An Angel

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone in the WWF, if only in my dreams.
DISTRIBUTION: Flights.
RATING: G
CONTENT: A romantic setup
SPOILERS: None that I know of.
SUMMARY: A man looks after the woman he loves.

Tired, exhausted... empty... all those words would fit her mood right now. Ashley McMahon was plain old tired. She wanted to curl up into a little ball and just forget for a while. Forget that she had to manage motherhood, an unhappy ex-husband, her part in the family business and her appearances as a performer and just look after herself for a little while.
Her baby girl, Cora, was still the light of her life, the one thing that made her smile on her daily basis. Who knew motherhood would fit her so well? The former bad girl of the McMahon clan, making Shane's pranks and Carm's loud outbursts seem like ripples over a peaceful pond. Ashley had been the one to stay out all night, joining rock bands on the road and not getting in touch with her family for weeks and months at the time.
But her ex-husband, her then-boyfriend, had changed that, instilling discipline and regularity in her wild life. And just when Ashley'd gotten tired of it, when she'd been ready to leave him, she'd found herself pregnant. Surprising everyone, Ashley had embraced motherhood and marriage.
But after three years, she came to the sobering realization that wanting to make something work and making it work was incredibly different and so she left him, gaining full custody and refusing alimony. She made more than enough money, without counting Cora's trust fund, to need his financial support. But he constantly harangued her for more money.
On top of that, she worked at Titan as an advertising executive, looking over the production of various merchandise for WWF superstars and doing her best to increase sales by organizing special appearances by superstars all over Canada and the United States.
To top everything off, she was on the road most of the week, appearing as a valet to two of the business' sweetest guys, Edge and Christian. It was physically exhausting work that often left her too tired to do anything but fall asleep before her head hit her pillow more often than not.

Pete and Rodney stood at the entrance of Ashley's makeshift office in a locker room in Madison Garden watching her sleep, her raven locks covering up most of her face.
"Let's come back later," Rodney said, pulling at his friend's wrist, "she looks beat."
"She always looks beat," Pete said, not moving. "She always looks so tired."
"And having us hang around here isn't going to help. We can run the Posse Sweater Vest idea by her another time."
"I know... I just wish we could do something for her."
"You know, I think we might be able to work something out for her. Come on... Let's find my darling wife."

During the next month, Ashley was too tired to do anything but go through the motions... So tired in fact that she barely noticed the Posse's rise. They started winning some matches and earning well-deserved popularity. As a matter of fact, within weeks, she found herself accompanying Edge and Christian down to the ring for a match that would pit her tag team champions again Carm's Greenwich Posse.
Doing her best to watch the match and do her part, Ashley found herself completely overwhelmed by events when Pete covered Christian for the win. She crawled into the ring and nestled his blond head in her lap while Carm, Pete and Rodney celebrated their first tag team championship on the ramp.
After the match, Ashley sat in the locker room she shared with her sister and looked up at her.
"Was that supposed to happen? I mean, have Pete and Rodney win?"
"Shane and I ran it by Dad and the boys right before the show. We thought it would be surprising. Why?"
"Just wondering."
"Are you okay with it though?" Carm asked. "We just figured you three needed time away from the spotlight. As a matter of fact, Michael Cole is going to interview you and the boys about that in a few minutes. You think you can handle it?"
"Sure thing."
Sure thing my ass, Ashley thought. But she went ahead with it and managed to follow the guys' leads through the interview. However, she couldn't have been more surprised when she heard Edge and Christian announce that they were returning to Canada to plan their revenge against the Posse.
"What the hell was that all about?" she shouted when the interview was over.
"That was about you taking some well-deserved time off," said Pete coming up behind her.
"Huh?"
"Come on, let's talk about this."
Pete led her back to the locker room and sat her down on the couch, crouching in front of her.
"You need time off."
"I don't. I'm just a little tired is all."
"That's a fucking lie. You're exhausted. I know because every time I drop by to see you, you're either yawning or sleeping. You need rest. And that's why I went behind your back to your family to arrange for your vacation."
"Why?"
"Because one day, I want to walk into one of your makeshift offices and see you there smiling, looking as vibrant as I know you can look. And then I want to go up to that rickety desk and ask you to go out to dinner with me."
"Why didn't you ever ask me out before?" Ashley asked, her voice softening.
"Because I don't want you dropping off in the middle of dinner," he smiled.
Ashley laughed. It wasn't the lively sound Pete had loved hearing from the teenage girl he'd fallen in love with but it was a sound that escaped her lips too rarely.
"Thank you Pete," Ashley whispered, putting her head down on his shoulder, "thank you so much. You're the best guy..."
Her words died down as she dozed off in his arms. Carm and Rodney watched from the doorway, smiling at the lovely sight, and quickly retreated. These two needed their privacy.
Pete watched his love sleep and smiled as brightly as he knew how. Then she muttered something in her sleep.
"What?" he asked, gently lifting her chin.
"My angel," she muttered, blinking sleepily at him, "you're my angel my Pete."
And just as quickly, she fell asleep again, curling her body around his. Pete smoothed her hair and chuckled. Him, her angel... She didn't get it... She was his angel, his reason for living... His angel...

Angel
Madonna/Steve Bray

Why am I standing on a cloud
Every time you're around
And my sadness disappears
Every time you are near

Bridge:
You must be an angel
I can see it in your eyes
Full of wonder and surprise
And just now I realize

Chorus:
Oooh you're an angel
Oooh you're an angel
Oooh you're an angel
In disguise, I can see it in your eyes

Walking down a crowded avenue
Other faces seem like nothing next to you
And I can't hear the traffic rushing by
Just the pounding of my heart and that's why

(bridge)

(chorus, repeat)

You're an angel
You're an angel, baby
You're an angel
You must be an angel

Now I believe that dreams come true
'Cause you came when I wished for you
This just can't be coincidence
The only way that this makes sense is that

(chorus, repeat)

You're an angel
You're an angel, baby
You're an angel
You must be an angel, baby

Clouds just disappear

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