Someone not in her right mind

September 30th, 2019 - Phoenix Arizona - Monday Night Raw

Carmella goes stiff and slowly looks behind her. The barely lit storage room isn’t as abandoned as she initially thought.

Mad laughter rings through the dark room as Carmella finally spots Nikki Cross.

So it turns out Carmella was correct in thinking that no one in their right mind would find her in the dimly lit storage room... because ‘the Psychotic Scot’ clearly isn’t. The studded white leather strap of the Women’s Tag Team Title that Nikki is wearing around her neck makes the woman look like even more of a mad dog than usual.

“Wha-what are you doing here?” Carmella stammers.

“This is Nikki’s special place,” Nikki Cross replies as she approaches Carmella who is still hiding behind the equipment case. “I was here the whole time. Saw you come runnin’ in t’ hide. Thought you were playin’ a game. Like, Hide and Seek. Didn’t say anythin’ ‘cause I didn’t want t’ ruin someone else’s game. But now it looks like you were just hidin’... Does that mean you’re here t’ play with Nikki?”

“Um… uh… sure,” Carmella quickly lies. The last thing she wants to do is fight the crazy woman while she’s wearing only a towel. Maybe she can play along and get rid of her? “Let’s play Hide and Seek like you said. You hide and I’ll count to one hundred and come find you.”

Nikki shakes her head as she leans forward and plants her hands on the equipment case that Carmella is hiding behind. “No. Hide and Seek is a kid’s game. I can think of a better game that you and Nikki can play t’gether.” Nikki leans forward so her face is less than a foot away from Carmella’s but then she looks down and her eyes lock on the 24/7 Championship that Carmella is nervously hugging to her chest on top of her towel. “That’s a nice title you’ve got there. Very shiny. I’ve got one too.” Nikki idly prods the title belt hanging from her neck.

“Well, you… you know, there are special rules for my title,” Carmella reminds her new ‘challenger’. “It can be defended anywhere… BUT there has to be a referee present. We’re alone here so fighting me now would be pointless.”

“Okay, if that’s the game you want t’ play then I’ll go get a referee,” Nikki decides, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back… then you can play with Nikki.”

Nikki Cross runs out to retrieve a referee. Carmella waits until she’s out of sight before she scrambles out from behind the equipment case. She briefly sets down her title and takes a couple seconds to smooth out her towel which is looking rather rumpled after everything Carmella has gone through in this final hour of Raw.

“Damn,” Carmella complains as she picks up her championship. “This seemed like such a good hiding spot when I scoped it out in disguise earlier. But that was while Banks and Bliss were fighting so I guess that explains why the crazy homeless lady wasn’t here.”

Carmella rushes toward the door to escape the isolated storage room while Nikki is away only for Cross to cut her off as she comes running back in dragging referee Mike Chioda behind her.

“Look who I found loiterin’ in the hall outside!” Nikki brags. “A new playmate for our game!” Nikki pauses and it dawns on her that Carmella is trying to escape. “Oh! You were tryin’ t’ run out on me!”

“Of course I was!” Carmella snaps. She knows how dangerous this situation has become now that a referee is present. “I can’t fight you like this! I’m in a towel!”

Cross eyes Carmella up and down as if she has only just noticed the 24/7 Champion’s state of _un_dress.

“If you don’t like your towel… then just take it off,” she suggests with a casual shrug, completely missing the point.

“I can’t fight naked!” Carmella shrieks.

Cross lets out a mad laugh then grins like she’s just caught Carmella in a trap. “Ah, so you do want to keep your towel!”

“I… well… it’s better than nothing,” Carmella admits, “I’m just trying to make the best of a really crazy situation and keep my title!”

A wide grin spreads across Cross's face and an absolutely terrifying glint appears in her wild eyes. “Ooh! II knoow!” Nikki begins to dance around the now visibly scared and uncomfortable Carmella while doing a deranged singsong chant that she had perfected in her final months in NXT where she was the witness in the ‘who attacked Aleister Black’ storyline. “III KNOOOW! IIII KNOOOOW! IIIII KNOOOOOW!”

“YOU KNOW WHAT!?” Carmella explodes, out of patience for the madwoman.

Nikki stops behind Carmella and the blonde whirls around to face her. She knows better than to turn her back on someone as openly unstable as Nikki Cross. “I know what game we can play. We’ll call it ‘Carmella’s Choice’. It’s where you decide what’s more important to you… your title… or your towel.”

“Are you—” Carmella is cut off when Nikki’s hand flashes out and covers her mouth.

“Shh… shh... shh… listen to Nikki,” Cross orders with a twinge of menace in her seemingly playful tone. She steps closer so she and Carmella are nearly pressed together. “Here’s how our game is gonna work…” Nikki slowly runs her hand along the side of Carmella’s towel. “If you choose your towel - then you and I are gonna fight here and now… and Nikki’s gonna walk away with a shiny new title t’ go along with this.” Nikki steps back and takes her Woman Tag Team Title off her neck and drops it on the ground beside her so that both her hands are free for a potential fight. “But if you pick your title… then you have t’ give Nikki your towel. Do that... and you can use Nikki’s special place as a hidin’ spot as much as you like. I’ll leave without layin’ a hand on you.”

Cross jumps up and down as if she’s warming up and looks exceptionally pleased with the ‘game’ she’s come up with. “The game’s called ‘Carmella's Choice’ so it’s your decision. What’s more important t’ you? Your title... or your towel? ‘Cause one way or the other… Nikki’s leavin’ with one of ‘em.”