The New Girl (Indecent Proposal)

The trip to Las Vegas had come about unexpectedly via an invitation extended over Twitter— an old friend of Jackson's had left a pair of tickets at the Luxor for Sin City Wrestling's Jackpot Pay-Per-View event. Alyvia didn't know Gryphon or his protégée Sabra, but she was still grateful for the diversion as it gave her a chance to escape from any contact with her father who'd been dogging her for days. She'd been tense and anxious thanks to him; the moment they'd set foot on the plane, all of those negative feelings had simply melted away. It helped that she'd been caught up in the excitement of finally getting to see Las Vegas— Jackson had told her that it was one of his favorite places in the world and she was pretty excited to see it.

Even if he hadn't said it, she could tell that he was relieved to see her reverting back to the girl he'd first started seeing just a couple weeks ago. He'd insisted she take the window seat, telling her that she didn't want to miss the plane's descent over the famous city. As soon as her eyes settled on it, she'd fallen head over heels in love with it. She could understand why Elvis Presley had written Viva Las Vegas; the city definitely deserved its own anthem.

The two had spent the day sight-seeing, each new thing adding to the thrill— she felt almost like a kid in a candy store. After wandering down Fremont Street hand-in-hand, he'd taken her to see the Eiffel Tower and the Bellagio's famous fountain. Just when she thought she was going to explode from the overload, he'd taken her on top of the Stratosphere to ride the rides. This was an even bigger thrill for her as she loved roller coasters and amusement parks in general.

For the last hour, Jackson had been almost euphoric, grinning to the point that his face was starting to ache. He hadn't felt this happy in what seemed like years, and her enthusiasm was contagious. He was seeing things through her eyes— for once it was nice to not have every little moment tainted by that old cynicism of his.

As the sun sank on the horizon, the temperature had dropped and it was starting to get chilly up here on the top of the Stratosphere. Luckily for her, she'd dressed warm in a pair of black leggings, a white tunic-style top, and last of all a pair of black leather knee-high boots. The smile that was on her face couldn't be removed and she was falling more in love with the man who'd brought her here. Running a hand through her dark hair, she stopped walking and looked at him. "You were right; this trip is definitely what I needed." She put her arms around him and gave him a hug. "I'm having the best time ever!" She laughed, resting her head against his shoulder as she looked up at him.

He grinned, high on her enthusiasm and the way that smile on her face made him feel. His head was still spinning from the last ride as he squeezed her back. Keeping the conversation light, he nodded, "glad you're having fun. Wasn't just you who needed this... we both did."

Do it now, that voice in his head urged, the moment's perfect.

He paused for a second and then continued, the smile of his dimming slightly, "hey, you know how I mentioned gambling earlier?"

Nodding, "mmhmm, and we've done really good. As corny as it sounds, I'm freaking excited I won five dollars!" She laughed and kept her arms around him. "Not sure I'm ever going to want to leave this city."

"I wasn't talking about the casino games," he said as his smile faded completely, replaced with a serious look. "I was talking about something..." he hesitated, swallowing hard against a suddenly dry throat, "else entirely."

Her smile faded after his did, her eyes studying his face all wide and apprehensive. "I don't understand." Her body tensed slightly as she stared up at him, "is everything okay?" She bit down on her lower lip.

"Everything's fine, babe. Better than fine. In fact I'm happier than I've ever been in my whole life." He turned away from her for a second, looking out the glass window of the Stratosphere's tower at the lights of Vegas below. The little velvet box was burning a hole in his pocket— a box that he'd been carrying around for about thirty-six hours now. He knew that some might think he was moving far too fast in this relationship, but his care factor was zero. From that first contact, they'd clicked in a way that just made perfect sense. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was the one.

His eyes moved back to hers, seeing the apprehension there. "Shit, I'm doing a really awful job of this, aren't I?" He took a breath, feeling his guts tighten up into a knot, "you make me feel brand new, Lyv... and that's why I'm going to take this gamble, right here, right now... with you." Before she could say anything, he dropped to one knee, and took her hand. "Alyvia, will you marry me?"

She froze, the shock clear on her face. She just stared at him, trying to form some kind of coherent sentence, but it was hard. This was unexpected, hadn't even entered her mind he'd do something like this. "Jackson?" She managed to get out, keeping her hand in his. "Are you... are you proposing to me?"

"Well, yeah," he said with a brittle laugh, "that was kinda what I was trying to do. I mean, I know it's sudden—"

"Yes." She said quickly, nodding briskly as a radiant smile broke out on her face. "You only live once right? And I wanna spend my life with you. I love you." She couldn't believe she was saying yes, but it felt right. "Let's do it!" Still nodding, she continued, "let's get married."

"You wanna get married now?" He got up from his crouch, wincing as his joined popped in protest. He was still holding her hand in both of his, still squeezing it as though he didn't want to let go.

"Now?" She said in disbelief with a bit of a laugh. "What about the divorce? Don't you have to wait so long for it to be finalized?" This was all moving so fast but it was exciting.

"Yeah," he said with a grin, "was just testing you, babe. It won't be final for a couple more days, a week tops. But yeah, if I could do it right now, I would. I seriously would."

A wide grin split across her face as her arms went back around him, this time going around his neck. "And I would marry you on the spot right now if we could." This was actually happening; she was having trouble wrapping her mind around it. "When did you decide you wanted to do this? And are you completely sure? We just started seeing each other two weeks ago."

"I know, and if I told you when, it might freak you out a little." He shook his head, reaching into the pocket of his pants as he laughed self-consciously. He pulled his fist out and opened it to reveal a ring on his palm. White gold, or maybe even platinum, the setting was simple and elegant, featuring a large garnet gemstone that had to be at least a full carat, possibly more. Encircling that was a perfect ring of diamonds that caught the dying rays of the sun, glittering.

Alyvia just stared at the ring, tears coming to her eyes. It was beautiful and was definitely her style. "Oh my God," she said in a whisper, bringing a hand up to her mouth. Her eyes went back to his face. "Are you completely sure this is what you want? I mean..." her eyes went back down to the ring. "It's gorgeous."

"It's what I want, Lyv. I've known you were the one for me since the night you came to my place and turned my world upside down." He picked up the ring with his other hand and placed it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. "I love you more than anything. When I said you were a keeper, I meant it."

She sniffled as she stepped on her tiptoes, giving him a kiss on the lips. "I love you and I would be honored to be your wife." She placed her hand on the side of his face and kept her other arm around his neck, not wanting to let him go.

He bent his head, kissing her deeply, letting her feel the other things he felt for her besides simple love as he crushed her tight against him. Her back was against the cool glass, and both were totally oblivious to the spectacular view.

She broke the kiss, breathless, "can we umm... go back to the room?" Her hands had moved to his back and she was rubbing it. "I just want some alone time with you, 'kay?"

"Of course," he said with a laugh, "I know this was a bit overwhelming. I was gonna wait until after the SCW show, but..." he took her hand, giving it a little squeeze, "I needed you to know how much you mean to me."

"Oh, honey, I already knew. You show me all the time." She was still grinning. "And it is overwhelming but it's so exciting. Everything with you is an adventure and I love every minute of it." She brought his hand that was holding hers up to her lips and gave it a kiss.

His eyes met hers, and the sexual tension between them almost crackled like electricity. She watched the color of his eyes shift, transforming that deep blue to a near-black. Tugging on her hand, he pulled her towards the stairs that were beside the elevator that went back down to the base of the tower. Nobody used the stairs. Grinning, he pushed open the door and ushered her inside, feeling like a horny teenager. "Can't wait for the room," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her as the door closed behind them, "I want you now."

"Mmhmm." She murmured back as she immediately went to take his shirt off. She couldn't wait either. All of the excitement of the day mixed with what had just happened definitely had her in the mood. Her lips were back on his, not gentle or slow this time but almost rough as she pushed him against the wall....

Lyv Nouvelle stood on the balcony, staring down at the lights of Vegas below. The view was lost on her as she bit her lip, her fingers toying with the engagement ring as she tried to swallow back the overwhelming feeling of dread. She should have been happier than she'd ever been. Jax had proposed to her just hours before, after all. She knew without a doubt that he was the right man for her— she loved him more than she ever thought it was possible to love anyone. There was something she'd been keeping from the man she planned on marrying and it was a secret she couldn't keep any longer. If they were going to get married, he had a right to know and before the engagement went any further, he had to know the truth.

When he got out of the shower it was quiet inside the spacious suite— almost too quiet. Wrapping himself in one of the complementary terrycloth robes, he walked out into the living room. "Lyv?" Nothing but silence answered him and for a moment he was almost worried before he spotted her out on the balcony. Grabbing his cigarettes off the table, he dropped them into the robe's pocket before making his way out there. "Some view," he said softly, moving up behind her, "isn't it?"

Out of habit, she leaned back against him, knowing that he was going to wrap his arms around her. She needed that embrace right now more than anything else. "It's breathtaking; I don't think I could ever get tired of it." God, she loved him so much. Losing him had become the worst fear she'd ever had and after she told him the truth, that could be a real possibility. "How was the shower?" Just a few more moments of idle chit-chat and then she'd tell him. Lyv just wanted a few more moments to make this into a memory before it all came crashing down around her.

He gave her a squeeze. "Woulda been better if you were there... but I guess that would've defeated the purpose." He chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "You think you'd wanna come back here to get married?"

She didn't answer him right away, her hold on him tightening. "Jax, we gotta talk." The words came out before she could stop them and she winced, closing her eyes.

He heard something in her voice, that pause giving her away. "Did something happen while I was in there? Did Strike and the rest of the peanut gallery start in on you again?"

"No," she said shaking her head as she turned and looked up at him. "Can we go back inside? It's getting cold out here."

He nodded, taking a step back as he released his hold on her. "Sure." He gestured towards the patio door that he'd left open, "after you, beautiful."

Lyv tried to smile up at him, but it fell short as she gave him a quick hug and walked into the room. Sliding her hands into the pockets of her robe, she turned so that she was facing him. Swallowing hard, she pulled her hands back out of her pocket and caught herself staring down at her engagement ring. "When you asked me to marry you, I said yes because it felt so right, but I never should have—"

"What?" The word came out as a rough whisper as he turned around, just in time to see her staring at the ring. He froze, feeling sick. "I thought..." he chuckled, shaking his head as he turned away from her again, making a beeline for the fully stocked bar. "Gonna need a drink for this, aren't I?" The question was mostly rhetorical since he was already filling a glass with ice before pouring in a few inches of aged Glenlivet.

She had continued to look down at her ring, unable to look up at his face. Nausea was building up and she thought she might vomit right then and there. Instead of giving in, she swallowed everything back. "I haven't been honest with you." The words came out almost as a whisper.

He sighed, leaning against the bar as he lifted the drink to his lips. Of all the times he'd heard those words over the years, he'd never expected them from her— their relationship had begun with an elaborate game of Truth or Dare, after all. The liquor burned down his throat as he finally lifted his head to look at her. "Alright. Do I have to guess or are you going to tell me what's so bad that you're looking at that fuckin' ring as though it's going to burn a hole through your finger?" He couldn't hold back the anger that flared— it was white hot, making him sweat. Of course she'd changed her mind already. He shouldn't even be surprised.

"I..." she had to swallow back more nausea. Hearing that anger, she assumed it was directed at her. "I lied to you about who my father is. Clay's only my stepfather." There was no more dancing around the subject, she needed to come out with the truth and let the chips fall where they intended.

"Okay," he dragged the word out until it had eleven syllables, "and this changes things how? How does it fucking matter if you misled me? Honestly... I don't give a shit if your old man's Oliver fuckin' Queen—"

"I didn't mislead you; I just omitted that one thing." Finally she looked up at him, her hands sliding back into her pockets. "After my mom killed herself, Clay wanted to adopt me— he didn't really want me, he just wanted another punching bag aside from Lex." The memories made her words falter. “A-and I went to him and begged him help us. I knew that meant I wouldn't really get to eat or have clean clothes. Hell, I'd even be ignored— but I wanted that more than I wanted Clay's undying attention." She exhaled, her arms wrapping around her midsection, hoping it would make her stomach stop hurting. "He blew me off. My father didn't want me, he said I'd be better off with Clay..." she paused and he felt the need to fill the silence.

"Listen, are you breaking it off or not?"

She didn't even seem to acknowledge his question, her eyes drifting back to the ring. "I didn't want you to know that my real father is one of the biggest pieces of shit in the wrestling business." The next words that escaped her lips were mumbled, "fucking trash."

His eyes narrowed. He'd been around too many places to even try and guess who she meant. "Jackie Sweets?" He said the only name he could think of.

"Jax, think back to WCWF," the color had drained out of her face.

The wheels started turning as he studied her, drawing a blank. "Dan Bonez?" He shrugged, "gotta be more specific. Lots of trash in that place, especially back in the early days."

"Tristain Mayhem." The name was enough to send her running into the bathroom, but she kept her feet planted to the carpet. "He's my biological father."

Her words hit him like a physical blow and he closed his eyes, thinking of that scaffolding match on the inaugural edition of Wednesday Night Wreckage back in the days when WCWF was just a regional territory based out of Dallas— 1997. That drunk piece of shit had thrown him too far, sending him sailing over the edge. He'd fallen from three stories up, through a soundboard. They'd told him that he'd never wrestle again. Just hearing that name made the scars on his back that were camouflaged by the stylistic sun tattoo burn. "Bullshit," he growled, shaking his head. "That's not even possible."

"Explain to me how it's not," Her eyes met his, wanting to see if there was any chance he believed it.

"Mayhem's wife was a slut. Hell, I got her in the sack half a dozen times..." he shook his head, "that fucknugget never did a goddamn thing in his life right. No way in hell he had anything to do with you."

The comment about her mother made her wince, but she spoke as if she hadn't heard it. The next words that came out caused a faint smile to cross her face. "I remember this one night I was backstage with him and I spilled soda all over his wrestling gear. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the hallway. He started yelling at me, telling me I was a fucking klutz... he looked like he was gonna hit me but then someone stopped him. Some guy, I always considered to be my knight. He saved me from getting hit."

It'd been at a house show in 1998 in Boise. He wasn't even back on the full roster then. He was silent for so long that it bordered on awkward. "That was me," he said in a low voice, "threw him into the wall and told him that only cowards beat on little girls."

She looked at him, "I know it was you. I always knew."

"Then why the fuck didn't you tell me?" He sounded sad as he leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes against the memories.

"I'm not proud of where I came from." Her face started to crumble. "Jax, you already knew how screwed up things were with Clay and honestly, I didn't want to be associated with those people."

"You think I honestly give two shits about that?" He shook his head, "nah, Lyv... the part that bothers me the most is that you KNEW who I was when we started talking on Twitter."

"I never wanted to tell you because of what that monster did, but I couldn't marry you without you knowing." Now that he knew, the nausea started to subside, but she kept her arms wrapped around her. She had also started to shiver, the temperature in the room feeling like it had dropped ten degrees.

"Yeah," he chuckled bitterly, "and now I know. Goodie." He turned his head, looking at her— his eyes were dark, the expression cold as he stared right through her. "So what is this then? Is any of this even real... or is this you fulfilling some fucked up fantasy?"

"No, this is real— everything I feel for you." Her voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes as she averted them. The look he was giving her was cutting right through to her very core. "I never should've kept it from you and I'm so sorry." Never in her life had she been more ashamed of herself than she was at that moment. Even with the things her stepfather had done, she'd never felt this worthless. "I-if you want me to leave—"

"Shut up." He tossed back the rest of his drink before setting the empty glass down on the counter. His mind was reeling— the déjà vu overwhelming. Ryann had worshipped him for years, granted she'd just had some school-kid crush on her brother's friend. This was infinitely more than that and he truly didn't know how to process it. When he lifted his head to look at her, he saw the tears in her eyes and it was like a knife twisting in his guts. "Hey," he moved towards her, "c'mon... don't cry."

She brought her arm up to her face and wiped her tears away on the fleece sleeve of her robe. "If you hate me, I don't blame you... I really hate myself right now." She knew he was close to her, but she still couldn't look at him. "I should have told you sooner, that first night in the bar but I just wanted to spend time with you and not ruin it. The longer I held off, the harder it got. I couldn't keep it from you anymore, though."

He was right in front of her and he reached out slowly, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Lyv, look at me, please? Just look at me and answer one thing... okay? Do you honestly love me? Hell... do you want to marry me?"

Immediately she looked up at him and their eyes locked. "Yes," she whispered, "more than I've ever wanted anything. I've never been in love before you and without you, I wanna shrivel up and die. Seeing you hurt, I think someone stabbing me would hurt a lot less."

"I'm not hurt," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm okay... you just scared me, that's all. I thought..." he trailed off, squeezing her as though he was afraid she was going to disappear.

The moment he squeezed her, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Her arms wrapped around him and she held onto him for dear life. "When you asked me to marry you tonight, I knew I had to tell you. It wasn't fair to keep it from you."

"It doesn't matter," he said, resting his chin against the top of her head as he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't care if your parents were fuckin' Nazis. I don't care, Lyv... because you're the one I'm supposed to be with. I can feel that with every bone in my body—"

"I feel it too," he couldn't see it, but she was grinning happily. "You and I are meant to be, I know this without a shadow of a doubt. I'm gonna spend the rest of my life making you happier than anyone else ever has." And she meant it, too.