Chapter Text
“Okay, now that was a little funny.” The Pride fighter snickered as Liv crawled into the passenger seat.
“What’s funny?”
“How we’re on a walk and it just so happens Rhea is too, come on Liv.”
Morgan knew Rhea well enough to know that it very well could have been a mere coincidence. When the two women were close, whenever something was stressing the Aussie out, she would find solace in long, grueling gym sessions along with the occasional walk or run. Hell, the Jersey native often accompanied her on several occasions.
“Something must be on her mind..” The blonde glanced over at her friend, her round stylish glasses hanging ever so slightly beneath her tired blue eyes. “She would usually take night walks when something is really weighing heavily on her.” She shot her eyes back down to her hands, idly twiddling her thumbs as DeVille started the vehicle. She could sense Sonya was grinning.
“You know what I think?”
Liv snorted, letting out a small chuckle.
“Oh, What do you think?”
“Your return really made her stop and really think about what she did, and how fucked up it was.” Sonya raised her brow and began to wince a little. “I also may have slapped her at the gym this morning after you told me everything.”
Morgan’s mouth fell wide open.
“Look, I know she’s my friend too. But what she did wasn't right, and you know it. Judgement Day is on its way out. Without Edge, and with her losing constantly. It’s not looking good. She was stupid to leave you for them.” The brunette continued on while Morgan shook her head.
“What’s going on with that, anyway?” Liv bit her lip. “Becky and Bianca both mentioned she’s been on a losing streak that coincidentally seems to have started since I left.”
“She hasn’t really been the same, Liv. I truly feel whatever ounce of grit and determination that she had, walked out the door with you. Don’t take what the girls say with a grain of salt.”
“Were they right?” The former Riott squad member questioned herself along with her friends. Could she really have been the key to The Eradicator's success? If Morgan knew anything about Rhea at all, she knew that she was the kind of person whose self-worth was dependent on winning matches. Ripley had been a very competitive person by nature, losing was never something she did well, and unfortunately it was something she had gotten used to. Her thoughts about the matter soon came to a halt as she heard her friend speak once more.
“Change of subject; Bianca’s title. You gonna go for it?”
“I just got back, girl. I know I’ve joked about it, but don’t you guys have a unifying match in a month? I’m not about taking opportunities from others, you know that. It sounds like Hunter has his plans set, already.” Going after the gold would be something that would help Liv get her bearings back, plus keep her mind off of Ripley for the time being, but given Survivor Series was only a month away, she knew it was too late for now to go after a singles title.
“Plans change though.”
The two women finally pulled into Sonya’s driveway. Liv’s jeep parked off to the side. The two women said their goodbyes before Morgan got into her own vehicle. The small blonde let out a sigh as she threw her head slightly back onto the headrest of the driver's seat, staring blankly up at the jeep's ceiling. Before she could begin to think too much, her phone let out a chime. She fumbled around her bag momentarily until she pulled out the device, her heart began to pound upon reading the screen.
Rhea: Hey, I know it’s late, and I’m probably the last person you want to talk to. But I have something that I need to talk to you in person about. Meet me at the PC at 5 tomorrow?
Liv took a deep breath to settle herself down before responding.
Liv: Depends, are we talking 5am or 5pm? :P
Rhea responded within seconds.
Rhea: AM, too many people working out at PM. You know no one normally shows up until at least 6 in the morning, so we got an hour.
Rhea: So, you meeting me or not?
Liv groaned at the thought of getting up at 4am to get ready and meet Ripley at the PC that early. She normally allowed herself to sleep in at least until 7 at home on the farm, even later when she had time between work and traveling while she was away.
Liv: I’ll meet you there. Don’t count on me being completely awake though.
It was almost as if Ripley had been watching the phone, waiting for Morgan to respond so she could answer.
Rhea: I’ll get Starbie’s to sweeten the pot a little, I still remember your order. I’ll see you at 5.
Liv: Can’t turn down free coffee. :P I’ll see you.
The Jersey native put her phone away before finally starting her Jeep and driving home for the night. What could Rhea possibly want to talk about after everything? Her heart raced as she thought of possible scenarios. Ideally, Rhea would admit that she made a mistake two years ago. That she was leaving Dom and Judgement Day and that she loved Liv back. They could finally be together and Liv4Brutality would be back, stronger than ever.
But then she had to be pragmatic. Because she knew that wasn’t going to be happening any time soon.
A lot of her colleagues preferred to have their gyms like they prefer their stadiums, so loud that you could hardly think. But not Rhea, she preferred to have hers quiet. With the exception of metal music blaring in her ears from time to time. The stillness of an empty gym helped to lull the noise in her mind. And there had been a lot of it lately, Her losing streak, Judgement Days inevitable demise, her relationship with Dominik. Not to mention Liv Morgan’s return and the history between the two women now getting thrown into the mix, Rhea Ripley had a lot that was not only weighing heavily on her mind, but her heart now as well.
The Eradicator leaned against the front counter of the gym in the Performance Center staring at her feet, waiting to see if Morgan would show. Many of the wrestlers could have their pick of any gym they wanted, they almost have to when they’re traveling. But for those who reside in Orlando, the high end equipment and top-notch staff at the Performance Center make it seem nothing short of crazy to want to go anywhere else. Why not take advantage of what the WWE has to offer ? She thought.
Her head perked up as she heard the hinges of the glass doors of the facility open, a groggy Morgan shuffling in. Her long blonde hair had been meticulously braided, as it sat nearly over the front of her shoulder. Morgan’s glasses were just barely sitting on the edge of her nose as she rubbed her blue, glossed over eyes. She could have sworn she had worn this all red ensemble before while she had been filming a workout with Sheamus just years ago.
She was still just as beautiful as ever. Rhea thought.
“You know, if I’m going to be grunting and sweating for a girl, I would appreciate it if she didn’t get a phone call from Edge afterwards.” Morgan grumbled as she walked towards Rhea, stopping dead in her tracks after she had just realized the joke she made and who she had made it to.
“Shit, that was-I’m sorry.” Liv apologized. Rhea felt a sharp ache in her chest at the comment, but she shrugged it off as she stepped toward the smaller woman, coffee in hand.
“No worries…You get some free passes, after what an ass I’ve been.” The raven haired woman handed Morgan her Starbucks order. The blonde let out a small yawn before taking a drink.
“I can’t believe you still remembered..” a smile crept across Morgan’s lips as she felt herself wake up a little, looking up at Rhea. “So what did you want to talk about?”
“Come with me.” The Eradicator led Morgan further into the gym, not long before Ripley found herself circling the bench press.
“I talked to Hunter. And he agrees that you should have a shot at some gold.” Rhea began as she started loading the barbell up with weight. “The Women’s Tag Team Titles have been vacant for a while, and there’s talk of a tournament…” The Aussie found herself having a difficult time getting straight to the point as she didn’t think that Liv would go for what she’d propose. Her time in Judgement Day was coming to a close in a few weeks time, meaning a fresh start in the ring. With Liv by her side once more, Rhea hoped it would give her enough momentum to kick her losing streak. Though given the history between the two women in as well as out of the ring, she grew more nervous ruminating over what Liv’s response might be.
“I’ll be out of Judgment Day soon, and if we can get Hunter on board, maybe we can get back together-as a team, I mean.”
Liv stepped back a bit as a soft shock struck her other core. Never in a million years would she have thought that she would hear what Rhea Ripley was telling her in this very moment. She grimaced at the mention of the Women’s Tag Team titles. The same titles that brought the two women together, were the same ones that tore their relationship apart. There wasn’t a day that had gone by that Liv didn’t want her or miss her. A multitude of conflicting emotions flooded the former Riott squad member as she listened to Ripley’s proposal.
“Rhea, I don’t know what to say…I would have jumped at this two years ago.”
“I know, and that’s my fault.” Liv watched as The Aussie hung her head. “I wish I had answers for you that didn’t sound like excuses.” The brunette stepped around the bench as she sat on it, her head in her hands.
“I’ve held Championships…and now, I can’t win a bloody match..” Her tattooed hands slowly fell away from her face, her pale blue eyes met with Morgans. “I know you’ve struggled too..” The Aussie stood up, slowly inching towards Liv.
“AEW wasn’t the place for you, this is your home. So what if you couldn’t make history there?…Let’s make it here .”
“I’m not the same person I was two years ago, Rhea…and what about Dominik? He has to know that we had something then, and..I like Dominik, I do..I just.” Rhea turned away momentarily to go sit back down on the bench. A year's worth of memories came flooding back between the two women, playing on a loop in both of their minds for the time being. Liv remembered how dominant the Eradicator was back then when she was formerly The Nightmare. Ripley oozed confidence and aggression, laying waste to every woman in the division that came across her path. Looking at her now, Morgan knew that version of her was still in there, somewhere. This Rhea Ripley looked lost, and perhaps now was the time she became found.
“The Rhea I knew back then didn’t need anyone to win.” The blonde crossed her arms and began to walk over to the sitting Aussie before crouching down to eye level.
“If you’re struggling out there, I’m going to need you to remember just exactly who you are” Rhea's eyes darted around the room, refusing to make contact with anything but Liv’s.
“Look at me… You’re Rhea Bloody Ripley .” Ripley’s eyes finally met hers. Liv had seen the Aussie in many states, but this was a side the former Riott Squad member only had seen a handful of times years prior.
“You just need to believe in yourself a little more, for your sake. We can’t do all of it for you, you know?” The smaller woman teased as she placed a hand on the Eradicator's shoulder and playfully nudged it, warranting a small smile from Ripley.
“You believe in me?” The Aussie asked, smirking.
Liv shook her head.
“Don’t be stupid, of course I do.” Morgan felt a lump forming in her throat at the statement. “Even after all this time.” She wanted more than anything to give Ripley the benefit of the doubt, It couldn’t have been an easy decision for her to make at the time. She also felt guilty at her part she played in the decision all those years ago too. Maybe if she had been a little more supportive, and understanding. She chased the thoughts away as she stood up and walked over to the barbell Ripley loaded.
“Let’s get this workout done. It’ll give me some time to think about your offer.”