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Vince walked into the boardroom and scanned the room over quickly. It seemed that everyone from both rosters had shown up as requested, which meant he could get on with the announcement. With one last glance to his wife Linda, who was already in attendance at the front with him, he cleared his throat.
"I want to start off by thanking all of you for coming out tonight, even though a few of you have matches. I know how spur of the moment this is, so I won't keep you long. I just have a few small announcements I want to pass on to you."
He scanned the faces on all of his employees. They didn't have the usual look of boredom they usually had, which was a change of pace. He was relieved he didn't have to fire anyone this time; it would only ruin the atmosphere.
"We've acquired a tremendous talent from an independent promotion in the Carolinas, and after some time spent in our training facility in Ohio, she's ready, we think to be made public. So if you could, please welcome Aurora Rivers to the WWE family."
Everyone's faces seemed to perk up when they saw Aurora come into the room. He didn't want to admit it, but she was his biggest accomplishment in the last year. When he saw what she was capable of in the ring, Vince knew he had to acquire her. He saw so many different avenues he could go with her and it meant this was the best deal for business.
"I'm going to let her say a few words about herself, so you can get a feel for who she is. Aurora are you ready?"
Aurora nodded to Vince and took the mini microphone he held out to her. Pinning it to her lapel, she looked out at all the wrestlers. Noticeable by his absence was the one guy she did know, and the one guy that knew her, Jeff Hardy.
"I'll keep this short, because I know Vince has other stuff he wants to discuss with us. I'm very new here, but I can't wait to work with all of you. I've been wrestling since I was sixteen and I'm twenty eight now. So I've been beaten on a lot and I hope that helps you realize I'm not a diva by any means. I plan on wrestling you guys too. For the record I am originally from Toronto Canada, but I've recently moved to the Carolinas, Cameron North Carolina to be exact, for personal and business reasons. I guess that's it for me really, but don't be afraid to talk to me backstage some time. I was serious when I said I want to get to know all of you on a better basis then this."
Stepping back from Vince, she walked down to the front row of seats, and sat down. The person beside her tapped her on the shoulder and looking up she saw Shannon Moore. She knew who he was because he was on the Independent circuit recently when she was there as well. They hadn't talked before but she never forgets a face or a name of someone that she knew had good talent.
"Hey I'm Shannon, and I'm on Smack down. I'm also from Cameron too. Born and raised."
"Hey there Shannon. I'm Aurora as you already know. How long have you been on Smack down?"
"Almost a year now. I was in WCW before that as well as the independent circuit. So I know what you went through. I came in here with the Invasion. Have you really been wrestling for twelve years?"
"Yeah pretty much. That is the complete truth, and sometimes it feels even longer with all the bumps I've taken. You were a pretty good independent wrestler from what I can remember."
"Yeah I was alright I suppose. Matt and Jeff Hardy and I all busted our asses for years doing that stuff."
"I know Jeff pretty well actually. I saw him as Willow a couple of weeks ago, and I thought he looked brilliant. It's a shame what happened on this end for him, he was doing so well."
Tapping the microphone in his hands, Vince pulled everyone's attention back to him. Aurora smiled at Shannon and focused her attention on her new boss. She didn't want to look bad on her first official night as a WWE player.
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"When Vince let everyone know they could go, Aurora made her way out the door and down the hall. She wanted to meet up with Trish Stratus before she wrestled later in the card. Shannon watched her go, and turned to face Matt.
"That girl is going to be a force man."
"What do you mean Shannon? Matt asked throwing him a confused look at his friend.
"She lives and trains in Cameron. She knows us from our independent days and apparently she's spoken to Jeff. I'm just saying she's going to take this business by storm."
"You've known her how long Shannon? A grand total of five minutes?"
"There's something about her man. You'll see. You're going to kill to have her on Smack down with us."
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"So do you have any ideas which show you'd like me to be placed on Vince?" Aurora asked, switching the phone over to her other shoulder. She'd been mulling over the idea of being on each show separately, because they both held their own, but she knew the final decision wouldn't be hers. It would have to come from Vince.
"After a meeting with my daughter, and the writers on Smack down, I've decided to put you there. There really isn't much of a women's division to speak of, but there is a title I think that would suit your style more."
"Which title?"
"The cruiserweight belt is the one I'm talking about. You have a tremendous ring presence which was the entire reason I acquired you, and I would like to see you showcase that talent."
"Who would I be facing? Other girls?"
"No you expressed your need to wrestle with the guys, and I've seen how well you handle yourself with them. I think at this point you can do it. We will just have to come up with a good idea to place you in the hunt."
"How can I help?"
"Just fly out to Charlotte for Smack down on Tuesday and we'll set the wheels in motion alright?"
"I'll be there, you can count on me."
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She'd been to Charlotte once before, for a basketball game for the then Charlotte Hornets, but that didn't even compare to this in the magnitude of the night. She knew no matter what happened this would be the night she really shined. There was no getting around that and she couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
"Are you lost Aurora?"
Spinning around she came face to face with the guy she'd met first in the meeting, Shannon Moore.
"No, not lost. I'm just taking a minute to capture it all in and relax myself. My nerves are going crazy right now."
"It's different here then in the independents right?"
"Yeah it seems almost surreal to me, being here like this. This is what I worked my ass off trying to achieve all those years. It's just a little mind blowing."
"Wanna know a secret?" It will pass with time, once you deal with all the politics and ego's, it will feel very different."
"I'll keep that in mind Shannon. So where does one go to unload their stuff?"
Shannon smiled and pointed down the hall towards the rows of locker rooms. He realized that this girl was really a fish out of water here.
"If you don't mind sharing with the guys you could always use our locker room tonight."
"Thanks, and no I don't mind sharing with the guys. I've pretty much seen everything there is to see on a guy anyway. You're sure the rest of the guy's wont mind?"
"Are you kidding? You're a beautiful girl and you want to room with the guys. They will be fine with it. They are all pretty cool, and if they care we will just find you another locker to store your stuff."
Making their way down the hall, Aurora saw a few people she remembered from the independent days. Waving to the guys, they kept making their way down the hall to Shannon's locker room door. Knocking lightly, Shannon waited for a response. When none came, he motioned for Aurora to go in, with him following close behind her.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! We didn't think anyone was in here." Aurora turned her head away fast causing Shannon to bust up laughing as she continued to blush a dark shade of red. So much for the idea of her being comfortable around the guys.
"Don't you guys knock first?"
"Matt we did that, and when no one answered, we figured the place was empty. So I let Aurora go first. We didn't know you were here showering, and nude. Matt Hardy, this is Aurora Rivers. Aurora, now that you've seen him, this is Matt." Shannon tried to explain while keeping a straight face. This had to be an ice breaker if he ever saw one.
"Since when do we have girls in our locker room Shan?"
"Since I asked her to share with us. Come on man, you need to lighten up here."
Aurora gathered her composure and threw a glance at Shannon and Matt. She was used to sharing locker rooms with a bunch of guys, but she never walked in on them walking around naked. She knew Matt must feel as awkward about this as she was.
"Guys, if this are a big deal I can go find the women's locker room. I don't want to cause any issues here."
Matt chose that moment to look at her, and he meant really look at her. She might be a women's wrestler and she might go toe to toe with the boys, but at that moment she was the most feminine thing he'd ever seen. From her blonde hair and blue tips, to her unique style of dress, she was beautiful without even trying. He was surprised he hadn't noticed her more at the meeting earlier last week.
"No it's fine believe me. You don't have to leave, does she Matt?" Shannon announced glaring at his friend.
Matt blushed slightly pulling himself out of his train of thought and coughed. This girl was already starting to seep into this skin, something he didn't need right now.
"No, you can stay. I'm sorry if I was rude earlier, I just didn't know anyone was here."
"Don't worry about it Matt, I'm not anymore." Aurora smiled and it sent Matt's body into overdrive. He hadn't been so affected by a woman since he and Amy had split up over a year ago. He wasn't sure if he liked it either. Apparently his body did though, and it had other plans.
Shannon, who as noticing the tense expression on his friends face, decided to change the subject.
"So have they figured out what they're doing with you yet Rory?"
Aurora glanced away from Matt and focused directly on Shannon. No one had called her Rory in a long time and it threw her off a little hearing it again. Regaining her train of thought, she realized she was supposed to go and see Stephanie about what her role would be that night.
"I have no idea Shannon, I'm supposed to go meet with Stephanie and find out. Vince didn't really go into details when we spoke on the phone."
"Well Matt has to go pick up his updated script so I'm sure he could take you to see her. Couldn't you buddy?"
Matt just glared at his friend, realizing what he was trying to do. He didn't like it one bit either, but when he saw the look of relief on Aurora's face, he knew he couldn't just say no to her. She was new here to the way things were run, and he didn't want to make things any worse on her.
"Yeah come on Aurora, I'll take you." Matt said throwing a shirt over his head and running his hands threw his hair.
*****************
They made their way down the hall in complete silence until Aurora couldn't take it anymore, and pulled him to a dead stop.
"What's wrong?"
"You don't like me, do you Matt Hardy?" Aurora asked looking him straight in the eye.
"Where did you get an idea like that? Did I say something that made you think that?"
"Not in so many words, but Shannon's been so nice to me, and you're the complete opposite. Do I intimidate you? Being a woman competitor who fights men like you all the time?"
Matt just cracked up at this girl's logic. He was not by any means intimidated by her, but he couldn't deny an attraction to her. He just hadn't realized it might be affecting the way he treated her. Clearing his throat he raised his eyes back up to meet hers.
"If having an intense attraction to you, and wanting to take you right here on the damn floor is being intimidated, and then yes I think I am a little."
As he started to walk down the hall, Aurora realized she wasn't moving and ran to catch up with him, spinning him around on his heel.
"You can't just drop a bombshell like that and expect to walk away without a response."
"That's funny because I thought that was exactly what I was doing. We need to get to Stephanie's office and get my script."
"No Matt, you're going to explain yourself right this minute. Stephanie can wait."
Matt laughed and started walking again. He didn't want to get into this in the middle of the hallway where anyone could hear them. He just wanted to get to the office and get his script, so he could get the hell away from the girl that was messing with his body and his mind.
"No she can't wait, believe me, you'll learn that soon enough. So are you coming or not?"
"Yeah I'm coming, but just so you know, we will be continuing this conversation later. Even if I have to hunt you down to do it."
"Yeah whatever you say Princess. All I care about right now is dropping you off and preparing for my match."
Aurora couldn't believe how infuriating this guy was. He really must have thought he was amazing or something. She couldn't comprehend someone like that being friends with someone like Shannon, who was the complete opposite.
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"Welcome to Smack down Aurora, my dad called to tell me to expect you tonight. We really didn't get a chance to talk at the meeting, but it really is a pleasure to have you on my roster. From what I hear you are a tremendous talent."
"It's great to be here Stephanie. So your dad said you'd know a place to put me tonight on the show. He had no idea what it would be though. Any ideas?"
"Actually there's just one. You're going to come out with Kurt Angle tonight, because he's making his long awaited return, and we want you there."
"For a feud?"
"No, you're going to team up with him. Since the Team Angle story line fell through when he left, we want you to be the all American girl."
"I'm originally from Canada though. How is that going to work?"
"We announce you as being from Cameron, North Carolina, that's all. That is where you reside now isn't it?"
"Yes and that would work fine with me. I can't wait to work with Kurt. He's such a hard worker and a natural talent; you don't see that to often these days."
Aurora didn't want to admit it, but she was a little let down that she wasn't going to work the cruiserweight division right away, or work with Shannon and Matt. The cruiserweight division was something she really wanted to get into.
"So it's all set then. You should find Kurt in his locker room with Brock Lesnar. You can find him and go over what you want to do when you get out there. We're allowing your ring time to be 15 minutes. You do not have to wrestle if you don't want too; we just want a good spot out there and for you and Kurt to have some fun."
Shaking Stephanie's hand and saying her goodbyes, she made her way back into the hall. She realized she still had no idea of her way around yet, and had no clue to where Kurt's locker room was either.
****************
Hey are you lost or something?"
Turning around at the sound of the voice, she came face to face with one of the people she was going to meet.
"No not really, just confused I guess, but since you're here, could you tell me where Kurt's locker room is?"
"You're not lost but you need help to get where you need to go. Is that what I'm hearing?"
"In a nutshell yes, so can you help me?"
"Of course I can help you; I just wanted you to admit it first." Brock smiled and took her by the hand. Aurora thought it would make her feel uncomfortable, but she felt just fine. She didn't think Brock would be nicer then Matt Hardy was, but you learned something new everyday.
"I saw you at the meeting; you really do seem to be a good talent, based on what I've learned about you."
"Brock, you've been asking around about me?"
"Yeah I wanted to know more about you since Vince seems enamored with you. You've been doing this longer then most of the guys on here you know."
Aurora felt the heat rush to her face and blushed a deep shade of red. It was nice hearing the other guys wanted to know about her. She just wanted to be one of them; it's been her goal for a long time.
"So why do you need to go see Kurt anyway? Do they have an idea for you tonight?"
"Yeah they have something for both of us, because of his return and my debut. They thought it would play out well in the ring for us to be together."
"You're going to work with Haas and Benjamin too?"
"No just Kurt tonight I guess. Stephanie asked me to go discuss it with Kurt because it's not a match or anything. Just some spots they want us to do together."
Brock just nodded his head and kept walking. Aurora noticed that unlike Matt, Brock took his time walking with her and tended not to go miles ahead. It was almost like they were on the same page, and she had to admit, she liked it. Making a stop at Kurt's door, Brock turned around to face her.
"Thanks so much for bringing me right to his door Brock, it means a lot. I really do think I would have gotten lost."
Brock laughed gently and took her hand to his lips. Kissing her palm softly, he dropped her hand and smiled.
"My pleasure. I like to get to know all of the new talent that comes by."
"Well it was nice meeting you too Brock. I hope I get to work with you soon."
"Me too Aurora. Listen, if you're free after the show, would you like to go someplace and have a coffee or something?"
Aurora had to stop herself from laughing out loud. He was being nice and she knew she would accept, but it looked weird coming from this 300 pound guy. She should be the one asking him.
"You know what Brock? There isn't anything I have planned tonight, so I would love to get a coffee with you."
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