Annie's Story 047

[Deleted]

“Heyyy guys,” Annie chirps as she waves at the camera. As usual she’s sitting on her bed, but her skin is slightly more bronzed than expected after her recent trips to Los Angeles and Cancun, where she posed for her upcoming Playboy spread. And her smile is a little wider than usual, which may have something to do with the glimmering sparkle that caught her eye as she waved for the camera.

“So we’re getting closer to another episode of Vertigo and I know you’re all looking forwards to this one! The semi-finals of the Dynamic Duos, as we’re down to the last four teams all wanting that shot against Ricky & Luke at All Star Showdown. Status Quo, Ruby Way, Le Pacte de Immortels, and the underdogs Silk & Cyanide; they’re all gonna be going hard to make sure they make it through to the finals. Savannah and Salem finally get their chance to put on an awesome match without some stupid referee ruining it…” Annie coughs as she looks sheepish, mouthing the word sorry before continuing, “…we’ve got a couple of debuts. And on top of all that, we’re all set for Page-Zellor III–” another pause, and a jump cut; Annie is closer to the camera with her left ring finger held up so everyone can see the platinum band set with diamonds that now adorns her finger. The huge smile on her face is a picture of girlish glee. Another jump cut and Annie is sitting on the bed again, brushing some hair back behind her ear before she continues, “–or we would be. But I prefer to think of this as Page-Dupree I!”

“Before I continue though, I just wanna say thank you to all my Anniemaniacs and everyone else for their congratulations. ‘Cause last week I got married to the love of my life, Chase Dupree…” Annie holds up her ring finger again, “…and we’ve started a new chapter in our lives together.”

“And speaking of new chapters; as some of you know I’ve been busy this week with some photoshoots. So if you’re old enough and if you wanna, please buy the July issue of Playboy when it comes out next month to see the photos!” Annie gives the camera a quick thumbs up gesture. “It’s nothing too rude, I promise. It’s nothing people didn’t see when Savannah pulled my shorts down back at Canadian Stampede. And it’s nothing Chase would be embarrassed about. And he’s been so great and supportive in this whole thing. A lot of you have, so thank you all for that.”

She smiles sweetly as she looks down at the ring on her finger once more, “So I might need to be supportive back. As some of you know, Chase has recently started wrestling in LDFC, so you can always watch him on LDFC’s Pride show on the Axxess Network!” Annie winks at the camera, making the double gun gesture as she does so. “But here in FGA, I promise you Annie Dupree goes in that ring just like Annie Zellor did. And these fists can pop someone POW! Right in the kisser just the same as always.”

“Which is exactly what they’re gonna have to do on Saturday night, ‘cause when I’m in that ring with Jimmy Page I can’t let the same things happen that’ve happened in the past. I can’t let him get in my head to try and stop me from doing what I need to do. And, like, I can’t let him get away with what he’s done.” The smile fades for a second as Annie shakes her head. “‘Cause I remember what happened in Amarillo nearly a year ago, Jimmy. I remember that sneak attack after our match – after I beat you – when you gave me a concussion. I remember watching it back and seeing the look of horror on the fans’ faces as they watched you sink to new depths.”

“And it was horrible.”

“And I remember Poughkeepsie, Jimmy. I remember beating you and coming this close to qualifying for the Round Robin tournament–” she holds her thumb and forefinger together, “–when I got disqualified for kicking the referee by accident. And I know that’s not your fault, Jimmy. I know that’s nothing you did, but part of me wonders what could have been if I moved forward into that Round Robin instead of you. If I’d have got to face Noelle and Zero that night – I know I don’t have the best record against them, but maybe I coulda done it that night. Maybe I coulda gone on to face Chandler for the World title. Maybe I coulda become the World champion at Final Frontier – but that’s something Zero did instead of me. Just like putting his hands on a referee without getting disqualified.” Annie shakes her head again.

“Sorry, that was sour grapes. But I don’t like how my match ended against Zero any more than I like how any of my matches against you have ended, Jimmy. Especially not Ocean City…” Annie takes a deep breath, steeling herself to approach the subject of that death match on the final FGA DVD Taping last year. “…and maybe this one is my own fault for entering the match. But this was a couple of months after you gave me that concussion and I saw the chance to get another shot at you, Jimmy. So I took it.”

“And I missed.” Annie states. She looks off to one side as she sighs. “That one’s on me; going through the table covered with chairs and tacks and all the other stuff – that’s partially my fault. Having to have the medic pick tacks and glass and cactus pines outta my back, same deal. Getting carried out of the arena on a stretcher, that’s my fault…” another heavy sigh, “…but what you did to me, Jimmy, what you put me through? That’s nothing compared to what you did to one of my best friends. What you did to my tag team partner. ‘Cause what you did to Laurel that night made – no, it makes me sick to my stomach. What you did to Laurel is unforgivable.”

“What’s one more reason to hate you though? ‘Cause you only went and tried to out do yourself recently. And I know a lot of people have probably told you this, Jimmy, and I know you’ve probably ignored every one of them. I know they’ve told you what you did was, like, reprehensible. Or abhorrent. Or any other word that just really fails to describe the level you sank to when you went to LDFC and you attacked Emily Carter after a training session. After you attacked Chris Bond.”

“And I could be mad that you attacked my friends, but that really misses the point, Jimmy. The fact they’re my friends doesn’t change what you did, it doesn’t make it any worse. You attacking anyone like that makes you one of the most evil men I’ll probably ever come across. What you did that day only made me hate you worse than before. But worst of all, it made me wanna hurt you…” Annie bows her head.

“And I don’t wanna be motivated by revenge.”

“I didn’t wanna have to hurt Izzy to avenge what she did to Dom. I didn’t wanna have to hurt Zero ‘cause of what he did to Cindy. And I don’t wanna step into the ring wanting to hurt anyone like that. I don’t wanna try to shorten careers, or even end them. I don’t wanna have to use phrases like ‘put you outta your misery’ – it’s just not me…” she emphasises with a hand gesture towards her chest. “…but you asked me the other day if I’m ever serious.”

“When we're in that ring, look in my eyes and see for yourself if I’m serious, Jimmy. ‘Cause I may not wanna end your career in that ring, and I don’t wanna cripple you. But for what you did to Emily, to Laurel, to Cindy, even to Zero last year, and what you’ve done to me – I’m gonna show you my more serious side.” Annie brushes her hair back with both hands, inhaling deeply before looking back at the camera.

“I just got married, I’m suppposed to be happy right now,” she comments, “and I apologize for not being my usual self right now, but this is a big deal to me. These matches recently have just been building up; the triple threat against Savannah and Izzy, against Zero, against Jimmy. And if I didn’t like a challenge this’d be different. But each time I’m going into these match with a point to prove. Whether is was challenging for that belt behind me, or facing the World champion, or this week; I know I can win against Jimmy Page, but this week I need to beat Jimmy Page. So when he’s down for the three he doesn’t wanna get up and attack me again. So the next time he looks at me he knows I mean business. So when he sees this #grrface–” she holds up the devil horns while pulling her usual #grrface, “--he doesn’t just, like, laugh it off.”

“‘Cause for the last year I’ve had this monkey on my back when it comes to you, Jimmy, and I wanna get rid of it. I wanna get rid of this hate I’m feeling, so when I defend the Mid-Atlantic Legacy title in a few weeks I’m not still feeling the effects of it. So when I go to the UK, or Japan, or Mexico in the coming weeks, you’re not gonna be on my mind! And I can give all those fans the matches they deserve.”

“So I’m gonna put you down for the three count, Jimmy. I don’t even care how many Sparkle Princess Specials it takes; I don’t care how many Rough n Tumbles it takes to knock you out; I don’t care how many times I’ve gotta pop you right in the kisser…” Annie inhales sharply, “…I’m taking back what you’ve stolen from me and my friends. So the next time I look at you I don’t see the man who gave me a concussion. So I don’t see the man who filled my back with tacks, glass, cactus pines, and who made me bleed. So I don’t see the man who took away my chance to compete for the World title.”

“When I look at you, Jimmy, I only wanna see the man I pinned in the middle of that ring. The man who knew that he’d been beat. And this Saturday night I’ve gotta put on my giant killing boots once more, ‘cause I’ve got a huge task ahead of me. Former World Champion, former Pride Champion, Most Dangerous Man in FGA, whatever you wanna be known by, Jimmy, I don’t mind. It doesn’t change the fact that Annie Dupree is putting you down.”

“This is my new beginning, a new chapter in my life, and I’m not starting it off by making the same mistakes I’ve made in the past. And I really hope you feel the same Jimmy, otherwise the next time we meet I’m just gonna have more fuel on my fire. And trust me, Jimmy, when it comes down to it I don’t need any more encouragement to kick your ass!” She pulls another #grrface, throwing up the devil horns as the scene ends.

---

Wednesday May 18th
She felt a pang of excitement hit her as soon as she pressed send; the thrill of being a temptress, the buzz of showing off her newly gotten piercings. Annie never knew sending a picture could elicit such a strong reaction in herself, but this rush she’s feeling is better than anything she’s ever felt before. Her heart feels like it’s about to burst from her chest it’s beating so hard, but she wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything.

Maybe it’s because of the day – she’s getting married to the man she loves in less than eight hours. A lifetime to spend with Chase by her side, to make a home together, to start a family together, to grow old together. To embark on their fairy tale and make their way towards their happy ever after – so part of her wonders what the reaction to this picture will be. Worse case scenario is they’ll see each other in the morning and carry on like nothing ever happened … but he might say ‘wedding day be damned’ and come visit her in her room.

But Annie is brought out of her reverie by the knocking at the door. With a sharp gasp she leaps off her bed and straightens her vest top before making her way across the room. As the door opens he’s quick to enter, closing it after him as he stands in front of Annie, mere inches between them. Her breathing is quickened, her heart racing as she stares at him, longing for his touch, knowing he’s seen the photos and felt the need to act on them. “Don’t I look pretty?” she asks, biting her bottom lip as she pushes herself against him, her hands roaming up his chest.

“Don’t start that, Annie” Dom demands as he pushes her hands away; he recognizes the line from one of the #Donnie fan fictions floating around at the moment. Her smile disappears in an instant as Dom paces around the room, his phone clutched in one hand. He looks down at the screen one more time, “What the fuck is this?”

“A picture…” she answers demurely, taking a seat on the bed as Dom paces in front of her. His hand running through his hair in that way he does when he’s angry … but why is he angry? He always likes receiving these pics when it’s Molly or Katie, or Blyss, Cobalt, Riley, or literally anyone else. “…I thought you might like it.”

Dom’s pacing slows to a halt as he turns his head towards her. A dumbfounded expression on his face as he stares at her for a second. “Look, I know it’s been a weird month–” which is a massive understatement, “–and I’m partially to blame for that. But if you’ve decided you want to be naked in the hot tub, that’s fine I don’t mind that. You want to make me be handsy when we dance at a wedding, I’ll laugh it off. If you have your nightmares or anxiety and don’t want to sleep alone, that’s fine I can cope with that. But sending me tit pics … do you want Chase to punch me again, is that it?”

She shakes her head; the incident at the LDFC show was unfortunate, but she didn’t know how Chase would respond to being told that Annie had kissed Dom. And maybe she has crossed a line sending an actual picture, but, “Nuh uh,” she starts, “I just … wanted your attention.”

“What?” he blurts out.

“I wanted this,” states Annie. Her heart is racing still, but she maintains her eye contact with Dom as the pair of them stare at one another. “Well not exactly this, ‘cause I didn’t want you to be angry…”

“I’m not even going to ask what you wanted,” Dom laughs nervously, once again running his hand through his hair. Annie rises from her position on the bed, pushing her chest out as she makes her way over to Dom; his eyes dart down briefly to the outline of her new piercings before he looks away and clears his throat.

“Can I ask you something, Dommy? What happened on my birthday … do you regret it?” she stands a couple of inches away from him, looking up at Dom as he thinks for a second.

“Regret? No…” he shakes his head.

“Me neither,” she responds, “but it’s, like, the more I think about it – Fel mentioned something–”

“You told Felicity?!” he interrupts.

“I had to!” she defends herself. “And she made me think. ‘Cause she asked why it happened; I tried to tell her we were drunk, but we’ve been drunk before and it’s never happened. And the more I think about it – I don’t regret it either. And I’m sorry Chase punched you–” she reaches up to cup his face, brushing her thumb across his cheekbone. The swelling has gone down already though. “–but I can’t ignore the fact that I kinda wanted to kiss you that night.”

Dom goes to speak, but his words fail him. He lowers his head and pinches the bridge of his nose as he sighs. “What the fuck…”

“And I kinda wanna do it again,” Annie adds, inching closer to Dom.

“You’re getting married in eight hours,” Dom states. He wipes his hand down his face, opening his eyes to see Annie is closer than before.

“Exactly,” she replies, “which is why we’ve gotta do this now. ‘Cause if a girlfriend cheats it’s not as bad as if a wife cheats–” she distorts what Fel told her to suit her own needs, “–so this is, like, our last chance.”

“Last chance to do what?!” Dom barks in a hushed tone. “We were drunk, we got caught up in the moment. But it was just a kiss, Annie … not like this one.” He leans down to kiss her, their lips parting as the passion overwhelms them both. Annie can feel herself melting as their tongues intertwine, and his hands find their way underneath her vest … before she snaps out of the daydream.

“Annie! Last chance to do what?” Dom repeats the question.

“I…” she stammers, suddenly flustered, “I…dunno.” Her voice trembles as she backs away, tears forming in her eyes as she falls onto the bed once again. “I dunno…”

The tears begin to fall, cascading down her cheeks as Annie does her best to wipe them away. But they just keep coming. Annie’s head falls into her hands until she hears him say, “Here,” and he hands her some tissue paper. Dom sits down on the bed, moving up towards the pillows as Annie follows him, sitting between his legs as Dom wraps his arms tightly around her. “It’ll be alright.”

“I was gonna cheat on Chase again,” Annie says between sobs, “what’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing’s wrong with you,” Dom offers, “it’s just … nerves, is all. Cold feet?”

“I’m a horrible girlfriend,” she adds, still sobbing.

He wants to correct her and say she’s a fiancée now, but instead chooses to say, “It happens to the best of us. You don’t need to beat yourself up over it…” he squeezes her tighter still, “…and you certainly don’t need to tell Chase about it either. Because in the morning you two are going to get married, you’re going to live happily ever after – and this past month, we’re just going to forget about it.”

“But–” she gets cut off.

“Like none of it ever happened. You’ll be married to the man you love, and be Mrs. Dupree just like you’ve always wanted.” Dom reassures her.

“But I don’t wanna forget,” she whimpers. The crying has almost stopped, the last few tears still in her eyes as Annie rests her head against Dom’s chest.

“It’s for the best…”

“But if I forget then I might do it again,” Annie states. “And I can’t ever do it again. I won’t. Dommy, I don’t wanna cheat on Chase again. I don’t wanna make the same mistakes…”

He doesn’t know how to respond to that. Dom goes to speak, but again words fail him; he opts instead to kiss Annie on the forehead and squeeze her tightly again. “It’ll be alright.” He whispers to her as Annie wipes the last remaining tears from her eyes. With a sigh she tries to comfort herself with the happy thoughts; she can dream about the day her and Chase finally get a place of their own, or when they’ll finally get to take their honeymoon, the birth of their first child, anything as long as it’s with Chase…