. Thank you." "I thought you hated horses, though," he said, smirking. "First off, you can enjoy carriages without having to enjoy the horses themselves, and second, I don't remember ever even telling you that," she said, raising an eyebrow. Before he could divulge to her his sources, though, the sleigh had slowed to a stop in front of them and the driver was greeting them. Brock took Valerie by the hand and helped her to climb up into the carriage. He got in beside her, sitting down and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, smiling up at him as the driver got started. The horses flicked their tails before they started to lightly trot along. "It's so beautiful," Valerie said softly. The streetlights and Christmas lights were glittering against the thick blanket of snow that covered the city, and though the sky was cloudless, the new moon was barely visible in the dark. "Just like you," Brock replied, giving her shoulders a slight squeeze. One of the horses let out a whinny as they trotted along, and she quietly nestled herself comfortably against him. This was one of those moments that you sit back and enjoy, one of those moments that you remember forever.

December 19 - Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Valerie didn't have a show tonight, but she also didn't have enough free time to head home and see her family. They'd said that they were going to hold off on the funeral for her grandmother until some time after Christmas and New Year's, and Valerie was planning on talking to someone at work about getting permission to take a day off - probably a Saturday - to go to the funeral. Not today, though. She wasn't going anywhere today. She'd been planning on going shopping, wanting to buy something nice for Brock, but one glance at her weather app had told her all she needed to know: It was negative 29 degrees outside, but it felt like negative 33 and she was not leaving this hotel room. A knock sounded at her door. Valerie, still in her pyjamas, raised an eyebrow as she went to answer it. Peering out the peephole, she saw Brock, fully dressed and wearing his coat. Why was he wearing his coat? "Morning, Val," he said as she opened the door. "I wasn't sure if you'd be awake - I was wondering if you wanted to go and get some breakfast? I know a great place-" "Brock," Valerie said, staring up at him. "Yes?" "I'm not going anywhere today." "Don't be silly, Val, this place is great." "Baby, it's cold outside," Valerie replied, not even realizing what she'd said until after the words had left her mouth. "But they make these croissants with chocolate in them, you'd-" Brock started, apparently also not realizing what she'd said. "Baby, it's cold outside," Valerie said again, intentionally this time, stifling a giggle as she said it. "It's really not that cold, and it's-" Brock suddenly stopped, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't there a song that goes like this?" "Yeah," Valerie said, bursting out in laughter. "I didn't mean it though, I swear. I'm just really, really not interested in going anywhere today. Did you even look at the weather app?" "I don't have a weather app," he replied. "If you're not going to come outside, then at least let me come inside." "That's fair," Valerie said, stepping aside so he could enter. He began to take his coat off as she shut the door behind him, and then he turned towards her. "Hey, that song you accidentally referenced?" he asked, and she raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" she asked. "Remind me again how it ends?" he asked, a smirk on his lips. "She stays for the night and they - oh." She paused, frowning, and then smacked his arm. "You're terrible." "I'm just saying, if we can't go outside because it's too cold then we might as well stay inside and keep warm," he said with a shrug. "I mean, unless you don't want to, of course. We haven't been dating long, I know, so if you're not ready for that yet then-" "Brock," Valerie said softly, stepping closer to him and gently placing her hands on his chest. "Yes?" "I'd love to."

December 20 - Family Dinner

"What do you mean, tonight's show was canceled?" Cancelling shows was almost unheard of within the WWE. Even when ticket sales were abnormally low, they generally still went on with the show for the sake of the few who had bought tickets. Valerie frowned as she heard Brock's words while he spoke on the phone. "I see," Brock said. "That's fair, I guess. Weren't we supposed to have Friday's show there too, though?" Again, silence. Valerie desperately wanted to know what was going on, but he wasn't saying anything yet. "So we've got tonight, tomorrow, and Friday off?" asked Brock. "No, no, I'm not complaining! Just surprised is all. Thanks for letting us know. Oh, and don't worry about calling Valerie, she's here with me, I'll let her know myself. Okay, awesome. Thanks for calling. See you Saturday." "Why's the show canceled?" Valerie asked the instant he'd hung up the phone. "Snowstorm last night did some damage to the arena," Brock replied. "They're not fully operational and can't have us." "That's awesome!" Valerie said, grinning. "What should we do instead?" "Let me make some phone calls and then I'll have a plan," he said, grinning. Brock left for about an hour. In the meantime, Valerie opened up her laptop to Skype with her brother. He was still with their parents, and apparently that night was going to be their big family dinner. "It won't be the same without grandma," her brother said to her, "but our uncle's coming, and our cousins, and we haven't seen them in ages." "Aren't they normally in Cuba this time of year?" Valerie asked. "Normally, but they canceled their trip since grandma passed away," her brother replied. "I really wish I could come," Valerie said. "We've got a few days off, but Brock seems to have an idea what to do." "That's fine," her brother said with a shrug. "You guys are in a new relationship. You should go do something fun together anyways." She'd already hung up with her brother by the time Brock returned, and he was grinning. "Pack up, we've got to be at the airport in two hours," he told her. So, she did as he asked, and every time she asked him where they were going, he refused to say. "Oh, and don't look at your boarding pass, or at the screen by our gate," he added. Once on the airplane, he put headphones on her so that she wouldn't be able to hear the pilot say where they were going and he recommended that she take a short nap. "You're putting a lot of effort into keeping this a secret," she said, but did as he asked. Upon landing, he even asked her to look at the ground as they went through the airport. She'd recognize the airport, he told her, and he didn't want that. So, without even so much as looking up, they went through baggage claim, got their suitcases, and he loaded her and their luggage into a cab. "I think I'm going to go crazy keeping my eyes shut," she told Brock, so he got a scarf out of her suitcase and wrapped it around her head as a blindfold. "I'm keeping this a surprise no matter what," he told her as he climbed into the back seat with her. He handed the driver the address on a piece of paper, apparently not wanting to say aloud where they were going, and then off they went. It wasn't until they reached their destination that Valerie was finally allowed to look. Gently, Brock untied the scarf blindfold from around her head and a surprised gasp left her lips when she saw where they were. "We're at my parents' house!" she exclaimed, turning towards him excitedly. "I talked to your dad and he invited us to dinner," he said. "I hope you don't mind that I'm meeting your family without you really having a say, but they really seemed to want us here." "I don't mind at all," Valerie said, leaning up and planting a quick kiss on his lips. "But wait, now you're going to see my childhood room!" "Nah, your parents said they had a fold-out couch bed in the basement that we could use," Brock replied with a grin. "Why are you looking at me like that, babe? I remember thing!" They got out of the cab and got their suitcases, and while Brock paid the driver, Valerie started up towards the front door. She hadn't even reached it yet by the time her parents opened it, eagerly grinning as they saw Valerie with Brock a few feet behind her. "You made it!" Valerie's mother exclaimed. "We did!" Valerie replied, setting her suitcase down on the shoveled walkway to hug her parents. "You must be Brock," Valerie's father said as the tall blond man came up behind her. "I sure am," Brock replied as he shook her father's hand. "It's good to meet you." "Good to meet you too," her father replied. "We've heard a lot about you." "All good, I'm sure," Brock said with a grin. "Come inside, come inside!" Valerie's mother exclaimed. "You two must be exhausted, you made it here in record time I'd say!" They headed inside, and once they'd deposited their suitcases in the basement, Brock was treated to a tour of the house - minus Valerie's bedroom, of course, since she insisted on keeping her stuffed animal collection a secret for the time being - and then they all sat in the living room. Valerie's dad was very curious to hear about Brock, and asked him a lot of questions. Valerie was excited when her uncle and his three children arrived. He was a widower, as her aunt had died a few years ago, but he was coping well and doing a great job at being a single father. They didn't see him often, since he was quite well-off compared to the rest of the family and he spent a lot of time traveling both for work and for leisure, so it was nice to see them for once. When dinner was finally served, the table was packed. At the head of the table sat Valerie's father, and her mother sat across from him at the other end of the table. To her father's left sat Valerie's brother, and then Valerie, and then Brock, and on the other side of the table, to her father's right, sat her uncle and then his three children. "It's a shame grandma can't be with us tonight," said Valerie's uncle when her mother stood up to go and get the turkey from the oven. "I'm sure she's with us in spirit, though, and she knows how loved she was." "I'm certain you're right," Valerie's father agreed, smiling at his brother. Valerie also missed her grandma, but as Brock squeezed her hand, she knew that everything was okay. For the first time in years, the whole family was together for a nice holiday dinner, and to top it all off, Valerie finally had a worthwhile guest to bring with her. If that wasn't magic, then she didn't know what was.

December 21 - Serenity

After all the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks, Valerie was at peace. After the chaos of the previous night's dinner, after the scrambling to get home in time and all the clatter of dishes and knives and food being passed around, after all the random conversations and catching up and side-conversations, everything was silent. It was early in the morning, and everything in the house was quiet. Outside, through the small basement window, Valerie could see big, puffy white snowflakes falling from the sky. A dim pinkish tone was beginning to cross the dark sky as the sun began its morning ascent. Beside her on the sofa bed, Brock was sound asleep. He wasn't even snoring. She was relieved - she'd expected him to be the type to snore. Her uncle and his kids had stayed for some board games after dinner, but then they'd left. Her parents had retired to their room next, and then Valerie's brother had retreated into his own room. For a while, though, she'd still been able to hear him - he was playing video games, and though he tried to keep his voice down out of respect for their parents, she could hear him talking to his friends as he played. He'd stopped, though. He'd stopped, and eventually, Valerie had fallen asleep. She was awake now, though. Wide awake, though she wasn't bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as she usually was. This morning, all she felt was calmness - a peaceful serenity that she hadn't felt in a long time. She nestled herself comfortably up against the sleeping Brock, her blue eyes focused on the snow falling outside. It looked so beautiful. The sun was rising now, and beams were beginning to peek into the basement, but Valerie didn't mind. If anything, she liked it - Brock looked magnificent, sound asleep and bathed in sunlight. She thought that the sun might wake her up more, but it didn't. If anything, the sun gleaming off the newly-fallen snow added to the peaceful feeling she was experiencing. For the first time in a long time, she was calm. There was nowhere to be, nothing to do, no one to meet. She didn't have a flight to catch by noon, she didn't have an arena to reach by five, and she didn't have a match to plan by eight. She had no bags to pack or unpack, no hotels to check out of by a certain time, and no obligations. She was peaceful. She was calm. She was serene. She was free.

December 22 - White

It had snowed all day Thursday, and by the time Friday came around, it looked like a winter wonderland outside. A heavy blanket of crisp white snow covered the ground. Valerie's parents' car was absolutely buried, and they'd spent a good ten minutes that morning trying to clear it off. It was a relief to Valerie that she didn't have to go anywhere today since their show had been canceled. "Hey, Val?" came a voice. Valerie glanced up, smiling at her brother as he poked his head into the basement room. "Yeah?" she asked softly. Brock was still asleep. "I was wondering if you wanted to come tobogganing?" her brother asked, and Valerie's face lit up. "I'd love to!" she said, jumping to her feet. She paused, glancing back at Brock. "Should I wake him up?" "Nah, just leave a note," her brother said with a grin. "I was hoping we could have, you know, some quality sibling time." "That's fair," Valerie said, grinning. "Let me just get ready and I'll be upstairs soon." She got ready in record time, and even managed to find a pair of snowpants in a downstairs closet that fit her. They were probably her mother's, but she didn't care. She needed snowpants for tobogganing. Her brother drove, and before long, they were at the hill they'd always used for tobogganing as children. "Hmm," Valerie mused as they walked towards the hill, pulling their toboggan along behind them. "It looks a lot smaller than it did when we were kids." "Being adults sucks," her brother agreed. "Will we even both fit on this toboggan?" "We really didn't think this through," Valerie laughed. The sunlight gleaming off the hill was almost blinding. There were a few kids tobogganing already, but not enough to make it terribly unpleasant. "Maybe we'll have to take turns." Valerie waited at the bottom of the hill while her brother pulled the toboggan up to the top. She watched as he sat down on it, used his feet to pull himself to the hill, and then put his feet in front of him once he started moving. She could hear him whooping and hollering as he slid down the hill, and he slowed to a stop right in front of her, laughing. "That was more fun than I remember!" he said. "Let me try, then!" Valerie said. She took the toboggan from him and trudged up through the snow to the top of the hill. It was exhausting - less so than she remembered, though, since she was in better shape now than she'd ever been as a kid - but she knew that it was going to be a lot of fun. She pulled the toboggan up close to the top of the hill, sat down, and then shuffled herself forwards with her feet. Once she started to slide, she moved her feet in front of her, but her foot got caught in the snow. Suddenly, the toboggan was sliding downwards on an angle. She let out a surprised cry and she could see her brother keeled over laughing at the bottom of the hill. She slid just over halfway down before the toboggan lost control completely, flipping over and sending her face first into a pile of snow. "Val!" her brother's voice called as she pulled herself up. "Oh my god, that was awesome. Are you okay?" "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Can't say the same about my pride, though." "Maybe you're right, maybe we didn't plan this out very well," her brother said. "I don't care," Valerie said. She stood up, brushing the dusting of white snow off her coat. "I wanna go again."

December 23 - Winter Wonderland

"Bronner's Christmas Wonderland?" Valerie asked curiously, gazing up at the massive building in front of them. With an early flight and time to kill before they had to be at the arena, Brock had seemed quite eager to drive her a few towns over to check this place out. "It's supposed to be the biggest Christmas store in the world," Brock replied. He pulled her inside by the hand, and suddenly, both of them were like kids in a candy store - except they were adults in a Christmas store, which might have been worse since they actually had money to spend. Valerie couldn't quite tell where the merchandise ended and the store's decorations began. It was like a giant ocean of Christmas. "I feel like we're in Santa's workshop," Valerie said, looking up at Brock. "Same," he agreed with a nod as they walked through. The store had all sorts of items, ranging from decorations to gifts and toys for kids. There was an entire section of the store just dedicated to ornaments, and a line of booths where employees sat and wrote custom names, words, and dates on the ornaments at the behest of the customers. "They basically have anything you could ever want," Valerie said softly as they walked into what seemed to be an entire indoor forest of Christmas trees. "I don't even know what I want to buy." "Do you have any last-minute gifts that you need to get?" Brock asked. "You're the only person I haven't bought a gift for, and I can't buy you something while you're right here," Valerie said, looking up at him. "Besides, I don't even know what to get you." "You don't have to get me anything," Brock replied, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up to him. "Just saying yes when I asked you out was enough of a Christmas gift for me." "Are you sure?" Valerie asked. "Positive," Brock replied. He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, and then took a step back. "Now, we're gonna have a competition to see who can find the weirdest thing in the store." "Oh my god, you're so on!" Valerie laughed. "I'm the Queen of weird!" "We'll see about that," Brock said with a grin. "Go find something weird and we'll meet back here. On your mark...get set...go!"

December 24 - The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house... "Except that this is a hotel," Valerie said. She pulled the blanket up a little closer around her, snuggling herself further into Brock. "Fine. All through the hotel," he replied, and then kissed the top of her head. "Happy?" "Yes." Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. "Do you think the hotel has mice?" Valerie asked, looking curiously up at Brock. "No, I don't," he replied. "That's why it says they weren't stirring. There were none." "Ohh," Valerie said, nodding. "That makes sense." The stockings were hung by the chimney with care... "I didn't even get us stockings!" Valerie said, her eyes widening. "That's what I should have bought yesterday!" "It's fine," Brock said, smiling down at her. "We don't need stockings." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Okay," Valerie said, nodding. In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. "Except that he's not coming here," Valerie said with a giggle. "Because we're adults." "We're too old for Santa," Brock agreed with a nod. "Do you even want me to read this?" "Of course I do!" Valerie said. "You've interrupted basically every line so far," Brock replied. Valerie paused, thinking for a moment. "Hmm," she said finally. "You're right." "Why don't we just unwrap our presents and then head to bed?" Brock asked. Valerie's mother had sent two suspiciously pyjama-shaped boxes home with them after their last visit. The boxes were labeled as Christmas Eve, meaning they were to be opened tonight rather than tomorrow morning. "We could do that," Valerie said with a nod. "Go get them." "I can't," he said. "You're halfway in my lap. Move your legs or go get them yourself." "Fine, fine," Valerie said, giggling as she stood up. The blanket fell off of her and she began to walk towards the closet, opening up the door. "Where did you put them?" "Top shelf." "Babe, I can't even reach the top shelf," Valerie said, folding her arms over her chest and turning to face him. Brock laughed as he stood up. "Fine, I'll come and get them," he said, walking over. He pulled down the plastic shopping bag with the presents in it, and then he took them both out. One had his name on it, and the other had hers. He'd thought it quite generous of her parents to give him a present even though they hardly knew him. The presents were wrapped in a red wrapping paper that had shimmery golden snowflakes all over it, and they were accented with curled golden ribbon. The tags even matched, as they were red and gold, but the pair took barely a second to admire Valerie's mother's wrapping job before they tore into them. Beneath the paper they found a pair of boxes. Valerie's mother always boxed clothing so it'd be easier to wrap, and she reused her boxes like crazy. Valerie's gift was in a rather beaten-up green box with an old-fashioned Santa on it, and Brock's was in a much newer blue and white box with a cartoon snowman on the front. They opened the boxes, pulled aside the tissue, and revealed the gifts. Brock's pyjamas consisted of a pair of black and red plaid bottoms with a red t-shirt style top. The top was designed to look like a Santa costume, complete with a beard beneath where his face was. He chuckled, tugging off his t-shirt and beginning to pull on the Santa shirt instead. Valerie's pyjamas, meanwhile, were absolutely adorable. The bottoms were baggy and capri-length, and they were red with straight lines of little white Christmas trees. The top was a tank top style, and it was solid white with red trim around the neckline and arms. A gingerbread man with hearts as buttons was on the front of the shirt, and she giggled as she saw it. The pair took a second to get dressed. Valerie was quite impressed with how well Brock's pyjamas fit him, considering how her mother had met him only once and had retrieved his size from Valerie, who'd had to sneak into his suitcase while he was asleep to find out what size pyjama pants he wore. Her own pyjamas fit well, of course, because she and her mother went shopping together frequently and so her mother knew her size. She was pretty sure she'd commented on this exact set of pyjamas once when they'd been shopping, back when the Christmas season had first begun in November and the first Christmas merchandise was popping up in stores. "These are great," Brock said, facing Valerie. "You look like Santa," she said with a laugh. "Oh! We should turn on the tree." "Sure," Brock said with a nod. She may not have bought stockings, but Valerie had bought a miniature Christmas tree at the store yesterday that she figured would travel well. It was pre-lit and decorated, too, which meant that she could take it out of her suitcase already set to go. She'd set it up on the table by the window, but they had yet to turn it on. She walked over, finding the plug and guiding it to the nearest outlet. As she plugged it in, Brock turned off the lights in the hotel room so that the tree would be their only light. Valerie all be squealed in delight, clapping her hands togeether as Brock came up behind her. "I love it!" she said, and Brock wound his arms around his waist, hugging her against him. "And I love you," he said in a soft voice. "You - wait....what?" Valerie asked, turning around to face him. It was hard to see his face in the dark, but the soft golden glow of the tree illuminated him just enough that she could see his smile. "I said, I love you," he murmured, gazing down at her. There was a moment of silence, and then a smile began to spread across her face. "Brock," she whispered, lifting a hand and laying it down gently on his cheek. "I love you, too." "Really?" he asked softly. "Yes," she said, grinning. "Yes, I do." Brock hugged her tightly for a moment, and then pulled her towards the bed. "Come on, let's get to sleep," he said gently. "The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner Christmas will come." "The sooner Christmas comes, the sooner we have to go back to work," Valerie replied. "Let's stay up a little while longer - but let's cuddle." "Sure," Brock replied. He laid down with her, pulling her close in his arms and closing his eyes. He said he would stay awake, but it was only a matter of minutes before he was sound asleep, and she didn't last much longer than he did. But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight: Merry Christmas to all! And to all, a good night.

December 25 - An Unexpected Gift

"Brock!" Valerie exclaimed when she saw the small pile of presents on the table beside their miniature tree. "I thought we agreed that we weren't getting one another presents!" "We agreed that you didn't have to get me any presents," Brock said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her up against his towel-clad form. "You are a gift. But me? I'm an overrated old part-timer who isn't even divorced yet. I have to make sure you stay invested in this relationship." "Don't even say that!" Valerie said, gently smacking his arm. "Go get dressed so I can open my presents and then cry about not getting you any presents." "If you cry, it won't be because you didn't get me anything," he said with a chuckle. "It'll be because of my presents." Once he was dressed, he sat her down on the bed and brought the presents to her one by one. For the most part, he'd gotten her simple things that she didn't need - things that would be easy to get rid of if they ever broke up, she noticed. He bought her a lavender-scented candle (which was her favourite), a cute new hat with a big pink pompom on top, a blank notebook with purple swirls all over the cover, and a snowglobe with two hugging snowmen inside of it. He brought her a smaller box, and when she opened it, she was surprised to see a pair of beautiful amethyst earrings inside. "Brock!" she exclaimed, scrambling to put them in her ears. "These are beautiful! Thank you!" "I'm glad you like them," he said, grabbing the last present, which was suspiciously clothing-shaped just like their gifts from last night. "That's not the main present, though." "They're not?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise as he held out the last gift. "I thought they'd be like, the main event gift." "This is," Brock replied. Nervously, Valerie took the last present from him. She turned it over in her hands a few times before beginning to open it. "My main present is clothes?" she asked as she revealed a box much like the ones from last night - red with a Rudolph on it - that he'd almost definitely borrowed from her mother when they'd gone to visit. "Just open it," Brock said, sitting down on the bed beside her. Valerie opened the box, pulling back the tissue paper to reveal the gift. It was a t-shirt, black and licensed with the WWE Shop logo to show that it was official merchandise. It had a design on the front done up in a light lavender and soft teal colour scheme, and it featured her ring name. On the back was her catchphrase. "It's a t-shirt? For me?" Valerie asked, her eyes widening. "You wear it to the ring tonight and then they're gonna debut it in the shop," Brock said. "How did you ever convince them to make merch for me?" she asked, turning towards him with wide eyes. "I didn't," Brock replied. "I mean, I was going to - that was the plan, I was gonna ask them to make a shirt for you, but they already had one in the works. They were planning on running it by you last week, but I asked them not to. They gave me permission to give it to you as a gift this morning." Valerie immediately felt tears filling her blue eyes. "Brock, that's amazing!" she said softly. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" "Make sure you thank them when we get to work tonight," Brock said with a smile. "They made a great design for you." "They really did! It's beautiful!" Valerie replied. "Oh, and that's not all," Brock added, a sly glint in his eyes. "They also directed me towards creative, who gave me permission to be the first to tell you that they're giving you a push when the New Year starts." "They're giving me a push?" Valerie asked, her eyes widening. "Yeah," he replied, nodding. "You're over as hell with the fans, and you're so talented, so they want to give you a title run. They're not sure about the specifics yet, but they want you to come in tonight to talk with them about it." "Oh, Brock!" Valerie exclaimed, all but throwing herself into his arms. "This is amazing!" "I hope your gifts were good enough to make up for the fact that you're stuck here instead of being with your family for Christmas," Brock said, holding her close in his arms and resting his face in her hair. "More than good enough," Valerie replied softly. "I can't believe that I've got my own t-shirt! And I'm going to be the women's champion at some point next year!" "I can believe it," Brock said with a grin. "You deserve it, Val. You're incredible." "Hold on to your championship long enough for us to be champions together, okay?" Valerie asked, grinning up at him. "That'd make for the cutest picture." Brock laughed as he heard her words. "I can do that for you if you agree to kiss me in the photo," he replied. This time, it was Valerie's turn to laugh. "Okay," she replied, grinning. "It's a deal, then." Their blue eyes locked together, they leaned up to one another and, gently, sealed their deal with a tender Christmas kiss.

[vprgirl1887]

Suplex City Bitch (2)

Pairing: Brock Lesnar X Reader

Word Count: 2,925

Contains: Smut! Smutty smut. Harsh language. Rough rough sex. Sequel to the original Suplex City Bitch requested by @bwkthecat, the reader is in a real-life relationship and a kayfabe stable with Brock Lesnar, and tonight she’s celebrating winning the Women’s Championship. Pretty sure I started writing this before the brand split, which is why the story says WWE Women’s Championship. This has been brewing for a while, posting today because it’s my birthday!

You could feel the dampness of sweat on your forehead, the heaviness of it in your hair. Your breathing was heavy and laboured, and there were tears in your eyes. You could feel an aching in one leg and there was a sharp pain in your elbow. None of it mattered, though, because in your hands you were clutching the WWE Women’s Championship.

As the defeated Bayley rolled out of the ring, Paul Heyman was standing on the sidelines clapping. He came out for all your matches now, even when Brock wasn’t around. You, in turn, always came out for Brock.

Now, though, as Bayley was slinking away backstage and your theme music blared, you spotted him. He came out from backstage, and your eyes went wide. You hadn’t even known that he was here tonight - he’d told you that he was at home, but he’d wished you luck. As your eyes met, a grin came to his lips, and then to yours.

He began to jog down the ramp, sliding into the ring and rushing to scoop you up in his arms. You laughed as he grabbed you, lifting you up and beginning to spin you around. You clung to the belt with one arm, the other arm wrapping around his neck. As he set you down, your lips came together in a deep, passionate kiss. You almost didn’t notice the booing of the crowd, almost didn’t notice the way they jeered and glared as Brock drew back and lifted your hand up into the air. You’d never expected that the fans would be booing you when you finally won the title, but that heel turn had helped you and Brock to come together, so you didn’t really care what they thought.

He led you out of the ring, and the two of you met up with Heyman by the ramp. Gripping Brock’s hand in yours, the three of you made your way up the ramp. You paused once you were on the stage, turning around and throwing the belt up into the air again for all the fans to see. You knew that they were torn - you were a talented wrestler and from all that you saw on the internet, they respected you for that. They hadn’t liked the heel turn though, and that was fine - you weren’t supposed to like heels anyways.

Once backstage, you were ushered away to put new sideplates on the title. Brock came with you, holding your hand all the way there. It was everything you could do to contain your excitement as you saw them beginning to remove Sasha’s plates. There was a camera on you, watching your reaction, but you didn’t mind as you nestled yourself comfortably up against Brock’s chest.

“I didn’t think you were coming tonight, you said you were at home,” you said to him softly, and he wrapped his arms around you.

“It’s not a surprise if you know I’m here,” he replied, and you giggled.

“That’s true,” you replied. The plates they’d made for you looked amazing - on one side they had the floral heart that you’d been using as a symbol since NXT, while on the other side, they’d put a variation of Brock’s symbol, the one that resembled his back tattoo - your version, though, had hearts and flowers interlaced with the lines, and it had been incorporated into a few pieces of your merchandise already.

By now, your real-life relationship with Brock was public knowledge. You’d post pictures together on your Snapchat and Instagram accounts, and you often tweeted about the time you spent together. He was unaccustomed to such frequent postings on social media, but he let you do as you wished, even if it drew more attention to his private life than he usually liked. You, in turn, tried to keep postings about him to a minimum, out of respect for his privacy.

All the way back to your hotel that night, you sang along to the radio at the top of your lungs. You were on top of the world, certain that nothing could bring you down. Monday Night Raw tomorrow was in town, so you had no planes to catch or trips to make - you got to stay in the hotel together and sleep in late when morning came. Life was great.

“I’m gonna take a bath, babe,” said Brock as the pair of you walked through the door of the hotel room.

“Braun wear you out?” you asked teasingly, grinning over at him.

“Lil’ bit,” he replied with a laugh. “I just don’t take well to losing, you know me.”

“It’s only two matches now that you’ve lost,” you replied, smiling. “They’ll write your wins back in again soon - I’m sure they’re going somewhere with this.”

“They’d better be,” Brock replied with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “I’ll leave the door unlocked in case you need anything - or, you know, if you want to join me,” he said with a smirk.

“I don’t think that tub is even big enough for you, let alone the both of us,” you said. You gave a slight wave of one hand. “Go, have your bath. I’m sure my laptop can entertain me better than you can, anyways.”

“Ouch,” he said, placing a hand over his heart. “That hurts.”

“Oh, get outta here,” you said, stepping out of your shoes and pulling the elastic from your hair. He ducked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and in a moment you heard the water of the tub start running.

You changed quickly into a pair of cute, comfortable pyjamas and then curled up on the bed with your laptop. You decided to start by scrolling through social media, seeing what people had to say about the show.

Most of the posts you saw were from your friends and coworkers, mostly commenting on the show and congratulating one another. There were lots of gorgeous pics from the other girls, and you went on a liking spree. Everyone had looked amazing tonight. Out of curiosity, you decided to do a search for yourself and see what came up.

The first result was a length, italicised post from someone who had been a fan of yours since NXT, talking about how hard you had worked to get here and how much you deserved the title - “finally”, they had said. You could feel your heart bursting at the seams, and a grin spread across your face. You had wonderful fans, that was for sure.

The rest of the posts, however, were not so kind.

“lmao she only got the title bc she’s dating brickhead. we all know how vince loves his favourites.....”

“good for her and all but isn’t she dating legohead lesnar? like out of kayfabe? she probably only won because her man shared his roids with her amirite?”

“FUCK YOU [Y/N] YOU DO NOT A DESERVE IT CHAMPIONSHIP IS SHOULD BE BAYLEY FOR IS SHE GOOD SO GOOD WITH CHILDREN AND A ROLE MODEL AS TO WELL AND YOU [Y/N] SET AWFUL EXAMPLE!! FOR THE CHILDREN!!! IS THIS NOT IS SUPPOSED TO BE PG? BUT THE CHAMPION IS INVOLVE ROMANTICALLY WITH BIGGEST DRUG USER WWE? FOR SHAME WWE”

It wasn’t long before you were sitting in front of the computer with your jaw on the ground and tears in your eyes. You didn’t search yourself often - you mostly just saw posts from your friends and coworkers, so you had never realised just how much people online seemed to hate you. Did they really hate you this much? 

You pushed the laptop away and hugged your knees to your chest, fighting back tears. You’d been a fan favourite the last time you’d searched yourself. That had been back in NXT, though, when you were a babyface - before Raw, before Paul and Brock had come along, before the championship...

“Babe?” asked Brock’s voice from the bathroom doorway. You glanced over, seeing him with a fluffy white towel wrapped around his waist. His chest was bare and glistening with moisture - he just looked so good...

“The people online hate me,” you said, sniffling. “They think I just won the title because we’re together, they’re talking about you using steroids and giving them to me so I’d win, they said I’m not setting a good example for kids watching, they think-”

Snap. Brock’s hand pushed your laptop shut loudly, cutting you off. You looked up at him, your eyes filled with tears.

“Fuck ‘em,” he said, gazing intensely at you. There were shadows in his usually bright blue eyes. “Fuck ‘em all. You worked your ass off for that title. You earned it. You deserve it. They’re all idiots if they can’t see that.”

You sniffled a bit, lifting a hand to wipe your tears away. “Are you sure?” you asked softly. “What if I don’t deserve it?”

He picked up your laptop, moving it to the desk and setting it down. “You do,” he said, turning around to face you. He dropped his towel, moving to sit on the bed beside you and wrapping his strong arms around you. You melted into his warm, damp body, able to smell that he had used your expensive French Lavender and Vanilla Bean bubble bath. You didn’t mind.

“I don’t want the fans to hate me,” you said softly.

“You have no control over that,” he replied, kissing the top of your head. “They will always find reasons to hate you. You have the support of so many people in the company, though. Everyone knows you’re talented, everything sees how driven you are and how hard you work - forget what the smarks think, we all know that you deserve it.”

You were quiet for a moment, closing your eyes and breathing in the...flowery...scent of him. “I love you,” you said in a soft voice. “You know that?”

“I do,” he said, again kissing the top of your head. “I like to hear it, though. I love you, too.”

“Good,” you replied. “Now, as your WWE Raw Women’s Champion, I hereby decree-”

“Decree? What is this, the middle ages?” he asked, laughing.

“I’m like a queen now, right?” you asked, smirking. “So I call the shots.”

“Alright, fine,” he replied. “So what does my Queen want? Because if you want me to go get you Jimmy John’s when I just finished having a bath, it’s not happening.”

“No, silly,” you said, giggling and smacking his arm. “That’s not even close.”

“Then what is it? Hmm?” he asked, and you gazed up into his eyes, smiling sweetly.

“I want you to make me forget about all those awful posts,” you murmured, letting your voice take on a seductive tone. “And I want you to remind me why I’m dating the most wonderful man in the world.”

Immediately, a smirk came to his lips and he eyed you closely. His arm tightened its grip around your waist and he leaned down, seizing your lips with his. He kissed you deeply, and you melted into his kiss, eagerly moving your lips with his. Carefully, he pushed you down on your back, and you let him. Within mere moments, he was on top of you with one leg between yours, all the while managing to never break the kiss.

His hand found its way into the loose-fitting tank top of your pyjamas, coming to gently grasp one of your breasts. He gave it a light squeeze and then ran his thumb over the nipple, sending a jolt of pleasure through you. He broke the kiss, shifting to instead kiss your neck. His tongue would occasionally flick out, dancing over your skin and filling you with delight.

His free hand wandered down to the hem of your pyjama pants, roughly pushing inside and almost immediately beginning to explore your soft, sensitive folds. “How wet is this pussy gonna be for me, baby girl?” he murmured in a low, hoarse voice.

“Mm - very wet,” you mumbled in response, unable to entirely think straight. He was ambushing all of your senses at once, with one hand toying at your nipple, one playing between your legs, and his lips and tongue assaulting your neck.

He began to push one large finger inside of you, and you let out a soft moan. You opened your eyes when his lips backed away from your neck, and you saw him looking down at you with a smirk on his face. “Do you like that?” he asked, beginning to slowly push his finger in and out of you.

“Of course I do,” you mumbled, lifting one hand to lay it gently on his cheek.

“You’re not just saying that because you love me, are you?” he asked, and you laughed softly.

“No, of course not,” you said. “It’s because I love you that I’d tell you if you sucked at sex.”

He chuckled, pulling his finger out of you. You whimpered as his hand removed itself from your pants, and his other hand from your shirt. Again, he let out a soft laugh before pulling you up into a sitting position with him from your spot lying down on the bed. He turned so that you were in his lap, his arms firm around your waist. One of the fun things about Brock was that you never had to be afraid of him dropping you.

With you in his lap straddling him, he brought his lips forcefully down on yours, ensnaring them in a deep, passionate kiss. You let your hands gently run up and down his bare chest. His skin was hot to the touch from the bath, and you were certain you could just melt into him given the chance. His tongue pushed past your lips, exploring your mouth roughly. You let your tongue playfully brush against his, not quite fighting for dominance, but definitely pushing against him.

His grip on your waist tightened, and he stood up. Instinctively, you wound your legs around him firmly, and he walked to the wall with you. He pinned you up between his body and the wall, kissing you roughly and letting one hand wander downwards to cup your ass. He gave it a firm squeeze, causing you to whimper gently against his lips, and then he pulled his hand back and gently slapped your ass. Again, you whimpered, and you heard him involuntarily groan slightly at the sound you made.

He pulled away from the wall, still carrying you in those strong arms of his, and moved over to the bed. He laid you down on your back, beginning to tug your pyjama pants down your legs. You watched him longingly, admiring every little detail of the man who stood over you. You could see the raw, animalistic need in his eyes, his breathing heavy with lust, every movement of the muscles in his arm as he tossed the pants aside. 

He grabbed the bottom of your shirt and you lifted your arms. As he slid the shirt up your body, he moved on to the bed, above you. His hands came to rest on either side of your head once he’d thrown the shirt aside, gazing intensely down at you.

“Are you ready?” he murmured.

“I’m always ready,” you replied softly, and he smirked.

“Good,” he replied, “because champions get special treatment.” With no further explanation he reached down, sliding a hand under your hips as he positioned himself at your entrance. You bit your lip in anticipation, and after a moment of teasing hesitation, he thrust inside. He wasted no time, letting his cock push deep inside of you on the first thrust, and you let out a soft cry. He gazed down at you, concerned.

“Keep going,” you mumbled, and that was all he needed.

He began to thrust roughly in and out, relentless as he slammed his hips into yours. His hands caught your wrists, pulling them up above your head and pinning them against the bed. You moaned in ecstasy, feeling his hard dick stretching you out, filling you with each thrust. He was rougher and more forceful than usual. If you’d known it would be like this once you brought home the title, you’d have pushed to get it sooner.

Using only one large hand to hold your wrists down, Brock’s free hand entangled itself in your hair, his lips coming down and kissing you forcefully again. You kissed back as eagerly as you could, though your control over your body was fading as he filled you with waves of pleasure. You were shaking beneath him, already able to feel a climax coming on. You rarely orgasmed just from getting fucked, so the sensation that was overcoming you was a welcome surprise.

You squirmed and moaned desperately beneath him, feeling the climax sweeping through you. He didn’t stop, and there was a grin on his lips. He was proud of himself for making you feel so good. As the feeling faded, he slowed to a stop, clearly able to tell that you needed a moment to recover from the force of it. He hadn’t come too, though, had he?

“B-Brock,” you mumbled breathlessly, opening closed eyes to gaze up at him. He was resting on his knees between your legs, watching you closely. “Did you-”

“Finish? No,” he replied, smirking. “I hope you weren’t planning on getting any sleep, because I’m ready to have you all night.”

[vprgirl1887]

Merry and Bright Advent Calendar (prompts 1-8)

Hey guys! As I’m sure very few or none of you know, I’m a member of a lovely website called IwakuRoleplay and they’re doing a really exciting advent calendar of writing prompts! (Click to see it!) I’ve decided to write my short stories as more of a series than a bunch of random one-shots, and they’ll be following the month of December as lived by OC Valerie (*shift eyes* not me....) and Brock Lesnar!

The stories are also on Iwaku’s prompt thread of course, because not posting them on there would basically be stealing their prompts lmao, but I’ll post each batch of them here too! So, without further ado: Advent Calendar prompts 1-8!

December 1 - It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Sunlight streamed in through the window of Valerie’s hotel room. She always left the curtains open to enjoy the moonlight’s soft embrace, and last night had been no different. This morning, though, was different. This morning started out normal: Valerie got out of bed, grabbed her fuzzy purple robe off the chair beside her bed, and bundled herself up. Her room was at a comfortable temperature despite the cold outside. As she walked to the window, though, she saw that the city below was looking quite different from how she’d left it. This morning, the city was covered with a blanket of snow. Valerie let out a delighted laugh, clapping her hands together. She loved the first snowfall of the year, and despite being on the road this year, she was determined to find a way to enjoy it anyways, even if she had to go out into the arena parking lot at midnight after their show to make a small army of snow angels. She hurried to get ready, eagerly singing Christmas songs throughout her shower and thinking about all the fun she was going to have in the snow. It had already been bitterly cold, so she'd packed for the Winter weather despite not realizing that the snow was on its way. She got dressed quickly, putting on jeans, winter boots, her heavy jacket, and a matched purple set containing mittens, a bulky scarf, and a toque with a large pompom on top. Grabbing her purse and her gym bag, she hurried out of the hotel room. Valerie was all but bouncing with excitement as she got into the elevator. It was a relief that she was alone, since she wasn't sure she was able to contain her joy. The doors were almost closed when an arm suddenly reached in, stopping the doors and causing them to slide open again. Valerie's blue eyes widened in surprise as one of her coworkers, Brock Lesnar, stepped into the elevator. He gave her a brief nod but said nothing, and Valerie bit her lip, glancing away. She'd always been attracted to Brock, even before she'd started working for WWE, so sharing an elevator with him filled her tummy with butterflies. The elevator headed downwards, filled with an uncomfortable silence. Brock was also carrying his gym bag, and he wore a camo coat with plain black gloves and a black hat. Twice, she glanced his way and was surprised when she met his piercing blue eyes, only to look quickly away each time. When the elevator reached the lobby and the doors opened, she hesitated, but he didn't move. "Go ahead," he said finally, the first words he'd spoken to her since entering the elevator. Part of her suspected they were the first words he'd ever spoken to her, though some other part of her was certain they'd talked at the arena before. "Oh, um - I - uhh, okay," she stammered shyly, feeling her cheeks going bright red before hurrying out of the elevator. She heard a faint chuckle behind her as he got out, but she didn't dare look back. She felt like a mess, and no way did she want him seeing her falling all over herself like this. When she reached the front door of the hotel, though, all her embarrassed butterflies went away, replaced by a new feeling: joy. The snow was laid thickly over the ground, and her heart all but skipped a beat when she saw it. She couldn't wait to go out and play.

December 2 - Merry Birthmas

"Birthmas?!?" Valerie giggled slightly as she heard the explosion coming from the next room over. She already knew exactly what was going on: the SHIELD was discussing their plans for Dean Ambrose's birthday. His birthday would fall on Thursday night, in less than a week, and they were disagreeing heavily on what to do. Roman Reigns was determined that they should do something special for Dean's brother, but Seth Rollins was insistent that they could just combine Christmas with Dean's birthday to make Birthmas. "I mean, it's not like he does anything special for our birthdays!" Seth was saying as the three of them wandered into the catering area, where Valerie was sitting with a couple of the other women wrestlers. "They're three days apart, but we only do one dinner in the middle!" "Combining birthdays isn't the same as combining Christmas with a birthday though, man," Roman said, shaking his head. "We've gotta do something for Dean's birthday. Besides, Christmas is two and a half weeks later - that's a way bigger difference than three days!" Quietly, not wanting to disturb their conversation or accidentally get dragged in, Valerie stood up and walked over to the buffet table with her plate. Brock Lesnar was standing there, and she felt her heart pounding as she came closer. She couldn't stop thinking about their interaction - however brief - in the elevator the previous day. She was almost there when the SHIELD boys suddenly turned their attention to her. "Val!" said Dean, and she turned around, startled. "Don't drag me into this!" she said, her blue eyes wide. "Come on, tiebreaker here," said Seth. "Do we do birthmas for Dean or nah?" Val sighed, setting her plate down on the table and putting her hands on her hips. "Seth, Dean's birthday isn't even anywhere near Christmas. If it was like Luke or Cesaro and it was close to Christmas, I'd totally understand doing birthmas. My dad's birthday is on the twenty-third and I'm pretty guilty of doing birthmas for him, but Christmas is more than half a month after Dean's birthday and he deserves an actual birthday dinner or laser tag or whatever it is you guys do." "See!" exclaimed Roman, turning to Seth. Seth groaned, but nodded. "Fine," he said. "But we'd better do laser tag." "I hadn't even thought about laser tag," Dean said as the trio began to walk away. Val sighed, shaking her head as she picked up her plate and returned her attention to the food. "I'm so glad my birthday is in July," came a low voice from beside her. Val glanced up and saw Brock peering down at her, an amused smile on his lips. "I'm glad Halloween's not as big a deal as Christmas," Val replied with a small, albeit nervous, smile. "Your birthday is on Halloween?" he asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. "No, no, but it's a week before," Val replied quickly, feeling a redness come across her cheeks again. Brock nodded slowly, not saying anything for a moment. "Huh..." he said finally, and then wandered off with his plate of food. Val quietly watched him go, frowning slightly, until her friends called her name to get her attention. She quickly grabbed some food and hurried back to her table. A few minutes after sitting down, she glanced across the room towards Brock and was startled when their eyes met. She held his gaze for a few long moments before, chickening out like she had the previous day in the elevator, she looked away.

December 3 - Green

Her arm looped through the arms of her besties Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax, Valerie was headed towards the seamsters' area to get her ring gear for her match that night. She rarely wore the same gear more than once or twice, so every show she had to go see the new stuff they had for her. Her favourite tailor was grinning from ear to ear when the trio approached. "Val!" he said, sounding excited. "I've got something really great for you tonight!" "Sure, let's see!" Valerie replied with a grin, letting go of her friends. The tailor turned around, picking up the garment bag off the table and unzipping it. The moment it was opened, though, Valerie's face fell. "What do you think?" Stylistically, it resembled most of her usual ring gears. All of her preferred elements were there, including the glitter, but there was just one detail that she wasn't too keen on. "Uhh...it's very green...?" "Exactly!" the tailor exclaimed, grinning. "I figured we'd get you in the Christmas spirit this month, so I've got some red and green designs planned for you!" "Um..." Valerie went quiet for a moment. She'd never been a huge fan of green. Red was something she could do for Christmas. Her usual ring gears were in shades of pink, purple, and blue. Green, though? Green just wasn't in her colour wheel. "Just go try it on," said Nia, putting a hand on Valerie's shoulder. "Try it on and then come back and we'll see what you think when you actually see it." "Fine, fine," Valerie replied, taking the outfit and hurrying off. It took Valerie a few minutes to muster up the courage to leave the dressing room, feeling quite uncomfortable when she saw herself, in the green gear, reflected in the mirror. She really didn't like the colour, though Alexa and Nia both clapped as she came out. "Girl! You look great!" Nia said. "That colour makes your eyes pop!" said Alexa, and Valerie frowned, looking down at herself. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Yes!" Nia said. "We promise. We wouldn't lie to you!" Valerie looked up, and her blue eyes suddenly went wide as she saw Brock Lesnar rounding the corner with his manager, Paul Heyman. She all but froze, and her friends both slowly turned to see what she was looking at. Smirks began to spread across their lips. "Please don't," Valerie hissed. "Brock! Paul! Mind settling a debate for us?" asked Alexa. The men exchanged a curious look and then wandered over. "What seems to be the trouble?" Paul asked, eyeing the three women curiously. "Does Valerie's ring gear for tonight look good?" Alexa asked, grabbing Valerie and all but shoving her forwards. She could feel her face going beet red, and she smiled awkwardly up at Brock. "Of course it does," Paul replied. "Brock?" asked Nia, looking towards the other man. Brock nodded, his eyes locked on Valerie. "Yeah, it looks really good," he said. Before anyone else could say anything, though, a crew member came hurrying up and all but grabbed Valerie's arm. As he approached, Brock and Paul walked off. "Val, come on, you're up next," he said. Valerie looked at her friends, a wide grin on her face. "I love this gear," she whispered before hurrying off with the crew member. There was a slight skip in her step. Nia and Alexa smirked as they watched her go, folding their arms over their chests. "So...are we going to remind her that Lesnar's red-green colourblind..?" asked Nia in a low voice. "No. No, we're not," Alexa replied firmly.

December 4 - Wrapped With A Bow

"No! Crap! Come back!" Valerie darted through the open hotel room door and rushed into the hallway, panic filling her as she chased the squealing miniature pig down the hall. How was she supposed to know that Larry-Steve would object to having a little red bow wrapped around his neck? She'd thought that Alexa would think it was adorable when she came to pick him up and saw him dressed like a cute little Christmas present. Now, though, he was loose in the hotel hallway. The little pig was running straight for the elevator, and images filled Valerie's head of the little guy falling through the crack between the elevator and the floor. Was the crack big enough for him to fall through? She didn't want to find out. She ran as fast as she could to catch him. The elevator doors opened, and for a second, she felt her heart stop. The pig jumped over the crack and into the elevator, where he was scooped up by the gloved hand of Brock Lesnar. Valerie stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him, her mouth falling open slightly. He stepped out of the elevator, taking a few steps towards her. "You look like you lost something," he said, holding out the miniature pig towards her. "You just saved my life," Valerie breathed, reaching out and gently taking the pig from him. "Alexa would kill me if I lost her pig." "I guess I was in the right place at the right time, then," Brock replied. He gave her a small grin. "I like the bow, by the way. It's a nice touch." "Oh! I - um - thanks!" Valerie stammered, feeling a rush of warmth come flooding through her cheeks. Brock smiled down at her before beginning to walk off in the direction of his room. She quietly watched him go, and then she looked down at little Larry-Steve. "Alexa put you up to this, didn't she?" Valerie hissed before beginning towards her own hotel room.

December 5 - Frost

Valerie groaned as she looked at her car. Every inch of it, from the windshield to the headlights, was covered in a particularly thick layer of frost. It looked beautiful, of course, but she had places to be and it was going to take forever to clear the frost off enough to actually be able to see. She climbed into the front seat and started the car up, turning the hot air on and blasting the blowers. Then, getting out and closing the front door behind her, she started in on the front window. She had never liked the sound of scrapers against the window, but it was a necessary evil. She started at the bottom, slowly working her way up. By the time she was close to the top of the window, she was up on her tip-toes and her strokes had become much narrower. The space in front of her seat was mostly clear, though, and she was satisfied enough to walk around to the other side to clear that off. When she'd finished with the front windshield, though, a large triangle of frost still remained in the upper middle where she couldn't reach. She eyed it closely for a moment, and then decided to do the rest of the windows and the lights before worrying about it. If the blowers heated up fast enough, she'd be able to get rid of that frost with the help of the windshield wipers. She did a loop of the car, scraping the thick frost from the side and back windows, and then from the headlights. She opened the front door and ran the wipers once, but they did absolutely nothing to help with the annoying triangle of frost at the top of her window. She groaned again, closing the door and debating how best to deal with it. She wrapped her hands around the brush end of the scraper and then reached out to the triangle with it. The scraper could reach like this, but she didn't have enough control over it. Without control, she couldn't apply the pressure needed to actually scrape the frost away. The edges of the scraper drew squiggly lines in the frost, but it did nothing to actually clear it away. "Here, let me help," came a voice from behind her. Valerie jumped slightly, whipping around and finding herself face to face with Brock Lesnar. He grinned at her, holding out his hand. Blushing, Valerie handed over the scraper and stepped aside. "Thanks," she mumbled awkwardly as he, much taller than her and easily able to reach the upper middle of her windshield, began to scrape away the last of the ice. "I keep running into you," Brock remarked. "It's weird, isn't it?" "Not really," Valerie replied softly. "I mean, we work together. And we're obviously on the same floor of the hotels, like, all the time." "That's weird, though," he said. "Or maybe it's just me. I don't know. Anyways, here you go." He handed the scraper back to her, and she smiled shyly up at him. "Thanks," she said. "You already said that," he replied with a grin. "You're welcome, though. I'll see you tonight." "Um, yeah," Valerie replied quickly, smiling back at him. With one last nod, Brock began to walk off. As he left, Valerie clambered into the front seat of her car and took a deep breath. He had a point: it was weird that they kept running into one another, both in and out of work, over the last few days. Maybe it would turn out to be a good thing, though.

December 6 - Mistletoe

"So, let me get this straight...you want to put decorations up in our dressing room for the evening, take them down at the end of the night, take them to the next arena, and repeat the cycle...every night for the entire month...?" "When you put it that way, it sounds silly," Alexa huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "It's not that much work. It gives us something fun to do when we're not wrestling. And besides, we'll be real champs at putting up decorations by the time Christmas comes. And it's not for the entire month! It's just until Christmas!" Valerie and Nia exchanged a look, but then both nodded. "Fine," they said. "We'll decorate with you." "Yay!" said Alexa. It took them about ten minutes to get the miniature tree set up in the corner, laughing together as they put the ornaments on. All three of them were having much more fun than they'd expected. Once they were done with the tree, Alexa gave Nia a string of lights and then handed a large wreath to Valerie. "Put this on the door and then come help us with the lights," she said. "You're putting up lights?" asked Valerie, her eyes widening. "This is going to take forever to dismantle." "It's fun, though!" said Alexa. "Now go put up the wreath!" Valerie smiled, shaking her head and walking over to the door. There was already a hook on the door, presumably used for signs, and she began to carefully position the wreath on it. "Are you...decorating your dressing room...?" came a voice from behind her. Valerie jumped slightly, turning around and blushing when she saw Brock approaching. "It wasn't my idea," she protested. "Alexa made me do it." "Damn right I did," called Alexa's voice from inside the dressing room. She glanced up as Brock came closer, smirking when she saw him. "Hey, Brock." "Hey, Alexa," he replied. "Any chance you could help with something?" asked Alexa. "Sure, what is it?" Brock asked, still standing in the doorway with Valerie. "There's tape attached to this. Can you attach it to the front of the doorframe?" asked Alexa, tossing something his way. Brock caught it, barely, and nodded. "Sure," he said. It was a plastic plant of some sort, and he easily reached up and stuck it to the outside of the doorframe with the tape. "There we go." "Is that mistletoe?" asked Valerie suddenly, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the plant. Hidden between the green leaves were small white berries. Brock lifted his gaze, eyeing it curiously. "I think so," he said, looking back down at her with a smirk. "Know what that means?" "I - um -" Before Valerie could say anything, though, Brock leaned down. She felt her heart racing, but then he didn't kiss her - at least, not on the lips like she was expecting. Instead, she felt his lips gently touch her cheek, which she was certain had to be beet red by now. She giggled nervously, and he grinned at her as he drew back. "See you around," he said, gently patting her shoulder as he walked past her. She said nothing, a bit too shocked to reply, and then slowly looked inside the room. Both of her friends were watching with bated breath, wide grins on their lips. "I can't believe you!" Valerie exclaimed as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her to berate her friends. "Don't be mad! Brock Lesnar just kissed you!" exclaimed Alexa. "On the cheek!" Valerie replied. "He probably didn't think you'd be okay with a big smooch on the lips from a coworker you can't even talk to with stuttering and stammering like a fool," Nia replied with a grin, folding her arms over her chest. "If anything, you should be thanking Alexa." "Do it! Thank me!" said Alexa, and Valerie groaned. "Thanks, Alexa," she mumbled. "You're welcome," Alexa replied, grinning. "Next time, though, you've gotta take initiative. Kiss him first, and make sure it's on the lips!"

December 7 - The Grinch

Christmas shopping had never particularly been one of Valerie's great talents. She never knew what to buy for people, and always ended up walking around the mall at the last minute desperately trying to find things that she thought her friends and family would like. This year, though, she was determined to finish her shopping ahead of time. She'd already done some shopping, and was pleased with the results, but she still needed to buy presents for her family back home. Her parents were easy enough to shop for - anything nerdy would work for her father, and her mother's tastes were quite similar to her own. She still had to buy something for her little brother, though, and that was going to be the tricky part. She always struggled to shop for him. "Well, look who it is?" exclaimed a familiar voice. Valerie turned around, smiling shyly as she saw Brock coming up behind her. They hadn't seen one another or said anything to one another since yesterday when he'd kissed her cheek under the mistletoe, and she hoped it wouldn't make things awkward. "Hey to you, too," she said. He fell into step with her as she walked down the store aisle, a smirk on his lips. "Shopping cart - does that mean you're Christmas shopping?" he asked. "Yeah," she said. "I need stuff for my parents and my brother, back home. I just need to find the perfect presents." "There are no perfect presents," Brock said, shaking his head. "Christmas isn't about presents. It's about spending time with the people you love. Just going home for Christmas should be enough of a present for them." "Or I could go home for Christmas and bring them presents," Valerie replied with a giggle. "Nah. You don't need to worry about that. They don't need presents," Brock said, grabbing a package of paper towels off an end display as they passed it and tossing it into her cart. "Did I say you could use my cart?" Valerie asked, pretending to be mad, and Brock laughed. "No, but you also didn't say that I couldn't," he replied. "Besides, it's not like you need all that room. I assure you, your parents don't need presents." "Do you hate Christmas?" Valerie asked teasingly, surprised by how comfortable she felt with poking fun at him. "Are you some kind of Grinch trying to make my parents hate me by convincing me not to buy them gifts?" "A Grinch? Me?" he asked, putting his hand over his heart. "Ouch." Valerie giggled. "If you're not a Grinch, then why do you hate Christmas presents so much? Is it because nobody's ever given you a Christmas present?" "Not a good one," Brock replied, shaking his head. "There's no perfect present. There are only weak attempts and broken dreams." "You really sound like a Grinch right now," Valerie said, smirking. "I'm going to give you the perfect Christmas present to change your mind." "I doubt that," Brock replied with a grin. "Nope. Don't doubt me. It's my mission now. I'm gonna give you the best present you've ever been given and it'll restore all your faith in Christmas. You'll see."

December 8 - Red

"Hey, Alexa?" "Yeah?" Alexa glanced up at her tall friend, raising an eyebrow. Nia was frowning, looking across the room. "What's going on with Brock and Mandy?" Alexa followed Nia's gaze, and sure enough, Mandy Rose was practically attached to Brock, following him from the front counter to his table. She didn't sit down beside him, but rather, sat down on top of the table itself. She folded one long leg over the other, laughing a little too loudly at whatever he was saying to her. "She's definitely flirting with him," said Alexa. "Should we go put a stop to that before Val gets here?" asked Nia, looking down at Alexa. "Put a stop to what before Val gets here?" asked a voice, and the pair exchanged a worried look as Valerie came up behind them. "Uh-" "Oh, Brock! You're so funny!" exclaimed an obnoxiously flirtatious voice from across the room, and Valerie's head snapped up to follow the sound. Sure enough, the moment she saw Mandy with Brock, her friends could tell that she was seeing red. "Val, it's-" "Is he-" "No! Val, listen to me!" Alexa said, grabbing her friend's wrist. "He's probably just as mortified as you are." "This is actually a great opportunity," said Nia suddenly. "If we go pull Mandy away, Val can slide right on in there and she'll be his hero." Alexa giggled a bit at this, but Valerie was still clearly angry. "You're right," she said firmly. "Let's do this." "Val-" "Come on!" Alexa and Nia exchanged a look before jumping to their feet, hurrying after their friend as she walked over to the table where Brock and Mandy were sitting. "Hey, blondie," Val said, putting her hands on her hips when she reached them. "I heard Paige was looking for you." "That's nice," Mandy said sarcastically, frowning as she looked at Val. "Did you need something?" "Yeah, actually, I need you to go find Paige and see what she wants," Val replied. "I'm perfectly fine where I am," Mandy replied with an icy smirk. "She wasn't asking," Nia said, grabbing Mandy by the arm and pulling her gently from the table. "Come on, we'll help you find Paige." Nia began to escort Mandy away. The blonde clearly knew better than to argue with Nia, who was at least twice her size, and followed her and Alexa as they left the catering area. Once they were gone, Valerie sat down in the seat across from Brock. "You were my hero a few days with the pig, now I'm your hero," she said. Brock burst out laughing. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you," he said, grinning at her. "She's literally been on me since she got called up from NXT. I don't know how to get through to her that I'm not interested." "Just tell her that you're interested in someone else, that usually makes people go away," Valerie replied with a shrug as Brock ate the last bite of the food from his plate. "I already did," he replied, standing up and carrying the paper plate over to the garbage bin. Valerie blinked in surprise, raising an eyebrow as she heard his words. "Really?" she asked, staying seated, assuming he'd come back and sit down with her once he'd thrown his plate out. "Who?" Brock dropped the plate in the garbage bin, slowly turning to face her. There was a smirk on his lips. "You," he replied, and before the stunned Valerie could say anything further, he turned and walked out the door.