"Oh hey... didn't even know you were there. Just making some lunch." Bella smiles sweetly.

"I can't talk long, I'm kind of sneaking this convo in at work. Everyone went to lunch. Benefit of being the only one out of department on a floor. I just hooked up my laptop and thought let's see what my Fish man is doing."

I roll my eyes. It seemed that even though being called Fish really grated on my nerves when she said it, I couldn't help but think she was adorable.

"Did you ask about the holidays? I'd love to bring you down for a few days..."

"My boss hasn't gotten back to me yet but it looks like it will be a go. I haven't taken a holiday in so long. I will have to miss a class though so you better make it worth my while."

I smirk at her. "Of course I will." I walk over with my sandwich and sit at the table.

"Have you told anyone about me yet?"

"Just Electra but I'm sure everyone on Twitter pretty much guessed that I was smitten with you."

"Electra... what an awful name. I feel sorry for her."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're one to talk..."

"You know it sucks that I'm compared to a book character but at least my name is normal. She's like a comic book girl or something."

"She acts like she is one sometimes." I said under my breath.

"Did something happen?" she asks. Damn her way of knowing when something was on my mind.

"Yeah. Her current boyfriend got taken out by her ex-husband and he's in critical condition. she came sniffing around wanting me to protect her from him..."

"The ex-husband?"

"yeah. I basically told her I wasn't going to be used anymore."

"Good for you Jus. She just needs to know that your not going to just worship her every time she shows her pretty little face. Besides, I don't think she's that pretty anyway."

I smiled.

"So your going to introduce me to your sister when I'm down right... and maybe your brother?"

"My sister...yes that's kind of a given. She's dating my tag partner. Jerry...well he's in his own world and pretending that we don't exist right now....so I doubt it."

"Is your sister going to hate me?"

"Probably but don't take it personally."

Bella laughed. "I won't. It's none of her business who you date anyway. She doesn't like you messing around in her personal life so she should give you the same courtesy right?"

"yeah."

"So your facing that Kuk guy this week right? Is he any good?"

"I suppose. Never ask me if my opponent is any good because you'll always get the same answer. I don't think any of my opponents are as good as I am."

"Arrogant."

"Well baby you knew that when you met me."

"Yes...yes I did. Part of your never ending charm."

"if I wasn't confident I would never win."

"True. I like a winner...even if you did lose your *ahem* title."

"You didn't think the TV title was worth anything anyway."

"True. I think your better than that low level belt. Seems that Taufik guy needed the training wheels anyway."

"Exactly. I'm moving on to bigger and better. My sights are on the tag titles."

"Your sights should be on the sin city title."

"eventually. I wanna see how long Carter can hold on to it first. I'm a research guy and I know he has a drinking problem. I'm just waiting to see how long he can hold out. With a partner like Cage its sure to drive him back to the bottle."

Bella didn't laugh. she rose an eyebrow at me.

"That's not really funny Justin. He has a serious addiction...."

She couldn't hold her straight face very long before bursting into laughter. I laughed with her.

"You almost had me there." I replied.

"I know. Sorry... I'm kind of heartless but I got this way for a reason. I don't have any sympathy for people with addictions. My parents were addicts that were given every opportunity to get better and didn't and instead abused the system. It's great that he's been sober for a while but addiction doesn't just go away."

"Whoa." She hadn't ever told me that...but we had only been seeing each other a couple weeks and most of that time was spent talking over phone or Skype.

"Well... I was lucky to have my grandma. I don't think I would have turned out as good as I am without her guidance."

This was probably a good place to talk about my mother but I wasn't ready for that. Oh yeah hey... sorry to hear about your parents and by the way my mother abandoned me when I was 5 and it's probably the reason I am the way I am.... nope not the right time.

"Let's change the direction this is going..." I supplied.

"Right. Tell me more about this guy your facing?"

"Total spaz." I take a bite of my sandwich.

"Why do you say that?"

"The guy is a train wreck. He calls himself the "hardcore reject" He's just a plain old reject as far as I'm concerned. I have to give him credit though...he came in and did his match even after getting hit by a car but still..."

"So...."

"So all it means is that Madd Katt is testing me. he's not really that impressed with what I can do and I guess after losing the only title I've held I would be too but I have the resume to back up what I know, even if it's not filled with actual feds."

"Well he seems to have a lot of experience Jus."

"I don't have to prove myself to anyone Bella. I know I'm good... I've proven already that I'm good and I'm not going to get down and kiss anybody's ass. he wants to keep giving me these matches with people who's asses I can destroy then so be it. I guess eventually he's going to see that I am main event material, with or without a belt."

"Sweetie, I know that and you know that and I'm sure Jackson knows that too. He wouldn't be your partner if he didn't think you were the talent you are right?

"Well actually...."

Bella waved me silent. "No. no doubts. You're going to go in there and destroy this Kuk kid and then your going to crush This Titan guy at the PPV."

My heart stops beating for a moment.

"I'm sorry who did you say I was facing at the PPV?"

"Titan? Did I say it right? I didn't really take a long look or anything, it was more or less just a glance. I kind of joined the fan listing thing so I get emails when matches are updated. Why? What's wrong with this guy?"

I gave her a mocking laugh.

"Titan is Jerry, sweetie."

"Really? Well you never told me that your brother used the name Titan... how am i supposed to know. you've only ever called him Jerry or Jeremy to me."

"Well shit."

"Why?"

"Well despite the way he's been acting lately, he's still my brother...and he knows my moves."

"Apparently if he wins, Biguns will stay GM...."

Yah, it was kind of a bombshell to find out that our recently split up roster was now going back to one show but in a way, it was good. I'd have more room to branch out and more pathetic losers to demolish.

"So If I win, Madd Katt gets the position?"

She nodded.

"I suppose he does feel that I'm worthy or something...either that or the Hales thought it would be funny..."

"Either way babe, your going to win. In that ring he's not your brother, he's your opponent. Didn't you say something similar to me when I asked what would happen if you had to face your sister?"

Right... I had said something similar...but I was ready to move away from this line of questioning for now so I changed the subject.

"Well seems I do have a fan after all..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing... just remembering something Baxter tried to do that failed miserably."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"So what else do you know about this Killswitch?" She'd obviously picked up on my not wanting to talk about the PPV right now. God, I just found out...I had to let it sink in.

"Turns out I'm not the only one that jumps the gun with proposing... he was going to give this girl he's known like a month a ring already.... damn idiot, but well she got shot and died. Tough luck."

Bella had a weird look cross her face.

"Really? Sure he didn't make her up to try and get sympathy? and then when he found out he couldn't keep up the charade, had her conveniently 'killed'?"

She smirked a little. She had a dark sense of humour sometimes. I just rolled my eyes at her. then she said something only a future therapist could come up with.

"But what if Electra had said yes?"

Even though it's through a computer screen I know she's not being a jealous girlfriend. She's honestly asking me a genuine question.

"When you asked her, you were in love with her."

Well shit. I didn't want to talk about this either.

"Stop playing devil's advocate."

"Stop avoiding the question."

"I dunno. We'd probably be divorced too. I was only 19 when I asked her. She'd just met Rage and said no and then proceeded to tell me that she wanted to break up with me as well."

"Harsh."

"Yeah and I still stuck around. But anyway, stop bringing her up."

"I didn't... you did. Anyway... go on..."

"Anyway Killswitch seems to be a ticking time bomb right now. He really went off on an interviewer when he brought up what his opponent had said about him. I could get ruthless and grungy and use all the swear words in the dictionary but the fact of the matter is that it comes down to skill. Just because he's been doing this 12 years doesn't make him better than me. Technically I've been doing this a lot longer, I just don't have the fed experience and that is all anyone can ever think about. I don't even really understand why I'm facing him anyway. He's in the Xcore division. Xcore... you know what that is?"

"I dunno...."

"It's TNT's answer to the TV belt. You know the one I just lost. He's beneath me. I don't want to win that kind of belt again. I want to move on to bigger and better. I want the Sin City. I want Carter. I did do a little recon though. You know that our little reject has more prescriptions then a Chinese pharmacy. I'm still looking for anything I can really use against him. So...."

"Well obviously you have to make a statement. Beat his bloody skull in."

I smirked.

"A woman after my own heart."

She smiled at me and I was realizing why I liked her so much.

"No doubt he's going to come out with the same old tired gimmick. that he's this bad ass from Hell's kitchen and he's going to beat my brains in. Might even make a comment about me being some kind of ladies man or that my looks are about to be taken away. I don't care. I've heard it all a million times already. No one comes out with anything original anymore.... It's boring."

"I'm sure once Madd Katt realizes your star quality it will only be a matter of time before your facing Carter...or whoever holds the SC belt. Killswitch is just killing time."

"It just insults my intelligence to have to resort to cheap insults in order to get anything across to these morons. I hate promo's with a passion."

"Yeah well you're going to have to suck it up buttercup."

"Sure you don't want to quit your job and come out here and be my manager?"

"What's the pay like?"

"Oh well worth it, I assure you...."

She giggled a little and then shook her head.

"As much as I hate my job I still have a couple courses to finish for my degree."

"Damn..."

"Yeah I'm sure."

"Kuk is nothing but a fly that I will have no problem swatting. Just someone I can take out to further prove that I'm better than the lower tier."

"Exactly, that's the way to look at it."

"But that doesn't mean that Madd Katt is going to get away with keeping me out of the spotlight. I want my chance at the SC and I will get it, even if I have to hack his computer and give him a virus only I have the solution for."

"Justin.... you're so bad...."

I offered her a cocky smile. She smiled back. man if she were here in person there would be no more talking.

"But like I said... tag titles first. They have been gathering dust for far too long...and if we win them I'll have two firsts under my belt."

Bella grinned at me. Then she suddenly looked behind her as some noise got louder from the background.

"Anyway, I think people are starting to come back from lunch now...so I gotta go. I'll either Skype you or call when I get home okay?"

"I'll be waiting...."

"Your always waiting. I should know tonight too about my vacation time so Maybe I'll be there to watch you demolish Killswitch in person."

"It would give me extra incentive that's for sure." She smiled and blew me a kiss. I gave her one back and she was gone.

I was really looking forward to her coming down. I was even more looking forward to showing her off. I'd mentioned her in passing to Blaze. He'd offered me that cocky smile and changed the subject. I guess he figured if I had a girl I'd lay off him and Bliss. It was starting to bother me less every time I saw them together, but she would always be my baby sister, no matter how old she got and if he ever hurt her....well not only would he get a beat down from her but me as well. Partner or not.

Now as for my match on Thursday.... Killswitch was just an annoyance. Something I had to get rid off in order to clear a path to the true destination. I wasn't taking him for granted or underestimating him. I was sure that he would step up his game and do all this crap to try and prove he was better than me and that was fine. let him try, his attempts would be futile and in the end, he could say he was beat by a master. Nothing was going to stand in the way of my goals. First... tag champion, then Sin City.