Title: Fire & Ice
Author: Steph
Pairing/Characters: John Cena & OC: Angel Landing
Disclaimer: I own nothing or anyone associated with WWE. I own only the original characters. I am merely a person that writes fan fiction for entertainment only. The pics of the actors/actresses & wrestlers are from various sites which the pics are totally credited to.
Content/Warnings: None
Rating: I'd say between PG-13 to Rated R
Summary: When stranded in some Colorado woods, John falls for a beautiful romance author. But can he get the best of her fiery temper and set a fire of his own in her heart?

Fire & Ice

“Great.” Angel Landon muttered as she flicked off the heater’s switch in the old 1982 Ford pickup.

She’d been battling with it the whole drive, smacking the dash here and there as the heater cut in and out, “Serves you right Ang, for buying and old truck spur of the moment, no questions asked.” She told herself.

Hopefully, the extra fifteen hundred I gave the owner to keep his mouth shut about seeing me will at least serve its purpose, she thought.

She ran her gloved fingers over her long auburn locks. She’d tried to tuck it all into a toboggan before she’d left, to hide her flashy hair. The young woman didn’t want to be recognized and have some of her fans smothering what little space she’d find at the tiny cabin in Boulder.

The cabin.

It had been forever since she had been there. It was her grandmother’s. She’d passed away two years before, and after that, Angel felt more alone than ever.

She drove as steadily as she could down the snowy, slick roads, praying the whole time just to make it there in one piece.

Finally, after another hour she pulled in front of the cabin and killed the truck. The temperature had dropped drastically and she was eager to get inside and start a fire.

Once inside she was happy to find that there was already firewood stacked in the corner of the living area. It was a small cabin, equipped with only one bedroom, a living area, a kitchen, and a bathroom, but was efficient enough for what she needed.

Solitude.

Which was ironic seeing as how she was as alone as it could get. Except for her adoring fans. And her live-in help. But sometimes that made it worse. It wasn’t so much that she was literally alone. It was the irony that she was a romance author but yet had not experienced one bit of romance in her life. She was twenty-one and had not even been kissed!

She began to work at setting up a fire, and unpacking. Before she knew it, it was nearly dark out. She decided to relax with a hot bath and then curl up on her bed and actually read instead of write. She smiled for the first time that day and picked out her favorite silky, white nightgown. The one that actually made her feel…sexy. She knew that by no means was she plain. She knew that she was attractive with her slender waist and curvy hips; her pale, ivory skin and emerald eyes. And the thick, wavy red hair that nearly reached down to her bottom didn’t hurt either. But that was why she was so frustrated. She knew she was pretty, so why the devil was she not dating, or taken, or even engaged?

She shook her head, this is why I took this trip, she thought, to NOT think about this stuff.

She entered the bathroom and began to run a bath.

F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I

John Cena drove down the icy streets as carefully as he could. He was on his way to Denver for the latest episode of Raw and was not making good time. His rental car whirred in protest with his frantic shifting of gears.

“Come on you stupid piece of-” He growled, glancing down at the gearshift, “I know what I’m doing. However, you obviously don’t!”

He looked back up and saw the dog dart out in front of him. He jerked the wheel hard to the right, and just barely missed the dog.

But not the tree that loomed right ahead of him.

He smacked into it head on and in a split second the airbags disengaged. He sat there for a moment, catching his breath.

“Whoa.” He managed after a moment. He wasn’t hurt. Not even a scratch. He leaned forward to re-start the car. The engine protested. After a few tries, it wouldn’t even try to turn over.

A curse flew out of John’s mouth as he grabbed his cell phone. He dialed Vince’s number and his jaw dropped as the phone’s screen flashed NO SERVICE.

“You’ve gotta be freakin’ kidding me!” He yelled, getting out of the car.

No chance of hitchhiking either. No cars were even close in sight. And wouldn’t be with the heavy snowfall. He shook his head and grabbed his duffel bag. His only chance was to find a nearby house or cabin and beg for a place to sleep.

F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I

Angel was curled up in the armchair next to the fireplace with a book, when she heard a knock at her door. She slowly laid aside her book and stared at the door.

I can’t pretend I’m not here, she thought, the fire is glowing in the window.

She quietly got up and grabbed her little twenty-five, gripping it in her small hand, “Who is there?” She called out.

She heard a deep male voice answer on the other side of the door, “Uh, my name is John Cena. My car has stalled down the road and I really need a phone, or a place to stay for the night.”

Angel gripped the small handgun tighter, opened the door a crack, leaving the chain lock in place, and stayed behind it, out of sight, “I am sorry. I don’t have a phone and there is no way I can let a strange man stay here with me.”

“Maam, please.” John said through the crack, “I completely understand your suspicion, but there is not another place around here for miles. It’s like ten degrees out here. I could freeze to death.”

Angel contemplated this. He was right. But how could she let a MAN in there? He could be a rapist or a killer, or no telling what! But at the same time, how could she be responsible for a man’s death? A horrible death at that!

“Look, I’m going to open the door,” She said, reaching for the chain lock, “But don’t get any ideas. I have a gun and I know how to use it.”

She opened the door to the freezing wind outside and faced the huge man in her doorway.

He was…gorgeous.

“Easy, lady…” John started, “I don’t want any trouble-”

“Well, you have obviously found some..” She said, overcoming her initial shock.

She had imagined a big, greasy-haired mountain man pounding on her door. Not this incredibly handsome & clean-cut, blue-eyed man.

John Cena eyed the red haired beauty in front of him.

She WOULD have to be a redhead, he thought.

Her emerald eyes looked him over wearily, yet he could see an icy glare waiting to emerge. He couldn’t help but let his eyes roam over her slender body clad in a short, white, lacy nightgown. She noticed this and pulled her robe more securely around her.

“You can’t expect me to really let you stay here. You could be anyone. You-”

“And YOU can’t expect me to really stay OUT here. I mean come on lady, I could and probably would die.”

He barged his way in, not even seeming to worry that the woman had a gun in her hand, “I’m sorry lady, but I’m staying. And there is no way you can move me, that I’m sure of.” He said in defiance.

Angel pointed the gun at him, “This will.”

“You are not going to shoot me.” John said, setting his bag on the floor.

“Oh, no?”

John shot his arm out and grabbed her wrist grabbing the gun from her and yanked her against him.

“You hesitated.” He grinned cockily into her face, “You would have shot me when I barged in here.”

Angel struggled to breathe from the shock of one minute standing away from him and then in the next instant being pressed up to his hard chest.

And now he had her gun.

“Are you going to kill me?” She panted, after he released her, “I have you know that I am a famous author and-”

“Pffft!” John scoffed at her, “Lady, why would I kill you?” He gave her the gun back, “Would a killer give you your gun back?”

She slowly shook her head, “I guess not.”

“I’m sorry if I scared you.” He said, his tone softening somewhat, “I’m just not too eager to freeze to death.”

Angel nodded, “I understand.”

She looked down at her robe that had now come open to reveal her long legs, and creamy ivory skin. She quickly pulled it closed and secured the belt into a knot.

“Hey, don’t mind me.” John winked at her, “I appreciate the beauty of a woman.”

Angel felt her skin heat up. She knew that she was attractive, but she’d never had the word beauty used in a sentence to describe her.

“Uh, well…I’m modest.”

John clicked his tongue, “What a shame. What is your name?”

“What’s yours?” She asked, challenging him.

“I told you outside, it’s John Cena. Nice to meet you…” He trailed off, sticking out his hand to shake hers.

“Angel. Angel Landing.” She replied, taking his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Angel.” John said, taking a black hoodie out of his back and pulling it over his white wife-beater. He sat down on the couch, as Angel moved to put more wood on the fire, “So you are an author?” He asked, making conversation, “What kind of author?”

“Uh, romance.” Angel said uncomfortably.

“Cool.” John said, laying his head back on the couch.

“So, what do you do?” Angel asked, sitting down on the couch by him.

“I’m a pro wrestler for the WWE.”

“Really?” Angel actually looked impressed, guess you have to stay in pretty good shape for that, huh?”

John nodded, lifting up his layer of tops to reveal his six-pack proudly, “I guess you’d say that.”

Angel nearly gaped at his ripped stomach, “Wow.”

John chuckled, “That’s not usually the responses I get from women, but hey.”

“Well, it’s just that I’ve never seen anyone that…uh…built.” She explained, “In fact I didn’t even know you could be that ripped.”

“Well, I’ve worked out everyday of my life since I was twelve. Anyway, what is a beautiful romance author like yourself doing out here in the middle of nowhere? And alone?”

“I…really don’t want to talk about it.” Angel said, picking up her book from the floor, “I think I’m going to go to bed. You are welcome to sleep on the sofa. And I will give you a ride into town in the morning.”

John nodded, “A’ight.. Sweet dreams.” He grinned at her mischievously.

“Sweet-uh…Goodnight.” She stammered and turned her back to him and headed for the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

What else could happen today? She thought.

F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I

Angel awoke around dawn. It was still pretty dark and she decided to get something to drink. As she stepped out of the little bedroom she could hear John snoring lightly from the couch. She looked in and could see that he was asleep without so much as a blanket, and she immediately felt terrible.

She stepped back into her room and grabbed one of the blankets off her bed, then went back to the couch. She crouched down beside John and placed her hand on his face to see if he was cold. Surprisingly, he was warm. The fire was still blazing pretty well. She took the blanket and draped it over his large frame.

As she stood to get her drink, his hand shot out and grabbed hers, “You didn’t have to do that you know.”

He looked up at her and gently squeezed her hand.

Angel found herself smiling at him, “I know that. I wanted to. I mean-I didn’t want you to freeze.” She finished lamely.

“How could a man freeze with you in the room?” John asked her, his voice suddenly husky.

He reached up and brushed a few strands of her flaming hair away from her face as he saw the bewilderment on her face, illuminated by the fire’s glow. He traced his thumb down her cheek and then brushed his lips very lightly over hers.

Angel gasped and pulled back, “Don’t kiss me.”

John smirked at her, “Okay, first of all, why not? And second of all, that was nowhere near what I call a kiss.”

Angel chose to ignore his last comment, “Why not?” She demanded, “Because I said so. And because kissing isn’t just an everyday occurrence for me.”

“A kiss is just a kiss.” John told her. He still held her hand and was now stroking his thumb over the back of it.

“Not when you have never been kissed.” She argued, and immediately wanted to smack her forehead. She continued, “You’ll be gone today. I want my first kiss to be special. With someone that means it. Not someone who is merely passing through a day in my life."

John stared at her a moment. He found it hard to believe that she’d never been kissed.

But he was too tired at the moment to argue with her, so he just nodded, “Fair enough.”

He released her hand, “I won’t kiss you unless you ask me too. And that is a promise.”

With that he flopped over with his back to her and went back to sleep.

A couple hours later, it was light outside and Angel woke John up, “Hey dude, come on. I’ll get ya into town.” She said.

He grunted in reply, but did sit up on the couch, “What time is it?” He saw a coffee cup being shoved into his face.

“Now I KNOW it’s love.” He commented, “How did you know that I am a coffee drinker?”

He saw her sit in the armchair across from him. She’d evidently been up for a while since she was now dressed in a modest pair of jeans and a teal colored sweater that emphasized her fiery hair and green eyes.

“You scream it.” Angel chuckled, sipping on her own cup, “And it is about ten A.M. You are welcome to use the bathroom if you want to shower or whatever.”

John nodded, gulping down his cup of coffee. He stood and grabbed some clothes out of his bag, then headed to the bathroom. He was back out in about fifteen minutes and saw Angel zipping up her Italian boots.

The girl has style, he thought.

“Ready?” She asked, standing up.

He nodded and grabbed his duffel bag. She pulled on her coat and grabbed her keys as they headed out the door.

“Okay, if you are a famous author, what are you doing driving that?” He asked, indicating the old beat up truck.

“A disguise.” She said, “I wanted privacy. That’s all I care to say.” She said as they climbed in, “The heater is broken. Sorry.” She said, as she put the key in the ignition.

She turned it.

Nothing.

The engine would not even attempt to turn over.

“Not…happening!” She laid her forehead on the steering wheel.

“I take it I’m not getting to town.” John commented wryly.

“Sugar, WE are not going anywhere. The truck has evidently gotten too cold.”

They climbed out of the truck and just stood out in the cold snow.

“Well, you know the cool thing about me is….” John started, picking up a good handful of snow and molding it into a perfect white sphere, “Is…”

“Don’t do it.” Angel said, backing up, “I will-”

SMACK…

The snowball hit her right in the shoulder.

“I can see the good in a bad situation.” He finished, laughing.

“JOHN!” It occurred to her that it was the first time she called him by his name.

Without even thinking, she ran right at him, and dove. She grabbed him around the waist and she wasn’t near strong enough to tackle him, but John humored her. Plus, it was an excuse to have her in his arms. They fell to the snow and she actually smiled down at him, shoving snow into his face.

“Augghhhhh!” He yelled, laughing all the while. He shifted his weight, pinning her under him in a submission maneuver.

“Get off me!” She squealed giggling. She felt him hold her slender wrists together with only one of his hands. But for some reason, it didn’t scare her.

“A snow Angel.” He said it so quietly she wasn’t sure she heard him correctly.

“What?”

Blushing, he uttered, “Uh, nothing…”

He stood up, both of them feeling unnerved. He helped her to her feet and gently brushed some snow from her forehead.

“So, are you going to be in trouble with your job?” She asked him, as they headed back into the cabin.

“Naw.” He said, “Not when they find out what happened.”

They sat down on the sofa together, not paying attention that they were sitting closer than they had the night before.

“So, why don’t you tell me what you are really doing here?” John suggested, “There is no telling how long we’ll be stuck here.”

“No!” Angel snapped at him, “I DON’T want to talk about it!” She stood up from the sofa and crossed her arms over her chest.

Much against her will, tears invaded her eyes. Angrily, she reached up and brushed them away.

Surprisingly, John stood up and looked at her worriedly, “Are you okay?” He asked softly, “Is someone after you? Is that why you are hiding?”

“No!” She yelled now, “Please just drop it!”

“What is your problem?” He demanded, “I was just making conversation! I would have shut my mouth had I known some psychopathic red-head was gonna go off on me for just showing an interest!”

He knew by the pain in her eyes that he’d gone too far, and immediately felt terrible, “I’m sorr-”

“Shut up! You know nothing about me, OR why I’m here alone.” She accentuated the word alone.

She turned and grabbed her coat, and slammed the door behind her.

“That went really well.” John said out loud, rubbing the back of his neck.

F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I

Angel stomped through the woods angrily.

How dare he assume to know my character! Her angry side thought, he was just trying to make conversation, her more rational side argued.

“Geez!” Angel growled, stopping to catch her breath.

I was pretty rotten to him, she thought, I owe him a big apology, she thought further, “He was only doing what any other person would have done. Trying to get to know a stranger whom he was sharing a cabin with! No, stuck in a cabin with! Geez! What is my problem?"

She turned around to start heading back and realized she had to have walked a good mile out, since the cabin was nowhere in sight.

“Oh, boy.” She groaned, walking in the direction she thought the cabin was in, “Me and my stupid temper may have just gotten me into some trouble.”

She’d walked about a half mile when she heard some ferocious growls behind her.

She stopped where she was, frozen in fear. As she turned around, she saw a pack of about five wolves running toward her. She gasped and took off running as she peeled her coat off. She threw it away from her, knowing that at least some of the wolves would chase her scent from the coat. But now, she knew she’d made a mistake when the biting, cold wind stung her through the sweater she wore. She glanced back and still saw three wolves chasing her.

“Help!” She screamed, “Someone help me!”

Her free hair tangled around her face as the wind pinched her all over. Shrubbery and branches whipped her face as she ran. She sobbed as she saw a cliff right in front of her.

A big one, she thought.

She could see when she stopped right in front of it.

Too wide to jump, was her last thought as she turned around and one of the wolves pounced on her..

His teeth sank into her wrist, ripping her flesh as they plummeted down the cliff. The other two wolves stopped and watched them.

Angel hit the snowy area of the cliff so her fall was cushioned somewhat but not very much. She felt her body jar against the ground and the air was knocked out of her. She saw as the wolf got the raw end of the deal and his frame shattered against some rocks.

She could clearly make out an area that any normally uninjured person could crawl out of the huge ditch by and she decided to try it. She whimpered, and tried to get up, only to be greeted by a fierce pain to her wrist and ankle and collapsed back to the ground. She sobbed, when she saw the blood flowing from her wrist and forearm. She stuck it in the snow to try and clot the blood to stop the bleeding.

“Someone…please… help me…” She whispered, her breathing growing shallower. She was fading quickly. Her vision blurred, and then everything dulled before her eyes, until nothing...

F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I F&I

“Man, how bad did I piss her off?” John asked out loud after an hour.

He felt really badly. He hadn’t meant to pry into a part of her life that obviously was too painful for her to talk about. He stepped out on the little porch to see if he could see her making her way back to the cabin.

Not a soul.

The piercing scream did get his attention however. It sounded pretty far off, but he could have sworn it sounded like Angel. Instinct took over as he ran inside and grabbed her gun from the night before, grabbed his coat and ran back outside.

“Angel!” He yelled, running through the woods, “Angel! WHERE ARE YOU?!”

He shouted as loud as he could. He had been running for what seemed like hours, and he finally passed by her coat.

It was ripped beyond belief.

Wolves. She won’t survive out here for much longer, he thought frantically, not without her coat.

He heard wild barking not very far ahead of him. He saw a small pack of gray wolves barking hungrily from a cliff. He aimed the handgun at them and fired. He hit one and the other two scrambled off frantically. John ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down.

“Oh, my God. Angel!” He shouted down at her unmoving form.

He could see that her arm was bleeding badly. He noticed the dead wolf lying beside her. He had to get her to safety. He quickly looked around the area and made out a spot that he could walk down and carry her out.

He ran down the area quickly and dove to her side, “Angel! Wake up sweetie!”

He turned her over and checked her pulse. It was surprisingly going fairly strong. He quickly ripped off a strip of material from his t-shirt and tied it tightly over the wound on her arm.

“Angel…You’ve gotta wake up sweetheart.”

She whimpered weakly, and stirred slightly.

“That’s it, baby. You’re okay.” He was alarmed at her blue-tinged lips, and hugged her to his warm body.

“J-John?” She whispered, her emerald eyes gazed up at him in a glazed stare.

“Yeah, sweetheart, it’s me.” He said, taking his coat off and wrapping her in it, “You’re gonna be okay.” He lifted her up into his arms, “That’s it. Yeah, put your arm there.” He said, placing her injured arm around his neck, “I gotcha.”

He could feel her small frame shivering against his. He had to hurry and get her back to the cabin and get a huge fire going. He was walking at a quick pace till he felt her go limp in his arms again. Then he knew that time was running out, and ran as fast as his legs would let him. After about twenty minutes, he made it to the cabin.

He got her inside and laid her on the couch, checking her over.

“Angel…” He whispered, worry furrowing his forehead, “Baby, you’re gonna be fine. Just please, wake up.”

When he got no response, he ran over to the little kitchen and dug through the drawers till he found a pair of scissors. He went back to her and started to cut her pant leg.

Seconds later, he’d cut off her jeans and sweater, and pulled off her boots. He instantly noticed swelling in her right ankle and noted that he needed to check it over.

Like a gentlemen, he truly tried not to notice her now skimpily clad form. He lifted her up again and carried her into the little bedroom, laying her down on the bed, and covering her.

He then went to his bag to grab his first aid kit. He always carried one with him to be on the safe side. He went back to her and grabbed the stuff he needed from the kit. Peroxide, gauze pads, cotton, tape, and bandage scissors. He cleaned her wound with the peroxide and some cotton, and began applying some gauze over the wound and taping it in place.

The he pulled the covers back and prodded his fingers down her leg to make sure the injury in her ankle didn’t go up further.

John looked at the ankle, gently prodding it. He turned it slightly.

A sprain, he deducted.

“At least it’s not broken.” He thought out loud, digging an ace bandage out of his first aid kit, and began wrapping it securely.

He soon finished and then pulled the covers back over her. And then he removed his shirt and climbed under the covers with her and pulled her to him, pressing her face to his bare chest. He knew she’d probably kill him when she was awake and well enough but it still had to be done to get her body temperature back up gradually. If he got her to warm too quickly, the cold blood in her body could rush to her heart and cause it to fail.

His blazing skin nearly scorched hers to the point of waking her up.

“No! What…are you…doing??” She cried out and sobbed at the shock of finding herself in John’s arms and pressed against his naked chest.

“Shhh.” He told her, “It’s okay. I’m using my body heat to warm you. We need to get your body temperature back up.”

Angel’s rapid breathing calmed though she still wept from the fear of what she’d endured.

“Shh-shh…You’re alright.” John whispered, “You’re perfectly safe.”

For a few more minutes she shivered till John pulled her closer and she snuggled closer to his warmth. She placed her good arm over his shoulder.

“Is that for comfort, or a hug?” He smiled down at her so sweetly, that tears came to her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered.

“What for, sweetheart?” John asked, rubbing her back, his fingers brushing lightly over her spine.

“I was so mean to you. And for no reason.” She said, “I’m really sorry. It’s just that I’ve always felt alone.” She confessed, “I’ve never had a guy in my life that cared. Actually, no guy at all.” She stopped, feeling utterly depressed, “I’ve always felt so inferior and pathetic.”

A tear fell down her face and John wiped it away with his thumb, “Sweet heart…you are NOT pathetic. We guys can sometimes be pathetic.” He kissed the top of her head, “You are a beautiful woman. With your whole life ahead of you. How old are you?” He asked.

“Twenty-one.” She answered, sniffling.

“You are only twenty-one!” He told her, “That is so young, sweetie. Try being thirty!” He tried to joke and make her feel better.

She did chuckle softly, “Older is sexy on guys though.”

Where in the world did that come from? She wondered, I’ve never flirted in my life!

“Well, that is some good information.” He said, his voice growing husky.

She looked up at him, and trailed her finger down his jaw, “Thank you for saving my life.” She said, smiling softly, shyly.

“You don’t have to thank me.” He told her, “I just did what anyone else would have done.”

“No you didn’t.” She smiled again, “You have given me the most romantic moment in my life.”

She blushed when she admitted this, but she could not let him pass through her life without letting him know that.

John gazed down at her mouth, “If you don’t ask me to kiss you soon…I’m gonna have to break a promise.” He whispered.

“Kiss me.” She said softly, “Really kiss me.”

John wasted no time as he pulled her closer to him. He bent his head down and lightly trailed his lips over hers. He wanted her first kiss to be one that she’d never forget.

“John…” She pleaded passionately.

He again brushed his lips over hers, taunting her lips with his. He finally gave in to the temptation and ground his mouth against hers, warm and ready. She sighed against his mouth, and then moaned softly as he little by little, worked his tongue into her mouth. He ran his hands over her arms and pulled her even closer against his large frame. He trailed his lips down to her neck and kissed the area behind her ear, then moved down to her shoulder.

With some assertiveness, Angel went after her second kiss in her life. John was surprised at her aggressiveness but rather liked it. They finally broke the kiss and lay in each other’s arms.

“You caught on quickly.” John teased, nuzzling her neck, “Just so you know, you are an amazing kisser.”

Angel blushed, “So are you.” She snuggled into his chest and fell asleep.

John pulled the covers more securely around them and watched Angel as she slept, moving a wave of her fiery hair away from her pretty face.

Several hours later, Angel stirred in John’s arms and awoke.

“Hey.” John whispered softly.

“Mmmm?” Angel replied sleepily.

“Do you believe that two people can fall in love after only twenty-four hours?”

Her eyes shot open, “What?”

“Do you?” He asked, “I’m pretty sure I do now.” He smiled down at her, holding her face in his hands and pressed his mouth against hers.

“John…” She said, “This can’t-”

“What?” John asked, “You are the romance author and you think it isn’t possible?” He teased.

“No, It’s not that-”

“I love you.” He said, kissing the tip of her nose.

The realization of what he just said hit her, and she smiled happily, “I love you too.”

And she sealed her proclamation with a kiss.

The End