Overcome

Chapter 1

The rumors flew around for months as soon as the year 2001 rolled in about Ted Turner selling World Championship Wrestling, the global phenomenon that had went toe-to-toe with the World Wrestling Federation for several years. They even beat WWF in the ratings throughout the year of 1998. However, with backstage politics and everyone basically running the show, deciding what they would be paid, WCW was a mess. Eric Bischoff had bitten off a lot more than he could chew in the war by stealing stars from WWF, flashing dollar signs at them. It worked…for a while, until the powers that be, the higher ups, informed Bischoff WCW was hemorrhaging money. They were losing money, not making it, even with the sold-out arenas and merchandise flying off the shelves.

The company was hemorrhaging money because of the stars massive paydays. Eric Bischoff had even brought in Vince Russo, who was the main writer in WWF during their Attitude Era, that competed with WCW, and he claimed his storylines are what made the WWF so successful in ratings. It was all about the ratings and Bischoff had become so obsessed, he didn’t start building new stars the way WWF had. He relied on the old stars like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Hollywood Hulk Hogan…those types to carry the company into the future. The only major star WCW made was Goldberg, who had an undefeated streak that was later broken.

In late March, one week before the WWF’s Super Bowl pay-per-view event of the year, WrestleMania, the final shot in the war had been fired and WCW fell. Vince McMahon, the owner of the WWF, had bought WCW and won the war. For weeks, the stars of WCW had been nervously anticipating the inevitable to happen because Eric Bischoff’s offer had been tossed out the window. He’d put an offer down and Vince trumped it, buying out his own competition. Alice stood backstage amongst the other WCW stars, grey eyes wide, while watching Vince McMahon address all of WCW once their program had ended. Sting and Ric Flair had closed the show out with a final match that everyone applauded backstage in Panama City Beach, Florida. WCW’s final resting place.

“What’s going to happen now?”

“Where will we go?”

“What will we do if we’re out of jobs?”

“We have families to feed, damn it!”

Alice heard it all, but couldn’t speak because she too had the same worries and concerns floating around her brain. That was until another shocking moment happened. Shane McMahon walked out from the backstage area and stepped foot inside a WCW ring, which was a surreal sight. Her eyes widened again as he announced the contract for buying WCW read the name McMahon, but it wasn’t Vince. It was SHANE MCMAHON!

“I now own WCW!” Shane announced proudly into a WCW microphone, grinning back at his father through the camera and enjoyed the look of sheer disbelief, shock and sickness coming over his father’s face. “And Dad, just like WCW did in the past, we’re gonna kick your ass AGAIN!”

There was a BUZZ unlike any other backstage as everyone began speculating what this meant, all eyes turning to Shane McMahon as he sauntered through the curtain. They had a new owner now, but what did Shane plan on doing with the company? Would the war continue? Would they still be on television to battle against WWF? Alice had no idea what to think or believe regarding this sudden turn of events, looking over at Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler, two of her friends and rivals. They were the only women, virtually, in the WCW that stood out and represented the women’s division of the company.

“Boys and girls, you WILL have jobs and we WILL take the fight to my father.” Shane stated confidently, a certain edge in his voice and rubbed his hands together. “And we won’t be the only ones. Trust me on this. For now, go home and relax for a couple weeks, which you will be paid for.” Out of his own pocket, no less. “As a matter of fact, if any of you would like to witness me destroying my old man at WrestleMania Sunday, I have tickets.”

Shane was facing Vince in a street fight at WrestleMania that year with Mick Foley as the special guest referee. Vince had treated his wife, Shane’s mother, Linda McMahon wrong and put the poor woman in a sanitarium…after demanding a divorce nearly a year prior. In Madison Square Garden, of all places! Linda had a complete mental breakdown and needed to be medicated, but not to the point of being a vegetable. Vince flaunted his affair with Trish Stratus, who was one of the main women on the WWF’s roster, and treated HER like trash too. Vince thought he was untouchable, but little did he know Shane had Trish AND Linda in his back pocket, ready to strike and get their revenge against the old man.

Oh, it would be a glorious night indeed!

Alice had opted to go, wanting to see her new boss and owner of WCW wipe the mat with his own father. WrestleMania was an experience unlike any other, bigger than any Starrcade event WCW put on, which was considered the company’s Super Bowl. It was always in December while WrestleMania was at the end of March/early April. She wore a simple black skirt and red sleeveless top, showing just enough cleavage to be a tease, but nothing more. She was conservative in her own way, but still enjoyed teasing men just for the sake of doing it.

Her feet were encased in two-inch knee-high boots and she had fishnets on that clashed with her tanned skin. She didn’t look like an orange the way Torrie sometimes did, refusing to self-tan and didn’t go to tanning salons either. It was a natural tan, just enough to accent her beauty. Her long fiery red hair was pulled up on top of her head, a few curls framing her face and her nails were freshly done for the event as well, sticking with red tips.

When Shane came out, she clapped alongside her fellow WCW compadres, cheering their new boss on. Halfway through the match, Alice cringed when Vince gained the upper hand. It was a brutal contest between father and son, but in the end Shane had prevailed. She nearly hopped off the couch at the sight of Linda McMahon, who was supposed to be in a vegetative state, stand up from the chair Vince had set her in the corner to make her watch the demise of her son. The woman was shaking with rage and nailed him right in the balls, sending Vince crashing to the mat on his knees holding his junk with a look of pure shock and pain on his face. Shane had climbed the top rope and delivered a coast-to-coast jump – turnbuckle to turnbuckle – smashing a trashcan right in his father’s face to end the match and gain the victory. The WCW guys that had been there and took Shane up on his offer cheered from the skybox they were in. He acknowledged them from the ring and Alice along with everyone stood up to applaud him, smiling softly. Instead of vacating, she sat back down to watch the rest of the show and felt her grey eyes lock on the man coming out on a motorcycle.

“That’s the Undertaker.” Stacy Keibler murmured in Alice’s ear, seeing the woman was intrigued with the specimen. Not that she blamed her. “He’s been here for 10 years, apparently.”

“He doesn’t look like an undertaker.” That was a morbid wrestling name, though Alice hadn’t done her WWF history research or else she would’ve understood why he was called that. “He looks like a normal guy riding a bike to the ring.”

Stacy chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, apparently he’s changed his persona more than his underwear throughout the years.” She had no respect for any of the WWF employees.

“Hmm…” Alice tilted her head, watching him enter the ring after parking his motorcycle at ringside and had to admit, she was intrigued by him.

“Now this is Triple H. He’s hot.” Stacy stated, appreciating the man candy walking down the aisle and crossed one long leg over the other. “Still, our guys could take both of them out instantly.”

Alice didn’t bother commenting and watched the match, enjoying the story that was told between both wrestlers. They had played a recap video prior to the match starting on the huge screen and Alice silently rooted on Undertaker. Once the match ended, with Undertaker busted open and winning, Alice fought the urge to clap since none of her WCW compadres did. One by one, they began clearing it and she decided to stay even after Stacy left, wanting to witness the entire show. Shane had mentioned something about involving them in the shows in the coming weeks, deciding to use his Daddy’s business in order to kickstart WCW’s heart again.

It would be war all over again between the two brands.

After watching Stone Cold Steve Austin turn heel against The Rock, with the people booing incessantly at Austin teaming up with Vince McMahon by shaking his hand, the show ended with everyone going home having a bitter taste in their mouth. Alice was one of them. She walked down the hallway of the astrodome and spotted Shane McMahon talking to The Big Show, also known as Paul Wight, who had left the WCW 2 years ago.

“Alice, you stayed for the entire show?” Shane asked, sounding in disbelief and watched her nod, admiring her courage since this was hostile waters right now. “I’ll take you back to the hotel. Don’t want anything happening to my stars.”

Alice accepted his offer, not saying a word to Paul Wight and followed him down the hallway, looking around at how everything ran in WWF. It was organized and the way a company should be ran, so many technicians and backstage people working their backsides off to ensure the program was ran smoothly. Once Shane dropped her off, they said good night and Alice went up to her room, trying to wrap her mind around the fact she would be working on WWF programming soon. How would that work out for the women, though? She assumed the women in WCW would be going against the women of WWF such as Lita and Trish Stratus. They seemed to be the top women in the rival company at the moment.

A few months after WrestleMania, WCW began to invade little by little with Lance Storm and Hugh Morris firing the first shots. Then came the bigger guns in Booker T. Alice sat at home for nearly 3 months, paid, before she was finally called back on the road for the full-blown invasion. Linda McMahon had confronted her husband on an episode of Smackdown!, coercing him to allow WCW matches to be held on WWF programming. Vince had said no at first, but with a little pushing and prodding on Linda’s part, along with baiting, the old man finally caved, and WCW was off to the races in WWF. Linda had also told him the next pay-per-view event the WWF had would be changed to the title Invasion, where WWF stars would battle against WCW stars to see who reigned supreme. Who ruled the roost! It would give WCW a real chance to shine brightly and Vince once again caved to his wife, anything to make her happy.

Tonight, on Raw Is War, was the very first WCW match on WWF programming pitting Buff Bagwell against the current WCW champion, Booker T, with the championship on the line.

July 2, 2001 would be the night everything changed in the war to come.

The problem WCW had was the fact the people in charge had been the actual wrestlers, the higher ups, well known guys. Couldn’t have wrestlers playing writer, bookie, and boss; it didn’t work well. At all. Too many agendas and egos, too many demands for television time, pay raises and benefits. The fact WCW had been financially floundering was proof of that. Shane had swept in, negotiated his way to the contract, and said, ‘Fuck You’ to his old man. Vince ran his company with an iron fist, but he also had his own agendas and his own ego, which meant he also tended to be an asshole and abuse people: like his wife. Shane was ready to bring all that crashing down around his old man and grinned, eyes on the monitor as he took a sip of his water. He wasn’t the only one… surprises were still in store for Old Vinnie Mac.

“I’m sorry, repeat that again?” Alice frowned, wanting to make sure she’d heard Torrie correctly.

“Linda has talked to Shane about catching Vince in the act…and asked for my help, but I don’t think I can do it alone.” Torrie reiterated, folding her arms in front of her chest, wearing what could be considered an outfit…at a beach anyway. It was light blue, the top a bikini and the bottom a long skirt that had obscene slits up both sides. “I need your help to trap Mr. McMahon.”

Sometimes, being a woman in the wrestling world had its perks and other times, Alice felt like shooting herself in the head. “What exactly do you want me to do?”

“Help me lure him. We’ll approach him and ask to talk to him privately and when we’re alone with him, we can coerce him to drop his pants. Linda will be there when the time is right.” This was all orders from Shane McMahon and they’d be stupid not to follow through with them.

“He seriously has nothing better for us to do than fuck with his old man?” At Torrie’s nod, Alice threw her hands up and conceded. “Fine, lead the way.” She had on a simple black mini dress that was strapless and clung to every curve of her body, her fiery red hair down, straightened and hugged her waist.

If Shane had bothered to take the time to explain, this was a favor to his mother. But, he never thought about explaining himself to his new hires because… he was a bit preoccupied with everything else going on. Linda wanted something concrete to blackmail Vince with, infidelity in their marriage, proof of it, not something easily attributed to ‘storylines’. She was not amused anymore with his bullshit and Shane honestly loved to fuck with his dad, side bonus.

What the actual fuck were legs like that doing on women from Hell’s Toilet Bowl?

“You ready for this?”

“Sure.” No, Alice wasn’t, but she wasn’t about to let Torrie do this alone, not with how nervous the woman was. Billy Kidman, Torrie’s husband, would not be happy about this, if she hadn’t warned him ahead of time.

She hadn’t. “Mr. McMahon, excuse me?”

Chapter 2

Vince was in the middle of talking to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kurt Angle about something when the WCW women intervened. “Well hello there, Torrie…and who is this?” The old man’s eyes went to the redheaded vixen standing beside the blonde.

Torrie beamed brightly. “This is Alice, a friend of mine from WCW. We were hoping…well I was hoping…we could talk to you for a few minutes about possibly joining your company. We want to work for the WWF BADLY – so BAD.”

Torrie was TERRIBLE at seduction, how the hell had the woman gotten a job in this industry?

“Is that right?” Vince grinned, ignoring Stone Cold and Angle for the moment to focus on the two beauties. “Well I think I have some time right now to talk to both of you…”

That implied only dirty talking would be involved and Alice wasn’t interested, but kept the smile on her face, nonetheless. There was no way in HELL she was sleeping with this old bastard, even if Shane ordered it! Torrie assured her this was all a ploy and nothing remotely sexual would happen with Vince McMahon. If it did, she would personally rip the extensions out of her friend/rival’s hair.

Seduction did not come easily to Torrie Wilson, but she was bubbly, airheaded occasionally, had some developing skill, and looked awesome on camera. Men seen her tits and ass, with clothes on, and assumed she was walking sex and fun. But Vince seemed to have a fondness for redheads, or maybe he was tired of blondes because he was eyeing Alice.

Clearing their throats and trying not to smirk or shake their heads, Steve Austin and Kurt Angle left, both men eyeballing the women as well.

Debra, Stone Cold Steve Austin’s wife, promptly smacked her husband upside his bald head on the way out the door.

Why was Vince eyeballing her like a piece of meat? This wasn’t the way the plan was supposed to go! Unlike Torrie, she wasn’t showing her tits and ass to the world, the dress she had on was tight, but not nearly as revealing as Torrie’s beach outfit. For some odd reason, they arrived in the laundry room, after Stone Cold Steve Austin had interrupted them in a broom closet. Degrading…this man was disgusting, and Alice was tempted to lodge his balls in his throat for his lovely wife.

“So, how badly do you both want to be in the WWF, hmm?” Once again, Vince eyed Alice while Torrie ran her hands up and down his chest, his eyes moving back to the blonde. Blondes were his favorite…until Trish struck him in the heart by slapping the taste out of his mouth at WrestleMania earlier that year. “Because I can see a VERY bright future for both of you…and climbing to the top…”

“Mmm that sounds so good…” Her bubbly voice crooned, nodding excitedly, and wondered why Alice was simply standing there looking awkward. “Doesn’t that sound good, Alice?”

“Yeah…”

Alice was not into this at all and it showed on her face and in her posture, refusing to touch Vince McMahon, if she could help it. Somehow, Torrie had convinced Vince to close his eyes, claiming she had a surprise for him he’d never forget. Torrie nodded at Alice, telling her silently to go get Linda while she continued rubbing Vince up and down, yanking his pants and underwear down around his ankles.

“Keep your eyes closed, don’t open them and you’ll get a big surprise, Mr. McMahon!”

Silently, the door opened and both Alice and Torrie vacated the room as Vince turned around with his eyes closed. “I got a BIG surprise for you, Torrie and Alice!” He crowed, bouncing up and down a little getting in the mood and slowly opened his eyes when he didn’t hear Torrie anymore. In front of him stood Linda McMahon, his wife. She had literally caught him with his pants down!

Alice and Torrie were roaring with laughter, leaning against each other with tears streaming down their faces at the humiliation of the WWF’s chairman. “There’s NO way he’ll be able to talk himself out of that one!”

“Not at all!” They laughed harder.

“Okay, Alice, I know being…” Torrie searched mentally for the right word and sighed, knowing there was just no easy way of sugarcoating it. “Acting like a slut doesn’t come easy for you, but sometimes, teasing is about the only weapon we have, or the only way of getting anywhere we have. Especially in this business.” Because they were women and, until one of them got a proper leg up, they weren’t getting anywhere soon. “And… we’ll have to talk to Shane, he did say this was a personal favor.”

Rolling her eyes, Alice had heard this ‘talk’ before and didn’t believe, for a second, women couldn’t be more than eye candy in this business. However, they had to be given the chance to showcase their talent first. That wouldn’t happen, not unless something changed and so far, nothing had.

“I wasn’t touching the old geezer. I was there to keep him distracted and did my job.” If Shane McMahon didn’t like it, that was his problem, not hers. They walked into Shane’s office and Linda stood there, hugging her son thanking him for doing this favor for her.

“You girls were fantastic. Thank you so much for helping me with this. Shane, make sure you give them both proper roles in the company unlike your father.” Linda instructed, watching her son nod, and hugged him again before walking out.

Mom was right; it was very rare when she wasn’t since she was Mom. Mothers were always right and knew what to do. “Torrie, you did great and you will be rewarded.” However, he had seen what Alice had done, which was nothing and that didn’t set well with him. “Leave us.” He ordered, watching Torrie walk out and shut the door behind her. “Now I don’t know how things were done in the OLD WCW, Alice, but when you are given an order, by the owner of your company, you obey. You were supposed to seduce my father alongside Torrie, not simply stand there. So therefore, I think you should be somewhat punished. I WAS going to put you in the bra and panties tag team women’s match at Invasion against Lita and Trish Stratus, but…not anymore. No, you will be valeting Diamond Dallas Page to the ring from now on. And if I were you, I’d listen to what he says.”

“What?! Just because I wouldn’t seduce your old man, you’re making me that psycho’s valet?!”

Diamond Dallas Page wasn’t all the way there and had several screws loose. In WCW, he was known as a peeping Tom and got away with murder, including having nearly every woman on the roster in his bed. Alice had come into the company in 1999 as a valet, but that partnership ended rather quickly, and found herself floating amongst the WCW stars until Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire took her under their wing. They were the current WCW tag team champions.

“Why can’t I just stick with Sean and Chuck, Mr. McMahon?” She flinched when Shane’s eyes flashed at her, lowering her eyes. “I was with them in WCW…”

“And now you’re with DDP, now get out of my sight.” He ordered gravely, not appreciating being called the same name as his father. “And the name is SHANE – not Mr. McMahon.”

Walking out, Alice felt lower than dirt and could only imagine how this new partnership would work out since DDP was currently targeting the fucking Undertaker, of all people.

All she had to do was play ball. Alice didn’t have to sleep with anyone, but acting like she was entertaining the idea, seducing someone into believing what she wanted, that was something Shane had expected. If they wanted a break in his company, they’d earn it and, currently, that had been her break. He considered it to be along the same lines of bra and panties matches; the women in those were seducing thousands of men at once, but she couldn’t just throw out a few suggestive lines to one weak old man? Women… Shaking his head, Shane turned back to business. He had other more pressing matters to deal with. And a memo to send off to that fruitcake Page.

~!~

“Oh my god, are you serious?” Torrie blinked, her jaw dropped along with Stacy, both of them staring at their friend/rival like she’d grown three heads. “No way…”

“Yes way, it’s my punishment for not seducing Vince McMahon. Sorry, Mr. McMahon.” Alice snorted, not amused and slid fingers through her red hair, shaking her head still in disbelief. “Page doesn’t need a valet…he just needs someone out there to distract the fucking Undertaker so he can gain the upper hand on the monster.” She wasn’t stupid enough to do that, deciding she valued her life more than her career with WCW. If push came to shove, Alice would save her own backside before Page’s when it came to the Undertaker.

“Good luck, Alice.”

“You’re going to need it.” Stacy added, feeling sympathy for the woman and both blondes walked off.

Why did she sign with WCW in the first place?

Upon hearing he was going to have a valet, Dallas was… amused. He wasn’t entirely sure why he needed to have a new woman on his arm; Kimberly had been more than enough. According to her, he had been ‘difficult’ to work with, as if. When he learned his valet was going to be Alice, formerly affiliated with the Tag Team champions of WCW, that was even more interesting. He read the memo, once, twice, and again before crumpling it in his hand and standing up from the bench in the room he was sharing with his company team-mates. This would be… interesting. He and Alice should probably properly meet.

It was the end of the night and Alice wanted to go back to the hotel, but first she had to go meet her new ‘partner’, feeling sick at the thought. DDP was NOT someone she wanted to associate herself with and Alice had done what she could to avoid him in WCW. Just do it and get it over with, Alice mentally coached herself, walking down the hallway toward the hallway designated for WCW stars. Shane really was a McMahon, completely vindictive and drunk with power. Doing this to her simply because she wouldn’t seduce his old man on television? This would be hell on earth! Sighing, Alice stood outside the door and went to knock on it just as none other than Diamond Dallas Page opened it, greys locked with ice blues.

“Hi.” It was a short, sweet introduction and Alice took a tentative step back. “We haven’t actually met before, but I’m Alice. And I don’t know if anyone told you already, but…” She heaved a sigh. “I’m your new valet. Shane’s orders.” She added, just in case DDP wasn’t happy with this arrangement.

Dallas studied her thoughtfully. He personally preferred brunettes or black-haired women and he wondered idly how she was going to look alongside him with vibrant red hair. Shoving that aside, he stepped out into the hallway, not about to invite her into a community locker room and held out his hand.

“I’m Dallas.” Not his real name, his real name was actually Page – Page Joseph because his parents were assholes, so he preferred Dallas. “I got the memo.” He had to wonder what the hell she had done to piss off Shane so soon. Last he knew, she had been slated to actually do women’s work.

“Nice to meet you.”

She took his hand and gently shook it, cracking the barest hint of a smile, trying not to show him she was not happy with this turn of events. It wasn’t his fault and, as long as he kept his hands to himself and didn’t try anything with her, they would work together famously. Slipping her hand out of his, Alice felt a little better about this situation now that they’d met officially.

“I’m heading back to the hotel, but I’ll track you down tomorrow night at the arena before your match against Booker T., alright?” He was going for the WCW gold much like Buff Bagwell did earlier tonight. It was time to go back to the hotel for a shower, food, and bed.

“Yeah, that’s fine, sugar.” Dallas nodded his head with a bright smile. “I’m not sure why Shane put you with me, but we’ve got this.” He was going to attend a quick meeting some of the guys had been called to and then head to his ‘home’ for the night shortly. “Now, Shane did tell ya who I’m going to be facing eventually, right?”

Eventually…no, more like he already was. DDP had been stalking Undertaker for weeks, videotaping his private life in Texas and showing the world what he did outside of being in the WWF. It was sickening, but Alice wouldn’t tell Dallas that. She was smarter than the average person, contrary to how she sometimes dressed, and kept her feelings to herself.

“No, but I’ve been paying attention and I know who it is.” It was all a massive mind game Dallas was playing on the Undertaker and, if the man weren’t careful, he’d end up destroyed. “I can handle it.” There was no choice in the matter.

“Well, from the guy’s reputation… he’s got some issues.” Which was the pot calling the kettle black, not that he considered it that way. In his mind, Dallas was pretty damn perfect, a bonified star, and he would never understand how that dorky Mean Mark Callous had become the megastar he was today. “So… we’ll just have to make sure he minds his shit around you, yeah, doll?”

And Dallas didn’t? He had more issues of the stalking, peeping Tom variety than Undertaker ever thought about having! “Of course.”

If this man thought, for a second, she would touch the Undertaker and help him win matches against the giant, he had another thing coming. She was out there to stand and look pretty, not get her head knocked from her shoulders. Alice flashed another smile at him, knowing it was time to take her leave.

“Sleep well, I’ll see you tomorrow night at the arena.”

Waving, she walked off down the hallway, with purse already in hand, and blew out a long breath as soon as the night air hit her face. Dallas was creepy, to put it mildly, and she did not like being in a partnership with him at all. All because she hadn’t played ball and seduced his old man with Torrie…as far as she was concerned, that made Shane exactly like Vince McMahon. He was so hell bent on not being called McMahon, but yet acted like one.

Chapter 3

“You’re the WCW broad sent to fuck with Vince, aint’cha?” Mark ‘the Undertaker’ Calaway, who did change his underwear quite frequently, was sitting just outside the back door she had come out. He was sitting in the back of an unloading truck, enjoying the night breeze, and puffing on a cigar, grinning wickedly when Alice startled. “Or one ‘em.” He swung his leather clad legs, looking amused with her.

It was almost as if fate were out to get her tonight. First, Alice had to deal with Diamond Dallas Page and now his arch-rival, who he’d been screwing with in recent weeks, the Undertaker. What the hell was she supposed to say to this man? Being a smartass right now wouldn’t bode well in her favor. Page wouldn’t be able to protect her since he was still in the arena.

“I was supposed to, but I didn’t. I was there for moral support, more than anything.” If he watched, she clearly didn’t get involved or touch the old man and never would. “Look, I don’t want any trouble, okay? I’m just going to my car.”

With her hands up in surrender, Alice swallowed hard when he hopped down from the truck, his boots hitting the pavement with a thud. Wow, he was A LOT taller in person and she suddenly felt like a shrimp. To say he was amused was an understatement; he was downright tickled with her reaction to him and it showed in the way his emerald green eyes flashed at her words.

“Now why, Red, would there be any trouble?” Mark folded his hands behind his back as he approached her, taking his own sweet time, and bent down so he could see her more clearly in the dim lighting from the parking lot posts and security lights. “I’m curious… where does moral support come into play, when you’re fucking around with old man Vinnie?” He reached up to remove the cigar, flicking it aside carelessly and exhaled above her head. “Hmm? Or are you one of them girls who likes to watch, hmm?”

Smoking was a disgusting habit. Alice didn’t enjoy having cigar smoke billowed over her head, making it float down on her, and wrinkled her nose. “No, I don’t. I was ordered by my boss to do a job and I did it…”

Just not the way Shane wanted her to. She sounded disgusted with the entire situation and took a step back, not believing she was having a conversation with the Undertaker, of all people. Alice wanted to tell him to give Vinnie Mac a little advice from her and that was, if he was trying to work on his marriage, it wasn’t a good idea to get nookie from other women. When he took a step forward, she took another back and maintained her distance, keeping her hands up.

“If there’s nothing else you need from me, I’ll be on my way and leave you to…whatever it is you’re doing.” Probably waiting for Page to come out to jump him, she’d wager, not blaming the man.

She kept her hands up and he had to wonder where she had learned that move. Mark knew, from the counseling crap they all had been made to take, that it was meant to be a gesture to show surrender, that the person wasn’t a threat. It was a gesture meant to defuse situations. Suddenly, Mark had grabbed her hands, flattening their palms together and intertwined their fingers, staring down at her intently.

“What is this all about, Red? You a little worried? Not… afraid of me, are you?” He leaned in close enough that his breath puffed against her skin, inhaling deeply. “Mmm…”

Alice did not expect him to do that and felt her eyes widen, not taking them off Undertaker’s face, even as her body trembled against his touch. It wasn’t necessarily a bad tremble either, but…he had insulted her with those questions regarding Vince McMahon. Now, he was putting the moves on her? Did this man have a split personality or was he playing a mind game on her?

“I-I’m terrified right now…” Not being honest and lying to him wasn’t an option, not when he could snap her like a twig. “P-Please let me go…”

Mark observed her face and monitored her eyes, getting a pretty good read on what she was thinking. “I’m not trying to piss you off and worm my way in those panties at the same time, Red, don’t flatter yourself.” That was about as much reassurance he wasn’t out to fuck her as she was going to get. He squeezed her hands before letting go and stepping back, out of range in case she went a bit crazy or something. “Go on, Red, scurry away.”

“M-My name is Alice, not Red.” Why the HELL did she give out her name?! “And I don’t ‘scurry away’ either. You’re terrifying, anyone would be stupid not to fear you.” She wrapped her arms around herself, taking a few steps back and decided to put one foot in the grave, so to speak, with what she confessed next. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but…Diamond Dallas Page,” Alice paused, seeing the venom flash in his eyes, and swallowed hard. “I’m his new valet. So, we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” The disdain in her voice couldn’t be hidden for Dallas, no matter how hard she tried not to show it. “Good night, Undertaker.” Turning, she walked off toward her rental and hoped there were no more surprises in store for her tonight.

Alice… no, he liked Red. Mark liked her fiery hair, her oddball spitfire yet scared attitude and he liked the idea of blood. Red it was. Was she warning him? He knew Page by reputation and the fact that the little yoga loving bastard was now a pain in his ass, following him home… he growled at the thought, figuring he might start letting his mutts off the leash. If they so happened upon the idiot, so be it. He ran a finger along his bottom lip, watching Alice disappear and began laughing. But then again… this could also be fun.

~!~

Deciding against telling Dallas about her run-in with his rival, Alice walked inside the arena the following night. She had on a white jumpsuit that had a halter top, leaving her shoulders bare along with most of her back. Luckily, it had a built-in bra and it was pants instead of shorts. White seemed to suit her with the fiery red hair and it was one of Dallas’ colors. She slid the sunglasses up on top of her head and immediately made her way to the hair and makeup station to get dolled up for Smackdown! that night. Dallas was going after the WCW championship against Booker T. in the first-ever WCW match on the program. Her two-inch white strappy heels clicked against the flooring with every step she took while Alice surveyed the surroundings, nodding to her fellow WCW colleagues. Shane had their own makeup and hair stylist loyal to only WCW, so at least the women wouldn’t have to bother with having WWF make them look pretty.

“Well, don’t we look delicious?” Torrie greeted with a smile when she spotted Alice coming down the corridor that had been designated for the WCW superstars.

She was already parked in a chair, having just had her highlights touched up at the tips and now was on her make-up. The way these women just seemed to be able to get this shit done, as well and as fast as they did, never ceased to amaze Torrie. Sometimes, she did wonder what they got paid; might be a career worth pursuing if she couldn’t actually get a proper foothold in this business.

Alice smiled, doing a slow twirl for Torrie; it was something they did whenever one complimented the other. “Nothing compared to you, Torr.” She winked, sitting in the other chair available and felt her hair beginning to be teased.

“Ugh, how do you keep your hair from not getting split-ends? Or that length without wanting to strangle yourself with it?” Torrie asked curiously, enjoying the length of her own hair, but Alice had beautiful fiery red tresses and they were natural. No dye job at all. She was sort of jealous and wished her hair grew that length without getting split-ends.

“It’s in the genes.” Alice joked, leaning back while the hair stylist began putting a bunch of banana curls throughout her hair. “You can leave it down if you want or maybe pin half up and half down? Up to you.”

“Yeah, I can do that for you no problem, Alice.”

When she was finished, her hair rested to the middle of her back because of the banana curls and she had white clips on either side of her head pulling her hair up slightly. Torrie had already left to get ready for her segment that night with Stacy and Alice breathed a silent breath of relief. The blonde got on her nerves sometimes. Her makeup was black liner, foundation, and red lipstick that was smear and waterproof. Gloss was put over the lipstick just to give them shine. Thanking the stylists for their hard work, Alice knew she couldn’t hold off any longer and headed down the corridor to find Dallas.

The corridor was slammed and Dallas was not alone in thinking this was unacceptable. Vince was treating the WCW crew like secondhand citizens, even with Shane fighting to get them anything, along with Linda’s now considerable help, since the old bastard had been caught with his pants literally down. What few rooms they had were being used to house the wrestlers; seamstresses and make-up artists were using the hallway itself. Shane had brought in catering, but it was cramped. He spotted Alice making her way down the hall and watched her curiously, taking in her outfit. Well, maybe red would be his new favorite color.

It was pandemonium backstage due to the WCW stars and WWF stars being completely separated. Alice wasn’t surprised by how cramped it was for WCW because, honestly, Shane McMahon had encroached on his father’s territory. Vince was making him suffer and, therefore, anyone associated with WCW would receive the same treatment. Spotting Dallas across the room, Alice made her way towards him and plastered on a phony smile, nodding at a few colleagues on the way.

“You ready for tonight?” She greeted him with a question, seeing he was trying to finish lacing his boots up and stood off to the side to stay out of the way.

“Sure am, just a bit of a clusterfuck in here, ain’t it?”

Dallas didn’t even look up at her, bent over a bench that had been placed against the wall. He had come dressed because trying to change in these cramped hallways just wasn’t working for him anymore, but not in his boots, he was trying not to ruin those. He liked this pair. Dallas also had another surprise for the Deadman, who had caught up with him long enough to send a warning to stay the fuck off his property.

“How about you, Alice?” He had even remembered the broad’s name.

A surprise she would soon not forget, especially before the night was out. Alice had no idea what kind of sick, twisted human being Dallas actually was, but she would soon discover that, little by little. There was a reason Kimberly, his now ex-wife, had left him and other women steered clear of him. Shane had literally thrown her to the wolves and Alice had to figure out how to deal with Dallas since he had a reputation in WCW for being…unhinged.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. I’ll…try not to get in your way out there.”

Alice didn’t know what else to say to him and contemplated if she should tell him about her run-in with the Undertaker the previous night. No, absolutely not…her hands still tingled from that man’s touch and she couldn’t figure out why. Also, if Dallas thought she was helping him win against Booker T. that night, he would be in for a rude awakening. Unlike Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire, who she DID help win the WCW tag team titles because Alice liked them, she didn’t like or respect Diamond Dallas Page.

“Well now, sugar,” Dallas effectively stopped her before she could take off down the hallway. It was obvious from the way she shifted from side to side, her eyes moving away from him, she didn’t care for him. “I think we should discuss just what you are going to do for me.” He straightened upright, stretching his hands over his head as he studied her. “What exactly do you see yourself doing out there?” He had seen her in action and she was not the stand still and look pretty kind of girl.

Being called ‘sugar’ by him made her skin crawl. His hand on her upper arm did nothing to quell the nausea she felt either. “I-I’m not sure I understand your question, Dallas.” She took a tentative step back, much like the same way she had the previous night with the Undertaker, not liking the gleam in his icy blues. “I’m your valet, I accompany you to the ring and watch your match…cheer you on…” That’s what most valets did, anyway. However, there were others that distracted the referees, grabbed weapons for their partners and showed some of the goods to the opponent, but Alice wouldn’t be doing any of that. “I guess I should be asking you what exactly you WANT me to do out there?”

Hell, maybe he would tell Shane to forget this whole deal and she would not mind that one bit. To Page, she was either dumber than a box of rocks and had been hired because she was a very beautiful face, the body of a porn star, and the skillset of a hardened whore or… she was smarter than he had given her credit for and wanted to be instructed. Either way, it was probably something he could work with.

“Help me if I need it.”

He tried to sort which page she was on, just what use she was going to be out there, or if she was going to wind up being eye candy and someone who needed rescuing. The damsel in distress routine was only tolerable if he was getting a pay-off at the end of the night. Taker was also looking to have his head served up on a silver platter and Dallas rather liked his head right where it was. Just as she suspected, he wanted her to get involved in his matches and distract his opponents! Alice found herself giving him a stiff nod to acknowledge she’d heard him and decided to give him some advice.

“Don’t worry about me out there, Dallas. I don’t need rescuing. Just focus on your matches and I’ll worry about myself. Sound good? Good, see you out there.”

Before he could utter another word, she was gone and shuddered in the hallway, shutting her eyes. There really was no place to go in the arena that was safe since she was in hostile territory. Until Invasion happened, WCW stars had to stay put in the small corridor.

Chapter 4

She found the WCW women’s locker room where Torrie and Stacy were conversing about their upcoming match at Invasion and didn’t bother them, just walked over to sit in a nearby metal folding chair.

“Uh oh, someone pissed our Al off.”

“Who?” As usual, Stacy was clueless and only worried about herself.

“You didn’t hear? She’s being forced to valet Diamond Dallas Page to the ring from now on.”

Stacy’s eyes widened, covering her open mouth with her hand. “Oh my god…” She did NOT envy the position Alice was in. “I’m so sorry, Al…”

Al was better than ‘sugar’, she supposed, as Alice heaved a sigh and waved them off dismissively. “It’s okay, it’ll be alright. I just…have to get through it and hopefully Shane will appoint me to someone else sooner or later…” Or maybe even put her back with Chuck and Sean.

Since Alice seem more intent on her own inner issues, Torrie and Stacy went back to chitchatting between themselves. Now they were gossiping about Page, about what they knew for a fact and the rumors they had heard. Nothing good. The man was… old, had bad knees, liked yoga, and was a total sleazebag nutcase.

“Okay, you remember before Kimberly left, right?”

“Ssshhh, that was different. They were married, things were-”

“Still doesn’t make it right you know; she was his wife, he shouldn’t have-”

“I know, but enough, you don’t want to make Al feel worse do you? I’m sure Shane will make sure Dallas behaves. Right?”

“No, Shane is the one who assigned me to Page, AFTER I wouldn’t help you seduce Mr. McMahon. I wasn’t aware I had to touch the old geezer, but apparently it was part of my job that night.” Alice enlightened, overhearing their conversation regarding Dallas and Kimberly’s history. The things he did to that poor woman…she immediately pushed the rumors and facts she knew out of her mind.

“Really?” Torrie frowned, not knowing that bit of information and hugged her friend. “Al, there wasn’t much you could do though…” Touching Vince hadn’t been the greatest feeling in the world, but at least she’d done her job. “You were there as a distraction and you pulled it off. The old man wanted you more than me, it was obvious.”

“I think that’s why Shane is so upset with me.” Alice murmured, her voice lowering a little and shook herself, knowing the past couldn’t be changed. “I’ll deal with this and pull through. In the meantime, you girls have a very big match coming up at Invasion against Trish Stratus and Lita. Did you see how small they are compared to you two?” They all laughed together, the tension lifted momentarily. “You’re going to wipe the mat with them, I’m sure of it.”

“Damn right we are!” Stacy crowed confidently with a grin. “I mean, who can compete with us? The only thing I wish they’d do is make it a 6-woman tag team bra and panties match so you can join us, Alice.” She didn’t mean that, but wanted to make the woman feel better about her situation.

“If only.” Thank the stars she wasn’t part of that degrading match, hating them with a passion. “But you two will do great.”

“Of course, we will. We’re WCW women, after all, and we always come out on top.”

It was interesting, he thought, as he stared down the WCW corridor. How these idiots thought that, just because Shane McMahon was the one who owned their pathetic asses, they were going to make something of themselves in the WWE. This Invasion thing was stupid. All it would do would weed out those in what had been a stupid and poorly run organization, who might have a chance. Mark was already narrowing in on those who weren’t in it for the long haul. He smirked openly, when some people finally realized he was there, beginning to laugh outright when a few of the boys began filling the narrow hall. Page would be among the first to go, he’d make sure of that himself.

“Yo Deadman, you make a wrong turn or something, bro?”

Hearing that voice, Alice opened the door to the locker room with Torrie and Stacy behind her, swallowing hard at the confrontation about to go down.

“Shut the door!” Torrie whispered frantically, eyes wide in fear.

“Shut up, Torrie!” Stacy hissed quietly, watching Diamond Dallas Page saunter toward the man known as the Undertaker and had to admit, the man had balls of steel.

“Looky here, boys! The Deadman wants to make friends with us, isn’t that precious?” Dallas smirked, knowing he had a lot of backup right now and Undertaker wouldn’t make a move unless he wanted to be jumped. Plenty time for that later tonight.

What the hell did Dallas think he was doing?!

Mark promptly hocked a long stream of chew spit -he was polite and didn’t smoke in the arenas- at Page in response, smirking when Page began cursing as it just barely splattered on his stupid wrestling boots. His lips curved upwards into what some idiot might mistake for a smile, but there was nothing friendly about it. “Any of you wanna step up and shake, we can be friends.” He drawled, extending his hand.

Page considered it, his eyes narrowing in on the chain wrapped around that hand.

When not a single man came forward, he snorted and withdrew his hand. “That’s what I thought. Looks like Shane-O went out and bought himself a bunch of bitches.”

“Nah man, you’re the only bitch here and I’m gonna prove that…in due time.” Dallas snarled, his eyes snapping to the side at the women standing in the doorway of their locker room, the redheaded vixen leading the charge. “Me AND my partner.” He crooked his finger at Alice, all eyes turning to her to see what she would do, what would happen.

What the HELL?! Page just put her on the spot in front of nearly everyone in WCW and in front of the Undertaker, no less! Luck really wasn’t on her side and she had no choice in the matter except to step forward to stand by his side. What was the point of doing this? She had to fight back a flinch when he took her upper arm to pull her closer to his side and didn’t dare meet Undertaker’s eyes.

“Dallas…”

“Tell him, sugar, go ahead. Tell him how we’re gonna bring him and his WWF assholes down to size!” Dallas was full of himself, not bothering to hide it. He always did have an ego and it’d blown up ever since Shane McMahon appointed him to go after the Undertaker…in his own way.

Now he was really asking for it! “I think…cooler heads should prevail right now.” Extracting his hand from her arm somewhat roughly, Alice had to remain calm and collected since her ‘partner’ wouldn’t. “Dallas, you have a title match tonight against Booker T. you should focus on. Not him.” She stood in front of him, her back to Undertaker and placed a hand on his chest, keeping her voice firm and steady. “You can deal with him later, now come on. This isn’t the time or place to fight.” This was the only way to diffuse the situation and she hoped Dallas didn’t knock her head off her shoulders for giving him smart advice.

“Well, well Red, you are full of surprises, aren’tcha?” Mark rumbled, sounding both curious and amused as he assessed the pair. Partner huh? That suddenly explained why she had been a bit afraid of him last night. Here he had thought he had been on his best behavior too. “Best to your woman, Page-Joseph.”

“You son of a-”

“What’s going on out here?” Shane had stepped out of his glorified broom closet / office, his eyes narrowing when he spotted ‘Taker. “You lost, Calaway?”

“Nope, just figured I’d take a trip and visit your drug fueled revenge kick.” He looped his thumbs in the waist of his leather pants, cocking his head back and staring down his nose at Boy Wonder. “Daddy didn’t give you enough hugs, Shane?”

Shane wasn’t amused, but he also wasn’t stupid enough to pick a fight in front of all these people, not about to get his ass handed to him publicly. “Whatever. Come on, people, we got work to do.” He turned his back on the Undertaker, dismissing him.

If it hadn’t been for Shane, there was no doubt in her mind Dallas would’ve attacked Undertaker and a brawl/beatdown would’ve ensued. Everyone obeyed their boss, going back into the respective rooms, even Torrie and Stacy, which left Alice alone in the hallway with Undertaker staring at her. He hadn’t moved an inch and simply folded his arms in front of his chest, eyeing her shrewdly. Opening her mouth to say something to him, Alice decided anything she said would fall on deaf ears anyway.

“Have a nice night, Undertaker.” She murmured, pushing open the door to the women’s locker room again where Torrie and Stacy were waiting.

“Girl, I thought I had guts, but that was…”

“Insane…you’re absolutely insane…” Stacy couldn’t believe she’d actually handled Dallas the way she had and in front of their boss, no less! “If you think Shane is going to take you away from Page, after what you just did, you better think again. You handled him well.”

“Yeah, you kinda signed your own fate doing that, Al. Sorry.”

What choice did she have?! Dallas had called her out and she had to show her allegiance to not only him, but their WCW colleagues as well! “I did what I thought best.” Why didn’t she just tell Dallas to shove it and allow Undertaker to destroy him?

Now Red, she was interesting. All the rest of the WCW hopefuls -those poor bastards floated around, hoping to get a grasp in the WWE, when only a handful of the entire roster would ever see the sun figuratively speaking-, he had no time for. Not yet. But her… well, she had piqued his interest, which was probably not a good thing for her. She had talked down Dallas, which had been entertaining because from Dallas’ reputation, he figured no woman would even get near that creep. She was a rare breed indeed. Whistling, he strolled away.

Dallas wasn’t a happy man. That much was deduced the moment Alice met up with him in the hallway an hour later. They walked to gorilla position, where the wrestlers went to wait to do their entrances. Was he angry at her for diffusing the situation with Undertaker? Isn’t that what she was here for? To stop him from making irrational stupid decisions? Alice didn’t know anymore and heard his music hit, walking out with him, and stopped midway on the ramp for him to do his patent ‘Bang’ sign with his hands followed by pyro going off.

She was used to the pyro and didn’t flinch, simply keeping her arms at her sides and had a soft smile on her face while the fans wondered about her. Some would know her if they watched WCW from 1999 on, but a lot of these fans were WWF only. Naturally, they were booed, and she expected that reaction. Not bothering to get in the ring, she walked over to the side and stood there, waiting for Booker T. to make his entrance. Alice had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach something big was going down tonight, especially after that confrontation with Undertaker.

This wasn’t over.

Backstage, Mark watched the match from a monitor, arms folded across his chest, sunglasses on the tip of his nose because his chin was tilted down, staring at the screen over the tops of his shades. Diamond Dallas Page… it was interesting, the man was not really meant for wrestling and he had started out… old. Why people had liked this assclown was beyond him… he hadn’t evolved his character or done much besides make a name for himself as a fucking menace to women. He took stock of Alice when the camera panned to her. She was clapping and smiling, but there was no heart in it. Who had she pissed off to get this job?

Shane McMahon, her boss, was the answer to that question. This was all Shane’s idea. When Dallas gained the upper hand on Booker T., he pointed at a steel chair outside of the ring for Alice to grab. She stepped back from the apron and shook her head, pointing behind him, where Booker T. was waiting, having regained his footing. Idiot, she thought, watching Dallas crash to the mat and folded her arms in front of her chest, no longer smiling and clapping.

This was hell on earth and she didn’t care what the consequences were: Dallas either won his matches himself or he’d get his backside handed to him. She would stand there and look pretty, Shane never gave her specific instructions on what KIND of valet to be with Dallas, after all. It was her one, and possibly only, loophole in this deal. Eventually, Dallas cheated and gained the upper hand again, grabbing the steel chair himself while cursing at Alice before sliding back inside the ring.

Before he could use the chair, the Undertaker sprinted out from the back and it was enough of a distraction for Booker T. to roll up Page for the victory. Undertaker got in the ring and Dallas ran like a coward, moving out of the way as Undertaker ran past her chasing Dallas to the backstage area. Alice had been right; this was far from over and she had no choice except to follow, keeping her distance. They were now in the parking lot outside of the arena.

“It don’t look too good for you now, bro.” Dallas stated, an evil smile flittering across his face as 6 WCW guys surrounded the Undertaker, including himself, all of them waiting for the big man to make the first move.

Alice cringed at the smartass remark Taker said, which followed with a beatdown by all 6 WCW guys.

The redhead had followed them out here and Dallas spotted her, malicious intent glowing in his icy blues. “Come join in the fun, sugar! Kick him!” He ordered, dragging her over by the upper arm. “Do it!” He shoved her toward the Undertaker as the WCW guys kept kicking and stomping him.

“Are you insane?! No! I’m not doing that! I’m-” A second later, Alice was knocked to the ground by a backhand from Dallas, her body crashing to the asphalt with a small thud.

“What the HELL is going on out here?! Enough guys, ENOUGH!!” Shane McMahon ordered, looking at the carnage surrounding him with wide eyes. “Leave him alone, get back inside NOW!” This wasn’t supposed to happen or go down, even though Taker had brought it on himself from his antics earlier that night.

Dallas, along with the WCW guys, attacked their boss and left him laying along with Undertaker and Alice in the parking lot.

Chapter 5

All Mark could do was lay there on his back, knowing he was going to be feeling this one for a while. He began laughing, shifting as a rock dug into what was likely an already bruised spot. “Shane, you bought yourself a circus of crazy.” He turned his head, spitting blood and his acidic eyes narrowed when he spotted Alice laying on the pavement as well, clutching her face. Growling, he rolled onto all fours and pushed himself up, stumbling a bit as he tried to regain his senses, shaking his head.

“Yeah… I’m starting to get that.” Shane coughed, laying in a ball on his side, staring at Alice. “You all right?” He couldn’t see the damage because she had her hands clasped against her face.

Alice had never been struck before, so this was a new, unpleasant experience for her. “Y-Yeah…”

No, she wasn’t alright at all. Her face was throbbing, and she’d be surprised if she didn’t have a cracked cheekbone. Dallas had struck her because she hadn’t followed his instruction to harm Undertaker. Feeling a hand on her arm, Alice trembled slightly and hadn’t realized she’d been crying, the makeup on her face slightly smeared. Looking up at the owner of the hand, watery greys met concerned emerald and Alice frowned, seeing the cut on Undertaker’s lip and cheek from the brutal attack he just sustained.

“Are you okay?” Her eyes were only for Undertaker right now as he slowly helped her to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Oh, I’m fine, Red, I like blood – like to bleed.” He grinned at her, blood staining his teeth, though his eyes did not reflect the humorous tone he was using. Mark pulled her hand away from her face, studying the swelling and bruising. “Won’t be able to tell shit tonight; Shane, you should probably take your… employee and uh, fix her.”

Shane was pulling himself to his own feet, sporting a lovely shiner, courtesy of his own crew. “Page is fucking crazy.”

That was an understatement. “I don’t need any help. I can fix myself.” Alice pulled away from him and stumbled a little, cursing at the shot of pain sliding up her arm from her elbow. “Damn it…”

Pulling her hand back, the red substance coating her fingertips told her not only was her face injured, but so was her elbow. She sincerely hoped Shane put her with someone else or back with the tag champions after this incident. Alice wanted to berate her boss for this happening, but kept her mouth shut and flexed her jaw experimentally, wincing.

“Alice, you’re not fine, your elbow is…”

“Flayed open, I bet it needs stitches.” Whereas Shane seemed willing to give her the space she was demanding, with her tone and attitude, Mark had no problems about invading and popping her bubble. Gently but firmly, he took her arm, extending it and nodded when she hissed, but was able to move it otherwise. “You scraped it up pretty bad, needs cleaned, and the shit washed out. You got gravel in it, Red.”

“It’s Alice…” She gritted out, pain flashing across her face and pulled her arm away from him, holding her elbow. “Why are you concerned about a lowly WCW star anyway, Deadman? Why don’t you worry about yourself? You just got your ass handed to you by WCW stars, so go get yourself cleaned up.” Alice tried like hell to inject some type of malice into her tone in front of Shane, but her tone was soft, nonetheless. “It’s not that bad…” Going to the emergency room wasn’t an option, not when her insurance hadn’t kicked in from Shane McMahon yet.

“Now Shane,” He was talking to Shane, but his gaze was firmly fastened on Alice. “I knew you bought yourself a cast of rejects, didn’t realize they were… stupid as well.”

“Alice, for pity’s sake, don’t lip off to the guy when he’s being…” Shane’s eyes narrowed. “Nice. What the fuck do you want, Calaway?” Because Taker was never nice, not unless he wanted something.

“Oh…” Mark drawled, a hint of a sing-song tone in it. “I can think of a few things…” He was still staring down at her. “You paying her anything yet? Or does she need to bill your old man?” Her arm was going to need stitches.

“Insurance takes time and I’m still trying to get the board to approve the official hiring.”

“Well none of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t put me with Page in the first damn place, McMahon!” Alice growled, done biting her tongue and the steel in her greys told him she was extremely pissed off over being abused by her new partner. “I was perfectly fine with Chuck and Sean in the old WCW, they didn’t hit me for not taking an order. Page is insane – off the wall insane, or didn’t you know that when you bought WCW?” She snorted when he simply shook his head, rolling her eyes. “Thought so. He wanted me to kick this man,” She gestured to Taker briefly, keeping her eyes on her boss and could see his eyes widen. “And when I refused and called him insane, he backhanded me into next week! I’m done with him, Shane. I will not be working with Page anymore. Find me someone else or just put me back with the tag team champions.” Champions she helped create and make.

“Fine…” Shane had been petty towards her; he admitted it and cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his sore neck. Page had slammed his head into the door before beating him down with the other WCW guys. “I’ll think on it. Just…get that taken care of and I’ll pay for it. Bill it to me. And have someone take you to the hospital because you’re in no condition to drive.” He wasn’t leaving, having too much to handle regarding this attack.

Alice saluted, rolling her eyes and had no intention of asking anyone to take her to the hospital, watching Shane walk back into the arena. “Idiot.” She muttered, looking down at her elbow and finally noticed Undertaker still standing there. “You need to be checked out too. They did a number on you.”

“Well gee, thanks mom.” Mark snorted, flexing his jaw experimentally. “I’m fine, Red, nothing some whiskey and painkillers aren’t going to take care of.” He already knew nothing was broken; he could inhale just fine, mostly his wounds were deep bruises and cuts, shit he could take care of himself. Insurance in this business sucked period and his boss wouldn’t foot the bill. “Let’s go, Red.” At her eyebrow raise, Mark chuckled darkly. “Shane did say someone needed to take you to the ER.” And here he was, her knight in shining leather.

“You’re going to take me?” She sounded in disbelief, hissing at the feeling of his fingers lightly touching her bruised, cut cheek.

Dallas didn’t pull any punches with that hit, meaning to do damage. What choice did Alice have? Shane wanted her to get checked out and she had a feeling if she didn’t go with Undertaker willingly, he would simply force her to go to the hospital.

“If you insist, but we need to go back inside to grab my purse. It has everything I need in it.” Driver’s license, identification, insurance card Shane had given everyone, even though it didn’t mean a damn right now and a credit card in case the hospital forced her to pay upfront. “Or just wait here and I’ll go get it…”

“And if you go and get it, what are the odds Dally boy sees you and decides to finish what he started?” He asked in a conversational tone, wondering just what the hell had gone on backstage in WCW before Shane had bought them out. Mark knew things got crazy backstage in the WWF; hell, he had raised his fair share of it more than once, but this… to backhand a woman and beat down their own boss unprovoked… not really a thing.

“Then come with me. I can’t go to the damn ER without my ID and shit.” Alice grumbled, knowing he had a valid point and could feel a headache coming on.

That was a sign of a concussion and she sincerely hoped she didn’t have one. At his nod, they walked back inside the arena down the WCW corridor and, surprisingly, everyone had vacated to go to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow and Thursday were their days off, some people stayed on the road and some went to their actual homes for those 2 days. Friday, Saturday, and Sundays were house shows – with the exception of one Sunday out of the month that was designated for their pay-per-view events. Shane had given them the rundown of how WWF’s schedule worked since they had to follow it. Grabbing her purse, Alice checked to make sure everything was in there and sighed with relief.

“Alright, lead the way, big man…”

Making his own stop to grab his own belongings, Mark led the way to where the WWF superstars had been housed. Much more room, designated rooms for the stars who were top names, like himself; they weren’t packed like sardines in a little tin can. What people were lingering gave them a few curious looks, but nobody uttered a word. Once in his dressing room, he eyed her forearm again and took stock of her face.

“He ever hit you before, Red?”

No, he hadn’t, not that Page knew what they were talking about, or even where they were. The WCW corridor had not been as deserted as they had thought; he had been doing some stretches, some mind clearing exercises before he left. He had also seen HIS valet with HIS enemy.

This was no man’s land and Alice found herself on sacred ground, not believing how much…better the WWF Superstars dressing rooms were. Undertaker may have had his own dressing room, but she could tell he shared with others. “N-No…no, tonight was my first night working with him, actually. Page and I don’t really…know each other that well.” How was she supposed to tell him she’d done everything in her power, along with the other women in WCW, to steer clear of the psycho? “Look, maybe this isn’t a good idea…” What would his WWF comrades think of the Undertaker helping the enemy? “I’ll just go…” She jumped back when he effectively slammed the door with his hand, wide greys snapping up to stare into the Undertaker’s face.

“Red, you go when I tell ya, not before, got me?” He ordered in a friendly enough tone, but the hint of a bite ran in the undercurrent.

Mark wasn’t one to be defied, especially when he had offered his help and she needed it. The bleeding in her forearm had stopped, but there was plenty of rocks, dirt, and gravel in it. Looked like she was going to have a pretty neat looking scar. His own face probably looked like a bruised mural.

“You just hold your horses and we’ll get you to the ER.” It didn’t take him long, throwing his belongings in his duffel and slung it over his shoulder, turning to stare down at her. “So, why’d you get stuck with him?”

Apparently, he didn’t care there was an actual war going on amongst the WCW and WWF because he was adamant about helping her. “When you confronted me last night about messing with your boss…I didn’t do it the way Shane wanted me to, apparently.” Alice couldn’t meet his eyes, tucking some red curls behind her ear with her non-bloody hand. She didn’t know it, but her back had gotten scraped up from the asphalt as well since the jumpsuit was backless. “He wanted me to help Torrie seduce Vince, and I didn’t. It was a favor to Linda.” No point in lying to the man. “The McMahon family are devious creatures, I’m figuring that out quickly. Anyway, my ‘punishment’ was to valet Page to the ring. I guess Shane didn’t realize what a psychopath he had on his hands until tonight.”

“So that’s what you were doing…” He mused, stroking his goatee thoughtfully before snorting, making his thoughts of her skills in seduction apparent. “Come on, you can walk and talk.” Mark did not care about this war business; he was team WWF all the way, but… this was just fun for him, most of the time. “You know, all you had to do was open your mouth and flirt and you couldn’t even do that. You sure you know what you’re doing in this business?” Because not everyone was able to hack it and he had not seen her in ring abilities. So far, Red seemed to be just another pretty face and banging body.

“Oh, believe me, if I wanted to be seductive, I could do it with no problems. I just refused to do what Shane wanted because I thought it was ridiculous. I do have SOME morals after all, even if I am a WCW star.” Hell, Alice had been solely responsible for Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire winning the WCW tag team championships. She grabbed weapons and did everything in her power to make sure they retained the titles. “I pick and choose what I want to do. That’s how it used to be in the company before Shane bought it out. Now it’s all a big clusterfuck and there’s ‘orders’ being given.”

She’d always been that way from day one and, for some reason, Eric Bischoff found that quality attractive. WCW hadn’t assigned her to Chuck and Sean, she’d taken the reigns on going out for their match one night since there wasn’t really a ‘script’ to follow in WCW. They were STILL the tag team champions to this day and she’d been responsible for 90% of their reign being successful, possibly more.

Mark had to stop mid-step to stare down at her, one lone brow raising. “Are you serious?” He asked flatly, not surprised when she nodded and was tempted to slap himself in his own forehead. “Pick and choose, you know that’s why WCW sank, right? Too many egos and not enough people willing to toe the line and do what needs to be done.” Now disgust was creeping into his tone. “That shit don’t fly here, everyone works together.” Like… WWF superstars were, all of them pretty much intent on razing the hell out of the WCW squad. “Maybe if less ego and ‘I wants’ and more ‘do your fucking job’ had happened in WCW, they wouldn’t… nah, that company sucked.” He snorted, opening the door to his rental truck, and hoisted her up into the seat, not overly caring if he had offended her.

“You’re right, I can’t deny any of it. I was brought in a little over a year ago when things really started taking a dive in the company. They were hemorrhaging money and, from my understanding, Shane still has to pay out the rest of the contracts WCW had on everyone, myself included.” Alice wasn’t offended and could tell he was a man who spoke his mind, regardless if it hurt people’s feelings for not. He was truthful and blunt, two qualities she rather admired. “However, I don’t care if it was ‘my job’ of the night or not. I wasn’t seducing Vince McMahon, just so Linda could catch him in the ‘act’.” Now it was her turn to sound disgusted. “WCW promised me I’d learn how to wrestle because they wanted to do more with the women’s division and it was all a bunch of bullshit.” Empty promises and broken dreams. “But it was also a paycheck and I didn’t have anything else going for me, so that’s why I stayed and now here we are.” Getting her ass beaten by a fellow psycho coworker because of a vindictive boss.

Chapter 6

“Yeah, you got screwed. WCW didn’t know what to do with their talent, even when it was ran properly. I’m proof of that.” A hint of arrogance seeped into Mark’s tone. “They thought I’d never make a fucking thing of myself.” And now he was one of the top superstars and pillars of the WWF. “Well, I can tell ya this, Red, you’re not going to make much of yourself here either if you don’t learn to play along. And that’ll mean getting your hands dirty as fuck sometimes.”

“Depends on who I’m partnered up with after tonight. You might have to find yourself a new feud because something tells me Shane is not going to take what Page did lightly.”

Alice shrugged, staring out the window and noticed blood had gotten on her pristine white jumpsuit, groaning. How the hell was she supposed to get blood out of this?! She really hoped Shane stopped their ‘partnership’ after what happened tonight. It would be really stupid on the boss’s part if he didn’t. Hell, Shane would be smart to let Diamond Dallas Page go altogether and forget he ever existed. Then she thought back to what he said regarding his time in WCW and raised a brow, wondering how long ago that was.

“So, WCW told you, of all people, you weren’t going to amount to anything in this business? Sorry, I’m not much of a wrestling history buff.” Maybe she would start watching older WWF stuff to get a better idea and sense of who the man in the driver’s seat was. “They really are idiots then.”

“Might be hope for you yet, Red.”

He chuckled, switching lanes as the hospital came into view. Mark knew Shane and the McMahons and Shane wasn’t smart enough to let Dallas go simply because Dallas’ crazy ass was piquing interest with this feud between him and Page. He groaned, wishing he could just cripple the man and then smirked evilly. If he remembered correctly, Mick Foley had once said Dallas had some very, very weak knees. Maybe he would cripple the idiot after all.

It had to be her hair that he kept calling her Red. Alice would be lying if she said it wasn’t starting to grow on her. She felt less irritated every time he used it and didn’t understand why. This man confused her and drew her in all at the same damn time. “There is no hope when it comes to WCW.” If only she’d found WWF first, but then again Vince McMahon probably wouldn’t glance her way since she was involved in his public humiliation with his wife. She was screwed and stuck in WCW for the foreseeable future.

Once they arrived at the emergency room, Alice was taken in and asked if she wanted a numbing agent because her elbow did indeed have to be stitched up. She shook her head, ignoring Taker’s surprised look and gritted her teeth as they began cleaning it, plucking the pieces of gravel out of her flesh. Her cheekbone wasn’t fractured, just heavily bruised and the cut wasn’t deep enough to require stitches and wouldn’t leave behind a scar after it healed. The stitches didn’t hurt nearly as bad, thankfully, and they informed her of the scrapes and bruises on her back.

Great, no backless or sleeveless tops for a while…and it was in the middle of summer. Terrific! Opting not to take any pain medication, she walked out two hours later with Taker and tossed the paperwork in a nearby trashcan, already knowing how to take care of her wounds. Her back would be an issue, but there were no cuts, just scrapes, so the most she would be able to do is wait for it to heal.

“My advice, Red, is to start playing ball and work your foot in the door.” He advised, yawning as he helped her back up into his truck. Mark was tired; this had been a stupidly long night and he was planning on letting his mutts bury Diamond Dallas Page out in the backyard along with the rest of their junky old bones. “And keep your eyes open, because not everything is always as it seems in this company, or with the McMahons.” Ever.

He couldn’t have been more right.

Shane called the next day to inform Alice she had the rest of the week off and he would see her Monday. He would pay her for the house shows even though she wasn’t there because of what transpired at Smackdown!. Alice thanked him, not knowing what else to say and enjoyed her 5 days off immensely. Monday rolled around for Raw Is War and her cheek was just slightly bruised, the cut mostly healed on her face. Nothing makeup couldn’t cover up.

Instead of having the makeup artist do it, she opted to do it herself and had on foundation, black liner and clear gloss, a long sleeved black mini dress on that was open in the front, showing off the insides of her breasts. Since Alice couldn’t show her back or arms off, other assets would have to have attention drawn to them. There were ties that were crisscrossed in the front, but it still showed off quite a bit of cleavage, just enough to be teasing and sexy. Her hair was straightened and down, deciding to leave it that way for the night, so it hugged her waist. Wondering what tonight would bring, Alice headed to Shane McMahon’s office and knocked on the door, entering after he called out ‘come in’. He was currently on the phone, so she kept quiet until he was finished and smiled softly, hoping he couldn’t see the bruises and fading cut on her face.

“Hi boss, what would you like me to do tonight?”

Shane was having a hell of a time tonight and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re accompanying me to ringside tonight for my match against Page. Street fight.” His eyes gave her a quick scan, nodding at the attire. “Just…stay out of the way as much as you can and I’ll come get you when it’s time. How much do I owe you for the ER bill?”

“$1,000.” She answered in a softer voice, trying to swallow down the fact she was going to accompany her boss to ringside tonight for his match. “Are you sure you want me out there?”

“Yes. I want you to see firsthand what happens to those who cross me. What happened to you and me, even Taker, was unacceptable and it will be rectified tonight.”

“Okay, boss.”

Shane studied her thoughtfully, his eyes lingering on her cheek and he frowned, standing up and walking around his temporary desk. He reached out and gently took her chin in his palm, studying her face. “He really did hit you pretty hard, didn’t he?” He mused softly, shaking his head, and stepped away. Shane might’ve been another ‘rich boy’, but he had also put his body on the line for this company and knew how to spot an injury. “How’s the arm?”

“It’s fine. Just a few stitches and they should be able to come out in another day or so. That’s why I’m wearing long sleeves tonight. Don’t want to show anything off that happened.” Shane had kept this as quiet as possible from everyone, but naturally the 6 men, along with Dallas, had been bragging about taking out the Deadman and the new boss. She only knew this because Shane had asked her not to open her mouth about what happened and assured her everything would be taken care of tonight. “He could’ve hit me harder and cracked my cheekbone, but luckily that didn’t happen. After tonight, who will I be accompanying to the ring?”

“Haven’t decided yet.” Shane wrote a check for the amount she told him and handed it over. “Cash that immediately and hopefully, you won’t have another hospital visit. Now why don’t you get something to eat and relax until the beginning of the show? We’re first up.”

He was dismissing her. Alice felt something was off about Shane tonight, but couldn’t put her finger on it. “Alright boss, I’ll meet you at gorilla position. Thanks again.” Slipping the check in her purse, she walked out and headed toward the room where WCW had their catering.

When Mark found out that Shane McMahon was going to get Diamond Dallas Page in a street fight, he was not amused. That should’ve been HIS match; he owed that little bitch some payback. He owed several people some payback and never forgot a face, so Mark had been stalking those WCW cast-offs one by one out in the parking lots of the house shows. Then tonight, he had gotten them all again, making his displeasure known.

“I heard some of the guys were jumped outside.” Torrie said softly to Stacy, rubbing the inside of her arm and smiled when Alice walked into the catering room. “Hey sweetie, how was your week?”

“I hope it was relaxing because these house shows have sucked.”

“It was.”

For the most part minus the pain she was in from her face, elbow and back. Alice couldn’t sleep on her back for the first 3 nights due to how sore it was. Maybe denying pain pills wasn’t the smartest thing to do. She was still somewhat sore, but it was a dull ache by now. Torrie and Stacy had no idea what happened to her and she wanted to keep it that way. Unfortunately, Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire had been amongst the guys that were jumped, helping Page out with his Undertaker problem hadn’t been a smart idea.

“Hey bitch, how’s the face?” Chuck demanded irritably, spotting his ex-valet and nudged Sean to gain his attention.

They both had black eyes and held ice packs against them currently. Chuck and Sean had helped Page? She hadn’t noticed who the guys were since it’d been dark in the parking lot. Everything had happened so suddenly too.

“You two helped Dallas?” They both nodded curtly. “And helped him beat down your new boss?” Another nod. Alice didn’t know what to think or say, ignoring Torrie and Stacy for the moment, staring down at her salad.

Torrie frowned, staring at her friend’s cheek a little harder since she’d caught it earlier on, but didn’t want to point it out in case she was hiding a zit or something. “What happened?”

“Dallas backhanded her at Smackdown!. She wouldn’t help us beat down the Undertaker…” Sean growled, shaking his head in disappointment. “Seems she forgot he’s the enemy.”

“Assholes!” Stacy sneered, turning her attention back at a red-faced, embarrassed Alice and frowned. “Dallas hit you? Are you okay?”

“Do you need anything?”

“Some ice or aspirin, maybe?”

“I-I need some air.” Alice left the catering room, trying not to let the tears in her eyes fall.

“Traitor!” Chuck yelled after her, laughing when Alice began scurrying faster. “No loyalty…” He shook his head. “After all we did for her, man.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ,” Torrie rolled her eyes and threw her cup of water into Chuck’s face. “More like what she did for you, asses.”

Stacy promptly did the same thing to Sean, snorting. “You fuckers wouldn’t be holding WCW gold if it weren’t for her! Think on THAT!” The blondes stalked away, leaving everyone else in catering to laugh at the Tag champions.

Seated on a crate, Mark kicked his feet against the metal side, a baseball bat on his lap. He was also right there at the turn that led in and out of the WCW corridor. He was waiting on Page; eventually that dick bag would have to come this way, if he wanted to reach the ring anyway. It was not Page who turned that corner, it was Red, and she looked like she was trying not to cry.

“What’s got you in a twist, Red?”

Alice jumped slightly at the sound of Undertaker’s deep voice and stopped in her tracks, a single tear sliding down her cheek. “Nothing, I-I’m fine…”

What the hell was he doing on this side of the arena? Again? The last time he’d invaded the WCW corridor, things hadn’t gone down well, and she wound up diffusing the situation with Dallas. It wouldn’t be happening like that again if he started a fight.

“Just going out for some air…” Mumbling, she walked past him and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling lower than dirt because of Chuck and Sean. She thought they were her friends, but obviously they only wanted what she could give them.

Just like every other man on the planet!

“Now sweetheart,” Alice had walked into Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was without his nagging but beautifully busty wife for once. He caught her by the arms, a bit on the firm side. “You’re in the wrong part of the building. Whores are back that way.” He pointed in the direction she had come, turning her around and pushing her back in that direction.

When Alice stumbled, Mark -he had followed her out of curiosity- held out the bat for her to catch and keep her balance, eyeing her before raising his brow at Steve. “Now we all know you like getting handsy with your women, Austin,” He drawled, provoking the smaller man on purpose. “But she’s not your woman.”

“She’s just another whore, you seen what she did to Vince.”

“I saw her standing there not saying or doing a fuckin’ thing.”

Steve’s ice blue eyes narrowed. “I see…”

“I have every right to walk out of this building and get some fresh air, asshole!” Alice was tired of being manhandled by these men and gritted her teeth, her fiery temper nearly matching the color of her hair. “And at least I dress decently unlike your whore wife!”

“You-” Steve’s bald head was turning into a tomato; his anger surfacing and couldn’t believe the audacity of this slut to talk to him the way she had.

“Oh, I’m sorry, cat got your tongue, prick? You know, you WWF guys are no different than WCW, at all. All the same overbearing, testosterone-filled assholes walking around, thinking your shit doesn’t stink! Maybe if your boss didn’t fuck everyone and everything in sight, he wouldn’t be in the position he’s in now, would he? No, he wouldn’t! So fuck off!” Shoving past Stone Cold Steve Austin and Taker, Alice stalked outside to get her damn air and if one more person touched her tonight, she would co-cock them in the face.

“D-Did you just hear what she said to me?!” Steve squawked, staring at the Deadman, who looked downright amused, along with some of the other WCW wrestlers that had witnessed that exchange. “SON OF A BITCH!”

That whore had just verbally castrated him!

Now by no means was he buddies with those WCW jackasses, but Steve was known to be a mean drunk and an abusive bastard. Debra was a bit of a shrew, but… it was what it was. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, swinging the baseball bat hard enough to make the air whistle in its wake, laughing coldly when Steve cursed and dropped to the floor to avoid having his head split open like a ripe watermelon. “Now, Austin, mind your manners. You’re acting a fool in front of the rejects.”

Red just wasn’t having a very good night, was she?

She had also made yet another enemy.

Chapter 7

Honesty, she could care less about Stone Cold Steve Austin. The man had shown his true colors at WrestleMania by turning his back on every man, woman and child who ever supported him throughout his career. It was sickening to watch him beat the living hell out of The Rock, who was still on suspension from the company, with a steel chair until the man couldn’t move let alone kick out. Austin had stolen the WWF championship, aligned himself with Vince McMahon and Alice didn’t respect him at all. Undertaker had been the only one she did respect; his match with Triple H had been amazing, but Triple H was currently out with a devastating leg injury and wouldn’t be back for a while. Sighing, she slipped between two WWF trucks out of sight and closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air. It was hotter than hell outside, but she’d rather be out here than in there being berated by men. Signing with WCW had been the biggest mistake of her entire career.

“So she’s friendly with the Undertaker, who cares?” Dallas was a bit busy and pretending to not give a rat’s ass that his valet had, yet again, decided to be a bit to ‘friendly’ with his enemy. Why people felt the need to come bother him… he was trying to get around, having a show to open! “She’s a whore, we all know that.” That’s all any of the women were, whores, why else would they be in this business? How many of them actually had beauty and successful careers? Not many.

“It just looks wrong is all, Page, watch your ass. She’s been seen talking to him quite a bit.”

Page was no longer her concern. As far as Alice knew, Shane was assigning her to someone else in WCW and it definitely wouldn’t be Chuck and Sean. Not after the stunt they pulled with Page. Instead of walking to gorilla position alone, Alice went to Shane McMahon’s office and waited for him to walk out.

“You ready for this?” Shane asked, jumping up and down with his patent jersey and pants wrestling attire on, pouring a little water over his head. “Come on, let’s get some payback. You got my back, right?”

“Yes.” If Shane needed any kind of weapon or help to defeat Page, she was all for it and nodded with a smile. It was the first smile she’d had all day. “By the way, I had a run-in with Stone Cold Steve Austin. I don’t know if anyone told you, but…I said a few things to him that pissed him off. It was self-defense.” Mostly.

“He manhandled you, right?” Shane had heard from a few of his stars what happened and how Taker had also been looming in the WCW corridor again with a baseball bat. Hopefully, the man kept his distance tonight while he dealt with Dallas. “Don’t worry about it. Just focus on the match tonight.”

“Okay, boss.”

Shane McMahon in a street fight was going to be a cakewalk; the fact that HIS valet was accompanying Shane was just icing on the cake. Alice obviously needed to be taught a few lessons on who she owed her loyalty to and what was expected of her. Obviously, Dallas hadn’t hit her hard enough if she was trying to defy him like this. She didn’t realize that when Shane had assigned her to be Page’s valet, in Page’s mind, that meant she belonged to HIM. He was going to have to remind her, after he dealt with business tonight.

Once again, Alice didn’t bother getting in the ring and clapped for Shane, who was swinging a kendo stick around expertly, waiting for Diamond Dallas Page to walk out to get his backside handed to him. Instead of DDP, it was the Undertaker as Limp Bizkit blared through the speakers and the American Badass made his way down the ramp without the baseball bat he’d had earlier. Shane looked confused and so did Alice, both of them sharing a quick glance with each other before Undertaker stepped into the ring to grab a microphone.

“All due respect, I understand you gotta get yours. But hey, tonight it’s about mine – I got a score to settle. Page. Is. MINE.” Undertaker declared, not backing down, and watched Shane back away with his hands in the air.

Alice blinked, not believing her boss actually handed this match over to the Undertaker and shrugged when he assured her it was the right decision. She trusted him and nodded, smirking as Page came down the ramp NOT looking happy with this turn of events. Good, she didn’t want him to be happy and hoped Taker beat the living hell out of him!

The fact that Shane had caved in so easily didn’t overly sit well with Mark’s gut, but that was something to dwell on another time. Right now, he was more focused on beating the hell out of the asshole, who had been stalking him, who had led the beatdown last week, who had put hands on Red… He had been trying to get his own hands wrapped around Page’s pencil neck all week, like he had the other WCW fucks, who had beat the three down, but Page had been smart, been slick. He had managed to avoid being caught. Not tonight.

Undertaker looked delicious in light blue skintight jeans and a sleeveless leather buttoned down top, most of the buttons undone. Throughout the fight, those buttons had come undone completely and showed the expanse of his muscular chest, the BSK Pride tattoo on his abdomen turning Alice’s insides to mush. His hair was down, wet, and wild looking, the crazed gleam in his eyes sending her heart racing. Sliding out of the ring, Page was caught between going the way Taker stood and the other side had Shane with the kendo stick.

This was beautiful.

This was karma biting Page on the backside for what he’d done to Alice and every other woman he’d been involved with throughout his miserable life. Page slid back inside the ring and Taker followed suit, done with playing the cat and mouse game. Just as Undertaker set Page up for a chokeslam, Shane slid into the ring and struck him in the back with that kendo stick! What the HELL?! Shane McMahon double-crossed the Undertaker! Undertaker got the upper hand quickly and began beating the hell out of Shane, going for the Last Ride, but DDP nailed the Deadman on the back, stomach, and head with a steel chair. Alice watched in horror as they began pounding on Undertaker with their boots in the corner and couldn’t take anymore, disgust rolling through her. She slid into the ring and picked up the kendo stick, gripping it tightly in her hands while staring at her boss.

The man she thought she could trust!

Without preamble, she began beating him with it, using her full force with each blow as Shane cried out in pain. Page whipped around to face her, his icy blues locked with defiant grey and grabbed her roughly against him, positioning her for the Diamond Cutter. A second later, he dropped her in the middle of the ring and vacated with a laughing Shane.

That would teach the whore to know her place!

Shane hurt, she had swung that kendo stick like a pro, but what the hell? He was laughing while rubbing the back of his head, though he was now bound and determined to see Alice broken down until she knew her place. What was she thinking? That was the Undertaker, the enemy, she knew better. Well, now she did and, if she were smart, she’d learn her lesson real damn quick.

“Well what a fuckin’ pair we make…” Mark rumbled from his place on the mat, not bothering to raise his head. He was pretty certain he was bleeding from the back of it and didn’t feel like experiencing a wave of dizziness or nausea in front of all these people.

Only because she was trained to take bumps like this in the ring -one didn’t get into this business simply on looks alone, there had to be some wrestling requirements made- the Diamond Cutter didn’t knock her out. It hurt like hell, but didn’t knock her out. She groaned, slowly lifting her head and could see Undertaker through blurred vision and red hair, which was splayed all around her.

“H-He lied…” She coughed out, holding her head, and managed to roll out of the ring to hit the mats below, holding onto the ring apron.

Her legs felt like jelly as she watched Taker feel the back of his neck. There was no blood, but that shot to his forehead would no doubt give him a massive headache. A few minutes later, Taker moved and rolled out of the ring as well, draping an arm around Alice’s waist to keep himself balance while she held the back of her neck, her arm going around his waist for leverage. They somehow made it to the back in his locker room and Alice didn’t bother questioning anything at the moment, knowing going back to WCW wasn’t an option right now. Maybe tomorrow at Smackdown! when cooler heads prevailed, but definitely not right now.

“Taker!”

She blocked out her own pain, watching him stumble and knew if he fainted, she’d be crushed under his body weight. “You need to be looked over…” First the beatdown in the parking lot and now this…Shane McMahon was out of his mind! Then, an even more horrific thought crossed her mind and it involved Page stalking Undertaker, for months, prior to the WCW actually invading WWF. Was that all Shane’s doing as well? Did he send Page to do that?

“I got a concussion, Red.” Mark informed her bluntly, blinking as he tried to bring her beautiful ass into focus. He knew the signs and those chair shots from Page had been meant to bust his head open. Joke was on the prick, he had a hard ass head. “Don’t need no fuckin’ trainer to tell me that.” And he sure as hell didn’t trust anyone in this building right now. He’d handle it himself; it wasn’t his first rodeo. “You go see someone. Get looked at.”

“And what? Have them tell me to put ice on my neck and pop some aspirin for the headache? No thanks, I’ll pass.” If he had a concussion, that was bad because Taker couldn’t drive and there was no way they could leave the arena when the show just started. “And I basically just turned my back on Shane McMahon, so I’m staying here with you and making sure you don’t pass out.” Sleeping wasn’t an option for the Deadman, not with a concussion. “Come on, you have to sit down.”

There were steel folding chairs and a bench, but that was about it. No couches or anything comfortable to lay on. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise.

“I have what is probably a concussion and you want me to sit down?” Mark stared at her like she was mildly retarded and shook his head, which he instantly regretted. “I’m getting a shower, Red.” He grunted, beginning to peel off his leather top, which was soaked in sweat, his hands dropping to the fly of his jeans. Some cold water would keep him up and alert. Then, he grinned at her, both of hers, since he was having some double vision issues. “Want to join me? Help keep me… up?” He was a son of a bitch sometimes and, by the look on her face, he knew Alice wasn’t amused. “Just figured I’d ask, Red.” Then he got serious. “Make sure that door stays locked.” People had probably seen them come in together and he would not put it past anyone to try coming in.

Not wanting to stay out here alone, in case that did happen, Alice followed him into the bathroom and shut the door behind her while he continued undressing. “I’ll talk to you while you’re cleaning up.”

She winced at her sore neck, knowing it would get worse as the night progressed and saw his eyebrow arch. Kicking her heels off, Alice hopped up on the sink and turned her head enough to look in the mirror partially, seeing the small cut on her cheek through her makeup. What else would happen to her while being stuck in WCW? Quitting wasn’t an option, she had too many bills to pay, including her house, which she’d purchased right after signing with the damn company. Lowering her eyes from him as he started the shower spray, Alice twisted her fingers together in her lap and had to take a deep breath to slow her suddenly racing heart.

“Do you think Shane is the one who sent Page after you? Stalking you and showing the world your private life the way he did?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.” He grunted, pleased with the temperature of the spray, which was lukewarm, and began shedding clothing, what was left of it, his boots first. Mark smirked when both his Reds, who were starting to finally merge as the double vision receded, turned her head away. He contemplated cracking a lewd remark, making some comment, but if she decided to deck him, it’d probably actually hurt tonight. “I warned you before. Nothing is as it seems, especially when it comes to the McMahons.”

“I’m starting to believe that.”

Alice didn’t know what to do because, at any moment, Undertaker could abandon her. The man was in no condition to protect her tonight anyway, but she felt safe with him. They were supposed to be enemies, but never once had he treated her badly. It could all change in the blink of an eye, so Alice had to keep her guard up around Undertaker as well as everyone else. It would be a lot easier to do if she weren’t so attracted to him. When the shower sprays turned off and he stepped out, Alice lowered her eyes again, fighting the desire to sneak a peek as Undertaker stepped out to wrap a towel around his waist.

“Now darlin,” He drawled slowly, feeling a bit better. His head wasn’t pounding as bad; any scrapes that had been bleeding had been tended to and he had rinsed his mouth out good. The inside of his lip was cut, which is where all the blood had come from. “If you want to have a peek, I’m not going to mind.” Mark was male after all, though Red scoffed and he shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. “Your loss.” His game plan was to pop some painkillers, he knew his limit and how many he could take without messing himself up, and get through tonight. The concussion, well… as long as he didn’t get slapped upside the head anymore, he’d be fine, right? “Why are you still here, anyway, Red?” He asked, stepping into the main room, and glanced around for his bag, pinching the bridge of his nose. Headache. “I doubt any of them are going to expect you to stay after what happened.” Also, Mark did not want to see Page get his hands on her, not entirely sure he could protect her and that made his eyes narrow, ears turning red.

“Right.”

He wanted her to leave, not that Alice blamed him. The man had been double-crossed and lured into another trap, this time set by her boss and Page. Alice did not want to see Page or be near him, not if she could help it. She wouldn’t inconvenience Undertaker any longer though and knew she’d have to find a way to sneak out of the arena. Looking around the bathroom, she saw there was a window she could climb out of. It was high, but…she could reach it hopefully.

“I won’t take any more of your time, Undertaker. Get some rest.”

Standing up on the sink, Alice took a deep breath and vaulted herself toward the window, managing to push it open while hanging onto the ledge alone. She’d taken her heels off, which were securely dangling on her arm and managed to make her way through the window. Undertaker had watched her do this and she smiled at him through the window before taking toward the parking lot, staying out of sight. After what happened with Page at Smackdown!, Alice had a contingency plan, a backup, and pulled something out of her dress in the built-in bra the dress had. One click later, the rental vehicle was unlocked and she slipped behind the wheel, pulling her purse and keys out of the middle counsel. Her neck was killing her, but Alice would deal with it later once she was far away from here, deciding to drive for a little while to put some distance between her, Shane McMahon, and Diamond Dallas Page.

“What a woman…” Mark muttered under his breath.

She hadn’t been in his way or a pain in his ass. He just couldn’t fathom why she would willingly stick around for the rest of the show after what had happened to her. Especially when she knew exactly what Shane and Page were willing to do to her. He finished dressing and popped those pain pills, figuring he’d need to go retrieve his chain from where he had dropped it. If he knew Shane McMahon, and he just knew the McMahons period, Shane wasn’t finished with him, not yet. Well, he could provide a distraction, keep their minds off his Red.

Chapter 8

Once she found a cheap motel that was a little over an hour away from the arena and halfway to the next location for Smackdown!, Alice finally stopped for the night, dragging her belongings inside. She paid cash for the room and locked the door, shutting the curtains on the window. Settling down on the bed, Alice rubbed her stiff neck and turned the television on, eyes widening at the sight of WWF programming on. Whoever had stayed here previously was a wrestling fan apparently. On the screen, Shane McMahon was in the middle of the ring with a bunch of wrestlers…both WWF and WCW stars. What was going on now?

“I am personally responsible for the MERGER of WCW AND ECW – I’m also personally responsible for the NEW owner of ECW…Give it up for STEPHANIE MCMAHON-HELMSLEY!!”

Vince watched as his baby girl, Daddy’s little girl, sauntered out from the back with an evil smile on her face, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. They had just taken over all of the wrestlers that used to be in ECW a few years ago!

“Oh my god…” Alice whispered, covering her mouth with her hand and felt the shock filter throughout her system, knowing she had not only Shane McMahon to deal with, but now Stephanie. “Oh fuck…”

Mark had made himself comfortable, in front of a monitor, arms folded over his chest, bandana on to hide his lumps and chew tucked in his bottom lip. He was feeling a lot better, thanks to the pain pills, and also more annoyed. Just watching this bullshit unfold, Mark could only shake his head. He got it. He did. The two were sick and tired of their Daddy and his antics. Vince had not been doing himself any favors over this last year, but this… he didn’t see it ending well for any of the employees because a McMahon, no matter which side of the line they were on, was always a McMahon.

“Well… fuck…”

~!~

With a pair of jean shorts and a short sleeved white top, white sandals on her feet, Alice walked out of the motel room the following morning to make the rest of the trek to Smackdown!. Her elbow needed some air after being confined in that dress for the duration of the night. Alice still couldn’t believe Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley was in on this whole elaborate scheme to take over the WWF! Dropping her key off at the front desk, Alice headed toward her rental and froze at the sight of Shane McMahon waiting for her. It looked like she was facing the music a lot sooner than she would’ve liked. He wasn’t alone either, guarded greys narrowing on Dallas and immediately touched her elbow as if reminding her what he’d done to her just a week ago.

“How did you find me?” She asked, slowly approaching them, and set her bag beside her.

Shane sighed, holding his hand up when Page went toward her and decided to take a different approach with the redhead. “You weren’t supposed to be hurt last week during the jump on Undertaker, Alice. Page got carried away and he’s truly sorry for what happened, for what he did to you. Listen, you are WCW and I’ve invested my time and effort into you. I didn’t take everyone from WCW and you know that.” Sting, for instance, was the perfect example along with Ric Flair. They were old geezers and he needed youth and power. “I want us to start over. Dallas wants the same thing.”

“So, you condone beating up a man with 6 guys? That’s the type of company you’re running, Shane?” She retorted, folding her arms in front of her chest and could feel the tension rising between them. “I am WCW, you’re right. I wasn’t running, just needed the night to clear my head after receiving the Diamond Cutter by your…guy. So, was that an accident too, or what’s the excuse for that happening?”

“This is war, Alice. Casualties will be had, and you attacked me with a weapon. Page was protecting me…” Shane didn’t appreciate her attitude when he was trying to be nice to her and took a deep breath. “Would it make you feel better if he apologized for that as well?”

“No, not really. I don’t want to work with him, Shane. I don’t trust him…and I don’t really trust you either.” That trust had been broken a week ago and it would take time to rebuild it.

“Please don’t make this any harder than it already is, Alice. You WILL work with Dallas and make things right. That’s an order.” Shane stated with finality, not backing down and could see the defiance in her greys much like the previous night. “By the way, if you EVER hit me with a weapon of any kind again, it’ll be the last thing you do. Now get in the car. Dallas is driving, give him your keys and you two play nice.” Shane had his limousine that brought him, deciding to give the partners some time to work things out.

Did he actually just leave Alice alone with this psychopath?! Yes, yes he did.

Given that Alice was a little nobody and she owed a year on her contract, Shane thought he was being quite nice with her. Especially her little hypocrisy issues, attacking a man… he rolled his eyes, sliding into his leather seats in the back of his limo and glanced out the tinted windows at the pair. He had seen how she had handled business in WCW when she had been working with Chuck and Sean. The woman needed a reminder that, just because she had been pulled into the big leagues, it didn’t mean she was hot shit. She’d play along and do it nicely, with a smile, or he’d fuck her world all to hell.

“So, sugar, are we going to do this or what?” Dallas could play nice and offered Alice a very broad smile.

Alice was not pleased, and it showed clearly on her face, the fear combined with anger filling her eyes. When he took a step forward, she took one back, contemplating how far she’d be able to run before he caught her. Running wasn’t an option; Shane McMahon could take her to the cleaners because of the contract. Why was he forcing her to be partners with Dallas? Did the psycho specifically request her? Squeezing the keys in her hand, Alice shut her eyes briefly as she tossed them to him and grabbed her bag, hissing as a sharp pain slid up the side of her neck. Damn Diamond Cutter! A few minutes later, they hit the road with Alice staring out the window and arms folded in front of her chest, her stitched elbow clearly visible to Dallas.

After her antics with Taker, Dallas had specifically requested Shane keep him and Alice together. Shane was an asshole, no doubt about it, but he had also been inclined to let Alice go to ‘development hell’, just to get her out of his hair without releasing her from her contract. She obviously didn’t want to be a WCW Superstar since she refused to go along to get along. Dallas had said he was sorry, put on the proper face and used the correct tone, but… no, he wasn’t. He had spent months working on Taker, knowing cementing himself in this forsaken company was taking down the one person who was deemed untouchable. Physically, he knew he was the underdog, and that was fine, he had been that way most of his career, but it was the mental aspect he was focusing on. Taker had a reputation for his mind games, his inability to be flapped; Dallas intended on changing all that and he was starting to see Alice as his ticket there.

“Now, sugar, I think you and I got off the wrong foot and were pages away from each other.” He said quietly, once he had gotten the car up to speed. “We have communication issues; I’m willing to work on them. How ‘bout you?”

“No, there is no communication issues with a man who assaults me twice. I may be forced to work with you, Page, but that’s it. That’s where it ends. We don’t need to talk and get to know each other. You’re a psychopath and I see it clearly now. So, do us both a favor and leave me alone unless you have something to talk about work-related.” Alice often spoke her mind and didn’t care what people thought.

She’d been nice enough to keep her thoughts to herself regarding Page, because he hadn’t given her any reason to judge him. Despite the rumors regarding Kimberly, she always believed in giving someone a chance. Page had his and blew it sky high by assaulting her. She hissed out, rubbing the back of her neck and couldn’t believe she was stuck in a car for the next hour or so with the same man who caused her this pain in the first place. If Page thought she’d play ball when they were out in the ring together, he was sadly mistaken, especially when it came to Undertaker. Alice would not hurt him, for anyone.

She was going to be a bitch about this and Dallas simply nodded, letting her have her say. He knew the type of woman she was. Self-righteous. Hypocrite. Always had to have the last word and he inwardly chortled; he bet she was the kind who would spew a ton of words and then bolt out of the room to make sure she DID have the last word. Clichéd as fuck. He was willing to bet money she was just as bad as any other whore out there, get her on her back and let nature do the rest. When she cringed, rubbing her neck, he frowned and pulled over. The one good thing out of his marriage to Kimberly, besides the banging sex, had been her lifestyle. The yoga, specifically.

“Hold still.”

Dallas didn’t give Alice a minute, just reached over and felt her freeze. Within seconds, he had manipulated her neck, knowing from experience that instant relief was the outcome. He had learned how to do this from years of taking variations of his Diamond Cutter, thanks to Kimberly and her wellness crap.

“Better?” He asked softly, watching as Alice began gingerly testing her range of motion, taking note that she could move her head a lot easier than moments ago. “I’m sorry Alice, I really am.”

Dallas had been caught up in the moment and gotten a bit too involved in what was going on. She had been in the wrong place, wrong time. Swallowing hard at his kindness, Alice didn’t know how to respond to him and had to clench her hands tightly in her lap the entire time he massaged her neck.

“Thank you, Dallas.” She murmured quietly, slowly turning her head until their eyes met and drew her eyebrows together thoughtfully. He could be sweet one minute and psychotic the next – did the man have a split personality or maybe he was schizophrenic? Either way, he terrified her, and she had to learn to get along with him or else she really would lose her head the next time. “I won’t say it’s okay what you did to me, but…I’m willing to let bygones be bygones.” Those words left a nasty aftertaste in her mouth. She still wouldn’t help him win matches when it came to Undertaker, though. Not that he had to know that bit of information until the time came. “My neck feels better.” Then, she cracked a small smile at him to let him know she was appreciative of what he did.

“Good.” Dallas nodded, already guiding them back out onto the highway, figuring that since she had spent a bit of time in agony from his Diamond Cutter, she might’ve learned her lesson to steer clear of him when he was beating down her… friend. Or whatever she and the Undertaker were, his eyes narrowed briefly before he flashed her a smile. “Now, you already know me and the Deadman are feuding, and it’s only going to get worse.” He wasn’t going to touch on the stuff that had happened off camera, figuring he just needed to let sleeping dogs lay. “I won’t ask you to help, I know now you don’t want to. Just… stay clear, cheer me on, and that’s it. Is that okay?” Dallas was a very patient person.

“Yes, I can do that.”

As much as she wanted to trust Dallas and let her guard down, it wasn’t happening. Not this soon after being assaulted. However, he was trying to make friends with her and had helped her with her sore neck, so she could be friendly in return. Pushing her to do something, she didn’t want to, didn’t bode well with Alice. Dallas had noticed that, acknowledged it and would now allow her to be his cheerleader at ringside, nothing more.

“Undertaker is very intimidating, Dallas. He’s…helped me, but he is also the enemy and I recognize that. If you need my help with anyone else you’re in the ring with, I’ll do it, but…just not him.” The last thing Alice wanted to do was get on the Undertaker’s bad side and she also liked him far more than she should. “Thanks for understanding and compromising with me.” Maybe this partnership would work after all.

Hell, now who was schizophrenic?

He had not missed the way she had said the Undertaker had helped her, but importantly, he had not missed the TONE Alice’s voice had taken on when talking about that walking piece of shit with a goatee. Gross, and upsetting, but he knew he needed to keep himself in check, so he did. Baby steps.

“How about some music?” Dallas suggested, knowing she probably didn’t want to talk to him too much and that was fine, for now. Baby steps, he reminded himself again. All about baby steps.

He could take all the baby steps he wanted; Alice would never be interested in him in any manner other than professionally. Only because she was forced into it by their boss. The music of choice was alternative rock, which didn’t bother her. It wasn’t her favorite genre, but she could handle rock for a little while. Arriving at the hotel an hour and a half later, they parted ways to go to their respective rooms after getting their key cards. Alice had to get changed for the show for the taping of the show that night and decided to be a little more conservative.

Her elbow would need the stitches taken out by the trainer, so she decided on a black skirt that went 2 inches above the knee and a one shoulder black top with the WCW logo on the front. It was something she’d had made prior to coming on the road. Shane had sent her some merchandise as a way of welcoming her into the fold. Alice had a few others she had manipulated to her liking, with some help from her seamstress friend back in Florida. Once she finished dressing, she pulled on her strappy black heels and did her makeup, once again covering the yellow bruising as well as the healing cut on her cheek.

“You’re WCW, and you need to be a team player.” She muttered, staring back in her reflection and heaved a sigh, knowing she had to keep her distance from Undertaker.

If Dallas knew how she really felt about the big man, well…he would use her as leverage, if he hadn’t figured it out already, and that wasn’t an option.

Chapter 9

“Did you two make nice?” Shane asked with a yawn, sounding bored.

Taking a phone call from Dipshit Page was not something he had wanted to do, at all. He was tired; paperwork was a headache, on top of his other physical issues. Page was useful, sure, but he was also a bit on the insane side. Shane just figured he’d channel it and then send the man packing when he had served his usefulness, unless Page managed to wow him.

“Sure did.” Dallas drawled, noting the bored tone, and frowned into his mirror, busy trimming his facial hair. “She seems to have a thing though, for Taker.”

This was why he was suddenly interested in Page’s call; the man was a card. Shane didn’t bother trying to explain how his personal train of thought had been on ‘fire him’ to now ‘exploit and use’. He was a McMahon.

“Oh, really?”

~!~

“Alright…a deal is a deal. I gave you what you wanted tonight, okay? I gave you EXACTLY what you wanted. You may have Kurt Angle as your tag team partner, and maybe you didn’t ask for that, but YOU asked for Shane McMahon. YOU asked for DDP in the ring with you tonight and you got them. So therefore, you’re going to do ME the honors of being on Team WWF at Invasion.” Vince stated, the cameras rolling to make sure this conversation was captured and could see the annoyance building on Undertaker’s face. “Right?”

Mark was more than annoyed; he was getting pissed. He wanted Shane, and Page, and he wanted them now, without strings. All things considered, Vince should have jumped at the thought of his pain in the ass son getting his ass handed to him, but no… A McMahon was a McMahon. He had no problem being on Team WWF, at all; his problem was it being ordered basically.

“A deal’s a deal, right?” He remarked finally, rolling his shoulders, and then bent down until his face was right in Vince’s, sneering when Vince paled and swallowed hard. “Whatever you say.”

~!~

Undertaker and Kurt Angle against Shane McMahon and DDP was the main event tonight? Those were the first words out of Shane’s mouth as soon as she arrived at the arena with Dallas, who also sported a WCW logo sleeveless shirt. Everyone in the Alliance wore their respective brands shirts. With Shane out there, Alice didn’t know if Dallas would inform him of the truce they’d made on the ride to the hotel. She was not getting involved in the match at all, so hopefully the boss would just let her stay backstage.

Stephanie had heard all about the redheaded black sheep of the WCW women’s division and decided to make her presence felt. “You must be Alice.” She smiled, extending her hand to the woman and yanked Alice against her as soon as the woman took her hand. “Are you WCW or not?”

Shane had informed baby slut sister what had transpired over the past week, Alice surmised, nodding her head. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Because we have no room in the Alliance for traitors, Alice. You understand that, don’t you?” Her tone implied if the woman didn’t play ball and do her job, there would be hell to pay. “So, we have no problems, right? You are with Dallas and you will help him and Shane defeat the Undertaker and Kurt Angle tonight. RIGHT?”

Lying was the only option. “Yes ma’am.” Over her dead body would that happen, however.

“Good, glad we understand each other.” Stephanie patted the woman’s cheek none too gently, the same one Dallas had struck, and sauntered away to make a phone call to her husband to check on him.

Stupid bitch, Alice thought hotly, rubbing her cheek while Dallas went off to talk strategy with Shane.

Dallas hadn’t missed the interaction between Stephanie and Alice; he had sort of been paying attention even as he was being beckoned to Shane. Though it would have been rude of him to try saving her, especially since Shane was wanting to talk business. He seen the anger flash in Alice’s eyes and knew she had been told something she didn’t like.

“Come here, Alice,” Shane beckoned her over next, frowning at the look on her face. “She’s abrasive, isn’t she?” He chuckled, not even bothering to look his sister’s way. He had told her about what was going on. Stephanie was more like Vince than he was… it was kind of amusing and really scary at the same time. “Now, Dallas tells me you two worked out an arrangement.” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “I don’t think it’s going to work, we need-”

“No.” Dallas interrupted, frowning. “She doesn’t need to get involved, we can handle it.” He personally thought Stephanie was a hellcat and probably had her husband’s balls in her purse.

Alice blinked at Dallas, not believing he was defending her against their boss. Just last night, he’d delivered his finishing move to her and now he was protecting her. She couldn’t figure him out and honestly didn’t want to, clearing her throat. “I will help…” She trailed off, watching both Dallas and Shane’s brows lift slightly. “With Kurt Angle.” The Olympic Gold Medalist would be easy pickings for a distraction. Undertaker was off-limits, she’d made that perfectly clear to Dallas and he agreed. If Shane didn’t, that was his problem since she wasn’t his valet. He was her boss, sure, but bosses could only do so much to their employees. Dallas seemed to be onboard with her one stipulation, surprisingly.

“And why not Taker? He’s the bigger threat…” Shane pointed out, already knowing the real reason, but wanted to hear the lie come out of her mouth anyway. She would be punished for it accordingly, just not now.

“That man could break me in half with his pinky and I’m not taking that chance. I’ll help you with Kurt Angle and anyone else you want to take down, just not him, Shane.”

“But we’d protect you.” Shane pressed, ignoring Dallas’ warning look and kept his dark eyes on the redhead. “We need you to be a team player…Undertaker is our enemy – YOUR enemy, Alice. Do the right thing and help us bring them BOTH down.” He had the same implied tone Stephanie did earlier. “Because tonight, they ARE going down regardless. It’d be nice if you showed me where your loyalty truly lies.”

What exactly did Shane have up his sleeve for tonight’s match?

“We got it, Shane.” Dallas reiterated, knowing Alice would not bend and gently but firmly placed his hand against the small of Alice’s back, guiding her away from their boss. “Come on,” He muttered under his breath, making their way out of the room. “Look, Angle is fine, don’t you worry yourself about the Undertaker, okay, sugar?” He had made a deal with her, now hadn’t he?

Neither Shane nor Stephanie had missed the way Dallas had guided her out of the room, or the way Alice seemed to be a little more receptive to him. The siblings exchanged looks, grim smiles, and went back to their respective business.

“Thank you, Dallas.”

Alice looked up at him, seeing the concern in his cool blues and tried not to let the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach form. Something wasn’t right here. Was Dallas really alright with her not helping him take out the Undertaker? Or maybe he didn’t want a woman helping him because of ego. There she went again, trying to figure him out and Alice immediately stopped herself. Even being called sugar again didn’t seem to bother her, probably due to how much this man scared her and she knew what he was capable of.

“You’re starting off the show with Shane and Stephanie along with the boys from both brands tonight. Do you want me out there? I don’t think Torrie and Stacy are going, so I can just stay back here if you want during that opening segment…”

Dallas considered it, stroking his chin thoughtfully before sighing and shaking his head. “No Alice,” He said finally. “I think you need to go out there, show Shane and Stephanie that you’re on board.” As much as she could be, he mentally added, that just went without say. “You’re my valet, you go where I do.” He grinned down at her. “Just… if anything happens, get out of dodge and, if you can’t, I’ll protect you. Sound good, sugar?”

She highly doubted he would protect her if it meant saving his own skin, but Alice didn’t say that aloud and just nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.”

~!~

The opening segment consisted of Shane, Stephanie and Paul Heyman all talking smack about the WWF and, more specifically, the owner of the company Vince McMahon. Stephanie spouted about how her and Shane teamed up because they couldn’t wait for their father to die to hand over the WWF. They wanted power now, not later. Ungrateful children…Jim Ross had pinpointed it as well as Michael Cole, who were the announcers for tonight’s show. Surprisingly, not a single WWF superstar or Vince McMahon came out to confront of the demon spawns and all was peaceful as the show began with the first match of the night.

Alice stayed right beside Dallas, not holding hands or anything, just stood there listening and did her best to put on a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. God these kids were longwinded, and he assumed it was a McMahon family trait or something because he had heard Vince drone on and on for a lot longer than necessary. Dallas glanced down at Alice, reaching out to tap her fingertips with his own and wiggled his eyebrows when she looked up at him.

“Don’t look so bored, sugar.” He whispered in her ear, keeping a smile on his face.

Well… that was odd. It looked like Red and Dallas had made up. Mark snorted, shaking his head. WCW people… what the fuck?

“Hard not to.” She whispered back, barely moving her lips and felt like her ears were bleeding at Stephanie’s shrill voice.

Good god, who the hell would be stupid enough to marry her? Poor Triple H had to wear earplugs when they screwed because that voice wasn’t pretty. As long as Dallas kept being a gentleman and protected her, Alice would be his partner and help him anyway she could…minus taking out the Undertaker. She was stuck with him and would make the best of it, already knowing Undertaker would think of her as a sellout. Honestly, she was simply being loyal to her company and doing what her boss instructed. Why was she worried about what Undertaker thought anyway?

Enemy, he was the enemy…a gorgeous enemy at that.

Once the segment ended, everyone stepped out of the ring and Dallas helped her out by taking her hand, guiding her down the steel ring steps before placing a hand on the small of her back. By the end of the night, Dallas would do a complete 180 during the match with Undertaker and Kurt Angle. Not that she knew of the current storm brewing and about to hit the WWF locker room like a ton of bricks.

“Yeah, you sure can pick ‘em, Deadman.” Steve said sarcastically from behind his ‘teammate’, smirking while he shook his bald head. “You done picked yourself a little WCW whore, who played your ass like a cheap fiddle.”

“What’re you on about, Austin?” Mark really wasn’t in the mood.

“Everyone knows about that bitch going into your locker room with you. You got yourself some, but apparently, it just wasn’t good enough to compete with Page because she’s right back out there, holdin’ hands like they’re best friends.”

Steve wasn’t necessarily wrong.

Stone Cold Steve Austin was ENTIRELY wrong! They were strictly business, there was no intimacy involved. If Alice had it her way, she wouldn’t be working with Dallas at all. This wasn’t her choice, however, not that people knew it besides ECW/WCW stars and everyone was keeping their mouth shut. Nobody would discuss with her what happened or question her sanity in front of Dallas. The man was unstable, to put it mildly, which was another reason why she decided to play nice for now. She felt someone sit beside her and turned her head to see Shane McMahon, noticing Dallas was nowhere to be found.

“You know, if you do well tonight, I MIGHT change my mind about leaving you with Dallas. I MIGHT be inclined to even let you choose who you want to accompany to the ring. IF you cooperate and do exactly as I tell you for tonight.”

“Dallas and I are fine, and I don’t need to be coerced into doing something to the Undertaker that’ll get my head knocked off my shoulders, boss.” Why couldn’t Shane leave this alone?

“Then you’ll be stuck with Dallas for a LONG time to come, Alice. The choice is yours. I told you, you’d be protected…”

“And I told you I’m not risking it. I’m not going against the Undertaker, WWF or not.” She folded her arms in front of her chest defiantly, refusing to meet his eyes and gasped when he gripped the back of her neck rather harshly. “Let…”

“Then you WILL witness firsthand what happens when you cross me and don’t do as you’re told, whore.” Shane promised viciously, releasing her neck, and stalked out of the room before he wound up throttling her.

Her sore neck was back, and Alice was thankful nobody else was in the room because she burst into tears.

If Dallas had known that Shane had messed with his toy, he probably would have laughed and been irritated all at the same time. He was trying to get somewhere with Alice, knowing there was just no way she was going to fall at his feet, figuratively, right away because of what he had done. He was trying to be nice, break her in gently and didn’t really need assistance. Of course, if that didn’t work, Dallas was not at all concerned with restraining his crazy side because, sometimes, a woman needed smacked around to remind her of her place.

~!~

“Taker, come on, bro, man, buddy, pal?” Kurt trailed off, clearing his throat when venomous green eyes finally landed on his face, swallowing down the rest of what he had been about to say. “So… about tonight…”

Kurt Angle had talent, there was absolutely no doubt about that. However… the man was annoying. Gabby. Tried to be buddies with everyone and the last time they had spoken, Kurt had begun lecturing him about chewing. With that thought in mind, Mark spit a stream right onto Kurt’s boots.

“Yeah, pal?”

“Ugh that’s disgusting!” Kurt whined, looking down at his bright white boots that were now splattered with… “Why would you do that?! Look tonight, Mr. McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin aren’t here, so I’m the leader and…” They had left actually halfway through the show. He trailed off, seeing the deadly look that came over Taker’s eyes and took a step back. They were on the same team, the same side, and the man acted like HE was the enemy! “Whoever crapped in your oatmeal, it wasn’t me. I’m your partner, don’t forget that. Kane and Jericho will be here in a minute, so we can have a strategy meeting for tonight.”

Jerichoke he could live without. The man had sound wrestling abilities, but a mouth that just would not shut up. Ever. Kane, Glenn, his brother… his buddy, now that could be interesting and he grinned.

“You are no leader, boy.” Because no matter how old Kurt was, he looked like a fucking baby face and Mark wasn’t anyone who looked like a Cabbage Patch doll. “Oh… wait… I think I see a chin hair.”

“Really?” Kurt had been trying to grow some facial fuzz; he figured it’d get him a bit more respect since all the guys who were respected had goatees.

Mark leaned in, studying Kurt’s chin before grabbing it and yanking. “Oh yeah, sure, son.” Laughing, he left Kurt there rubbing his chin and shook his head. They were doomed.

The minute Mark was gone, Kurt took off running to check.

Chapter 10

When the time came for the match, no matter how hard she tried, Alice couldn’t smile. Dallas had asked several times what happened, but all she did was mumble ‘nothing’ and eventually, he stopped. Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin had somewhat of a fight in the ring and were gone, so that left Team WWF vulnerable since Austin was on it. Like a shark smelling blood, Shane took full advantage and didn’t pay Alice any attention, focusing on the match. She wanted to gouge his eyes out with her nails, refusing to get in the ring with him and Dallas. Simply standing by the announcer’s table, Alice watched Kurt Angle make his entrance and then Undertaker.

He rolled in on his motorcycle, looking handsome as ever and she longed to be on that bike with him, longed for him to take her far away from here. When he rolled past her, she couldn’t help giving him a very quick smile before it vanished again as he finished his entrance. As soon as the bell rang, the fight was on and Alice merely watched, not making a single move toward the ring like she should’ve. She had agreed to help with Kurt Angle, but not anymore. Fuck Shane McMahon and the war, as far as she was concerned.

Dallas had noticed the smile she had flashed the Undertaker’s way and tried to squish down the rage that he felt simmering his blood, slowly warming him up in a way he did not overly appreciate. He didn’t even wait, as soon as Taker was in that ring, he attacked, not allowing the other man a chance to even remove his stupid leather duster. Dallas immediately went for Taker’s knees, and the back of his head, hoping to capitalize on what had likely been a concussion.

Well what a cocksucker, Mark thought, wondering where this mean streak had come from.

“Get over here! Get over here now, Alice!” Shane shouted, pointing at the ring apron and felt his jaw drop when she shook her head at him in response. “YOU BITCH!”

Shane hadn’t been paying attention to Undertaker coming up behind him and received the Last Ride for his troubles, making Alice extremely thrilled. Suddenly, the locker room emptied out with ECW/WCW stars as Undertaker and Kurt Angle began fighting them off, holding their ground. What shocked and exhilarated Alice the most was when Undertaker, all 300 pounds of him, vaulted over the top rope with ease like a cruiserweight and crashed on top of all the Alliance members in one fell swoop. It was amazing to witness, the crowd roaring in approval. Even Alice was clapping, the camera giving a closeup of her face while she continued watching the carnage transpire.

Eventually though, the smile deteriorated from her face as the numbers game caught up with Undertaker and Angle. Even with Kane and Jericho coming out to help, they were all four left lying in the ring, staring up at the lights. Alice glared up at Dallas, who leaned over the top rope screaming at her to cheer them on. She flat out refused, feeling sick to her stomach and wasn’t surprised when Stephanie and Paul Heyman joined the fray, all three owners raising their arms in victory. Alice felt ashamed to be wearing the WCW logo on her chest and couldn’t wait to be able to take it off.

Dallas was not amused at all. On the huge Tron, he had seen the Undertaker flying over that rope and then it had cut to Alice, who had been smiling broadly, a fire in her eyes as she had watched that dick attack them all. Then she had refused to cheer, at all. Which had not been a part of the deal. Not fuck with Taker, yes, everything else had been fair game and she wasn’t honoring her end. While cameras focused on the trio in the ring, he slid out, walking over to grab her arm, a smile plastered on his face. Shane caught the look Dallas gave him and gave a barely perceptible nod. Alice was going to learn one way or another, her ass belonged to the WCW -HIM. And now, Page, because he had done something very fun after his earlier dealing with her.

“Let go of me, you bastard!!”

Alice struggled against him up the ramp, the cameras already stopped rolling and felt him yank her to stand in front of him, the grip on her arm tightening. She did the first thing that came to mind and boxed his ears before kicking him square in the balls, making Dallas drop to his knees in front of her. He would not hurt her again, none of them would! She was a valet, not a beating post and could see the fire in Shane McMahon’s eyes. Not thinking twice about it, she ripped the WCW shirt off her body and tossed it on top of Page, backing up the rampway in just her black lace bra and skirt, touching her neck as if reminding them what Dallas did to her. What she’d gone through since coming on the road with the rest of the WCW crew.

“Fuck you.” She mouthed directly at Shane before hightailing it to the back, hopping down to walk to the back on the side and ran straight for the exit. Alice blinked when someone grabbed her from behind and yanked her into a dressing room, the light coming on as Torrie stared at her incredulously.

Torrie couldn’t imagine what her friend was going through and hugged her around the neck, glad she was alright. “You need to come clean about everything that’s happened with Dallas. Now.” The man had looked downright MURDEROUS out there while he had a hold of Alice. “Are you okay?”

“No…” Alice dropped to her knees, shaking her head and gripped her red hair in her fingers. “No, I’m not…”

She was screwed once Dallas and Shane caught up to her. Torrie knew from rumors and Kimberly, and what she had seen with her own eyes, what Dallas was capable of. She hadn’t thought Alice had been with him long enough to really get a taste, but whatever it had been, it had been enough.

“We need to get you out of here.” She said quietly, reaching for a discarded t-shirt and smiled humorlessly. It was a cast-off Undertaker t-shirt, probably something that hadn’t sold at the tables. “Here, come on, Alice.”

“FIND HER!” Shane was not happy at all. “Dallas, she’s all yours.” He said, walking besides the limping, near tears man. “I did the contracts before we went out.”

Looking down at the shirt, Alice wondered if this was fate telling her something she wasn’t aware of or if it was a coincidence she now had an Undertaker t-shirt on. Her red hair would be spotted by anyone in the Alliance, but luckily, Torrie had a secret way out. She would be the diversion while Alice made a beeline for Torrie’s rental, the keys already in hand. Torrie really was a true friend and Alice owed her big for this, not knowing what she was going to do.

Somehow, someway, she managed to arrive outside of the arena unscathed and figured the Alliance was still in the building. Just as she started for the rental vehicle, a motorcycle stopped in front of her, Alice’s eyes widening at the sight of the Undertaker in front of her. Her makeup was gone, having washed it off after her crying jag with Torrie and her heels were gone, replaced with sneakers, courtesy of her friend. They were a lot easier to run in, in case she had to pound pavement.

“Let’s go, Red.” Mark ordered, extending a hand to her, and somehow was not surprised that she instantly took it, pulling her up.

He felt her arms wrapping around him, followed by a squeeze and he revved the engine, peeling away from both their respective factions. He knew tonight was just the beginning of this immense war and had a feeling he and Alice were going to be caught in the center of it. So far, Mark was holding his own because it was just the boys starting to give him grief for dallying with a WCW bitch… he had a feeling she was getting more than grief.

“Thank you.” She whispered, knowing he wouldn’t hear her and wrapped not only her arms around his waist, but also her legs.

It was the only way to keep her legs from being burned by the pipes below. Honestly, Alice didn’t mind being this close to him, her red hair flying behind her in the wind. Undertaker could take her wherever he wanted, at least she was far away from Dallas, Shane, Stephanie, and the entire Alliance. It was wrong to fall for a WWF star and she knew it, but…something told her Undertaker felt something as well. Why else would he keep randomly showing up, tonight being no exception. Her trembling slowly ceased until relaxation took over, the vibration of the bike combined with his body heat doing wonders.

~!~

“A little birdie told me that your Alice just tumbled down a hole with the maddest of them all.”

Shane really had no time for his sister’s bullshit, or the wicked smirk she wore while she filed her nails. Sighing, he grabbed a handful of her brunette locks and ripped her head back, ignoring her laughter. “Enough with your shit, use your grownup words.”

“Alice was seen taking off with the Undertaker.”

“Of course she was.”

~!~

Mark didn’t stop for a few hours, figuring the more space between them and everyone was a good thing. They didn’t need to deal with anymore crap tonight and something had gone down with her, that was obvious. Finally, he roared into the drive of a bed and breakfast, the last place anyone would think to look for him.

“You all right, Red?” He asked, after he had cut the ignition.

“I am now. I wasn’t earlier.” Alice murmured, looking up at the building he’d stopped in front of and raised a slow brow, wondering why he’d taken them to a bed and breakfast of all places.

How long had they been on the road? Slowly, she unwound her arms from around him along with her legs, letting him dismount first. He helped her off by taking her hand and Alice looked up into his eyes, the moonlight reflecting in them.

“You don’t look too worse for wear, so that’s a good thing.” This man could take quite a beating; she’d noticed he had a high threshold for pain. No normal average man would be able to take the beatings he did without being hospitalized. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah.” Mark waved her off dismissively, grinning broadly. “Nothing I can’t handle.” The numbers game had been vicious, no doubt, but nothing compared to his prior concussion. He had spent that night vomiting, only surprised that he had managed to keep it in check until she was gone. “I’m a bit worried about becomin’ a pain pill addict if this shit keeps up, though.” Because that was a lot better than an alcoholic in his book, he had done that one before. Mark gestured up at the large house. “I bet you’re wondering about this place, huh, Red?” At her nod, his grin got wider. “Who the hell is going to look for me at a place like this?”

Her assumptions had been spot-on. “I figured as much.” Alice sounded amused, trying not to let her nerves come out or show how worried she was, even though her eyes clearly held it.

He lead the way, not releasing her hand and let him guide her inside the building, grabbing the key to their room. He’d even said ‘their’ room too. Alice had nowhere else to go, knowing going home wasn’t an option after what she did. She had effectively left the Alliance, even though Shane still owned her contract. Not wanting to think about that, Alice looked around the room and had to admit it had a comfortable homey feeling to it. It wasn’t frilly and girly like other bed and breakfasts she’d frequented, so that was a plus.

“Thank you…for bringing me here. I can – um…I’ll pay for half the room, if you want.” She had her wallet on her, which was stuck on the inside of her bra currently. Her clothes Torrie would take care of and she’d grab them once they were back on the road on Friday for the house shows.

“Why?”

Mark shot her a puzzled look, locking the door behind them and then walked over to open up the window, inhaling the fresh air. The room smelled like some kind of girly, flowery herb and he spotted sachets on the pillows of the king sized bed, his gaze moving to the jacuzzi in the corner. He grinned, knowing it would hold him and her, if he was feeling puckish.

“I booked this room yesterday, didn’t figure I’d have you with me.” He kicked off his boots, using his foot to push them beneath the bed and then grabbed the bottom of the black thermal long-sleeved shirt he had put on before leaving the arena. Mark had basically grabbed it on his way out the door, pulling it off. “Nice shirt, by the way, Red.” He tossed his own in the corner of the room, walking over to stand in front of her.

“Yeah well, when you peel your shirt off in front of thousands of people, tell your boss ‘fuck you’ and then get dragged into a dressing room by your best friend, who wants to help you escape, and this shirt is the only thing available to put on, you tend not to worry about the design on it.” Alice remarked softly, looking down at the design on the t-shirt and had to admit, she liked it.

She liked this shirt and wasn’t giving it back to the company, deciding to use it as a nightshirt the next time she was home. It would go with her other nightshirts and pajamas she wore. Finally looking up at him, Alice noticed he was shirtless and felt her heart rate kick up a notch, seeing the amusement shining in his eyes.

“You’re stuck with me tonight. I’ll figure out where to go tomorrow, but you have to deal with me until morning, Undertaker.”

“The name’s Mark, darlin’, not Undertaker.” He corrected, after a long moment, taking her in.

Truthfully, Mark had been a bit… occupied while the McMahons and Heyman had been celebrating, though he had also known she was out there with Page. It had seemed, for a bit, that she and Page were on the same side again. Then, during his midflight, he had glimpse the Tron and seen her smiling, watching him, and smiling.

“You really did fuck it all up for yourself, didn’t you Alice.” It wasn’t much of a question and he reached out, cupping the back of her head, and pulling her up against him.

Chapter 11

“Yeah, I did, Mark…” Alice murmured, not a single ounce of regret in her eyes or her tone of voice, her hands gently pressed against his muscular chest. It was so easy to get lost in this man, he was dangerous and calculating…he could very well destroy her physically, mentally, and emotionally if she wasn’t careful. Far worse than Dallas and Shane ever thought about. “They forced me – Shane did, actually. They forced me to be with Page…and I don’t wanna be. He scares me…and he’s hurt me twice. And I know I’m being punished because I…I won’t help them hurt you. I made you the only exception and Shane didn’t take kindly to it…”

“No, I’d imagine not.” Mark said slowly, letting his hands move down to rest on her hips, kneading her gently. “I bet you smilin’ pissed them off all the more…” He could only imagine the fallout from this at the next show, she would have Page and Shane both gunning for her. If Stephanie decided to get her shrew ass involved just for giggles… Alice was looking at exile or early retirement. “Why won’t you hurt me, Red?” His voice had dropped to a husky whisper, applying pressure to guide her forward, only stopping when their bodies were firmly tucked into each other.

“At first, it was because I didn’t want to get on your bad side like he did.” Alice admitted, being truthful enough and slowly slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders and down his arms, her eyes never leaving his. “But I know it’s more than that. I’m not sure what it is, honestly. I just know I don’t want to hurt you, Mark.”

Why couldn’t they have met normally, like at a diner or store, some place not associated with professional wrestling? Why did these feelings have to be so complicated? Usually, a man liked a woman, or a woman liked a man – it was cut and dry, but the fact they were associated with separate companies caused a huge rift. There was a matter of trusting each other too.

“Why do you keep popping up and saving me? How did you know I’d be outside of the arena tonight?”

“I’m a mind reader, darlin’.” Mark teased, grabbing hold of her hands and began walking backwards, pulling her with him. When he felt his legs hitting the bed, Mark let himself fall backwards, taking her with him and caught her before she could nail her face against his. “I was bailin’, before anyone could jump my ass again and I saw you come flying out that door, so I swerved to grab you.” He ran a hand up along her face, threading his fingers through her hair. “Hard to miss you, Red.”

“My hair, I know.” She rolled her eyes playfully, enjoying being this close to him and idly wondered if Torrie knew he’d be out there waiting. She had instructed how to get out of the arena without detection. “I don’t blame you for bailing. I would’ve too – I did actually.”

Even though it was the end of the show and everyone was on their way out of the arena. Alice had waited just long enough, and Torrie had been the diversion. She just hoped her friend was alright and had made it back to the hotel unscathed.

“Thank you.”

Then she did the one thing both her heart and mind were screaming at her to do and made the first move, covering his mouth with hers to softly kiss him. Given that he had pulled her down onto a bed, on top of him no less, Mark really hadn’t been expecting much in the way of anything besides a knee to the balls. Even then, he had been doubtful. Something was clearly off with this woman if she liked him of all people. Kissing him first…that was just icing on this crazy cake. Her kiss was soft but firm and he allowed her to set the pace, one hand burying itself in her hair, the other moving to the small of her back.

The feeling of his mouth on hers, how surprisingly soft his lips were, made something surge inside of Alice she couldn’t explain. If Mark didn’t know she liked him, before the kiss, he was out of his mind too or simply blind. She had gone out of her way and went against her boss in order to protect him, for reasons she still didn’t understand. All Alice knew was it hurt her to see him in pain, she didn’t like it and witnessing him being beaten down several times made her anger at the Alliance heighten. Hell, as far as she was concerned, she was no longer in the Alliance and had shown where her loyalty truly lay…with herself. Slowly breaking the kiss, Alice stared down at him, her hair a curtain of red around them and gently rubbed her nose against his, breathing a bit heavier than before.

Growling, Mark rolled so she was pressed with her back to the mattress and he hovered over her, his eyes feasting on the lovely vision she made. Her red hair splayed out on the pillow, cheeks flushed and her eyes dark, her chest gently heaving beneath that Undertaker t-shirt Alice wore. It had to be kismet. Bending down, he caught her full bottom lip between his teeth and tugged gently, using one arm to hold the bulk of his weight off of her tiny frame and the other… his free hand was gathering the hem of that shirt, fisting it. He shifted, feeling her legs spreading and settled himself between them, kissing her all over again.

His kiss burned, igniting an inferno inside of her and turning her blood to molten lava, the t-shirt suddenly feeling like a nuisance. Alice couldn’t pull away from his addicting lips, enjoying the weight of him on top of her and dealt with the current heat. The smell of him, a mixture of sandalwood, gasoline, and leather…it was intoxicating as her fingers found the band in his hair, pulling it out to unravel his delicious red auburn hair, burying her fingers in it as the kiss deepened. This man had invaded her thoughts and dreams ever since WrestleMania, and she couldn’t explain why. Then the night he stopped her outside of the arena, rather rudely, that just drew her further to him like a magnet to metal.

“My, you are an eager little thing, Red…” He murmured against her lips, smirking, and pulled away from her, seeing the disappointment flashing in her eyes. Oh this woman wanted him and Mark felt his lips stretching in a grin as he took her in, sitting back so he knelt above her, his palms skimming down her thighs and then up onto his own. “You sure you want to walk down this road with me, Alice?” Because if she did, she needed to be aware there was no turning back, no matter what happened next. Hell, if nothing happened next.

He wasn’t above a one night stand.

Alice’s heart immediately screamed ‘YES!’, but her mind reminded her of the fact they were supposed to be enemies. Hell, she was more than likely out of the Alliance now, unless Shane wanted to keep her around just to torture her. Would Mark protect her? The passion haze that clouded her mind began dispersing, breaking apart and allowing her to think clearly.

“I kissed you. I don’t kiss men I don’t want or desire.” Sitting up on her knees in front of him, they were nearly at eyelevel only because of his hunched position. “But if you’re unsure about this…if you don’t want to go down this road with me, I’ll understand. What happens between us, stays between us though. What we do for a living, and who we work for, have zero to do with whatever happens here. Or anything between us in the future.” That was her only stipulation; everything else would be worked out later.

Mark studied her thoughtfully, wondering if she honestly thought they could fool around and not have their work lives mixed in, to some capacity. He knew that was fairly impossible, especially given Alice was WCW and he was WWF. Somehow, that would probably come into play and he really didn’t care at the moment. He had itches he had gotten scratched, but those had been itches, not full blown desire and he made his decision. Moving off the bed, Mark stood up, hands dropping to the waistband of his jeans, green eyes darkening as he took her in.

“Strip.”

Instead of obeying, she only did it partially and pulled the Undertaker shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor, her own eyes turning stormy and chewed her bottom lip, slowly shaking her head. That left her clad in the black lace bra and skirt with matching panties beneath, her sneakers already off. She’d removed them the moment they stepped into the room. The way his hand moved down to unsnap his jeans and the sound of his zipper gliding down, just the faintest sound, drenched her panties. Good thing she was wearing them tonight. Sometimes, Alice didn’t, and it just depended on what type of outfit she had on, such as her jumpsuits. She was fond of them, had one in every color, though most were back at home in Florida currently. At his raised brow, a devious smirk curved her lips and her mouth watered, thoroughly enjoying the view before her.

“You first.”

“Only if you promise not to faint, Red.”

Mark snickered, having absolutely no problem in shedding his jeans. He did so and then rose, rather proud of the way her eyes zoomed in on his erect cock, the way her mouth dropped into a perfect O. Mark was a bit on the hung side, he’d admit it, and most women had issues taking him all the way. He was pretty sure… he was going to break her, but it would be delicious.

He could break her all he wanted, she would enjoy every second of it and slid her tongue out to wet her lips. “Not bad.” She remarked coyly, lowering her voice to a sultry tone, and stood up from the bed to unzip her skirt, pushing it down her legs.

Alice was a fan of thongs, especially when wearing a skirt, but she also enjoyed her regular panties too. Currently, she had a black thong on and turned teasingly to unfasten her bra, looking at him over her shoulder. Before she could fully remove it, Mark came up behind her to cup her breasts beneath the dangling material and the sound of his groan filling her ear sent shivers down her spine.

“Now who’s eager?” It came out as a purr.

“Eager doesn’t even begin to describe it, Red.” He rumbled in her ear, pressing himself against her.

She was quite a bit shorter than he was, he was basically humping her back and he chuckled, palming her breasts one more time before stepping away. Mark watched as she finished slowly, teasingly shedding those underclothes of hers. His eyes strayed to the jacuzzi, it was tempting, but so was the desire to just pick her up and power-fuck her through the mattress. Decisions. Decisions. Then again… they did have all night, providing Alice wasn’t the one and done type of woman.

No, she wasn’t, not unless he didn’t know what to do with a woman’s body, how to keep her stimulated for more than one session. Alice highly doubted there’d be a problem, not with the way he carried himself and how big he was. She slowly turned to face him, her red hair hanging down her shoulders and back, covering her breasts as they tried to peak through the tresses. One hand slid up his chest before gliding back down with her nails and she enjoyed the red marks they left behind.

His strong hands gripped her upper arms to pull her up against him and his mouth lowered, his body bending, to capture her lips in a searing kiss, their naked bodies pressed together. Somehow, they turned to where she guided him back down to lay on the bed with her on top, their mouths once again meeting. Honestly, Alice could spend the night kissing and caressing Mark’s body from head to toe, wanting to explore every inch of him.

He had a few decades under his belt, could definitely hold his own and control himself. So, with that in mind, Mark folded his hands beneath his head and let Alice have at it. He somehow got the impression that she had very little control in her life right now. Mark knew at work she was cornered and, every time she tried asserting herself, it backfired. Spectacularly. He was also a man; if a beautiful woman wanted to explore his body, he was inclined to let her. However, when she kissed and caressed just under his breastbone, he chuckled. He was a mite ticklish there.

Looking up at him, she slid her nails along the spot her mouth had occupied seconds ago and enjoyed the sound of his chuckling. Then she blew raspberries, another experiment, and heard him chuckle harder, almost a full-blown laugh. The sound of his laughter was erotic, low, and deep, much like his voice. After doing a few other things like nipping, licking, and kissing that spot, she made her way lower to where his BSK Pride tattoo was, beginning to trace it with her tongue. While she did that, her hand snaked down between them to stroke his cock, which was still hard as a rock and that pleased her immensely. It told her Mark enjoyed what she was doing to him and loved how his body responded naturally to her.

“Mmm I do enjoy a man with ink…” She purred against his surprisingly soft skin and stroked him a little harder, sliding the pad of her thumb over the tip. “So sexy…”

Wait until she went a little lower… Mark kept himself pretty tidy and trimmed. When he was a lot younger, he had been ballsy enough, no pun intended, to get a tattoo on the pubic bone. It was tiny, it was a demon head, not great on detail due to size and location and had been a bad, drunk joke on his part. It wasn’t noticeable right off the bat because most women tended to gawk at his cock, not the area around it.

“Mmm…” He propped himself on his elbows, staring down at Alice and smirked. “Do you now, darlin’?” He hadn’t seen any ink on her… maybe he hadn’t been looking hard enough.

“Uh huh…if done right, of course.”

Alice was ink free, though she’d always wanted to get a tattoo. There just never seemed to be enough time in her hectic life, however. Maybe that could be changed. She did go lower, noticing the tattoo of the demon head surrounding his cock and giggled seductively, shaking her head.

“Whatever possessed you to get inked down HERE?” Alice asked almost incredulously, fingering the tattoo to the point of nearly tracing it and heard him hiss, looking up at him. “Sensitive area, hmm? Let’s see if we can work on that a little…” Starting on the left side, she traced it with her tongue, ignoring his bulging cock for now, too enthralled with tormenting him.

What would push Mark to his breaking point?

Chapter 12

Oh sweet baby Jesus, virgin Mary, and that other guy… Joseph! Mark’s forest green eyes rolled into the back of his head, tempted to reach down, and bury his hands in her hair, take charge of the situation and bury himself deep in her mouth and down her throat. When Alice looked up and murmured ‘well?’, he groaned, fucking tease!

“I was twenty…” He finally managed to get out, his voice coming out choked, low, rasping. “And drunk… and the idea of a demon head…” While he was getting head… at the time, it had been hilarious.

Laughing softly, the vibrations of her laughter also sent tingles throughout his cock, the stroking having ceased while she paid attention to the tattoo. “Such a naughty man…”

Alice had no idea just how evil and maniacal this man actually was, not that it bothered her. She had an evil streak of her own, not the greatest background and history. Druggie parents, foster homes and working at a strip club about summed up her childhood and earlier years. It wasn’t until Eric Bischoff found her at said strip club and offered her a deal with WCW, Alice started turning her life around. NOBODY knew about that though. Eric had sworn to take that secret with him to the grave and, at the time, she trusted him since he’d reached out to her.

Apparently, her flexibility and the way she moved on-stage had him convinced she’d be a great addition to the WCW women’s division. However, the deal had fallen through and there was no getting out of it until her contract was up. So, she was stuck in bra and panties matches, which didn’t happen often, and valeting, showing off her body. Alice was proud of her body, but…she had wanted to do something other THAN showing sex appeal and making men hard in their pants.

When Shane McMahon had bought WCW, and promised them a new beginning, Alice had gotten her hopes up and they were dashed the moment she was used to seduce her boss’s old man. All she wanted to do was learn how to wrestle and prove that women were more than eye candy and sex appeal, but at this rate, it would never happen.

Kissing her way back up his chest, reluctantly pulling away from torturing him, Alice began rubbing her soaking sex against his throbbing shaft, both groaning at the friction of the first touch as her mouth once again crashed on his. Mark held her still with one hand and used the other to position himself so his cock was resting upright against her, cocking an eyebrow. She. Was. Tiny. He didn’t want to explain to anyone why he had impaled the new hire, baring his teeth in a wicked grin up at her. He held her by the hips, lifting her, giving her a second to rethink this decision if she wanted.

“Darlin’…” Mark drawled, watching as she looked down to take in the view, throbbing against her. “Don’t hurt yourself now.”

“One thing about me you will learn, Deadman, I’m not made of glass. I’m forged out of iron and I can take anything you have to offer.”

Alice only stood at 5’6, 5’8 with heels, and yet somehow fit perfectly with Mark’s size. Gasping the moment he began to fill her receptive body, Alice pressed her hands against his chest and dug her nails in a little, shaking her head when he asked if she wanted him to stop. “No!” She rasped, shaking her head somewhat aggressively and took him in completely.

It hurt, she wouldn’t lie. Alice hadn’t had sex with anyone in quite a while; despite her background, she wasn’t a whore or a slut. In the strip joint, never once did she sleep with her clients, not even during ‘private’ shows, which consisted of lap dances. Never any sex…she didn’t screw someone unless she felt some kind of connection with them. With Mark, there was A LOT of connection and feeling.

“Oh god…”

Once he was fully sheathed inside of her, Mark sat still to let her fully adjust to him and she was grateful, the burning of her insides very slowly vanishing. All the while, she breathed through it and felt his hands fondle her breasts, not minding it a bit. With the burning subsiding, all that was left was the exquisite feeling of him inside of her and Alice rolled her hips experimentally to get a feel for what she was dealing with, both of them groaning at the friction it created.

“Oh fuck, you feel so good inside of me, Mark…”

Better than she could’ve imagined or dreamt. The fact that she had taken him, all of him, and still felt like a tight, warm velvet glove wrapped around him told Mark that his Red either did her Kegels or she wasn’t playing it fast and loose sexually. He liked that, meant more for him because he was not someone who shared very well.

“You feel so tight, darlin’.” He grunted, holding onto her thighs, his fingers gripping tightly as he fought the urge to flip her over and claim dominance.

Riding him was something she did not expect to happen. Mark was full of surprises and she figured he would’ve dominated her the first chance presented to him. He had amazing control and she showed just how much she had, both of them still feeling each other out to see what made the other tick. After a few more grind of her hips, Alice picked up the pace a little and used his upper body as leverage, pressing against him to keep from being bucked off. His cock drove up to meet her for every thrust, their bodies crashing together.

“Yeah…oh yeah…”

He bolted upright, startling her, but never stopped the thrusting and hooked her arm around his neck to grip the back of it, his mouth lowering to claim her nipple in his hot greedy mouth. She moaned in satisfaction, burying her fingers in his hair and tilted her head back, both becoming lost in the moment and each other. Sex with Alice, his beautiful Red, was kind of like doing drugs. Mark could become easily addicted and never want to come down from the high. He’d fuck her forever just to keep this feeling going. He had given her plenty of control, letting her take the reins for a while, which was his way of letting her know he wasn’t going to dominate her, not just yet anyway. If this became a multi-night affair, they would definitely be exploring other things.

Showing a little of her flexibility, Alice moved while he continued plummeting in and out of her, one leg lifting up to drape over his shoulder and then the other, lying back on the bed with his hands caressing her outer thighs and finally gripping her hips, their bodies covered in perspiration. She could see Mark’s face contort in ecstasy and knew he thoroughly approved of this new position, meeting him for every thrust he gave her. This position made him drive deeper inside of her and soon, he’d found her sweet spot, every thrust pounding at it, chipping away at her resolve.

This climax would be explosive, but Alice fought it off as hard and long as she could, wanting this to last as long as possible. Her moans turned to cries, her hands covering his to lace their fingers together on her hips. Alice was… bendy, to put it mildly, and when Alice contorted herself into that new position, Mark had felt like he was going to pound right through her cervix. She seemed to be enjoying it though, and he could feel her beginning to spasm around him. He could also see an odd expression on her face, like she was fighting against her building orgasm.

“Let go, darlin’,” He urged, purposefully continuing his assault, knowing each thrust just pushed her that much closer. “Just give in.”

“Oh yeah…Ohh uhm…M-Mark!”

The hot coil formed deep in her abdomen was on its last spring and she couldn’t hold back any longer, nodding her head while squeezing her breasts. She arched her body slightly, finally shattering into a million pieces against him and felt the warm essence of her flow over his pulsating cock, wrapping him in a tight warm wet cocoon. She looked up at him, seeing him grit his teeth and knew he was close to his end, gliding her nails down his chest.

“Your turn, big man…cum for me…” She urged breathlessly, shivering at the growl emanating from his chest and nodded her head exigently, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth.

This would be explosive all over again.

He’d cum, after he had pushed her back to that brink again. Given how sensitive her body was, it wouldn’t be hard, and Mark contemplated her for a fraction of a second before pulling her off of him. They both groaned at the loss of contact, but it was short-lived as he positioned Alice on her hands and knees, one massive hand moving to rest between her shoulders and he pushed her down, face into the mattress. Quickly, he slid into her again, letting out a growl as the now familiar, addicting heat of her enveloped him. This position allowed him to penetrate her even more it seemed, and when he glanced down, her toes were curling.

How the hell could her toes NOT curl? This man had an insatiable appetite, one she hoped she could keep up with. She had challenged him by saying she was forged out of iron and it was true, for the most part. Sexually, however, she wasn’t THAT forged, not compared to him. It was obvious he’d had a lot more experience sexually than her, which she didn’t mind. Pushing herself up with her hands, Alice showed her own power and kept meeting him for every thrust, not missing one. This position was so much better, more intense and made her world spin off its axis.

“Oh – Ohh Mark! I-I’m there…I’m there again!”

Alice came again, the second climax rocketing through her body and dug her nails into the bedding as he continued pounding her relentlessly. Flipping her red hair to where it pooled over her back and down her sides, her pussy quivered as his hand came down on one cheek and then the other, squeezing her flesh in his strong hands. Mark was long enough that, when he was done turning her ass a shade of red that near matched her hair, he could reach up and gently but firmly wrap his fingers around her throat. Alice tensed for a brief moment and then spasmed hard around him, enough that he needed to catch himself because it felt like she might suffocate his cock, not an unpleasant feeling, but one he had never experienced before, not like this.

“One. More. Time.” He managed to grunt out, sweat beading on his forehead. He’d climax when she did, just once more.

Alice blinked, gasping for air and didn’t know if she had another orgasm left in the tank. He was draining her, slowly but surely, and she didn’t know her limitations when it came to sex. She’d never had a partner like him before, had never experienced multiple orgasms like this.

“I-I…” Alice couldn’t talk, coughing and pressed her forehead against the bedding, snapping her head up as a rush of adrenaline overtook her. “H-Harder…HARDER!!” She growled out and he yanked her by the throat, being as gentle as he could, given the circumstances, and felt her back press against his muscular chest. Never once did Mark stop rocking in and out of her body, both trembling against each other. “P-Please…” If she passed out on him before he reached his climax, Alice would never forgive herself and cried out in both agony and ecstasy, forcing her body into submission. “PLEASE!”

Her begging, for what who knew, she could have been begging him to stop, or to ease her pain, or for him to cum, but it was enough. Her screams of ‘please’ sent him over that cliff he had been walking along. “Fuck Red!” He cursed, hissing her nickname like it was both a swear and an endearment.

Mark slammed into her one last time, every muscle in him tense, everything in him straining as he finally gave into his own release, bellowing her name loud enough to probably wake the inhabitants of the inn. Spent. Alice was completely spent and couldn’t move a single muscle after her sweaty body collapsed on the bed in a heap. She turned her head enough to not suffocate herself, but that was it. Her thighs, legs, arms…everything had a delicious ache to it, especially between her legs. All she could do was lay there with her eyes closed, trying to learn how to breathe again and hoped her heart didn’t give out on her. She was past the age of 30, definitely not a spring chicken like she’d been in her 20’s.

Feeling Mark brush her red hair away from her face, emerald eyes met hers and she could only smile tiredly back at him, knowing tomorrow she would be incredibly sore. Mark had pushed her to her breaking point, her limit and she hoped he continued to do it, having a feeling this wasn’t the only time between them. He could tell by the way her eyes seemed hazy, her tired smile, he had worn her out. He also knew they both were going to be aching in the morning, not only from the night in general but that intense bout they had just had.

“You stay awake now, Red.” He ordered, brushing his lips against her jawline before reluctantly pushing himself out of the bed.

Mark got the jacuzzi going quickly, adjusting the temperature to something conventionally comfortable and then turned to bend down and lift Alice up. He already knew his leg muscles were likely to have cramping issues, he had climaxed that hard. Maybe a soak in a hot jacuzzi would take away both their forthcoming aches.

At first, she thought Mark was insane to keep her awake after all the orgasms he forced her body to have. Then, she turned her head to watch him get the Jacuzzi going and the smile on her face widened, feeling him lift her from the bed with ease. The second her body sank into the hot water, with her seated sideways on his lap, Alice moaned out in sheer contentment. The hot water felt incredible engulfing her body whole and Mark’s groans indicated this was just what the doctor ordered. “So thoughtful.” She murmured, softly brushing her lips against his and snuggled against his chest, not remembering the last time she felt this relaxed.

“I lied.” Alice looked up at him, seeing the questions in his eyes and grinned. “You have to deal with me longer than just tonight, Deadman.”

“Woman,” He growled, though there was no real bite to it, his voice low and rough, a sleepy drawl. “I think I just proved beyond all doubt that I am anything but dead.” Mark laid his head back, enjoying the jets that shot water at a steady pressure out at them, especially the one aimed directly at his lower back. “I don’t think I’ll mind having to suffer with your hellcat ass for a night more or so.” Though, he did have to wonder how that would play out for either of them if their coworkers should find out.

Hell, they’d just have to cross that bridge when they got there.

“Mmm indeed you’re not…” Alice concurred, giggling softly, and decided not to worry about what came after this.

They would figure it out. She would have to return to the Alliance because of Shane McMahon, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do things her way. Page would not hurt her again, not if she could help it. The stitches in her elbow had been taken out prior to the main event the previous night, but she still had a scar as a reminder of what Page did to her.

“I need to be honest with you about something, Mark. I’ve never…had that before, that kind of intensity, in bed with a man before. I’m nowhere near virgin status, but tonight, it kinda felt like I was.” She half-joked, sliding water up his chest with her hand and heard him purr in satisfaction.

Warning bells kind of sounded off in his head and he knew he was an asshole for it. It sounded a bit like her confession was going to lead to some awkward, romantic shit and he honestly didn’t know how he would respond to any of it. Their lives seemed a bit complicated without them mucking it up more.

“Yeah?” He didn’t bother opening his eyes, just let Alice continue doing what she was doing. “Sounds like you’ve been with the wrong men then, Red.” Mark was not the wrong kind of man, not in the bedroom and that wasn’t arrogance, just a fact. He did pop open an eye to stare at her. “How’re you so damn flexible?”

It was her turn to feel awkward, her cheeks turning crimson and Alice shook her head, refusing to talk about her past. “That’s for me to know and you to find out…eventually.”

First, she had to know she could trust him and that in itself would take time. Nobody in WCW knew about her past beside Eric Bischoff, so as long as he kept his mouth shut, which he would since he hated WWF and anything McMahon-related, everything would be fine. Alice had no idea why she confessed that last part to him regarding the intensity of their bout and had felt his body tense against her the moment the words came out of her mouth. Christ, it’s not like she was dropping the L bomb on him or something!

“Just so you know, I’m WAY more flexible than that, big man.” She murmured in his ear, smirking and slid some water up his tattooed sleeved arm, admiring the detailed ink.

Chapter 13

He had tensed because she had made a comment about feeling like a virgin during that romp and Mark knew from experience, women tended to talk like that when they felt something, or thought they did. Sex itself was great, but the downside was the fact that people usually mistook it to mean more, or ‘felt’ more right afterwards as they were coming down from the high. He liked Red, a lot, and it went up a few more notches at her last comment. Mark groaned, grabbing her arms, and planting her opposite of him, staring at her intently. Alice seemed to be a little on the obsessed side with the tattoos.

“Need your own, Red?” He drawled, eyeing what skin he could see over the roiling water and smirked. “I can think of a few places and designs.” His dick was attempting being hard again, it kind of felt weird.

“Yeah, I’ve wanted to get one for a while, but there never seems to be enough time to do it.” Alice admitted, reaching up to caress his face with her fingertips and shifted to where she straddled him. The jets were forcing her off his lap sideways, but in this position, she had better balance. “What kind of designs do you think would look good on me?”

There was an innocence in her tone, but the evil glint in her eyes contradicted it. Mark seemed to be a master at tattoo designs; she idly wondered if he designed some of them himself. He was waking up, a bit. Mark was more relaxed, less tired, just… comfortable. Shifting so he could see her better, he raised a handout of the water to trace a finger along her collarbone.

“Depends.” He rumbled thoughtfully. “Tattoos are for life, Red, you gotta pick something that means something to you. Or else…” He smirked. “You wind up with a demon head near your dick.”

Like his dumbass. Every tattoo since had meant something to him and still did. Giggling at the demon tattoo comment, she knew that was probably the only ink he regretted getting in his life. She found it amusing and surprisingly sexy.

“True, very true. I have a few ideas in mind, but nothing concrete. I was thinking of finding a tattoo artist that free-hands designs. I explain to them what I want, and they draw it out and I either like it and get it or don’t.” Alice figured that would be the way to go since she wasn’t an artist. Stick figures would not look good on her and that was about the only artistic talent she had. “The demon head isn’t that bad, you know. Nothing like your other ones, but still not bad. It suits you…” Her eyes kept following his finger on her collarbone, his touch both relaxing and igniting her all at once.

“Like I said, I was drunk, and young… and stupid.” Very stupid. “Seemed like an idea at the time, but…” Mark grimaced, remembering the days after when he had sobered up. “Trust me, a tattoo downstairs is not a good idea, especially in this line of business.” He had been a rookie and, when the older guys had found out what he had gone and done… oh they had exploited that shit. He had so much regret. “I know a few artists who do free hand, they’re not cheap,” Good tattoo artists never were. “But they’re damn good and they’re reputable.” Also another big thing.

“Everyone makes mistakes when they’re young. And I will trust any tattoo artist you go to. Simply because your artwork is stunning.” Alice had no idea when they’d have time to do it, but eventually the respective companies would have to give them more than 2 days off. Not often, but when it came around again, Alice would be prepared and already had more than enough money saved up in her bank and savings accounts. “Money’s not a problem either.” She added as an afterthought, pressing a soft kiss against his Adam’s apple, the side of his neck and finally his ear, just enjoying being with him.

Page and all the problems to come with the Alliance, especially Shane McMahon, was the furthest thing from her mind. The contentment that washed through him felt alien, foreign, and Mark realized that it was probably fleeting. But he was the type to enjoy the moment because they just didn’t come along very often. He held her tight against him, letting his head rest on top of hers. This wasn’t something he did often, sleazy motels near bars were more his speed simply because it meant less hassle from fans and the like; it was sort of just the lifestyle.

“Now, Red, don’t go getting spoiled on me.” He teased, hearing her snort, and laughed softly.

“I should say the same about you, Deadman.”

Alice pecked his eyebrows, nose and finally kissed him, a soft, pliant kiss, before finally extracting herself from the Jacuzzi. She felt like a limp noodle, stretching her arms in the air and wrapped a towel around her body. It wouldn’t be comfortable to sleep in a wet bed, after all. After spending these days with Mark, what would happen when they returned to the road? The house shows weren’t televised, but that also meant if Page got his hands on her, he would hurt her before Monday rolled around. She touched her neck and then her elbow, plopping down on the bed, already knowing hell awaited her when she returned to the Alliance. Her head snapped up when her cell phone went off and Alice grabbed it, one of the few things Torrie had for her before leaving the arena.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Page.” Shane must’ve given out her cell number to this lunatic. Great. “What do you want?”

“Hmm that’s a loaded question, sugar. You, of course.” In his bed, preferably, but they had taken a couple steps backwards tonight. “What happened to the deal we made?”

Alice scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Angle wasn’t an issue in the match, it was M-Taker.” She barely caught herself, having gotten used to calling the man by his birthname instead of his wrestling persona. “I told you I’d help if you needed it with Angle, but Shane insisted I hand him a chair to strike Taker…”

“You LAUGHED and CHEERED when that asshole leapt over the top rope onto all of us!” Page hissed out angrily, still applying ice to his balls and made a mental note to watch her feet. They were lethal, especially in heels. “Sugar, you broke the deal and now you need to come receive your punishment.”

“No, I don’t think I will. And punished for what exactly? For not helping you assholes cheat your way to another lame victory? Get over yourselves already! I’m not coming back to the Alliance and I don’t care if Shane has my contract. I’ll find a way to break it and you, Shane and the rest of the Alliance, including that slut sister of his, can kiss my ass!” Alice hung up the phone, tossing it to the side and buried her head in her hands, squeezing her hair between her fingers.

What was she going to do?

See… now that was just rude. If Alice had bothered to be nice… he might’ve informed her that he now held her contract, or at least, a good chunk of it. Which, in his demented mind, meant that he owned HER. But… she was a rude little girl, who needed punished. She had broken their deal, not him. He had done what he could and how had she repaid his courtesy? By smiling and cheering on the Undertaker and nailing him in the balls. He hadn’t missed the ‘M’ that came out of her mouth either, before she corrected herself.

“Oh my Alice… you’re such a naughty, naughty girl.”

“Page?” Mark was out of the jacuzzi as well, wrapping a towel around his waist and using another to towel dry his hair. Long hair, in a jacuzzi, he had gotten a good chunk soaked. When she simply nodded, he sighed. “What’d the witless wonder want?”

“He said…to come back and receive my punishment.”

Alice frowned, her own hair half soaked, but it didn’t bother her at the moment. Nothing did except Page’s words. What did he mean come back and be punished? What would the punishment involve? She shivered involuntarily, trying to think of a way out of this mess. The contract could be broken, right? They were standard contracts since Shane had only bought WCW a few months ago. A lawyer would be able to help her with this and maybe she could even leave the company altogether to start over somewhere else. As much as she wanted to ask Mark for his help, Alice didn’t want to put more on his plate than he already had regarding Dallas. No, she’d find her own way and wondered if calling Eric would help any. Probably not since the man wanted nothing to do with WCW after he was outbid by the McMahon family.

“Punishment?” Mark echoed, not overly liking that, and frowned, studying her.

She had royally pissed off Shane and Shane was a McMahon through and through. He’d find a way to torture Alice for her insubordination because that was just the kind of cock bite he was. Mark had heard enough rumors about Page to be mildly concerned and stared at her.

“Red… has Page done anything to you?” Besides the obvious that he had witnessed.

“Not yet, but I know he will if I go back to the Alliance.” Alice conceded, tears filling her eyes and immediately blinked them away. Now wasn’t the time to cry. Now was the time to figure out a way to get her contract broken. “I don’t want to be anywhere near him. He scares me…and I know, if I didn’t fight back tonight, he would’ve hurt me again…” Being assaulted had instilled that fear into her along with the rumors from WCW, which were all true. “His voice…the sound of it…he’s angry and he’s going to hurt me if he gets his hands on me again. I need to call a lawyer or something…” Her background and past would be against her, however, considering how she’d gotten this job in the first place.

“Call a lawyer for what? To get out of your contract?” Mark actually felt bad for her. She was beautiful, and smart, but also… heartbreakingly naïve. “Red… things in the WWF are a lot different from the WCW. McMahons run this shit, not… the talent.” He would bet money whatever contract Shane had gotten when he had bought WCW, hers, had been altered somehow. “Though, you could do what some of the other women have, sue for your early release, but those always come with a gag order.” Nicole Bass immediately came to mind.

“So what, I’m supposed to take the abuse all in the name of my job?” Alice shook her head, refusing to be someone’s beating post because of a job. There were plenty of jobs on the planet and no bosses threatened or assaulted their employees, not without consequences. “And you seem to forget something – Shane McMahon is the owner of WCW and Stephanie is the owner of ECW. They are three separate companies and Shane and Stephanie are just using the old man as a platform to promote the Alliance, as well as trying to drive Vince out of business. The contracts don’t all tie together – Shane and Stephanie are doing whatever they want, including hurting people and I won’t be one of them. I won’t be Dallas’ beating post.” Going back to stripping was an option; running away and getting a new identity was another possibility.

“All right, Red, all right.” Mark held up both hands in surrender, but his emerald green eyes were lit with concern. She had forgotten what he had told her, one of the cardinal rules. Nothing was ever as it seemed in this business, with the McMahons. Alice would wind up learning the hard way and he already knew his big dumb ass was going to go along for the ride because he was already invested in her. Damn her and her stunning looks, interesting personality, and nuclear sex!

“I know what this is about, and it pisses me off because my personal life shouldn’t interfere with my job. It’s you.” She looked up at him, cracking the barest hint of a smile. “I won’t help them win against you and Shane is pissed at me for it. I really don’t think Page cares, honestly. We made a deal that, as long as I don’t have to interfere in matches that involve you, I could just stand there and cheer him on. Well, he said I broke the deal because I cheered YOU on when you vaulted over the top rope earlier tonight and slammed into them all. I couldn’t help it. I’ve never seen a man your size do something like that in the ring. It was incredible…” Mark was incredible, period, but that was beside the point. She would not bend to what they wanted her to do, which was mess with Mark in the ring. “Maybe I can just…disappear…”

He had been a bit smug, and disappointed. If that was the first time she had seen him fly, so to speak, then obviously she hadn’t watched WWF programming. Mark could get up there and send himself off like the lightweights, if the occasion called for it. When she mentioned disappearing, he grabbed her about the waist and fell down onto the bed, pulling Alice with him, a growl rumbling his chest.

“Why the fuck would you do that, Red?” He demanded, not amused with the idea. “Just how bad do you think the fallout is gonna be?”

“I-I don’t know. I’m scared what Page is going to do to me, though. And Shane and Stephanie, but mostly Page. He’s psychotic, Mark. He gave me the Diamond Cutter without a second glance, because I tried to help you…” Grey eyes lowered from his while she spoke, voicing her fears regarding Page for the first time. “He backhanded me and couldn’t done serious damage to my face. If he’s capable of doing both of those things, I shudder to think what else he could and will do to me. He’s not right in the head…and he’s extremely volatile and dangerous. And now he has my personal cell phone number, which Shane probably gave him because I sure as hell didn’t.” She pressed her forehead to Mark’s, feeling safe in his arms and breathed out a shaky sigh.

Well… Mark thought, reflecting on everything she had told him, along with everything he personally knew about and had heard about Page, there was a pretty simple solution to her problem. Idly, he wondered what kind of person Alice was. If she would put the well-being of others, even those she didn’t like, above her. Accidents in this business happened all the time and Page was known to have some seriously weak knees.

“I could end his career for you.” He offered finally, knowing he could make it look accidental in the ring.

Grey eyes snapped up to meet serious emerald, his offer making her heart do a funny flip in her chest. He meant it, he really would do it for her. Alice had a bleeding heart though, even for a scumbag like Page and she slowly shook her head, caressing his lips with the pad of her thumb.

“That’s not the way to handle this and you’re too professional to do something like that. I would never put that blood on your hands, Mark.” She softly kissed him, feeling his arms wrap around her to pull her closer. “I do appreciate the offer though.”

“You’re wrong about that, about me, Red.” Mark sighed, resting his cheek against the top of her head. She was indeed a bleeding heart, and he would probably be doing a lot of the women a favor if he removed Page from the equation. “I’m not that professional, trust me on that.” Mark would be the first to admit he had done a few very unprofessional things and, given that Page had trespassed on his personal property and pulled some crazy shit, he had absolutely no problem putting professionalism aside. “He lays a hand on you again…” His tone dropped, a flat baritone, dark and cold. “And all bets are off.”

His protectiveness over her just made her feelings for Mark heighten. It also made her feel better about the situation because Mark would protect her. He wouldn’t let any harm come to her, especially when Page was involved. However, until she found a way to break her contract or get out of this mess with Page, Alice was stuck with the Alliance. That didn’t mean she would follow their orders or help Page in any way, shape or form though.

“If he touches me again, I’ll enjoy watching you end his career.” She promised, a dark tinge to her own voice and nestled against him. “I trust you, Mark.” That was a huge step for her to take since Alice didn’t trust people easily, but this man was different and she could feel it.

He would never hurt her, not intentionally.

“Little fool.” Mark mumbled it without malice, more affectionate than anything, though he did believe the sentiment.

He moved Alice so she was on her side and lay against her, spooning, draping his arm over her side and didn’t bother with the light. They were both fools, fucking around like this, sneaking around more like, when they were on opposites of the drama going on at work. Mark sighed, planting a kiss to the back of her neck.

“Sleep, Red. You’re gonna need it.” He had every intention of waking her up in a few hours.

Chapter 14

By the time Friday rolled around for the house shows, Alice felt much better about everything and also surprised she could walk without being bowlegged. The positions Mark put her in…he had tested out her flexibility quite diligently and Alice allowed it, enjoying every second at the bed and breakfast. They had driven here together, on his bike, making a few stops to stretch their legs and sore muscles. Alice loved being on the back of his bike with him. He even rode with her in front and let her steer the bike for a little while, on a backroad, much to her dismay.

Once she got the hang of it though, Mark told her she was a natural on a bike and…well…that had prompted them to pull over with her flexibility being useful again. Roaring into the parking lot, Alice kissed his back and unwound her legs around his waist before dismounting, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white tank top. She’d bought the clothes on their way here and had gotten a text from Torrie letting her know she had her belongings waiting at the arena.

“I could definitely get used to riding with you like this.” They had already decided to share a room together starting tonight, Mark’s idea, because of Page’s violent tendencies and agreed to meet in the parking lot after the show was over with.

Snickering, Mark dismounted as well, stretching, and rolling his shoulders before moving so he was all up in her space. “Red, before it’s all said and done, you’re going to be more than used to ridin’.” He drawled, amused when a flush of color lit her cheeks. After everything they had gotten up to these past few days… the fact that she still got a little flustered was… endearing.

Well, now, that was interesting. Undertaker and the whore, who had verbally castrated him, canoodling in the parking lot. Steve’s ice blue eyes narrowed as he stared at them, snorting before disappearing inside. Traitors had to be punished.

“Oh really now? You think so, huh?” Alice remarked coyly and cupped his goatee, pulling him down to be eyelevel with her. “I sincerely hope you’re right about that.” She kissed him passionately, letting him know she wasn’t bored or done with him already, not even close. Breaking it, her eyes moved from his to the arena and groaned, knowing they had to part ways soon. “Do we have to go in?”

At his nod, she grumbled good-naturedly and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. Mark already had his bag in hand, retrieving it from the saddlebag. Together, they headed toward the back entrance and ignored all eyes that turned to them, both Alliance and WWF, respectively.

Considering how long he had been in this business, and how well he knew most of the people he worked with, Mark had known from the get-go when they strolled in, fingers laced, they would be stirring the pot. He knew Alice was expecting it, but he also knew she had no idea the depths of the hell they were venturing into. Ignoring the words tossed his way, Mark escorted her to the WCW corridor, though when one of the boys made a comment about her, calling her both a sellout and a whore in the same breath, he turned and punched the young buck. He had to let go of her to do so, but it was worth it, seeing the bastard fall backwards onto his backside, hand at his bleeding mouth.

“Watch yourself, son.” Mark ordered gravely, tone daring anyone else to say something.

Alice shook her head, laughing softly and noticed it was none other than Chuck Palumbo who had ran off at the mouth. “He’ll never learn.” She looked up at Mark, hugging his side and the smile instantly disappeared from her face at the sight of Shane and Stephanie walking toward them.

“What the hell is this?”

“Are you two-?” Stephanie was flabbergasted, staring at the redhead like she’d lost her mind.

“Mark, don’t.” Standing in front of him, Alice highly doubted Shane would put his hands on her with the Deadman here.

She was mistaken. Shane McMahon was not afraid of Mark ‘the Undertaker’ Calaway. He reached out and took Alice by her upper arm, pulling her back with him and Stephanie. “We were getting worried about you.”

“You could have called us.”

“You two are so full of shit.” Mark spat, eyeballing Stephanie when she began smiling at him. He did not trust these asshats a bit.

“No, we were.” Stephanie continued smiling. “We were worried Page got to her before we could.”

That was ominous.

Gritting her teeth, Alice shook her head at Mark and told him silently not to do anything. “The ring – settle it there.” She felt the hand tighten around her arm a little more and wondered where Page was at. That’s who she was actually afraid of. “Thanks for giving that psychopath my cell phone number, by the way. Real classy.” She grunted as he shoved her down the hallway, blocking her from Mark’s view until the door slammed shut.

“You stupid bitch!” Stephanie shrieked, immediately hauling off and slapping Alice as hard as she could, watching her head snap back. She had a lethal slap on her. “What the hell were you thinking?! Do you KNOW who he is, truly?” The goddamn Undertaker had abducted her, per Daddy and Shane’s orders, a few years ago and what happened during those 24 hours, Stephanie STILL had nightmares about.

“He can’t be any worse than your main man assaulting me!” Another slap, it was worth it though to see the look of fury on Stephanie’s face. “And YOUR BROTHER let that happen, by the way!” Another slap. When Stephanie went to hit her a third time, Alice had enough and retaliated, driving her forearm right into Stephanie’s nose.

“FUCK!”

“I’m NOBODY’S bitch, BITCH!”

Shane was laughing at his sister’s misfortune, but… she was his sister and he retaliated by shoving Alice right into the concrete wall, hard enough to rattle her bones. He knew she was feeling it and smiled his oh-so-charming smile. “Now,” He began quietly, adjusting his cuffs and ignoring the way Stephanie was cradling her probably broken bones. “Let’s get this straight, whore, you are indeed someone’s bitch.” When she shook her head, he backhanded her, the side Stephanie hadn’t got, just to ensure even bruising. He was stronger than Stephanie by a great deal and he would admit, it sent a little tingle up his spine when Alice hit the floor. “You could have avoided all of this, you know that, right? If you would’ve played the game, you could have had a promising career.” He clucked his tongue. “Too bad for you.”

“Am I late?”

Alice glared up at him, holding the side of her face and tensed at the sound of Page’s voice, tears filling her eyes. “You can’t control me, asshole! None of you can! This isn’t how you fucking treat your employees! This is not how you get someone on your side and to follow you! I’m not going to be abused by any of you any longer. You put your hands on me again and I will be calling a lawyer.” She meant it, shakily getting to her feet and squared her shoulders, spitting blood out right at Shane’s feet.

“Shane…” Stephanie stopped him from backhanding the whore again, her blue eyes wide. “We really don’t need any legal issues right now, not with what’s going on with Mom and Dad…”

“Shut up, Stephanie!” Shane hissed, not believing she just spilled that kind of information to a traitor! “She won’t say shit or do shit…”

“Well, considering I’ve already spoken to my lawyer over the last couple days about what’s gone down around here lately, to me, and with Dallas, I assure you I WILL give you legal problems if you continue to assault me.” Alice wasn’t stupid and had come with backup, folding her arms in front of her chest.

“Wait, between you and me, sugar?” Dallas smiled in confusion, glancing between the three curiously. “We haven’t had any problems, now have we? I thought we put that all behind us.”

“The point is,” Shane was not amused with his sister’s mouth and was tempted to backhand her next. “Bring your lawyers, dearest.” Because it would not be their first rodeo and he sighed, running his fingers down her cheek, smirking when she flinched. “What on earth do you think they’re going to do? Defend a slut? One who refuses to do her job?”

“Try me and watch what happens, McMahon. I will burn your entire fucking world to the ground and piss on the ashes. I DO my job, you just don’t like HOW and that’s not my problem. And I’m not a slut just because I’m seeing someone you don’t like or approve of. So, you can suck eggs for all I care.” Alice would not back down from this pathetic excuse of a human being and his wretched sister, her greys nothing more than steel. “I may be in the Alliance, but you don’t OWN me. I’m not your property, just like every other wrestling star in the Alliance. You don’t own anyone and without them, your companies go POOF – up in smoke! Nobody owns me, and I hope the WWF kicks your teeth down your throats, you ungrateful assholes!” Mark would have a field day at the fresh bruises on her face when they saw each other later tonight.

Stephanie was laughing as she walked out, needing to go have her nose checked and potentially set. “You stupid bitch!” She giggled shrilly. “Stupid, stupid, Undertaker’s stupid whore!”

Shane shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and then smiled at Dallas. “She really doesn’t know what kind of business she’s in, does she?”

“Nope.” Dallas was chewing gum loudly and folded his arms over his chest.

The quickest way for Alice to unite them all would be to proceed through with her threats. He would probably piss himself laughing at how fast Vince went rushing to save his company’s face by burying her ass. It wouldn’t be the first time, or the last.

“Poor Alice, down the rabbit’s hole you go.” Shane said quietly, nodding at Page.

“Come on, sugar,” Dallas took her by the arm. “Let’s go look at that face.”

“Let go of me! LET GO OF ME!!” Alice fought with everything she had until Page lifted her over his shoulder, smacked her backside and that infuriated her.

~!~

By the time the night ended, her face was nothing more than a gigantic bruise. Alice had run away from Page as soon as the show ended, grabbed her belongings, and waited outside in the parking lot between two trucks. When she heard Mark’s voice, she slowly stepped out of the shadows and not even the thickest amount of makeup could cover up the bruises on her face. Page had helped with the bruising department, slapping her instead of backhanding, but it still left marks.

Glenn was the first to notice, his eyes widening. “Holy fuck.” What the hell did the Alliance do to their own team member?

Mark whipped around at what Glenn gawked at and Alice couldn’t look at him, wrapping her arms around herself with her bag in a rolling luggage behind her. “It’s not as bad as it looks…” It hurt though, she wouldn’t lie about that.

“Shit honey, don’t lie. We’re not stupid.” Glenn grunted flatly, sounding a bit offended. He glanced at Mark, who had gone deathly still and pale under his faint tan. Though… the storm brewing in those venomous eyes, Glenn actually started to feel pity for whoever was about to have their ass whipped.

“Who did this?” Mark had known there was going to be hell to pay, for both of them, but she was a tiny ass woman! Who the fuck beat up a woman? “Tell me, Red.” He ordered when she began shaking her head, growling. “Don’t fucking protect them!”

“I’m not! I’m protecting you!”

It was all because she wouldn’t help Dallas against the Undertaker this happened to her. The assault was worth it, she’d stood her ground and fought back as long as she could, but in the end, they had gotten the better of her. If Mark went back in there to stir up trouble and destroy Shane, Stephanie, and Page, he would more than likely be suspended or fired. At least, that’s what Page had planted in her head and she believed him. Trembling like a leaf, Alice felt him gently but firmly lift her chin until broken grey met green venom.

“Please, please let’s just go back to the hotel and relax. It’s been…a long night…” She was tired, in pain and wanted Mark to hold her in his arms while they lay in bed together.

“Just tell him the names, dollface.” Glenn ordered with a yawn.

He looked all casual and relaxed, but his bright blue eyes were open and on the lookout. Mark had gotten his own little ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ in the locker room tonight, but nothing like this. Mark could hold his own.

“He won’t leave until you do.”

“Woman, let’s get something straight…” Mark growled, staring down at her. “I don’t WANT your fucking protection. Worry about your damnself and tell me who did this.”

“No.” Alice was not only defiant toward Shane, Stephanie, and Page, but also the man standing in front of her. She would give him almost anything in the world, but there were limitations. “Like you just said, let me worry about myself.”

She could be stubborn when she wanted to be; if he didn’t know that, they hadn’t spent nearly enough time together. Mark would never strike her down like a dog, not the way Page and the McMahon hellion siblings had. Maybe it would be best to call a cab and just spend the night apart. Hell, Alice could hopefully find a cab service along with a motel somewhere in the city until morning. Then she would have to get her own rental, but that could easily be taken care of as well. Still, she stood there steadfast and waited to see what Mark would do or say.

“Yeah, you do that, Red.” He nodded viciously, his teeth gnashed.

“Now Mark…”

“I won’t have it. I’m not going to have you getting your ass beat over me.” He said flatly. “If that means I have to send you packing, Alice, I will. You understand me?”

Ouch. “Well, for what it’s worth, Alice, you’re brave.” Glenn said, watching as Mark stormed away, shaking his head. “But you’re both stupid.” He sighed, shifting from one foot to the other. “The fact that he’s so pissed is a good sign. Means he cares.”

Send her packing? Really? She’d been assaulted because of her protection of him BEFORE they slept together and that wouldn’t change now. The only reason she wasn’t telling him right at that moment was due to the fact they were still at the arena, where he could go hunt the McMahon siblings and Page down. Alice would’ve told him once he was calmer and rational, but definitely not now. Not knowing what to say to Glenn, she pulled her cell phone out just as a car stopped in front of her. It was Torrie, her saving grace as of late.

“Get in, you’re staying with me tonight.” Torrie ignored Kane standing there talking to her friend and patted the seat. “Got a bed with your name on it, sweetie.”

The moment Alice was in the car and they drove off, she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.

Torrie had no idea what to say, or what to do. She wasn’t entirely sure what Alice was crying about, outside of her shitty work life and Alice did have a shitty work life. She sighed, reaching into her purse with one hand and fumbled for tissues, holding them out.

“You’re going the wrong way.” Glenn pointed out to his friend, who was severely pissed off after seeing Alice’s wrecked face.

She was terrified of Dallas. Mark was going to start with that son of a bitch and just work his way through the rest of the WCW crew.

Chapter 15

“Diamond Dallas Page, DDP, the Master of the Diamond Cutter, will be part of the 5 on 5 Inaugural Brawl at Invasion.”

“And we expect each and every one of you to be at your absolute BEST. Because this is our LAST chance. If we don’t win at Invasion, it’s over for us.” Little did everyone in that Alliance meeting know, Stephanie and Shane had a trump card up their sleeve NOBODY would see coming. “Do you ALL understand?”

“Yes.” Alice was personally hoping they lost so the WWF would be rid of this disease known as the Alliance once and for all. Nevertheless, she answered along with the rest of the locker room as everyone cleared out to get ready for the show that night. She wasn’t surprised to find Stephanie, Shane, and Dallas, standing in front of her.

“We need to know right now, Alice. Are you with us or not?” Stephanie wouldn’t slap her again and had warned her brother not to touch the redhead because her face looked…horrendous, to put it mildly. It was still bruised and, even with the heaviest makeup, the bruising shined through. “All you have to do is stand out there for Invasion and help us win. It doesn’t have to be against the Undertaker either, he’ll probably have his sights set on Dallas, which is what we want. Tell us you’re with us.”

For the sake of not having her head knocked from her shoulders, Alice nodded and locked eyes with Stephanie. “I’m with the Alliance through and through.” She hadn’t spoken to Mark all weekend and he hadn’t gone off his rocker on the Alliance apparently. Or he simply didn’t care, she honestly didn’t know and couldn’t focus on him right now.

“Good, because tonight it’s on Raw Is War, it’s DDP and Rhyno against the Brothers of Destruction. You best be on your game, Alice.”

“Or else.”

As long as she didn’t have to touch or help hurt Mark, Alice would do as she was told because she was tired of being assaulted. “I-I need to get ready for the show.” She muttered, walking past all of them out the door to the women’s locker room, fighting back tears.

~!~

“They got us facing Rhyno and Page.” Glenn announced, walking into the locker room he was sharing with Mark without bothering to knock. He came to a halt, whistling. Mark was in the process of changing shirts, and his back was a giant mass of bruises. “What the fuck happened to you?”

“Steve and his little posse of WWF supremacists.” Mark muttered, muscles rippling as he pulled the fresh shirt on, rolling his shoulders. He had gone to beat some WCW ass and wound up getting his own beat down in the process. That had been a great night all the way around. “Mind Red, don’t you touch her.”

“I don’t hit women… often.”

~!~

“Are you okay? Did they…?”

Alice shook her head, having told Torrie everything that Shane, Stephanie, and Dallas did to her throughout the weekend. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday she stayed with Torrie, thanking her for sharing her hotel rooms. Torrie told her something had to be done about their bosses and Page, but neither of them had a clue how to stop this freight train. It would get a lot worse if WWF lost at Invasion, so both were hoping the Alliance lost. Even though Torrie would more than likely be out of a job, she didn’t condone her friend being assaulted by their leaders and Dallas.

“Thanks.” She murmured softly, allowing Torrie to apply more salve to her heavily bruised face.

Honestly, it looked a lot better than it had Friday night. Torrie had tossed her cookies after Alice was asleep and cried for her friend, wishing there were something she could do to help her.

“I’m okay. They said they wouldn’t hurt me anymore, as long as I do my job right. They’re forcing me ringside at Invasion too.”

Torrie frowned thoughtfully. “What are you going to do about that?”

“Stand there and do nothing when it comes to Mark. Other than that, I’ll help out with the others, if need-be and cheer them on, even though I really want them to lose.”

“You and me both.”

~!~

“You’re not even talking to her.” Glenn mused thoughtfully, busy lacing up his boots after gearing up, a foot propped on the seat of a metal folding chair, bent down to handle the laces. One day, when he was old as dirt, he was switching to Velcro. “So why the fuck do you even care? No pussy is worth getting your ass beat down.”

Mark grunted, not saying a word, sliding on his leather gloves.

“Not like you’ve known her all that long anyway.”

Coming from anyone else, Mark would’ve taken the words to mean ‘get the fuck over it’ or something. But this was Glenn, and he knew Glenn was odd. Glenn said things in a way that was offensive, but… Glenn was feeling him out.

“Mind your business.”

~!~

A knock on the door made both women jump; Stacy was busy doing something with Shawn Staziak, a nobody that had jumped at the chance to be part of wrestling history. “I got it.”

She wore a simple black leather skirt and a WCW sleeveless top that was tied on the side and hung off one shoulder a bit, simple black heels on her feet. She wasn’t in the mood to wear anything more stylish, her hair simply braided over her shoulder, thanks to Torrie. She did her own makeup, not wanting the makeup artist to see how horrible her face looked without it right now. Opening the door, Alice looked up at Dallas and knew it was time to go to the ring, stepping out to shut the door behind her. Silently, she followed him and Rhyno to gorilla position and felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of Mark and Glenn.

“Remember what Stephanie said, sugar.”

She nodded stiffly, stepping away when he went to wrap his arm around her shoulders and leaned against the wall, keeping her eyes lowered.

“Remember what I said.” He added, in an overly sweet tone, walking over to lean into her, forcing her to move so her back was to the wall. Dallas filled the gap between their bodies, pressing into her. “You best behave tonight, sugar, or else… that Diamond Cutter will feel like a lover’s caress…” He whispered that last bit against her cheek, then dropped a kiss on her temple. Dallas, knowing she was likely to nail him in the balls, sauntered away and smirked at his partner of the night.

Shuddering, Alice felt like vomiting and wiped the kiss from her forehead, shooting a deadly glare in his direction. He was patronizing her and there was nothing she could do about it! All she wanted to do was flip them the bird and tear the WCW shirt off, which she was being forced to wear per Shane’s orders. When Dallas’ music hit, he pushed her none too gently through the curtain and didn’t see Glenn holding Mark back, too busy focusing on not falling flat on her face in these heels. Refusing to smile, she walked down the ramp behind Dallas and simply walked around the ring, staying on the outside. At his glare, she lazily clapped for him and showed her disgust for the world to see, folding her arms in front of her chest.

After Rhyno made his entrance, the pyro on the stage exploded as Kane’s music hit and out he came, stalking to the ring with purpose. The four posts exploded again with more fire, which went into Mark’s entrance music by Limp Bizkit. He came out on his bike, circling the ring and Alice made sure not to be in his way, their eyes locking briefly before he parked the bike to finish his entrance. She missed him, feeling her heart ache, and had to fight the urge not to cheer him on. WWF is where she wanted to be – Mark is who she wanted to be with – not the Alliance and Dallas. Never Dallas – it’d be a cold day in hell before that happened.

“Hey, Deadman,” Dallas taunted, standing toe to chin with the Undertaker. The match hadn’t started yet, and he had been a total disrespectful cunt by not letting Kane or Taker do their poses. He had just slid in and interrupted. “You’ve been making eyes at my woman.”

Making eyes? Glenn cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing behind his mask before glancing at Mark. Mark simply stared down his nose, heaving a sigh and slowly shook his head, lips curving upwards. Well… that wasn’t good. Rhyno’s eyes widened when Page was lifted by his shirt and tossed back into the turnbuckle.

The steel in her eyes and the stoic look on her face told the story. She was NOT Page’s woman and never would be! Deciding to prove a point, even though it would more than likely cost her, Alice promptly walked around the ring until she stood in Kane and Undertaker’s corner. Rhyno gaped while Page’s face turned a bright shade of red and she waved three fingers at him before flipping him the bird. The crowd went berserk, cheering her on and, just like last week, she tore the WCW shirt off to reveal a Deadman Inc tank top underneath. Alice was prepared this week, enjoying playing mind games with Page. They were fun, especially since he royally pissed her off. It was clear as day who Alice belonged to and she’d just basically slapped every single member of the Alliance in the face and kicked them in the proverbial balls with that move.

“WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING?!”

“That stupid BITCH!”

Torrie was laughing her ass off in the woman’s locker room, cheering her friend on.

Her little bullshit move made it hard for Dallas to concentrate. He was supposed to be wrestling Kane, but he kept glancing over at his whore, who remained firmly in the Undertaker’s corner. Taker wasn’t even looking at her, not giving her the time of day, but she was still there. He didn’t get it!

Mark was well aware of what was going on; he just wasn’t about to break character at the moment. When Kane switched out with a tag, he accepted, getting in, and approached Page, an evil grin finally breaking his stoic expression. Page wasn’t having it. Shaking his head, he turned and lunged for Rhyno, tagging in the other man.

What a bitch… that was fine though, he’d get his chance. Mark went to town on the other man, noting the size of this beast, his width, and figured he was the muscle, Page the brains. Damaged brains but brains. Dallas began working his way towards Alice, who was moving between turnbuckles the opposite side of him, her eyes firmly fastened on the men in the ring. No, on Taker. She was staring at Taker.

“You fucking whore!” He snarled when he was within reach, grabbing her about the upper arm hard enough to bruise her. Dallas began shaking her, rattling her teeth.

“Hey!”

“Traitor!” He shoved her back into the steel steps.

“Page!”

He looked up in time to see Taker flying over the top ropes, swallowing hard.

Her back and head hit the steel steps with a sickening thud and Alice saw stars, holding the back of her head. When she pulled her hand away to look down, there was a red substance. Blood. She was bleeding…and seeing double vision, trying to clear it. Hopefully, that shot didn’t give her a concussion, but right now all Alice could do was sit there holding her head and trying not to pass out.

“What a despicable human being to do that to a woman!! Even if she’s part of the Alliance, nobody deserves to be treated the way she has!”

“JR, I couldn’t agree with you more.” Michael Cole sounded disgusted as well, shaking his head.

“Can someone from the back please help this young lady?! She’s bleeding for god sakes!!”

Before anyone could come out to help her, the locker room flooded out with ECW and WCW stars, effectively ending the match in a disqualification. Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle quickly joined the fray, but it was no use. There were too many of them! Suddenly, up on the Titan Tron showed Stone Cold Steve Austin squealing his truck to a halt in the backstage area. He’d been gone for the duration of the show at some bar, drowning his sorrows since Vince McMahon asked for the old Stone Cold back for Invasion last week on Smackdown!. He didn’t need the current Stone Cold, he needed the TEXAS RATTLESNAKE and the Rattlesnake had arrived with a vengeance.

Working his way through the back, Steve took out everybody in sight, holding the broken pool cue he’d brought with him from the bar he’d left Debra, his wife, at. She wasn’t important right now, kicking ECW and WCW’s ass was! The arena EXPLODED as Stone Cold Steve Austin made his way down the ramp and slid in the ring, beginning to stun anyone in his path. There had to be at least 10 stunners given out and the game suddenly changed – the power shifting – as the WWF stars – all 5 of them – stood in the middle of the ring triumphant while the Alliance retreated with their tails between their legs.

“THEY’RE ALL TOGETHER!! STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN IS GONNA LEAD US INTO INVASION THIS SUNDAY!!”

Smiling, Alice fell over and passed out, blood slowly leaking out of the back of her head.

Yeah, those fucks could celebrate all they wanted. Steve had led the charge tonight and he had led the assault on Mark’s person for ‘dallying with a WCW whore’. Mark knew Steve held a grudge against Alice for the way she had ‘lipped off’ to the guy. He’d fight with them, but in his book, they weren’t that much better than the Alliance. Hopping out of the ring, Mark crouched down by Alice. Her fiery hair was a darker shade of red and he reached out, hesitating when he seen blood on his fingertips. He waved towards the back, wondering why no one was out here already.

That would be Stephanie. She wasn’t amused. She was also holding the EMTs sort of hostage.

Cursing, Mark gently lifted Alice up into his arms like she was his bride, feeling her long hair brushing against him as it hung down, blood threading through the tresses and dripping on his boots. Well, it was an interesting visual and Glenn felt a bit bad. This was basically a giant ‘fuck you’ to both Factions, without Mark and Alice even intending it that way. They had some dark days and rough roads ahead of them. He just hoped it didn’t end in a bloodbath and with his friend’s heart ripped out of his chest, courtesy of the redhead.

Chapter 16

Larry looked up when Taker came stalking through his door with a woman in his arms and gently lay her on the bedding. He didn’t have to be told twice when the big man ordered him to look at her head and closed the door, flipping the lock on it. Even though she was WCW, nobody deserved the type of treatment this woman had gone through lately. Larry had seen her more than the wrestlers! He’d been the one to give her the salve for the bruising on her face. Sighing, he got to work and checked the back of her head, feeling the lump along with the small cut. Head wounds tended to bleed a lot more than any other part of the body. It was a superficial wound and would require a few staples to close it properly.

“She has a small concussion, Taker.” He informed the conscience of the WWF, something JR called him and watch the big man nod. “I’m gonna wake her up, and it’s not going to be pretty…” Having a pin stuck underneath the fingernail wasn’t a pleasant way to wake up, but…it had to be done.

A hiss sounded from her lips followed by a groan. “Oww…” She mumbled, slowly opening her eyes and saw Larry and then… “Mark?”

What was he doing here? And why was she in the trainer’s room? Everything was foggy, fuzzy, she couldn’t remember what happened at the moment.

“My head…”

“Uh yeah, your head.” Larry echoed flatly, planting his palm on her chest to stop her from trying to sit up. “No. You lay there. If you sit up, you’re going to wind up losing your balance and throwing up.” Concussions were always fun, but given how hard she had hit those steel steps… “I’m calling for a bus; I want her to have an MRI, make sure there’s no swelling or bleeds.”

Mark nodded, realizing she was going to need her belongings. “I’ll be back.” He glanced down at Alice, reaching out to gently touch her chin. “Stay put, Red, I’ll be back.”

Larry watched the big man walk out, spotting Glenn out in the hallway and made that call before returning to Alice. “He’ll probably go with you.” He reassured her, then he walked over to lock the door, just in case.

“You’re really going to walk down that hall and waltz in for her stuff?”

“Yep.”

“Oh this is going to be fun.” He was definitely going.

Torrie was already waiting for them as soon as the knock came at the door, handing over Alice’s bag without hesitation. “Is she gonna be okay? Can you at least tell me that much, Mr. Undertaker?” She knew better than to call him by his birth name, which Alice had during their talks over the weekend.

“She’s on her way to the hospital, blondie.” Glenn supplied, seeing the true concern and worry in the woman’s eyes and folded his arms in front of his chest just as Shane and Stephanie stalked up to them.

Torrie immediately slammed the door shut, acting like they had inconvenienced her.

“What the fuck are you doing here now, Calaway? This isn’t your turf…and you’re really starting to piss me off…”

“Yeah, and what are you doing what that whore’s stuff?!” Stephanie’s shrill voice demanded, blue eyes narrowing.

Glenn cracked his knuckles, waiting to be given the word to tear Shane and Stephanie apart.

Whore? They thought of her as a whore. Mark knew she had been getting crap since she had been brought into the WWF, and the majority of it stemmed from her ‘disrespecting’ Shane, by refusing to seduce his old man. That one incident had set her down this road with Page, and then… then apparently he had gotten his hooks into Alice and she had been unable to do anything against him, even before they had started sleeping together. He was fed up with their antics and abuse towards Alice.

“Grabbing MY woman’s stuff, got a problem, son?”

If Glenn were the giggling type, he would have giggled in sheer delight at the expression on both Shane and Stephanie’s respective pointy faces. As it was, he simply prepared for a fight, his eyes going to the people gathering behind the McMahon’s. Mark hadn’t missed it either and began grinning, the grin widening when he spotted Page stumbling his way. That bastard had taken the full force of his little flight.

“Your woman?” Stephanie scoffed indignantly, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You brainwashed her against us!”

Glenn cocked a very slow brow, no longer wearing his mask since he really wasn’t a ‘burnt freak’ like the fans thought. “Princess, I’d tread carefully if I were you.” They had to hurry. The bus would be here for Alice any minute and, if Mark missed it, he knew his friend would be pissed.

“She’s MY woman, understand that, bro? I own her contract, she belongs to ME!” Dallas smiled maniacally, trying to get his equilibrium back on track.

“Taker, she’s with the Alliance and she’s staying with us, whether you like it or not. And she will learn her place sooner or later. We just have to…break her a bit more.” Shane laughed alongside his sister, draping an arm around her neck. “So, have all the fun you want, but in the end, the Alliance will win, just like we will this Sunday.”

Stephanie really wished her brother hadn’t said broken because now Taker was staring at her and his gaze was pure evil. A sadistic smile spread across his lips and she was transported back to when he was the Lord of Darkness. Her insanity was genetic, sure, but Taker had been the one to shove her over that brink.

“Shane…”

“You touch her again, and I’m going to stop playing nice.” Mark warned in a low, calm voice, his face still curled into a demonic smile. “I’ve already played with the Princess; maybe I’ll give Marissa a go, hmm?”

And on that note, Shane decided he’d relocate his own family before messing with these psychos anymore. “You can’t win.”

“Or simply break the Princess again. I did enjoy hoisting her up over my shoulders around Mania time. Too bad I didn’t just drop her to the floor and watch her go splat.” Glenn had a sadistic side to him too, recalling her screeching while Mark ‘negotiated’ their WrestleMania matches – his with Big Show and Mark against the Princess’s husband, Triple H. “Do tell me something Princess, how does it feel being a man-eater while hubby is away on injury?”

“M-Man – WHAT?!” Stephanie sputtered, her eyes growing wide and shuddered at the memory of what Kane did to her all those months ago. “I-I haven’t slept with anyone besides my husband!!”

“Sure you haven’t. That’s why you got a boob job and you flaunt those things in skimpy outfits now, huh?” Glenn snorted, eyeballing her. “You’d suck anyone off that brought Jericho down, including RVD.”

“E-EXCUSE ME?!”

Shane stepped up, eyes narrowed. “Hey! That’s my sister you’re talking to, asshole! Why don’t you get on outta here before I send the Calvary in to beat your asses again?”

“And send my best to my woman while you’re at it, schmucks.”

See, Glenn had given Mark time to calm down and come out of his ‘special’ place, as he liked to call Taker’s old LOD persona. Mark’s character was just an extension of him and, during that period, the Ministry era, he had not been a very happy, nice guy. Hence the Lord of Darkness trip. He figured nobody really wanted a reemergence of that persona, that part of Mark, because it really just hadn’t been good for anyone. This American Badass thing, this was truer to who Mark was. It suited him. And Glenn had thought, by running his mouth at the pair, Mark had calmed down, then Dallas had gone and cocked it all up.

“Well, fuck…”

Stephanie began screaming bloody murder, forgetting sometimes just how fast the Undertaker could move when he was feeling properly motivated. Dallas had just gone flying through a door and she pressed back against the wall, staring out of fearful blue eyes as Glenn started dragging Mark away. He was laughing, Taker was laughing about this!

“See you soon.” Mark blew her a kiss, practically howling with laughter when she actually fainted before turning and heading back to Alice.

HIS woman.

Just as Mark and Glenn arrived back at the trainer’s room, Alice was on her feet and holding onto the bedding, ignoring Larry’s warning not to move too fast. “He canceled the ambulance.” She said by way of greeting, seeing the slightly crazed look in Mark’s eyes and looked over at Glenn, who had a firm hold of the man’s shoulder. Something bad happened, she could sense it, but Alice didn’t bother asking about it.

“Take her to the hospital, Taker. She needs that scan to make sure there’s no internal injuries.” Larry was worried about her ribs.

She had inconvenienced them enough and frowned, not wanting to ask Mark to take her to the emergency room for the second consecutive week in a row.

He could see in her face that she didn’t want him taking her and, when he snorted, she blinked.

Glenn slapped himself in the face when she stammered out she didn’t want to be a bother again. “Then WHY would the bus be canceled?”

“She told me to.”

“And since when do you listen to stupid people?”

“I can’t drive her.” Motorcycle.

“I’ll take you guys.” Glenn had gotten a truck, because he wasn’t suicidal and didn’t like the cold whipping at him.

“I can just…” Within a second, Alice was deftly swept up Mark’s arms again, feeling another wave of dizziness hit her and could only lean her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

“No sleeping for at least 2 hours and make sure you get the scan done. You could be bleeding internally and could bleed to death if you don’t get checked out.” Larry informed her, a serious edge to his tone and shook his head at the stubborn woman.

Glenn lead them out of the trainer’s room, pulling his keys out while carrying all three of their bags. Once they were outside, Mark slid into the truck with ease, not releasing Alice, knowing it was his way of keeping her from falling asleep. A few minutes later, they were on their way to the emergency room.

The MRI scan took 2 hours and it showed bruised ribs, but no internal bleeding, thankfully. She would be sore for a little while, but the ribs would heal along with the back of her head, which was stapled decently. By the time they left the emergency room, it was nearing 1 AM and Alice was dead on her feet, once again being carried to the truck in Mark’s arms.

“Thank you both for helping me tonight.” She murmured, yawning and closed her eyes, soaking in Mark’s body heat.

“Go fuck yourself.” Glenn chirped in a very friendly tone, no hint of malice in it. “Next time, take the ambulance and save me the trouble, yeah?” He liked sleeping and had no patience for stubborn fools. Which might’ve explained why he and Mark tended to come together and then drift apart.

“Shut up, Jacobs.” Mark yawned, running his fingers down her nose. “But he’s right, stop being such a pain in the ass and do as your told for once.” The woman was way too stubborn for her own good. “Get some rest, he’s not stopping anytime soon.” Alice was able to sleep now.

“Uh no, no I am not.” Glenn muttered, shooting his friend a dark look. “Because someone had to fuckin’ threaten the McMahon family, the wifey, that was rude.”

“Effective. I bet’cha Shane has her and their kids moved tonight.”

Neither told her what she didn’t already know. She was stubborn and figured Torrie would take her to the hospital instead of going via ambulance. However, that would’ve required her going down to the Alliance wing and…wow, she really wasn’t too bright when she had a mild concussion. Alice had no idea what they were talking about regarding Shane and didn’t care, her body already shutting down on her. She had no qualms sleeping in Mark’s arms, trusting him completely and anyone he rode with was alright in her book. Within minutes, she was fast asleep, her chest rising and falling steadily along with her breathing, her own blood still caked in her hair. It would indeed be shower time once she woke up again.

“I’m assuming she’s a fucking wildcat in bed because she’s not the brightest crayon in the box.”

“She has a concussion.”

“Uh maybe.” Glenn clicked his tongue, glancing at the way the woman was curled up in his buddy’s chest. “Or she’s gotten really used to you saving her ass and taking care of her.”

Yeah, Mark had kind of turned into her knight in shining leather and, the idea that Alice might’ve put off what could have been potentially lifesaving care, in order to catch a ride via HIM, did not set well with him. “I’m not doing that great a job though, am I?”

“No, you’re not.” His tone was flat. Glenn had seen what was happening to her; situations Mark couldn’t or wasn’t able to save her from. “Which makes you both dumb.”

Glenn Jacobs, ladies and gentlemen, the weirdo who laughed at inappropriate shit and said, ‘fuck you’ as a hello.

It wasn’t Mark’s fault any of this was happening to her. Alice had made the decision not to interfere with him during matches prior to them sleeping together. She was smart, but also hated relying on people since she’d been dependent most of her life. Making her own meals, learning how to clean at a young age, learning how to work on her broken down beat-up cars…the wrestling business was fairly new to her. She’d only been in it a short time and WCW had never abused their employees, to her knowledge anyway. Everyone had been nice there besides a select few people steered clear of and one of them was Page.

Kimberly had been part of the Nitro Girls and they’d gotten married, no kids, and Dallas had…problems. Rumors around the locker room was Dallas had abused her physically, mentally, and emotionally, to the point where Kimberly finally turned on him on national television, not scripted, and left the company shortly after. Dallas was possessive of what he felt was his and seeing Kimberly in skimpy outfits dancing with other women on national television did not set well with him. He had tried to get her to stop being a Nitro Girl, but Kimberly refused, and the abuse soon followed along with drugs and alcohol. Those were just the rumors, so Alice could only imagine what the poor woman had actually gone through at the hands of her psychotic husband.

Chapter 17

“Why the fuck would you bring us here?” Mark had fallen asleep, cradling Alice on his lap and, when he woke up, it was because sunlight was hitting him in the face. He had shifted in his seat to find Glenn grinning at him. “Seriously?”

“Who the fuck is gonna look for you at MY house?” He was the 7-foot weirdo, who lived in a cabin in the woods. It was like a really bad horror movie, but… locals steered clear, which was all he wanted, some peace and privacy. “Besides, it ain’t like you weren’t planning on skipping house shows anyway.”

That was true, and there was no way Alice could perform anyway.

“W-What’s going on?” Alice was awake as well and immediately regretted opening her eyes, shielding them from the sunlight. Her head was pounding a relentless drum in her skull.

“My place. Smackdown! is tonight, but after what happened to you last night, you two need some time off. I could use it too before Sunday at Invasion.” They would take the rest of the week off and arrive on Sunday for the pay-per-view event. “We’re in Tennessee.”

Alice looked up at Mark, seeing him shrug and looked through the windshield at the large log cabin staring back at them. “Nice place…” She didn’t know if it was prudent or allowed to call him by his birth name like Mark.

Glenn shrugged modestly and stepped out of the truck, heading up the steps to unlock the door, sweeping up a beautiful brunette in his arms seconds later.

Even with a concussion, it didn’t take Alice long to discover the woman in Glenn’s arms was his wife, especially since she had a beautiful diamond rock on her left ring finger. “Have you been here before?” She asked, looking at Mark and hissed at how sore her back was.

Damn steel steps – damn Page!

“Lots of times.” Mark said with a nonchalant shrug. “Glenn likes to pretend he’s a bootlegger, so I come out here to have my benders.” Glenn made some badass homemade, illegal as fuck, Tennessee Rye. “That’s his wife, Teresa. She’s quiet.” Which was weird because Glenn was not; the two were polar opposites, but maybe that’s why they worked out so well.

“Teresa, this is Alice. She’s the one I was telling you about.”

Teresa nodded, studying the other woman thoughtfully. “What’s wrong with her?” She flinched when Glenn began laughing his ass off while explaining. “That’s not funny.”

“I know, I know.”

“He means well, he’s just… crazy. Mark, bring her in, we’ll get a bed made up, maybe have a look at her back.”

“Please, don’t go to any trouble. Just a bed is fine.” Alice made her way up the stairs and groaned when Mark swept her up for a third, possibly fourth, time. She was losing track and felt helpless, shaking her head while Mark merely kissed her temple.

“Yeah, don’t mind her. She’s a stubborn bi-woman.” Glenn caught himself, knowing better than to call a woman anything bad in front of his wife. “Sorry, muffin…”

“Mmmhmm…” Teresa glared at him playfully, accepting a soft kiss and turned her attention to Mark. “Just use the same room you always do, Mark. Make yourself at home, both of you. I was just getting ready to make some breakfast.” It was nearing 7 AM and she hadn’t expected to have a house full, or her husband home, until tomorrow.

“Alice, stop telling people to not go through any trouble,” Mark ordered softly, no longer amused with her independence.

Being a survivor, relying on oneself was fine, but then there were times when one needed to cut the drivel. He carried her down the familiar hallway, halting in front of ‘his’ room and nudged it open with his foot. Setting her down on the feather tick mattress, Mark shook his head when she sank into it and began piling feather down pillows behind her back, gently. These fucks were country through and through.

“Red, you keep saying you’re protecting people, or you got it, or you don’t want to make trouble… and when ya do, you tend to make trouble.” He said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed and stared down at her. “Stop fighting and let people help, okay?” Like him, for example.

“Okay.”

Alice needed him, reaching out to take his hand in hers and leaned back against the pillows. The feather mattress and pillows felt wonderful against her aching body, especially her back, which was heavily bruised. Page had put his full force and most of his strength into that shove that sent her crashing against the steel ring steps. She immediately sat upright, as much as she could and fingered her braided hair, eyeing the dry blood with a groan in both pain in her back and the fact she was dirty. Extremely dirty – this blood had to go.

“I need a shower. Will you help me to the bathroom please?” She could not get out of this bed without his help unless she wanted to injure herself further.

“Um no, no he will not.” Glenn said from the doorway, smirking and carried a large, old-fashioned basin of warm water, a bottle of soap, and a sponge. “Teresa sent this, says you would want that shit out of your hair.” He hadn’t really noticed it before, but he also hadn’t been paying her that much attention once they had gotten on the road. “Go see my wife, Calaway, she wants to uh, talk to you.” Actually, she wanted to rub salve on his back because Glenn had told her about Mark’s own beating. “I got Red here.”

“Be nice, man.” Mark gave Alice a reassuring look before stepping out, shaking his head.

The staples…Alice shut her eyes as the realization crashed over her. A shower was out of the question until her head injury healed, which meant she couldn’t wash her hair the normal way. Alice didn’t know Glenn well, so to say she was nervous was an understatement.

“Thanks…”

Carefully, she pulled the tie out of her hair and began to unravel it until the braid was completely out. This would take some time since her hair was long and thick. There was a reason Glenn offered to do this for her and sent Mark packing, so Alice braced herself for whatever was about to come out of the big man’s mouth. Stay away from Mark would probably be on the top of his list along with stop being stupid. Humming under his breath, Glenn gently but firmly pulled Alice away from the pillows and reached under the nightstand into the open cavity and pulled out a few of the guest towels. He draped one on the bed, covering the pillows, glad he was a big boy because that meant they got the big, fluffy towels, then handed her one.

“I got it.” Glenn watched Alice curiously; she seemed to be waiting for something and he cocked a brow, working her hair loose gently. She had undone the plait, now it was… well, her hair was as interesting as she was. “Stop being stupid.” He ordered when he realized what she was waiting on, laughing.

“Mark already told me that.” Or rather demanded it.

She cracked a small smile at him and turned her head while he dipped her hair into the basin to start washing it. Nobody had ever done this for her before, so it was definitely a new experience. Once her hair was full drenched, it came time for the shampoo and Alice couldn’t take the silence between them anymore.

“So, do you mind if I call you Glenn or do you prefer Kane?” The last thing she wanted to do was piss this monster off and figured he had a preference regardless of his wife.

“My name is Glenn.” He said with a snicker, wondering why she thought she needed to ask. “Kane is a character; unlike Marky boy, I can separate the two.” Kane was a psycho monster with a fire fetish. Glenn was just a little on the crazy side and didn’t play with matches. Also, he was handsome. “I’m thinking, Alice,” He said slowly, his large fingers gently parting her hair near the staples, an area he would not be washing. “You should probably just quit your job.” Because she really sucked at it. Valets were not meant to get their asses handed to them. “Or we could take out Page for you.” He repeated Mark’s offer, shrugging when she stiffened. “What? He’s obviously a problem and Mark likes you. I like Mark, it’s a circle jerk of favors.”

“If only I could, but it’s not that simple, Glenn.”

Page had informed her, after slapping her around a few times privately, he owned her contract. It was still a WCW one, but his name was on it as the sole owner. Shane had basically sold her off to a psychopath and, unless Page handed over the contract, she couldn’t quit unless she wanted to be taken to the cleaners in court.

“You and Mark can do whatever you want to Page, but that doesn’t change the fact he…he has my contract.” She finally admitted, feeling his hands stop and looked over her shoulder at him with a solemn nod. “I still have a year left on it and it can’t be broken. It’s iron-clad.” According to Stephanie, Shane, and Page anyway. “And you’re right, I do suck at my job, but it’s not what I thought it would be either. So, I got screwed when I first signed with the company and when Shane McMahon bought it.” Glenn resumed washing her hair. “I like Mark, too.”

“Hope so.” Glenn muttered or else he would have wrung her neck right here and now while he had the chance. “We’ll figure it out. Always a way around shit, just gotta be patient and find it.”

Well, so much for Mark using the McMahons as that way. He could terrorize them easily if he set his mind to it; they had families and he had already broken Stephanie once, but Page was a whole new ballgame. How did you out-psyche a psycho?

~!~

“She worth it?” Teresa asked quietly, standing on a small stepstool in the kitchen with Mark bent over the sink, cleaning and tending to his back. “Because these are belt marks.” She had heard his little rundown; his coworkers didn’t find him dallying with an ‘enemy’ amusing and had jumped him.

“Hope so.” Because it was a bit late if it wasn’t.

~!~

“I brought some breakfast. Go away.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Glenn bounced off the bed and skirted his wife, leaning over to drop a kiss on her head.

“I figured you might need help cleaning up under your… clothes.” Why hadn’t those idiots changed her? She was soaked in blood on her back, dried and probably itchy.

“Thanks.” There was no way in hell she’d allow Glenn to help her clean beneath her clothes and breathed a little easier. Carefully, Teresa removed the Deadman Inc blood tank top and tossed it aside along with her bra, beginning to wipe the dried blood off of her back. “How long have you been married to Big Red out there?”

“Hmm…about 4 years now…” Teresa had to think about it for a minute, nodding. “Yeah, it’ll be 5 years in December this year, so 4 ½ actually. Or close to it.”

She smiled softly, admiring both Teresa and Glenn to keep a marriage going that long considering he was on the road over 300+ days out of the year. “Do you travel with him sometimes?”

“Yeah, occasionally, but right now with Shane and Stephanie being assholes to Vince, he doesn’t want me on the road. He doesn’t want me to be a target.” Teresa couldn’t wait until this Alliance crap was over with so she could go back on the road with her husband. She missed him. “So why are you in the Alliance anyway?”

“I signed with WCW back in 1999 and when they closed their doors, Shane McMahon got all the contracts. He voided them, made up new ones and didn’t show me what an asshole he was until AFTER I signed on the dotted line.” Before she’d even come on the road, Shane had faxed her the new contract along with other WCW stars. “And then he handed my contract over to Diamond Dallas Page…who is the sole owner of my contract now. So even if I wanted to quit and leave, I can’t.”

“Oh wow…” Teresa blinked, not knowing what to say and finished up the woman’s hair along with her sponge bath, deciding to let her clean up downstairs herself.

~!~

He found Mark sitting at the table, stabbing eggs. “They that bad, huh?”

Mark grunted in response, trying to focus on eating, but every time he thought about what Dallas and the Alliance did to Alice, his blood boiled.

Silence reigned between them until Glenn couldn’t take it anymore. “She really is against you ending his career, isn’t she?” Glenn mused, on his third plate of food while Mark was being pokey and still on his second. His wife was a damn fine cook and, the fact that she had managed to whip up eggs, ham steaks and biscuits, in vast amounts, on such notice… he’d have married her again if he could. “Why not just do it and let her deal with it afterwards?”

~!~

“So, this Diamond Dallas Page owns your contract, but…does that contract state you HAVE to accompany him to the ring? Or is it just a standardized WCW contract?” Teresa asked curiously, helping the woman in a fresh orange tank top since it was warm in Tennessee and dark blue cotton shorts. She’d already gone to the bathroom, with help, to wash downstairs while Teresa busied with pulling clothes out for her to change into, including fresh undergarments.

“No, it’s standardized, as far as I know. I don’t think any clauses can be put into it without my consent.” It was HER contract after all, regardless of who had a hold of it. “What are you trying to say?” Her brain was still somewhat fuzzy from the concussion, but she could see the gears turning in Teresa’s head. No wonder her and Glenn made the perfect couple – she was just as devious as he was. “Ohh…”

“Understand what I’m saying now? Instead of being Page’s valet, why not just switch to Mark? He could protect you better that way…” She held her hand up. “And don’t think for a second he wouldn’t, even if you didn’t do this because he would. So, you can save him the hardship of chasing you down at the arenas and going into the Alliance part by simply staying with him on and off the road. Could build your relationship too.”

“But I’d still be employed by WCW…”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t accompany a WWF superstar to ringside now, does it?” Teresa had a valid point and she knew it, grinning from ear to ear. “Now come on, you need to eat something.” She had also braided the woman’s hair again, wondering how the hell she managed to put up with it.

Alice would have to discuss this possibility with Mark, not wanting to interfere with his wrestling character or force him to do something he wasn’t comfortable with. “Okay…”

“Don’t think I’m not considering it,” Mark grunted, reaching for the mug of coffee Glenn had been nice enough to pour for him. He checked it for poison, just in case, eyeing his friend suspiciously. When Glenn simply smiled, he took a drink and swished. “Huh.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t dunk my balls in it.”

Chapter 18

“Wait, you did what?” Mark demanded when Teresa came walking out into the kitchen, carrying a load of dirty clothes that looked like Alice’s. He followed her to the cabin’s mudroom / laundry area, frowning.

“Just gave her some advice is all.” Teresa said serenely, flashing him a smile. “I was a lawyer you know, I do know a bit about contracts.” She hadn’t liked working in a boring law office, reviewing boring contracts, so she had quit, but… it had just come in handy. “Why don’t you go talk to her?”

“She’s interfering again, isn’t she?” Glenn sighed when Mark nodded and snatched his wife up, loving her giggles. “Go on, Mark, I’m about to bend her over the washer.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake…”

“Mmm, you better do more than that, baby…”

~!~

Sitting with a plate of food in front of her, Alice looked up when the door opened and took a bite of ham steak, trying it for the first time. “What’s wrong?” She asked softly, seeing the perturbed expression on Mark’s face, and blinked when he informed her what Glenn and his wife were doing in the laundry/mudroom. “Oh – oh geez…”

She laughed and grimaced due to her back and ribs, taking another bite of food. He sat down beside her and pulled her back along with her plate to be closer to him. Alice side-eyed him, wondering what was on his mind and continued eating, knowing he’d tell her when he was ready.

“She’s a really nice person; I don’t blame Glenn for marrying her.”

“She’s usually pretty quiet, soft-spoken.” Mark said, perching himself in the overstuffed corner chair and stretched his feet out to rest on the footstool, having taken his boots off in the mudroom, which he now may never walk into again. He could only imagine what those two got up to in this place of theirs. “But she’s… a card.” Which was an understatement of mass proportions. “She was smirking when she came out, so what’d you two chit-chat about?”

“Just told her what happened, the predicament I’m in and…she gave me advice on how to handle it. Advice I’m thinking about taking.” Alice replied nonchalantly, enjoying the delicious homecooked meal for a change instead of fast food. Being on the road as much as they were, it wasn’t often they got homecooked meals. Finishing up, she turned and hissed out, nearly dropping the plate and Mark was on his feet instantly to take it from her. “Damn it!” Page had done a number on her back; the salve only did so much, but nothing could be done for her bruised ribs. “Sorry…”

“Shut up.” He rolled his eyes, though there was no bite to his tone. “Why are you apologizing for something that’s not your fault?”

Mark would never understand this woman and he took the plate, popping it on the dresser. He wasn’t venturing out of this room for a while, not unless he needed to piss. It struck him… that Glenn really needed to add on to this cabin of his, add another bathroom because there was only the one. Probably Glenn’s way of ensuring they didn’t get many visitors.

“He’s such an ass…” He muttered to himself.

“It’s a habit of mine. You’re right, this isn’t my fault. He had no right putting his hands on me and he did it anyway.” Mark sat down next to her on the bed, making her rise just a little because of his weight and Alice slid her hand up his arm, finally resting her forehead against his bicep. “You said you wanted me to stop and start letting people help me. Well, I’m asking for your help now. Teresa found a loophole for me with my contract. So…and it’s okay to say no to this…I was wondering if you’d be okay with me being your valet from now on. Just because I have a contract with WCW doesn’t mean I can’t go out there and cheer you on, which is what I really want to do anyway.” The Alliance was using WWF programming as their main platform until they figured out a way to get rid of WWF all together, which would never happen. “She said you can protect me better that way if I’m near you and you don’t have to track me down…”

Goddamn Teresa was a smart bitch, not that he would ever call her that to her face. She might’ve come across quiet and reserved, but no woman in her right mind would marry Glenn unless she was fierce. Teresa’s fury, especially when it came to someone screwing with her husband, or calling her bitch, was unmatched.

“Standard contract?” Mark asked, gently wrapping an arm around her, and leaned backed, letting her adjust herself into his side. “Which means as long as you’re valeting for someone…” She wouldn’t be in breach of her contract and no new amendments could be made without her approval. Clever. “Yeah.. I suppose… I’ll take you on.” He drawled playfully, though inside he felt so much relief. Now… it would be dealing with his own coworkers… he’d handle them.

Alice noticed him grimace a few times and frowned, wondering what kind of injuries he had. If he were injured and carting her around, she would find a way to kick his backside. That was the pot calling the kettle black since he’d basically told her not to be stupid, but here he was doing the same thing!

“Take off your shirt.” She ordered softly but firmly, sitting up a little ignoring her own pain. At his raised brow, Alice plucked at the shirt he had on and drew her eyebrows together, pressing on his chest. Another grimace. “You’re hurt, aren’t you?” It wasn’t a question and the worry seared through her when he tried denying it, pressing on his chest again, this time in another spot. “I’m not asking again, take your shirt off.” She had no idea about the beating from Austin and some of the WWF guys. “If I’m not allowed to be stupid and play the martyr game, neither are you, Deadman.”

“Oh trust me darlin’, I’m not playing any game and I’m not taking off my shirt. I got my ass handed to me.” He informed her, rolling his eyes and shook his head when she tugged at the t-shirt. “Knock it off, Red, I’m not playing, it stays on. I wasn’t defending you, or protecting you, when it happened. Austin led the boys in a sneak attack and beat me down. I’m fine, just sore is all.” He wasn’t hiding it, but wasn’t showing her his lovely bruises and welts either.

“Because of me…because we’re together, right?”

Huge tears slid down her cheeks as Alice stopped tugging at the t-shirt, not wanting to hurt him further. Why couldn’t people just let them be happy? Did it really matter which side they were on? WWF or the Alliance had nothing to do with how they felt for each other. The business isn’t what made her gravitate to Mark and she knew the same went for him. It went deeper than that and she felt terrible he’d been beaten down like a dog because of his association with her. Alice had mouthed off to Austin because he’d been a douchebag by manhandling her and she didn’t regret putting the bald-headed son of a bitch in his place.

“This is gonna get worse if I become your valet. So much worse…”

“Yeah, because of you.” He conceded, not about to lie to her too much, if he could avoid it.

Lying on this would have been stupid. Alice would know the truth. She had pissed off Austin, which Austin would take out on him, at least until he thought he could get his paws on her. Then the boys thought Mark was a traitor because he was fucking her, helping her, being with her.

“And it is going to get worse, but we’ll weather it, Red. Promise.” He dropped a kiss on her head. “Just chill out, I’ll take care of you.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

It physically and emotionally hurt her to see him in pain; Alice wished she could do something for him, but he wouldn’t let her see his back or his chest. She would take care of him the best way she could, but until this whole Alliance against WWF situation ended, they would be in for some very hard times. Alice trusted him wholeheartedly, but he was only one man and she had a feeling Glenn would be helping them in the days to come. Right now, they were far away from the business and in seclusion, together again, so she would embrace the moments they had like this as much as possible.

“I missed you.” She confessed in a whisper, feeling the exhaustion overtaking her again and snuggled against him without hurting each other. “And I promise I’ll be honest with you from now on. I was planning on telling you what happened Friday night and who hurt me, but…you were so full of rage and I didn’t want you getting hurt by going to the Alliance. I didn’t want anger blinding you, Mark.” She looked up into his eyes, grey mixing with emerald and brushed her lips against his. “Not still mad at me, are you?”

“Not right now, but if you pull that shit again, I probably will be.” He answered honestly, smirking when she pulled a face. “Darlin’, I’m not a nice person and you withholding info on me, best way to set me off. I can be a total prick, just so you know.” She deserved to know what she was getting herself into. “And I don’t like being coddled, or protected, which by the way, I think your way of doing that shit sucks.” Mark was probably digging himself a grave here. “Now, anything you’d like to tell me off about? Or about yourself?”

“I don’t coddle you. Protecting you involves me not helping the Alliance win when it comes to you. That’s it, that’s the gist of my ‘protection’ and you’re right, it sucks. But it’s all I can do. I’m not a burly guy like you are, I can’t knock people’s heads off or fly over the top rope to take out a coalition. The only thing I can do is stand my ground against those fuck heads of the Alliance. And showing I care about you and worry about you is not coddling either, so you can kiss my ass if you don’t like it. I’m going to care about you and worry about you, even if you don’t want me to. So, you might as well get used to it.” Alice wasn’t afraid to let her mouth run away with her when it came to Mark because, unlike Page, he wouldn’t harm her physically. “And I can be a bitch when I wanna be, so be a prick all you like. I can handle it and more.” Now wasn’t the time or place to tell him about her past. Maybe one day she would, but not until they had established something other than a half-baked or half-ass attempt at a relationship.

“Mmm, fair enough.” He rumbled in amusement, knowing they were both probably too damn stubborn for their own good. “But if I ever catch you trying to protect me by purposefully putting yourself in harm’s way, you’re not going to like what I do, Red.” Mark was giving her warning now, before they went any further down this road. “You’re not built to take the punishment like me, or the others, so don’t even try. Got me?”

Meaning, if she went in the ring during one of his matches with him being beaten down, which would probably happen, she wasn’t allowed to interfere. He wanted her to stand there and watch; that didn’t set well with her, but at the same time, it protected her. It was his way of protecting her.

“You’re referring to the Diamond Cutter incident, aren’t you?” She mumbled quietly, watching him nod and heaved a sigh, lowering her eyes to her lap. “Okay – fine I see your point. You win, I’ll…let you handle it. I won’t try to save you anymore.” It had been the kendo stick shots to Shane McMahon that really ignited the hatred between her and the owner of WCW and Page.

“Good.” He nodded, satisfied and it showed in his tone. “I’m tired, Red.”

Mark felt the wear of the last week starting to come down on him. His back hurt, moving hurt, and adrenaline wasn’t here to kick him up and get him going. Yawning, he shifted gingerly, she knew he hurt, so he didn’t bother trying to sell her otherwise, until he was laying down, still cradling her against him.

“I am too.” Caressing his face with the back of her hand, Alice could already feel her body relaxing against him and soon sleep followed.

If Glenn and Teresa were still going at it, neither heard a thing as they both slept in each other’s arms deeply.

~!~

By Saturday, Alice’s back felt marginally better and she could walk a straight line without losing her footing. The concussion was more than likely gone and the staples in her head would be able to come out in another day or so. Thank goodness because she missed taking a shower, hating sponge baths with a passion. Currently, she sat outside in one of the lounge chairs in front of the pool, wearing a white string bikini, her hair braided, thanks to Teresa. The woman wasn’t as quiet as Mark claimed and they had a blast together, hitting it off. Glenn and Mark were chopping wood for a bonfire they planned on having tonight and the women enjoyed the sight of their men working their arms.

Both were shirtless, sweaty, and looked delicious. Most of Mark’s bruises and lacerations were healed up, though there were a few yellowish spots on his skin where the bruises had been. Still, he was the sexiest man Alice ever seen and she thoroughly enjoyed watching him work his body, sliding her sunglasses down her nose enough to watch alongside Teresa. When the men stopped to look at them, they pretended to talk about something and laughed together, waiting until the men went back to work before ogling them all over again.

“You got to take that broad and leave. I don’t like her.”

“Because Teresa is all… giggly and laughing?”

“Yeah, exactly.” Glenn grunted, his curly hair pulled back into a sloppy bun at the base of his neck, sweat rolling down his bare chest and arms. “When women are like that, they’re plotting and planning. And you know my wife…”

“Your wife is a bitch.” Mark let out a string of curses when Teresa’s empty Bud Lite bottle nailed him in the kneecap with expert precision. “THAT COULD HAVE SHATTERED, YOU BI-” And he swallowed that down because she had access to more. “I’m sorry.”

She cocked an eyebrow.

“Ma’am.”

“Good boy.” Glenn snickered, knowing better and shook his head. “Man,

you know she hates that word.”

“And you better get used to Alice being around, Glennie.” Teresa informed him coolly, winking over at her newfound friend. “Because I gave her my number and, after this Alliance shit is over with, I will be coming back on the road with my sexy husband.”

“And we WILL be hanging out together and talking.” Alice added, feeling like her old self again the longer she was here and away from the wrestling business. At the arenas, she felt like a scared little girl and hated that feeling because she was a 30-year-old grown ass woman. “I really like your wife, Glenn.”

‘Get her out of here.’ Glenn mouthed, not meaning it and couldn’t remember the last time he’d saw his wife so…open and full of life. She really was usually quiet, but Alice had stirred something inside of her…brought out an inner fire, and Glenn would be lying if he said he didn’t like it. “You girls enjoying yourselves over there sunbathing? Mind helping us?”

“Now why would we do that when we’re enjoying watching the two of you work up a sweat?”

Chapter 19

“Mmmhmm…” They toasted each other, having longnecks and once again began watching the man candy in front of them. “Do you think Glenn would mind if I offered him a tongue bath?” She asked Alice quietly, leaning over to where only she could hear.

“Hell, I was thinking of offering Mark the same thing.”

“You know, if they get too mouthy, we could just bury them in the backyard. Wasn’t Teresa bitching about how dead your soil is?”

“She was. Then she made me add amend… shit, stuff.” Glenn saw where this was going and smirked, glancing at the gorgeous women sunbathing. “Bet they would make real good fertilizer, minus that tanning oil shit. Smells like coconut and hookers.”

“I’ll give you $100 to go ask your old lady how much.” Mark began outright laughing when Glenn started shaking his head no. Seven foot just about and whipped to hell and back by a short little woman.

The tanning oil made them bake in the sun, but it also protected their skin from drying out as well. Coconut oil was a beautiful thing and it smelled heavenly. Alice raised a brow at Mark’s booming laughter while Glenn kept shaking his head repeatedly before flipping the Deadman off. That sent both women in a fit of laughter themselves and they stood up, deciding a dip in the pool was in order.

“I gotta tell you, Resa, I never want to leave here.” Alice crooned, floating in the water on her back.

“Yeah well, you’re gonna have to eventually, Allie.” She grinned, floating alongside the redhead, and sighed in contentment. “I’m a lucky woman having a man who gives me anything I want. I told him a log cabin was fine and all, but I wanted an inground pool and he did it, no questions asked.” It was the only NON-southern, hillbilly thing the house had. “What do you think they’re talking about over there?”

“Knowing those two, do you really wanna know?”

“Nope, I’ll pass, thanks.”

By the time the men were finished, they had cut several more cords of wood and Glenn was pretty glad for sunblock, which he had applied quite liberally and repeatedly. He wasn’t fixing to go to work as Kane with a sunburn… no. “Well thanks man, that’ll do us when winter gets here.” He said after a moment, surveying the work he had done by himself and then what he and Mark had just added to it. “I’ll think of you whenever I’m warming my ass.”

“You do that.” Mark wiped sweat off his forehead, turning towards the inground pool and stretched, eyes on Alice. She was healing up quite nicely. “Think your wife would get pissed if I shucked the pants and dived in?”

“Well… that or she’s gonna take pictures.” It was pretty hot out.

Both Alice and Teresa squealed out when a bare-assed naked Mark cannonballed into the pool, sending waves over them, and forcing them under water. Alice came up sputtering, coughing a little and glared playfully at a grinning Mark, shaking her head. Teresa, on the other hand, did not find that so amusing and proceeded to dunk Mark from behind, catching him off-guard since he’d been entranced with Alice. She laughed, clapping her hands and covered her face when Glenn next dove into the pool. He was also naked as a jaybird!

“Oh my god, can’t you guys go get some damn trunks on?” The last thing she wanted to see was Glenn’s lower regions, especially in front of his wife, who had joined her husband while Mark continued snorting water out of his nose. “Feel better?” She asked once she was in front of Mark, her braid floating in the water behind her.

“No, that fucking burns.” He grunted, ignoring her, and focused on the lovely sensation going on in his nose. Coughing, he finally looked down at Alice, grinning as he wiped water off his face and pulled her up against him. “And no, we can’t get trunks on. That takes time and we’re hot now.”

“And neither of you wear underwear?” Teresa was in the safety of Glenn’s arms, where Mark couldn’t retaliate. She already knew her husband didn’t, not often, but Mark would.

“You’re not up for the Brothers of Destruction?” Glenn began laughing his naked ass off when Teresa started sputtering, listening to her tell him how much he needed Jesus and whatnot.

Alice laughed at Teresa’s response, however her eyes never left Mark’s, not for a second. Being pressed against his naked body with just the thin material of her bikini separating them made her body temperature skyrocket. She was more than hot now, she was scorching and slid her arms around his neck while they floated in the water together, his arms wrapped firmly around her waist.

“You totally ruined my plan…our plan, actually.” She side-eyed Teresa briefly, who was busy being preoccupied by her husband’s tongue down her throat and immediately looked back at Mark. At his arched brow, Alice leaned up a little where her mouth hovered over his ear. “I was going to offer you a tongue bath.” Then she kissed the pulse point on his neck and felt his arms tighten around her.

He growled, burying his face in her neck, and inhaled. She smelled like chlorine, sun, and that tanning oil. It was a weird combination, it worked he guessed. “You still can, Red.” He informed her, kissing his way up her jawline. “Later.”

He wasn’t about to let her over-sexed ass pull him out of this pool, not just yet. Having Glenn right there with his own wife was also a great deterrent for his dick. Having Glenn there made it stay down.

“Off with you, seductress.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Glenn grunted, moving backwards before his wife could grab him by his tenders. “Evil. Evil.”

“And here I thought you offered the Brothers of Destruction.” Alice waved her finger, clicking her tongue in a chastising manner and smirked at Teresa’s giggling behind her. “All talk, no action. All bark, no bite.”

“Hey! The only woman I bite is my wife.” Glenn growled, folding his arms in front of his chest, and puffed it out a little.

That just made Teresa laugh harder. “Mmm he does bite rather well, I must say.” She winked and smirked at Glenn’s groan, shrugging her shoulders.

“I’ll take your word for it.” Alice had zero interest in Glenn, her attention firmly on the man with the long auburn hair and stunning emerald eyes. “I really don’t want to go back tomorrow…”

“I know, but remember what I told you. You found your loophole and Mark is onboard with everything, including Glenn, so if Mark doesn’t have a match that night and Glenn does, you can just accompany him to the ring. That way, you’re covered either way. And if neither of them have matches, hide, or leave the arena. It shouldn’t happen too often.”

“I’m seriously gonna miss you. You’ve helped me so much these last couple days and I really appreciate it.”

Teresa could tell she meant it and smiled, hugging her briefly. “We all need help sometimes.”

“I’m worried my wife is going to turn into a lesbian and leave me for Alice.” Glenn said, sounding both annoyed and amused as he and Mark went out to the deep end of the pool.

It went over HIS head. There had been no point in having a pool if he couldn’t have water he had to tread in. Teresa hadn’t been amused the first time he had tossed her in that side.

“We’re sharing a valet, remind you of anything…”

“God, what was her name…” She hadn’t been a valet and this had been back before Teresa… and before Glenn had actually made it as Kane. “Candy? No… Mandy?”

“Fuck if I remember, but she did have a really neat mole between her shoulder blades.”

Of ALL the many things to remember about that woman, he went with the mole? “You’re fucked up.”

Besides Torrie, Alice didn’t have any friends because of her hectic traveling schedule and what she did for a living. It was nice to have someone who actually knew a thing or two about the legal world. Teresa was a godsend in Alice’s eyes and, if she was into women, she would’ve tried snatching her away from Glenn. She’d never done girl on girl action besides stripping, but even then, it was all for show. There was no kissing, just touching, and Alice quickly figured out she enjoyed men only. There was nothing wrong with women loving women and men loving men, but it just wasn’t her cup of tea.

She was shocked Mark had agreed to let her valet him to the ring along with Glenn. Since he was on a slightly lighter schedule these days, Mark didn’t always wrestle, and Alice knew Shane would try to find his own loophole within her iron-clad contract. So that’s why Teresa suggested enlisting Glenn to help and she was sure the woman had convinced her husband to do it. Again, she owed Teresa and would never be able to fully repay her.

The only problem Glenn had with Teresa’s little plan was the fact that now he would have a giant bullseye on HIS ass. It was one thing to walk down the WCW corridor with Mark, that was him just being with his buddy. Letting Alice come out with him would be pushing that tentative line he was walking and he and Mark were discussing that, quietly, treading water together and speaking in hushed whispers about their game plans.

“It is so cute… they’re practically head to head, whispering sweet nothings, naked…” Teresa mused, leaning back against the edge of pool, and let her feet dangle, wondering just what those two were up to. “We could always break your leg, then you could stay here.” She offered sweetly.

“As tempting as that offer is, I’ll have to decline. I like using both of my legs. And I think you should watch out for Mark. He might steal Glenn away from you.” Alice sat beside her, moving her feet back and forth in the water, looking away from the men to stare straight ahead.

Teresa merely snorted, chuckling and didn’t bother with a response.

In truth, she didn’t want to involve Glenn in this mess, but something told her it would happen anyway because him and Mark were a current tag team, of sorts. They had matches together lately, and it would look weird for her to come out with just Undertaker and not Kane for singles matches. Alice had to remind herself this was for the best and she was being protected, remembering what Mark told her.

Let people help…

“Okay, here’s the deal.”

Glenn and Mark swam over to the women, but were both considerate enough to fold their hands over their respective packages out of respect. He was pretty sure they could still see a bit. He would be the first to volunteer that he was hung, he had even measured it, grinning broadly before clearing his throat.

“Mark’s already told you, don’t be stupid out there, so now I’m telling ya. Don’t be stupid. Don’t go out of your way to provoke our opponents, and don’t think for a second that you’re going to put yourself in harm’s way to save him, or me, if you’re so inclined. Else wise… we’re breaking your legs and benching you.”

“He’s a mind reader…”

“Well, not both your legs.” Mark was serious and wouldn’t do this again and again; he liked Alice not beaten up.

“I don’t enjoy being beaten up either, so I’ll let you guys handle the hard stuff and trust you’ll protect me. I already know you don’t like cheating to win, so I’ll stand out there and cheer you on.” While also trying to avoid Page from making a grab at her or any of the other Alliance members. This would prove to be very distracting to Mark and Glenn, but at this point, there were no other options. “Thank you for doing this, Glenn. I’ll say it again, you don’t have to. I’ll find a way to escape the Alliance when Mark doesn’t have matches…”

“No, it’s better if you’re out there with either him or me.” Glenn had come to terms with helping, which had to be his beautiful wife’s big heart and influence. He was sure of it. “I don’t mind helping, just listen to what I say, and we won’t have any problems. And no, I don’t like cheating. I don’t need to cheat to win.” He snorted, arrogant to admit he could beat anyone, including Mark, on the roster.

Maybe this would work after all, Alice thought, feeling much better about the situation.

“All right.” Teresa hoisted herself out of the pool, gesturing at Alice to follow her. “We need to go get supper started.” Which meant checking the steaks she had set to marinating earlier in the day and getting the pasta salad and other things going. “You boys finish up, put on some damn clothes, and get my grill going. We’re going to need to run to town, beer run.”

“Yes ma’am.” Mark and Glenn said together, the men grinning sweetly at her when she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Emerald eyes followed Alice’s delicious backside as she climbed gracefully out of the pool. Winking at Mark over her shoulder, Alice took the towel Teresa handed her and dried herself off, feeling his eyes devouring her whole. She wrapped it around her waist and walked inside to go change out of her bikini. There was no way she was cooking in a bikini and Teresa did the same thing. Walking out in a black jersey dress that went to mid-thigh, Alice began cutting up vegetables for the pasta salad while the men fired up the grill as instructed and then they changed to go on the beer run. Steaks, mashed potatoes, pasta salad and deviled eggs were on the menu. This was their final night in Tennessee before having to leave in the morning to go to Invasion in Cleveland, Ohio. After the pasta salad was made, Alice peeled potatoes while Teresa walked out to slap the steaks on the grill. The men were back in record time with beer and a few other things in hand, all four wanting to enjoy their final night relaxing before chaos hit.

While the women did what they were doing, Mark and Glenn began dragging out the picnic table and stacking wood by Glenn’s ‘little’ bonfire pit. “You are fucking insane.”

“Hey… we’ll soak the area down with the hose, ain’t no trees around, and Teresa always makes me leave the hose nearby on, just in case.” Glenn liked BIG fires. “It’ll be fine.” He snorted, tipping his head back and inhaled, growling hungrily. “Time off is supposed to be relaxing… not working.” His wife had him doing chores all day long, not that he overly minded; he liked taking care of her. “You ready to get back to it, man?”

“I’ve got a list of people I’m planning on hurting, so… yeah.”

Dinner was delicious, and the sun had started setting on the horizon. She helped out with cleaning up, refusing to let Teresa do it on her own and then they ventured outside where the rather large bonfire had begun. “Wow…”

Alice stayed back a little and sat down on one of the huge blankets that were strewn on the lawn. She smiled, folding her legs to the side, and felt Mark settle behind her, leaning her head back against his chest. His hand splayed on her side, caressing her through the jersey material of her dress and tilted her head back a little to look at him. They hadn’t had sex since the bed and breakfast due to fighting, miscommunication and being injured. He brushed his lips against hers and she smiled, moving her head back to stare at the crackling flames. They didn’t have to get too close to feel the heat because that fire was RAGING. Glenn and Teresa both seemed okay, like it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, so Mark was going to trust his friend’s slightly demented judgment. Though, he did note that there was indeed a turned on hose nearby.

“Everything is going to be fine.” He whispered against Alice’s ear, nipping immediately after and smirked when he felt her shivering.

Mark knew that was all him, it wasn’t cold out here. He let his hands move, fingers beginning to bunch that jersey dress of hers up, well aware they couldn’t be seen. Glenn and Teresa were on the opposite side of the large fire. The huge bonfire wasn’t the only fire raging outside that night. Alice was smoldering, her body begging for Mark’s attention and shut her eyes as his lips and tongue continued teasing her neck and ear. She didn’t stop him, the jersey dress now bunched around her hips and his fingers brushed against her soaked panty covered sex. He was purposely teasing and tormenting her, making that raging fire inside of her grow out of control.

Chapter 20

“Mmm how can you be so sure?” Alice breathed out, hissing out at the slight pressure of his fingers before they drifted back up beneath the dress, caressing her flat soft stomach.

Chuckling, he let his fingers trace the soft lean curves of her stomach and hips, teasing her purposefully as he gave the column of her throat his attention as well. “Trust me, Red.” He whispered huskily, breath hot against her skin. “We’ve got this.” She needed to stop worrying, for tonight at least. Mark pressed his palm flat against her abdomen, feeling her muscles tightening beneath his touch and began sliding downwards. His fingers delved beneath the waistband of her panties to cup her sex.

“Mark…” Her voice held a sense of urgency mixed with warning, not wanting Glenn and Teresa to catch them in the act.

She had an overwhelming need and hunger for this man, gasping as his middle finger slid up her quivering slit. The warmth of his hand seared her body, every part of her breaking out in goose bumps and a tingling sensation rushed through her abdomen. Pushing everything else in the back of her mind except Mark, she gave him her undivided attention and arched her neck to give him further access to her flesh. Her hair was still in the braid from earlier, so all he had to do was move it to the other shoulder out of his way.

“Mmm…”

He wasn’t a complete asshole and kept an eye and an ear cocked at Glenn and Teresa. Mark could hear them talking, laughing, and knew they were occupied. If Glenn stood up, Mark would see him, the jackass was huge. Testing the waters and seeing how she would react to a little public, outdoor indecency, Mark tilted his hand, sliding a finger into her receptive warmth. He felt her instantly clasping around him and her fingernails digging suddenly into his wrist. Some people got off on being outside, where they could get caught.

If they were caught, Glenn would never let them live this down, but the exhilaration she felt with him was too strong to stop. She didn’t want him to stop. Biting down on her bottom lip hard, she muffled her moans as much as she could while his finger went to work on her sex, curling to hit her sweet spot. Mark wanted her to climax out here, in front of the raging fire, while they’re friends were just on the other side of it. Alice could feel alarm bells ringing in her head, but they weren’t nearly loud enough to stop this moment. She nodded when asked if she enjoyed this, if she enjoyed the possibility of getting caught and reached around to feel his hard cock through the confines of his tight jeans.

What she wouldn’t give to throw caution to the wind and fuck him right here in front of this fire under the moon and stars. Her wish came true because Glenn suddenly stood up, pulling a giggling Teresa with him. Mark could smell the beer wafting from those two, glad he hadn’t decided to enter the drinking challenge Glenn had thrown his way. He was no lightweight, but his friend was a master.

“If we come back within an hour, it’s because I popped my cork too soon.” Glenn’s dark laughter echoed throughout the night as he hoisted his woman up over his shoulder and carted her into the cabin.

As soon as that door shut behind them, Mark had Alice down on that blanket.

Alice laughed, and that laughter quickly turned to moaning as Mark’s head buried between her thighs, her panties long gone. It didn’t matter if the fire raged out of control and engulfed them, she would not deny this man anything he wanted and craved from her. While he busied himself between her thighs, she managed to pull the jersey dress up over her head, showing more of her flexibility, revealing no bra. Mark looked up at her briefly before going back to snacking on her pussy, holding her lower half down with his large forearm while she squirmed, arching her body. Burying her fingers in his hair, Alice didn’t care who heard her and became lost in the sensations he forced her body to feel.

“Oh Mark…”

The way Glenn had that fire going, Mark had no doubt it would burn well for a while. He was betting the other man had thrown a few logs on before he had gone inside. Smirking, he kept at his little snack, suddenly feeling her fingernails in his skull followed instantly by a gush of her sweet nectar coating his tongue. He kept going, refusing to let her calm down, and rode out that orgasm; she wasn’t done, not yet.

Much like their first time together, by the end of this session, Alice was completely spent and drained of energy. They hadn’t gone back inside, spending hours in front of the slowly dying fire pleasuring each other before ending own raging desires, fulfilling what they both craved. Mark currently lay on top of her, resting his ear over her pounding heart and her fingers lazily glided through his hair. They were both naked, under the stars and moon with the much smaller firelight reflecting off their glistening skin.

“Is Texas like this?” She asked randomly, watching his head lift to look up at her. “I live in Florida, in the city, so I’ve never had an experience in the middle of nowhere like this before. It’s really nice…”

“Is Texas like Tennessee?” He repeated, shaking his head, eyes fastened on the sky above. The view was spectacular. “No… at least not where I live, and the climates are totally different. Florida is humid.” He sometimes liked Florida, such as in the winter, when his dry skin needed all that extra humidity. “He’s got more trees, and we don’t have mountains or valleys like he does.” Mark could not believe she hadn’t been out in the sticks before, wondering if she was a born and bred city girl; somehow, it wouldn’t surprise him. “I live in the country too.” Eventually, he’d take her there and show her his place. It was not as… rustic, as Glenn’s.

“I’m sure it’s just as beautiful as this place, if not more.” Throughout traveling, Alice had been to every state within the country, but never had time to appreciate the beauty each one had. She was always on the go, moving from place to place, doing her job, and going back to Florida every occasionally. “I live in Miami.” She confessed, figuring he’d want to know that information eventually and felt him roll to where he was on his back with her head on his chest now. “It’s okay, I guess…”

The humidity sucked, but it was something she’d gotten used to. Florida was not her favorite state and, sooner or later, Alice planned on moving out of state somewhere else. Considering Alice seemed to purposefully withhold bits of information, he had been filing them away as she revealed new tidbits. She didn’t know him that well, he supposed she was entitled to her privacy, not that he wasn’t curious.

“Miami, huh?” Gross, he personally thought Miami was a cesspool of drugs and murder, and his hold on her tightened briefly until he realized what he was doing and let up. “Born and raised there, Red?”

“Not exactly.” Alice shook her head, resting her chin on his chest and wondered if telling him about her past would bite her on the backside. “I was originally born in…Chicago.” Talk about a cesspool…it was way worse than Miami and felt his hand stroke her back, urging her silently to continue while comforting her at the same time. “I also lived in several other states before finding myself in Miami. Texas wasn’t one of them and neither was Tennessee, unfortunately.” Maybe it would be best if he knew the true reason why she signed with WCW. He was protecting her, but would he think of her differently if he knew the truth and about her past? “Were you born and bred in Texas?”

So, she had moved around quite a bit, living in several different states was not a usual thing, Mark surmised. Maybe she was an army brat, he mused. “Yep, born and bred.” He answered after a moment, pushing himself upright to take a look at the fire. If he let it go, it’d die out in about an hour. Mark had no intentions of leaving it alone until that point, and it was still nice out here with her. He wasn’t in any hurry. “Pretty normal upbringing actually, seems weird, don’t it?”

“No, not really. That’s good you had a normal upbringing.”

At least one of them did. She watched him toss a few more logs on the fire to keep it going and smiled, knowing he didn’t want this night to end any more than she wanted it to. Once they went back on the road, there wouldn’t be any time to be together like this except in stuffy hotel rooms, besides their days off.

“I was a foster baby. My parents died shortly after I was born and…I was tossed around every foster home imaginable. When I was 16, I managed to get emancipated by the state of Florida because I had a…job.” Alice swallowed hard, feeling his arm snake around her body again to pull her closer against him. “I lied to the government about what kind of job it was or else I would’ve been stuck in the foster care system until I turned 18. I…couldn’t handle it anymore, the constant rejection of nobody wanting me and my schooling began to fail, so I dropped out. I’m a high school dropout and I never went back for my GED or anything.”

A 30-year-old woman without a high school diploma was pathetic, but in her line of work, prior to Eric Bischoff discovering her, Alice didn’t need it. Well, that was unexpected, and Mark was fairly sure she could see the shock on his face before he arranged his expression into something calm and neutral. Alice seemed smart, most of the time, but he hadn’t pegged her for a foster kid. He had to wonder what kind of job she had actually held.

“What did you do for a living at 16, Red?” He asked casually, wondering just what job a 16-year-old held, especially without being in school. The foster system seemed royally fucked up.

Lowering her eyes from him, Alice could feel the tears building in her eyes and suddenly pushed away from him, shaking her head. “No.” She’d barely known him 2 weeks and had told him far more than she should’ve. “I’m sorry, but…I can’t talk about it.”

Stripping was not one of her finer choices in life, but for a 16-year-old there wasn’t a lot of options out there for her. Her foster parents were strict Catholics and took the faith a little too seriously. It wasn’t for her, nor the punishments they gave her when she didn’t obey them. Shuddering at the memories, Alice swiped her jersey dress from the grass to slip it back on, only for Mark to stop her and pulled her back down on the blanket.

“I don’t…I’m afraid to tell you because I don’t want you to look at me any differently. I did what I had to do to get out of the foster system…”

“Darlin’, unless you were involved in child or animal porn, there’s not much you’re gonna tell me that’s going to make me look at you different.” Mark assured her, quite serious.

A lot of the women in this business had dabbled in porn. Be it acting or pictures, at one point or another, or some had even done worse. It was a hard life, wrestling, especially for the women who seemed to sell every last inch of themselves just to get a foot hold.

“You don’t have to tell me, Alice. It’s your business, but don’t ever be afraid to tell me either.”

“It’s not porn. Even I have higher standards than that.”

Alice slid her hands up and down his chest, which was also a soothing mechanism for her. Life was indeed hard and hers was no exception, but the way he looked at her now…she never wanted to lose that or what they had. The feelings stirring up inside of her for him were growing stronger and now that they’d found a loophole in her contract Page had in his grubby hands, they would be spending a great deal of time together in the coming months.

“I was a stripper. The owner forced me to lie about my age; I was…advanced as far as my body was concerned at that age.” Big tits and nice ass with a toned body and zero brains. “He helped me get started and…I made enough money to get out of the foster home I was in.” Alice took a deep breath, enjoying Mark hovering over her because he made her feel safe and gave her the courage, somehow, to confess everything to him. “And I did that until I turned 29…when Eric Bischoff found me and offered me a contract to work for WCW. I didn’t have any wrestling experience, I didn’t even know what wrestling was, but he said I had the body for it and…I was desperate to get out of the stripping scene. I never…slept with any of the clients, it was all just showing my body off for money. The owner tried getting me sleep with them, but I refused. When I signed with WCW, I was supposed to start training with a few of the girls they had in the company, but…it was all a hoax, a fluke, a lie. And I’d already signed my contract, so I was stuck. Eric is the only one who knows about this, as far as I know. He promised he wouldn’t breathe a word about it to anyone in the company and Shane and Page haven’t mentioned anything to me about it, so I’m hoping Eric kept his word and his mouth shut.”

Bischoff would hold onto that information and keep it guarded, unless there was a price he set for it and then he’d wind up bought. Just how it worked, and Mark wasn’t surprised at all that she had been a stripper. Alice definitely had the body for it. Mark was, however, relieved to know she hadn’t slept around; the woman had some morals, her own weird ass moral conduct and standards and he liked that. And her. Quite a bit more than he probably should’ve.

“Thank you for telling me.” He rumbled softly, knowing it must’ve been a bit hard for her to confide in him and he kissed her gently. “Explains the flexibility.”

Rolling her eyes, she smacked his chest playfully and shook her head, not believing that’s the only thing he was focused on from that entire confession. Typical man. “You are such an ass.” She brought his mouth down on hers, kissing him passionately and felt him draw her closer, only breaking the kiss when they both needed oxygen to breathe properly. “Thank you for not judging me and…accepting me for who I am.” Alice rubbed her nose against his gently. “Ass.” She giggled when he growled, smacking her backside and wiggled her backside against his hand, forcing him to do it again.

“I’M the ass because YOU’RE flexible? Explain how that works to me.” Mark laughed, rolling her onto her back and began tickling her.

Spanking her ass was all well and fine, but the echo was insanely loud out here. Last thing he needed was Glenn coming out thinking something was happening, and he snorted at the thought. After she had threatened to pee on him, Mark stopped and brushed his lips against hers, smiling at how soft and pliant she was.

“Now it’s your turn.” At his cocked brow, Alice smiled softly and caressed his face with the back of her hand. “You’ve heard a great deal about me tonight, so I want to hear about you. How did you get into wrestling in the first place? What was your upbringing like since you said it was normal? All of it, I wanna know everything you’re willing to tell me about you.”

She really liked him and, since he’d heard her darkest secret, he could reciprocate the notion. He went into a long-winded explanation about his childhood, how he grew up in Houston, Texas, where he currently resided. His father had died at an early age and his mother followed when he was 26. So technically, he was an orphan, like her, and had no siblings besides Glenn, who he’d adopted as his brother both on and off-screen. As far as how he’d got into wrestling, Alice was shocked to learn he’d been 12 hours from gaining his degree, only to give it all up, a full-ride basketball scholarship overseas, to pursue the life of professional wrestling. And he didn’t regret it one bit, enjoying his career for the most part.

“Wow, you’re very brave for doing that. I could never do something like that.” Hell, she’d never entertained the thought of college considering she’d never gotten a high school diploma.

College was not in the cards for her.

“I’m brave for quitting college?” Mark echoed, sounding confused and then he realized Alice didn’t have the upbringing most kids had, like he had. So… he had to reset his assumptions and preconceptions of what was normal. “Darlin’, I worked for WCW for a bit and they told me I’d never make it. I’m telling you, that right there was a ‘fuck me’ moment, made me wish I’d never dropped out.” He had always thought about going back, finishing off those hours, but… the last thing he wanted to do on his downtime was schoolwork.

“No, you’re brave for taking a chance at something you really love. Even if you didn’t love it at the time, I can see you do now. WCW didn’t know what they had in you, it’s their loss and you made yourself a star, despite them. They can never take that away from you either.” Alice smiled at him, admiration shining in her greys and felt his forehead rest against hers, his hands sliding up her arms to lace their fingers together. “You got out before they completely fucked you over, I didn’t. And you can always go back to college to finish those 12 hours, if that’s all you really need.” At his snort, she laughed and shrugged, knowing it was always an option for him.

“I’d rather spend my free time fucking you, Red.” Mark informed her huskily, laughing when her cheeks flushed.

He loved that. It was weird; she was no virgin in the bedroom; she had been a stripper, but when he said something that like out of the blue, just a hint of pink would creep into her cheeks. Mark idly wondered how she’d feel if he asked her for a private dance, knowing now that’s where that flexibility of hers came from, and felt his cock stirring to life again at the thought.

“Mmm, same here, big man…” Reaching between them, she managed to wrap her hand around his hardened cock and smirked, knowing he was ready for another round. “Fuck me, Mark…” She wrapped her legs around his waist, gasping at the feeling of his cock brushing her and knew their talking had come to an end.

It was time for some more action.

Chapter 21

“Relax.”

“Easy for you to say. Easy for you BOTH to say.” They weren’t the ones walking into the lion’s den to inform the Alliance what she planned on doing with her contractual obligations.

“Mark is going with you. Want me to come too?”

Glenn didn’t blame her for being nervous after everything Shane McMahon and Page had put her through lately. Hell, she still had staples in her head from Tuesday, but hopefully those would come out either tonight or tomorrow at Raw. Alice looked up at Mark, who was driving and felt his hand squeeze hers, letting her know silently everything would be alright. Who the hell would think to jump the Brothers of Destruction? Shane wasn’t that stupid.

“If you don’t mind, Glenn, that would be great.”

Well, all of the Alliance versus the Brothers of Destruction… Mark could see them trying and maybe getting some licks in… no, they’d get their asses kicked if those boys got froggy enough and he knew it. Sure, he and Glenn would do some damage, but the numbers game always caught up, no matter who it was. But he and Glenn walked her down that hall, both of them imposing in their own rights and he had noticed their own WWF coworkers eyeing them all suspiciously. Mark was betting Austin would try to jump him in a hallway again. WCW boys… he was betting the fact Kane and the Undertaker, with chains around their necks, would be intimidating enough to keep them at bay.

Shane looked up when the door opened and raised a slow brow at the sight of not only the redhead pain in his ass, but the Brothers of Destruction. “Easy boys, easy.” He stood up from the bench, having a feeling he wouldn’t like what came out of Alice’s mouth. “You should be in the women’s locker room getting ready for tonight’s Inaugural Brawl, whore.”

“Watch it McMahon, that’s my woman.” Dallas ordered, sauntering over and made a grab for her, only for Undertaker to step in his way. “She’s not yours…”

“Actually, yes I am.”

Dallas scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Stop playing hard to get and come here, Alice. NOW.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Stepping in front of Mark, Alice folded her arms in front of her chest with a serene smile on her face. “I’ve come to inform you, all of you, that as of tonight, I will no longer be valeting for the Alliance.”

Dallas started laughing, along with the rest of the locker room. “Since when do YOU call the shots? Do you forget who owns your ass, sugar? I DO!”

This was going to be beautiful to pop his rancid bubble. “Yes, I do, and it’s not you, as much as you want it to be, Page. Even though Shane handed over my contract, it’s still a WCW contract. My contractual obligation states that I am to valet wrestlers to the ring. It does NOT, however, state a SPECIFIC wrestler. And since the WCW/ECW brands are using WWF as a televised platform, I can valet anyone I want to the ring that works for any of the 3 brands. Sorry to burst your bubble there, Dallas, it’s been fun.” Not really. “But I’m tired of being assaulted and found two big guys that just happen to need my assistance. So, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be leaving to go get ready for tonight’s main event.”

Stephanie, Shane, and Dallas had all their jaws dropped to the floor, knowing everything Alice just spouted out of her mouth was the truth. “WHAT?!”

“And what happens if I fire you?” Dallas asked when he had regained his tongue, halting them before they could leave. “You’d have no business on the road with your pimps.” Because that’s obviously what they were, pimps, and she was a whore.

“Only legal spouses are allowed to travel with superstars, on all brands.” Shane pointed out quickly. This hadn’t always been the rule, but… problems had arisen with girlfriends, so Vince and the board had put this one into effect. It also cut down on travel costs as the performers were allowed a daily stipend for meals, room, and travel.

“Or… maybe I’ll send her to Florida for training…”

“You are just bound and determined to make me kill you, aren’tcha Page?”

“Go right ahead then, fire me. I won’t go to Florida and, if I do, it’ll be going home and being far away from your stupid ass. So, the choice is yours, Page. Either deal with the fact I’m NOT valeting you to the ring anymore, or any of the stupid Alliance, or let me finish off my contract obligations MY way and valet who I want to the ring. The choice is really quite simple.” Alice challenged, watching his face slowly turn beat red and smirked, knowing she had Dallas, Shane and even Stephanie by the proverbial balls.

“You won’t get away with this…” Dallas couldn’t believe this was happening, knowing the contract was iron-clad and without her consent, no other changes could be made to it. “You’re MINE!”

“No, I’m not and I never was. So, make your decision and let me know. I’ll be happy to go home, go for it. Fire me.”

“Page, let her do what she wants.” Shane would lose out on a lot of potential mind games with the Deadman if she were fired. “If she wants to valet Rigamortis and the Big Red Retard to the ring, instead of sticking with the Alliance, so be it. WWF will never accept her and sooner or later, they’ll tire of her too and she’ll come crawling back to us on her hands and knees.”

“Don’t hold your breath, McMahon.” Alice muttered, seeing Page was slowly losing his temper and waited for him to utter the words ‘You’re Fired’, begging for it. She’d rather be out of the wrestling industry than be assaulted on a weekly basis by this nut job.

Dallas took a deep breath, forcing himself to pull it together. “Fine. Valet for whoever you like, sugar.” He then flashed her a brilliant smile. “Eventually, you’ll fuck up. You always do. You’re just a fucking whore, a leach. You clung to Sean and Chuck and now you’re doing it with another tag team.” He sneered, shaking his head and then clucked his tongue. “I’m done trying to help you, Alice; a whore will be a whore.”

“Well said, and we all know she is definitely a whore.” Stephanie said, waving a hand at the three. “You’re dismissed.”

Glenn’s head was tipped to the side, blue eyes amused. “Seriously?”

“We’re not playing games with you, Jacobs.”

“You’re not?”

“They’re not?”

“GET THE FUCK OUT!”

Alice cackled and bowed her head with her hands clasped together, greys eyes flashing wickedly. “Oh, thank you, kind master. Your generosity means the world to me.”

Snorting, she flipped them the double bird and walked out with Mark and Glenn, all of them laughing together. That had gone down a lot better than she hoped. Teresa had warned her Dallas would try to threaten her, a scare tactic, by firing or sending her to developmental. He had talked out of his backside and since when did assault help a person? She didn’t understand that one. That man was crocked in the head! After stopping at wardrobe to pick up her outfit for the evening, which was from the WWF seamstress, Alice walked inside Mark and Glenn’s locker room, feeling relief coursing through her. She would let them use the bathroom first, thankful they had their own along with private showers and sat down while they strategized for the match tonight. Nobody else besides the Alliance knew she would be valeting the Brothers of Destruction tonight, but ultimately, it was Mark.

“Well if it ain’t our favorite boys and their slut.” Steve Austin burst through the door, flanked by a little posse, who did not approve of the Undertaker turning sides… or tricks. “So… what’s the game plan, Deadman?”

Mark rolled his eyes. “I was thinking pizza.”

“Oh yeah… remember that diner? With the deep dish? We could take Red and go get some after the show.”

“Hey, I like pizza.” Kurt volunteered, frowning when Steve shot him an exasperated look. “What?”

“We’re not talkin’ ‘bout fuckin’ pizza. You goin’ to sack up and stand by your teammates or not?”

“Sure.” Mark stood up, towering over all of them, minus Glenn, but Glenn remained seated. Smirking, he approached Steve. “I. Got. Your. Back.” Each word was accented with a poke to the chest. “You can count on that.”

Remember what they said, let them handle the business and keep quiet, Alice mentally coached, flipping through the latest WWF magazine. She didn’t pay any of the other men any attention, already dressed in her red leather dress with black shiny knee-high boots. The dress went to mid-thigh, enough to cover her backside and on the front, it had Deadman Inc in white and black jewels. Her hair was left down due to the staples, which she still had to have Larry look at before the night was out. After the show would be better to do it, even though she felt the slightest twinge whenever she moved her head.

“Hey! You’re seriously letting HER go out there with us?” Kurt demanded, pointing at the redhead that had warped Undertaker’s mind. “She’s the enemy, what if she turns on us?!”

Jericho could tell this was getting out of hand and stepped forward, holding his hands up between Austin and Undertaker. “Okay look, it shouldn’t matter who the hell is out there.” He wasn’t one of the guys that beat down Taker. “We need to focus on taking out the Alliance tonight. Stop worrying about the babe and focus on the match, Austin.” Why the hell was the bald-headed prick so transfixed on Taker’s personal life anyway?

Chris Jericho wasn’t a bad guy after all and it was hilarious how he kept knocking Stephanie on her backside verbally as of late.

“I am focusin’ on the match, Jerichoke.” Steve snapped, not amused with the younger blonde putting his two cents in where it wasn’t wanted. “You’ve seen her, she wouldn’t even help out her last teammates, so what makes you think she’s gonna do anythin’ for us?”

“They also have those breadsticks. Alice, you’re going to love this place.”

“You need to chill, Steve.” Chris advised, folding his arms over his chest.

“But the pizza, deep dish, it’s to die for.”

Fucking Glenn… Mark was trying not to laugh.

“WILL YOU SHUT UP ‘BOUT THE FUCKIN’ PIZZA?” Steve roared and then recoiled a second later when Glenn was suddenly in his business.

And that’s why he had a crazy friend.

“Wait, there’s an actual pizza joint you’re talking about that’s in Cleveland?” When all eyes turned on her, Alice held her hands up and looked thoroughly amused. “I really thought you were joking with Stoney boy over there. My bad, sorry.” She went back to flipping through the magazine, trying so hard not to laugh and chewed her bottom lip.

“Stoney boy?”

“Well damn Stoney, I didn’t know you smoked!”

“I DON’T!” Steve was PISSED, but he knew better than to mess with Glenn Jacobs. The man was psychotic in and OUT of the ring, so he stepped back with his hands in the air in surrender. “Just remember, whore, you cross us, and I’ll stun yer ass into next week.” He growled, ignoring Taker’s warning look, and sent one back at him. “How’s the back, Deadman?”

“Or the chest.” Kurt had been one of those idiots that helped beat Taker down. However, … “So, about this pizza place…”

“ANGLE, NOW!”

Kurt zoomed out of the room, leaving Jericho standing there with Taker and Kane.

The only way to prove to the WWF locker room she was on their side was action. They spoke far louder than words.

“But yeah,” Glenn turned towards Alice, not looking fazed a bit by what had just happened and continued the conversation as if they had never been interrupted. “There is a diner here, with the best deep dish outside of Chicago. We’ll go after work.”

Laughing, Mark dropped down in a chair beside Alice, really hoping she was getting used to Glenn’s mannerisms. Or else she was going to wind up with whiplash from the way his moods, actions and words changed up so frequently. The only time he was relatively calm and mellow was usually when he was at home.

“You okay Red?”

“Yeah, never better.” Alice smiled up at him genuinely, slowly getting used to Glenn’s ways and leaned into a side hug he gave her. “Really, I’m great.” Her head didn’t hurt, she wasn’t being used and abused; being around Mark made her feel safe and secure, even with Glenn’s quirky ways. “And I’m looking forward to it, Big Red, though I don’t know if any pizza can top Chicago.”

“Oh, just wait until we get there, and you get the first taste. I didn’t think so either until we actually went after a show. It’ll be the perfect celebration after we fuck up the Alliance and send them packing.”

“I can definitely get onboard with that.”

Her makeup for the evening consisted of slightly thicker black liner, red shadow for the eyes and red lipstick with a clear gloss over it. Foundation covered up what was left of the bruises on her face, the cut on her cheek healed. Thankfully, it didn’t scar.

“So, I’m reading this magazine and you two…you’re on-screen brothers, I know that much, but…people are making it sound like you should despise each other.” She showed them the article she was reading about the history of the Brothers of Destruction. “And this really used to be you, Mark?” She pointed at a Lord of Darkness picture with the long black beard, black hair and rolled back eyes. “Wow, you are the Madonna of wrestling.”

Jericho snapped his fingers, laughing since he hadn’t left yet. “I should use that in the upcoming video they’re doing for you, Deadman!”

“Oops?”

“Why the fuck are you still here, boy?” Mark demanded, rolling his eyes in exasperation. He didn’t usually have a problem with Chris outside the man’s inability to shut up and the way he spoke. How Chris sounded in the ring was how he tended to talk out of it as well. Mark was pretty sure Chris had some hyper disorder.

“Just thought I’d see what she’s like.” Chris gestured to Alice, flashing her a grin. “WCW or not, any babe who pulled the shit she did is all right in my books.”

“Well now that we got your seal of approval… wait, Madonna of wrestling?”

“Thanks, Red…” For fuck’s sake.

“Sorry! It’s just…you’ve changed your look so much and so does she, so…” Alice clamped her mouth shut when Mark glared down at her, trying not to laugh as amusement twinkled in her greys. “And thank you, Jericho. Keep up with those antics on Stephanie, they’re hilarious.”

He liked her even more. “Stephanie…” His voice filled with disdain at the sound of her name coming from his lips. “Oh, don’t worry, I got some shit up my sleeves for that bottom-feeding trash bag ho!” Chris laughed, dancing his way out of the dressing room, and shut the door behind him.

“Do you really find his shit that amusing?”

“When it comes to humiliating the Billion Dollar Princess, damn right I do.”

“You should hear him when he gets drunk, he’s even better.”

“You drink with Chris?”

“You’re not my only boyfriend, you know.”

Mark blinked, shaking his head. “Whatever.”

“Don’t be upset, Madonna.” Glenn snorted and stretched. “I’m going to go for a walk, see what’s up tonight. You kids behave.”

Sometimes, he had no idea why they were still friends. “Okay, back to your history lesson. We only hate each other when it’s convenient, right now… it’s not.”

“Oh okay.” Alice shrugged, not overly caring about their history, but she’d been curious after reading the article. “I’m definitely going to brush up on my wrestling history on my next days off.”

She was curious about Mark’s history with this Undertaker character and had no idea he’d actually worked with Stephanie at one time. While he got ready for the match that night, Alice watched the pre-show that came on for the pay-per-view event. They were usually an hour long and recapped all the feuds currently going on in the company.

Chapter 22

Torrie and Stacy were going against Trish Stratus and Lita in the first ever bra and panties tag team match. Who the hell came up with that? When she watched the recap and Stacy had said it was her and Torrie, she merely shook her head, knowing it was all Stacy’s idea. Torrie would never think of something like that; she actually cared about the sport unlike Stacy, who was out to make a fast buck and show her long legs off.

While she was watching the show, he was merely listening. Mark had geared up for the night and was shadow boxing, enjoying a bit of snuff, something Alice had yet to bitch about. Then again, he hadn’t tried kissing her with it in his mouth. He would never either, he wasn’t a total douchebag. The way he figured it, Austin would play nice tonight because he wanted to win and show WWF superiority, which was fine by him. But he knew Austin and the man was not kind to women. He sure as hell wasn’t one to forget being insulted and cut down the way Alice had done him.

Eventually, the Rattlesnake would strike.

Grey eyes had moved from the monitor to watch the magnificent specimen shadow box, admiring his stance and technique. Maybe he could teach her a few things, in case she had to defend herself out by the ring. A punch could go a long way, especially if thrown correctly and in a certain area of the body. When he stopped, his body glistening with sweat from his pre-match warmup, Alice merely smiled at him and slowly gave him a scan. She wanted to offer him a tongue bath, much like in Tennessee, but it would have to wait until later that night at the hotel.

“Don’t stop on my account. I’m just enjoying the show.” She purred, watching him start it up all over again and thanked the stars above she’d chosen to wear panties tonight, even if it was a red thong.

“Keep eyeing me like that, Red, and I’mma start charging you.” Mark informed her, flipping his hair back behind his shoulder.

For now, he was wearing it in a braid, just to keep it out of his way. He liked long hair, though there were times he was a bit concerned about somebody potentially using it against him. Apparently, there was a code that kept the guys from doing it; it was a total bitch move. Finally, he stopped and began rolling his shoulders, walking over to grab his water bottle off the bench and drained it, well aware Alice was staring again.

“Like what you see, darlin’?”

“Yes…”

Alice stood up, watching how he swallowed that bottle of water nearly whole in just a few gulps and felt her mouth water. Her eyes followed a drop of sweat sliding down his chest and she couldn’t stop herself even if she wanted to. Swiping her finger to catch it on the tip, Alice popped it in her mouth and savored the taste, letting a very soft humming moan out. Mark was indeed delicious from head to toe, it wasn’t fair for a man this enticing to be legal in the country, in the world. And the fact he was hers, for however long he wanted her, made her heart flip in her chest.

“Mmm, yummy…”

“You’re flushed,” He rumbled softly, a low growl emanating from his throat as he began advancing on her, a predatory gleam in his eyes. “What’s got you so riled up, Red?”

When her back hit the wall, Mark leaned in, bracing his forearms against the wall on either side of her and bent down until he could brush his lips against hers. Alice was like putty against him, melting into his body, allowing him to feel every delicious curve. Dropping his hands down to grip her, Mark pulled her up, feeling her legs going around his waist, which forced her dress to roll up.

“Now I’m craving pizza… Jesus, it’s going to be a long, hungry night.” Glenn strolled in, looked at them and then shook his head, strolling right back out.

The kiss had been broken instantly and her face matched her hair, remaining in the position Mark had her in. “To answer your question, you have me all riled up.” They really shouldn’t be doing this at the arena, especially in a dressing room he was sharing with Glenn. It was somewhat disrespectful to the man, not that Mark would care, but she most certainly did. “I’ll behave from now on.” Or try to anyway.

This man made her senses reel and her body ignite on fire with just a look, a touch. One simple brush of his lips and she was ready for him. Only him, nobody else, no other man made her feel the way he did or affected her so strongly, intensely, before.

“No, you won’t.” He laughed, stepping away from her reluctantly, but… they needed space between them, before they did set this room on fire. “I’ll go let him know it’s safe to come in.”

“Look, I know you guys are mad, but- HOLY PANTIES!” Kurt turned redder than that thong and turned around.

Glenn was nowhere to be seen.

“Boy, you best learn to knock!” Mark snarled, aware Alice was tugging down her dress and planted his boot right in Kurt’s ass, sending him right out the door.

Now Alice was not ashamed of her body at all, she’d been a stripper for Christ sakes, but she also didn’t want to show it off to every guy she came across either. “Definitely behaving from now on.” She muttered, finally adjusting her dress and shook her head, trying to stop her face from turning into a tomato.

In the span of minutes, Glenn and Kurt Angle now knew what kind and color panties she had on. Grabbing a bottled water, she made herself scarce while Kurt and Glenn returned to talk to Mark about the upcoming match against the Alliance.

“So, you think someone’s defecting, just like Shane said last Monday night on Raw?”

“Well yeah, why else would I be here?” Kurt was still cherry red, clearing his throat. “Look, all I’m saying is I think it’s Austin who’s defecting.”

That was interesting. “Why do you say that?”

“Vince pissed him off on Smackdown! last week. Do you really think he’ll take that line down?”

“I think you’ve been smoking something and I wanna know what it is.” Austin defecting to ECW/WCW was absurd, even though Glenn didn’t care for the Rattlesnake. That man bled WWF just like him and Mark. “Maybe it’s Jericho…or even you.” He eyeballed Kurt, knowing he didn’t have any real ties to the company because he hadn’t been here that long.

“Or it’s Shane playing another mind game to try to cause dissention between the WWF guys.”

“That too.”

“I love this company, why would I- Ohh… yeah, because I get no respect. It’s true.”

Mark was really close to punching Kurt. Kurt was one of those go along to get in with everyone guys and had taken his fair share of ‘I wanna fit in’ issues out onto his back. “I think you’re a little rat and a giant ass kiss.”

“That is also true.”

Kurt was turning red again, his eyes darting between the bigger men. “I am…”

“If you start going on about those medals, I’ll cram them down your throat and pull them out your urethra.”

Even Mark was cupping his dick at that mental imagery.

Kurt visibly paled, holding his own junk and decided maybe silence was the way to go with these two for now. “I’ll just – uh – go. Watch your backs, that’s all I’m saying.” He muttered, walking out of the locker room, and hoped he could get that mental image out of his mind before the match.

Alice wondered if they all realized Shane was a master manipulator, much like his old man, from what she’d heard anyway. So, chances were, nobody was jumping to the Alliance from Team WWF tonight. It was all a ploy, a hoax, and if anyone did jump ship, they were completely stupid. What if it was Austin? Was Angle onto something? Alice decided to keep her thoughts to herself, deciding she would keep a close eye on the bald-headed bastard tonight, just to be on the safe side. However, she wouldn’t get involved since she’d promised Mark and Glenn to let them handle everything physical.

“What do you think?” Mark asked, turning to Glenn. He’d ask Alice, but she didn’t seem to know much about the WWF, so… pointless.

“I think everyone knows that Kurt is a little snitching bitch and wound his ass up then pointed him this way.”

“Why? Other than he’s irritating.”

“To make us paranoid, why else? It’s the WWF… everyone has an agenda, except me of course. Well, no, I want pizza, that’s my agenda.”

“Whatever.” Mark snorted, turning back to Alice and shook his head. “What’s wrong darlin’?”

Both men were looking at her and she couldn’t get the worried expression off her face. “Doesn’t it seem odd to you that Austin randomly attacked you after we started dating? I mean, has he ever done that with any of the other women you’ve brought on the road?” Alice assumed she wasn’t Mark’s first, refusing to be that arrogant. Look at the man, he was walking and talking sex! “It just…it’s a little TOO coincidental and I think Angle might be onto something…”

Glenn eyed her, listening to what she had to say and looked at his friend. “She makes a few good points, man. Austin never gave a damn about who you’re with…until her. Sure, she’s WCW, but come on look at Shawn Michaels! He dated and then married one of the ex-Nitro Girls.” Spice, if he remembered right. “He never got any grief for that.” Then again, WCW hadn’t tried invading them back then, just tried taking their jobs and livelihoods by driving them out of business.

“I really think you guys need to watch out for Austin tonight. Something doesn’t feel right with him.”

“Oh hell, I wouldn’t put it past him, Red, but the fact of the matter is, you injured his pride in front of people. You verbally castrated him, and Austin never was the type to take that lying down, especially from a woman.” Mark pointed out evenly. “So, regardless of what he may or may not be up to, he’s a scumbag and he’d be after my ass anyway for not backing him when you got him.”

“He manhandled me and pissed me off, what choice did I have? I wasn’t about to let him get away with it. And calling me a whore – look at his slut wife who flaunts her shit more than any other woman in all 3 brands.” Alice would never back down from the Texas Rattlesnake or his wife, folding her arms in front of her chest tightly. “He’s an asshole for doing that to you, period. It shouldn’t matter who you’re with outside of the ring.” People really needed to mind their own damn business, but Alice knew that would never happen. “Next time, maybe he’ll learn to treat a woman right, though I doubt it since he probably smacks his old lady around behind closed doors.”

Austin made her blood boil and the fact he’d orchestrated that attack on Mark just pissed her off further. Glenn blinked, tilting his head amusedly at Alice’s minor rant about Steve. He didn’t like the bald idiot either, but he also had no idea what had gone down between her and Austin either.

“He manhandled you?” That didn’t set well with him, his eyes turning to Mark, who nodded. “He beat you down because you defended her?” Another stiff nod. “I hope he does turn on us, so I can beat the fuck out of him and possibly light him on fire.”

“You don’t like playing with fire.” Mark reminded his friend patiently.

“Yeah, I don’t, Kane does.”

“He’s a fake character.”

“Shhh, don’t tell him that.”

Mark must’ve been smoking crack the day he met and befriended Glenn Jacobs. “All right, I’m stretching my legs.” Being cooped up in here, speculating, wasn’t doing him any favors, he wanted to take a bit of a walkabout, see what was happening backstage.

“Mark…” Trepidation entered Alice’s voice as their eyes met and she cracked a hesitant smile, deciding she didn’t have to follow him around everywhere he went. “I’ll stay here, if that’s okay. I’ll lock the door and I won’t let anyone in except you and Glenn.”

Gallivanting around the arena, considering she was still an Alliance member, wasn’t a smart idea. It could cause a lot of chaos and trouble for both Mark and Glenn and she wanted to avoid that. Before Mark could speak, Glenn beat him to the punch.

“Aren’t you hungry? You don’t have to coop yourself up in here, Alice…”

“No, I’m fine, really.” Food did not sound good right now, not after the confrontation with Shane and Page. She was also nervous about tonight’s match, unable to get Kurt Angle’s suspicion out of her head.

“Yeah no, get your ass up, Red, you’re going,” Mark ordered, having considered it, and made his own conclusions and decisions. “The minute someone sees me and Glenn out without you, they’re gonna know you’re here by yourself. Those doors only hold so much.”

“That is an excellent point. Besides, if you’re gonna work with the WWF-” Them, he meant them. “Then people need to see you’re on our side. Chris already thinks you’re okay, so I bet you can convince others too.”

“Just don’t mention pizza.”

Glenn’s stomach rumbled.

Alice was not getting out of this and couldn’t argue their points, hating how much trouble she was causing them. However, actions spoke louder than words and she took Mark’s extended hand. He had stepped forward with his hand outstretched and pulled her up from the bench, looping her arm through his. Hearing him whisper everything would be alright in her ear, reassuring her, made Alice feel a little more relaxed, though her guard was still up. Putting her full trust and faith in these two was the only way to survive being in the WWF part of the arena…in the WWF, period. Another deep breath later, she walked out on Mark’s arm with Glenn on her other side, eyes peeled for any sign of danger as they headed toward catering. These two were apparently hungry and that was where most of the WWF Superstars went when they didn’t want to be in their dressing rooms.

Unlike those poor WCW asswipes, who had a small catering room, the WWF superstars got the cafeteria. As if to prove a point, Vince had been very generous with the catering these days. Maybe he was trying to remind his boys why he was the king in this business. Of course, all McMahons were insane and prone to whims of fury and then kindness, it was just how it was.

“Oh wow… we get grilled chicken today, what was it a month ago?”

“Tuna fish sandwiches on cheap ass small bread.”

“Who’s been giving Vince blowjobs? I want to send ‘em flowers.”

“Probably your ho, bro.”

“Dude, that was totally hilarious!”

Mark didn’t bat an eye, just tripped the two idiots, and kept on going.

Chapter 23

Laughing at the other WWF coworkers probably wouldn’t be in Alice’s best interest, but she did love a man who took charge and defended her. Being called names didn’t bother her any. She was used to it from her days as a stripper. None of these idiots could call her something she hadn’t heard before, even if they referred to her as the Brothers of Destruction’s whore, slut, whatever. After retrieving their plates of food, Alice sat down with her men and began eating, which was just a salad. Her stomach still wasn’t settled and probably wouldn’t be for a while, but at least she was eating something while Mark and Glenn had piled their plates to the brim. Water was her choice of drink. Feeling eyes on her, Alice glanced to her left and saw both Trish Stratus and Lita, Torrie, and Stacy’s opponents in their match that night. She knew they were talking about her being in here and went back to eating her food.

Trish pushed away from her table, alongside of Lita, and got up, both women carrying their trays. Salads tossed with grilled chicken, toasted wheat bread, water, and fruit bowls. Smiling hesitantly, Trish cleared her throat.

“Can we join you guys?”

Glenn and Mark shared looks before both men shrugged.

Lita took that as a yes and dropped down opposite Alice, offering her a small smile, Trish sitting down beside her. “I’m Lita, and this is Trish.” She said, knowing Alice knew who they were, but proper introductions were usually a good start.

“We just wanted to say hi… and let you know not everyone in the WWF is an asshole.”

This was the last thing Alice expected, especially from the WWF Divas and Alice found herself smiling at both women, extending her hand to the redhead first. “Thanks, I appreciate that. I’m Alice. It’s nice to meet you both.” Then she shook Trish’s hand, being completely cordial with kind grey eyes.

“You too. We’ve seen what the Alliance has put you through. How are you holding up?” Even though she was supposed to be their enemy, it was obvious Alice did not want to be with them and had aligned herself with two of the biggest stars in their industry.

Nobody messed with the Undertaker, not unless they had a death wish.

“I’m fine…this industry isn’t all roses all the time.” She half-joked, making the women chuckle with her. “What’s it like? Getting in the ring and taking bumps?”

“It’s rough at first, but very rewarding once you figure out what to do in the ring and whatnot. Are you interested in getting in the ring?”

“Honestly, yeah, I would. It was the main reason I signed with WCW in the first place, before Shane McMahon bought it out.” Personal reasons notwithstanding. “They were supposed to have me trained as a female wrestler, or so I was told. Never happened. They just stuck me as a valet and…that’s what I’ve been ever since.”

“Well, if you need to be trained, I could do it. Me and Trish…though Trish is still technically in training.” Lita smirked at her friend, who rolled her eyes in response and shrugged. “She’s getting a lot better though. And from the bumps you’ve taken out there, that I’ve seen, I think it’d be a good fit for you.” The Diamond Cutter was a lethal move, for example.

“R-Really? You’d train me?”

“She’s the best, you’d be in very good hands with Lita.” Trish assured her confidently, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “And since I’m still training, we could do it together. Working out is the main thing though. If you want to do this, you’ve gotta start with a training regimen and stick to it.” Hopefully one day, the women in this sport would be seen as more than eye candy and sex appeal.

Alice slid her eyes over to Mark, knowing he’d been listening to them and touched his arm. “What do you think about this?” She respected his opinion because of who he was in this business and how long he’d been here, trusting his judgment.

“They’re not wrong.” Mark admitted, nodding at Lita.

Lita had been through the ropes when she had first come into the company, abused by the guy she had come with. It had become apparent that she was the one with talent out of that duo, a highflyer with some sound technical ability. Too bad this company didn’t really do anything much with their women. Well, more than WCW had, he amended. Mark was pretty sure only a few women over there had actually had proper matches. Madusa came to mind.

“Gotta go along to get along though…”

“Mmm yeah, bra and panties matches are degrading, but at the same time… if you can work some actual wrestling into it, people start noticing.” Trish said, nodding at Glenn. He was so weird, but she got it. He was kinda like a big blonde.

“Those don’t bother me.” Being a stripper, she couldn’t be ashamed of her body and wasn’t, having worked hard to maintain it, even at age 30. “I’ve been in a couple of them in WCW, actually.”

“Really?” Trish didn’t think WCW had their women do the types of matches the WWF did, but then again it was all about competition and ratings. “How did you do? I mean, did they allow you to do any moves or was it catfighting?”

“Because we try not to do the catfighting shit, not anymore at least. I’m mostly a highflyer and the moonsault is my finisher. Trish has the bulldog that she calls Stratusfaction. Do you have a finisher or…?”

“No, it was catfighting, slapping and rolling around the mat until one girl could get the other down to peel her clothes off.” Alice felt excitement stir through her at the thought of being able to actually perform wrestling moves. “I’d love to train with you guys and actually learn how to wrestle properly. I’m willing to be in those types of matches if it means actually getting in the ring and wrestling.” Torrie would love this opportunity as well, Stacy not so much.

Mark and Glenn were listening and eating, as the women made plans and when Glenn cocked an eyebrow at him, he simply shrugged. He already knew they would wind up needing a bodyguard for exercising and training, and the exercising thing wouldn’t be a problem. Mark hadn’t hit the gym in a while and it was starting to show. Damn Teresa and her homecooked meals.

“Aren’t you licensed as a trainer?”

“I let it expire, ain’t got time for that shit.”

Trish and Lita exchanged looks, trying not to smile.

“Hmph, no matter, you’re too big to do anything with these beauties.”

“Not what they tell me.”

Glenn promptly choked on his chicken.

“Ain’t that the truth.” Alice, Lita, and Trish all began giggling while Glenn pounded his chest, trying to dislodge the piece of chicken. “He’s got enough on his plate anyway with this war going on amongst the brands.”

“Shit speaking of that, we should get going and get ready for our match against Torrie and Stacy. Your girls are going down, just so you know.” Lita grinned, sounding good-natured and placed a hand on Alice’s shoulder. “Training starts at 8 AM sharp and it’ll be at this address.” Sliding a piece of paper, which was actually a folded napkin, across the table, Lita clicked the pen and slid it back in her pocket. “See you there.”

“Don’t be late. She’s a stickler for that.”

“I won’t be. Thanks again and good luck in the match tonight. I’ll be rooting for you guys.”

Even though Torrie was her friend, Alice wanted to be part of the WWF more than anything and watched them walk away before delving back into her salad. Training…she would actually be trained to become a professional wrestler. This night was turning out better than she thought it would.

That meant Mark had to be up at that hour and he really hoped nobody mentioned this to anyone else, on any brand, because he knew tensions were running high. “You need to watch out for Debra.” He advised flatly. “Trish and Lita are okay, a few others are too, but she’s afraid of Steve and will do whatever to stay on his good side.”

“Including try being your friend.” Glenn added, sucking down water to ease the ache in his throat. Stupid chicken. “She’s not really that bad, but…” He shrugged, love made people do stupid things.

“Way ahead of you both. Anyone associated with Austin, I automatically don’t trust.”

“Good. Nothing to worry about then. I don’t think Lita and Trish care for her either. She doesn’t really get involved in the ring anymore now that she’s married to Austin.”

After the insults she’d shot off about Debra, she doubted the woman would try to befriend her anyway, knowing Austin had more than likely told her what was said. It didn’t matter to Alice; now she had a new goal in mind and that was becoming a wrestler with Lita and Trish’s help. Not only would she valet Mark and Glenn to the ring, but she’d be able to kick ass as well. It would also give her an edge when dealing with Diamond Dallas Page too. After they finished eating, the trio headed back to the locker room and arrived just in time for Lita and Trish’s match against Torrie and Stacy. She sat down in front of the monitor and watched, studying every move Lita and Trish did in the ring, wanting to soak up as much knowledge as possible.

“So, learning to wrestle is all well and fine, but right now, she needs to learn some basic self-defense, so nobody beats her ass again.” Glenn was saying as he and Mark began throwing punches at each other, weaving around in a corner of the locker room, warming up. “Like, how to leverage herself into a position to take down a person.”

“And then run.”

“Well yeah, self-defense is about surviving, not beating someone’s ass. She needs to be able to buy herself the advantage and time to get away.”

“I hear you.” Mark could do that; he’d even be her ‘attacker’ and grinned, ducking when Glenn aimed a massive fist at his head, throwing a jab into his friend’s shoulder. “I’ll see to it.”

When Mark suddenly grabbed her from behind, scaring the hell out of her, Alice had reacted on instinct and elbowed him in the face. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” She cried out, not expecting him to grab her the way he did.

What the hell was he thinking?!

Glenn was rolling around on the floor, holding his stomach laughing hysterically while Mark gingerly felt his nose to make sure it wasn’t broken.

Alice kept her distance, having a cringe-worthy expression on her face and wanted to help him, but there wasn’t much to do or say after being jacked in the nose. “A-Are you okay, Mark?” She asked hesitantly, feeling her heart rate return to normal along with her breathing.

“Jesus Christ, Red!” Mark determined that, while sore and maybe a bit on the teary side, his nose wasn’t broken. “Helluva shot.”

“Serves you right!” Glenn gasped, lying flat on his back, unabashed tears rolling down the sides of his face. “Bending down so she was able to reach you…” Because if Mark hadn’t been leaning over, she would’ve nailed him in the chest.

“Why would you swing in here?” Because they were in the dressing room, who else was going to get her?

“Why would you grab me like that?!” Alice countered with wide greys and pressed a hand over her heart, looking up at Mark both curiously and a bit bewildered. “I’m sorry, it was an instinctive reaction…”

Hell, for all she knew the Alliance could’ve nailed Mark and Glenn from behind and stormed their dressing room without much of an issue. The rest of the WWF would’ve been on them like white on rice, but…it was always a possibility. Then there was the fact Austin was also her enemy.

“I didn’t mean to do it…” Now she felt foolish, lowering her eyes from him and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

“He did it because he’s an asshole!”

“No, just wanted to know what she’d do in a situation like that…” Now Mark knew, and regretted it, watching her shift awkwardly from side to side before disappearing into the bathroom to check out his nose. It was pretty red. “Well… shit.”

“Oh, that was great,” Glenn pushed himself up onto all fours and then got up onto his feet properly, grinning down at her. “Why didn’t you ever do that to Page?”

“Never got the opportunity. He likes to backhand me and keep me on the ground whereas Mark simply grabbed me from behind. I really didn’t mean to do that to him…” Frowning, Alice walked past Glenn into the bathroom and pushed open the door, letting it shut behind her. “Let me look at it, please?” Hopping up on the sink to be somewhat eyelevel with him, at least his nose, Alice carefully cupped his face with her hands to examine his nose. “It doesn’t look like it’ll bruise, so that’s a good sign.” She sighed heavily, searching his eyes for any indication he was angry with her for that elbow shot. “I’m so sorry, Mark. I swear, I didn’t mean to do it. I’m just…I’m on edge and I’m nervous about tonight’s match. And I was engrossed in that match with the women and…you scared the hell out of me when you grabbed me like that. Forgive me?”

“Forgive you?” Mark cocked an eyebrow, looking somewhat amused. “Red, why would you need forgiveness? I’m the dumbass who came up from behind and scared you. I should be asking YOU for forgiveness.” He took her hands in his, smiling down at her. “So… forgive me?”

He had taken note of what she said about Page to Glenn on her way in here. Backhanding and keeping her on the ground. That meant she definitely needed to learn how to defend herself, or fight back enough to get away, from a turtle position. Tapping her chin in thought, as if contemplating it, Alice laughed at the bewildered look on his face and pulled him in for a deep kiss.

“Nothing to forgive, Deadman.” She murmured against his mouth, enjoying his arms wrapped around her and rested her forehead against his, recalling what happened last time they were in a similar position. Glenn and Kurt Angle had walked in, seeing what kind of panties she had on and she didn’t need a repeat of that. “When we get back to the hotel tonight, I’ll give you a massage. Now come on, your match should be coming up soon.”

Pecking his lips, she hopped down from the counter and once again pulled her dress down. Nodding, Mark dropped a kiss on Alice’s forehead before walking out of the room. He’d have taken her with him, but… that dress… and those panties, no. He doubted she’d want to accidentally flash thousands of people. Glenn grinned down at her, sliding his mask into place and shrugged his shoulders, eyes already decked out in black and a contact in. He winked the pale blue, almost white eye down at her.

“Ready to escort out the Big Red Machine?” He asked, courteously extending his elbow to her.

“It would be my honor, Big Red.” Alice grinned up at him, wondering how he managed to wrestle with that mask on and slipped her arm through his.

She gave Mark one last longing look before he exited the dressing room to go retrieve his bike while her and Glenn headed down to gorilla position.

Chapter 24

Page narrowed his eyes as soon as Kane walked up with HIS Alice, gritting his teeth. “Having fun with your new…partners, sugar?”

“Oh yeah, more fun than you could POSSIBLY fathom in that pea-sized brain of yours, Dallas.” Alice remarked coolly, knowing there were two separate entrances for the pay-per-view. One for the WWF and one for the Alliance.

Page couldn’t resist coming over to the WWF entrance side, however, just to try stirring up trouble. “Why you little-”

The rumble of a motorcycle coming down the hallway, forcing everyone out of the way, stopped Page from whatever he was about to say, and Alice had to learn how to breathe all over again at the sight of Mark straddling the beast. He winked at her and she smiled back at him just as the pyro for Kane’s entrance went off. That was their cue. Taking a deep breath, she released his arm and merely followed him through the curtain up the small steps and walked out into the sea of people, standing beside him. The buzz from the crowd was electric, everyone was ready to see the Alliance die, including her, as they made their way down the ramp toward the ring. She actually stepped inside of the ring with Kane and stood beside him, watching his arms raise in the air to release the pyro from all four posts of the ring. That instantly went into Undertaker’s entrance.

“What a showoff.” Glenn muttered good-naturedly, his voice a bit muffled from his mask and cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing as he watched the Undertaker come down on that beast. What a douche. Why couldn’t he come down on a motorcycle?

Mark was well aware of the fan’s mixed reaction to seeing an Alliance member with the Brothers of Destruction, but he had absolutely no intention of explaining that one to anyone. They could come up with wild theories of their own, fans were good for that. He climbed into the ring, pounding his chest before locking eyes on Kane and Red.

Alice clapped and cheered them both on, doing what a valet was supposed to do, the smile never leaving her face. It was genuine, real, and even a blind person could see how happy she was with the Brothers of Destruction as opposed to Page. Speaking of the rat bastard, he currently stood outside of the ring, trying to pump himself up and she snorted, not able to hold back a roll of her eyes at the pathetic excuse for a man. Mark pointed to the ropes and Alice nodded, slipping through them to walk down the steps as the rest of the WWF and Alliance members made their way to the ring. She ignored the Dudley Boys, who were screaming at her they would put her through a table and make her taste their wood.

Once all 10 wrestlers were out in the ring, the fight was on.

A slight problem was that the Dudley’s were not messing around. They WOULD put Alice through a table, without thinking twice about it. They were psychos that way and she wouldn’t get to feel the lovely experience of a fake table, one that had been ‘fixed’ to go easier. They’d put her through a real one. Second problem, they didn’t know who they could trust of their own team members, so he and Mark were working alongside the WWF boys, trying to watch their teammates backs, their own, and her all at once.

And Page because he didn’t trust that asshole. This was a clusterfuck.

Clusterfuck was an understatement. Leading toward the end of the match, everyone spilled out of the ring and chaos ensued. Alice saw Mark go after Page through the crowd and looked back at the Dudley Boys teaming up against Glenn, setting up to put him through the announcer’s table. She immediately followed Mark and Page, making her way through the crowd in the direction they went in. Looking over her shoulder and all around, Alice found them in the parking garage of the arena, keeping her distance. She smiled, watching Mark drive Page’s head into the nearby truck and could hear shouting from the backstage area. They weren’t that far away. Alice turned her head just in time to see Page holding something and immediately screamed out.

“Mark, look out!”

It was too late. The lead pipe collided with his head as Mark dropped to the concrete like a sack of potatoes. Alice rushed to his side, dropping on her knees and luckily, the shot hadn’t busted him open. With Mark down, it was the perfect opportunity for Dallas to take Alice and buried his hand in her red tresses, yanking her up against him.

“You’re coming back home with me, sugar.” He licked the side of her face, feeling her struggle and laughed wickedly, not seeing what she’d grabbed.

“Fuck you!”

Spinning around, she clocked him with the lead pipe as hard as she could, watching him drop the same way Mark had. He’d made the mistake of dropping the weapon right by Mark, and close enough to where she could grab and use it, knowing Page would attempt to drag her back to the Alliance. Keeping the lead pipe in her hand, she rushed back over to Mark’s side and caressed his face, seeing his eyes slowly opening.

“Mark – Mark, baby you have to get up. Please...” She had no idea what happened in the match and could only hope Glenn was alright.

Glenn was pissed. That’s what Glenn was. Austin, it had been called, had turned on them all and cost them the goddamn match! He had managed to chokeslam D-Von Dipshit Dudley through the announcer’s table, retaliation for them trying to break his spine and then wound up being double suplexed by Bubba Ray and Rhyno through the other announcer’s table. Glenn had felt it; pretty sure something might be dislocated. He had watched, through his mask, what was going on as best he could and that snake… He groaned, closing his eyes. He hated his job sometimes.

“Hey Red.” Mark managed to get out, staring up at her. The lights were on, but no one was home. They closed again.

“No, no, no, no…you gotta stay awake! I can’t carry you, so you have to open your eyes for me please!” If Page woke up from that lead pipe shot and Mark couldn’t protect her, she was a dead woman. “Come on, up!”

Draping a huge tattoo sleeved arm around her neck, Alice somehow managed to pull Mark up with a huge assistance from him and kept him awake. They stumbled back inside the arena together with Mark leaning on her for leverage and Alice feeling like her entire body would crumble under the pressure. The first available empty dressing room she found, they went into and she let him collapse on the floor, making sure he didn’t hit his head. Locking the door, Alice shakily turned the television on just in time to witness the unthinkable. Kurt had been right. Austin screwed over Team WWF by clocking Kurt Angle with his title belt and giving the Alliance the victory. Vince McMahon was face down in the ring with Shane, Stephanie and Paul Heyman hovering over him, along with Austin, all of them pouring beer on the owner of the WWF.

“Oh my god…” She whispered, covering her mouth with her hand and couldn’t believe Shane managed to sway Stone Cold Steve Austin to his side.

Shane had something Vince didn’t. He was charismatic and could sway people to him easily, he had even done it with Alice. And then, once she had been all eager, he had shown his true colors. Shane was Vince’s son through and through, but with Linda’s ability to rally people.

Glenn managed to make his way backstage, having definitely noticed that Page, Mark, and Alice were all gone. As Mark hadn’t come back, and he knew Mark wouldn’t have let this go down with Austin, he was a bit worried. Mark not coming back meant something had happened to either him or Alice, and his mind began running wild with potential implications. Backstage was a clusterfuck, everyone was gathered in the hallways, confusion in the air over one of the top men in the company betraying them. He could hear the Alliance corridor, hooting and hollering, laughter over their victory and he groaned, his back throbbing and his head beginning to pound in time.

Worry about that later, find his friends now.

Ice, Mark needed ice for his head and, honestly, he needed a trainer. He needed Larry to look him over to make sure that shot to the head with the lead pipe didn’t give him a concussion. Another one, rather. Frowning, Alice knew she would have to take the risk since Mark wasn’t going anywhere or moving, his eyes closed. Sleeping with a potential concussion wasn’t safe, but she didn’t know what to do, she wasn’t medically trained for this! At least he wasn’t bleeding, that was the important thing. Taking another deep breath, feeling as though she’d done it a lot that night, Alice unlocked the door and opened it, her eyes widening at the sight of Glenn stumbling past her.

“Glenn!” Oh, thank goodness, he was alright minus a little banged up. “Mark’s hurt, please you have to help him.” Pulling him into the dressing room, Alice closed and locked the door again, blinking as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. “Page knocked him out with a lead pipe…and then I hit Page with the same thing…and managed to get us in here…”

Glenn took one look at Mark and his face paled. He dropped down, checking his friend’s head, and frowned. No blood, but there was a hell of a bruise and a lump forming, he probably had a concussion. Hopefully, nothing else, a crowbar upside the head, from a man like Page… there was some serious potential for trauma.

“All right, up you get, you Texas tub of lard…” He groaned, hoisting Mark up over his shoulder, his knees buckling for a brief moment. “I got it.” He reassured Alice when she gasped, really hoping he did.

Gingerly, slowly, they made their way down the hall to the trainer’s office. Glenn had every intention of chucking Mark’s huge ass body at anyone who dared attack them. Chris Jericho, sweating profusely and a little banged up, joined them, his eyes assessing the situation and began clearing a path, daring anyone to mess with the trio.

“What the hell happened?” Kurt groaned, stumbling up to Jericho and Alice, his eyes widening at the sight of the Undertaker lying on the bedding in the trainer’s room. “Oh, my head…”

Alice wanted to be by Mark’s side, but Chris pulled her back to let the trainer look over Mark. She trembled, not trusting anyone else besides Mark and Glenn, but Chris seemed to be trustworthy as well. What if Mark wasn’t alright? Surely a lead pipe shot wasn’t the best feeling in the world to experience, but he was much tougher than that. Right? The tears didn’t stop falling as Alice kept her eyes locked on the closed trainer’s door. Glenn finally emerged, looking both tired and relieved, placing a hand on Alice’s shoulder to silently tell her Mark would be alright.

“Not even a damn concussion, fucker’s got a hard head.”

“Thank god…” She whispered in relief, pulling away from Jericho to touch Glenn’s arm, his mismatched eyes looking down at her. “Are you alright? Do you need to be checked out too?” Her eyes moved to Kurt Angle, who’d been busted open by Austin’s title belt. They had shown the replay about 3 times and she’d caught one of them while in that room with Mark. “Kurt, you should get checked out too.”

“Plan on it.” Kurt muttered, feeling a headache coming on.

Her eyes moved back to Chris, who still had his guard up and seemed to be the only one out of Team WWF who wasn’t injured. “Thank you for coming with us, Jericho.” Alice was very thankful and showed gratitude to those who deserved it, cracking a hesitant smile at him.

“I might act like a jackass, but I’m not.” Chris said with a genuine smile. “And any man who puts his hands on a woman the way Page has done to you… well, he needs introduced to a hockey stick.” Not to mention, Chris had nothing but respect for Calaway. The man was a legend in this business and, to see him like that, being carried out of a room… that had been scary, actually.

“Big bastard is still asleep though, apparently he needed a nap.” Glenn said dryly, not amused. Anyone else’s head would’ve been split like a melon, not Mark’s. Obviously, someone was looking out for him.

“Thank you.”

Alice smiled more genuinely at the blonde-haired man, appreciating his sentiment and turned her gaze back to Glenn. What were they supposed to do now? Mark was still sleeping, and she wasn’t leaving without him. Sliding down the wall, Alice bent her knees sideways and stayed close to Glenn’s side while Chris sat beside her. Larry had brought Kurt in to stitch him up while Mark remained sleeping. What was WWF going to do now that Austin had defected to the Alliance? It was a very good thing she had gotten out of the Alliance before he went in because he hated her…and she didn’t care for him either. That could’ve been a really bad situation all the way around for her. Mark was her saving grace, along with Glenn, but her heart belonged to the Deadman. They only knew each other a couple weeks and she already felt herself falling for him, hating how fast it was happening. Did falling in love really happen so quickly? Wearing her heart on her sleeve the way she did and trusting people too easily, Alice had to be more careful with who she associated herself with.

“Well what are we gonna do now?” Kurt asked morosely, coming out when he was done being stitched up and took inventory of the three sitting there on the floor, backs against the wall. Jericho was the only one who had come out of that mess without a scratch, the little punk was obviously on drugs. “Who is going to lead… are we-” He shook his aching head, sighing. Austin… betraying them, what the Quaker oats?

“If he starts crying, I’m hitting him.” Glenn was ready to spend the night in this hallway if he had to.

“Aww… aren’t you 3 precious? Oh, I’m sorry, slut makes 4.”

“Well if it isn’t everybody’s favorite bottom feeding, trash bag ho?”

Alice smiled coldly at Jericho’s insult and didn’t move from her position on the floor beside Glenn, remembering her promise. Let them handle it, let them protect her. Shane was with her, no Page thankfully. He was probably still knocked out from that shot to the head she gave him. Served him right for trying to drag her back to the Alliance. They won and, yet, they were here trying to stir up more trouble when almost all of Team WWF was injured.

“What, got nothing to say to me, slut?”

Chapter 25

“I’d rather be a slut to the WWF than to the Alliance, any day of the week. I wonder what your dear hubby thinks about you being a man eater, Steph?” Alice shot back coldly, daring the bitch to reach out and touch her. Glenn and Jericho, even Kurt, would have her back, she was sure of it.

“If Hunter was here…”

“He’d be Team WWF all the way because, unlike you, he’s loyal and doesn’t bite the hand that feeds him, whore.”

“I’m inclined to agree with Jericho, so why don’t you all move on and leave us alone already? You won the battle, but we’ll win the war. Oh, it’s true, IT’S DAMN TRUE!”

“I AM the hand that feeds him.” Stephanie said viciously, her blue eyes narrowing as she took in the 4. “And I see you’ve graduated from a two-man show to all the main eventers, Alice. My, my… you really are working your way up that ladder, aren’t you?”

“You really got to get a life, Princess.”

“Stephanie, this is so beneath you.” Kurt said quietly, remembering when she used to have a thing for him and vice versa.

“Well… as entertaining as this is, we have elsewhere to be… a celebration to enjoy… have fun, losers.”

“Enjoy the celebration while it lasts.”

Shane turned, narrowing his eyes at the redheaded bitch and felt his dander spike. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Only that, if you think for a second, your father doesn’t have an ace up his sleeve, you’re denser than I thought. You are going to fall, it’s only a matter of when. WCW and ECW couldn’t hack it by themselves and, as a unit, it’s going to end the same damn way. You’ll all be flat on your backs before long. Send Page my best, I’m sure he’s enjoying the lovely goose egg I gave him.” Snorting, Alice caught Stephanie’s hand before it collided with her face and shoved her back none too gently, making her topple into Shane as they both hit the concrete flooring with thuds right on their pampered backsides. “And I don’t take that shit anymore either, PRINCESS. Touch me again, and I’ll show you what a REAL slap feels like.” Only it wouldn’t be a slap, it would be a direct punch to the bitch’s face.

Stephanie gaped, not believing how strong Alice actually was and scrambled to her feet, huffing indignantly. “Come on, Shane! She’ll pay for that tomorrow night on Raw!” She ordered, pulling her brother away down the hall cursing up a storm.

“What a cocksucker.”

Shane wasn’t so sure she would. Alice, Queen Slut, had managed that blow, with that strength, from a sitting position. Where on earth did a whore get that kind of arm power? Maybe it was time to see what he had really bought when he had purchased her contract, his dark eyes narrowing.

Chris, Kurt, and Glenn were all laughing their asses off, Chris especially. Stephanie had done nothing except try to make his life a living hell for a few years now, and he knew WCW sucked because he had worked for that hellish place before jumping to the WWF, which had always been his end goal. And now it seemed like the business would crash and burn with McMahons squaring off with McMahons.

“I’mma go see if my big bitch is up yet,” Glenn sighed, pushing himself to his feet with a wince. Fucking double suplex through a table… he was going to need a massage… and maybe some of Mark’s stash of pain pills.

Alice wouldn’t be able to shove a man away with that strength, but a woman like Stephanie definitely. Jericho draped an arm around her shoulders, thanking her for putting Stephanie in her place and they high-fived. Kurt joined in, high-fiving her as well while Glenn went to see if Mark was awake. A few minutes later, they both walked out, and Alice immediately went to Mark’s side, worry overtaking the amusement in her soft greys. They’d been pure steel while dealing with Stephanie and Shane, but not now. She didn’t dare ask him if he was alright and didn’t touch him, not sure what to do at this point. Honestly, Alice was just glad his eyes were open, and he was awake.

“Ready to head back to the hotel for some rest?” She finally spoke, keeping her voice quiet and low, knowing he had to have a massive headache going on.

Mark shook his head. Larry said no concussion, but he just didn’t feel right. His head was ringing, and light was killing him. He closed his eyes for a moment, groaning inwardly.

“Pizza. We’re getting pizza.”

Leave it to Glenn… Mark actually smiled and popped open an eye.

“The hell is with you and pizza?”

“I’m still hungry.”

“Glad you can eat, I feel sick.” Kurt groaned, shaking his head, and tried not to imagine a greasy slice of pizza, turning a bit green. “I’m leaving. Glad you’re okay, Taker.”

Chris turned to watch the Olympian walk away, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Hell really did freeze over.” He commented after a moment. “He’s not always a douche.”

“I don’t think pizza is a good idea tonight, Glenn. I’m taking him back to the hotel for some rest before he keels over again.”

He could order whatever he wanted, and she would get it for him, even if it was that greasy pizza Glenn kept yammering about. Truth be told, after what happened, Alice didn’t have much of an appetite. How Glenn did was beyond her, but then again, the man could be demented and cold when the situation called for it.

“Red, I’ve been dying for this pizza…” Glenn grumbled, not believing she was trying to deprive him of what he wanted, even after being slammed through an announcer’s table. He was hungry, damn it!

“Then get your pizza, Big Red, but I’m taking the Deadman back to the hotel. Come on, Mark, you can walk, right?”

Draping his arm over her shoulders again, they slowly began walking toward the exit. Chris went to retrieve their bags and whatnot, Glenn following suit on Mark’s other side. Once they were out in the parking lot, with Glenn and Mark in the cab of the truck, Alice hopped in the driver’s side and looked down at Chris.

“Thanks again Jericho, we owe you one.”

“I’m following you guys, just in case. And I want some damn pizza too.”

Alice was going to smash pizza in the face of the next person who uttered the word ‘pizza’ to her, fed up hearing about it and peeled away from the arena to head to the pizza joint Glenn craved.

“She’s trying to coddle you.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Glenn smirked from his place upfront alongside her, Mark in the back sprawled out as much as he could be. “He always eats with me after an injury. Best way to drink away the pain, have something on the stomach to take in excess alcohol.”

“You’re not getting me drunk, Glenn, not tonight.”

“Alice will thank me in the morning.”

“Your wife won’t when I call and tell her you were talking about getting a massage.” Because the on-spot masseuse was a hot little number, who Glenn had flirted with prior to marrying Teresa.

“That’s LOW.” Glenn pouted, inhaling deeply and began wetting his fingers, trying to remove the black from around his eyes. “So, what did happen to Page?” As in, where’d he go?

He had no idea and waited for Alice to fill in the blanks.

“I followed you both from the ring because…Glenn was in a bad way.” She smiled apologetically at the big man before turning her eyes back to the road. “I figured I’d be safer with you, Mark, so that’s why I followed, and Page had that damn weapon. He dropped it near you and I ran to your side to check on you. He grabbed me by my hair, told me I was going home with him, licked the side of my face and I…I did what I had to do. I hit the bastard in the head with the lead pipe and knocked him out. And then I managed to get both of us into a room and I was going to get you help, but…when I opened the door, Glenn was there, and I had him take you to the trainer’s with Jericho’s help.” Alice was done being beaten down and abused by the Alliance, especially from Page, Shane, and Stephanie.

“She also knocked Stephanie on her ass along with Shane, sleeping beauty.”

“And nobody thought to get any of this on camera?” His woman had taken out not one but two people tonight, one of them a fully trained, dangerous psychopath and the other a cunt with claws. “Jesus, I miss all the good stuff.”

“You would’ve been safer with me.” Glenn teased, sticking his tongue out at Alice. “I didn’t get knocked the fuck out.”

“Eat me.”

“You’ll have to wine and dine me first. Turn here, Red.” Glenn pointed at the little hole in the wall diner. “That’s our destination.”

“I was more concerned about your safety than taping clocking Page in the face with a lead pipe, Deadman.” Alice remarked dryly, pulling into one of the parking spots in front of the small diner and nodded at Glenn. “Go grab pizzas with drinks and we’ll go back to the hotel to dig in.” Mark was in no condition to sit upright in a hole in the wall place like this. Maybe, just maybe, she was coddling them a little bit, but tonight had been really rough. “Grab Jericho a pizza too.” She added, smiling serenely at Glenn’s eye roll, and waved him out of the truck, leaning her head back against the seat, closing her eyes briefly. “How’s your head? Did Larry give you something for the pain?”

“Yeah.” Mark moved himself to the front, shaking his head at her. “Get out, Alice, we’re going in.” He didn’t have a concussion; he was fine, just going to have some ringing in his noggin for a bit. “We drove here, we’re going in, darlin’.”

Sitting down, and not being in a moving vehicle, sounded good right now. Not to mention, he’d be royally pissed if his pizza got cold. When she gave him a doubtful look, he reached over to undo her seatbelt and dragged her across the seat.

“Come on.” He was already pulling her out of the truck, smiling at the exasperation on her face.

“You are so damn stubborn…” Alice grumbled, allowing him to pull her out of the truck and lifted her down, forcing her to pull the dress down yet again. Maybe wearing dresses while being around Mark and Glenn wasn’t the smartest idea. “How can you be hungry after what happened? I don’t understand any of you. I feel sick after what happened…”

She sighed at Mark’s shrug and tossed her hands up in the air, seeing Glenn and Chris were already seated waiting for a table. Why was she not surprised? Mark sat down and pulled her on his lap sideways, resting his head against her chest and his arms around her waist. If this is what Mark wanted to do, Alice wouldn’t deny him and brushed her lips very tenderly against his forehead where the small lump was while they waited. 5 minutes later, they were seated in a booth with Chris and Glenn on one side and Mark and Alice on the other.

“Bet’cha wondering why we never ordered to go.” Glenn said with a grin, once they were seated in the booth, not even bothering with a menu. “Because they don’t do to-go, just doggy boxes for your leftovers.”

Mark shrugged at the look he was receiving. “Sorry darlin’, he’s an ass.”

Chris was just along for the ride, rather enjoying being able to hang with two of the most reliable men in the company. Taker hadn’t really given him the time of day outside of their few storylines, so… this was interesting to say the least. He did cock an eyebrow when Glenn ordered a pitcher of beer and one of soda. “What the-?”

“You still look too young to drink, Jericho.”

“I’m the designated driver, so soda it is.” Alice didn’t mind not drinking, figuring Mark and Glenn would, but pushed the pitcher of soda to Jericho after she filled her glass. “Don’t even think about drinking and driving, junior.”

“I’ll have you know I’m a lot older than I look!”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Glenn muttered, grinning like a fool and sipped his beer happily, hardly able to wait for the pizza to arrive. He was going to chow down.

“I don’t care, you’re still not drinking when you’re the only one driving. Unless you leave your vehicle here, have it towed or picked up by the rental car company, you’re not drinking.” Alice could be stubborn too, refusing to let one of her coworkers drink and drive and potentially kill someone while doing so.

“Fine…Mom.” Jericho grumbled, though his blue eyes were twinkling with amusement, deciding to listen to her considering the rough night they all had. “Thanks Allie.”

That was one of the few nicknames she’d been called in WCW and it felt good to hear it again, winking at Mark while sipping her soda.

Glenn watched the interaction, wondering if she was serious. One beer wouldn’t kill the kid, but… when Chris went along with her coddling, he simply shrugged and sipped his own beer. He had already ordered some pizzas, figuring a simple pepperoni and their fully loaded would do them. These weren’t some tiny ass pizzas either, they were huge, deep dish and full of lots of empty calories. He inhaled deeply, sighing happily.

“You got issues.” Mark informed his friend, helping himself to the beer as well. Designated driver or not, he would’ve drank regardless.

“Is the pizza really that good?” Chris sounded doubtful.

“Better. Trust me. You will cream your little boy undies.”

“I don’t want to sit by you anymore, I’m concerned…”

The pizza soon arrived, and no other words were spoken, though Alice just simply stared down at hers with wide eyes. There was… A LOT of cheese on this pie, way more than she was comfortable with. Chris had the same look on his face as she did while Mark and Glenn dug into theirs almost carnivorously.

“I think I’ll just… never mind.” Glenn had shot her the darkest look and Alice immediately took a bite out of the pizza, chewing through all the different cheeses.

“So? Was I right or was I right?”

“Mmmhmm…” She mumbled through the mouthful of cheese, keeping her mouth closed and took a very long swig of her soda to wash it down with. Alice could only hope her body could digest this pizza or else she’d have some constipation going on later.

There was seven kinds of cheese, pepperoni, ham, sausage, peppers both red and green, banana peppers, black and green olives, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and lots of onions on the beast he and Mark were digging into. “Better than I remembered.” Glenn sighed after he had devoured three massive slices, staring down at the rest of it with greedy eyes.

He slept alone since his wife wasn’t on the road with him and didn’t have to worry about offending a person with the gas he would be ripping all night. Chris had stuck with the plain pepperoni, afraid to try the other. It looked like a supreme, but on steroids and he was not about to risk a heart attack tonight.

“You two… are insane…” Chris sounded a bit in awe at how much they could pack away and then frowned. “And you’re washing it down with beer?” They had also cleared half that pitcher. He cleared his throat, looking at Alice. “I’m afraid of this pizza, it’s eyeing me.” All that cheese…

“You’re not the only one.”

Chapter 26

Alice couldn’t finish her slice, eating half of it and gave up, pushing it away shaking her head. Instead of soda, she waved the waiter over asking for some water. Chris did as well.

“Actually, do you have ginger ale here too? Thanks.” Tums, she was going to be eating those things like tic-tacs tonight and felt the heaviness on her chest from that cheese. “And yes, you two are insane.” She agreed, seeing half of the supreme was gone and it’d been inhaled by these two monsters. She blinked when they both ripped out loud belches and immediately buried her face in her hands, groaning.

“Excuse me.” They both said simultaneously and that just made Chris groan, Glenn laughing in response.

“Where the hell did you two learn manners?” Chris’s mother would have beat his ass for doing that in public and his eyes were wide.

Glenn lifted his ass cheek threateningly.

“Oh god, please don’t…” After all that food and beer… he did not want to die via a noxious fart.

Mark gestured for the check and some to-go boxes, trying not to snicker at the appalled looks on both Alice and Chris’s faces. That was one thing even he wouldn’t do. He had SOME manners. Immediately, Alice cleared the table along with Mark and shook her head when she heard ‘OH MAN THAT’S GROSS!’ echo behind them. She cracked up laughing, knowing Chris had gotten a mouthful of Glenn’s fart and could tell Mark was trying not to chortle.

“I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.” They slid inside the truck with Chris running out of the door, gagging and Glenn howling with laughter behind him. “Have a good night, Junior!” She called out the window while Mark let Glenn slip in the backseat and smiled at her men before pulling out on the road to head back to the hotel. Halfway there, a foul stench filled the cab and Mark reached back to punch Glenn, growling. Alice immediately rolled the windows down, not believing gas could make someone’s eyes water. “Oh dear CHRIST!”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“I’m not the one who is going home to sleep with her!” So why did Glenn have to impress her? He cursed when he got punched again. “Don’t go down on him, Alice, you’ll wind up- OW!”

Mark wasn’t amused, rolling down his own window and cursed a blue streak. His best friend was a disgusting creature. He was so calling Teresa and telling her about the masseuse.

It wasn’t the first time Alice was stuck in a vehicle with two men, but never in her life had she smelled something so vile and… “I can’t believe Teresa married you, Glenn. I would NEVER marry a man that smells like rotten eggs or something literally crawled up their ass and DIED.” She had to plug her nose with one hand while driving with the other, it was THAT bad.

“Come on, it’s-” Another fart came out and this time it sounded incredibly juicy. “Fuck, I think I just shit my pants.”

“WHAT?!”

“It’s all that damn cheese and beer!”

Despite how disgusting this was, Alice was laughing so hard, tears actually formed in her eyes for a completely different reason. “Nobody light a match or any kind of fire, not even a cigarette, or we’re all gonna blow up.”

Mark promptly started rifling in his bag for the pack of cigarettes he always kept on hand, just in case it was one of those nights. And a match. He used matches, liking the sulfur scent. Lighting one, he began waving it in the backseat. Matches helped disperse odor.

“I’mma really make you a crispy motherfuc- GROSS!” Another one! He began inhaling his cigarette and blowing smoke around his head, trying to choke on that instead.

“I did, I shit my pants.”

Glenn didn’t think he had, but he had probably stained his underwear. Those would get tossed, Teresa refused to wash undies with shit stains. He started laughing when Mark tossed a lit match back at him, hitting it and putting it out quickly.

“Enough!”

Children – she was dealing with two massive sized children! Alice had never been so happy in her life to be at a hotel as she was at that moment. She barely put the truck in park and cut the ignition, tossing the keys at Mark before hopping out to inhale the fresh air. Fresh, Glenn fart-free air! Grabbing her bag from the back, Alice waited for Mark and took his hand, neither waiting for a smelling Glenn. He had literally shit his pants farting and she couldn’t stop laughing when she turned around, seeing him waddling instead of walking regularly.

Mark pulled his cell phone out, snapping a quick video along with some pictures and sent them off to Teresa. Wifey would be calling her husband to berate him, there wasn’t a doubt about it. Once inside their hotel room, Alice finally kicked her knee-high boots off and groaned at the feeling, sitting down to start rubbing her sore feet while Mark used the bathroom. At least he waited until they got back to the hotel to go to the bathroom unlike Glenn!

He had even, as he was a gentleman, ran some water while he was going and turned on the fan vent. Cheesy, greasy pizza and beer was a surefire way to mess up anyone’s stomach and he figured Alice would need the bathroom as well. Along with some Pepto Bismol or something because he had seen the way she was rubbing her chest after everything had gone down, heard her comments about the obscene amount of cheese. When he was done, Mark used the can of air freshener and made a mental note to shower before he even thought about stripping. Then… he sent those pictures off to Teresa, cackling wickedly.

Sure enough, once Mark walked out of the bathroom, she took it over to use the facility and had already downed a shot of Pepto-Bismol along with popping several Tums. After she finished and washed her hands, Alice changed into a simple black nightgown that went to her knees, spaghetti strapped and comfortable. No bra, just panties. She brushed her hair out, leaving it down and emerged from the bathroom 20 minutes later, seeing

Mark was standing at the window with a tumbler in his hand. Alice frowned thoughtfully, wondering what was on his mind and had a pretty damn good idea it was. Austin had betrayed them, just as Kurt had suspected and, as far as she knew, Mark and the bald-headed bastard had been sort of friends at one time. Sliding her soft small hands up his broad back, Alice pressed a soft kiss to the middle of it where she reached and didn’t say a word, not knowing what she could really say to make the situation better.

Glass of whiskey, on top of that beer, and a Vicodin. He knew why Glenn had wanted him to drink, he thought Mark had a pain pill problem. Who the hell didn’t these days? But Mark wasn’t popping them every day, more like once or twice a week. On the plus side, he was still capable of not shitting his pants.

“I’m going to get a shower, darlin’.” He announced gruffly, not about to crawl into bed with her smelling like BO, pizza, and alcohol. “You know, Steve and I used to go out every night. We’d shut down every bar in town.” He snorted, swirling what was left of his whiskey before draining it in one swallow, gritting his teeth.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, feeling him turn to look down at her and could see the pain of the betrayal in his eyes.

What else was she supposed to say to him? Things would get better and there were plenty of other guys to shut down bars with? No, that wouldn’t go over well. Personally, she thought Steve was a dick and a woman-beater, but now wasn’t the time for Alice to voice her feelings about the man, not after what he did tonight to his ex-coworkers.

“Go get your shower.”

Taking the tumbler from him, she set it on the table and watched him walk back into the bathroom, not needing a shower herself. She’d taken one earlier that day and didn’t do much as far as activity went. Crawling into the bed and hearing the shower sprays going, Alice set the alarm on her cell phone to get up at 7 AM, remembering her training session with Lita and Trish the following morning. By the time Mark finished with his shower and stepped out, Alice was out cold sleeping peacefully, her fiery red hair splayed all over the pillow and she was turned on her side, breathing steadily.

Mark stared down at her, smiling a crook smile, and dropped down in a chair, reaching for his bottle of whiskey and took a small drink, swishing it around in his mouth as he considered her. She was sort of turning his world upside down, though at the same time, holding him down as other factors tried throwing everything off balance. He hadn’t known about Steve’s personal demons with women until about 6 months ago, though in retrospect, it wasn’t surprising. The man always had a temper on him, fueled by his insane drinking habits. Snorting, he set aside the bottle and stood up. Knowing tomorrow was going to be busy, for her, he planned on sitting on his backside and watching. Maybe some light cardio; he crawled in bed as carefully as he could, not wanting to wake his beautiful Red.

~!~

Waking up the following morning, Alice managed to extract herself from Mark’s arms and looked down at him, seeing the knot on his head was more visible. There was no way he would want to get up after getting 5 hours of sleep, if he’d come to bed right after his shower. She doubted it. Sighing, Alice left him sleeping and stepped into the bathroom to shower, pulling her hair in a tight high ponytail. Then she twisted it around into a bun and wrapped another tight holder around to hold it in place. Pulling on a pair of black spandex shorts and a white sports bra, Alice pulled on a white tank top that had a black design on it before slipping socks and shoes on.

Walking out, Mark was still sleeping like the dead and she smiled, walking over to shut the shades so the room was blanketed in darkness. Then she headed out with bag in hand to start her training, hoping he wasn’t angry with her for leaving without him. She didn’t have the heart to wake him up and jogged down the stairs with keys to the truck in hand. Before Alice left, she made sure Mark would have a suitable replacement rental vehicle since she was taking the first one to meet up with Lita and Trish.

Shane knew about the training session. He had let Dallas know because the man had personal… interest, in Alice’s affairs. In her well-being, so to speak. He knew about the training session because Debra had heard it while nosing about the women’s locker room. Lita and Trish had been showering and Debra had been lurking, hiding from her husband no doubt. She had told Steve what she had overheard, and Steve had told him. Austin was proving invaluable already, never mind the fact that he was Steve Austin, a genuine legend, and a fairly reliable wrestler. Whistling, he helped himself to his morning coffee, sincerely hoping Dallas didn’t fuck THIS chance up. Lord knew he kept messing up every other one whenever it came to the fiery redhead.

“We have to find a new place to train.” Lita said by way of greeting the moment Alice walked inside the gym, gesturing her right back out the door. “DDP is here…and he’s waiting for you.”

“W-What?!” How the hell had Dallas found out about her training session with the WWF women? “Okay, where can we go?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should put this off until after the Alliance is gone.” Lita hated saying that, but she also knew how dangerous Diamond Dallas Page was. “Let’s plan to do it on one of our off days and we’ll keep it quiet. Can you do it on your days off?” They couldn’t train while on the road, not without the Alliance picking up on it.

“Y-Yeah…yeah that’s fine.”

Fuck Diamond Dallas Page and the Alliance, she wasn’t sticking around here to find out what they wanted or had planned for her. She parted ways with Lita and got back in her truck, heading right back to the hotel with tears streaming down her cheeks. What part of she didn’t want anything to do with DDP and the Alliance did they not understand?

“Goddamn it!”

“What’re you bitchin’ ‘bout?” Steve demanded, popping up from the backseat and wrapped his arms around her throat, applying a chokehold. “Debra, get up there.”

“I’m sorry.” Debra whispered tearfully as she climbed over the seat and up into the front, dodging kicks from Alice as Steve drug her into the backseat, never letting up. “Honey, don’t-”

“Drive woman.”

Wiping away tears, Debra got the truck back under control and on the road, trying not to look into the rearview mirror as the sounds of Alice choking reached her. Steve was pretty sure she had passed out but held on just a bit longer, just to be on the safe side.

~!~

Hours later, Alice snapped her eyes open and a scream caught in her throat, bolting upright in the bed she was in. Her heart was hammering against her chest and she immediately looked around, clutching her neck. Tears stung her eyes as the memory of being choked out by Steve Austin flooded her mind. Alice knew exactly what happened and planned on getting away as soon as she could, rolling out of the bed shakily. Where was she? It took her another moment to realize it wasn’t a bed she had woken up on, it was a couch and the floor she’d rolled onto was concrete.

Clearing her blurred vision, Alice quickly realized she was at the arena and looked down at the clothes she had on, which were the same ones she’d gone to work out in earlier that day. The door opened, and Alice immediately rose to her feet shakily, her hair down from the bun it’d been in. Now it was just a ponytail. It was no surprise when Dallas walked in and she immediately took another step back, trying to figure a way out of this. She wasn’t going to the ring with him tonight, not unless it was by force, which would be the outcome.

“Good you’re up, you’re coming out with me to the ring in a few.”

Page smirked at her shaking head and nodded in response, flashing pearly whites at her. He was planning on interfering in Taker’s match against Rhyno and beating him down with the man’s help, naturally. That was the Alliance way, after all, and he wanted the beautiful redhead to witness her lover being beaten to a pulp firsthand.

“Oh yes you will, sugar, even if I have to drag you by that beautiful hair of yours. You’re coming out with ME tonight, nobody else. And then we’re gonna have a talk afterwards and get this miscommunication taken care of.”

She smiled coldly at the bruise marring the side of his face and pure satisfaction flooded her body at the fact she had hurt him the previous night with that shot to the head. “Force me then, it’s the only way I’m going out there with you willingly. You can go to hell, Steve Austin and his bitch wife included.”

Chapter 27

That earned her a backhand and it was worth it. Dallas backhanded her again, this time sending Alice smashing into the concrete wall and sighed when she hit it face first. He stopped at his bag long enough to grab something and then crouched down beside her, dangling two separate chains with attachments in her vision.

“Oh, sugar,” He sighed, taking in the way Alice held her nose, clucking his tongue. “This all could’ve been avoided if you would have only been a good girl.” He wasted no time in rolling her over, wrenching her arms behind her back and cuffed her wrists. Straddling her, Dallas then did her ankles, shackling them together, only allowing her enough room to take little hobbling steps. “I warned you, bad girls get punished, Alice.” He hissed, slapping her pert ass with a growl.

“Fuck you.” Alice was yanked up by her hair and spit blood right in his face, receiving yet another backhand for her defiance. “I WON’T EVER WANT YOU!! GET IT THROUGH YOUR FUCKING HEAD, YOU LUNATIC!! YOU ARE PSYCHO, AND YOU NEED HELP!!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, knowing if it were loud enough, she’d be heard, and someone would come save her, hopefully.

That earned her another backhand and Alice hit the concrete floor with a thud, her head connecting to it. The first chance she got, she was getting away from him. Closing her eyes, Alice tried to envision being back with Mark again.

“Whoa Page, get away from her!” Shane rushed inside the room, hearing Alice screaming and saw the way her face was all puffed up and bleeding, shaking his head. “Get out of here now.”

He shoved Dallas out of the room and shut the door, not expecting his WCW star to go this far. If his wife ever found out he had two women beaters in his Alliance…Shane paled visibly and took the cuffs off her wrists and ankles, cursing under his breath. Page had gone too far with the punishment, at least at the arena and now people would know the truth about him. Definitely not part of the plan. The moment Alice was shoved out of the room into the hallway with a bruised, bloody face, the first person she ran into was Chris Jericho and collapsed in his arms, crying her heart out. Jericho lifted Alice up on his arms and carried her straight to the Deadman’s locker room, having heard her blood-curdling screaming, not bothering to knock as he stepped inside.

“She was with the Alliance.” He muttered, seeing the shocked expressions on both Mark and Glenn’s faces.

“Uh…” Glenn watched as Mark did a cursory look over Alice before storming out of the room. “I’ll uh, send a trainer.” He said, having glimpsed her face and that had made his stomach churn, threatening to cause him to have another round of stomach issues, this time for a whole new reason besides food. He followed Mark out the door, leaving a poor Chris stuck in that room with Alice. “Mark… don’t do it!” He shouted, working on catching up with his friend, not surprised by the fact that Mark had picked up a tire iron on his way out the door. “Mark!” He cursed when the big man turned the corner and sighed, looking around. “This’ll do.”

Glenn sighed, picking up the kendo stick. He wanted to make things right for Alice too, but… prison time seemed to be in Mark’s future. He had seen the way those emerald eyes had gone a weird, acid like shade, murderous. All day. All fucking day Mark had been panicking, knowing she was in danger, knowing there was a problem. And he had been right and who had laid hands on her that way.

“Where is he?” He demanded, his voice a low, dangerous baritone.

Even Shane McMahon knew when to play ball and this was definitely one of those times. He simply pointed, turning to watch, and then shrieked when Taker whirled back around, his world going black.

It was going to be one of THOSE nights. “FEMALES, RUN.” Glenn ordered, swinging the kendo stick, and nailing Chucky boy. Mark was on the warpath. “Or give up Page!” Save them all the trouble.

~!~

“Allie…”

Chris had NO idea what to do for her, seeing the tears streaming down her bruised, bloody face and swallowed down his own vomit, wanting to kill the Alliance for this. What kind of people could do this to a human being? Allow this to happen to who was supposed to be one of their own?

“I’m gonna get the trainer.” He knew Glenn and Mark wouldn’t do it right away and she needed immediate medical attention.

Mark was granted a couch in his dressing room, so Chris had laid her down on it and went to get the trainer, knowing nobody would enter that room or else they would all die. He just hoped he could get Larry to come to the Deadman’s locker room and wouldn’t have to explain the reasoning behind it. Alice’s face spoke volumes along with her wrists, which were also cut due to how tight the handcuffs were slapped on her.

~!~

Diamond Dallas Page wasn’t laughing. He had been cornered in the women’s dressing room, having figured if he hid in there, with the women, he’d be safe because Taker and Kane weren’t the kind of men to hit a lady. He hadn’t thought that all the women had fled, thanks to Kane’s warning bellow to vacate.

“Don’t-” He yelped in pain when that kendo stick came down on him, courtesy of Kane. “I-” He got a tire iron to his leg, screeching in agony.

Debra was still there, hiding behind a stack of boxes in the corner, covering her ears with her hands. She kept her eyes clenched shut, able to hear Kane and Taker beating the ever-loving piss out of Page for what he had done. When she heard ‘Austin caught her for me’ coming from that bastard’s mouth, her eyes flew open. She let out a squeal of surprise and fear at the roar that thundered in the room from the Undertaker.

~!~

“Jesus Christ, this shit has to end!” Larry exclaimed, rushing to the poor woman lying on the couch in Taker’s dressing room with his bag of medical supplies in tow. “Alice, I need you to stay still sweetheart, alright? I gotta check to see if you have cracked cheekbones.”

At her nod, he began his examination and concluded it was very – VERY – deep bruising. Both of her cheeks were lacerated, so he put small bandages over those after cleaning them. He checked out her wrists, her ankles not cut and assured her they wouldn’t scare. Just to be on the safe side, he wrapped them in gauze to keep any dirt and grime from getting into them.

“You need to stay away from the ring tonight…”

Alice just nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment and didn’t want to look at her reflection, knowing she must’ve looked hideous. Austin would pay for this along with his wife and Page. Larry also told her about the bruises surrounding her throat and she wasn’t surprised, knowing they were from Austin’s sleeper hold he’d put on her prior to the abduction. Not able to do anything more for her, Larry vacated and left her to lay down on the couch, whispering to Jericho to keep an eye on her and slipped him some pain killers in case she wanted them.

~!~

“Oh, sweet Jesus…”

Vince McMahon could only stare down the Alliance corridor, swallowing hard. Alliance members were all over the place, some of them a bit more battered than others, and there was not a single female in sight, not even his daughter, which… made him breathe a sigh of relief. He might’ve been pissed with her, but he didn’t want to see her on the receiving end of what had happened here tonight. He had gotten word, via the trainers, that the Alliance defect, the Undertaker’s new squeeze, had been assaulted down this way and Taker had… lost his ever-loving mind. Vince took a deep breath, hesitating when he heard screams, deep screams, and realized he knew that voice. Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Shane popped open an eye, spotting his father towering over him and managed a smile, spitting out blood. The smile was not very friendly. He was in a bit of a bind, he highly doubted Taker had left any of his wrestlers capable of performing. All over a woman.

Mark felt better.

It was very obvious, to Glenn, his best friend liked Alice a lot more than he was letting on. The destruction was…insane, to put it mildly. Mark did not stop until every last Alliance member had been hammered once or twice with the tire iron. Glenn, being the asshole he was, followed up with a kendo stick shot to various parts of the body. Debra had tried to warn her husband, but it’d been too late the moment Dallas had opened his mouth about Steve being the one to abduct Alice. What the HELL was Austin’s problem? The man had a death wish screwing with Alice when he KNEW she was with Mark! Shaking his head, he walked past Vince and held his hand up before the boss could utter a word, glaring down at a smiling Shane McMahon.

“If you value your life and what’s left of your team, you WILL leave Alice alone.” Mark had walked right past, kicking Shane in his hurt leg on the way and decided that would be the ONLY warning Shane received.

When Taker and Kane walked back into the dressing room, Chris stood up with a steel chair in hand, having armed himself just in case someone from the Alliance tried barging in here. “Larry came and looked her over, ordered her not to go to the ring tonight.” He quietly explained, stepping aside as Mark went to her side and wasn’t surprised Alice was sleeping. “She took a Vicodin for the pain, half of one. She doesn’t have any cracked cheekbones or anything, just really deep bruising and cuts on both cheeks and cuts on her wrists from…handcuffs…” He swallowed hard at Taker’s eyes snapping to him and decided to bolt, shutting the door behind him.

“Man, you have those days off coming up this week. You don’t need to do Smackdown!, so why don’t you just take her home either to Texas or wherever she lives and let her heal up. Don’t come back until the following Monday.” Mark’s match against Rhyno would be canceled due to the man having a possible concussion from a headshot with the tire iron.

His house hadn’t been inhabited in months. Mark had been working the road nonstop for a while now and, on his days off… who the fuck went home for one or two days when it was easier, and cheaper, to just bunker down in a motel and catch up to the next road? He was also tempted to say screw going anywhere, he wanted to spend the rest of his career making these fucks miserable, night after night. Mark took another look at her, something inside of him breaking at the sight of Alice, his Red, and all she had endured just because one man couldn’t stand to hear the word no.

“Mark…”

“I’ll take her back to my place.” He muttered in a low, dangerous tone, then looked down at himself. He’d clean up first; no need to scare her with all the blood covering him.

After the destruction Mark caused the Alliance, Glenn thought he was being kind to the idiots by convincing his friend to go off the road with Alice for the rest of the week. Shane McMahon had to get a handle on his men before they all ended up dead. Mark had not been screwing around tonight; all day he kept telling Glenn something wasn’t right. Alice wouldn’t just leave him without an explanation and he’d even gone to the gym where Lita told her to meet her. Then he’d tracked poor Lita down and scared the woman half to death, demanding to know where Alice was.

“I-I told her we had to find another time to train because Page showed up and was waiting for her…she got in her truck and left to go back to the hotel, as far as I know…”

Right then and there, Glenn knew something wasn’t right and had to pull Mark away from the redhead, not wanting him to hurt her. She was just the messenger and innocent, they couldn’t afford to lose any of their WWF compadres, even if they were women. Glenn didn’t care much for the women’s division, though he had to admit it was interesting to see if Lita and Trish would be able to evolve it past bra and panties matches.

Alice had left all of her belongings with Mark, which was already out in the truck along with Mark’s, just his bag of gear had been brought into the arena. While Mark cleaned up, Glenn packed everything for his friend and didn’t dare leave the room without someone keeping an eye on Alice. He couldn’t look at her without feeling physically ill, wanting to kill Page for this almost as much as Mark. Since when did Glenn start caring for the fiery redhead? Maybe it was the fact she’d befriended Teresa so easily, which wasn’t common to do. He didn’t know anymore.

When Mark emerged, he was clean, no longer held that metallic blood scent and in fresh clothes. Unless someone told Alice what he had done, which he doubted as she was still asleep, she would never know. She had perhaps seen him storm out, but that was the extent of it. He had no idea what her opinion of him would be after his rather violent rampage, but he knew she had had enough violence in her life to last her several more. Sighing, he ran his hands through his still heavily damp hair and shared a look with Glenn.

“I still can’t believe how far… how low, Austin has sunk.” He said quietly, content to let Alice sleep, though… if she was a lightweight when it came to pills, she wasn’t likely to wake up anytime soon.

“I can’t either, man. What the hell is he thinking? Kidnapping a woman – that’s a new low, even for him and he’s MARRIED.”

What sickened Glenn more was the fact Austin forced Debra to drive the damn truck while he choked out an innocent woman in the backseat! Oh yes, he had caught Debra before she could run away and got the rundown of what exactly happened. They had hopped into the rental truck Alice neglected to lock and waited her out. They knew she would try to go back to the hotel to be with Mark after finding out Page was in the same gym Lita told her to meet her at. It had all been an elaborate plan to capture Alice and force her back to Dallas’ side.

“Here’s what I don’t get…why did Shane let her go?” He’d also gotten that information from Boy Wonder, clenching his fists tightly in front of him. “Either he saw how far and low Page stooped or he was scared.” Not that he blamed the man, look at how terrible her face looked!

“I’ll tell you exactly why: Shane convinced his momma to help him out with strong arming Vince and she did, because she was tired of his cheating bullshit and the way he treated women. Shane’s allowing a woman to be viciously assaulted, and he’s complicit in the act. He knows damn well Linda will string him up and tell his wife.” Mark remembered Marissa from back when she had been one of the WWF’s television personalities; she was nice and not one to take any crap from her husband. “Not to mention, if he caught Page whaling on her and given how bad it was… he’s liable.” Or maybe Shane had a tiny prick of a conscience somewhere in there.

Chapter 28

Glenn cracked his knuckles, the sound reverberating around the room. “I think it might be time to call Linda and have a chat with her. Possibly even Shane’s old lady. This shit has to stop. Linda might even be inclined to grant Alice a WWF contract, just to keep quiet about what’s been going down in the Alliance.” Now there was an idea and the lightbulb went off in Glenn’s mind. “Tell you what – don’t worry about anything, man. I’m gonna talk to my wife and we’ll get this figured out.” Teresa used to be a lawyer and knew how to sway people to her side, especially when it came to an assaulted woman. “When you guys return on the road, Alice will be part of the WWF, not the Alliance.”

He was guaranteeing it, grinning almost maliciously and knew Shane had backed himself into a corner. He was definitely calling Linda and if she wanted to talk to the source, he had a feeling Alice would have no problem recalling what happened to her and all the abuse she’d sustained. Mark had practically seen that lightbulb turn on and shook his head at his friend’s devious smile. He knew Teresa would help and god help the Alliance because Teresa was an evil bitch.

“If Teresa wants a statement, or anything, you know where I live.” They would not be returning to that tiny ass cabin or dealing with Teresa’s issues concerning her husband’s inability to not shit himself. “You do what you will, I’m taking her home.”

He watched as Glenn nodded before hoisting his bag over his shoulder and then stooped to pull Alice gently into his arms. She didn’t even stir once; he knew she was down and out, mentally noting she was indeed a lightweight. Sighing, Mark brushed his lips against her bruised cheeks, trying to fight down the bile in his throat. He hadn’t done enough damage to those Alliance fucks, that was for sure.

~!~

Shane was white as a sheet as he held the cell phone to his ear, hearing his mother SCREAMING at him at the top of her lungs. He’d NEVER heard his mother so pissed off in his life. Linda NEVER screamed, not even after finding out Vince had several affairs. Not even when him and Stephanie had pushed her to the brink of insanity during their childhoods. No…this woman was PISSED, and she wasn’t his mother anymore. She was Linda McMahon, CEO of the World Wrestling Federation and threatening to shut the entire Alliance down. Shane had to borrow quite a bit of money from mommy dearest to buy out WCW and kickstart the invasion. Linda did NOT know about Stephanie’s involvement, however, until it was revealed on television, which she was also irate over.

By the time he was finished, Shane had promised to hand over Alice Monell’s contract over to his mother and swore to never touch the fiery redhead again. Apparently, her attorney had called Linda and threatened to take the WWF for every penny they were worth, which would flatline the Alliance’s invasion since they were using WWF as a platform. No other television stations would give Shane and Stephanie the time of day because of the brands they’d purchased. To say Shane was shaken up by the time all was said and done was an understatement and the worst part was Alice would be offered a WWF contract as of Monday night as soon as she arrived at the arena with the Undertaker. Now, he had to find a way to break this news to his current lunatic, Diamond Dallas Page, knowing the man would NOT take the news lightly. Before Shane could get too comfortable, he received another phone call and grew paler.

It was his wife.

~!~

When Alice woke up sometime the following day, she was alone in a bedroom in a very big and comfortable bed. It didn’t take her long to realize two things: One, she wasn’t in an arena anymore. Two, she was in a home…someone’s home. Alice immediately gripped her throat, remembering what Steve and Page did to her, tears erupting in her eyes. No – No, hadn’t Shane let her go? Alice couldn’t remember; maybe that’d been a figment of her imagination and she was still captive by a monster. Swallowing hard, Alice slipped out of bed and looked down at the t-shirt she had on, tears falling at the design on it.

It was the Undertaker t-shirt she’d taken from the arena when Torrie helped her escape the Alliance. This had to be some kind of sick joke on Dallas’s part to put this on her. Wincing at her heavily bruised face, Alice walked over to the window and looked out at the long stretch of land, seeing the woods surrounding the property. Where the hell had Dallas taken her? Her head snapped around when the doorknob to the bedroom turned and Alice grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on, ripping the lamp up from the nightstand.

She had slept a long time and Mark had had to call Larry to find out what the man had given her. Larry had said half a Vicodin and then Mark had asked the dosage. Jesus… sometimes he forgot that people had different tolerance levels and he had demanded a proper prescription for her weight, something that would help with the pain without knocking her the hell out. He had left Alice here, long enough to run to town and fill it, and restock his pantry for a few days. Then, while she had slept, he had cooked something light, figuring she’d be up soon enough and cleaned since it was dusty. He nearly dropped the bowl of soup when his light came flying, ducking.

“Holy shit, Red!”

It was pure instinct. Alice stumbled back as soon as she threw the lamp and felt her eyes widen at the sight of Mark, his shouting cutting through her haziness. She was still half-asleep and had a panic attack all at the same time. Not a good combination.

“I-I thought you were…”

Alice couldn’t say his name, dropping on the bed to bury her face in her hands, ignoring the pain she was in. Slowly looking up when she felt his hands on her knees, Alice touched his face and breathed a huge sigh of relief. She was with Mark, not Dallas.

“I’m sorry…” She whispered softly, feeling his finger press against her trembling lips and shut her eyes, leaning forward to wrap her arms around his neck hugging him tightly. “Thank god I’m here...and it’s you I’m with…”

It was obvious Page had royally messed Alice up and Mark had to marvel at the changes in her, how terrified she was. Enough to the point to toss a weapon first, ask questions later. Mark really hoped she didn’t think about the fact that Page knew where he lived and had been here before, crazy stalking bastard, because then she might have another panic attack. He highly doubted anyone was coming this way, not after the carnage he had unleashed on the Alliance.

“I’ve got you, darlin’.” He soothed, wrapping his arms around her gently. “I’ve got you.”

Not only Page, but Austin had as well. Being abducted and choked out with a sleeper hold had been scarier than anything she’d experienced yet. At least Page attacked her in the front, not the back. It took Alice a while to calm down, refusing to let Mark go and needed to feel his warmth and comfort. Refusing to question what exactly they were, Alice was where she wanted to be and who she wanted to be with.

“How bad is it?” She asked quietly, slowly pulling back to look into Mark’s eyes and could see the sympathy and sadness swirling through them. “Sorry about your lamp. I didn’t know who I was with and…I wasn’t about to stay here if it was Page or Austin…” If Mark didn’t know about Austin being the one who abducted her, he was about to find out. “It was Austin…the one who took me back to Page…him and Debra.”

“I know.”

Having it repeated didn’t do him any favors. His once friend… they had been buddies for years and to know that the Steve Austin he had thought he knew had done this to her, instilled this fear in her. It was disturbing and making him question his ability to judge a person’s character.

“Debra confessed everything to us.” Us being him and Glenn. He traced a finger along her bandage on her cheek, inhaling deeply. “I got a prescription for you, it shouldn’t knock you out this time if you want to take a pill for the pain.”

“I – I shouldn’t have left without you to go train with Lita. I knew the risk I was taking going alone, but I didn’t want to wake you either. You had a rough night at Invasion and I wanted you to sleep as long as you wanted to. That’s why I left you sleeping and went on my own.”

Alice wouldn’t blame him for being angry at her for being stupid and once again coddling him. She had seen the lump on his forehead, which was still somewhat there and wanted him to sleep, but also didn’t want to miss her training session with Lita. Look where that got her – abducted by Steve Austin and back in the clutches of Page, who had once again brutalized her. Lesson learned, she would not do it again or go anywhere without this man beside her or someone she trusted, which wasn’t very many people these days. If she planned on becoming a wrestler and going through with the training, pain would become second nature to her.

“I don’t want any drugs, I’ll deal with the pain…”

“Take the drugs.” Mark ordered flatly, staring at her, and wondered if Alice would ever become a wrestler. She wasn’t going to be very trusting of her coworkers and he highly doubted anyone was going to want to deal with her after the massacre he and Glenn had committed on her behalf. “Don’t try being brave, that shit looks like it hurts.” For the first day or so, there was no shame in avoiding the pain. Alice had gotten the hell beaten out of her.

Lita and Trish hadn’t done this to her; she highly doubted they worked with Debra and figured the whore had overheard them discussing training her. Women gossiped, it was their biggest flaw. Alice sighed, not wanting any drugs and pecked his lips softly before standing to go into the bathroom. She shut the door, needing a few minutes alone to fully wake up and deal with the damage on her own, letting a few more tears fall. Taking a deep breath, she looked in the mirror and stared at the reflection staring back at her, which wasn’t as bad as she thought. The left side was covered in a bruise as well as the right side and her left eye was blackened. Actually, it was more of a blue and purplish color.

There was a cut on her right cheek, where the bandage was, and her forehead had a small lump on it. Alice touched it gingerly, remembering the last backhand Page gave her; it caused her head to smack against the concrete flooring because of the handcuffs. Her wrists were still bandaged, and Alice didn’t remove them, not wanting to see just in case she’d have scars. Her bottom lip was also split on the right side and she gently touched it, wincing at the slightly sting it caused. The bathroom door opened, and she didn’t look back at Mark, her eyes not leaving her reflection.

“It looks worse than it actually is. I promise, I’m not in pain and I don’t need pills.”

“You’re so full of shit.”

Mark snorted, shaking his head at her, but didn’t press the pain issue. She was in pain, hell, he was in pain just looking at her. He already knew how bad her injuries were because he had spoken to Larry personally just that morning.

“Stop being brave.” Alice had seen him messed up more than once, just like he had her. This business had no room for heroes, one would wear out even faster than most people already did. “Come on, Red, let’s get some food in you.” He said finally, gesturing to the bowl of probably cold soup he had placed on his now empty nightstand. When it looked like she might cry again, Mark crossed over to her, pulling her gently into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m not being brave, I mean what I say.” Alice mumbled against his chest, squeezing him briefly and then let go, her stomach rumbling. “You said the magic word apparently. Food.” She clarified, cracking a smile up at him and let him guide her out of the bathroom. Mark grabbed the soup with his free hand and lead her downstairs to the kitchen. “Where are we?” When he said his ranch, she froze and looked around instantly, squeezing his hand a little harder than necessary. “A-Are we safe here?” Page had been here before, inside, and she didn’t need to be somewhere that lunatic could find her. Alice trusted Mark wholeheartedly, but the question had left her mouth before she could stop it and watched him nod. “Oh wow…” The kitchen was huge, two stoves, two ovens…there was two of everything actually, including refrigerators. “Should I even ask why you doubled up on everything in here?”

“It was how it was built. Apparently, the family who originally owned the place was extremely large, did a lot of holiday hosting and whatnot. I just never bothered to change it.” That and having two fridges had come in handy on more than one occasion. One for regular food, the other for beer. “Ain’t nobody coming out here, Alice, I promise you that.”

Well, maybe besides Glenn and Teresa, but they didn’t really count. He knew Austin lived in Texas, but Austin and Page were probably both still in the hospital. He popped the soup in the microwave to warm it back up, gesturing at the table.

“Sit down, Red.”

“Okay.”

Walking over to the table, Alice sat down while he prepared her soup, or warmed it up rather, and looked out the window. He set a cup of hot honey tea down for her along with the bowl of soup and she smiled up at him, taking a sip of both. Now that she had a chance to really look out at the land, Alice admired it and couldn’t believe how beautiful Texas was. It was much better than Florida; she wasn’t a fan of the state. Maybe Texas would be somewhere she could live, though she also knew how hot it got too. Dry heat or not. She finished the soup in silence, feeling better now that she had food on her stomach and slowly sipped her tea while Mark joined her with a sandwich and chips. A quick glance at the clock told her it was mid-afternoon, going on 3 PM.

Chapter 29

“Lita said something to me at the gym before the whole abduction happened. She asked me if I could train on my days off, so the Alliance wouldn’t find out about it. I told her I would, so I’m not sure where she wants me to go on my days off to do the training. I’m going through with it, no matter what. I’m tired of being a victim and I need to learn to defend myself if I’m going to stay in this business.”

Mark felt like he needed to have a chat with Lita and tell her to slow her damn roll until everything regarding the Alliance blew over. However, Mark also knew that that was his protectiveness coming out and who could honestly blame him after everything that had happened to her? He bit his tongue, figuring nothing was going to be set in stone or decided upon for certain until after she had healed up and he was keeping her pert ass here for the rest of the week. This business had done nothing but kick her down, constantly. He genuinely wanted to know why she would want to remain.

“Why would you want to stay?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking, sitting opposite of her with a beer.

Letting out a shaky breath, Alice continued looking out the window and then down at her tea, hoping what she was about to say didn’t sound pathetic. “Because it’s all I have in my life worth fighting for.” It was the complete, honest truth. “I know it’s crazy, but in WCW, it was great. I wasn’t assaulted, and I was with men I thought I could trust.” She let out a bitter laugh at the memory of Chuck and Sean, wiping a stray tear away from her eye. “When I’m out there in front of all those people, I can’t describe it, but I love feeling the energy from the fans. I love feeling that adrenaline rush, that high, while out there. Even if I’m just walking someone to the ring, it’s still a rush I get, and I’ve always wanted to try my hand in actual wrestling. Eric thought with my background and how…flexible I am, I’d be good at it. I just haven’t gotten that opportunity yet and…like I said, I have nothing else to really live for except wrestling. It’s been my life for the past 2 years and…although it’s been rough this past month, I won’t be chased away from it.” Alice had fallen in love with the sport the moment she stepped through the curtain in WCW and had her debut as a valet. “It’s stupid, I know…”

“Darlin’, you’re not suicidal, are you?” Mark asked slowly, knowing that was probably not the best way of wording it, but she had kept repeating how it was the only thing she had worth fighting for and he was pretty certain that wasn’t true. The woman was gorgeous, and no high school diploma or not, she was intelligent, most of the time. When she shook her head, he exhaled and nodded, feeling dumb for even asking it. “You got plenty to fight for, Red, I’m just… a bit concerned with everythin’ going on right now.”

Such as Alice getting her ass beaten on a weekly basis. It was only escalating. Hopefully, he and Glenn had made a point with their attack and, if Teresa got on board and whatever else Glenn had been up to, would make things calm the hell down.

“So, what am I supposed to do? Look, if you don’t want to watch over me anymore and protect me, I get it. All you have to do is come out and say it. I’m not a china doll, I’m not made of glass and I’ve been rejected so many times, I’ve lost count. I know it’s not fair to you that I’ve put this…burden on you to protect me, you, and Glenn. You have your own lives and careers to think about. So, don’t worry about me, I can find my own way. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.”

Alice didn’t mean to fly off the handle the way she had, but at the same time, he sounded annoyed with her when she was just telling him the truth. This was wearing on him too, he looked fed up with everything going on in the company, not that she blamed him. She was a huge portion of the stress because of Diamond Dallas Page and her association to the Alliance.

“I’ll just go back to my home for the next few days and try to figure everything out. I’m sorry, Mark. I really am.”

She had been doing so well too, not pulling that crap on him and she was totally reading him wrong. Mark was retracting his opinion about her intelligence. Alice had just gotten her ass handed to her, viciously, and was mistaking his concern for something else. Jesus, this woman was messed up.

“Be my guest.” He said, taking a sip from his beer, green eyes flat. “And you can shove your apology up your ass.” There we go, some fire as well as shock and disbelief in those beautiful eyes of hers. “I already told you once, stop with that shit. It’s one thing to be dependent on people when you really need the help, it’s another to be some self-righteous sucker for pain. When I don’t want to help you out, or be around, or have you around, you’ll know because I don’t sugarcoat.” Obviously. And… he had made her soup. “Eat.”

“I finished it already. Get your eyes checked.” Alice remarked coolly, standing from the table, and decided it was time to vacate to go back up to the room she’d woken up in.

It wasn’t his room, she didn’t think anyway. They had never fought before, so it felt both weird and horrible at the same time. Alice didn’t know what else to say to him, so she walked out of the kitchen and back upstairs to the room to start packing her things, keeping her tears at bay. All she did was tell him the truth! He wanted to know why she hadn’t walked away from the wrestling business, she told him, and he’d been a dick about it in return! Asking her if she was suicidal, which she was not! Alice slammed the door shut, shaking with barely contained anger and grabbed her bag, pulling out a pair of black cotton shorts. She scowled at the t-shirt and tore it off over her head, tossing it in her bag before replacing it with a dark blue tank top. Socks and shoes on, Alice found her phone in one of the front pockets and turned it on, googling the nearest cab company to come pick her up. Then, she booked a flight to Miami, Florida, trying to stop the tears from falling, but it was no use. She was hurt, confused, scared and angry all wrapped in one despairing package.

When Mark finally decided to go see if she had calmed down, because he had seen that storm in her eyes, he was a bit surprised to find her belongings packed and she was obviously ready to leave. “What the hell are you doin’, Red?” He asked, his tone going from curious to demanding in that one sentence. She was leaving? Mark racked his head, frowning. Yeah, he could’ve worded that suicide question a bit more… well, politer, nicer, more… gentle, but… he had seen way too many people walk that depression / suicide line and he had panicked a bit. “Are you really runnin’ off because of one slight fight?” If that’s what it could have been called since he hadn’t yelled.

“I told you the truth. I answered your question and your response was asking me if I’m suicidal. It was rude, but whatever, it is what it is. I also told you I should go home for a few days and you said, ‘be my guest’. So, that’s what I’m doing.” Alice didn’t look at him, her back facing him and zipped her bag up, only for him to snatch it away from her. “I don’t need a ride either. I called a cab and it’s on its way to take me to the airport.”

This man was unbelievable! He’d told her to basically get out and to shove her apologies up her backside! Now he was asking her why she was leaving?

“And I’m not running off, I’m simply going home, so you don’t have to deal with me anymore.” Trying to snatch her bag away from him, Alice scowled when he merely pulled it away again out of her reach. “Damn it, Mark, give me my bag!”

When she tried reaching for her bag again, winced and stopped, he snorted and dropped the bag on the end of the bed. “You’re not going anywhere, Red, not like that.”

Mark was guessing she had never been in a relationship before, or at least not one with a man like him. Most men made mouth mistakes, he was one of them, but as a rule… most grown ass women took a bit to cool down. Grown ass men did the same and then they sorted stuff out face to face. They didn’t book a damn flight elsewhere and run away.

“I’m sorry.”

This wasn’t a relationship though, at least that’s what Alice assumed. She didn’t know what they were and hadn’t labeled them because of all the crap going on in their lives. Alice didn’t realize how sore she was until she tried jumping for her bag and had to sit down, pulling her tank top up to see a huge bruise marring her side. It was just a bruise, no cracked ribs or anything.

“You were just being honest.” She muttered quietly, sinking down on the bed and clasped her hands tightly in front of her. This wasn’t easy for her; she wasn’t used to relying on people and having help from others. “I just don’t want to burden you anymore…and I know you hate it when I say that, but that’s what I feel like. I feel like a burden, I feel worthless because I can’t even defend myself against the likes of Diamond Dallas Page. I just don’t know…what to do anymore. I’ve really fucked your life up in more ways than one, Mark. I don’t want to cause you anymore trouble or pain.” Look at how many times he’d gotten jumped and beaten down since they met.

“Shut up, just shut up.” Mark scowled, dropping down to kneel before her, placing his hands on her knees and sighed, his face softening as he stared up at her. Gently, he reached up to separate her hands, holding them in his. “Alice, you didn’t ask for any of this and you shouldn’t feel… whatever it is you’re feeling about Page, about not being able to defend yourself against him. You aren’t the first woman he’s done this to, and they weren’t any more capable than you are.” However, she would be the LAST one Page abused because Mark was going to kill him. “And if I didn’t want to help you, or take care of you, I wouldn’t have brought you to my house and put you up in my bed.”

“Mark…”

Why couldn’t he have said all this earlier instead of asking her if she was suicidal and being a dick? He did warn her before how…volatile he could be, and she accepted him fully for who he was. Mark even apologized to her and something told Alice he didn’t do that often, if ever.

“You didn’t ask to be involved in this situation either…” His finger pressed against her mouth gently, as to not hurt her, silencing her from repeating the same thing again. Instead, she drew his finger in her mouth and softly sucked before releasing it, pressing a kiss to the tip. “Thank you.” Her voice came out a soft whisper.

Not saying a word, he gestured for her to scoot back, climbing up into the bed with her and gently pulled Alice back with him. Mark had to inwardly cringe at the similarity to the time they had spent out at Glenn’s place in Tennessee, especially when he leaned back against the headboard. They were starting to spend more time in bed healing and recovering than anything else; that couldn’t be a good start to their relationship, or whatever this was.

“I really like you, Mark.” Alice confessed, snuggling against him and rested her hand over his heart, closing her eyes.

Maybe this wasn’t the way a regular relationship was supposed to start out as, but then again, they weren’t regular or normal. What they did for a living wasn’t normal and regular either. Not everyone could be a WWF Superstar or in the wrestling industry, period. His body heat combined with exhaustion from healing and the small fight they’d had forced Alice to fall back asleep. She didn’t feel Mark extract himself from her in order to grab his special salve he used for bruises. He spread it all over her face and neck, being gentle and Alice merely smiled in her sleep, immediately snuggling against his side as soon as he returned to the bed.

~!~

“You can’t ask people that.”

“Yeah, I know, I didn’t mean it the way it came out though.”

“No. Listen to me, I don’t care how you word it or what tone you use, you don’t ask people that.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“She asleep?”

“Yes.”

“You going to bed, it’s a bit late, isn’t it?”

“You called me.”

“Well yeah, but I’m awake and I figured you were awake, and I needed to talk to you anyway. Teresa said she’s pretty sure there’s a solid case if Alice wants to take it to court, which I doubt Alice will.”

“Yeah, probably not.”

“Is Alice above using it to get herself a proper WWF contract and some side benefits?”

“Highly doubtful. She wants to be a superstar.”

“Good.”

“Yeah.”

“You really got it bad, you know that.”

Click.

Teresa had made several phone calls that day while her husband busied himself out in the yard with their gardens and whatnot. She was determined to get Alice out of her WCW contract and Linda McMahon was onboard to help. It was all up to Linda at this point, however. She had no other pull besides the older woman, so Teresa hoped Linda pulled through. Sure enough, Saturday afternoon rolled around when she received the call.

“As of Monday night, as soon as Alice walks into the building, she will be offered a 4-year contract with the World Wrestling Federation. Shane has allowed me to buy out her contract and, in turn, she will be an investment to us.” That meant, Alice would start training immediately to become a WWF Diva and could still do her valeting while becoming a women wrestler. “I trust these stipulations are satisfactory, Mrs. Jacobs?”

Teresa was ecstatic, not believing Linda had actually pulled this off and couldn’t wait to break the news to Alice and Mark. “Yes. Thank you, Mrs. McMahon. You’ve been a great and vital help to my client. I will allow her to finalize everything from here.”

“Good. And by the way, Teresa…” Linda smiled, blue eyes flashing. “Well played.” Then she hung up the phone, ending the call between them.

“GLENN!!”

Now normally, it was pretty quiet at home. Glenn and Teresa knew each other well enough that there wasn’t much need for being verbal, unless they were in the bedroom. So, considering all that, to suddenly hear his wife screaming his name… startled the hell out of him. He dropped the book he had been trying to finish and jumped up from his oversized recliner, tripping on the foot hem of his sweatpants and hitched them back up in his haste to get to the tiny office Teresa kept usually as a storeroom for ‘everything’ she meant to get too.

“WHAT?!”

“Call Mark and Alice, they’re gonna want to hear this too.”

Chapter 30

For the most part, the bruises on her face were gone, thanks to copious amounts of Mark’s miracle salve, including the cuts on her cheek and lip. It was nothing makeup couldn’t cover up, but currently she remained natural since it was so hot in Texas and Mark had a pool. He was determined to make the most of their time off together at his home, refusing to let her feel sorry for herself for a second longer than necessary. By the time Thursday night hit, he’d made them a delicious meal and ended it with a bonfire outside, both of them drinking in the solitude as much as they could. The bruise on her side had also healed, so Friday morning, Mark had Alice up bright and early, showing her what he’d kept in one of the sections of his home.

His own ring for training and rehabilitation purposes.

Mark had her get inside and run the ropes, showing her how to do it. It took a few tries, but she’d gotten the hang of it and was soon bouncing back and forth, making sure it didn’t hit her kidneys like most people did. After the impromptu training session followed by an ice bath and then warm shower, Alice rewarded Mark with gentle sex, no roughhousing or foreplay. It was really nice, Alice had never experienced sex quite like when she was with Mark and every time something about him seemed to surprise her. They slept in until around noon and finally pried themselves out of bed with Mark wearing just a pair of shorts and she stuck with shorts and tank top, both wanting to be completely comfortable. When the phone rang, and it was Glenn, Alice went to walk out of the room to give Mark his privacy, but he stopped her as Mark put his friend on speakerphone, raising a slow brow on confusion.

Glenn had called, said he had some great news and to get Alice. Alice was already there and now trying to leave, so… he had gestured for her to chill. “Okay, you got us both, what’s up?” Mark knew Glenn had been toying with the idea of having Teresa do something as Teresa was still technically a lawyer. She never let her license expire, always renewed, made sure she took any tests required and just didn’t really practice like she had.

“So, Teresa spoke with Linda and Linda spoke to Shane.”

“And?”

“You’re all fired.”

“Glenn! Ignore him!”

“What do you mean Linda spoke to Shane, Teresa?” Alice felt her legs turn to jelly and had to sit down, her eyes not leaving the phone and felt her heart pick up in speed.

“Glenn told me what happened to you…and I wanted to help, so…I made a few phone calls. One to Linda McMahon and the other to Shane’s wife, Marissa.” Who was also a huge part of the WWF and handled business wherever Linda couldn’t, though nobody knew that. Shane didn’t broadcast the fact his wife did work for the company he was trying to destroy and bring down.

“Okay…” Alice couldn’t breathe, her mind racing rapidly and felt Mark take her hand. “What did they both say?”

“I’m not sure how it happened, but…Alice, as of Monday night, when you walk into the arena, you will be handed a 4-year contract with the World Wrestling Federation. Iron-clad, can’t be broken. Linda McMahon bought your contract out from Shane and WCW. You are no longer part of the Alliance…and Linda wants you to start training immediately to become a wrestler.” Teresa explained, trying to contain her excitement, and looked at her husband teary-eyed, shaking her head with a smile. His jokes were sometimes too much.

She wasn’t part of the Alliance anymore. She was WWF…she was part of the WWF officially as soon as she signed that contract. She would be training to become a professional wrestler – everything Alice could’ve hoped for had fallen into her lap and she was in shock, to put it mildly. All she could do was stare at the phone with a dropped phone and didn’t feel the huge tears slide down her face. Teresa, with Glenn’s help, had gone above and beyond to help her out of the abusive predicament she’d been in.

“Allie, Alice, are you there? Mark? MARK?”

How did she thank someone who had made all of her dreams come true and taken her out of the bad situation she’d been in with the Alliance and Dallas? There were no words to express how much gratitude she felt toward Teresa and Glenn, her hand finally reaching up to cover her mouth, crying harder than she ever had in her life. Mark pulled her into his arms, holding her close and hung up with Teresa, telling her they’d call back after Alice calmed down.

“Now Teresa, you know as well as I do, that contract isn’t going to mean shit to a man like Page.”

“And nobody is gonna say anything to him or about him, nobody ever has.”

He was one of the wrestling’s best kept secrets. People had loved him, adored him, she knew who he was, what he had done. When she had heard about his bullshit with Mark, she had done some cursory background searching on the idiot. Then, when he had abused Alice, the first time they had met, she had really done her homework.

“And she’s not going away, but she won’t be with him. What do you think?”

“Me?” Glenn scratched the top of his curly hair, contemplating it. “I think he’s either going to get the hint and mind his business, especially after what Mark did or… he’s going to take this as the final insult, final injury and… well, I don’t think Alice would be the way we like her after he’s done.”

“You mean healthy?”

“Alive.”

After Alice calmed down to where she could speak, her mind still spinning with the news, grey eyes met twinkling emerald. She didn’t realize it, but Mark had pulled her on his lap to where she straddled him and wrapped her in his strong arms. Alice had buried her face in his neck, crying in happiness and now she’d pulled back to look in his eyes, to see if he were happy about this news.

“I’ll still valet for you and Glenn, if you want.”

Valeting was her main job at the moment and she didn’t want to lose that connection with the Brothers of Destruction, Mark especially. Only now, she was completely WWF and watched Mark nod before kissing him soundly, pouring every ounce of feeling into that kiss. Mark and Glenn would protect her; Alice also had the protection from the WWF because they were a lot stricter with men abusing women than the Alliance was, including sexual harassment. However, she didn’t mind being harassed by the man she currently straddled and smiled against his lips, her greys sparkling and filled with newfound life.

“Damn right you’ll valet for me, Glenn is optional,” Mark snorted, pressing his forehead against hers, unable to keep from smiling himself. “You’ll need something to do while you’re training. But listen to me, Red, don’t go rushing the training, not just yet. Give yourself time to heal, okay?”

Training, while hurt, even after a week off, would just make things worse. She really had been messed up by the Alliance. He really hoped those losers had learned their lesson or the next time he might not let them keep breathing.

She giggled at his amendment about Glenn and rolled her eyes playfully, rubbing her nose against his. “Want me all to yourself, eh?” At his declaration of ‘fuck yes’, Alice laughed harder and slid her hands up and down his bare chest, rolling her forehead against his. “I won’t jump right into it.” Alice had already promised him when he’d shown her how to run the ropes with his personal ring and couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. “I’ll make sure I’m completely healed, and I won’t do it until you tell me it’s alright. I trust your judgment above everyone else in the company, Mark, and I know you’re only looking out for my best interest.”

Something she really appreciated. They still hadn’t established what they were, and Alice tried not to let it bother her, wanting to enjoy her time with Mark with no more arguments. If he had known what she was thinking, Mark would have set the record straight. As it was, he was under the impression, he was her first serious relationship. Given what he now knew of Alice’s background, and prior life before signing with WCW, as well as her personality traits, he seriously doubted she had trusted anyone in that cesspool enough to date them. Not that he blamed her, dating within clientele wasn’t something he would have wanted to do either. They were sharing a bed, traveled together; she had met his friends and he had invested quite a bit of his life into her. They were together.

“Now don’t go putting me on too high of a pedestal, Red.” Mark chuckled, though he also meant it. “Be my luck I break my neck when I fall off it.” And he would, eventually, surprised that he already hadn’t actually.

“No, you wouldn’t because you’ve earned that pedestal, and nobody can take that away from you. I trust Glenn too, don’t get me wrong, but you’re the one I’ll listen to first and foremost.” Pecking his lips, Alice slid off his lap and extended her hands, pulling him up with a great deal of help from Mark. “You have tapes from all of your older stuff in WWF, right?” She smiled at his hesitant nod and slid her fingers down his chest soothingly. “I want to watch you, your old stuff. So, let’s make dinner, pop some popcorn, and then spend the evening watching your old matches and stuff. I really need to get up-to-date on my history and I’m curious what you were like from that magazine I read.”

Oh Jesus was really all he could think, wondering just how far back she wanted to go. There was a time when his hair was somewhat permed, and he had worn more make-up than she probably had during her stint as a stripper. “We’ll uh, stick with 96-97 on up, Red.” He informed her, following her out to the kitchen and smirked when she yet again took in the two massive stoves. She was never going to get over that one. “Besides, those are the best years, especially with Glenn. He’d been around for a while, but nothing ever really worked.” Isaac Yankem DDS came to mind.

Grinning, Alice had found her way around the double kitchen, refusing to call it anything else. That’s exactly what it was. Who the hell had a family big enough for two of everything in the kitchen? They made small talk while cooking, getting to know each other better. Mark was a lonely child, same as her, which she found interesting. His favorite color was purple, that was another shock considering he wore black and red all the time, mostly. Sometimes dark blue. Alice would’ve pegged his favorite color to be black. However, she would soon understand the purple once she watched his older stuff with Glenn.

They played with each other while the food cooked, bumping each other’s hips, and poked each other in their sides. Mark had even planted her on the counter for an impromptu make out session, not that Alice was complaining. Only soft mewls and purrs came out of her mouth. Loving the feeling of Mark’s hands caressing every portion of her body beneath the clothes she had on, Alice was pure putty in his hands and did her own exploring, neither in any rush. It was all about exploration, seeing what made the other tick and go crazy. When the oven dinged, Alice giggled at Mark’s groan against her lips and kissed him one final time before hopping down to grab the pork chops out of the oven.

“You’re handlin’ the wrong meat, darlin’.” He growled, watching her pert ass as she pulled the pork chops out, smirking when she shot him a cheeky look.

Rolling his emerald green eyes, he turned to the other stove and got to work on the sides while she proceeded to slide the biscuits into the still hot oven. Two stoves… maybe not something one would see every day, but it was useful considering how wide he was. Before she could reach for his slightly hard cock, he whirled and began gathering up dishes to set the table.

“Nuh uh, Red, now you got to wait for dessert.”

“You do not play fair, Deadman.”

Then again, neither did she. It was interesting how Mark insisted on eating at the table. Probably a family value instilled in him, though it kind of reminded her of her days as a foster child. Alice didn’t mind it, however, because Mark wouldn’t force food down her throat if she didn’t clean her plate. Humming under her breath, she grabbed a few more of the sides, which was mashed potatoes, baked beans, and corn, setting it on the table. Her hair was currently braided over her shoulder, so no red hair went into the food. Alice felt Mark come up behind her and danced out of grasp to check on the biscuits, winking at him. Two could play that game. He could wait for dessert too.

“Tease.” He muttered playfully, slapping her rear, though he did it lightly, so she didn’t startle and jump into that oven. Once they biscuits were out, he grabbed a serving container for them, helping her to put them in it. All this food… and he would probably be eating the leftovers up until they left, eyeing everything with a grin. “All right, let’s eat, Red.”

Gallantly, Mark pulled out a chair for her, smiling as she sat down and pushed her in, bending down to assault the column of her neck since her hair was braided back, giving him full access. Open invitation if he ever saw one. Mark nipped at her pulse point, his hands skimming down her shoulders to cup her breasts, feeling her arching into his palms.

“Delicious.”

“Now who’s the tease?” Alice remarked in a purr, tilting her head to the side as he continued the assault on her neck and finally found the willpower to push him away. “Stop it or we won’t get to enjoy this delicious spread.” She chastised, pointing at his chair, and smiled when he took it, clearing her slightly cloudy mind.

Surprisingly, he obeyed, and they ate in companionable silence with her foot rubbing up his jean covered leg and thigh. His growl just made her do it more as an evil smile formed on Alice’s face, ripping apart her biscuit to eat it. While Mark helped himself to seconds, she stood up to walk over and massaged his shoulders, her mouth by his ear, nipping the lobe.

“You’re right, that was delicious.”

Then she bit into his neck playfully before sauntering away again to start cleaning up the kitchen. Given that he had a mouthful of food, Mark wasn’t immediately inclined to chase her ass down. They had all night. He finished and began clearing the table, carrying stuff to the counters, and gently nudged her with his hip.

“Woman, you’re gonna be very tired tomorrow.” He informed her, drawling, letting her know with words she wasn’t going to be sleeping much tonight. They would do the veg on the cough thing, watch his old matches, she’d be able to see all the old promos, and she could make her own judgments.

“Do you hear me complaining? I don’t mind being worn out by you.” Alice remarked coyly, putting the rest of the food away in the fridge since she’d put it all in Tupperware containers.

Chapter 31

After the kitchen was cleaned up and everything put away, along with the table cleared off, Mark lifted Alice up over his broad shoulder to smack her backside. “Thank you, sir, may I have another?” She laughed when he did it again, hearing his growl and felt her body drop down on the comfortable couch, accepting a searing kiss from him.

Alice was full from dinner, so popcorn would definitely have to wait until later. He popped the first videotape in and dropped down beside her, pulling her against his side to snuggle. Alice did not peg Mark as the snuggling type, but every chance the man had, he wanted her against him with his arms around her. The beginning of 1997 showed Mark vying for the WWF championship and he ended up facing Sycho Sid for it, winning the coveted prize. Shortly after that is when Paul Bearer had come to inform the Undertaker he would reveal a dark secret if the Deadman didn’t serve him again.

“What an ass…”

“Paul?” Mark questioned curiously, smiling when she nodded. “He’s not a bad guy, pretty well known. He has some health issues, so… he’s in the background at the moment.” He liked Paul, the man knew the business well and had been around for most of his career. There just wasn’t a place for Paul’s character with his American Badass persona. “It gets better, darlin’.” He chuckled, kissing the top of her head. Mark had noticed… he’d put on some weight since 97, frowning. Maybe he needed less beer and pizza, more gym time.

“Yeah well his character is an ass.”

Alice kept watching as the blackmail portion of the storyline went without a hitch. Sid and other wrestlers were calling Taker out, wondering why he was bowing down to a scumbag like Paul Bearer. What could the secret possibly be? Finally, the Raw came where Undertaker was supposed to team up with Vader and he refused, walking out on the match. Paul screeched in the microphone about revealing to the whole world his dark secret he’d held inside for over 20 years. Undertaker retaliated by doing the cutthroat motion and Alice groaned, hating how the show cut off at that moment. The tape had also ended.

“Oh my god, put the next one in! I have to see what happens and what the secret is!”

She was completely enthralled with his character and the storyline, wondering how the hell WCW managed to beat WWF in ratings. This was compelling television, dark and mysterious. Fans were insane. When she said she had known jack about the company, about his character, Mark would admit to having his doubts. There was just no way. She couldn’t have worked for WCW, not that that had been anything worth watching, and not know her wrestling history at least a little bit. But here Alice was, eager and ready to go to the next one, discovering the delights of the Phenom for the first time. It was a definite ego booster.

“I don’t know darlin’… too much TV rots the brain.” Mark rumbled slowly, teasing her, and watched as she scooted across the couch and glared at him, beginning to laugh. “All right, all right, Red. Just tuck that bottom lip away.” He growled, leaning over until he was in her face, catching said lip between his teeth gently.

“You can try distracting me all you want, but I’m not leaving this living room until I find out what that secret is.”

Excitement shined in her greys, sliding her hands up his bare chest and shoulders, feeling her bottom lip being released. Just because she enjoyed teasing him back and lighting him on fire as much as he did her, Alice traced his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue and gasped when he yanked her against him. Reaching out, she unfastened his jeans and delved her hand inside to lightly stroke him, her eyes never leaving his.

“Maybe a little break wouldn’t hurt any.”

He had a secret all right, one he was about to tell her, then those soft but firm fingers of hers were wrapped around his cock and Mark felt his eyes rolling into the back of his head. He grabbed her wrist, removing her hand gently from the confines of his jeans and grabbed her by the legs, pulling Alice out until she was laying on her back on the couch, him hovering over her. He then guided her hand back down.

“You may continue.” He informed her, his voice an arrogant demand, though she did as she was instructed.

She was wearing too many clothes, he decided, his hands moving to the hem of her top, beginning to pull it up and over her bra, eyeballing the delicious vision she presented.

~!~

“Now that’s what I call a break.”

Alice tried to get her breathing under control, an hour later, while sitting astride Mark, both of them completely naked. She felt him grow limp inside of her and groaned at the loss of being filled, pressing soft kisses on his neck, across his Adam’s apple and finally snuggled against him. Pulling back, she softly kissed him and pecked his nose, both cooling off and coming down from their intense sexual high.

“I’ll go make some popcorn while you pop in the next video. Don’t get dressed.”

Eating popcorn, naked and watching her man was the perfect idea as Alice extracted herself from him to pad out of the living room into the kitchen. She did not mind walking around this house naked and had a feeling Mark didn’t either, wiggling her backside when she caught him watching her from the doorway. Alice was completely comfortable in her own skin, not ashamed of her body and put the popcorn in the microwave to make it. Mark got up, mostly to go clean up. He had no problem chilling with her naked, but not crusty from his own gunk. Emerging from the bathroom in time to see her naked behind swaying again, Mark planted his palm firmly against that bare cheek.

“Mmm…” He hummed, rubbing the rosy mark he had left behind and laughed when she simply wiggled against him again. “Insatiable minx.”

Patiently, he waited until the popcorn was in a bowl for them to share before carefully lifting Alice up into his arms. He brought her back out to the couch, so they could resume their… well Undertaker binge. Felt a bit egotistical, binging on videos of himself, but… it was what it was.

“What do you think so far?” He asked curiously, genuinely wanting her opinion.

“I understand the fascination with the Undertaker a lot better now and why you have females screaming at you everywhere you go.” She laughed at his groan, kissing him softly before popping some popcorn in her mouth. “I really like the character. You’re fascinating because you don’t give much of yourself away. Your…creatures of the night follow you based on pure talent, which you no doubt have. It’s really interesting to see your character now as opposed to how it was back then. It’s like you did a complete 180 and I’m curious to know why. Why did you change your character so…drastically?” It was an honest, curious question because Alice had no idea he’d left in mid-99 to take time off for an injury and that’s why he’d revamped his character to look like a biker.

“Well now, darlin,” He had to think about it for a minute, trying to find the right words. “Best characters in this business, and the ones that last the longest, are the ones that are just extensions of ourselves. You got guys like me, Glenn, Austin, Triple H, Jericho… we’re all playing ourselves on the show, just with the volume cranked way up. Thing is, this business changes so damn fast, and our fans do too, so we have to keep evolvin’, changing to keep up with them. So… as you can see, bit by bit, I’ve given myself some reinventions and this last one… well, honestly, I’m a bit old to be decking myself out in eyeliner.” Not that he didn’t wear it with the best of them, because he did. “And… it’s nice just to be Mark for a bit, sort of.” Mark didn’t doubt for a second that he’d eventually return to the ‘dark side’.

That was her next question. “Do you think you’ll ever return to the darker side of your character?” She was about to say, ‘of you’, but decided against it and watched him nod, a soft smile crossing her face. “I like you just the way you are now, but I also find your darker persona enthralling. Now press play.”

Alice leaned against him while they slowly ate the popcorn, her eyes widening at the secret Paul Bearer spilled to the entire world. The funeral home fire, his parents and little brother. Alice quickly deduced who the little brother was and the scene with Undertaker in his locker room, a purple hue surrounding him. Alice stopped eating while she watched it, her heart breaking as Undertaker told his side of the story and she had to admit, Mark deserved an academy award for that performance. It was possibly the longest backstage segment she’d seen him do yet and she actually sat up a little, tears swelling in her eyes. The amount of pain in his voice while talking about his dead parents…Alice took the remote from him and pressed pause once that segment ended, wiping tears away.

“That was…deep…” Not the word she wanted to use, but it was the only one Alice could come up with at the time. “Wow…the way you did that makes me believe that actually happened to you. It didn’t, right? It was all just storyline?”

No wonder they called this man one of the greatest in the wrestling industry. Well that was a first and he blinked down at her, a bit surprised to find tears in her eyes. Gently, Mark wiped them away with the pad of his thumb, bending down to kiss her eyelids.

“Ain’t a thing in that segment true, darlin’.” He had to think about it, focus on how he would’ve felt if he had been in that situation, though. Mark was not a natural actor, or at least, he hadn’t thought he was, not until the WWF had set him loose so to speak. “Glenn and I might be built alike, but we don’t share a drop of blood, on any side.” Well, they might’ve now, after spilling each other’s numerous times, but… not in the family sense.

“Good, because that was absolutely terrible…that story.” It was gut wrenching and tore at her heartstrings, which is what it was supposed to do. “N-Not your acting or how you did it. That was masterful, but the story is so heartbreaking.” She was also a woman; women were a lot more emotional than men, though she had to wonder what got him into that zone to deliver such an amazing performance. “You don’t have to be blood to be family. I can tell Glenn means a lot to you and you two are more than best friends. You are brothers.” That would no doubt ring true in the coming videos. “He didn’t have to get involved in what’s going on with me or help, but he did, and I know he did it because of you. Just like taking us to his home in Tennessee after what happened to me…he’s a good guy, you both are. I can tell there’s a bond, even if you pick on each other constantly and rib each other. That sort of friendship and bond can’t be broken.” Alice caressed his face with her hand, once again getting lost his eyes.

“Yeah, I got nothing.” He admitted, after she stared at him for a while, not sure what to say to that very female sort of talk.

Mark already knew he and Glenn were buddies for life. Hell, he trusted Glenn above pretty much everyone else and Austin was a good reason for that. They had been buddies once too. He began laughing when she made a remark under her breath about ‘men’, beginning to tickle her sides.

“What’s that darlin’? Hmm?”

Alice squealed out, extremely ticklish on her sides and Mark had figured it out, tormenting her ever since. She wasn’t ticklish anywhere else except her sides, not even her feet, which was weird. “Mark, stop!” She gasped out, squirming against him, and breathed heavily when he finally did, only to start up again.

After a few more rounds, he finally took pity on her and they resumed watching the video, which was the slow buildup of from Paul Bearer’s confession. Her eyes widened when Paul told Undertaker his brother Kane was coming, and he would burn in hell. Now THAT was intriguing, and she knew Glenn would be coming up soon. Not soon enough though. Mark had to get up and pop in two more videos since it was several months of buildup prior to the first ever Hell in a Cell match against Shawn Michaels.

“Oh wow…” She’d never seen an actual Hell in a Cell match before until now, not believing the sheer brutality both men brought out in each other. “Oh my god…” Her hands cupped over her mouth when Shawn fell from the side of the cage and crashed through the announcer’s table, his face nothing more than a crimson mask. “Holy shit!”

When Kane made his entrance by ripping the door off the hinges of the Cell, Alice just stared in awe at the size of him and wondered where all the muscle mass Glenn had back then gone. He wasn’t nearly as big now as he used to be. Did the man do steroids back then? She already knew Mark didn’t; a person could tell the difference and he clearly took care of his body.

“Well, Big Red DEFINITELY knows how to make an entrance, doesn’t he?”

“Sure does.”

Mark licked his bottom lip thoughtfully, watching the video with her. Glenn’s problem had been his wife. Getting married had made the man… well, Glenn had always been prone to being on the larger side in the gut, getting married hadn’t done him any favors. The bigger he got, the skinnier his wife was getting; he had a feeling Teresa kept the man well fed on purpose and snorted.

“Remind me to show you some old videos of him as a dentist, you’ll die laughing.” Though, he would give Glenn props, he had maintained those arms, the strength, and in an arm wrestling contest could best anyone in the locker room, himself included.

“A dentist? He had a character that was a dentist?” Alice stared at him bewildered, tilting her head much like the Kane character did often and didn’t believe him for a second. “No way, you’re pulling my leg.” Sure enough, they took a break from the Undertaker wrestling history to watch some of Glenn’s and her jaw dropped at the Isaac Yankem DDS character. “Oh…my…god…” She would NEVER be able to look at Glenn the same way again, giggling uncontrollably and saw Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler in quite a few of the segments. “No wonder he changed his character completely. Poor Glenn, that was a HORRIBLE character for him.” Mark agreed, and they started laughing again as she stood up to get some more popcorn, not surprised at his hand colliding with her backside again. “You know, I’m starting to wonder if you have an ass fetish, Deadman…”

“Now, before I met you, I was more of a blonde kind of guy.” Mark informed her honestly and he knew everyone who knew him would’ve vouched for that. “Blonde hair, big tits, no ass…” Probably too much information for her taste. “Turns out, I’ve really been missing out.” Because redheads were now his preferred taste in women and he adored this particular redhead’s delicious, curvy ass. “And when it’s nice and rosy…” Beautiful.

“Well, I think my tits are big enough and I refuse to get any work done on my body. It’s all natural, baby.”

Alice winked and did a twirl, not caring what kind of woman he’d been into. Blondes though…typical was all she could think. It didn’t surprise her because most men did go for blondes. Her hair was natural both up and downstairs, her eyebrows the same color as her hair, though she darkened them when she did her makeup. Pulling the popcorn out, she dumped it in the bowl before rejoining him on the couch and smiled at the tape he’d already had popped in.

“So, Glenn worked closely with Paul as well.” She surmised after watching Kane’s first Raw appearance and decided she had to meet this man. Anyone who valeted or managed both the Undertaker and Kane had to be a captivating individual to converse with. “You said Paul works backstage exclusively, right?” Mark nodded. “I want to meet him.”

Now he was the one a bit confused. Not that long ago, she wasn’t overly happy with the fat man, now she wanted to meet him. Apparently she had gotten over her initial fangirl moment.

“Okay, we can do that.” He nodded with a small smile. “I’ll have to see what his schedule is, he’s backstage, but not all the time. He’s got a wife at home he’s been spending time with.” Mark would bet money Paul already knew everything anybody could about Alice just because he was nosy that way.

Alice caught the look on his face, raising a brow. “I said I didn’t like his character, not the man himself.” She clarified, tweaking his nose gently and kissed his lips, leaning back against his chest as they started eating popcorn and watching more of the video. “Oh man, he didn’t hold back on those blows, did he?” She murmured softly, cringing with every hit Glenn gave Mark on Raw, after declaring he would never fight his little brother.

That hadn’t been easy for her to watch as Alice set the bowl aside and didn’t hear a response from Mark. Turning to look over her shoulder, she smiled at the sight of him sleeping and grabbed the remote, deciding to call it a night. It was going on 2 AM and they had one more day left before it was time to head back on the road. Kissing him awake, Alice told him it was time for bed and Mark went with her, both of them heading upstairs to crawl into bed still naked as jaybirds. The skin on skin contact was addicting and Alice could already feel her body succumbing to darkness as his back pressed against her chest, his body heat engulfing her.

Chapter 32

Sunday came with them once again walking around in the nude, after showering, neither wanting to put clothes on. They even cooked naked, though Mark made her wear an apron just to fulfill some kind of fantasy of his. That ended up in a round on the kitchen counter and he’d burnt breakfast as a result. They reluctantly went out, after getting dressed, to breakfast at a local diner in Houston, one of Mark’s favorite places to eat.

“Houston is so beautiful.” She commented, wearing a pair of jean shorts and a purple tank top, her hair piled up on top of head in a messy tight bun.

They had taken the bike out, enjoying the beautiful hot Texas weather and Alice had done her makeup to hide the fading bruises. Nobody would notice she’d had the hell beaten out of her, the makeup covering what was left of the injuries perfectly. She looked like Alice again and felt more like herself than she had in a long time, all thanks to Mark. As they ate breakfast, once again in amicable silence, Alice came to the realization she was in love with him. It’d been something she’d tried denying, trying to keep everything light with him, but her heart was already his and she knew it.

The look on Alice’s face made him stop pouring hot sauce on his scrambled eggs, frowning as he capped the bottle and set it aside. It was a weird look. Like… she was having some inner issues, trying to sort them out in her head, and the conclusion, whatever she had determined, wasn’t something she was…alright with, or had expected. Mark wasn’t sure.

“Everything all right, Red?” He asked gently, reaching to slide her orange juice towards her and the coffee pot towards himself.

“Everything okay?” The waitress asked, halting at the table, and staring down at them with concern, taking in the look on Alice’s face and then followed the redhead woman’s stare to the Mark. “Well congratulations, Mark.”

“What?”

“You finally traumatized someone.”

“Oh get lost Wendy.” He grumbled without any bite to it, snorting when the older woman began laughing at him as she walked away. Mark was used to her harassing him, it was a two-way street.

Alice laughed at Wendy and Mark’s remarks, jolting out of her deep thoughts and watched the waitress walk away, feeling Mark reach over to take her hand. “I’m okay, just thinking about tomorrow.” It was a smooth lie that left her mouth, no hesitation, and she breathed a silent breath of relief when it seemed he believed her. “I’m nervous about my meeting with Vince, especially after what I did.” Or didn’t do, which had started her whole ‘punishment’ from Shane and ultimately landed her in Dallas’s lap. “Everything will be okay. I’m just worrying over nothing.”

“Vince is a scumbag, no doubt about it, but find me a McMahon, male, who isn’t.” Mark remarked, resuming eating his food now that he knew she was all right. “But he’s not stupid. He knows right now, you’re good for business. People are talkin’ about the redheaded beauty who has jumped ship. Not to mention, he ain’t in the habit of fucking with me as a general rule.” With Austin turning traitor, he was the vet-in-charge, shaking his head. “Besides, Vince knows Linda has a hand in this, I’m sure of it, he won’t want to cross her, not after everything he’s already done. She can be… vicious.”

That was very true. Thanks to Teresa’s brilliance, Linda McMahon had swindled her contract from Shane and now she was on her way to becoming a WWF Diva. For some reason, it bothered Alice with what Mark said regarding Vince not screwing with him. She didn’t want to ride on his coattails and fuck her way to the top of the women’s division in WWF. Granted, it wasn’t much of a division right now, but hopefully that would change in time. She did smile at his comment about her jumping ship, knowing that was completely true.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me up to this point, Mark, I truly do. But I’m going to the meeting with Vince alone tomorrow once we get to the arena. If you want to stand outside of the door, that’s fine, but I feel I need to have the meeting privately without you looming over intimidating the man.”

Giving him a knowing smirk, she took a bite out of her eggs and could see the argument brewing in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything, and they continued eating. Mark didn’t say anything because it dawned on him that he didn’t need to be there. Vince knew, everyone did, that they had something going and Vince wasn’t about to piss off and alienate his most loyal superstar. Not to mention, Mark had never had a problem in physically showing his displeasure with Vince.

“So, what else was bothering you?” He raised a brow at the look she gave him. “Spill, Red.”

“That’s it.” Now it was her turn to look pointedly at him. “What? Did you want something else to be bothering me?”

There was NO way she was mentioning the L word ANY time soon and decided to watch herself thinking about that while in Mark’s presence. The man was way too perceptive for his own good. He could read anyone, her especially, and Alice didn’t want to scare him off with feelings. Better to act dumb or simply change the subject, which would work for a while. Eventually, she would tell him once everything calmed down with the Alliance. There was still a war going on and her jumping ship didn’t mean it was over. They had to keep their guards up when on the road.

“You have a tell, Red, when you’re lyin’, did’ja know?” He asked, amusement lacing his tone.

It was obviously something she didn’t want to share with him and that was fine. Mark was a patient person, and honestly, she was entitled to her secrets and her thoughts. He didn’t have a free pass into her head and heart, demanding what he would.

“Need more food?” He asked with a grin, staring at her plate.

“What do you mean I have a tell?” Alice mentally cursed, thinking she had gotten away with lying to him and didn’t realize whenever she did fib, her lip slightly twitched. It was unnoticed to the untrained eye, but she’d been with Mark for a month now and they’d gotten to know each other intimately in every possible way. “No, I’m fine.” Her lip didn’t twitch. “Ready to go?” There was no point in badgering her about what was on her mind and what she was keeping from him because Alice was tight-lipped. Mark nodded, paid for their food, and guided her out to the bike, but didn’t let her mount it yet. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. I just…I’m trying to work some shit out in my head and when I figure it out, I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Darlin’, I didn’t stop ya to grill you, your business is your own.” He smiled down at her. “I wanted to do this.” Lowering his head, Mark brushed his lips against hers, hands moving to her hips and kneaded her flesh softly. “Also… you can’t stiffen your upper lip when you’re trying to keep it from twitchin’, makes ya do a duck thing.” He whispered against her jaw, chuckling when she groaned. “Best way to get away with lying is to convince yourself it’s not a lie, or mix some truth in.”

He knew; he did it a lot with people he wasn’t emotionally vested in. It made her wonder idly if Mark had ever lied to her, especially if he was telling her how to be a convincing liar. If he had, she didn’t know it and Alice didn’t want to reflect on that, wanting to put her full trust and faith in him.

“Believe me, what I’m thinking about isn’t a lie, as much as I wish it was.”

The curiosity burned in his emeralds as he stared down at her and Alice kissed him this time, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was bent down to her level and lifted her, her legs encircling his waist. Mark had no problem showing public displays of affection and proved it by cupping two handfuls of her backside. Honestly, she was going to miss moments like these with Mark because they would be few and far between after tomorrow.

“I’ve never been a good liar.” She admitted in a mumble against his lips, pulling back enough to rest her forehead against his.

“Well hell, we can fix that, Red.”

Mark laughed, burying his face in her neck and blew a raspberry. He could not recall, ever, being this openly affectionate with a woman before. If he were honest, he had never had a relationship like this before. He’d had girlfriends, but none like her, none that made him feel like she did.

“I learned how to find tells by playing poker with some buddies.” Eventually, he’d get around to introducing them all. “Want to head home or just ride around a bit, darlin’?”

“Going home means packing our bags, eating dinner, sexing each other up for a couple hours and then going to sleep. I don’t want tomorrow to get here that fast.” No other man made her feel this way, though Alice hadn’t had a lot of experience in the relationship department either. It was a flaw of hers, so if there was a woman out there better than her for Mark, she was going to make sure he never met her. “Let’s ride around and enjoy the day. Take me anywhere you want, show me your old haunts.”

Nipping his bottom lip, Alice giggled at his growl and felt her backside plant on the bike moments later with Mark mounting in front. She instantly wrapped her legs around his waist and her hands rested on his sides, needing to get used to riding around with him. His old haunts… Mark knew where to take her. Laughing, he pulled out of the parking space, feeling her tightening her thighs around him and groaned. He took her to the bluffs, a place he had spent a lot of summers exploring. It wasn’t quite as he remembered it, but he also knew things looked a lot… larger, more intense as a child. He pulled up in front of the old rusty gate, dismounting after she unwrapped herself and turned to help her down. Pushing his motorcycle through the gate, he parked it behind some bushes, turning to eyeball the woods looming before them.

“There used to be a path,” He informed her, pointing to where it used to be, but grass had grown wild and over. “Leads out to a cliff overlookin’ the city.”

“Good thing I wore my tennis shoes today.” Alice joked, taking his hand, and let him guide her through the tall grass and woods, enjoying the nature surrounding them.

Even though it was hotter than Hades outside, the heat didn’t bother them. Soon, they were on a cliff that overlooked the entire city of Houston. The sun made the city glitter as it reflected off the tall buildings. It was gorgeous and Alice envied Mark for being able to grow up in such a beautiful place.

“You used to come here as a kid?” At his nod, she felt his arm wrap around her waist to pull her against him and rested her head on his chest while still overlooking the city. “Weren’t your parents afraid you’d fall off this thing or something?” Random question, but it was a LONG way down if someone fell.

He chuckled at that, dropping down and pulled her with him, though… he also made sure her ass landed in the grass away from the edge. Mark let his legs dangle, staring out over the city. “It was a lot different back then, smaller.” He admitted, not remembering the last time he came up here. “My Mom just sent me outside; as long as I came home before the streetlights lit up, I don’t think she worried. Well, she probably did, but…boys are boys.” He shrugged his massive shoulders. “Used to come out here with a bunch of kids from the neighborhood. That gated community a few blocks down we came by,” At her nod, he smiled. “That used to be just a regular neighborhood, lived in a yellow house, it’s gone now.” He realized, all the things he had taken for granted growing up, Alice never had.

No she hadn’t, they came from completely different backgrounds. His was fun and uplifting while hers had been a nightmare. It could’ve been worse, she supposed, but religion was something she would never, ever talk about. It was the one subject completely off-limits because of what she’d gone through with her foster family. They abused her in the name of God and called it a punishment – sick fucks.

“That sounds really nice.” The little freedom she had was spent trying to find a way out of her foster family’s house of horrors. It was normal for kids, back in the day, to spend the day outdoors and playing with toys, but nowadays there was so much technology it took away that innocence. “I can imagine you as a redheaded boy with knobby knees and freckles.” Mark had freckles on his body, though she found them sexy and it just made him that much more appealing. They were barely seen too, blending well with his skin tone, which was surprisingly pale considering he was a Texan.

“I had very knobby knees.” He snorted, leaning back and folded his hands beneath his head, staring up into the big blue sky. “And big ol’ ears, kids always called me Dumbo.” Mark had hated his ears, he could vividly remember crying to his mother and trying to tape them, so they didn’t stick out too much. “Then I hit puberty.” His tone and face both became evil.

Mark had grown up and taller, gotten a bit on the muscular side and suddenly he wasn’t Dumbo. He was awesome. He had also pounded some people’s heads in for the insults, childhood grudges, that sort of thing. When Alice laid down beside him, he rested his head against hers.

“But I love your ears.” Alice crooned, laying on her side with her leg draped over his, her hand caressing his t-shirt covered chest. “They’re so easy to nibble on.” Her teeth grazed his ear, feeling his arm tighten around her and she smiled wickedly, nuzzling his neck. “You don’t have Dumbo ears. You have sexy ears.”

The man dripped sex, period. There was no mistaking or denying that. Her schooling involved being bullied because she was a foster kid. Transferring schools every couple months, from state to state, until finally Florida is where fate settled her. Turning, she looked up at the sky along with him, feeling him turn to look down at her and locked eyes with him, reaching up to glide the pad of her thumb across his lips and chin.

Chapter 33

“Well darlin’, if I ever knock you up, we’re gonna have big eared ginger babies.” Both of them had red hair… those poor little bastards would be gingery, covered in freckles, and likely have his ears. He began laughing at the look on Alice’s face, rolling over and scooting forward until he was away from that ledge and straddling her, careful not to crush her with his weight. “I’m kiddin’ Red, breathe.” Mark advised and then hesitated. “Now that we’re on the subject, what kind of birth control have we been using?” They had not been using condoms, at all.

Trying to find use of her tongue again, Alice let out a nervous laugh, hardly able to fathom them having kids. Then again, she wasn’t sure about a lot of things in her life these days and having Mark’s babies wouldn’t be so bad…one day. Wrestling a couple years, establishing a name for herself and then retiring to pop out some rug rats with him…she immediately got off that train of thought and cleared her throat.

“Well, um – we have been using a diaphragm along with a shot that lasts a couple years. Last time I got it was right before I joined WCW. So, I should be getting one within the next year.”

Alice didn’t trust herself enough to take pills and wanted to make absolutely certain she wouldn’t get pregnant. She wasn’t sexually active during her stripper days, but it was a contingency plan just in case something happened. Rape, for example. A lot of the girls at the strip club she worked at were raped, but luckily, somehow, Alice had managed to avoid that happening to her.

Alice was nervous, and he began rubbing her sides gently, trying to calm her down as best as he was able. Apparently, mentioning kids hadn’t been a wise move on his part. He’d given it thought over the years, having a few, but… Mark wasn’t just going to fuck any woman and have a kid with her, especially with his job. That was just begging for a divorce and serious child support and custody battle.

“I’m just teasin’ you, darlin’.” He said quietly, reassuring her. “I’m glad one of us is responsible.”

Normally, Mark was all about wearing a condom. Alice had totally messed up his train of thought and that realization had just hit him. Hard, like ice water being poured over his head.

“Trust me, if I wasn’t on any kind of birth control, I would’ve made you wrap it up. Honestly though, I don’t like condoms. I enjoy the full contact when it comes to sex.”

Alice could be blunt when she wanted to be and relaxed under his touch, knowing he was just teasing her about the kids. It still knocked her for a loop that he’d mentioned having them in the first place. Usually, that was what the woman did, right?

“Are you okay?” She saw the slight panic enter his eyes and sat up a little on her elbows, peering up at him with a slightly tilted head. Did it really bother him that much they didn’t use condoms? “Mark, if you want to start using more protection like condoms, we can. I don’t like them, but I’ll deal with it if it makes you feel more comfortable and secure in the knowledge we won’t have kids anytime soon.” Now Alice was smiling, glad she wasn’t the only one feeling weirded out.

“Just hoping I didn’t give you any STDs.” He retorted, beginning to laugh when she wasn’t the one amused this time and caught her hands before she could co-cock him. Growling, he shifted and rolled them both, hovering over her in the grass. “Play nice woman.” He threatened, his baritone dropping to a low, thundering rumble. “Or else I’ll have to punish you.” Right here on the cliff edge… the idea of having her here, in the light of day, overlooking the city… Mark got comfortable between her legs and arched his hips into hers, letting her feel him straining against his jeans.

“Mmm I wouldn’t mind being punished by you, but how can be punishment if I enjoy it? Kind of a double-edged sword there, Deadman.”

Her greys had turned stormy, seeing the need change his eyes from emeralds to dark forest green that matched the colors of the leaves hanging over them. He wanted her and, if his eyes didn’t give him away, his jean covered erection did the job. Mark had given her so many new experiences, he would never realize just how much of the world he’d opened up to her.

“Mark…” She groaned softly, accepting a searing kiss from him and felt his tongue glide across hers, tasting each other. “Make love to me…right here…” Outdoors in the wild, it was an experience she wanted to share with only him.

“Gladly.”

“Oh wow, are you two gonna fuck?”

And how glad he was he had not removed any clothing. It was like a record screeching in his head as he pulled away from Alice’s now frowning mouth, looking up to see a few preteen boys standing there, looking both awed and nervous. “What’d you just say?”

”You’re going to-” The kid swallowed his words when the man got up, realizing just how big he was. “Uh… uh…” He pointed at his friend. “He’s the one who said it.”

Mark did not remember having a mouth like that on him when he had been that age. Well, he had, but he wouldn’t have dared said ‘fuck’ in front of an adult, stranger or not. Sighing, he bent down to help Alice up.

“What the hell are you kids doing out here?”

“Fireworks, there’s fireworks tonight and we can’t pay to get in, so…” A smaller boy with dirty blonde hair pointed at the cliff’s edge.

“I-It’s fine – it’s fine go on and enjoy the firework show.” Alice was red as her hair, unable to meet the kids’ eyes and felt Mark pull her away from the cliff, shaking her head. She started laughing, seeing Mark was clearly perturbed over being interrupted by those kids. “Hey, he said fireworks, right?” At Mark’s stiff nod, Alice got an idea in her head and kissed his hand, pulling him back toward the bike. “Come on, let’s get home. With that long stretch of land you have, there’s not a doubt in my mind we’ll be able to watch them from your backyard.” They could also fuck outside in the privacy of his backyard too without kids interrupting.

As if reading her mind, he began to grin and led the way out of the woods, trying to ignore the little bastards behind them as the kids debated over whether or not he was the Undertaker and if he had indeed been about to ‘fuck’. “Kids.” He muttered, shaking his head. Lesson learned, don’t try having sex in a public location. “Why don’t we stop and grab something to eat at home?” He suggestion, knowing they had a bit before sundown and he didn’t live way out in the boonies. More like the outskirts of this side of Houston, but within the city limits.

“Subway! That’s easy to clean up and you can build a bonfire.”

Mark had talked about having a fire, but they hadn’t done it yet and tonight was perfect. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the sun was slowly settling on the horizon and soon the fireworks would start. Luckily, Mark had saddlebags to put the food inside, so they quickly stopped at the nearby Subway, grabbed four sandwiches – three for him and one for her – and then hit the road back to the house. It was actually a ranch. Once they arrived, Alice hopped off the bike and headed inside to grab some blankets to sprawl out on the grass. Once they were set up and Mark had the fire going, they pulled their sandwiches out with longnecks and toasted each other before eating, watching the rest of the sunset. It was breathtaking.

Honestly, Mark had no idea what the occasion was for the fireworks. He hadn’t been home in a while and tended to not pay that much attention to local festivals and events unless it was sports. He was a bachelor who didn’t use his bachelor pad, well… he had this week, vigorously. They ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the sunset and once they had finished eating, he topped the fire back up, including with their sandwich wrappers while she shook out the blanket. Grinning, Mark peeled off his top and tossed it aside, watching Alice expectantly. Sure enough, she didn’t disappoint, she was stripping down to nothing and he followed suit.

“This view is a helluva lot better than fireworks, Red.” He informed her appreciatively, sitting back down alongside her. “You know… I don’t recall ever runnin’ around here naked before.”

“Being naked is so freeing. I think that’s why I didn’t mind stripping so much because I felt free when I did it. Sure, a lot of people think it’s degrading, but honestly, it’s also a work of art. Climbing the poles and…” Alice stopped talking, flushing at his heated gaze and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, feeling him draw her closer to him. “I love being naked, especially with you.” If she could, if it were possible, she would stay here with Mark for the rest of their days running around naked and enjoying life. Still, they both were passionate about wrestling and that wasn’t an option, not until later on in life when they were both done with the industry. “And don’t sell yourself short, you are a delicious view as well…”

He had never really considered stripping beyond the aspect that it was entertaining and hot. But now… Mark studied her thoughtfully, realizing she wasn’t puny and weak like he had thought. Alice did have muscles, just not the way he had thought, the way he tended to view muscular woman in the business. He reached over, running his hand along her upper thigh and felt those muscles, then up her side to her arms. Doing those dances, lifting their body weight up onto poles and moving on them, holding positions on them, that required some serious strength. He was appreciating strippers a lot more tonight as well.

“Darlin’… you amaze me.” Mark informed her, right before claiming her mouth with his.

Not having a clue how that was possible, Alice’s thought process flew out the window the moment his mouth covered hers, getting lost in him. It scared her how lost she became in this man and didn’t want to completely lose herself in him. Part of her did though, part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind and completely lose herself in this one man, to give him absolutely everything, surrender everything. Just as the fireworks began going off and exploded around them, Mark and Alice didn’t hear the loud booms as he made love to her.

On the blanket, under the stars and fireworks, the moon in front of the fire…it was such an incredible surreal moment. The firelight reflected off their skin, beads of sweat forming as they took each other to the limit, the warm breeze blowing over them. If Alice and Mark didn’t last, at least she would be able to take this moment in time with her and cherish this memory forever. A moment to tell her children and grandchildren one day…how this one amazing man gave her passion and ignited a life inside of her she didn’t know existed.

Mark Calaway brought her back to life.

Having sex outside under fireworks, that was an entirely new experience and he would admit to being like a little child, trying to do everything at once. Make love to her, watch the fireworks, all of it. By the time they had finished, the fireworks had too, Mark figured it was a metaphor or something and pulled her into his arms, his heart beating a furious tattoo in his chest.

~!~

With their fingers laced together, Alice and Mark walked inside the arena the following evening. It was a couple hours before showtime, so things weren’t as chaotic as they would be closer to the actual program. Alice wore black dress pants and a sleeveless white blouse that buttoned down the front. It didn’t show off any cleavage and it wasn’t see-through either. Her hair was pulled back in a neat high bun, a few tendrils framing her face delicately. Since this was her first official meeting with the owner of the WWF, she wanted to look as professional as possible, taking a deep breath. They arrived outside of the office with MCMAHON in bold black lettering on the door and she slowly looked up at Mark, the nerves erupting in her stomach again.

“This is it. Wish me luck. Are you going to stay out here and wait for me or go take care of business?”

Such as finding out what his match was that night and going to his dressing room to settle in. Austin wasn’t here tonight, or wasn’t supposed to be, that was the rumor he had caught this morning when they had checked into their hotel. Apparently, the bald bitch was still nursing his injuries, good.

“I’m going to go check the board and find out what’s what.” He said finally, knowing he couldn’t coddle her, but at the same time… he wasn’t overly thrilled with the idea of leaving her alone either, just in case. Too many people had proven they weren’t to be trusted, at all. “Don’t let him bully you.” He advised, though… considering that Marissa and Linda had both gotten on board with this, he doubted Vince would be anything besides kind and courteous.

McMahons were all bipolar.

“I won’t, my protector.”

Alice smirked, accepting a soft kiss from him, and watched him walk off before turning to the door. Taking another deep breath, she rose her hand to knock on it and opened it after hearing a booming ‘come in!’. The moment she opened the door, Vince was sitting behind his desk with a pair of glasses on and a slew of paperwork in front of him and he looked up at who wanted to meet with him.

“Hello Mr. McMahon.” She greeted softly, closing the door behind her to show trust and clutched her purse in front of her, which was black. “I was told to come here once I arrived at the arena tonight. Is this a bad time? I-I can come back later or…”

Vince stared at Alice over the rims of his glasses, taking in her rather professional look. It was a lot different from the first night he had met her, when he had thought he was still untouchable and could have any kitty he wanted. The fiery redhead had simply stood there, looking like an easy piece of behind, but… she hadn’t been and hadn’t shown no interest in him at all. He was aware of the… grief… she had experienced at the hands of his son, his son’s company and now his own main defector. Also, he was aware this woman was considered under the protection of not only Mark Calaway and Glenn Jacobs, but his own wife and daughter-in-law. Vincent Kennedy McMahon was on his best behavior tonight.

Chapter 34

“No, this is as good a time as any, Alice.” Vince gestured to the chair before his desk. “I have your contract right here.” He tapped a folder, smiling politely at her and watched as she sat down. His eyes took in her face, she looked a lot better from what she had been according to the trainer’s report. “We’ve um, included insurance.” He informed her. “Usually, we provide only so much per year, per star and based on their road and ring time, you’ll have standard healthcare like salary employees.” Because… she got hurt, a lot, and not in the ring.

“Oh wow…” Alice tried not to gape at the dollar amount flashing back at her and failed, looking back up at Vince with wide greys. “A-Are you sure this is…right?”

WCW and even Shane McMahon did NOT offer this amount of money to a woman. She swallowed hard when he nodded, reading over her contract, and taking her time, wanting to make sure there were no loopholes Dallas could use against her. She was WWF through and through, with the help of Linda McMahon, Teresa and even Shane’s very own wife, Marissa. She really wanted to do something extraordinary for those women because they had changed her entire life.

“I-I know Linda wanted me to start training immediately to become a wrestler in the women’s division, but…I need a little more time to heal, if that’s alright.”

Mark did not want her getting in the ring until she was 100% healed and right now, she was about 80%. Her contract also stated she could valet anyone she wanted as long as both parties were in agreement, so that was another plus. Alice didn’t see herself valeting anyone else besides Mark and Glenn, though.

“She does want you to start training right away, but I think for healing purposes, it can be postponed. Do you have any basic training?” He wasn’t surprised when she shook her head, though she did mention something about Mark teaching her some things. “He let his license expire.” Vince said after a moment, knowing Mark couldn’t train her anyway. He was too big, sure he could teach the basics, but the stuff she’d need to know for her size and the women’s division, such as it was, not so much. “Did he tell you we generally send rookies to Ohio Valley?”

They had bought the company out, sort of, and now used it as a training ground for their new hires. Rookies learned not only how to wrestle, but how to develop character, talk on the microphone, engage the audience, that sort of thing. When she frowned, he did too. Mark knew that better than anyone, before letting his license expire, he’d go down every few months to check in and give his opinion on the rookies, who was ready to be called up. So why hadn’t he?

“I’m guessing that’s a no.”

“Since I’m a valet, I was hoping I could do my training while on the road. I don’t want to stop valeting because that’s where I started, and I honestly enjoy doing it.” Alice figured honesty was the best way to go when it came to Vince and, according to her contract, Teresa had taken that into account when negotiating terms with Linda. “Lita offered to train me, actually.” That was news to Vince because his eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. “She said she helped Trish and offered to do the same thing with me.” Trish and Vince had a…complicated history and she recalled the woman slapping the taste out of his mouth earlier that year at WrestleMania…when all of this really began. “Would that be alright if I trained with her? If I don’t improve in, let’s say, 6 months, you can send me down to OVW and I’ll go without a fight.”

Vince admired her tenacity and spunk, seeing the determination in her beautiful greys glowing back at him. “Alright, I don’t see why that would be a problem, Alice. We have a deal, but your time starts when you start training. Take a couple weeks to fully heal.” He was thankful she put her health first and foremost because, unfortunately, a lot of his Superstars and Divas didn’t. “Was there anything else you wanted to discuss regarding your contract?”

“No, this all looks really great.”

Alice took the pen he extended to her, having read through it front to back completely and took a deep breath before signing on the dotted line. She was now locked into the WWF for 4 years. Handing the contract back to him, Alice watched him sign off on it as well with a flourish of his hand and they shook, sealing the deal.

“Thank you again for the opportunity, Mr. McMahon. Please extend my gratitude to your wife and daughter-in-law as well.”

Vince watched her walk out of his office, after dismissing her, and smirked, knowing things were about to get very interesting around the Fed.

“Oh hey, you’re back.”

Chris Jericho had to stop himself from nearly walking into Alice when she stepped out of McMahon’s office and his blue eyes moved from her to the door and back to her, wondering what the hell. After her ass had gotten beaten to hell and back the last time he had seen her, he had figured she would have said ‘fuck you’ to her contract and bailed, not that he blamed her. She was smiling, a sparkle in her eyes and Chris was curious.

“Uh, good news?”

Chris had been nothing except kind to her and Alice found herself befriending the blonde, nodding excitedly. “You’re looking at the newest addition to the WWF roster. Well, the Divas, but you get what I’m saying.”

“Get the fuck outta here, really?!” How the hell had THAT happened in the span of 5 days? Glenn mentioned something about his wife being a lawyer, but Chris didn’t think anything would go down so quickly. “That’s fantastic! Trust me, WWF is the way to go.” He knew firsthand how ass backwards WCW was ran and Shane McMahon was barely holding onto it by a thread, even with Austin in the ranks. “Feel better now that you’re away from the Alliance bottom feeders?”

“More than you could ever know.”

Would Chris Jericho need a valet in the future if Mark and Glenn weren’t available? She wouldn’t ask him, not wanting to intrude on his career more than she already had as they began walking down the hallway together. The makeup on her face covered the fading yellow bruises, which was all that was left from the brutal assault from Dallas, surprisingly.

“Thanks again…for what you did for me last week, Chris. I really appreciate the help and hopefully, you won’t have to do it again.”

“Here’s hoping,” He laughed, shaking his head.

Truth be told, Chris would have helped any woman, no matter what side she batted for, had she been looking as messed up as Alice had. Hell, maybe even that bottom feeding trash bag ho Stephanie…maybe. Though… he would also probably laugh at her and congratulate whoever had done it for taking her down a peg or three.

“No one deserves the treatment you got, it doesn’t matter who they swing for.” He said seriously and then realized just what was wrong with this picture. “Uh, aren’t you usually with the Deadman?” That was what was throwing him off because, generally, wherever Alice was, Taker wasn’t far behind.

“Yes, but I wanted to have the meeting with Vince by myself…and it sounds like Austin and Page aren’t in the building tonight.”

Mark still hadn’t told her everything he’d done to the Alliance, only that he’d remedied the situation and she didn’t need to worry about it. Nor did she realize the reason they’d been given 5 days off was for Mark to cool down because he’d literally destroyed the Alliance ranks, with Glenn’s help, while Jericho had watched over her. Alice trusted Mark wholeheartedly, so she did what he said and relaxed while healing up.

“Besides, I can’t follow him around everywhere, especially when my training starts in a couple of weeks.” She’d had to go places where Mark simply couldn’t, knowing he had his own schedule to maintain and keep up with for the company.

“Ahh, fair enough.”

Chris eyeballed her speculatively, really hoping his coworkers were onboard and didn’t give her any grief. He had a feeling, after the word had been spread about what Kane and the Deadman had done to the Alliance on her behalf, everyone would mind their Ps and Qs. Though… there would be rumors, sadly. It was just the nature of the business. She wasn’t going to have it easy and her association with two top dogs would both help and hinder her.

“Jericho, you got to get to wardrobe, you nitwit!”

“Oh yeah, right.” He flashed Alice a grin. “I’ll catch you later, babe, good luck!”

Laughing, Alice watched him zoom off and shook her head, continuing down the hallway. Mark had taken her bag for her, so she could change for the show after the meeting with Vince. A few of the WWF stars waved at her, but for the most part, she was ignored, and Alice expected it. She wouldn’t let it discourage her and people could talk all the smack they wanted regarding her, Mark, and Glenn. Only they knew the truth of what was going on and that was all that mattered. Everyone else could go suck eggs for all she cared. Arriving outside of the locker room labeled DEADMAN INC, Alice smiled and tapped on it before pushing open the door, not seeing Mark anywhere. That didn’t bother her, she wasn’t the man’s keeper and he had business to attend to without her hovering.

“Hello Alice.”

Grey eyes flew open at the sound of her old boss’s voice as Alice whipped around to face him, trying to wrap her mind around why he was in Mark’s dressing room. “Shane…” What the hell did he want now?

He smiled at the fear in her eyes and folded his arms in front of his chest, not moving from his spot near the door. “I just thought I’d congratulate you for jumping to the wrong team. Because once the WWF goes down, and it will, you’ll be crawling on your hands and knees begging me for your job back with the Alliance.” His voice dripped with cockiness and confidence, dark eyes gleaming. “So, I hope you enjoy being in the WWF…while it lasts. Dallas would LOVE to have you back with us, I’m sure.”

“That won’t happen.” Alice had to stand strong against him and squared her shoulders, eyes narrowing. “What would your beautiful mother and wife have to say if they saw you here and now threatening a woman, Shane?” She shook her finger at him. “I suggest you leave.” Or else she would be making a phone call to the two women who influenced his life most. “Now.”

“My wife… and mother.” Shane had not been amused with the fact that Teresa Jacobs had actually dragged them into this and he was planning on a little payback for Glenn’s wife. “They’ve interfered all they will. Neither Linda nor Marissa will ever return to the road.” That was a fact. “And they’ll both cease their interference now that you’re signed onto the WWF.”

He smiled again before mockingly bowing at her. It wasn’t him she overly needed to worry about. It was Stephanie, who had absolutely no fucks to give and nobody held sway over her.

“Enjoy your evening, slut.”

“Oh, I will, don’t worry. You might want to warn your Alliance stooges that they’ll have a pissed off Deadman coming their way, once he finds out you were in his locker room uninvited.”

Alice smiled coldly at the color draining from Shane’s face and waved three fingers mockingly at him, watching him zoom out the door like his backside suddenly caught fire. He obviously hadn’t thought this one through when entering Mark’s locker room in the first place. Rolling her eyes, Alice grabbed her clothes from her bag and walked into the private bathroom to shower the traveling grime off her. She also had to redo her makeup and do something with her hair before going out with Mark that night, wondering what his match was.

Unbeknownst to her, it was a tag team tables match pitting the Brothers of Destruction against The Dudley Boys.

~!~

“Honey! Did you miss me?”

Mark was walking back to his dressing room when he heard the ‘honey’ followed almost immediately by a 7 foot asshat jumping onto his back. He nearly stumbled, cursing when Glenn’s long legs wrapped around him, arms around his neck. “I’mma fuck you up.”

“Rude much?” Laughing, Glenn let go and dropped down, not that it was much of a drop and fell into step alongside his friend, smirking when Mark began rubbing his lower back. “I’m not THAT heavy, lost 5 pounds!”

“More like gained…” He muttered, side eyeing the taller man and wondered if it would be worth it, shoving him face first into the wall.

“Fucker!” Glenn growled, rubbing his nose, and glared at his friend, checking to make sure he wasn’t bleeding. “So, did you hear the news, honey?”

Mark gritted his teeth, rolling his eyes. “No what, sweetheart?”

Glenn chortled, clapping a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I checked the board for tonight…and we’re facing the Dudley’s.”

“Yeah, and?”

“It’s a tables match, man.”

That…was not good, especially with Alice out there and she was contractually obligated to valet someone to the ring. “Fuck…” They needed a game plan in case shit went haywire. Mark didn’t buy the fact Dallas wasn’t in the building either. “We gotta talk this out, but I need to check on Alice first.”

“I said it once and I’ll say it again: You got it bad.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

The minute both men were in that dressing room, Glenn said, “He’s going to propose.”

“WHAT?!” Mark bellowed, whirling to seriously clock Glenn right in his stupid face, growling when Glenn caught his balled-up fist. He had not missed the way Alice’s face had gone pale and then beet red. “Ignore him, darlin’, he’s in a mood today.”

“Propose an alternative for tonight’s match. Where’s your mind at?” Glenn grinned innocently, blue eyes telling a different story.

Mark was going to go to jail for assault, no two ways about it.

“I’m going out there with you. I already know what’s going down and I’ll be careful.”

Alice was getting used to Glenn runaway mouth and pulled white Deadman Inc tank top of over her head – the words DEADMAN INC in red lettering across her bosom. She also had on red leather pants and black steel toed boots, having purchased them while out shopping in Houston with Mark over their days off. Her hair was down from the bun, refusing to leave it and her makeup redone in foundation, red lipstick, and black liner.

“Shane paid me a visit while you were gone.”

“WHAT?!” They both shouted simultaneously, staring at her wide eyed.

“Yeah, he was waiting in here for me. I wonder what would’ve happened had you walked in instead of me though.” Alice wished it would’ve happened that way. “He congratulated me for jumping to the losing team, said I’d be begging him for my job back soon and Page would love having me back in the Alliance.” Another eye roll ensued. “So, who are you facing tonight?”

“The Dudley Boys…in a tables match.” Glenn answered before Mark could, seeing the big man was trying hard not to lose his temper. “We’ll watch out for you, but keep your eyes peeled for Page. I don’t buy he’s not in the building and neither does the Deadman.”

“Same here.”

“Oh, we’re gonna get jumped tonight. You still got that thin chain?”

“Yeah… oh… OH.” Glenn smacked his forehead. “Yeah, I got it.”

“You can wear it around your neck, darlin’. But if anybody comes to fuck with you, you wrap it around your fist and swing. It’s thin, but it’s solid steel and it’s heavy. Even if your swing isn’t… full force, it’s still going to hurt someone.” Mark advised Alice, explaining what he was thinking.

He knew, realistically, that there was only so much they could do. They had a match to focus on and, if they both wound up in the ring, she was on her own. If Alice wanted to make it in this company, in this industry, she was going to have to start bashing in heads.

“Got it.”

She took the chain Glenn pulled out of his bag and wrapped it a few times around her neck to make it drape, refusing to take any chances. The Dudley Boys were vicious, and they were known to put women through tables. Lita and Trish came to mind instantly.

“Vince told me to take a few weeks to heal completely and then I can start my training. I made a deal with him…”

Glenn arched a brow, not surprised when Mark demanded what kind of deal.

“If I don’t complete my training in 6 months, after I start it, I…I agreed to go down to OVW to finish.” Alice clasped her hands in front of her, knowing Mark wouldn’t be happy with what she did. “He explained to me that rookies, newcomers like me, are always sent down there for training, but he’s making me an exception because of my valeting stipulation in the contract.”

Chapter 35

Mark wasn’t mad. Not happy, but not mad because… he had known it was coming. All rookies were sent there, and he simply shrugged. “Makes sense, darlin’. I’m surprised you didn’t go now, actually.” At her confused look, he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “With this Alliance shit going on, you’d probably be safer there. Not to mention, it’s not just physical training and learning to wrestle. You’d get mic skills, character shit, you’d work in front of live audiences.” Small shit, nothing like the WWF or even WCW, but it would give her a feel. “But I’m sure Lita will have you ready to go, she’s not a bad trainer.”

Not to mention, Page could get to her anywhere and he’d proven that, so the safest place for her right now was by Mark’s side. “Yeah, she will.” Alice had confidence in the woman, especially after watching some of Trish’s matches.

“So, you signed your contract?”

“Yup.”

“And you read through it carefully?”

Alice smiled, remembering her phone call with Teresa the previous morning. She’d called back to check on Alice to make sure she was alright, after sending her into shock over the news. Teresa warned her to read over her contract carefully, wanting to make sure McMahon didn’t stick any kind of surprise stipulations in it.

“Yes, Dad. Tell Mom I did as I was told.”

Glenn instantly recoiled. “DAD?!”

“Oh shit, now you’ve done it…”

“Dad?! DAD? I do not look anything like a Dad!”

Glenn had issues revolving around children. He liked them, but he didn’t want any. That’s why Teresa was perfect for him, she didn’t like anything under the age of 18, period. Well, she did, but not enough to have any. Hence the small, private cabin. Admittedly, they were both kind of selfish people and knew a baby would require more than they were wanting to give. At least they could admit it.

“He’s gonna be doing that a while.” Mark snorted, dropping down into a chair and pulled Alice onto his knee, watching as Glenn began pacing back and forth, shaking his head. “Now you know how to get him wound up, Red.”

For 20 minutes straight, Glenn ranted and raved about how nasty, overbearing, time-consuming, disgusting children were. It was clear to Alice he and Teresa would not be having any kids, which was kind of sad to hear. Teresa seemed like she’d make a great Mom, especially after the way she took care of Alice in her time of need. That was their business and their marriage, but it was hilarious watching Glenn get his figurative feathers ruffled.

“You sounded like a Dad.” She pointed out once he finished, folding her arms in front of her chest, and shrugged at Glenn’s exasperation. “Seriously, Teresa sounded like a Mom on the phone to me and you just sounded like a Dad asking me about my contract. You have the Daddy vibe going on, Big Red.”

“I get you think my wife is a saint, but don’t ever mention having kids to her, ever.” Glenn ordered flatly, folding his arms over his chest, and then had to wonder if that was going to stick around. Daddy Kane, no, no… he had already done a stint as fake Diesel, Mr. Big Daddy Cool, or whatever he had called himself backstage. “She will lose her shit on you.”

“He’s not wrong.” Mark said with another shrug. “Some people just don’t like kids, I guess.”

“No, we like them. From a distance.”

“I called her Mom and she didn’t seem to mind it.”

“WHAT?!”

Alice was having too much fun, barely managing to keep a straight face. “Yeah. She didn’t say anything when I did. We laughed actually. Maybe because she knew it was a JOKE.”

“Mark, I’m gonna fuck your woman up!” Glenn growled, not amused by the serene smile on the redhead’s face and had to look away, taking a couple deep breaths.

Not taking his idle threat to heart, she merely leaned against Mark and kissed the side of his neck, wondering if he wanted kids someday. He’d brought the subject up, but they hadn’t really talked it over.

“You two can have all the damn kids you want, but no – just NO.” Glenn needed some air, walking out of the dressing room and didn’t see Mark’s scowl.

“So first he mentions a proposal and now kids – is he trying to tell you something, Deadman?”

“No, he’s just a suicidal bastard, who is hell bent on provoking me into killing him.” Mark grumbled, no longer amused with his friend.

Yes, he cared for Alice beyond the traditional boyfriend / girlfriend thing, and those terms seemed so stupid because he was not young enough to be a boy. Those days were long gone. Yes, he wanted her in his life, and he could easily see himself spending a very long time with her. Glenn was too perceptive and obnoxious on top of it.

“If they manage to get him through a table, I might even thank ‘em.”

“Now – now, that’s not very nice of you to say about your partner.” Alice shifted to where she straddled his lap and softly kissed him, her lipstick smear proof, so it wouldn’t go on his mouth. “And if they put him through a table, you don’t win. And I like it when you win. I like to watch you dominate and destroy those Alliance assholes.” She had for a while, rubbing her nose gently against his and glanced at the clock on the wall, knowing he had to get warmed up for his match. “Sorry, I won’t distract you anymore.” Grinning, she slid off his lap and decided the next time she came on the road, she was bringing some things to occupy herself in the locker room while Mark prepped for his matches.

“Get over here, valet.” He ordered, gesturing for her to follow him. No point in her sitting on her ass. “Here.”

Positioning himself behind her, Mark figured he could hold off on warming up long enough to teach her how to make sure when she punched. She did her enemy more damage than she’d do to herself. It never failed to amaze how many people didn’t know how to throw a proper punch. He also showed her how to wrap that chain around her fist, how to position it, so it wasn’t herself she’d take skin off of. Mark meant it, Alice was going to learn how to defend herself, how to take off someone’s head. He imagined seeing her do that would be very, very hot.

After the 20^th punch, with the chain wrapped around her hand, Alice felt the difference from the other 19 punches she’d done. “Okay, so keeping your wrist and arm straight when punching will let you use full strength of your hand and help you control the punch too.” She reiterated what Mark told her, nodding and did it again, trying not to let her mind fall into the gutter. It was hard not to around Mark.

Then, he taught her another move that would help, especially with how long her hair was. Being grabbed by the hair or throat, it would work either way. He showed her how to twist her body to where she could use her elbow to break the grip as well as knock the person into next week with the point of her limb. It was a little tricky with hair pulling, but being throttled it worked wonders. Of course, she didn’t elbow him and just simulated it happening, smiling at Mark’s approval. She was a fast learner and always had been, even in school.

Based on his personal experience as a trainer, Mark didn’t think Alice was going to have much issues learning the ropes. Not the physical aspect anyway. She had the muscle and the strength, thanks to being a stripper, taking care of her body and she was a damn fast learner. Her flexibility would also come in handy and he had been whispering suggestions at her throughout their exercises, knowing she’d be able to do it. The real test would be how she did when portraying a proper character, not some valet who simply looked beautiful. Mark hadn’t paid any attention to WCW, though… maybe he’d get some tapes that had her on them, see just what she had done.

“Feel like you got this, Red?”

“Yes.” Looking at him over her shoulder, she smiled when he gestured her to show him another punch. “You’re a good trainer. No wonder people want you to do it.” Alice commented, throwing the punch and could feel the strength in her arm. It was achy, but also felt good because it meant she could defend herself. The Dudley Boys were a force to be reckoned with, but she could fight them off now with a little bit of training on the side from her man. “Thank you.” Turning, she touched his face and gently gripped his chin. “I mean it, thank you for showing me some moves and helping me.” It just made her feelings for him grow and that pesky L word began to rear its head in her brain again. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here, Mark.”

Well he knew. “Don’t mention it, darlin’.”

Mark dropped a kiss on her forehead with a grin before stepping away to start warming himself up. She’d wind up dead. Raped. Assaulted physically and then dead. All in that order. First two, repeatedly. He began throwing punches at an invisible opponent, his feet shuffling in time to the fight playing out in his head. As much as he hated it, Alice could not always be his number one priority at work, or else he might as well just quit his job. Shane McMahon, his eyes narrowed, that little bastard had balls coming in here the way he had.

Later that night, halfway through the show, Mark rolled out on his bike with Alice behind him, her legs bent on either side of him instead of wrapped around his waist. Her eyes looked up at the Dudley Boys, seeing them taunting her already. This would be her first true test to see what she was capable of in the ring. She had to show Mark and Glenn she could defend herself and carry her own while out with them. Stepping off the bike, she clapped while Mark slid between the ropes and stayed on the outside, smiling. Glenn had already made his entrance, so the match was underway as soon as the bell rang. Because this was a tag team tables match, anything went and there were virtually no rules. First to put their opponent through a table was the winner for their team. It was really that simple.

Near the end of the match, Alice was tapped on the shoulder from behind and immediately stumbled away from Diamond Dallas Page, who had come out from the back to stalk her. She faked left, then right before running around the ring and finally slid under the bottom rope, only to bump right into Bubba Ray Dudley. Page grabbed her hair, spewing venomous words at her about leaving him and ignored her feeble attempt at jabbing him in the face. Mark and Glenn were down for the count currently, so nobody would be able to save her this time. Lifting her struggling form up, Alice shook her head while holding onto Bubba Ray Dudley and remembered what Mark said, reminding her of the strength in her legs.

“JR, what the hell is she doing?! She – OH MY GOD!! NO!!!”

“ALICE JUST SENT BUBBA RAY DUDLEY THROUGH THE TABLE!!”

Alice had wrapped her legs around Bubba Ray’s neck and used her strength and flexibility, sending him flipping in the air to crash through the table Dallas had set up for her to go through.

Dallas was beside himself, his jaw dropped and eyes wide, not believing what Alice just did to Bubba Ray Dudley. “Holy fuck…” He immediately scampered out of the ring and flew to the back.

Because of her background in stripping, doing handstands a lot as part of her training regimen, when Bubba Ray flew through the table, she’d flipped to land on her feet.

“Those are some powerful legs, ladies and gentlemen.”

“No comment.” Paul Heyman grumbled, still in awe.

Mark had paused in what he was doing to watch her. He and Glenn had both been prepared to go save her beautiful backside when they had realized Dallas was out there, but she had been managing to avoid him and then her little ass was in the ring. It was over in seconds, what she did, and he began laughing outright right there in the ring. He did not care who seen him smiling and laughing the way he was, that had been hilarious. Glenn was having himself a good chuckle, just no one could see it.

“Well hell… we got one more table, let’s do the other Dudley.”

Nodding, he, and Glenn turned to advance on the remaining enemy. He was definitely getting a copy of this match, shooting Alice a look full of lusty intentions.

“What are they – No – NO! This isn’t right! What are they DOING?!” Paul Heyman wailed in the headset, hitting his hand on the announcer’s desk.

“Well Paul, it looks like they’re gonna let this young lady put Devon through a table to join his brother…”

“THIS ISN’T RIGHT!! STOP THIS!!”

Sure enough, after the table was set up by Mark and Glenn, they beat down Devon until he couldn’t fight back before planting his backside on the top turnbuckle. Flipping upside down in a handstand, Alice wrapped her legs around his head and pulled him off, sending him flying in the air just like his brother moments ago. Once again, she landed back on her feet and turned around, surveying the carnage surrounding them. The referee was trying not to laugh and rang the bell, calling for the Brothers of Destruction to win this match. There was no disqualification, no count-outs, no rules of any kind.

The Dudley Boys just had their asses handed to them by Alice, a former Alliance member.

Oh yes, they had. They had let the little turncoat, their little vicious Red, nail that motherfucker and his brother. It was not only amusing as hell to watch, but it also sent a message to Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Dallas Page and all the rest of those worthless fucks: nobody was going to take their shit anymore, especially Alice. Mark raised her hand along with his and Glenn’s when the referee declared them the winners, winking down at the surprised look on her face.

“You won this match, darlin’, only right you take some credit.”

Backstage, Stephanie was not amused at all. That little whore had taken out two, TWO, of her best men. “I WANT HER HEAD ON A FUCKING POLE!”

“You and me both.” Shane said flatly, wincing at her shrill screech. Jesus… he loved his sister, but he’d love her a lot more if someone punched her in the throat and took out her ability to speak.

Breathing somewhat heavily from the adrenaline, Alice kept her arms in the air a second longer before Glenn lifted his arms in the air to set off the pyro exploding out of all four posts of the ring. Mark’s entrance music played, and they saluted the fans for a moment, stepping over the broken pieces of tables and Dudley Boys. Doing that was vindication for all the shit she’d put up with in the Alliance, for all the abuse and hardship. When she started training, god help any of them that stepped in her way.

Torrie was laughing hysterically in the women’s locker room, wishing she had a bowl of popcorn on her lap. Alice had just proven she was no pushover and WWF through and through with that stunt. She was proud of her best friend, refusing not to cheer her on.

Hopping on the back of Mark’s bike with him, Alice laughed as he rode up the ramp and stopped, waiting for Glenn to catch up. They all three lifted their arms in the air simultaneously before heading to the back. That exhilaration she felt when she sent both Dudley Boys through a table was the reason she stayed and put up with everything else. She loved wrestling.

“Think that’s funny, do you Torrie?”

Torrie swallowed hard when she looked up, a bit concerned to find Shane and Stephanie McMahon both there. Flanking them was Diamond Dallas Page. “Um…”

Stephanie drummed her fingernails against the material of her mini skirt, blue eyes narrowed. It turned out… Torrie and Alice had been best friends, information they had only recently discovered. Debra being on their side had proved useful, the woman was already learning new things. She was probably also enjoying not being around her abusive husband since he was home in Texas.

“We need to have a chat, Torrie.”

~!~

Alice was over the moon after driving two men through tables and could hardly wait to leave. The night was young, and she was full of fire, the life in her eyes glittering brightly. Mark rode the bike all the way to the back of the arena, stopping long enough for their belongings and kept going even when they were out of the arena. He opened up the bike, speeding past the slew of fans waiting outside for autographs and revved the engine, Alice’s squeals filtering through the air. Stretching her arms in the air and out, Alice enjoyed the night air flowing through her hair and over her heated body. Needless to say, that night, Mark showed her exactly how much he enjoyed what she’d done to the Dudley’s with action, spending countless hours worshipping her body.

Chapter 36

The following week on Smackdown!, Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon, with the assist from Test, the WWF’s newest defect to the Alliance, won the WWF Tag Team titles from the APA Bradshaw and Farooq. Alice was disgusted, watching the match on the monitor in Mark’s locker room and shook her head, not believing that scumbag held gold. Mark had gone after the WCW world title the previous week on Smackdown! against Booker T and lost, thanks to interference from Shane and Page. Alice had gotten a shot in on Shane though with the chain around her balled fist, clocking him in the face. The Rock, who had recently returned to the WWF and claimed his spot within the company his family’s legacy originated from, came out to save Mark from a beatdown. That was last week; Mark didn’t dwell on the past and Alice admired him for it.

“Mark – Glenn, you guys need to watch this…” She turned up the monitor as William Regal walked up to Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon, who were bragging about screwing over the APA.

“Good evening gentlemen, I see you’ve got the WWF Tag Team titles and I’ve come to inform you that, since you do hold WWF gold, you are now under MY jurisdiction. So therefore, I’ve come to inform you that, at Summerslam, the next WWF pay-per-view event, it will be you DDP and you Kanyon defending your WWF Tag Team titles against…the Undertaker and Kane. Oh, and it’ll be a steel cage match too. Bye-bye now.” William walked away with an extra kick in his step and a smirk, leaving DDP and Kanyon standing there looking scared out of their minds.

Summerslam just got a lot more interesting.

“Wait, really?” Glenn asked, staring at the monitor and blinked his blue eyes curiously. “Why weren’t we told?”

“Something probably changed.” Mark said with a slight shrug, though he was smirking. “Been a long time since we held some gold, brother.”

“Too damn long.” Glenn leaned over to bump his fist against Mark’s, both men laughing wickedly.

Summerslam was going to be chock FULL of surprises.

They were not lying. Later on, that same night, Alice had on black leather pants – they were becoming a regular with her on-screen outfits – and a red tube top, leaving her shoulders bare. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and curled for style. Lita and Trish had dragged her to see Janet and Tiffany, the WWF stylists and introduced her, asking them to doll her up. And they did, becoming instant friends with the redhead. Slowly but surely, Alice was being accepted into the WWF fold and she felt like she was part of the right company for the first time since getting into the wrestling business. Watching on from ringside, Alice cheered on Mark and Glenn, who were facing her ex-partners Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire for the WCW Tag Team titles.

They had gone to William Regal earlier that night and demanded some competition, to have him choose anyone to face them and they would put the gold on the line. Cocky bastards had bitten off way more than they could chew. It was no surprise the Brothers of Destruction ANNIHILATED Chuck and Sean, capturing the WCW Tag Team title belts without breaking much of a sweat. Alice jumped up and down, stepping through the ring ropes and held their arms up in victory, the biggest smile on her face. So now it was the WWF Tag Team champions against the WCW Tag Team champions at Summerslam in a steel cage match.

One team would walk out DOUBLE Tag Team champions.

Mark hadn’t felt gold in a while, it was nice having that old familiar weight on his shoulder and he shared a look with Glenn before both men smirked down at Alice. “Here, feel how heavy this is.” He put his belt over her shoulder, laughing when she made a ‘so what?’ noise. “These things are cheap, no weight to them.” The belts he cared about were heavy as hell, and he took it back. “Summerslam is going to be- what the fuck do you want, slut?”

“Rude much, Mark?” Stephanie batted her eyelashes at him.

Narrowing her eyes at Stephanie, Alice kept the smile on her face while standing in between the Brothers of Destruction, proud of them for winning. “I hope you didn’t plan on your boys walking out champions, Princess. Things just aren’t going that well for you lately, are they?” They had no business talking to her since William Regal had already made the match, which was set in stone for Summerslam. “I hope you also realize that come Summerslam, Dallas and Kanyon WILL lose and my boys WILL be UNIFIED Tag Team champions, for the first time ever.” History made. “So, suck on that, you bottom-feeding trash bag ho!” Chris had become somewhat of an influence on her and she rather enjoyed his insults.

They were classic.

“I’m sorry, what did your little whore say?” Stephanie didn’t even spare a look at Alice, her eyes firmly fastened on Mark. “I’m pretty sure I just heard her say ‘I accept ones’.” She smirked when he cocked an eyebrow. “I knew you had… interesting tastes, Mark,” Her talons were skimming up his chest. “But strippers, really?”

“Get off me, Stephanie.” He grabbed her hands, prying them off him and hissed when she dug those wickedly sharp fingernails into his skin, piercing it.

“You used to like bleeding…” She pouted, jutting out her bottom lip.

Glenn was a bit… awkward feeling and cleared his throat. “Um… could you please go find somewhere else to go be scary and slutty at?”

Instead of her blood boiling, it felt like she’d been doused in ice cold water as Alice eyed Stephanie, remembering the video with the Black Wedding she’d watched at Mark’s ranch. “Wait a minute, you two…?” It wasn’t the stripper comment that turned her blood cold, but the advances Stephanie was making on Mark.

“Mmmhmm…sure did. Multiple times. Of course, I feigned I didn’t like it, but…who could say no to the Lord of Darkness, am I right, stripper?” Stephanie crooned, feeling Mark back away further and laughed wickedly, blue eyes nothing more than ice.

There was only one other person in the Alliance who knew about her stripper days and apparently, Torrie, her so-called friend, had run her mouth. Or they’d tortured the information out of her. Either way, Torrie had betrayed her and that just made Alice’s heart turn further into stone. As if finding out Mark and Stephanie had prior relations wasn’t bad enough.

“You’re right, I was a stripper at one point in my life. But at least my boobs are REAL., as well as every other portion of my body, and I didn’t need to get a job or jobs done in order to attract men.” That lit Stephanie’s eyes on fire and Alice smiled viciously, knowing for a fact she used to be flat chested until her husband got hurt and then she came back sprouting breasts. “Are we done here?”

“Wait, for real, you banged Queen Slut?” That was news Glenn hadn’t known about. Sure, Mark had been… a big ol’ bag of crazy back then, but to actually sleep with… “Ewww… wait, you were a stripper?” Now his attention was on Alice. “Explains your legs and that strength. You go girl.” He bumped his fist into hers, strippers were not a big deal. Most women in this business dabbled in shit like that, or porn.

Mark was getting a headache.

“Yes, I was prior to signing with WCW in 1999. Eric Bischoff is the one who found me.” The secret was out and there was no stopping it because Stephanie would run her mouth all over the locker room. “I’m not ashamed of doing it because, ultimately, it lead me here in the WWF. Not very many strippers get breaks like this, so when Eric offered me a chance to travel the United States and all I had to do was walk men down to the ring for their matches, and get paid for it, without having to take my clothes off for strangers, I jumped at the opportunity.”

“Like a bitch in heat.”

“At least men WANTED to see me naked.”

“You bitch!” Stephanie shrieked with wide eyes, not believing her plan was going up in smoke. “Did Marky boy already know about you being a stripper then?”

“Even if he didn’t, it doesn’t change anything. But yes, he knows everything about my past, so you can’t use that against me.”

Mark smirked at the look on Stephanie’s face, wondering though, just how she had found out that information. Apparently, Alice’s faith in Eric had been misplaced. Eric liked money and power, seemed like McMahon had tossed him a bunch of money and all for a worthless secret. He was, however, a little concerned about Stephanie deciding to shoot off at the mouth about their old… times. In his defense, she had been a whole different person back then, innocent, and sweet, and he wished he had snapped her damn neck.

“Bye bitch.”

Glenn began laughing at that.

“Deny it all you want, Mark, but you and I had something back then. And to think you dabbled in a stripper is…disconcerting. Does my mother know of her past? Or Marissa? Or your wife, Glenn, Teresa is her name, yes? No matter, I suppose my father would’ve signed her regardless. She’s nothing more than a whore, just like Sable was.” Stephanie decided she would making a phone call to her mother and sister-in-law, wanting to inform them of the woman they had saved, more specifically, the TYPE of woman.

“My contract is iron-clad, Princess. There’s nothing you or anyone else can do to break it. So, go ahead and call whoever you want – call your sweet dear mother and, while you’re informing her of my past, please inform her that you just put the moves on the WWF’s top talent WHILE married.” She pointedly looked at the diamond on Stephanie’s ring finger on her left hand and snorted, shaking her head. “Disgusting. Let’s go, boys.” Walking past Stephanie, Alice had to do everything in her power not to co-cock the bitch and send her through a table like she did the precious Dudley Boys.

“I can’t believe you actually fucked Stephanie McMahon… back when she was still Stephanie McMahon…”

“Glenn…” Now was not the time for this talk, and he really didn’t need Alice’s mind back on that topic. She looked pissed enough already.

“You weren’t her first, were you? Because actually that would explain quite a bit about her…”

“Glenn!”

Trying not to picture Mark and Stephanie together intimately, Alice rounded the corner with them trekking behind and froze at the sight of Torrie Wilson. “Torrie!” She stalked over to her friend and whipped her around, immediately covering her mouth with her hand at the sight of the black eye her friend sported. “Oh my god…”

“I-I’m so s-sorry, Allie…I-I didn’t wanna do it…I didn’t wanna tell them…” Torrie began sobbing violently, lowering her head in front of her friend she’d betrayed and blinked when Alice pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t.” Alice did everything in her power not to start crying, looking up at the ceiling silently asking why this was happening to them. “You don’t have to say anymore. Okay?” The black eye and split up spoke volumes, telling her all she needed to know.

“But I…”

“You’re my friend – my best friend, Torrie. I know you wouldn’t have given that secret up without them doing something horrible to you. It’s okay.” Alice was glad she’d come clean about it to Mark prior to Stephanie trying to use it against her. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” Mark could go a night without her if her friend needed her.

“No, I’m staying with…someone else.” Torrie blushed, clearing her throat despite her eye being nearly swelled shut. “You go on with your man and be happy. Don’t worry about me.”

Alice pulled her in for another tight embrace, closing her eyes and hoped Torrie found her way out of the Alliance sooner rather than later. She raised a brow when none other than Tajiri, William Regal’s lackey, walked up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, guiding her away. As long as her friend was being cared for, that’s all that mattered to Alice.

All either Mark or Glenn could do, as they had been standing behind Alice and Torrie, being quiet background pieces, was watch in confusion as knockout, blonde bombshell Torrie took off with… Tajiri. “That seem right to you?”

“Uh… maybe?” Mark wasn’t really one to judge and whatever worked for them, good on them. Hell, with the luck Torrie seemed to be having with some of the other boys from the WCW, maybe the quiet, mild mannered Tajiri was just what she needed.

The rest of the walk back to Mark and Glenn’s shared dressing room was made in silence, each person in their own thoughts. The seed was planted in her brain and, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the image of Stephanie and Mark out of her mind. The way she’d clawed him earlier…those marks were still on his chest and it pissed her off more than words could say. Alice had never been one to show her temper, keeping her thoughts and feelings to herself most of her life. Showing emotion and ‘drama’ would result in a beating, so Alice had to channel herself in order not to show what she felt when she was really upset. Mark could tell when she was lying, which didn’t bode well in her favor if he asked her what was wrong. He was a complete idiot if he didn’t know what was wrong with her, however, especially after that run-in with Stephanie and Torrie.

This night had gone from euphoric to trash in a matter of minutes.

Mark wasn’t an idiot, he could tell she was upset and he also knew why. Glenn’s mouth wasn’t helping, and he finally had to grab a hand of that really curly hair and yank, which shut Glenn right up. Having those curls pulled apparently hurt enough to get Glenn to realize there was a problem. Mark had also decided he now knew why Glenn would never have children: he was a giant man baby and was pouting. Sighing, he walked over to look at Alice, taking in the way she was trying to keep her face blank, her posture and sighed. They’d have to chat when they were alone and not at an arena.

Alice waited until Mark showered and dressed before they left the arena, Glenn already long gone. The ride back to the hotel was made in silence, his bike being put on the WWF truck to go to the next area. Tomorrow was Wednesday, they had a flight booked for Florida because Alice had to go home to swap out clothes and whatnot. She’d invited Mark with her prior to finding out about him and Stephanie. He accepted since they’d spent 5 days in Houston and he wanted to see where she lived. Why did it bother her so much? He told her he’d been into blondes and she accepted that because a lot of men were. But Stephanie wasn’t blonde…and she’d only been 18 or 19 years old, practically a child.

What the hell was he doing with her if he thought someone like Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley was attractive? It was stupid to be jealous of that whore, but Alice couldn’t help wondering if she was attractive enough for Mark. Self-doubt and poor self-esteem issues stemmed from what she’d gone through in her past, including being a stripper. She was constantly ridiculed for her size, height, hair, boobs…everything and it’d chipped away at her self-esteem. When they arrived at the hotel, Alice waited for him to step out of the rental and followed him inside up to their room. They’d checked in prior to going to the arena that night, which was the normal ritual.

Chapter 37

If tension could be a solid, they would have had to cut through it with a chainsaw. Sighing, Mark let them into the hotel room and waited until she was inside before closing the door. Usually, in hotels, he never bothered with the secondary latch, knowing the doors automatically locked and the deadbolts were usually just… for paranoid people. Since getting with Alice, he had started using them. He was now one of the paranoid people. He crossed the room to the bar he insisted they have whenever they stayed at a hotel that offered them and fixed himself a whiskey on the rocks, raising the bottle at her.

“Want one, darlin’?” He knew he needed one, they were about to have a chit-chat.

“Sure.” Alice kicked off her boots after unzipping them and padded over to stand next to him at the bar, taking the tumbler full of whiskey he handed her. She noticed Mark did drink frequently, every night after a show, and figured it was his way of mellowing out. “To your victory tonight and becoming the new WCW Tag Team champions with Glenn.” She toasted, holding her tumbler up and clinked them together gently before downing the shot, the liquid burning down her throat.

It was a welcoming sensation considering what happened at the arena and the information she found out tonight. Mark poured her another one along with his, this one being sipped since it was a lot fuller than the previous shot. WCW, gross, but whatever, it did feel good to hold a championship again. Surprisingly, those had been few and far between in his career, which was just wrong in his opinion, but… he and McMahon were always on iffy terms it seemed. Right now, McMahon needed him, Austin had defected, and Mark was considered one of the locker room leaders, though… a lot of the boys had stopped coming to him for advice and helping with situations. He had a feeling that was because of Alice’s constant presence, eventually things would return to normal.

“All right, what’s wrong?” He already knew, he wanted her to say it, or scream it at him if it worked for her.

“I’m not mad. I have no right or reason to be. It’s your past and…there’s no changing it.”

Shrugging, Alice took a sip of her whiskey and walked over to stare out the window, seeing the lightening flashing in the distance as rain began to fall. She felt him join her, standing directly behind her and looked down at her tumbler, furrowing her brows thoughtfully. The moment he touched her, Alice tried in vain not to tense up and failed, feeling his hands leave her instantly. He hadn’t judged her with her past, so why was she doing the same thing to him? It was more of her judging herself, comparing her and Stephanie, than actual judgment of him.

“When we watched the video together at the ranch…the Black Wedding…why didn’t you tell me then? Or did it not cross your mind she may use this information against you by telling me?”

“Never crossed my mind to tell you because I don’t think about it.” Mark said honestly, shrugging even though she couldn’t see it. “And Stephanie, all this time, had never mentioned it until now… so, I guess I just figured she was going to keep on being quiet about it.” Weird that she hadn’t said anything until recently; she must’ve really hated Alice and he snorted into his tumbler. “We did the storyline, and I kidnapped her, that part was real. Taking her the way I did, not scripted, and… it went from there.” Miss McMahon had been innocent enough, not a virgin, but no expert in the bedroom. He had fixed that for her.

“Judging by the way she dug her nails into your chest earlier…I’m going to safely assume that was something that happened frequently between you two.” It wasn’t just a onetime deal between them. That made her gag and she had to swallow down the rest of her whiskey to get the rotten taste out of her mouth. “Sorry, that was out of line. I don’t know what to think about this.” Walking away from the window, she poured another tumbler full and handed the bottle to him since he needed a refill as well. “I just…have one question and I won’t be able to sleep unless I ask it.” Alice finally looked up at him, searching his eyes for something she didn’t even know she was looking for. “If Stephanie is your type…if that’s what you like…besides blondes, then what the hell are you doing with me? I’m nothing like her and I’m definitely not blonde, so what is it about me that you like? I mean besides the sex, which is fantastic and if that’s all you like about me is sex, then I would really like to know, so we’re on the same wavelength.”

He listened to her intently, his mind rapidly catching up and he took another drink. She was having security issues, and assuming way too much about him and his taste in women. “Alice, you are really overthinking this one.” He said gently, not going to touch her again because she had made it quite clear she didn’t want to be touched by him right now. “It’s true, I’ve looked more at blondes, but… I’ve never been one to say no to a beautiful woman, regardless of her hair color, flat ass or not…” Well, he wasn’t a fan of fake tits, but decided to keep that information to himself. “I’m with you, Red, for more than the sex. I wouldn’t have been taking regular beatdowns or tryin’ to help you out so much, if it was just sex.” He was not that desperate where he had to go to extraordinary lengths for pussy. “What’s this really about, Alice?”

“I don’t know. I’m having doubts, I guess. That bitch…”

Stephanie had done her job well tonight and Alice wanted to wrap her hair around her throat and strangle her with it. Now that her secret of being an ex-stripper was out, she had no idea what was going to happen. It was a lot to take in and she could not get the image of Stephanie clawing Mark out of her mind.

“I just want to make sure I’m what you want. Because you’re what I want, Mark. And it’s not because you saved me countless times from those assholes and it’s not because of your wrestling persona either or the mind-blowing sex. When you hold me, I feel safe and you’re the only man who can get me to laugh, even when I’m feeling at my worst. I feel completely comfortable with you, naked or not, which is a big deal to me.” Nothing said complete trust and comfort than sharing a bowl of popcorn on a couch stark naked. “I haven’t…I don’t have a lot of experience in this department, because of my past, with relationships or flings or whatever this is. I’m out of my depth here…and I wanted to kill Stephanie for touching you tonight. I still do…”

He had been right, she was insecure and the thought of her being jealous… well, that kind of tickled him a bit. “Darlin’, you have nothing to be jealous over, or concerned with, bank on that.” Mark drained his last glass and grit his teeth, shaking his head. “Stephanie today is not the Stephanie of several years ago, she’s… changed.” A lot.

He was not taking the blame for that. Mark was going to assume she had always been a harpy in waiting and he had… just coaxed it forth a bit with a lot of help from Vince. He wrapped his arms around Alice, knowing this time she’d allow it.

“I’m with you because I want to be with you, Alice, don’t doubt that.”

Being enveloped in his arms, his strength and warmth, once again sent her heart racing rapidly, but it also relaxed her. It was a weird combination that surprisingly felt amazing. She couldn’t help being jealous of Stephanie, not after finding out she’d been with Mark. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Mark enjoyed sex with the Princess more than her…a lowly stripper.

“Can I ask you something else?” She had set her empty tumbler down and looked up into his eyes, her arms remaining around him. He nodded, squeezing her to let her know she could ask him anything. “Does it bother you that I used to be a stripper?” She had dropped the bombshell on him and he didn’t seem to mind, but then again maybe he did. Maybe it did bother him deep down and he hadn’t said anything to spare her feelings.

He felt like Glenn, about to laugh at something that was completely inappropriate, and she looked so serious. Mark managed to swallow it down, knowing she was feeling insecure, vulnerable and he felt so… sad for her, wondering just what the hell. Where had his confident, fiery woman gone? Alice had thrown everything back in Stephanie’s face, been so proud of her beautiful body when it was just them, and now… now it was like all that confidence had been stripped away. It was just a glimpse, he realized, of the damage she still carried around from her upbringing, the insecurities, the struggle to accept herself and her past warring with the mental abuse as well as physical she had likely suffered.

“Alice, I’m going to let you in on the worst kept secret in the business, all right?” When she nodded, he sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling her with him. “Most of the women in the business have dabbled in being a stripper, or even porn, posing nude, whatever. It’s not uncommon and no,” He brushed his nose against her cheek. “It doesn’t bother me.” Kind of a turn-on, actually. Mark had toyed with the idea of installing a pole and some mirrors to see if she’d do some private dances for him, but… definitely not a good idea anytime soon.

She recalled Glenn saying something to that effect, but he hadn’t elaborated on it and Alice hadn’t thought much of it either. Mark was right; Torrie had dabbled in modeling and did some porn, though that was a secret she would take the grave regarding her friend. Torrie had been young, naïve, and stupid, much like Alice with the stripping. Hearing Mark say her past didn’t bother him made a wave of relief wash over her.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, pulling back enough to look into his eyes and rested her forehead against his, cupping his face with her hand. “I let Stephanie get in my head and…I’ll try not to let it happen again.” Mark was with her because he wanted to be and had made that perfectly clear. “And here I thought you were with me just for my flexibility.” Now the playfulness was back in her tone, her greys sparkling impishly as her hand glided up his t-shirt covered chest. He hadn’t removed any clothing yet, not even his boots.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong darlin’, I love your flexibility.” Mark rumbled, stifling down laughter as he gripped her by the waist and bent her backwards, watching as she automatically moved into some messed up variation of a bridge. Flexible indeed. He bent down kissing his way up her abdomen before pulling Alice back up. “But that’s not the reason why I’m with you. It’s more… like a perk.”

A very nice perk that he enjoyed immensely. He wouldn’t doubt that Stephanie would be a big enough bitch to somehow throw the stripper thing out there for the world to know, just because she did hate Alice that much. However, that was not a problem for tonight.

“A perk, huh?”

Alice sat straddled on his lap now, knowing he was being completely truthful with her and it was one of the things she loved about him. His blunt honesty. Mark never pulled any punches or sugarcoated anything he felt or thought. If he didn’t like something, he let that person know it. If he enjoyed something…well, he was a more of an action type of man, not that she minded. It was nice to hear him say he wanted to be with her, to voice it, because sometimes actions got lost in the shuffle.

“Maybe I’ll give you a private show then and show you just how flexible I can be.” The way his eyes clouded over and darkened took her breath away, her words having a major effect on him. “Would you like that, Deadman?”

It was like his current biggest wet dream on the verge of coming true and Mark felt like he needed to tread lightly, even though her eyes were sparkling, he knew he didn’t need to. “Eventually, darlin’,” He drawled, pleased with the tightness of his jeans right now because it was helping keep the blood flowing to his brain and not his cock. Evil, evil woman. Standing up, he took her with him, feeling her legs -those beautiful legs that had taken out the Dudley’s- encircle his waist. “We’re getting a very long shower.” He informed her, a hand dropping down to squeeze her ass.

Stephanie, Shane, that fuckwit Page… all of it could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, he had plans to erase all doubt and insecurities from his woman’s mind. Mark planned on reassuring her with both actions and words just how much he wanted to be with her and only her.

This high, this addictive high she only experienced whenever Mark made love to her…nothing compared to it. Not even the adrenaline rush she felt in the ring in front of all the roaring fans. Mark was her drug; a delicious drug and she was completely hooked on him. Collapsing on top of him in a drenched heap, Mark had taken them out of the shower to finish the bout in bed. They’d already had a session in the shower, but Mark was determined to have more than one with her. She laughed breathlessly, the sound low and seductive while nuzzling his neck, trying to regain her breathing.

“I’m so proud of you.” She whispered in his ear, snuggling against him, and felt him shift them to where they lay side by side with her leg and thigh draped over his.

“I’m pretty proud of m’self,” He mumbled, his palm running up and down her thigh, enjoying her weight on him, not that it was all that much. “Made you scream my name so many times, I lost count.” Mark chuckled tiredly when she mockingly hit his chest, pretty sure he had bellowed hers out just as many, or gasped, not that he would ever admit to gasping. She had done him good. “Okay, why are you proud of me, Red?” Now curiosity tinged his tone as he stared down into her rosy face, smiling at the sight of her.

She looked beautiful, and she was beaming, though he could tell he had worn her out as well. Good. They’d both be sleeping well tonight.

“You won the tag team titles tonight with Glenn, even if they are WCW. You destroyed my former partners, which was very sexy to watch, by the way.”

Chuck and Sean would never live that beating down as long as they lived. Knowing the nimrods, they would demand a rematch for the titles when they returned to the road on Monday. Mark didn’t do many house shows these days, only sticking to televised shows and pay-per-views. It would work in her favor because Lita had gotten permission to train her during the weekends on Tampa, Florida, where she currently lived. However, her training wouldn’t start for another few weeks, even though she was chomping at the bit to start it.

“My man is holding gold; how could I not be proud?”

“Ahh… I see… you’re a gold digger.” He had been teasing, but the fist that came down dangerously close to his relatively empty balls had him sitting upright and rolling her, so he was hovering over her, green eyes wide. “It was a joke, woman, don’t go castratin’ me!” Mark would never make that joke again, though he was grinning, dropping his head to kiss her soft lips. “I’m sorry, bad joke.” He whispered, nuzzling her cheek with his nose before returning to his original position, arranging her body back over him and then adjusted a bit, protecting his boys. “Thank you, by the way. Glenn and I owe those titles to you.” Truth.

“Why do you say that? I didn’t do anything in the match besides cheer you guys on.”

Literally, she stood at ringside and watched the systematic destruction of Chuck and Sean. They didn’t have a chance in hell against the Brothers of Destruction. Mark and Glenn had played with those boys and snatched the gold for themselves, cheap as they were. It was still gold and property of WCW in the WWF encampment. Nobody would be able to take those titles away from Mark and Glenn either, not unless they were screwed out of them. That was where she’d come in, refusing to let any of the Alliance steal from her man and Glenn.

“You don’t owe me anything, Mark. If anything, I owe you. It’s because of you I’m where I am now and I’m no longer in the Alliance. You protected me, and you didn’t have to.” She’d never be able to repay him for all he’d done for her.

“Beating the Dudley’s helped put us in that spot legitimately, to have that chance to get those titles. Regal couldn’t just hand over a shot, even if he had wanted to. Because you did most of the work and we got the win, we were considered legit contenders and not just a spite match.” That was how he preferred it, liking having that credibility to back them up. “That’s what I’m thankin’ you for, Alice.” Mark also bet it had felt good to her, being able to stick it to the Alliance as well as show she wasn’t just another pretty face, who was going to stand there and be the day long victim. She had that coming after everything those bastards had put her through.

Actually, Mark was only partially right. Sean and Chuck had run their mouths to William Regal, demanding real competition from the WWF tag teams. They put their gold on the line in an open challenge and the Commissioner had ran with it. However, she didn’t point that out to him, not wanting to ruin the moment and pushed him down on his back to hover over him, the bruising on her face completely gone. There wasn’t a single trace of the assault Page inflicted on her, not even on her side, but Mark still wanted her to take a little more time before her training began.

“Mmm my pleasure…” She purred against his lips, straddling him and laced their fingers together as he sat upright, both gasping as he filled her capacity again. “Mark…”

Chapter 38

They didn’t fall asleep until the sun rose over the horizon, getting exactly 2 hours of sleep, before having to catch their flight to Tampa. Holding hands, Alice and Mark fell asleep against each other on the plane, their heads pressed together with a blanket draped over them. They could spend the rest of the day recuperating in Tampa at her home, which was a small two-bedroom apartment, and then do whatever came to mind. She’d seen his home, it was Mark’s turn to see hers. However, the moment she stepped inside the apartment, Alice froze and felt her eyes widen, a hand reaching up to cover her mouth with her hand.

“Oh my god…”

UNDERTAKER’S WHORE was spray painted repeatedly all over the walls, the furniture all turned over on the sides and debris from her cut up belongings, her clothes, and specifically panties were strewn all over the place.

Mark stepped in behind her, his shaded eyes taking everything in, turning a thunderous hue of green, like emerald fire. He began slowly walking around, noting the underwear everywhere and then glanced down the hallway, assuming those were bedrooms. Cautiously, he made his way down the hall, pretty sure the apartment was empty, but he wasn’t risking it. He came to a stop when he seen the state of what was obviously her bedroom, pushing the shades up on top of the bandana wrapped around his head. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him this was Page’s doing.

“Darlin’, you should probably call the police.” He suggested, raising his voice so she could hear him.

Shakily, Alice pulled her cell phone out and called 911, trying to remain calm while talking to the lady over the phone taking her report. Mark hadn’t touched anything and neither had Alice, she knew better. Her old apartment, in Miami, had been broken into a few times during her stripper days. Frowning, Alice tried wrapping her mind around what happened and couldn’t believe Dallas would stoop to this level. He was pissed she had gone to the WWF and no longer had control over her or her contract. Now he was resorting to desperate measures. Hell, the man had intruded on Mark’s territory in Houston, been in his house, in his bed, which she found out during their time there had been replaced. Anything he touched had been replaced, mostly. Stepping out, Alice felt lightheaded and sank down on the porch, covering her face with her hands beginning to cry.

After checking the other, few rooms, Mark stepped out and sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around Alice’s shoulders. He knew how she felt, mostly. To have someone in her home, going through her stuff…it felt like a violation of massive proportions. Of course, Page hadn’t gotten into HIS underwear or sprayed painted shit on the walls. He didn’t know what to say to reassure her, or calm her, and he was afraid his voice right now would startle her anyway. It would come out a low, cold baritone because he was royally pissed off. He was fully prepared to kill Joseph-Page because the man had crossed every line happily, the sick bastard.

Two hours later, after giving the police a report, along with naming Joseph-Page as the primary suspect, they left and would be in touch within 24 hours. That was it. There was nothing more to be done other than reporting it, so it was on record. Mark had offered his own two cents regarding Dallas, which Alice appreciated, but she knew it wouldn’t amount to anything. Without concrete proof and evidence, this would more than likely be swept under the rug. Dallas’s invasion of Mark’s private life had been chalked up to a storyline on television and the authorities hadn’t done anything for him either. Alice felt like tearing her hair out and then ripping Page’s balls off for what he did to her apartment! Her cell phone rang, jolting her out of her thoughts and looked down at the caller ID, gritting her teeth at the UNKNOWN name flashing back at her.

“You sick bastard!”

“Now sugar, is that anyway to talk to your former lover?” Dallas crooned, a smirk curving his lips while indulging in a very interesting set of videos Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley had procured for him. “I just called to tell you one thing – your flexibility is hot.”

“What are you talking about?” Alice put him on speakerphone and hoped Mark stayed silent, her eyes widening as all-too familiar music flowed through it. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard was one of the main songs she’d chosen when she stripped. “Dallas…”

“I gotta tell you, when I came home today and saw this package on my doorstep, I never THOUGHT it would be video after video after video of your…performances, sugar.”

“You broke into my apartment and destroyed it! And now you’re calling me…wait, what do you mean when you got home this morning?” Now she was even more confused, tears streaming down her cheeks. He was watching her videos from her stripper days – the owner was supposed to destroy any footage of her once she left the club, but apparently, he hadn’t.

“I’ll have to thank Eric for these…and Steph.” Dallas laughed harder and then groaned, watching the delicious redhead climb the pole slowly. “Goddamn! And yes, home as in where I live. I didn’t break into your apartment, sounds like you got someone else on the radar, Allie girl.”

That wasn’t good. Who else was after her? Mark would say Stephanie, but Stephanie wasn’t the type to go ransacking another woman’s panty drawer. Shane… maybe. His eyes narrowed, wondering just how far Steve Austin had sunk, if this could be his handiwork and inwardly groaned. He just didn’t know anymore.

“It could all stop, sugar.” Dallas cooed into the phone, though his eyes never left the screen, a hand at the front of his pants. “All you have to do is come on home to me now.”

“What the hell is wrong with you, Joseph-Page?!” Alice didn’t care if she’d struck a nerve calling him by his birth name and gritted her teeth. “Don’t you get it? I. DON’T. WANT. YOU. I never did! Shane is the one who forced me to valet for you and it was JUST business! I’m not coming ‘home’ to you because I was never there to begin with!” Her emotions were spilling out and Alice had completely forgotten about Mark being in the room. “I LOVE MARK, you got that, psycho?! He is the only man I want and there’s nothing you can do to change that! So, leave me the hell alone already! Even if I weren’t with Mark, I sure as hell wouldn’t be with the likes of you, so get over it!”

“YOU LOVE HIM?” Page exploded the same time as Mark said:

“You love me?”

“Why?” That was both men.

“You’re obviously not thinking clearly, Alice, so let me lay it out to you: You. Belong. To. Me.” Dallas’s teeth were grit, not believing the audacity of this slut. “And if I have to take your lover out to bring you back, don’t think I won’t.”

He had never handled the word ‘no’ very well. Truth be told, he had had his eye on her back in WCW, but… there had never been a reason for them to interact and she had always steered clear of him. Being in the WWF… and via Shane, had forced that contact he had so desperately wanted.

Mark was just… staring at her, not expecting that. She loved him. After everything she had gone through because of him. But she still loved him. Alice immediately shut her eyes as soon as those words came out of her mouth and heard both Mark and Dallas’s outbursts simultaneously.

“No Page, I don’t. I’m not property you can own. I’m a grown ass woman and I know what my mind and heart wants. And it’s NOT you. I love Mark Calaway and you can try to take him out, but come Summerslam, he’s going to be the one to take YOU out. Permanently. Because you’re going to be locked inside a steel cage, with no way of escaping, and I’m going to enjoy watching him beat the holy living shit out of you for EVERYTHING you’ve done to me. You wanted to be famous, remember, sugar? You’re going to be famous, just not the way you want, and you damn sure will never have me. Because he already does. Mind, body, heart, and soul – it’s all HIS, not yours. Get it through your head and move on, Dallas.”

“It’s cute, sugar,” Dallas’s voice how dropped to a low, cold tone and there was a hint of something cruel and calculating. “How you’re professing your love for that redneck bastard to me and I do have to wonder… does he feel the same for you, hmm?” When she didn’t immediately reply, he snorted. “Why the hell does he keep you around, Alice? You think he loves you? No… no, sugar, he doesn’t, you know better. How could a man like him love someone like YOU? You’re not good enough for anyone, not even me,” And he was aware he was the lowest of the low, not that he hardly ever admitted that outside his own head. “You really think he’s gonna keep on with you? Even he’s going to realize you’re nothing but trouble, nothing but a whore. You’re paying him with sex to protect you and everyone knows it, Alice.”

Now she was laughing, outright full belly laughing at him and could feel the anger pulsating through the phone. “He doesn’t have to love me. Even if he is using me, which I know he’s not, I’d rather be used and FUCKED by him, than a scumbag abusive asshole like you, Dallas. There’s a reason women stay away from you, and a reason Kimberly left you, because all you do is beat and tear women you’re with down. You break them down into nothing, no matter what you have to do. And you won’t break me, I’m unbreakable. And I’m with Mark because I WANT to be, not because he’s forcing me, unlike you. You can think whatever that pea-sized brain of yours will allow you to, but you will NEVER have me. And I know that eats you up inside. So, go ahead and keep watching those videos of me dancing and stripping, jack off that tiny pencil you call a dick, because that is the CLOSEST you will EVER come to touching me.”

“Don’t bank on that, sugar.” Dallas hung up.

All Mark could do was continue standing there. He had found a wall to lean against, feeling like he needed the support, his mind trying to follow all these thoughts he was having at once, along with processing her declarations about how she felt towards him. He wouldn’t lie, Alice admitting she loved him had given him the warm and fuzzies. Page had kind of killed those with his ever-running mouth and the poison he had spewed. Finally, he looked at her and cocked a brow, wondering if she meant what she said or if Alice simply said it in the heat of the moment to hurt Page.

It was out in the open now, how she felt, and she’d put the ball in his court. Alice didn’t expect Mark to reciprocate her feelings, having prepared herself for that outcome. The way he looked at her right now, she couldn’t read him, and she didn’t know what to say to him. This was definitely not the way to tell him, to confess the L word for the first time in her life, but Dallas pissed her off so much, Alice let her mouth run away with her. Sinking down on the bed, she put her head in her hands and closed her eyes, letting the silent tears slide down her cheeks. She didn’t notice them building in her eyes while talking to Dallas until after the phone call ended. If Mark wanted to pretend she hadn’t said it and go on like they were, she would not have a problem with it, or try not to.

She was crying. She was sitting on that soiled bed that someone had used in a non-PG way, with her face hidden in her hands, crying. Mark frowned, quietly crossing over to kneel in front of her, resting his hands on her kneecaps. That seemed to make it worse because now Alice’s shoulders were shaking. Slowly, he reached up, grabbing her hands, and gently pried them away from her face, gazing at her. She had her eyes closed, tears sliding down her cheeks and he sighed softly.

“Look at me darlin’,” He ordered, softly but firmly, not surprised when she didn’t. Alice had just laid her heart bare and was obviously expecting a rebuff from him. “Alice, please.” She was so, so wrong.

Never in her life had she told someone she loved them, not even her foster parents. Not Torrie, even though they were like sisters. It just never needed to be said. Sure, the word ‘love’ came out to talk about certain things she enjoyed, but the actual phrase ‘I love you’ never came out of her mouth in the past 30 years she’d been on this earth. It was a like an intense tidal wave of emotion crashed over her and it was almost too much for her to handle. She didn’t need to be told she didn’t know what love was because she was inexperienced. No, she may have been inexperienced, but Alice wasn’t stupid and knew exactly how she felt. She knew what love was, the way she felt for Mark HAD to be it. If it wasn’t, then she really didn’t have a clue or inkling what that word meant. Reluctantly, red-rimmed slightly swollen greys rose to meet beautiful emeralds and Alice held her breath, bracing herself for what he was going to say.

“You’re a mess, darlin’.” He said quietly, using the pad of his thumb to trace her cheekbone, brushing away tears, though more just fell to take their place, leaving tracks down her face in their wake. “A beautiful, hot mess.” Mark leaned up until his nose brushed hers, his mustache tickling her lips. “I love you too, Alice.” He whispered huskily, knowing that he meant it with a certainty that seemed to rock him to his core.

“W-What?” She whispered in disbelief, touching his face and could see the truth flowing through his eyes.

Page had been wrong, very wrong. Mark did feel the same way about her. It wasn’t something she expected to hear from him, ever. Their relationship had hopped several steps with this simple yet powerful confession from both ends.

“T-This isn’t how I wanted to tell you. I wanted to wait a little longer because we haven’t been together that long.” It’d been a month since the WCW invaded WWF and her life had changed forever the night Mark stopped her outside of the arena. The night she’d been sentenced to Page for not seducing Vince McMahon. “I-I didn’t want you to think I was insane or crazed because who the hell else drops THAT kind of confession on someone they’ve only known a month? It’s crazy and you’re crazy and I’M crazy!”

“Are we now?” He asked wryly, moving up so he was sitting on the bed beside her, leaving one hand resting on her knee. “Why?” Mark was curious. “Why are we crazy? Darlin’, we’ve spent so much time together and, it may only be a month, but we’ve been through hell and back together, and we just… we fit together so well, not just physically either.” Though, he firmly believed Alice had been made just for him. “So why is it so crazy that we love each other?”

“Because we are. This is like something you see in movies and it’s not realistic. It can’t be. Love doesn’t happen that quickly, does it?” Alice asked herself more than him, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully and placed her hand over his, their fingers lacing together. “All I know is when I’m with you, I feel…complete. It’s a feeling I’ve never had before. Being with you, I’ve never been happier in my entire life. And there hasn’t been a lot of happiness in it. So, if that’s what love is supposed to feel like – happiness and feeling complete, then that’s it. That’s what I feel with you…” The tears started up again. “And I don’t want to lose that.” Her voice cracked from the different emotions flooding through her.

“You won’t.” He said reassuringly, wondering why she thought love wasn’t something that could happen so fast.

What the hell had messed her up that badly? Had she really grown up devoid of one of the most necessary of human emotions? That was just… wrong, and sad.

“Love just happens, Alice, there’s not a timer or time frame suitable for it, it just… is. Don’t overthink it and don’t bother tryin’ to control it, Red, you’ll just make yourself miserable.”

Not to mention, it was making him question both of them. If she didn’t think he was capable of loving her, or if maybe it wasn’t real. He was way too old and been around the block way too many times to be worrying with this.

“I love you, isn’t that enough?”

She nodded without hesitation and sniffled, wiping her tears away with her free hand. “It’s more than enough, Mark.”

Looking up at him, her hair was piled up on top of her head in a messy bun, she had black pajama pants on and a short sleeved black shirt that matched, face devoid of makeup. There was no need to dress up since they were off the road and, after spending most of the night making love, she wanted to be as comfortable as possible on the plane.

“I love you.” Alice softly kissed him, pouring just a hint of passion into it, and pulled back, needing to confess something else to him. “I need to tell you something else. You’re the first…person I’ve ever said those words to.”

Love hadn’t been in her life until recently…until Mark Calaway entered it by being her knight in shining leather. Well, she wasn’t the first person he had said those words to, but she was definitely the first he had meant it. So, maybe the same thing. Mark smiled, holding her tight against him before taking a deep breath. There was no way they were staying in this apartment, not after it had been broken into and destroyed. Tomorrow, they would have to find new housing for her or something.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but…good.” He chuckled ruefully. “I’m glad for that.” Standing, he pulled her with him. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 39

“I don’t want to stay in Florida anymore.” Alice announced hours later, sitting in a beautiful hotel suite in downtown Tampa, wearing a white terry cloth robe that felt amazing against her skin. “I’ve been thinking about moving out of Tampa for a while…and I was thinking maybe Houston. We’re together, we love each other, and I don’t want to live in a different state than you. I’m sure I can find a place I like there…” She smiled at the bewildered look on his face, sipping her longneck while Mark nursed his own and sat on the bed on her knees. “Would you be okay with that?”

“Well yeah, darlin’, I’m fine with it, why wouldn’t I be?” Mark was thrown because… since they had ‘jumped some steps’, he figured if she weren’t going to stay here, but wanted to be closer to him, he had supposed she would…right, he hadn’t asked her what was on his mind. “Why not just move in with me?” Now it was him smirking at her and the bewildered look on her gorgeous face. “That honestly didn’t cross your mind?”

This was too fast, wasn’t it?

Once again, those doubts entered her mind and Alice found herself battling with her mind and heart. “It did…momentarily. I didn’t think…you’d want that, yet.”

That beautiful ranch they’d spent 5 amazing days and nights in, both indoors and outdoors, could be her permanent home. Then again, the thought of relying on a man scared the hell out of her. What if the bubble burst between them? What if he got tired of her and kicked her out? Alice groaned, kissing him soundly and swung her leg over his waist to straddle him, feeling him opening her robe to caress her naked body. They’d just gotten out of the jacuzzi that came with the suite, so her hair was wet, matted to her head and flowing down her back.

“We’re crazy.” She reiterated her earlier sentiment in a whisper against his mouth and went back to kissing him.

Mark had seen the indecision flicker across her beautiful face, the internal battle she had been waging had been clear in those gray eyes, but… by her kissing him, he would assume she was saying yes. Or maybe. With as much as they were up each other’s backsides, traveling together, practically living together on the road, it just made sense to shack up together off the road as well. For obvious financial reasons, he had a house, she needed a place to live, it worked. But that was just, well, basically a cover and not the real reason he wanted her there at all.

“Say yes, Red.”

She gasped, feeling his thumb stroke her sensitive clit and leaned over him, a soft moan spilling from her mouth. “You don’t play fair.”

Alice did not expect him to coerce her into making this decision and smiled, seeing the determination in his eyes. It was obvious he wanted her with him at the ranch. There would be stipulations if she did this and, if he didn’t comply, she would simply find a place of her own to live in Houston. Sliding her hand down between them, her hand pulled the towel wrapped around his waist open and began thumbing the top of his cock, her eyes never leaving his.

“One condition…” Two could play that game. “I’m paying rent and half the bills that associate with the house. I won’t let you pay my way. Say yes, Deadman…”

“Rent?” He blinked, wondering what she was on about and then it hit him. She hadn’t owned her own place, she had rented apartments. “I own it, Red. You’re not paying me rent, not like you’re gonna have your own room.” She would be sharing his room, his bed, and he lifted her up, positioning her over his cock before lowering her back down, sliding home with a grunt. “Half the bills is fine.” Not like there was much in the way of that, he was hardly home it seemed.

They were not talking finances while having sex… he shut any further conversation up by kissing her. Alice was dreaming; she had to be. This was too good to be true. She would wake up at any moment and this would all be gone, the euphoria and L word confessions along with moving into Mark’s house. However, when he pinched her backside and flipped them to where he hovered over her, Alice put her full focus into him and realized this was reality. Somehow, she managed to shrug her robe off and moaned at the skin on skin contact, their mouths devouring each other while she met him for every thrust. Apparently, he hadn’t gotten enough of her in the Jacuzzi or the shower earlier. It didn’t matter how many times she had sex with this man, it was earth-shattering every time.

~!~

The following day was busy for Alice. Mark had paid for an extra night to stay at the hotel and changed their flight to Friday. He gave her exactly one day to get all or most of her crap situated before whisking her away from Tampa, Florida – Florida, in general – forever. Or at least until the WWF came back into the state for shows. Alice didn’t mind, having agreed to the bills part, and planned on paying him rent, without his knowledge. She would slip it in his dresser drawer or wallet when he wasn’t looking. After calling her landlord to give her notice of moving out, especially after being broken into, the lady had no choice except to let her out of her lease.

Then, Alice went back to her apartment to pack up what she could – what Page didn’t destroy. Mark was with her, refusing to let her go anywhere near this place alone and brought some boxes he’d found at a local supermarket outside of the building. They were in good condition and would carry her belongings. Her ‘belongings’ consisted of exactly 3 big boxes and most of it had been pictures, clothes, shoes, trinkets and some jewelry along with toiletries. It took 2 hours before she stepped out of the apartment, watching Mark load up the last box in the back of the truck he rented.

A few minutes later, they pulled away from the apartment building and didn’t see the cold, cruel blue eyes watching them from afar.

“I’m not going to lie, when you called my wife and asked her to come do some ‘girly shit’ to the place, I was tickled.”

“I’m sorry Mark, I didn’t realize he was going to follow me.” Teresa said quietly, sighing when her husband mussed her hair, retaliating by pinching his side viciously. She hadn’t even told Glenn what she was doing, but… he had found out and she had not been amused when he had dropped down into the seat next to her on the plane. “He’s stalking me.”

“I am.” Glenn chirped. “But I also helped.”

This was meant to be a surprise for Alice and he was pretty certain Glenn had fucked it all up.

“It’s not so bad, trust me.”

“Helped with what?” Alice caught the end of that, walking up with a box in hand and rolled her eyes as Mark took it from her to set it down. “And when did you guys get here anyway?” Mark hadn’t mentioned them coming to visit, not that she minded. Teresa was one of her best friends, especially after what the woman did for her.

“We just came to visit, got boring in Tennessee.” Glenn snorted, and Teresa nudged him none too gently, smiling widely.

Alice eyed them suspiciously. “Mom and Dad couldn’t find anything to do besides coming to Houston to visit their friends?”

Glenn growled, not amused with being called ‘Dad’ and raised a brow at Teresa giggling. “That is not funny, woman…”

“I’ve never seen you get some riled up over being called something so simplistic.” Teresa smirked, draping an arm around Alice’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you settled inside and I even took the liberty to cook for you guys. How sweet am I?”

“The sweetest Mom in the world.” They laughed together, letting the guys handle the heavy lifting of her whopping three boxes.

“So, when does the rest of her shit get here?” Glenn asked curiously, opening a box and rolled his eyes. “Teresa uses the same brand.”

“Huh?” Mark recoiled at the sight of a box of tampons. “Get outta her shit, Glenn!”

“What? You embarrassed?” He’d had to do his fair share of running for supplies when his woman ran out. “Shit… it’s natural, wait until you catch a pair of period panties in the dirty laundry. Women are nasty.”

“STOP TALKING!”

Glenn mimed zipping his lips, lifting the box in one arm easily.

“And there is nothing else, this was it. Everything else was…” Mark groaned, finally telling his friend what they had walked in on at her old place in Florida.

“It was terrible.” Alice had finished telling Teresa what happened, walking into the house, and headed straight for the kitchen. She didn’t notice any differences or what they’d done…yet. “I think it was Page, but I can’t be certain. There’s a lot of pricks in the Alliance who are out for my head.”

“Sounds like it. I’m sorry you had to deal with that, sweetie.” Teresa felt terrible for her friend, but knew Mark would do his best to protect her. Glenn as well. “You’re in good hands here. Is that the only reason you agreed to move in?”

“No…of course not. I – I just…”

Alice finally looked around the kitchen and spotted something different in the living room, tilting her head slightly. Teresa had a smug smile on her face and Alice’s curiosity was peaked. She walked away and out of the kitchen into the living room, finally turning to look at Teresa questioningly. Teresa had put in some ‘homey’ touches, nothing major, but definitely feminine. Mark had lived Spartan / bachelor / ‘I pretend I hunt’ style, and he didn’t hunt. She had also found an old, dusty porn magazine stash and given those to her husband. Changing out the bedding in the bedroom and replaced some curtains, Teresa also added a few mirrors, and… she had bought some necessities to make a woman’s life more comfortable. Mark had said she wasn’t bringing much with her; Alice had ‘lost’ a lot, he just hadn’t said what, so… Teresa had gone “Mom Mode” as Alice called it and improvised.

The deer head Mark had on the wall in the living room was gone and replaced with some kind of modern pictures, splashes of red, grey, and brown, all hung at different levels for style. The couch also had a matching afghan draped over the back of it, the same couch they had spent countless hours sitting on naked, watching videos of the Undertaker and eating popcorn. The lamps had also been replaced with something a little more feminine instead of simple black, also matching the new décor.

Alice looked down, seeing the area rug also matched to give the living room more color and vibrancy. Why would he change the house for her? Not that it was nice change, but Alice didn’t mind his bachelor style and would’ve eventually added her own touches to everything. It was as if Teresa read her mind though. There was a tan colored linen with red embroidery on the hem on the kitchen table with a vase full of beautiful white and red flowers. It made the kitchen smell wonderful, giving it a flowery scent.

“You did all of this in a day?”

“12 hours actually, but yeah it wasn’t much work. His house is beautiful, but it really did need just a little splash of color and to look like a woman lives here.”

“What happened to the stuff you replaced the new things with?”

“Oh, you mean the deer head? It’s in the garage, hanging on the wall, since that’s Mark’s domain.” That was where he kept his collection of motorcycles and a few other toys. “Glenn hung it and I told him if he destroyed anything, he was paying for it. So, he was exceptionally careful.”

“I bet.” Alice giggled just as the men walked into the kitchen and her greys locked with hesitant emerald. “What do you think of the changes to the house?”

“Meh.” Mark shrugged nonchalantly. “Looks like a woman lives here now. Where’d Bambi go?”

“Out to your garage. And meh? Really? I came here from Tennessee to do you a personal favor and meh is all you got to say?”

“Meh.” Mark ducked when she threw something plastic at him, spotting Glenn catching it and began laughing. “I’m just picking, Teresa, it looks good and smells good.” She was cooking… Glenn had been giddy.

Had Mark been planning on asking her to move in with him? Alice walked through the ranch while Teresa and Mark kept bantering back and forth. They reminded her of siblings, brother, and sister. Alice had one brother, Malcolm, but they never got along since he’d been her foster parents’ biological child. He was also a Catholic enthusiast, much like his parents. Every room Alice walked into, there was a little feminist touch to it. Nothing huge, but it was enough to show that Mark was no longer a bachelor. Even his bedroom was changed, the colors all the same, rustic, and feminine with reds, browns, and tans. The black had seemingly disappeared overnight, and light had taken over the home with just minor changes.

“He didn’t have to change anything for me.” She murmured, sitting on the bed, and flopped back to stare at the ceiling, closing her eyes.

“She’s cooking you dinner and she cleaned up your guest rooms, we’re spending the night.”

“Well gee, thanks for inviting yourself.” Mark grinned, dropping a kiss on top of Teresa’s head. “I appreciate it, darlin’.”

“Yeah, I know.” Teresa smiled up at him before turning her attention back to the big pot of stew she had going. It had been simmering while she and Glenn worked, something simple but hearty and filling. “Why don’t you go check on Alice? This might be a little much for her.”

Nodding, Mark walked out of the kitchen, leaving the two to mutter between themselves. He was pretty sure Glenn mentioned something about dirty magazines… he rolled his eyes, groaning. He had forgotten about those. A pair of lips against Alice’s neck made her eyes slowly flutter open and she smiled at the sight of Mark hovering over her, a soft humming spilling from her lips.

“Sorry, I didn’t expect to doze off up here.” She murmured, stroking the back of his neck since his hair was currently pulled back in a tight braid. Mark pulled back enough to look down into her eyes and she accepted his soft kiss, knowing they couldn’t delve too much into each other without Glenn and Teresa hunting them down. “Thank you for…what you had Teresa and Glenn do. You didn’t have to change anything, I loved the house the way it was, but I also love the surprise.”

Where had this man been all her life?

Chapter 40

He shrugged his massive shoulders carelessly, smiling softly. “Well now Red, I hadn’t done a thing with the place since I moved in.” That had been years ago. “Bought it from that big ass family, and then kinda left it alone after everything had been brought it, so… this is… nice.” It looked lived in, outside of his bedroom and bathroom. Those rooms had always had that lived in feel. Mark dropped down onto his back and then began laughing. “I’mma kill him.” He pointed up at the ceiling.

Tacked, right over the bed, was a very large poster of Glenn as Kane. He had even signed it: XOXO, The Big Red Love Machine.

“What an ass…”

Alice hadn’t noticed it and giggled, shaking her head at Glenn’s antics, and rolled to where she hovered over Mark, turning his head to lock eyes with her. “I know someone else who is a love machine, and he’s better than Big Red.” She grinned at Mark’s cocky smirk and kissed him, moving again to straddle him and slid her hands up his arms to lace their fingers together. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the changes.”

In the back of her mind, the far recesses, Alice couldn’t help worrying about Page knowing where Mark and now she lived. She would have to stick close to Mark from now on until this whole Alliance ordeal was over with. Her training would go on after Summerslam, but Mark would have to accompany her or someone he trusted, which would probably be poor Glenn. Dallas sounded irate from her confession of loving Mark and something told her he would be retaliating very soon. Hopefully, Mark ended his career in the cage at Summerslam and then they wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.

“Yeah, I like ‘em too.”

He knew exactly why Glenn and Teresa were going to spend the night. Out at the truck, he had told Glenn about what was going on and seen something just kind of click in his friend’s eyes then. Mark had a feeling Glenn was expecting Page to do something crazy and soon, too. He wasn’t going to lie, having extra muscle around would be a good thing, just in case Page didn’t come alone.

“Not so sure about the poster though…” He did not want to be in this bed, making love to her, and one of them staring up at that.

“But it’s hot!”

“Don’t you-” Mark groaned when Alice was moved up further, so she was on his abdomen, Glenn now straddling him as well and sighed. “Dare.”

“Food is done.” Glenn rested his chin on top of Alice’s head, fluttering his lashes down at his friend.

“See, I always knew they were way too close for comfort.” Teresa remarked from the doorway, laughing along with Alice and draped an arm around her neck while Glenn remained straddled on Mark. “Maybe we should leave them alone.”

“Yeah, I’m not into watching men get it on.”

“Definitely not. Now women on the other hand…”

“Way classier.”

They bumped fists together and laughed, walking out of the room. “When you boys are finished playing and loving each other, dinner’s ready!” Teresa called over her shoulder, laughing harder along with Alice.

“Have I told you how much I’ve missed you?”

Teresa grinned, nodding at the woman she had befriended rather quickly. “I know, I’m awesome.”

“That you are.” They headed into the kitchen to start pouring the stew in bowls for everyone.

“So… this is now awkward.”

“Yeah, no shit, get off me. Your fat ass is crushing my balls.”

Alice had the perfect weight while Glenn weighed as much as a baby elephant and he could feel it, making his mattress sink. Something he was not used too because he had gotten basically industrial strength furniture. Glenn plus him were really testing that out. After giving a bounce and making Mark shout out a series of profanities that would make lesser mortals wince, Glenn got up.

“Time to eat, lover.”

Mark honestly had no idea why they were friends. “Fuck you.” He growled, rolling out of the bed, and following, pretty sure he was going to have to chokeslam the women because he could already hear them laughing.

“Oh, look who finally decided to join us, T.”

“I know, I didn’t realize they were one-minute men. Or maybe they just get off that easily with each other.”

Alice had a devious streak to her and smirked at Mark’s scowl while Glenn just shook his head, taking the bowl of food from his wife. “We just don’t compare when it comes to them, apparently.”

“Nope, definitely not.” Teresa sat down at the table, enjoying the new décor herself and took a sip of the stew. “Maybe I should divorce him, so they can get married.”

“WHAT?!” Now Glenn wasn’t amused anymore.

“You know what they say, Dad, if you like it you should put a ring on it.” Alice was rolling with laughter, having to lean against Teresa for leverage, so she didn’t fall to the floor.

“What the fuck? I don’t – we don’t – are you two-” Glenn was at a complete loss for words and could not form a coherent sentence to save his life, wondering where THIS side of his wife came from. “You are a BAD influence on my wife, Red.”

Teresa was laughing too hard to talk, rasping. She hadn’t had this much fun in a long time, being stuck in that cabin all by her lonesome tended to suppress the real her and Alice helped bring it out.

“Laugh it up.” Mark grumbled, taking the bowl Teresa held out to him and then planted his backside at the head of the table, smirking when a disgruntled Glenn dropped down opposite of him. Served the asshat right, sitting on him like that. “Eat your dinner, sweetheart.” He drawled teasingly.

Glenn promptly flung a spoonful of the hot stew right at Mark, smiling when Mark ducked, and it hit the wall behind him. “Oops?”

“You’re cleaning that up, honey.” Teresa informed her husband, shaking her head as she sat down as well, smiling at Alice. “Men… such little boys they are.”

“Says you two.” Mark snorted, blowing on a spoonful, so he didn’t burn his mouth, completely nonchalant about the fact that stew now coated his walls.

They ate dinner in amicable silence, the stew tasting wonderful compared to the horrendous airplane food they had to endure on the flight from Tampa. Afterwards, Glenn cleaned up the wall while Alice helped Teresa clean up, trying to get her to sit down. Teresa didn’t budge, assuring her it was no problem and decided not to fight the woman. Once the kitchen was cleaned up and everything put away, including leftovers, everyone retired to the living room when a knock sounded at the front door. Not thinking anything of it, Alice padded down the hallway and opened it, feeling her breath hitch in her throat at who stood on the other side.

What the hell was Steve Austin doing here with his slut wife?!

Steve smiled warmly at her, though it didn’t touch his icy blues and had his arm wrapped firm around Debra’s shoulders, carrying a case of beer in the other hand. “Came to talk to my friend, mind lettin’ me in?”

Debra could not believe they were here and what her husband was doing, keeping her eyes lowered, feeling humiliated. Of course, he knew about Alice now living here; Page had called and bitched about it, figuring that since they were now on the same side, technically, Steve would care. He hadn’t been wrong. Steve loathed Alice and all because of one thing: Her verbal castration of him early on. When Mark appeared, she managed a shaky smile. Mark didn’t have it in him to be rude to Debra. The woman had piss poor taste in men. He couldn’t recall a one who hadn’t abused her and sighed.

“I got it, Alice.” Mark said from behind her, smiling tiredly when she turned to look at him. “Go on back with the others. Debra, you wanna join them?”

Debra looked up at Steve questioningly.

Steve simply shrugged, eyes narrowed.

“Mark…” Alice did NOT want Debra in their home or anywhere near her, knowing she was the mole in the Alliance. “Torrie…”

“Got what she had comin’.” Steve growled at the mention of the blonde, holding up the case of beer and the friendly smile was back on his face.

“Came to make a truce with you, Deadman.” And convince his old friend he was making a fatal mistake by being with a stripper whore.

Alice gritted her teeth, feeling Mark push her behind him and sighed when he merely pointed down the hallway. “Come on in, Debra.” She felt sick as the woman scampered past Mark and walked with her, keeping her voice low to where only she could hear. “You pull anything like that again with people I care about, it’ll be the last thing you fucking do, whore.” She plastered on a fake smile as they entered the living room with Glenn immediately standing. “Mark could use your assistance at the front door, Big Red.”

What the fuck was Debra and Steve doing here?

Teresa knew Debra from back when they had all hung out, when she had traveled with Glenn. She took in the other woman’s really heavily painted face, not entirely sure what Alice had said to her, but Debra was looking skittish again. “You hungry, Deb?”

“No.” Debra cleared her throat, wrapping her thin arms around herself and looked around, noting the changes, and said nothing.

“What the fuck are you doin’ here, Austin?”

“Can’t a man bring a peace offerin’?”

“No.” Mark and Glenn said at the same time, neither one of them buying it for a second.

“What are you doing here, Debra?”

Alice refused to be polite to this harlot and folded her arms in front of her chest, noticing the thick makeup and the way she dressed, which was whorish. Probably Austin’s doing. It wasn’t her problem that she was in an abusive marriage, Alice had own problems to deal with and suddenly felt her stomach twist violently.

“Page…It’s Page, isn’t it?”

Debra did not meet Alice’s eyes, trembling.

“Lock the windows and doors.” Alice ordered Teresa as she rushed out of the living room down the hallway and narrowed her eyes at Steve. The next second, she had speared the bastard as hard as she could on the ground and felt Mark instantly pull her off him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “GET THE FUCK OFF MY PROPERTY!! Page is here, isn’t he?! You’re a fucking diversion, you, and that cunt wife of yours! Glenn, Teresa…”

A scream followed by something crashing echoed inside the house.

“TERESA!”

Glenn flew back inside, hearing Debra screaming and ignored it. He heard Mark cursing up a storm, shouting something, but his mind was completely focused on his wife. Halting in the kitchen, Glenn took in the shattered glass, the broken back door and Debra cowering in a corner.

Debra pointed out the door. “He took her!”

Glenn went that way, screaming his wife’s name. He had known Page was after Alice, they all had, but would the man really sink low enough to kidnap a woman just for… just for bait? Yes, yes he would. Mark let go of Alice in order to tackle Austin, refusing to let him up.

“Oh… he didn’t come alone.” Austin sniggered, his blue eyes closing right before he got a punch in the head, groaning in pain.

“Wow… pretty.” Shane commented, passing the binoculars over to Stephanie, so she could watch as Page set off Roman candles, aimed at the open back door and then he began laughing. Glenn had taken one right in the face.

Debra let another scream as one of those damn candles came whizzing inside. “FIRE!” Newly hung curtains had caught flame.

“Get off me!!” Teresa slammed her face back as hard as she could, nailing Page right in the nose and felt his arms instantly release her. “GLENN!!” She rushed over to her husband, who had a burn on his cheek from the Roman candle. “You son of a bitch!”

Stephanie laughed evilly, watching alongside her brother from a far-off distance and watched the chaos, her eyes widening when another truck pulled up to the house…and then another. “Oh no…”

Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson all hopped out of the car instantly, rushing to help out their friends in need. Alice hadn’t taken any chances and called Chris for a favor before boarding their flight, not knowing Glenn and Teresa were at the house, a slow smile spreading across her face at the sight of the cavalry. She caught Debra before the blonde bitch could go anywhere and proceeded to tackle her to the floor in the burning kitchen. Chris went around back along with Kurt Angle, seeing Glenn was being held up by Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire while Page took swings at him. That stopped damned quick as he attacked Chuck while Kurt went for Sean, both dropping Glenn instantly. After knocking Debra out with the nearby vase of flowers on the kitchen table, ignoring the fire, Alice rushed out the back door in time to see Teresa rushing toward her.

“Where’s Mark?! Oh my god, the house!! Glenn needs help and…” Teresa was shaking like a leaf, worried to death for her husband because he needed immediate medical attention.

“We need to go – NOW!” Shane would not be held responsible for arson and shook his head, shoving his sister in the getaway car, speeding off.

Relieved that his wife was fine, Glenn began shoving the two away from the burning house, frowning when Teresa said something about Debra still being in there. “Go help Mark!” He ordered, hearing shouting from the front, aware more people were here besides Chris and Kurt and watched the two women take off running before stepping back into a now seriously burning kitchen. This was more than just some damn Roman candles.

Kurt followed after Glenn once Dwayne appeared, coughing and waved smoke out of his face. He spotted Debra and scooped her up. Unlike the Alliance, they weren’t killers. He hoped, swallowing down his Wheaties that seemed to be making a reappearance.

“We got to get out of here.”

Mark had come in via the front door, going straight for the fire extinguishers. This shit had just hit all new levels of personal. An attack on his house… his friends… he was livid.

This was all because of her, because of her defiance against the Alliance. Alice looked around at all the chaos surrounding them, seeing it was a full-fledged war. She ran to the front of the house, noticing the windows on the side were broken and spotted one of the roman candle sticks on the grass. Dallas hadn’t been the only one firing them off inside the house. Steve was nowhere to be found, his truck gone and had left his knocked-out wife to die in a burning house! Alice didn’t care about Debra, but she also wasn’t a killer and started inside when Kurt and Dwayne made their way outside. Debra was curled up in Kurt’s arms, her head bleeding from the shot Alice gave her with the glass vase.

“Where’s Mark?”

“Inside, trying to contain the fire…” Dwayne muttered, coughing and could tell Kurt wasn’t too worse for wear as he continued holding Debra.

Alice went to rush inside when Chris grabbed her from behind, stopping her. “No! Let me go, I have to make sure Mark’s okay!” She cried out, seeing the fire had gotten out of control and one of the windows that hadn’t been broken suddenly shattered.

Chris let her go when the big man bolted out of the front door, looking up at the house and noticed the other side of the ranch had caught fire as well. The Alliance had gone too far this time, burning down this man’s ranch! Teresa had gone to check on her husband and couldn’t believe the house was burning down, her eyes wide while Glenn held his bleeding burnt cheek.

“We need to get to a hospital…” She eyed Debra, wondering what happened to her.

“Fuck me…”

“I’m fine.” Glenn muttered, clamping a hand over his wife’s mouth to shut her up. It hurt like a bitch, but he could tell it was just a superficial wound. It was his head that got punched that felt like a watermelon ready to implode. He dropped down in a patch of grass, staring at the ranch. He could hear sirens approaching, wondering who had called.

Mark was too actually, then he jumped when he felt something extremely hot fall down the back of his neck and under the shirt. “FUCK!” He bellowed, peeling off the top.

Chris instantly began swatting the hot coal that had left its mark down the big man’s back.

That had been Kurt’s doing, after he’d rescued Debra and realized the house wouldn’t be salvaged. The ambulance and firetrucks arrived, immediately getting to work on the injured as well as the putting the fire out in the house. Some things would be saved, but the place inhabitable. Mark and Glenn were both treated for their superficial burns and given specific instructions to keep applying the burn ointment. They refused to go to the emergency room to be checked out, the only person who had been taken away was Debra Austin. Along with the firetrucks and ambulance were the police, where everyone gave a statement on what happened. Again, there was no concrete evidence against Diamond Dallas Page or any of the Alliance members. The law was very fickle when it came to circumstantial evidence and the police had taken what they could, including a few of the used roman candle fireworks.

“Who called you guys anyway? How did you know to come?”

“I did.” All eyes turned to Alice, her eyes on the ground. Mark didn’t know about her calling Chris for help and she had to come clean about it. “After my apartment was broken into and destroyed, I got scared something would happen to Mark’s ranch. So, I made a call to Chris and begged him to bring some help, just in case. I had no idea Mark had Teresa come out here to decorate and spruce up the place.” It was a sheer miracle Glenn had joined her, one Alice was grateful for. “It’s no secret Page knows all about this place, so I took precaution to make sure none of us were harmed or taken.” She shivered, knowing that was Page’s intentions and when he couldn’t get to her, he’d targeted Teresa.

“I was shocked to get the phone call, but once she explained to me what happened and what she wanted me to do, I jumped on it. We’re a team and it’s obvious these Alliance assclowns have taken this to the next level. So, I rounded up Kurt and Dwayne and got our asses on the first flight here after the house show last night.” Chris explained, seeing Alice was beside herself with grief and guilt, not knowing what to do for her.

“Thank god you called them, Allie. We would’ve been outnumbered, and god knows what would’ve happened then.” Teresa was thankful, her eyes moving to her injured husband and felt tears sting her eyes. “Glenn, I…” This was not the time and place to tell him, but if Dallas had gotten his way and taken her hostage… “I’m pregnant.”

Alice and Mark’s head snapped to the side to stare at the couple in shock, their mouths hanging open.

Chapter 41

“No, you’re not, shut up.” Glenn wasn’t in the mood to play around, his face hurt, his head hurt, his stomach hurt, and her jokes weren’t going to make any of that better.

“Yes, I am.” She said, gently but firmly.

Mark cleared his throat, knowing kids had never been in the cards for his friend and that was one mess he wasn’t about to wade into. It bothered him, a bit, that Alice hadn’t felt safe with him, that she had called Chris for ‘back-up’. It injured his already severely wounded pride that she felt the need to have extra people around. Of course, she had been right, but that didn’t help him any. Tonight, the Alliance had completely emasculated him. All Glenn could do was bury his face in his hands, shoulders shaking. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was laughing or crying.

It wasn’t that Alice didn’t trust Mark to protect her, but after what happened to her apartment, she wasn’t taking any chances. Page wasn’t one to take being talked down and crucified verbally, which is what she’d done. As they were leaving the wreckage of her apartment, she’d felt like someone was watching them, but hadn’t said anything to Mark. He’d been pissed off enough as it was. Her instincts had been right on the money, though Mark looked at her with such turmoil, it crushed her. Alice didn’t know what to say to him, knowing this was all her fault and she never should’ve involved him in her life. Staying with the Alliance and dealing with Page’s abuse, would’ve ensured he still had his beautiful ranch.

“Why don’t we all head back to the hotel and try to calm down?” Kurt reasoned, speaking up while Glenn and Teresa were crying, Dwayne and Chris looked ready to drop and Mark…he didn’t even know how to describe the look on the Deadman’s face. Alice looked…broken. “Come on, the cars still run so that’s a plus…”

“He’s right.” Glenn cleared his throat, shakily getting to his feet and helped his wife…his pregnant wife…immediately paling, pushing that thought out of his head. “I need to lay down…”

“Follow us, we’ll get you guys a couple rooms and try to figure out what to do next.”

Silently, Alice slipped into the Chevy Silverado while Glenn and Teresa had their own vehicle and Chris, Kurt and Dwayne took theirs as well, all of them driving away from the simmering ranch.

Mark didn’t even know what to say. He was just so tired and could feel this heavy, cold weariness seeping through him, settling into his bones. Something he couldn’t warm up with blankets, or a drink… it was just… there and he wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere and sleep for a long time. All their belongings… her stuff, what little she’d had. Her purse had been in there, his important papers… all he had on him was his wallet which contained his ID, a credit card, and some cash since he had never really carried much with him. Mark supposed, when they came out in the morning with whoever the insurance people would send, they’d find out if that fireproof safe had really been fireproof. He had kept the thing in a cabinet in the kitchen. Silently, he reached over and took Alice’s hand, squeezing gently.

Refusing to break down in front of him, Alice waited until they were in the safety of their hotel room before excusing herself. Glenn and Teresa had their own room, her and Mark and Chris, Dwayne and Kurt had theirs. Since the Alliance, however many members, along with Page, were still in the area, they were sticking around until it was time to go back on the road Monday for Raw. Alice stripped out of her clothes, starting the shower sprays, and tossed them in the trash since they smelled like smoke.

Her bag she took with her on the road was all she had and, luckily, she had stuck her birth certificate and anything important in it before leaving Tampa. Hopefully, all of Mark’s important documents and paperwork in his fireproof safe would be intact. At least she had what she needed to survive and prove herself a US citizen, all the important crap. The moment she stepped inside the shower, Alice dropped to her knees and cried her heart out, the water washing away the dirt from tonight along with her broken tears.

Mark was not surprised in the least when Glenn knocked on his door, sparing a glance at the shower before going to open it. “Need a drink?”

“You have no idea.” Glenn headed straight for the mini-bar, opening the first bottle his hand landed on and drank from it straight. Tequila. He didn’t care. Then he held the cool plastic cup to the side of his face, where he had been burnt. “She’s really pregnant.”

“Yeah, I got that, man.”

“I don’t like kids.”

“I know.”

“But I’m having one.”

Mark just nodded, taking the offered bottle, and downing his own shot or three.

“How’s Alice?”

“In there, crying.”

“How’re you?”

“Comfortably numb.” It just slipped out, but it was also the truth. Mark really didn’t feel anything right now. His mind was still trying to process everything. “Where’s Teresa?”

“Same place as Alice, probably crying too.” Glenn pocketed the bottle. “I’m going back. No alcohol in my room though.” They had taken what was available. “Thanks.”

As a child, Alice used the bathroom as a place to let her emotions out. Be it a shower, bath or even running the water in the sink to drown out her sorrow. She didn’t know how long she stayed in the shower, but eventually, the water turned cold and she stepped out. Wrapping the towel around her body, Alice looked at the closed door and felt fresh tears burn her eyes, unable to face the man she loved. Not right now, not when he’d lost everything because of her. Dallas’s words came back to her about all this stopping if she’d just go back to him. Maybe that was the best thing to do, to spare Mark anymore heartache and loss. Sniffling, Alice sank down on the tiled floor with the towel and laid her head on it, closing her eyes. It was a comforting mechanism she’d used since childhood, to help her calm down and stop her from having a panic attack. Often times, she fell asleep doing this as a child and the amount of exhaustion coursing through her, it was no surprise when she actually did pass out.

All he could do was stare down at her. She had fallen asleep in the bathroom, on the floor. Sighing, Mark bent down to pick her up, gingerly because his back was… it hurt. Burns hurt. He felt her move and looked down, not surprised to find she was still asleep and knew exhaustion had kicked in. Carefully, he laid Alice down in the bed and gently removed the towel from her body. He then stripped himself, smelling of smoke, but he had no ambition to get into the shower. Naked, his moved next to her, pulling her cold body into his arms and then the blanket over them both. He kissed her damp hair, inhaling deeply.

“Love you, Red.” He murmured, his eyes already closing.

~!~

Running. She was running. Through woods, it was dark, and lightning streaked the sky, thunder rumbling in the distance. A storm was brewing, and she didn’t stop running, not looking behind her, keeping her eyes focused. Just a little further…she kept coaching herself mentally, refusing to stop and could hear his voice behind her, his chilling laughter echoing around her.

“You can run, but you can’t hide, Alice.”

Tears streaked her cheeks as another flash of lightning lit up the sky, the trees swaying dangerously back and forth as the wind picked up. She turned to head deeper into the woods and ran right into a brick wall, or so it felt like. “N-No, stay away from me…” Alice scrambled away from him, his icy blues staring down at her hardening. “P-Please, I love…”

“I don’t care who you love. You. Are. MINE!” Dallas growled, shoving her down on the cold ground and straddled her, backhanding her across the face. “MINE! Say it!” He hissed, tearing her nightshirt down the middle by yanking on the collar until the material gave way under his strength. “Not Mark’s – MINE!”

“N-No…NOOOOOOO!!

~!~

Sucking in a sharp gasp of air, Alice bolted upright and jumped when lightning flashed through the window followed by a rumble of thunder. She looked down at the tattooed sleeved arm draped across her and slid fingers through her sweat-caked hair, her entire body drenched in it. Mark. She was with Mark, not Dallas. What the HELL was that dream about? Deep down, she knew it was an omen to what happened and looked at the clock, seeing it was 4 AM. Great. How was she supposed to sleep after having a dream like that?

Tears rushed down her face silently as her body trembled, another flash of lightning, another rumble of thunder shook the room. Needing something to drink, Alice extricated herself from Mark’s arm and slid out of bed, not caring she was naked. She dug in her bag, pulled out a long nightshirt and immediately discarded it, choosing shorts and a tank top instead. Looking back at Mark sleeping in bed, Alice left the room and padded down the hallway toward the vending and soda machines.

Chris was having a hard time sleeping, period. He had seen a lot of messed up crap in his career, but this so far had taken all the cakes. Cookies. Doughnuts. Everything. He was hoping to find something ridiculously high in caffeine in the vending machine; he hadn’t been able to sleep, but he was so tired, if that made any sense. He spotted Alice, frowning because she was just staring at the machine, not really doing anything.

“Hey.” His word was immediately followed by his hand on her shoulder. He had so much regret because she had whirled, and his balls were in his throat. Chris croaked, dropping to his knees, eyes crossing.

She hadn’t heard Chris’s voice, too engrossed in her own thoughts about the nightmare she just woke up from and reacted on pure instinct. “Goddamn it, Chris!” She hissed, no malice in her voice and dropped down next to him, shaking from head to toe. Alice had to get a grip and stop lashing out at everyone that touched her before she did some irreparable damage. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you behind me…”

“I-It’s fine…” Chris grunted out, pretty sure he’d never be able to recover his balls from where she’d sent them with that lethal knee. “A-At least you know…how to defend…yourself…fuck…” It hurt to talk right now as she slowly helped him to his feet, groaning while doubled over holding his junk. He did NOT care who saw him at the moment and immediately took the ice Alice got from the nearby machine, pressing it to his throbbing boys. “Oh, dear Christ…”

Alice had no idea what to say, her face red as a tomato in both embarrassment and anger at herself for being acting stupid…again. “I’ll – uh – I’ll leave you to it.” Time to go back to the room, she was no longer thirsty.

She had nailed him in the balls, causing potentially serious damage and was now abandoning him to his agony. Chris made a mental note to stay away from her for at least a week, especially after flying out all this way to help her. He dropped back down, leaning against the wall with his legs spread and the ice right there, on his nuts, not caring.

“You forgot your drink.” He managed to get out, hating how much like a 12-year-old boy hitting puberty he sounded right now and was also crying.

“No, I didn’t.” Alice changed her mind, stepping away from the vending machine and handed him a cold can of soda to press against his genitals. She slid down the wall to sit next to him, realizing abandoning him would be a really bad move considering he had come all the way here to help her. “I’m really sorry about kneeing you…” She muttered, leaning her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, willing the tears to stay in her eyes. “I-I had a nightmare and…it shook me worse than I thought. That’s why I came out here to get something to drink.” Talking would help him through the pain as she turned her head to look at him, reaching out to wipe a tear away from his cheek. “Thank you for coming out here for us. We would’ve been screwed without you, Angle and Rocky.”

Simply nodding in acknowledgment, Chris knew she was right. Teresa would probably be in the Alliance’s grasp and now they all knew what a bunch of sick son of a bitches they were dealing with. Not a good thing, especially with her being pregnant. Teresa was pregnant. He could only imagine the hell Glenn would put those fucks through for touching his pregnant wife.

“Where are you guys gonna go now?” He asked when he could finally talk without sounding like she had broken him.

Shaking her head, Alice didn’t want to think about it and looked away from him, doing everything in her power not to cry. She didn’t want to cry in front of Chris Jericho and showed sheer force of will by not doing it. “I don’t know.” She whispered, not trusting her voice at the moment, and looked down the hallway where her and Mark’s room was. It was located at the end. “Wouldn’t surprise me if he kicked me to the curb after this.” She laughed bitterly, turning to look down at her tightly clasped hands. “He lost everything… because of me. They did this because of my defection… because Page is obsessed with me. I-I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve screwed up his life and everyone who’s associated with me, even Torrie…” Her best friend.

“They were the ones who did that to Torrie?” Chris remembered glimpsing the blonde with a black and blue, swollen eye and swollen lips, shaking his head. “Alice, if it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else. Page is… well, everyone’s heard the stories.”

She was his current obsession by sheer chance, well… maybe not complete chance, but there it was. He felt a little bad, looking down, using what looked like a Mountain Dew as a crotch ice pack. Hissing, he moved it away, really hoping the damage wasn’t permanent. It felt like his balls were lodged up inside.

“Come on, I’ll limp you to your room.”

“Limp me back to my room?” Alice didn’t know why, but she started laughing and couldn’t stop, Chris joining in moments later. “That is a new one. I’ve never heard of a man doing that before. Then again, you did just get nailed in the balls by me…” She shot him another apologetic look and stood up, extending her hand to help him stand. “I’ll escort you back to your room because you can barely walk right now. And you should lie down and get some rest.” She had no idea what else would be heading their way in the coming days.

“No, your room.”

Chris might’ve been a bit on the sore side, but he was still a gentleman, of sorts. That and, if he didn’t see her safely back to her room and went to his first… and something happened to her, he doubted he would ever forgive himself. Not to mention, Mark would kill him. No, he liked breathing. He turned her in the direction of her room, shaking his head when Alice started protesting.

“Don’t even bother, I’m way too stubborn.”

Grumbling, Alice walked down the hallway and stopped outside of the room she shared with Mark, looking up at Chris thoughtfully. “Did you mean what you said?” At his quirked brow, she continued. “About if it wasn’t me, it’d be someone else?”

“Yeah…none of this is your fault, as much as you think it is. And that man in there doesn’t blame you for what happened. He blames the bottom-feeding trash bag ho and her demented brother. And maybe Diamond Dallas Page too.” Chris rested his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “You need to stop putting the blame on yourself, Red.”

“I just don’t want him to hate me.” She whispered, tears forming in her eyes and blinked when Chris pulled her in for a tight embrace. “I know he’s angry at me for calling you for help, but…we would’ve been screwed without you guys. I just hope he realizes I did it for us.” Pulling back, she wiped her tears away and grumbled more.

“Talk to him. That’s the only advice I can give you.” He groaned, feeling another sharp pain downstairs, and decided it was time to go back to his room. “See you sometime today.” Chris kissed the top of her head and watched her walk inside the room before heading to his own.

Chapter 42

Mark was awake.

He had woken up when she had left and, a glance at the clock, told him she had been gone a bit long. Longer than necessary for a drink or a snack. Mark knew she wasn’t stupid enough to go wandering, not after everything that had happened tonight.

“Where were you?” He asked tiredly, not bothering to open his eyes and kept hoping he’d fall back asleep.

“I went to go get something to drink and…kneed Chris in the balls. Accidentally.” Alice wasn’t surprised when Mark bolted upright in the bed, staring at her wide eyed, the lamp on the nightstand turned on. The room wasn’t pitch black like it’d been when she left…an hour ago. “He startled me. He touched my shoulder and I…reacted…instinctively…” Much like when she’d belted Mark in the nose after he grabbed her from behind. “He’s alright…I think…I hope…he escorted me here before going to his own room.” She sounded drained, tired, but her adrenaline was up, and Alice didn’t want to have another nightmare.

Sleep would not come to her anytime soon.

It was an accident, he had startled her. Mark remembered when he had done that; he had thought she had broken his nose. Grunting, he dropped back down, fluffing the pillow under his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was planning on going back to sleep, he just hadn’t been able to when she had left. Hell, he hadn’t even been able to force himself to get up and chase after her.

“So, you were with him all this time then?” Better Chris then her out wandering around the hotel because she couldn’t sleep.

“Yeah, didn’t mean to be. Just happened that way. After I kneed him, we sat in the hallway and I got him a soda to press against his dick. He was crying, I felt bad.”

Alice didn’t get back in bed and walked over to stare out the window, seeing the storm had passed, but it was still raining. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, but nothing would come out. Even if Chris was right, she still blamed herself and couldn’t change the fact the Alliance had crossed several lines tonight. Resting her forehead against the window, Alice contemplated what to do about this situation and looked up at the sky, silently asking for some kind of sign. A hint. Anything to guide her in the direction she was supposed to go. Right now, she felt lost, confused, and scared, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Come back to bed, Alice.” He urged, trying, and failing to suppress a yawn. It felt like this last month was just now catching up to him, tonight just icing on the cake. Every time they had a little bit of happiness, let their guards down and relaxed, there was Page and his allies just coming along to muck it up. “Come on, darlin’.”

The exhaustion in his voice broke her heart and Alice couldn’t deny him anything, looking back at him from her place at the window. Her feet moved without her realizing it and soon she was back in bed with him. Mark lay on his side, so his back wasn’t irritated, and she lay on hers as well, facing him.

“I won’t leave again. You can go back to sleep, I’ll be here when you wake up.” She whispered, reaching out to caress his face tenderly with her hand and could see his eyes already closing. “I love you, Mark Calaway.”

Smiling at that, Mark reached out to drape his arm over her, pulling her closer to him. He gave her some space, knowing he still smelled like smoke from the house. Never bothering to shower, not having the strength or desire to do so, Mark leaned over to kiss her fiery red hair.

“I love you too, Alice.” He whispered tiredly, but with feeling, wanting her to know that. “You know, darlin’,” He added softly, eyes closing. “None of this is your fault, you know that, right?”

“Please don’t be mad at me.” Alice pressed her forehead to his, tears sliding down her cheeks she tried holding back. It wasn’t happening, not with him and not after hearing those words. “I trust you, I trust you more than anyone and I know you can protect me. You’ve done it time and again. I just wanted…to protect you this time. That’s why I called Chris. That’s why I…I asked him to come here with backup. Because I could feel in my gut something was wrong after seeing my apartment. I felt like someone was watching us as we were driving away from it to go to the hotel yesterday.” Had all of this really happened in the span of 48 hours? It was madness! “And I can’t help thinking this is my fault because…if I hadn’t entered your life, you’d still have everything instead of nearly nothing.” She broke down, burying her face in his chest as her tears soaked into his skin, not minding the smell of smoke. “Please don’t be mad, Mark…I’m so sorry…”

This woman and her ability to sound like a broken record… he loved her, but she picked the worst times to start gushing. Mark didn’t say a word, just held her and let her cry against his chest. “Enough, Alice.” He ordered gently but firmly when the crying didn’t stop within 5 minutes. “Before you make yourself sick. I’m not mad.” He wasn’t blaming her, he was blaming Page, the McMahons, and everyone associated with those dicks.

A few minutes later, she finally calmed down enough to where she softly hiccoughed, the tears still falling, but she wasn’t making hardly any sound. The sound of Mark’s heartbeat against her ear helped in the calming department. It soothed her, and she focused on it, breathing him in. He didn’t smell bad at all, the mixture of sandalwood, leather, and smoke not far off from how he usually smelled. It was a little more potent, but not in a bad way. His hand stroking her back also relaxed her and soon, the hiccoughs were gone and her grip on him loosened a little, the exhaustion overtaking her. Not bothering to fight it off, hoping no more nightmares plagued her, Alice let the darkness take over.

~!~

Well, the damage wasn’t too bad. Mr. Calaway would definitely want to rebuild his kitchen… that first bathroom. Living room damage… no, he should just rebuild, period. His taste in housing sucked. The smoke was still.. well, it stank and, in the morning light that pierced through the darkness, Page stood right where the kitchen had been, looking around the remains. His eyes narrowed in on the fire safe, whistling and walked over to pick it up. He’d be taking that with him. And just because he could… he pissed on the ashes, laughing before he left.

~!~

The following afternoon, while they were holed up in the hotel room, Mark received a phone call from the investigators there wasn’t a fire safe anywhere in the wreckage. Nothing was salvageable either. Everything had been destroyed. Alice stayed quiet, letting Mark finish his phone calls and felt the same way he had the previous night – numb. Glenn took Teresa home, apologizing for leaving, but his pregnant wife was more important, and he had to keep her safe. Hardly anyone from the company knew where he lived, his house wasn’t even on the map technically. Chris, Kurt, and Dwayne stayed behind for backup, just in case the Alliance decided to strike again. One good thing had come out of this and that was Dallas no longer had the ability to contact Alice because her cell phone had been burnt to a crisp in the house.

Mark was… at a loss. All he could do was sit in the corner of the hotel room, staring at the carpet. All his paperwork, his birth certificate, his social security card, passports, and a bunch of other important documents… all had been in that box. Of course, it was locked and required a key and a combination, but that was really more of a formality against casual robbers. Someone with enough ambition… it could be opened. What the hell? He just couldn’t wrap his mind around any of this, finally looking up, pretty sure the bewilderment was clear as day in his gaze. The first thing he really needed to do was put everything on lockdown, to prevent identity theft or fraud.

Nothing was said between them for hours while Mark made those phone calls, canceling his credit cards, transferring his funds into a new bank account and made a trip out of the hotel to get a copy of his driver’s license, social security card and birth certificate. Due to his house being burnt down and he virtually had nothing to prove he was a U.S. citizen, his only pass had been he was the Undertaker. He was well-known, a B celebrity, and they took pity on him. It was against the law, but…with a couple of photos snapped and autographs, they pushed the paperwork through. He also was issued a new driver’s license number because of the possibility of identity theft.

By the time Mark came back to the hotel, it was night and Alice hadn’t moved from the bed except to use the bathroom. She did not eat, feeling sick every time she thought about what happened and all Mark had lost. Tomorrow was Sunday, they’d only have a day to figure out what they were going to do, and it wasn’t nearly enough time to find a new place to live or even start the rebuild of the ranch. Honestly, Alice didn’t want to live in the same spot again because Page would always know where they were and that didn’t set right with her.

Rebuilding was not something that happened overnight. Insurance people had assessed the damage and would be cutting checks, but there was also the matter of having a contractor come out to determine cost for teardown, what went where, materials to be used, all of it. It would be a colossal pain in the ass and, honestly, Mark was too mentally exhausted to even decide if he wanted to rebuild or just bulldoze everything and sell what was now cursed land in his mind.

“FUCK!” He bellowed, throwing the nearest object right into the wall, not caring about damages or pissing off the people next door.

Alice jumped when he snapped, grey eyes wide and swallowed hard at the amount of rage in his eyes. She had NEVER seen Mark this angry, not even when she’d been released by Shane after Page beat the hell out of her. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, she could say to Mark to make this better or right. He had so much going on, she knew he was on the verge of probably having a mental breakdown. She had to do something for him and slid from the bed, refusing to be afraid. He would never hurt her, and she knew that, even as he grabbed her hand the moment it touched his chest.

“Mark…”

His eyes snapped down to meet hers, the rage boiling in his acidic eyes making them practically glow. Taking his hand, she pressed it against her tank top covered breast, the material thin enough to feel the shape of it and her nipple as it hardened against his touch. The tank top was shredded moments later and Mark lifted her, slamming her against the wall harshly, his mouth crashing on hers roughly. This is what she wanted, for him to use her body to let out his aggression, frustration, anger, pain…anything and everything he felt. He was caving into her, molding her body against his and with a great deal of restraint he didn’t know he possessed, he moved his hands to the wall and pushed himself away from her. Letting her body slide down the wall until her feet touched the floor.

“No.” He said, his voice coming out a rough, coarse growl. “Not everything is fixed with sex, Red…” And she wasn’t his outlet for aggression, it didn’t work that way either. “Just… no, darlin’, no.” Mark moved away from her, turning to stare out the window and groaned.

“I-I know it can’t fix everything, but it can at least give you an escape, even if it’s temporary.”

Alice couldn’t believe he’d pushed away from her, immediately grabbing the tank top to cover her chest, feeling foolish suddenly. Did it ever occur to him that she needed an outlet too? Sex was the only thing she could think of without destroying her hand because all she wanted to do was punch a wall repeatedly. She wanted to rip Page’s head off his shoulders and plant it on a spike for Mark as a trophy.

“Standing there staring out a window isn’t going to solve anything either. And being enraged over what happened isn’t going to help either. I’m trying to help you, why won’t you let me?”

“Because fucking you doesn’t make the problems go away, now does it?” He shot back, tone tempered with mild irritation. “And I’m not about to use you that way, Alice.”

She had been exploited plenty without him adding to it. Mark needed to work out his aggression, he knew that. Maybe going and lifting weights or punching the hell out of a bag would be better than what he could do to her.

“Fine, alright.” Alice held her hand up and walked over to her bag, pulling out a plain black t-shirt with a WWF logo on it and slipped it over her head. “I won’t bother you anymore.”

He wouldn’t let her look at his back, claiming her could take care of it on his own, he didn’t want to talk to her or come up with a solution to their homeless problem and now he didn’t want to have sex with her. Why was she here? Alice had never felt so helpless in her life, not having a clue what to do about this. Maybe it was best to leave Mark alone, so that’s what she did. Sitting on her stomach on the bed, Alice picked out a movie and began half-watching it, her mind on so many other things, including what would happen come Monday.

He had just lost his house, his back was burned, and he swore just thinking about it made it hurt, and now... now everything that said he was him, as well as everything else that was fairly important in his life, had been stolen. All in the course of a weekend. He knew Alice didn’t have experience with relationships, not really, but she needed to understand that sometimes, he just needed to be left alone to sort things out or be miserable for a day.

“I’m going to down to the gym, Red.” Mark announced finally, emerging from the bathroom and could tell she wasn’t even really focusing on her movie. “Want to come with?”

Mark needed to be left alone, time to mull things over and get his aggression out. She couldn’t be with him all the time; they would get sick of each other. “No, I’m fine, you go ahead.” She murmured, staying on the bed where she was and didn’t look up at him, sighing when he stood in her line of vision. He was blocking the television, not that she was paying attention to the movie. Alice sat up on her knees as Mark lowered himself on the bed beside her, keeping her eyes lowered. “Thought you were leaving to go work out?”

“I am.” He informed her, but he was smiling sadly. “I’m not mad at you, darlin’, I just don’t think all the problems we keep facin’ can be dealt with by having sex, especially right now.” They did a lot, except for when she had gotten her little ass beat. “And… sometimes, I just need to be left alone to simmer down. It’s not you, believe that, Alice.” Mark stood up, dropping a kiss on her forehead on his way. “I’ll be back in an hour, darlin’.” He said quietly, running his fingers through her hair one more time before heading for the door.

“Mark…” Alice went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugged him as tightly as she could without hurting his back. He bent down to her level and her arms moved to encircle his neck, hugging him even closer to her. “I love you and we WILL get through this.” She had to have faith, even when the world was falling apart around them and pulled back enough to cup his face in her hands. “Together.” She whispered, kissing him softly and then let him walk out the door, making sure to deadbolt it just in case.

An hour…she could be without him for an hour. Page had her so messed up, she didn’t know where he was at or what he was thinking or even planning. Sighing, Alice went back to lay down and resumed watching her movie, feeling a little better.

Chapter 43

Dwayne was in the gym, pumping iron and he sat up almost immediately when the door swung open. Never in his life had he ever feared his coworkers, and now… he didn’t even fear for himself, just his friends. “Hey man.” He greeted, relaxing when he seen who it was.

Mark simply nodded, heading for the boxing bag hanging from the ceiling. One good thing about Dwayne was he knew when to be quiet, so… it would probably be like working out by himself. Dwayne could practically feel the tension rolling off the older man, wondered where Alice was, but said nothing, resuming his workout. By the sounds of those punches, he was guessing Mark was imagining that to be Page’s head.

After Mark’s 3-hour workout, he’d come back to the hotel and announced they were finding a brand-new home somewhere in Houston. He wouldn’t leave his city, having lived here most of his life. Alice was shocked by this transformation, listening to the suggestions and took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

“Whatever you want to do, I’m in.”

She smiled for the first time in what felt like days, her heart swelling at his next set of words. He wanted her to help him pick their new home out and it would be theirs, not just his. They could either build and live in hotels until the house was finished or try to find a place that suited them. Alice had a feeling Mark was very picky when it came to real estate, so to make things easier she told him to just build a house. She didn’t mind living out of hotels for a while, not like they weren’t used to it.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better about everything.” She said softly, stroking his arm and leaned her head against the headboard while gazing at him lovingly.

“Just needed some time, darlin’.” Mark had beat that punching bag until it was... well, kind of dead. He had to pay for the damage, but it was worth it. “Won’t have all my paperwork in, and the insurance company is going to take its own sweet time in shelling out those checks, but I’ll put the land up for sale. We’ll find something we like and design our own house. You want two ovens?” He teased, stroking her sides.

“No, one is fine unless you want a double of everything.” Alice wasn’t a very good cook, though she could do small meals. Nothing big like Teresa. “Another ranch would be nice with a lot of land we can run naked around on.”

She grinned, meaning what she said to him during her first stay at the old house. Only their memories would live on because the place was gone. She missed it already, it had been damn near perfect. Scooting closer, she curled her legs up beneath him and ran her fingers through his wet hair, the clean smell of him intoxicating. Mark didn’t know it yet, but she would be paying for half of the house that would be theirs, having saved a lot of her money during the 2 years she’d been in the wrestling business. They talked for a couple hours, envisioning what their perfect house would look like and be, before both succumbed to sleep.

Monday rolled around before long, all 5 individuals walking through O’Hare airport in Chicago, Illinois, where the final Raw Is War would take place before Summerslam that Sunday. Glenn was flying in from Nashville, leaving Teresa at home with extra security and a bodyguard he’d hired, an old friend of his from back in his pre-wrestling days. Dallas wouldn’t get past him, Glenn was confident and besides, he’d be back on the road going after Alice anyway. They waited for his plane to land in the waiting lobby, their bags already pulled off the baggage claim, when Stephanie and Shane approached them, Diamond Dallas Page, Chuck Palumbo, Sean O’Haire, Booker T and Test following them.

“Relax – relax, we just came to inform you of tonight’s match.”

Chris stepped up with Kurt and Rocky, wishing Glenn’s plane would land already so they had his muscle in case the Alliance decided to attack in the airport.

“Shouldn’t this conversation be had at the arena?” Kurt demanded, folding his arms in front of his chest and narrowed his eyes somewhat at Stephanie. “Steph, come on…”

Stephanie scoffed. “Kurt, come on…” She mimicked nastily, turning her attention to Mark. “So sorry about your place.” There wasn’t a hint of remorse in her tone. “Just thought you’d like to know on Raw tonight, it’ll be you and Kane against Chuck and Sean for the WCW tag titles…in a steel cage match.”

“Wait…what?” Sean hadn’t expected that and saw the same shocked expression on his partner’s face. “Seriously?”

“Mmmhmm and, if you value your place in the Alliance, you WILL win the match.”

Dallas already had a plan on how to help the boys win the titles back, deciding he’d have to talk it over with his own tag team partner, Kanyon. “You’re looking beautiful today, sugar.” He directed that at Alice.

“Go fuck yourself, Page.” She retorted coolly, refusing to meet his eyes, and stayed behind Mark, feeling the tension once again fill his body.

“Hey Deadman, you missing some personal paperwork?” He promptly waved the documents like Taker’s birth certificate, social security card…anything that was in the fireproof safe…in the air at him.

“Mark, don’t!” Chris stepped in front of the big man, who looked ready to lunge and shook his head. “Settle it at the arena, not here. You’ll end up suspended by Vince and we need you right now, big man.”

“Now Mark,” Stephanie said sweetly, pretending she had not just seen all those important, vital documents Page had been waving around, sharing a look with her brother. “We have all your personal information on file, if you want… I can help you with… paperwork and have things expedited. Shame… losing all that in a fire.”

“Such a ho…” Chris made a face, glancing down at Alice.

“Sure is.” Alice muttered in return, not bothering to hide her disdain for this whore in front of her.

Mark had gotten copies of all the documents that had been in the fireproof safe and changed some of his information, so everything Page currently held was worthless. Not that they needed to know that. She remained quiet, allowing this to play out and to see just how low Stephanie was willing to sink when it came to Mark. Alice knew he loved her and he’d never do anything with the Princess, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t play mind games with her either. Mark was the master of mind games in the WWF for a reason.

When Mark didn’t immediately say anything, just stared at her, Stephanie offered up a hesitant smile. It was sometimes hard to read him, to know what he was thinking. Because he hadn’t choked her out yet, she was going to venture out on a limb and assume that… he wasn’t completely against the idea. With that thought in mind, as well as the knowledge that he wasn’t about to lay hands on her in a very public, very heavy on the security, place.

“How about it, hmm?”

Shane had to turn away when a stream of chew came flying out, feeling sick.

All she could do was stare down at her legs.

“I’m going to safely assume that’s Taker’s way of saying hell no.”

Chris and Alice were leaning against each other laughing, holding their stomachs because the look on Stephanie’s face was priceless. Dwayne promptly took his cell phone out and snapped a picture, also laughing. Glenn blinked at all his friends as he walked up to them, carrying his bag over his shoulder. He never brought much with him on the road, just what he needed and made sure to always have the bag with him on the plane. Unless they were going overseas for a long tour, it was one duffel bag that barely fit in the overhead compartment on the planes.

“What did I miss?” His eyes moved to where Stephanie was shrieking at Mark and slid his sunglasses down his nose. “Don’t worry Steph, it’s good for your skin.”

“And…your hair…” Chris gasped out, enjoying how the Princess kept on humiliating herself.

“My hair?” Stephanie shrieked, pretty sure that Taker had only gotten her legs. Splash back wasn’t that bad, was it? She whirled, presenting her back to the idiots and glared at Shane. “Is it in my hair?” She demanded angrily.

Shane looked, frowning. “Stephanie, there is nothing-” He dodged when he heard Taker make a very gross sound, following by another stream. “It’s in your hair.”

That concluded his chewing tobacco, Mark was chortling while walking to the nearest trash can, spitting it all out.

Screaming and crying, Stephanie ran for the nearest bathroom.

“You just made a BIG mistake, Calaway.” Shane growled, not appreciating what just happened to his sister and narrowed his eyes at the redhead. “This is all because of YOU!”

“No, this is because of your inability to win a war with your father fair and square, so you’ve sent your boys after men and they’ve gotten their asses handed to them one-on-one. Especially Page.” She smiled coldly at him, folding her arms in front of her chest.

“Nice to know you’ve been thinking of me, sugar.” Dallas crooned, stepping forward, his eyes locked on her. “You will be mine again, Alice. It’s only a matter of time. I wanted you back in WCW, you know, but you wouldn’t give me the time of day. Shane gave me that opportunity and, I admit, I fucked it up with my actions, but you should give a guy another chance. Things will be different if you come back and all of this will end. We’ll go back to doing things professional instead of…personal.”

That was news to Alice and she physically shuddered at the thought of Dallas wanting her since their WCW days. “I’m not repeating myself again and you REALLY need to leave me alone. I’m not yours, never was and never will be. Make this as personal as you want, Dallas, it’s not gonna change anything. I love Mark and want Mark, not you.” There, she’d said it in front of a few of his WCW colleagues, as well as his boss. “Committing arson is just a slew of crimes you’ve committed, including the destruction of my apartment.”

“That was Austin, actually. Austin and Debra.”

“I’ll be sure to notify the police about that information. Thank you, Shane.”

Shane shrugged nonchalantly. “Hearsay, sweetheart, can’t charge on a rumor.” He smiled, brushing a stray strand of his otherwise perfectly coiffed, and unmarred by chewing tobacco, hair back off his forehead. “So, you love the Undertaker… interesting. Always good to know.”

Glenn shot Alice a look. “Sometimes, silence is just a good idea, Red.”

“We’ll be seeing you.” It looked like Summerslam would be the perfect time to retire the Undertaker and he smirked, sharing a look with Page.

Page nodded, his steely blues fastened on Alice before slowly moving back to Mark, smirking.

Glenn could go to hell for that comment, though Alice refrained from actually saying it aloud. So, Austin had been the one to break into her apartment, with the help of his whore wife. Alice suddenly wished she would’ve let Debra die in the fire, her fists clenched at her sides. The thought of those two ransacking her place, going through her personal belongings, and destroying everything she had to her name angered her like nothing else. Whipping out her cell phone, Alice walked with the group out of the airport and made one call to the police department in Tampa, informing them she was told, by Shane McMahon himself, Steve Austin was the one who vandalized her property. They were doing a full investigation on the apartment, including forensics, so the tiniest bit of debris would be enough to put him and Debra away. Speaking of Debra, she was still in the hospital back in Houston and Austin came back on the road, leaving her alone. Some husband. The second call was the one she’d wanted to make for a long time and there was no more waiting around.

“Hello?”

“Lita, it’s Alice.” The darker redhead had given her this number to contact her when she was ready to begin training. “I’m ready.” If Dallas came after her again, she would be prepared and refused to be a victim any longer.

“When do you want to start?”

“As soon as possible.”

“Alright, come to the arena and we can use the ring for a while since it’s not being taken over by anyone. I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

“Sounds good, thanks again for this.”

“You’re part of the WWF now, gotta toughen you up, so you can kick ass with the best of us. Trish will be there too.”

They chatted a few minutes longer and Alice ended the call, having slid into the rental truck Mark had, buckling up. Glenn was in the backseat while Chris, Kurt and Dwayne had their own vehicles. Just like Mark needed time to unwind and get over his anger, so did Alice and she was ready for the pain that awaited her with her first training session with Lita.

“They’re going to try taking him out at Summerslam.”

“Yep, I got that too, Big Red.”

“No…” Kurt bit his bottom lip, chewing on it thoughtfully. “Would they really?”

“Yes.” Glenn said, nodding his head confidently. “She said she loved him, right in front of them. Stephanie is obviously stewing in some twisted hatred for Alice and using Mark to mess with her head. Shane is letting Page’s screwball tendencies go nuts, and he’s pissed she keeps defying him.”

“You fucks realize I can hear you?”

“And do you disagree?”

“They’re welcome to try.”

“Don’t worry, Big Red, I have a contingency plan for that match.”

“Really?” Chris was intrigued, staring at Alice curiously. “Which is…?”

“Well, think about it. Who made this match to begin with?” Alice made it sound simple, her voice light for the moment.

“Regal.” Dwayne cottoned onto what was going through her mind and nodded. “That’ll work in our favor, he’s the WWF Commissioner and he set this entire thing up.”

“Exactly. It’s a cage match, right? Doesn’t mean there can’t be stipulations added to it. I’m going to ask him to ban both Alliance and WWF Superstars from ringside, besides me, since I am a valet.” She watched Mark’s lips curve into a smirk and reached over to take his hand, lacing their fingers together. “Regal will do it, especially when he hears they want to take the Deadman out of commission.” The WWF could not afford to lose Mark, not after Austin’s defection.

“Not a bad plan, Red.” Chris commented, patting her on the shoulder and all headed inside the hotel to drop their belongings off in their respective rooms.

Alice also had to change for her first training session with Lita.

Personally, Mark thought if they really were hellbent on taking his ass out, William Regal’s word wasn’t going to dissuade the Alliance one little bit. He had been there before, going out of his way to ‘break’ rules, restrictions, and stipulations. And honestly, if he were Shane, he’d weigh the pros and cons. They might get fined, stripped of title shots, whatever, but the Undertaker would be out of action. He wasn’t going to bank on anything and sure as hell would watch his back.

Chapter 44

The first training session went good with her running the ropes, learning to do that correctly and taking bumps. Repeatedly, her back planted on the hard mat, her eyes staring up at the lights. Lita had pushed her to her breaking point, to where it felt as if her entire body would give out on her. Then Alice would think about everything Page and the Alliance had done to her, the fire in her greys eyes ignited and sheer adrenaline pushed her through it. Four hours later, she rolled out of the ring and pressed her forehead against the apron, her long red hair in two braids on either side of her head, hanging over her shoulders.

Training was exhilarating, but Lita told her she had to start lifting weights to gain some muscle. She wanted Alice to start weightlifting and punching, strengthening her legs more than they already were. She explained how Mark had taught her how to throw a punch, having shown Lita and she was impressed claiming Alice was a fast learner. That wasn’t the first time she heard it and wouldn’t be the last. Once she could move, she headed up the rampway to the back for a much-needed shower. She still had to valet the Brothers of Destruction tonight for their cage match against Chuck and Sean.

~!~

“It’s gonna be a nifty looking scar.” Glenn commented, studying his friend’s back with a shrug. That coal had been burning hot and rolled down Mark’s back until the big man had torn off his shirt. The areas where it had gotten through skin would be scarred, but nothing too major. “Good thing you’re already ugly.”

“Fuck off.” They were dressing in the room at the arena, neither about to pull that crap in the locker rooms, not tonight, just in case. “How’s your wife and my baby?”

Mark was bantering, he was on edge. “So, you’re the one who knocked her up, I knew it.”

“Gonna have to teach the lil bastard to call me Daddy.”

“Don’t call it a bastard!”

~!~

The moment she stepped through the curtain, a hand reached out and stopped Alice from heading down the hallway. Her mouth was covered with a large hand and Alice felt her back collide with the cinder block wall. Through the slight darkness, she looked up into the icy blues of Dallas and felt tears swell in her eyes, her back killing her from her intense workout.

“Relax sugar, I’m not gonna hurt you.” Dallas kept his voice low, not wanting anyone to know they were behind the curtain. They were out of eyesight from everyone and he knew Alice was too sore and exhausted from her training with Lita to fight him. It was the perfect time to approach her. “Let me help you…”

“H-Help me…?” All he’d ever done was hurt her and Alice felt tears slide down her cheeks, hating that she’d been caught off guard by him again. “P-Please let me go…”

“In a minute.” Dallas had a reason for doing this and turned her to where she faced the wall, with him standing directly behind her. “I watched you out there…in the ring.” His mouth hovered over her ear while his hands skimmed up her sides, feeling her trembling against him. “Relax or your muscles will tense up and you’ll hurt worse. I know what I’m talking about, Alice.”

Her neck…Alice recalled when he’d stopped her neck from hurting with just a quick tweak and gentle massage. “P-Please don’t hurt me…” She’d mouthed off to him a lot lately, but now wasn’t the time to fight him. “Dallas…”

Her breathy whisper of his name sent his body into a frenzy, the raging fire inside of him threatening to overtake all rational thought. “It’s alright, just trust me…let me make you feel better…” Then, he began working out the kinks in her back with his hands and fingers, keeping her against the wall and making sure she couldn’t mull kick him.

Someone please help me, Alice thought, pressing her forehead against the wall while she was at this man’s mercy, gasping when he hit a really sore spot on her back.

“So tense, so full of knots, sugar.” Page whispered, really working that one spot that had made her gasp, not surprised with what he had felt.

She had really put her body through its paces and he had enjoyed every second of it, seeing how she had pushed herself. He could not have picked a better woman out for himself. Alice was perfect.

“Better?” He murmured when he was finished, letting his hands drop further, kneading out that tension as well.

Alice couldn’t speak, dread overtaking her and shut her eyes, trying to block out his touch as much as she could. She had to admit, he did know what he was doing when it came to the body, but he wasn’t the man she wanted to be with. Surprisingly, his hands hadn’t dropped below her waist and he hadn’t tried assaulting her, his touch gentle yet firm at the same time. Mark, she thought heartbrokenly, having a feeling Dallas was about to hurt her as he continued caressing her body. He slowly turned her back around to face him, the tears wet on her cheeks and they hadn’t stopped falling. If only a hole would form so she could crawl into it and get far away from him, his touch did nothing to light her body on fire. Dallas scared the hell out of her and it showed in her fear-filled greys.

This is where the insanity, crazy thing, bipolar tendencies people said he had come into play. He had beaten her. He had stalked her. Page had done a lot of cruel things to this woman, but here he was, trying to ease her soreness and aches. Knowing she had such a big night ahead of her, Page stared down into her tear-filled eyes.

“You have no reason to cry, Alice.” He whispered, tracing his thumb over her lips. “I’m not going to hurt you, sugar.” Page bent down, doing what he had been dying to for a while and kissed her, firmly but gently. Keeping it short, feeling her trembling against him even more, Page stepped back out of striking range. “Smile, beautiful.”

Not returning the kiss, Alice could only stare back at him and couldn’t smile, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She couldn’t even bring her hands up in an attempt to stop him, feeling completely immobilized. He had stepped back, giving her plenty of room to leave with a gesture, a flourish of his hand, and Alice wondered if it was a trick. When she didn’t move from the wall, Dallas reached out to take her hand and pulled her against him, sliding his finger down her cheek.

“Go on. I’ll see you again soon. We don’t have to tell anybody about this either, sugar.”

He brushed his mouth against hers again before pushing her through the curtain gently, not wanting to hurt her. Dallas looked down at his pants and groaned, staying behind the curtain while she ran down the hallway as fast as she could. Soon, she would belong to him completely and the Undertaker would be just a figment of her imagination.

She didn’t stop running until she was outside of the arena, emptying the contents of her stomach behind one of the trucks. There was no way she could show Mark how scared she was because he’d only go on another rampage. She’d heard what happened after Shane had let her go and what Mark had done, not wanting a repeat of that. Once she was sure nothing was left in her system, Alice shakily made her way back into the arena and went to the nearest women’s bathroom she could find to clean herself up. Gripping the sink tightly in her hands, she tried to keep herself upright when all she wanted to do was sink to her knees and breakdown. Dallas had gotten to her again, but this time hadn’t harmed her, and she suddenly felt his touch all over her body…his creepy, cold touch. A scalding hot shower was in order.

Alice should have been back by now, Glenn and Mark both knew it. That training session with Lita shouldn’t have run overly long, there was a show to put on after. Glenn watched as Mark paced back and forth, frowning.

“Let’s go see if they’re still in the ring.” He offered, trying to ease Mark’s mind.

Nodding, Mark followed his friend out of their dressing room. He knew letting Alice go off with Lita and Trish was probably a bad idea, well, letting her go alone. However, they were in the middle of an arena, out in a fairly public area and she had looked pissed, like she needed to blow off steam. He had known that feeling well.

Just as they opened the door, Alice pulled her hand away from the handle and swallowed hard at the sight of both men staring back at her somewhat perplexed.

“Where the hell you been, Red?” Glenn demanded before Mark could, watching his friend pull her into the locker room and closed the door. “Are you alright?”

Alice didn’t want to be touched right now, not after what went down with Page and nodded. “Yeah…I just need a shower. Long session.” She looked tired and wary, her back no longer hurting, which didn’t comfort her at all. “I’m okay, just give me a little while, okay?”

Backing away, she practically flew into the bathroom and shut the door, shedding her clothes. After the shower sprays were on, Alice took the braids out of her hair and stepped inside. She pressed her hands against the wall and let the hot water wash Dallas’s touch away along with fresh tears. Glenn couldn’t remember Alice ever backing away from Mark, both men sharing a worried look with each other.

What the hell happened in her training session with Lita?

That was… a first and Mark could not recall Alice ever doing that. No matter what had happened, she hadn’t run away like that, like… she needed to wash something away, without him touching her, hiding. Something had happened, and he could only swallow down bile, his mind facing with possibilities, each one more gruesome than the other.

“Glenn?”

“I’ll uh, I’ll go find Lita, see when the session ended.” He said quietly, leaving the room.

Once she scrubbed her skin until it was red, sure she couldn’t feel Page’s touch on her any longer, Alice finally shut the shower sprays off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her body. Her bag was out in the other room, but she couldn’t face Mark, not yet. Staring in the mirror, at her reflection, Alice couldn’t even look at herself and had to get her emotions in check. Dallas would use what happened against her, she simply knew it and would have to tell Mark.

Sucking in a shuddering breath, she opened the door and stepped out, frowning not seeing Mark anywhere. He must’ve gone to catering with Glenn or something. She didn’t care honestly, grateful to be alone and grabbed some clothes out of her bag. Just as she headed back to the bathroom, Mark walked back inside the dressing room and their eyes met, hers instantly averting to the floor. Without a word, she went back into the bathroom to get dressed and decided to have double braids again for her look that night.

That sickening, sinking feeling in the pit of his gut seemed to fester and explode, making Mark feel like he was going to throw up. Glenn had just come back and informed him the time Lita said practice had stopped. That left a bit of a gap between the time she had left the ring and the time she had gotten back and then headed straight to the shower. Mark ran his hand down his face, his mind running away with all the worst possibilities and finally… he knocked on that bathroom door.

“Alice? Darlin’…” What happened… his mind asked for him when his tongue failed him.

“Yeah?” She called out, keeping her gaze focused on the mirror while tying the end of one braid and began the other.

The worry in Mark’s voice broke her heart. He wanted to know what happened and she’d already surmised Glenn had gone to question Lita. The door was pushed open and she stood there, wearing a pair of black leather pants and a Deadman Inc top that showed off just a hint of her abdomen, sleeveless. It was one of his Deadman Inc t-shirts she had revamped from the seamstress to more her style.

“I’ll be out in a minute and then you can use the bathroom.” Alice murmured softly, hearing him walk up until he was standing directly behind her, his hands resting on her hips and her eyes closed.

Alice leaned back against him, enjoying his touch unlike Page, and finished tying her other braid before locking eyes with him through the mirror. She sounded… fine, forced, but fine and he stared at her through the mirror, trying to read her. Mark looked for that lip thing she did, he looked for the rigidness she held her lower face with when she was trying to hide it, but he found nothing. Something had changed. He could feel something wrong, but Alice was… hiding it.

“What happened after your practice?” He asked, deciding to be direct. “What happened, darlin’?”

Shutting her eyes, Alice could feel the tears stinging them and gripped the sink, feeling Mark turn her around to lift her chin with his strong hand. “It wasn’t the training, it was…afterwards. Lita was great, said I’m a fast learner and I’m picking up the moves quickly. Falling, running the ropes, stuff like that.”

Mark lifted her to plant her on the sink to be eyelevel with him since it was a little high. She was hoping to wait and tell him about Page’s…she didn’t even know what to call it because it wasn’t an attack or an assault. He had…helped her and then kissed her…even though she hadn’t returned it. Grabbing Mark’s hands, Alice slid her hands up his arms and back down, pulling him closer.

“I was jerked behind the curtain by gorilla position and…shoved against the wall. It was Page.” She whispered that last part out, stopping him by gripping his hands tightly. “H-He didn’t hurt me…not this time. I – I was scared he would and didn’t fight him off. I was exhausted after my training session and I had no energy at all.” Four hours was a long time for a training session, but Alice had pushed herself past the stopping point because of her anger. “He told me he wanted to help me and then turned me around to face the wall. My back was killing me, he massaged me and then he…he kissed me. I didn’t kiss him back…I was terrified and just stood there stiff as a board. He said we didn’t have to tell anybody about this and he’d see me soon.” She was trembling violently by now, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I-I’m scared…I’m scared, Mark…and I was going to tell you as soon as we got a moment alone. I refuse to keep anything from you. I love you…”

So, Page had been there, and he had put his hands on Alice, no wonder she had come in the way she had. No wonder she had felt the need for the extremely hot shower, he had seen steam pouring forth from beneath the shut door. Even if Page hadn’t done much more than kiss her, touch her outside of her clothes, it had probably felt like rape. Hell, unwanted physical contract WAS rape. Mark pulled her against him, his eyes roaming skyward as if to ask the powers that be what the hell was going on.

“God, Alice… I’m sorry darlin’,” He whispered, stroking her hair. “I’m sorry…”

“P-Please end this, Mark.” Her voice cracked from the intense emotion coursing through her, gripping his t-shirt while burying her face in his chest. “Summerslam, you have to hurt him. Badly. I would NEVER ask you to hurt someone intentionally, but…he’s not going to stop. He’s not going to stop until he has me…and I don’t want him. I don’t want him.” She repeated it several times, suddenly needing to feel him against her and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, burying her face in his neck. “He scared me tonight. He’s never scared me this badly before…and I know he’s going to try to use what happened against me somehow…”

In Page’s sick mind, he and Alice were probably estranged lovers. They probably had a history together, some Romeo and Juliet like love affair. They were probably having a ‘falling out’ and Page was just waiting on her to come back. Or… Page imagined himself to be the good guy, the man waiting to rescue his damsel, his Alice, from the villain, Undertaker. Page was all shades twisted and Mark was going to do more than hurt him at Summerslam. He was going to take the bastard out, for good.

“I will Alice,” He soothed, his voice low and gentle, at complete odds with the storm raging inside of him. “I will.”

She pulled back to look in his stormy green eyes, caressing his face with her hands. He was more than angry, livid would be the better term and Alice knew it wasn’t directed at her. It was at Page. Pressing her forehead to his, she angled her mouth against his and passionately kissed him, needing to feel his lips against hers, his hands on her body, to wash away Page’s touch and kiss. Mark pulled her closer, deepening the kiss as they tasted each other, her arms tightening around his broad shoulders. It took a great deal of strength and willpower to break the kiss, both needing oxygen and stormy greys locked on smoldering forest green.

“T-Tonight…don’t need you at less than 100% in that cage match tonight with Palumbo and O’Haire…” She rasped out, her lips slightly swollen and head spinning.

Fair enough. He stepped away from her, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders while taking deep breaths. Finally, Mark grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down onto the floor, guiding her out of the bathroom. He knew Glenn was out in the hallway, waiting for the all clear and ran his fingertips gently down the side of her face.

“I’m sending a message tonight.” He informed her, knowing her former friends would be his… greeting card for Page, eyes turning acid at the thought.

“Good.”

This animalistic side of him made her insides turn to mush, but Alice couldn’t focus on that right now. She knew exactly what kind of ‘message’ it would be and had a sneaking suspicion Page would make his presence felt as well. Chuck and Sean were in trouble tonight and, as far as she was concerned, they brought it all on themselves by asking for a rematch for the titles. They would not be walking out of the cage of their own accord tonight and she couldn’t wait to witness the destruction.

“Everything good in here?”

Glenn popped his head in, seeing Mark and Alice were holding hands and could see the acid boiling in his best friend’s eyes. Something told him whatever was going on with Alice had to do with Page. When Mark reiterated what they were doing that night, sending a message, Glenn cracked his knuckles with a sick smile of his own.

“Damn straight we are, brother.”

One of these days, they were going to catch a break and Mark had a feeling the day that happened, he’d probably have a heart attack or a stroke. Just something would happen. She had gotten her ass beaten multiple times, his house had been set on fire, Teresa had nearly been kidnapped while pregnant, her house had been ransacked and vandalized… and now this. More and more kept building and he had to wonder if Summerslam would be the end of it or if the worst was still yet to come.

“We got this.” He said quietly.

They were at war, nothing would settle down until Vince returned to put his children in their place and ended this once and for all.

Something told Alice that wouldn’t happen for a while yet.

Chapter 45

An hour later, they were on their way to the ring, all three walking down the aisle with Glenn carrying his title and Mark having his wrapped around his waist. Alice was in the middle of them, a determined look on her face while staring at the monstrosity before them. Chuck and Sean were already inside, waiting for the Brothers of Destruction and immediately went on the attack as soon as Mark entered the ring, keeping Glenn out at first. Glenn ended up smacking the cage door against Sean’s head before entering the ring to help Mark, who had been tag teamed by the former tag champions.

Alice stayed on the side of the ring, watching the carnage and clapped her hands whenever Chuck and Sean’s faces ate steel. Soon, they were both busted open and, as predicted, Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon slowly made their way down to the ring. Alice hadn’t spotted them yet, her eyes fixated on the ring and what was going on, the destruction Mark and Glenn were performing.

“Yo Deadman!” Dallas shouted, having one of the WWF tag titles around his waist and pointed at Alice, making his way around the ring toward her along with Kanyon.

Alice felt a hand on her shoulder and snapped her eyes from the ring to stare into Dallas’s icy blues, immediately stumbling away from him. “No! Get away from me!” She shouted, running around the ring, and stopped in front of it, staring at the predators while Mark and Glenn were locked inside the steel cage still.

“Come on sugar, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.” Dallas taunted, slowly making his way toward her, and loved seeing the fear enter her eyes, much like they’d been earlier during their…moment. “You know you like being near me…”

There was no choice as Alice turned her head to look at the cage and immediately hopped up on it, scaling it as fast as she could until she was perched, straddled, on the top of it with Dallas and Kanyon looking up at her in shock.

“Now sugar, quit playin’ hard to get!” Page yelled up at her, sighing as he lay his title down on the announcer’s table, gesturing for Kanyon to come over. “I’m going to climb up there, you stay down here and if she comes down, catch her. If one of them try getting out of the cage, stop them.”

He highly doubted she was going to enter the cage, she’d wind up crushed, or worse. Alice knew she’d only be a distraction to her boys, she wouldn’t go in there… well, she was kind of dumb, so maybe she would. Sighing, Dallas started climbing, keeping an eye on her, just in case she tried to drop him or something. His feisty woman.

“ALICE, GET DOWN!” What the hell was she doing? Then he realized what she was doing and cursed. “Kane!”

He looked, groaning. So much for a long, drawn out brutalize the Alliance idiots match.

“No!” Alice shouted, kicking at Dallas the closer he came with her steel toed boot, grey eyes narrowed.

A second later, Mark launched Chuck into the cage, which smacked Dallas and caused him to drop to the floor with a thud, doing a complete somersault. Kanyon tried doing the same thing and then thought better of it when Sean was launched against the cage next. They were using Chuck and Sean as a shield to prevent them from climbing the cage. As quick as the match started, it was over as Mark and Glenn delivered simultaneous chokeslams. It was a double pin for the victory. Mark immediately climbed up the cage and straddled it along with Alice while Dallas and Kanyon backed up the ramp.

“YOU BITCH!! YOU STUPID BITCH!! I’LL GET YOU!! YOU’RE MINE AT SUMMERSLAM!!” Dallas roared, watching Mark point to HIS woman, and snarled at the head shake, basically being told Alice belonged to the Undertaker. “NO!”

Alice was breathing heavily, looking back at Mark and couldn’t smile, her heart thundering in her ears. She was afraid of heights, but her adrenaline had kicked in along with her fear of Page overriding that phobia. Getting away from him was all she cared about, especially when they had her cornered. Glenn remained in the ring, folding his arms in front of his chest. Shaking his head once those bastards were backstage, Mark watched as officials began gesturing, knowing they wanted them down and shifted so he was properly facing Alice. The look on her face, the way she was breathing.

“Don’t have a panic attack up here, Red.” He ordered quietly, reaching out to place a hand on her thigh, feeling how tense her muscles were. “Alice, come on, let me help you down.”

Shutting her eyes briefly, Alice nodded and licked her dry glossy lips, slowly moving to the edge swinging her leg over to start descending the cage. Mark was right beside her, coaching her the entire way and they both hopped down at the same time, meeting Glenn. She nodded when Mark asked if she was alright, pulling her into his arms and raised both of theirs in the air to salute the fans, trying not to think about all the terrible things that could’ve happened by pulling that stunt.

“You’re out of your damn mind for doing that, Alice!” Glenn scolded the moment they were backstage, ripping his mask off to glare down at her. “Do you realize what could’ve happened?!”

Alice smiled humorlessly. “Yes Dad, but I had no other way of getting away from Page…”

“Don’t you fuckin’ do that! Don’t you pull that Dad shit with me, I’ll bend you over my knee and…” Glenn balked, trailing off, realizing he DID sound like a father scolding his child. “Fuck me…”

“The important thing is I’m okay, thanks to you guys. I really don’t want to climb anymore cages anytime soon though…” She was still somewhat pale and sweaty from doing it.

“No, not thanks to us, thanks to you being a fuckin’ crazy lady and scaling that cage. Do you know what could have happened if you fell? You could have broken your damn neck!”

Mark placed a hand on Glenn’s shoulder, effectively shutting him up. “She loves you too, go calm down.”

Obviously, Teresa’s pregnancy was screwing with him because he was all… emotional and protective right now. “I want to strangle Page, that’ll help.”

Mark knew that feeling and just held Alice against him, stroking her braids.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do, Mark. I was trying to-”

He cut her off with his mouth on hers, kissing the breath out of her much like earlier in the bathroom. It didn’t matter where they were as he lifted her to where her legs encircled his waist, her arms around his neck. They were standing in the middle of the hallway with not a care in the world, kissing each other and Alice never felt more alive in her life.

“Let’s go grab our shit and go back to the hotel.” She needed a nice relaxing soak and Mark had gotten them a suite, so Glenn could stay with them due to the Alliance enjoying sneak attacks.

His woman was such a whore, bless her sinning soul. Page seen that kiss from his little area, retreating back to safety with Kanyon, neither man feeling all that great after getting body slapped off that cage. Kissing that son of a bitch Undertaker, for everyone and their brother to see… he kept on walking, knowing right now wasn’t the time to retaliate.

“Sounds good, darlin’.” Mark rumbled, wrapping an arm around her and they fell into step together, heading for the locker room.

He figured by the time they reached it, Glenn would be ready to talk again. The big man was walking behind them, still obviously not okay with what had gone down out there. Surprisingly enough, the Alliance left them alone on their way out of the arena. Alice breathed a huge sigh of relief, not releasing Mark’s hand while Glenn continued grumbling under his breath about ‘how fucking stupid’ she was for climbing the cage. She decided to simply let the big man get over it in his own way in his own time, though she had suggested calling Teresa. The woman could always calm him down, even over the phone, she’d figured out not long after beginning to valet for them. Once back at the hotel and in the security of their suite, Alice went to the room she shared with Mark and kicked her boots off, wincing as a zip of pain flowed up her spine. She didn’t realize it, but her back was black and blue currently from all the bumps she’d taken, including on the ropes, though they weren’t near her kidneys.

Glenn wasn’t calling Teresa because Teresa was prone to having emotional outbursts after that incident in Houston. She would probably yell at HIM for Alice getting up on that cage. Then… he realized, he needed to call her and let her know everything was alright because he’d rather be yelled at about Alice then be yelled at in the morning for not calling. He nodded at his friends before disappearing into his adjacent room.

“Holy shit, Alice.” Mark moved so he was standing behind her, taking in her back, and reached out to trace some of those bruises. “This can’t be from training…”

There was just no way, nobody got that messed up that quick, not unless they were doing it wrong or had an iron issue. Unless Lita had really put Alice through her paces, which… also explained why she had been too tired to get away from Page earlier. He hadn’t realized just what Lita and paces meant, until now.

“You need some Epsom salt and salve.”

“It’s not…” Alice let out a sharp gasp when his finger hit a sore spot, losing her breath for a second. “Bad.” She took another deep breath, slowly turning around to look up in Mark’s worried eyes. “I’m okay, really. This isn’t Lita’s fault. I was angry…I was full of rage and she knew it, so she let me go until I wanted to stop. And I didn’t want to stop. I pushed myself too hard during training, I admit it. I just…I was frustrated and pissed off over this entire situation with Page and the Alliance.” Then she thought about her encounter with Dallas and shivered involuntarily. “He shoved me against the wall behind the curtain. I’m sure that didn’t help matters after brutalizing myself during training.” She must’ve landed on the mat at least 100 times. “I won’t push myself that hard again. Lita wants me to start weight training and I’m gonna start tomorrow once we get to the area for Smackdown!. I…I really want you to go with me, Mark. Please?”

All he could do was sigh and nod, knowing hitting the gym wouldn’t be a bad thing. Mark needed to work out a bit more. He kept telling himself he was going to and yet… he had only gotten around to it a handful of times.

“I’ll go with you, Red.” He said quietly, knowing she definitely needed to take a breather for the rest of the night and then eyed her, frowning. “You need to make sure you’re not overdoing it. It’s one thing to work your way up to being adjusted to this stuff, it’s another to push yourself to the point of breaking yourself. Don’t burn yourself out, darlin’.”

“I won’t.” Her voice was just as quiet and soft, having taken the shirt off right before he entered the room.

Hence his ‘holy shit’ at the sight of her bruised back. Alice felt his lips brush across her forehead and then the clasp on her bra came undone, the material hanging loosely down her arms. She smiled, taking the rest of it off and felt Mark take her hand, guiding her to the side of the bed. He turned her around, kissing each side of her neck and instructed her to lay on her stomach, his finger once again gliding down her spine.

Another shiver shot through her body. The bed dipped a minute later, and Alice gasped at the coolness of the substance Mark spread on her back, being careful not to hurt her. It was his special salve, he’d used it on her face when it was heavily bruised, and it would also dull the pain greatly. This was how a man was supposed to treat a woman, not what Dallas had done to her earlier behind the curtain. With Mark, she was completely relaxed and trusted him, knowing he would never hurt her, not intentionally.

“You take such great care of me. No wonder I love you so much.”

“Someone’s gotta take care of you.” He rumbled, knowing firsthand how much she sucked at taking care of herself.

Proof was right here on her back. Mark sighed, taking it in and shook his head again. Once he finished with her back, he began tugging down her pants, not surprised to find the top of her backside a bit bruised as well. Alice was probably just a giant walking bruise.

“How in the hell were you able to climb that cage as quick as you did?” He mused, knowing it had to be adrenaline.

“Fear, adrenaline…the desire to get away from that lunatic…” Alice muttered, lifting up to where he could completely remove her leather pants and sighed in relief.

As much as she loved wearing leather, it was not a great feeling having the material seal to her skin. Her legs weren’t bruised, just the top half of her along with her backside. Mark ended up removing her panties to apply the salve and Alice hummed in satisfaction, enjoying his big hands on her body.

“Thank you, baby…” She lifted her head when his dipped to accept his soft kiss and laid back down, smiling at him. “I have to tell you, I’ve never felt more alive than when I was in that ring with Lita. And then climbing the cage, in front of all those people…it’s a rush like no other. I understand why you love it so much, being out there and performing.”

“And climbing that cage… that took guts.”

Not that he wanted to see her doing it again anytime soon. Glenn hadn’t been wrong; it she had fallen, she could’ve wound up seriously hurt, potentially dead, if she had fallen into the ring and not been able to control her landing. They were going to have to do something about Page, however. Mark wouldn’t have Alice scampering to whatever place she thought was safe, and put her neck at risk, because the asshole couldn’t understand the concept of ‘no’. After what happened with Page earlier that day, Alice wasn’t taking any chances and knew he would’ve tried kidnapping her. She wouldn’t let it happen, not if there was a way, even a slim chance, of escaping him. Laying naked in bed with Mark caressing her was soothing and she could feel the salve soaking into her skin, sighing in contentment.

“Are you okay?” She asked softly, gingerly turning to reach up and ran her fingers over the slight cut on his forehead from the cage match. It was barely noticeable, and it didn’t make him bleed, it was just a small cut.

“I’m fine.” Mark reached up to feel whatever it was touching, somewhat surprised to feel the small raised area. He hadn’t even noticed it, adrenaline and concern for Alice had sort of overrode everything else. “Heh, didn’t even notice it.” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders gently, moving so he was laying on the bed, his still booted feet hanging off the mattress and carefully pulled her down against him. “Does it feel better?” He asked, kissing her bare shoulder.

“Much better.” Alice murmured, cuddling his chest, and sat up on her knees carefully to crook her finger at him.

He sat up, following her finger and her hands reached down to push the t-shirt up and off he was wearing. Mark had quickly changed out of his gear at the arena and she wanted skin on skin contact, pushing him back down to lay where she was. Their chests pressed together, and she smiled at the soft growl from his mouth, rubbing her nose against his.

“No, THIS is much better.” She whispered against his jaw, caressing his chest and kissed his neck, nuzzling the crook.

“Much.” He growled in agreement, his hands moving to her fiery red hair, loving the feel of those silky tresses in his fingers, even if it was double braids.

Using his feet and heels, Mark shucked off his boots and socks before scooting up further onto the bed, never letting her move away from his chest. The skin to skin contact was… nice, reassuring, and he was enjoying it. He could feel all the tension draining from him as they kissed and caressed each other, though he was mindful of her back.

Chapter 46

“Okay, you’ve got to lift with your legs and I know those are strong.”

Lita still couldn’t believe she witnessed Alice scale the cage the previous night with such grace and speed. Those legs of hers were a major threat and if she strengthened them further, they would be a force to be reckoned with. “Keep your back straight, head up and lift.” She instructed, watching as Alice lifted the bar strewn across her shoulder blades, a 50-pound weight on each end. She was deadlifting 100 pounds up and down, doing squats, which would strengthen both her upper and lower body. More her upper body than anything, which is what Alice needed.

After doing several reps of those, Lita guided her over to the punching bag hanging and smiled when Mark walked over to see what they were doing, who had been doing his own workout. Punching and kicking the bag would help alleviate some of her stress and also strengthen her arms and legs. Mark had already taught her how to throw a punch, now it was time to learn kicking.

“The power is in your hips. Watch me.”

“My hips, really?”

“Yes, your hips hold a lot more power than you can ever imagine. Rotating them while punching also helps.”

“Where did you learn all of this, Amy?” That was Lita’s birth name.

Lita shrugged, delivering a lethal kick to the bag. “I’ve always loved working out and found different techniques that were good for me. Being women our power has to come from different places. That’s why I do the Hurricanrana because it fits me. But what you did to the Dudley Boys…” She let out a low whistle. “You have powerful legs, so I want you to focus on your arms first with every workout you do and then your legs. Maybe alternate, one day do your arms and the next do your legs. The more you work out, the better off you’ll be, and your body will harden to where you’re not bruised from head to toe after every training session.”

“She’s deadlifting 100 pounds.”

“Yeah, I know.” It was kind of hot, actually.

“How?”

“No clue, she has a lot more strength then we realized, apparently.”

“Most people have to actually work up to that, through training and strength building exercises.” Glenn shook his head, sighing and switched places with Mark, taking his turn under the weights on the opposite side of the gym, letting Mark spot him for a while now. “You’re in love with a mutant.”

“Be nice, she’s… strong.” Hellaciously strong and he knew, if she was given a chance, his Alice would be at the top of the dog pile in the women’s division.

Being a stripper, men didn’t realize how much strength it took a woman to climb the poles and look sexy doing it. The dances weren’t hard, but climbing the pole, twisting, and torqueing her body, especially when high up, used pure strength, especially her legs. Her arms were also strong; Alice hadn’t realized being a stripper had conditioned her to become a professional wrestler, in a weird way. Maybe Eric Bischoff had known that, and it was one of the reasons he had offered her a contract. Alice would never know and imitated Lita’s kick to the bag, ignoring the soreness in her back and backside. Every time she zeroed it on the bag, Dallas’s smug smiling, creepy face stared back at her and she kicked it as hard as she could.

“You know, I never realized how much I didn’t appreciate stripping.”

They were taking a break, admiring Alice’s good kicks, towels around their necks and sipping from their respective water bottles. Glenn was insistent on cardio next, something about needing the energy to chase after the monster Teresa was carrying. Cardio wasn’t a bad idea, walking and jogging while watching Alice put herself through her paces… yes, please.

“No shit…” Glenn chuckled, his face red, sweat trickling down his neck. He had really fallen out of shape. “Never really thought about pole dancin’ being a valid form of exercise, but… yeah, now that I think of it, it is.” He wondered how open to that form of exercise his wife would be, after the baby of course.

After 50 kicks or so, -Alice lost count while Lita did her own workout, leaving her protégé on her own- she decided to take a small break and grabbed a bottle of water, chugging it. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and the tank top she had on coated in sweat. It was the only thing she could wear, refusing to showcase her bruised back for the world to see. She looked over at Mark and Glenn on the treadmills and smiled, finishing off the rest of her water before resuming kicking the bag.

Lita warned her not to overdo it and Alice had also promised Mark, so she decided maybe it was time to call it quits for the day. Lita had left a half hour ago and they promised to meet up in the ring at the arena for more training. Working out wasn’t the same thing as actually getting inside a ring and performing moves. Lita promised to take it easy on her today, but Alice didn’t want any special treatment and would have to go through the pain like everyone else did.

“You did tell her that working out and training every day is a great way to get burnout or an injury, right?”

“Nope.” Alice was a bit stubborn at times, he doubted she’d listen. “I’ll just take her ass home soon enough, she’ll get rest there.” Not like Mark worked all week anyways.

“Yeah, don’t you guys have a house and all that to plan?”

“Yeah…” Thanks for the reminder dickhead, he thought darkly, scowling.

Home was hotels and he groaned, wondering what she’d think about renting an apartment or something until their home was designed and built. Mark hadn’t lived in an apartment since… college. It’d be an interesting experience.

“I’ll talk to her.”

Alice didn’t plan on working out and training every single day, but while they were on the road, it would become mandatory. At least one of her days off a few hours would be spent in the gym as well. After Mark and Glenn finished with their cardio on the treadmills, they all showered and left to head back to the hotel. On the way there, Mark brought up their living situation and Alice had grown quiet, knowing he was still upset about his house. Who the hell wouldn’t be? She still blamed herself for what happened and probably always would.

“An apartment?” She questioned, raising a slow brow at him and didn’t know how to respond to that. “You mean while the house is being built, right?” Mark had already decided he was rebuilding on completely different land and selling his old stretch. “Are you sure you’d be comfortable with that? Maybe something a little bigger would be better.” Apartments were usually small – condos and penthouses were the way to go because of Mark’s sheer size.

“Well darlin’, the way I figured it, we’re not going to be there all that much and besides,” He grinned at her, looking both evil and amused. “You really get the measure of a person when you live in cramped spaces. Figure if, by the end of it, we’re both ready to kill each other… or not, we’ll know where we’ll be in a year or so.” Mark outright laughed at the look on her face. “It won’t take all that long to build a house; the long part will be picking out everything we want and where we want it.” Materials for things like the counters, floors, colors… all that fun stuff. He was actually… kind of enthusiastic about it.

Was he excited about this? What happened to her doom and gloom Mark? The twinkle in his emerald eyes was refreshing to see and his excitement was contagious. She smiled softly, reaching over to squeeze his jean covered thigh and looked way too innocent for her own good.

“Well, if there’s one person I want to be cramped up with, I’m looking at him.” Alice unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted over to be closer to him, feeling his arm wrap around her shoulders. In a twist of fate, what Dallas and the Alliance had done was bring them closer together because now they were getting an apartment until their brand new, beautiful home was built. “After Smackdown! tonight, let’s not wait to go to Houston. Let’s leave and get there, so in the morning we can get up and start apartment hunting. Sound good to you?”

Turns out, all they had going on tonight on the show was a backstage interview, which would take a whopping 3 minutes and then they could get the hell out of dodge. That was the best idea he had heard in a while. Another reason for a low-key apartment was the simple fact that nobody in their right minds would think HE, of all people, would shack up in a cramped space. A penthouse, or condo, that would be expected, but this… not so much.

“I uh, know a place we can get a 2 or even 3-bedroom apartment at, easy.” Not too small, the floor plans were pretty open, but… low-key. When Alice looked at him with a cocked brow, he smiled sheepishly. “I dabble sometimes on the side in real estate. My business partner… he owns a complex with my backing.” It was meant to be middle class housing, something Houston had needed.

“Really? Do you think he can get us one of those apartments on our days off?”

Summerslam was Sunday, Vince treated it somewhat like WrestleMania, so there were a ton of a media appearances and whatnot to do. Mark and Glenn had a total of 10 signings to do Friday and Saturday – 5 a piece – 2 hours long. There were only a limited number of fans and they had to buy tickets in order to meet him and receive their autograph. Alice had been talked about throughout the WWF fans lately, ever since she started valeting for the Brothers of Destruction, so Vince wanted her at the signings as well. Unfortunately, they would only have 2 days off to get into an apartment and somewhat settled before having to go back on the road for the Summerslam madness.

“Let’s leave tonight for sure. I’ll call the airport and see about changing our flights from tonight instead of tomorrow or possibly look for a redeye.”

Alice had started taking care of their travel arrangements, especially since Mark hated doing it. She didn’t mind so much, and his schedule had actually been more organized lately. While she handled the travel arrangements, he made a phone call of his own. By the time they were both done, they were going to be running to catch a redeye and, first thing in the morning, they’d meet his business partner, see the apartment and sign if they wanted it. Mark had explained the situation, the lease would be a month by month and, if they were going to continue staying, they’d pay the rent. If not, they’d turn in notice and pay for what days they were there. Easy as that.

“You look… excited, darlin’.” He commented, studying her thoughtfully.

“It’s because you are.” Alice remarked coyly, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a red tank top, deciding not to change since they were just doing a quick backstage interview with Jonathan Coachman. However, she did tie a black bandana around her head, leaving her hair down and let it hang over her shoulders. “It’s nice to see the spark in your eyes again, the fire. I can’t wait to have 2 days just the two of us...”

Ever since the fire, they’d barely had sex and Alice wanted nothing more than to run around naked in their new apartment for 2 days and plan what their new house would look like. She smiled at him through the reflection in the mirror, watching him get ready for the arena. Mark was also going simple, basically wearing the same clothes he’d be caught in walking down the street.

He wasn’t dressing up for a 3 minute segment, they could all kiss his ass. “Mmm, 2 days off… How do you feel about shoppin’, darlin’?” A lot of things he had written off as ‘smoke damaged’ from the fire needed replaced, not wanting to deal with any of it. When she gave him a look, he began laughing. “Well, the apartments aren’t furnished.”

“These aren’t going to be 2 days of leisure, are they?” Alice muttered good-naturedly, hearing him chuckle in response and rolled her eyes, pulling on his t-shirt enough to lower his head to hers. “I figured we’d have to shop for everything. All the more reason to leave tonight, get a good night’s sleep and start fresh in the morning.”

They would need all the essentials, absolutely everything had been destroyed at the ranch besides Mark’s fireproof safe, which Dallas still had the documents from. Not that it mattered. She would not argue with Mark when it came to furniture or anything he wanted to get, already deciding they needed a king-sized bed. Anything smaller than that would break after a couple rounds of sex. They needed something sturdy and the furniture they purchased could easily be added to the new house.

“Hopefully, they can do the interview as soon as we get there to get it over with.”

“Don’t see why not, it’s not being aired live.” Mark said thoughtfully, knowing she was just as anxious as he was to get back to Texas.

Maybe they’d finally have a bit of peace and quiet. He also knew Glenn wanted to get home to his pregnant wife, not that he blamed the man. Mark was curious how that would play out, the kid thing and smirked. He’d have some jokes for his friend at a later date, involving diapers and grown ass men shitting themselves.

“We don’t have to do serious shopping darlin’, just the basics. Shit we’ll need to be comfortable.”

“Right, but we’re still going to need quite a bit of shit.” Alice already decided she was paying half for everything, whether Mark liked it or not. This wasn’t just him anymore; they were living together and sharing their lives.

Sure enough, the moment they walked inside the arena, Alice along with the Brothers of Destruction were lead to an area to film their interview. She smiled at Jonathan Coachman, shaking his hand, and laughed when Mark immediately pulled her against his side possessively. Alice didn’t mind being possessed by him, snuggling into his side while his arm draped over her neck. She had to bite the inside of her cheek while Mark gave a long-winded speech about destroying Page and Kanyon at Summerslam this Sunday. Alice couldn’t wait to watch the absolute annihilation of the man who had made both of their lives a living hell ever since the Alliance invaded the WWF. Glenn just stood there, nodding at what Mark said with the mask on in his wrestling attire. He rarely went to the arenas without his wrestling attire on because of the mystique of his character Kane.

“We done?”

“Yeah, I think that’s good.” Coachman assured them, nodding. “If it’s too long, they’ll just cut it in editing before it airs on Thursday.”

“Thank fuckin’ god.” Glenn couldn’t wait to get to the airport, so he could remove his mask. Nobody recognized him without it. “What time does your red-eye flight leave, Deadman?”

“Not for another 2 hours.” Alice frowned, wondering what they would do to kill the time and looked up at Mark.

“Fuck it, let’s get somethin’ to eat somewhere near the airport. Need to kill at least an hour.”

Walking out of the arena, Alice felt relieved they wouldn’t have to deal with the Alliance tonight.

Chapter 47

“She’s going to need help out there,” Glenn said over their meal, discussing Teresa’s pregnancy with them. They had hit a local diner, one that didn’t serve greasy, crazy cheesy pizza. He was on a diet anyway, eating grilled chicken, a house salad with fat free dressing, along with steamed veggies. “We live out in the middle of nowhere, and I can’t keep leaving her alone.”

Mark didn’t blame his buddy there. He wouldn’t want to leave Alice alone either if she were pregnant, especially out in the middle of the sticks. Then he realized he was picturing Alice pregnant and promptly squished that thought, reaching for his water quickly after having somewhat choked on his own food.

“Don’t blame ya.” He managed to get out hoarsely.

“Well…why don’t you just have her stay in Houston at our new place?” Now it was Glenn’s turn to choke on his food and she actually leaned over to pat his back, the table round with her in the middle of them. “Big Red, we both know a few weeks after Summerslam, you’re taking time off for that elbow injury you’ve been trying to hide.” She gestured to his arm, which looked a little deformed and had a feeling it was more serious than he was letting on. “You really should take time off now, but…I know you won’t because of who you two are facing at Summerslam and what’s on the line.” Page and Kanyon had a HUGE ass kicking headed their way. “When you come back on the road, she’s gonna be alone again. So, let her stay in Houston when you’re back on the road and when she’s far enough in her pregnancy to where she can’t fly anymore, take more time off then to be with her until after the baby is born.” It sounded simple in her mind, but Glenn was looking at her like she’d lost her marbles. “Or not. Just trying to help, Dad.”

“Quit calling me that, one of these days I’m going to punch you, Alice.” Glenn informed her, smiling his twisted, little smile. “I don’t think she feels safe in Houston, and I can’t blame her there. Not many people know where we live,” And he liked it that way. “I’m thinking about having her folks go stay with her, or vice versa. They live in Knoxville, a lot closer to home than Texas.”

Mark got that, though his eyes narrowed. “You do know, brother, if you ever make a move to punch her… I’ll be there to beat your ass.”

“Well… that’s rude.” Glenn winked at her, showing her he was mostly teasing.

Grinning to show she didn’t take what he said to hurt, Alice slid her hand up Mark’s arm to his neck and leaned up to brush her lips against his cheek. “My big, strong protector.”

She hugged him briefly and then went back to eating her crispy chicken salad, not a fan of grilled chicken. At least it wasn’t fattening food, for the most part, though the honey mustard probably didn’t help either. Nothing she couldn’t work off in the gym and in the bedroom with Mark, a smirk curving her lips briefly while taking another bite of food.

“If you change your mind, our door is always open, Glenn. I know Mark feels the same way.” She smiled at his nod.

“I’m nodding, but I’ll tell ya, I don’t want your big ass in an apartment with us. I’ll take your old lady though, she can cook.”

“Yeah, until she calls you to tell you about her vomiting, or how she thinks her vagina is swelling, or-”

“I’m trying to eat Glenn!” Mark was coughing again, gesturing for a refill on his water after draining it. The last thing he needed was to envision that one and he scowled, nudging Alice lightly with his elbow when she began giggling. “Not funny, darlin’. Keep it up and you’ll be bitching about the same thing.” He’d pound her until they were both bitching.

“Now you know I wouldn’t mind having a swollen pussy from you…”

“Goddamn it, I’m trying to eat!”

Alice smiled deviously, shrugging. “You brought up swollen vajay-jays and vomiting, Big Red.”

“I am no longer hungry.” Glenn pushed his food away, looking ill and glared at them, not amused having his own joke thrown back in his face. “You two suck!”

“Indeed, we do.”

“Fuck me, get your head outta the gutter!”

“Nope, I happen to like it there.” Alice giggled when Glenn tossed his napkin on the table and stormed out of the restaurant, planning on getting his food to go. “Oops?”

Glenn’s phone rang, and it was his wife crying from watching a movie. Laughing, Mark kissed the top of Alice’s head before finishing his own meal, quite hungry. He and Alice both watched as Glenn paced the sidewalk in front of the diner looking… exasperated, confused, and obviously a bit concerned.

“Man, I don’t envy that poor bastard. It sounds like she’s a bag of crazy hormones right now.” He had never had to deal with pregnancy, thankfully, so… Glenn was on his own with this. “Uh, are all pregnancies like this?” He asked, looking down at her and then half-smiled. “And yes, I’m being sexist, Red, I’m asking you cause you have a… did you call it a vajay-jay?”

“I couldn’t tell you, never been pregnant before.”

That wouldn’t change anytime soon either. Alice wanted to establish her name in the WWF and win the Women’s title at least a couple times before thinking about settling down. Kids were never in the cards for her and Alice didn’t know if she even wanted to be a Mom. It seemed as though Mark wanted to be a father someday…this was NOT the type of conversation to have, not with all the other obstacles in their way. They hadn’t been together nearly long enough to talk about kids either and she was protected by her shot and diaphragm.

“I just hope she’s doing alright and her hormones settle down for Glenn’s sanity. He look ready to pull his hair out.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Mark snorted, shaking his head and eyed his friend, pretty sure Glenn WAS losing his hair. He seen the look on Alice’s face, it had been brief, but he caught it. “Don’t go thinkin’ I’m planning on knocking you up, darlin’.” He said after finishing his plate, pushing it aside with a contented sigh. “I know you want a career and I’m not anywhere near ready for rug rats.” Mark was in his prime and figured maybe some years down the road, then they could discuss it. “Besides, be awfully fucked up if you busted your ass for this, only to wind up pregnant.” At Alice’s relieved look, he outright laughed and pulled her across the already tiny booth until he could kiss her, tasting that honey mustard sauce of hers on the corner of her lip. “Mmm…”

“Good, we don’t need to discuss it then.” Being together by themselves without a screaming infant was all Alice wanted in her life right now. “Mmm you like that sauce, huh?” He pulled her to straddle his lap and pressed herself against him, greys slowly darkening. “I think…when we get to the hotel tonight, we should order some dessert. Chocolate syrup, to be more specific.”

She planned on drizzling it all over his body and licking it clean, smiling at his groan. Good thing they had a corner table where they couldn’t be hardly seen due to the windows being tinted to prevent onlookers. They would not be getting much sleep tonight, she surmised, not having a problem with it. Alice would sleep when she was dead.

“Sounds delicious, Red.” He drawled huskily, the hand closest to the window skimming up her side, to her breast and he ran his thumb over her nipple, feeling it hardening underneath her clothing. “We’ll have to work it off, of course.” His eyes took on a very evil gleam as he dipped his head, his lips kissing her pulse point before moving up her throat to her ear. “You’re a naughty vixen, Alice.” He whispered, arching his hips up against her. “I might have to punish your sweet ass.”

“Now THAT sounds delicious…” Alice breathed out, feeling how hard he was against her and groaned in frustration at the friction their jeans were causing. She could barely feel him through the thick material and it was driving her mad. “Maybe I should join the mile high club with you…” She pulled back, seeing his eyes were smoldered over and slid her tongue along his bottom lip, being very cautious not to draw attention to them or what they were doing. “What do you think about that, Deadman?” Her mouth hovered over his ear, her lips and tongue teasing his neck the same way he had hers only moments ago.

“Darlin’, as fun as that sounds, my big ass ain’t going to fit in one of those tiny fucking bathrooms they got on those birds.” He tried not to laugh as the image of him getting stuck in one, balls deep in her, pants around his ankles… yeah, that’d make some news. They might be able to manage it in their seat, but it’d be their luck they wound up being escorted off by an air marshal or something. “We’ll have to charter a private flight one of these trips, Alice.” Having sex with her in an airplane, or jet, was definitely on his bucket list now. Mark gestured for the check, nudging at her. “Get off me, before I lay you out on this table and get us both arrested.” It was a promise because he wasn’t kidding.

His cock felt ready to burst out of his jeans and standing up was going to hurt. While Mark excused himself to use the restroom, after paying for their meals, Alice headed outside for some much needed from Utah air. Glenn had just gotten off the phone and he looked…perturbed, to say the least.

“Everything alright with the Momma?”

“Why do you insist on calling her that?” Glenn grumbled, scrubbing a hand down his face, no real malice in his tone.

“I don’t know, it just comes out that way. You know, I’m not very familiar or experienced with parents. Mine were killed when I was a baby and I had shitty foster parents, but…you two are going to be great parents. I can see it. I feel it. You may not think you’re ready for this, but you are, Glenn. You and Teresa both are ready for this.” Alice didn’t know if that would make him feel better or worse, but she had to say what was on her mind and touched his chest gently. “You shouldn’t doubt yourself. And she shouldn’t doubt herself either. The hormone shit will pass, just give it a little time. And don’t be surprised if you start experiencing cravings like her.”

“Sympathy cravings…” Glenn paled, wanting to stay on his diet and groaned, leaning back against the building. “You really think we’re ready for this? You hardly know us…”

“I know enough. You two have big hearts, even if you don’t wanna admit it, Big Red. You’re gonna be fine. Trust me, as long as you give that kid as much love, affection and attention as he or she needs, there’s no wrong you can really do as a parent.”

“Yeah thanks, Hallmark.”

“Hallmark?” Mark walked out of the diner, stretching his arms over his head, well, one arm. The other held out a bag with what was the rest of Glenn’s food. “Here, man.”

“Thanks,” He took it. “And Hallmark, that’s what I’m calling Alice now. Y’ know, like those cards and shitty TV movies?”

Mark had no idea because he didn’t buy cards or watch a lot of movies on TV. “Whatever, ready darlin’?”

“You’re an ass.” Alice reached up and hugged Glenn around the neck, kissing his cheek. “Good luck with preggo and if she needs to talk to someone besides you, tell her to ring me up.” At his nod, she walked away with Mark to their rental and headed to the airport.

~!~

Chocolate sauce was EVERYWHERE.

The bed, carpeted floor, walls, and all over their bodies as Alice caressed his jaw with her lips, sprawled out on top of him. Mark had thought of…inventive ways to use the chocolate sauce, syrup, whatever one wanted to call it. She had it in places even SHE didn’t know it could go. Her back was still bruised up, but not nearly as bad, thanks to the salve. He’d taken it easy on her until she urged him on, needing their lovemaking to be a little aggressive. It helped her sleep better. Chocolate sauce and this man was the best dessert Alice ever had.

“Mmm you taste delightful…”

“Oh… not as good as you taste, darlin’.” He replied, his eyes moving past her to the ceiling and inwardly cringed.

Mark could only imagine the shit he was going to get when housekeeping came calling. They were going to have to switch rooms, there was no way this bed was going to be cleaned up at a decent hour. Or maybe they’d just skip sleep and head straight to the airport, they still did have a flight to catch.

“God woman, get up, we need to shower.” He hated being responsible and, when her feet hit the ground, he took her in, smirking and knew he probably looked the same way. “You’re a hot mess, Red.” Bending down, Mark licked the chocolate off her shoulder, biting down gently. “Mmm...” That had been a delicious idea, messy but fun.

Due to the airport’s incompetence, their redeye flight was overbooked and there were no other flights available from Salt Lake City, Utah to Houston, Texas until the morning. 6 AM to be exact. It was now 3 AM. They had gotten a hotel room near the airport and immediately went to town on each other, after ordering the chocolate sauce. It was a great idea, in her opinion, and she didn’t regret skipping sleep in order to sex it up with her man.

Sex over sleep – never a questioning factor.

“Mmm keep that up and we won’t get to the shower, Deadman.” Her mouth pressed against his chest, sliding her tongue up where a line of chocolate remained. She giggled when he growled and lifted her over his shoulder, smacking her backside as the sound echoed throughout the room. “I can walk, you know…”

“Maybe, bet your thighs would stick together quite badly if you tried.” He remarked, smirking as he thought about all the delicious things he had done down there with that chocolate.

Mark kept her over his shoulder, one hand caressing and lightly spanking her beautiful backside, the other adjusting the shower sprays. They would probably not sleep tonight, and he was quite all right with that. But they would definitely need to avoid all the chocolate they had left behind, or this shower would be for nothing. Depositing Alice in the tub, he stepped in after her and began laughing when he took stock of the front of his thighs.

Chocolate handprints.

Sure enough, her thighs were stuck together, and the water helped pry them apart, leaving behind red marks. There were also chocolate handprints from him on her hips and outer thighs, though the water quickly washed them away. After a bath to wash their bodies off, Mark pulled her up to start the shower sprays and they proceeded to clean themselves from head to toe. They helped each other, both laughing and enjoyed the peacefulness between them. This is what a relationship was supposed to be about. She smiled over her shoulder as Mark washed her back, after doing his, once again his finger gliding down the middle of her spine.

“Is the bruising getting better?” Lita had to cancel her training at Smackdown!, which was why they waited until the last minute to show up, do the backstage promo and leave. “Mmm…”

“Yeah, a lot.”

He was going to talk to her about maybe taking iron supplements, if this happened again. Bruising came with the job, but this was in the extreme, he had to wonder again if she had an iron deficiency because it would explain the heavy bruising. He bent down to kiss the top of her spine, then finished washing her, being gentle and taking his time.

“You are a strong woman.” He said admirably, remembering her training and working out, her deadlifting 100 pounds. “I can see why Eric wanted you.” Beauty, brains, and brawn.

“When Amy told me to lift 100 pounds, I thought she was out of her mind. She was right though, and it wasn’t that hard, honestly.” She had done 3 reps of them before dropping the bar on the mat and needed a breather. “I built muscle and didn’t even realize it. She said it’s from my stripper days.” Alice shrugged, not ashamed of it anymore because the word was out regarding her past job. Mark had been right, there was nothing wrong with what she’d done in order to get to where she was now. “I really like the kickboxing though.” That’s what Amy called it with the bag. “I should focus more on my arm strength and Amy told me to alternate, so I’m not overworking my body.” From an early age, Alice had always bruised easily, and it didn’t have anything to do with her iron levels. It was just how she was. “Do you think we could add a gym to our new house? That way on our days off, we can still workout if we want to and we don’t have to go to a gym.” A ring, which he had, would be nice too.

Chapter 48

He flashed her a grin, now just enjoying the hot water and steam, moving so he was leaning back against the tile wall to watch as she stretched under the water. His emerald green eyes followed droplets as they ran down her shoulder, over the swell of her breast, the droplet hanging from her hard nipple for a moment before falling to the tub floor beneath them. Mark wasn’t even thinking, just dropped to his knees before her, his hands moving to her hips as his mouth began kissing her thighs, her lower abdomen and he felt her hands on his shoulders, steadying herself. He was about to worship his goddess again.

His appetite was insatiable and matched hers, both not able to get enough of each other. His tongue on the most intimate part of her body, combined with the hot water, made it feel like she was in a fire. Damned if it didn’t feel wonderful though! Alice would gladly step into a raging fire if it meant being pleasured by this man, her fingers gripping his hair.

“Mark…” She moaned out, her voice resonating off the shower walls and his reciprocating growl made her entire body vibrate, her toes curling.

His tongue quickly found her sweet spot and Alice lost all sense of control, grinding her pussy into his greedy mouth while his tongue drove in and out of her. Her climax was building rapidly. The tingling sensation flowed through her body and the hot coil within her stomach formed, threatening to spring free.

“M-Make me cum, oh god make me cum for you…”

He granted her wish, a thumb moving to manipulate her clit and he felt some hair coming out of his scalp when Alice yanked. His tongue was trapped it felt like as she clenched around him, and he could feel her sweet juices coating him. When Mark was able, he began licking and kissing her, his tongue darting out to capture her essence, growling as greed for her consumed him. Pulling away eventually, he tipped his head back, staring up into her flushed face, satisfaction coursing through him at the dazed look in those beautiful grey eyes.

Kissing him softly, Alice rubbed her nose against his as he rose to his feet, her lips brushing against his chest. “If you think you’re getting out of here without being satisfied, you got another thing coming.” Pressing a finger to his lips, it was her turn to lower to her knees and glided her nails up his outer thighs to dig them gently in his backside, enjoying the firmness of it.

An hour later, they stepped out and surveyed the mess they’d made with the chocolate sauce, both looking at each other laughing. That’s all they could do. It was EVERYWHERE.

“How the hell did we get it on the ceiling?” She wondered aloud, blinking and shook her head while grabbing their bags.

It was 4:30 AM, they needed to head to the airport to go through security and then board their redeye to Houston. They would have to sleep on the plane because, once they landed, they had to meet Mark’s real estate friend as soon as they arrived. Snuggling up against Mark while waiting for their flight to be called, Alice played with his fingers and leaned her head against his shoulder while his was on top of hers.

“I love you.” She murmured, her body completely relaxed and smiled softly.

“I love you too, darlin’.”

Mark had made sure to speak with the desk clerk, let them know about the… damages and given clearance to be billed for damages and clean-up. Some situations were way above what housekeeping should deal with and he’d also left a nice tip, in a clean location, along with a written apology. Whoever got to deal with that mess, he felt somewhat bad. Totally worth it though. They were both going to crash hard on the flight, not that he was complaining.

“You wore me out, Red.”

“Same here.”

Alice yawned loudly, already feeling her eyes drooping and had to stay awake, not wanting to miss their flight. Sure enough, five minutes later it was called, and they were seated on it quickly. Before the plane even took off, after buckling up, Alice fell asleep against Mark with his arm wrapped around her.

~!~

“So, who the hell burned your house down, man?” The real estate agent’s name was Derrick, an old friend of Mark’s and Alice had also discovered his tie to the man’s business. Mark wasn’t lying about dabbling into real estate.

“How many rooms you guys wanting?”

“Whatever you want, honey. I don’t care either way.” Alice replied softly, holding his hand and felt his lips brush against her ear, ordering her to make a choice. “It’s just the two of us, so two bedrooms is fine. Could use one of them for storage.”

“Or when Mark is in the doghouse.”

Alice laughed, feeling Mark nudge her, and shrugged, bumping her hip against his. “Two bedrooms is fine, Derrick.” They didn’t need anything bigger because they weren’t staying here long.

“You’re in luck, I have one, ground floor.” He eyed Mark doubtfully and then nodded. “Yeah, ground floor.” Mark was a giant and he’d feel bad for the people beneath him, if he put him in a second or third story. “Month to month rental agreement, as required, but that’s more of a formality then anything.” He and Mark went way back, and he leaned back in his chair, tucking his hands behind his head. “You even start planning the rebuild?”

“We haven’t even looked at property yet, never mind designing a place.” They had been busy, with work and everything else going on in their lives. “We’ll start…” Soon enough.

“Well, buddy, I have a list of vacant land there for you, and pictures so you can kind of get an idea. Maybe you’ll find something you guys like.”

Alice would let Mark handle the land portion of the house because she had no idea what to look for or how to decide where would be the best area to build a home. That was all Mark’s deal; if he needed assistance on picking out furnishing, carpets, and design, that she could assist with and give her opinion on. Other than that, she would leave the rest to Mark and help wherever and however she could. Within an hour, they were shown the vacant ground floor apartment and Alice looked around, blinking at how spacious it was. Two bedrooms or not, the living room was huge along with the kitchen and the bedrooms were decent sized as well. There was no dining room, the kitchen had enough room for a kitchen table, if they decided to get one. When Mark asked what she thought of it, Alice looked at him and saw he genuinely wanted her opinion. The fact she wouldn’t have to climb stairs was also a plus and the master bathroom had a jacuzzi tub in it that could fit 4 of Mark easily. There was a second bathroom with a shower, no tub and it was a lot smaller than the master bathroom.

“It’s really nice, I like it.”

“Middle class housing.” Mark explained when she seemed a bit… shocked, at the way the apartment was set up. “There’s already plenty of low income housing and we didn’t want to have to deal with government for the programs involved.” That was probably a horrible thing to admit, but it was true. There was just way too much paperwork involved. “But… people in the middle class, with no kids, or only a few, there was a shortage of housing a few years ago. Derrick and I kinda jumped at that.” It had been a great way to line their pockets, not to mention they hadn’t skimped on the construction

“This is a lot nicer than any place I’ve lived in, even in Tampa.” She admitted, nodding to understand what he was saying and sat down on the carpeted floor in the center of the living room.

Mark was smart to get involved in this type of housing and deals, now they were living in one of the places he had created with Derrick and a few others. After Mark signed the paperwork to make it official, it was off to the furniture store to furnish their apartment. Black leather was the favorite, but then Mark sat down on a black microfiber couch and didn’t want to get up. Alice raised a brow, joining him and groaned at how comfortable it was, snuggling against his side. Leather stuck to the body whereas microfiber didn’t and, suddenly, leather was tossed out the window. Admittedly, leather was easier to clean up… just wipe it off. Microfiber had issues in that aspect, but damned if it wasn’t the most comfortable thing ever. He could probably fall asleep on this couch and wrapped an arm around Alice’s shoulder, feeling her snuggling into him.

“Guessing we have a winner?” He laughed softly, gesturing the salesclerk to come over. Soon enough, they were sorting through a catalog, eyeballing the furniture set this couch was part of. “What do ya think, Red?”

“I love the set, honestly.” Alice looked up at him to show him with her eyes she was telling the truth and not just saying what he wanted to hear. “I know you like leather though, so I want you to be comfortable too.”

She had been the one to point out the microfiber, just to see how it felt to sit on. Mark promptly ordered the entire set and paid for it, making Alice bite her tongue. She wanted to pay for at least half the furnishings, but Mark just whipped his credit card out like it was nothing. They picked out a few more things before leaving to head to the next store, which was kitchen appliances and dishes, pots and pans, silverware, utensils, and anything else they needed kitchen-wise.

“Mark, wait…” Not able to keep this bottled inside, she looked up at him while the sun shined down at them and clutched his hands. “Whatever we buy in here, I’m paying for.” There was no asking, she was telling him what would happen. “I’m not gonna let you pay for everything.”

He cocked a brow down at her, wondering if she was serious. The determination in her eyes made him shrug. “If you want, darlin’.” Mark hadn’t given any of it thought, obviously. Most women he had been with had enjoyed him paying for everything, so this was… different and, actually, quite welcome. “Don’t go buyin’ no damn banana slicer or anything though.” He teased mostly.

Mark had known some people to buy worthless, pointless kitchen objects that were ‘neat’, but then never used or maybe used once a year.

“Cross my heart.” Alice did it mockingly, rolling her eyes and laughed when he merely growled at her.

She wasn’t with him for his fame and fortune nor was she like other women either. The last thing she wanted to do was take advantage of Mark. Alice was a firm believer in paying her own way in life and had done it since she was 16 years old. Mark would have to get used to it; she was very stubborn when it came to someone taking care of her financially. Medically, she didn’t have a problem with it, mostly, but financially she was bullheaded and didn’t back down easily.

“Okay, need a refrigerator…white or black, Deadman?”

“I don’t care… you don’t want a themed… wait, there was a stainless-steel fridge already and the entire complex comes furnished with all appliances.” Stove, fridge, dishwasher, washer, and dryer. “So, scratch that.” When it came time to pick out appliances for the house they’d be building, she could do a red themed kitchen for all he cared, or 3 stoves. Mark began having a chortling fit just thinking about it, shaking his head when she gave him a look. “I do want a giant ass bed…” Sturdy bed, with posts, his eyes darkening as he took her in.

Alice felt foolish while looking at the refrigerators because she hadn’t noticed the apartment came furnished with appliances. “There’s one other thing I want to add to the bedroom, both in the apartment and at the house we have built.”

Her own eyes had turned slightly stormy, a devious smile curving her lips and looked at the coffeemakers. They were both coffee fiends, so they needed one that would make at least 12 cups of coffee at once. Mark spun her around and backed her up against the display, his hands on her hips, emeralds boring into hers. He demanded to know what she meant by her previous comment and slid her fingers down his t-shirt covered chest, nipping his goatee covered chin.

“A pole, bolted to the ceiling, so it can’t go anywhere. Then I can REALLY show you how flexible I can be.”

Instant hard-on, in an appliance store or whatever this place was, his mind had shut down, all blood diverting to the problem in his jeans. Her, on a pole, for just him… it had been a fantasy of his for some time now, ever since she had come clean about being a stripper. Mark hadn’t said anything because… well, she’d had issues with it and then Stephanie had tried to hurt Alice with the fact.

“We need a bed darlin’, now.” He informed her, guiding her hand down to the front of his jeans, so she could feel the problem SHE had caused. “Evil tease.”

“I suggest we checkout and go get one then…along with that pole.”

Something told Alice it would be installed the same day. The look in his eyes, those emeralds turning to smoldering forest green sent her heart racing. She squeezed him through the jeans he had on, which didn’t help his current problem, but she couldn’t help herself.

“So hard…big boy, you might explode in those jeans if something isn’t done about it.” He could only nod, her hand moving from the bulge in his jeans to slide up his chest, his mouth finding hers in a hungry, demanding kiss. “Do we really need a bed? I need you now, Mark…” In the truck, in this very store, on this tiled floor…she would fuck him anywhere and giggled when he dragged her out without buying a single thing. Once inside the truck, Alice sat on her knees with her hand once again traveling down until his jeans were undone. “Free that cock, we’re not waiting.”

Discarding her jeans and panties, Alice sat astride him and captured his mouth, his cock instantly sliding home inside of her as they both groaned in each other’s mouths. They could finish their shopping AFTER taking care of his problem and it was a damn good thing his windows were tinted, or else people would be getting a show. Neither cared. The truck was probably rocking. Having her right now, parked out in a fairly busy area, just heightened his desire for her even more. Mark knew this wasn’t going to be a marathon bout, but not all sexual encounters needed to be hours long. Just as much fun could be derived from a very aggressive quickie. He had slid his seat back as far as it would go, bracing his feet away from the pedals and used what little leverage he did have to meet her downward thrusts, his head lolling back against the headrest as he watched her riding him.

“Fuckin’ gorgeous…” He hissed, loving that glint in her stormy grays.

Using his shoulders for leverage, Alice put her all into this and knew it would be over relatively fast. It didn’t matter, as long as the ends justified the means and they would. She could feel her walls clench him, milking him already and gasped out, her face burying in his neck while his hips thrust up to drive his cock as deep inside of her as he could. There wasn’t much room, even though it was a Silverado and Mark scooted over just a bit to where her leg wasn’t crushed between his thigh and the door. It also allowed her knees to bounce her up and down on his cock, being careful not to hit her head on the ceiling of the truck.

“Oh Mark! Oh fuck, I’m close, baby…I’m so fucking close…” Her breathing was ragged, her heart thundering in her chest and her body trembled violently, a wave of warmth washing over her since it wasn’t exactly cool outside. She increased the pace, gritting her teeth and felt him smack her backside, making her pussy vibrate against his cock. “I love it when you smack my ass…do it again…”

He did, repeatedly, hearing her crying out his name in lusty moans each time. Mark made sure to get both cheeks, spread it out a bit and, when he clapped both hands against her pert backside, he felt her clenching around him in a death grip, letting out a curse of surprise when he came. “ALICE!”

He did not give a damn if anyone was out there listening because they weren’t exactly being quiet. Biting down on her shoulder, Mark minded just how hard he did it, his fingers digging into her flesh. She lay on top of him for a while, feeling his cock soften and slide out of her, but didn’t move an inch, trying to get her breathing back on track. Now that he was no longer having a problem, they could resume their shopping and she laughed at his groan, calling her a sexual deviant.

“I’m not the only one who has an insatiable appetite, Mr. Chocolate.”

After she had used the chocolate on him, more specifically his dick, and gave him the best head of his life, Mark had gone overboard and COVERED her from neck to toe in chocolate. It was no wonder some of it splattered on the ceiling and had gotten all over the place. Kissing him, she quickly pulled her panties and jeans back on and stepped out of the truck, the windows being rolled down to air out the smell of sex, sweat and their personal scents. It was intoxicating to them, but at the same time, it was also in the 90’s, possibly even 100’s with the heat index. Hand-in-hand, they walked back inside the store to resume shopping and walked out a half an hour later with a cart full of stuff for the kitchen.

“Time to go shopping for a bed.” And a pole.

Chapter 49

“You’re killing me, woman.” He informed her, grinning when she wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. “No, my dick is broken, heat stroke.” Not true, but if they were going to be stopping every 30 minutes or so for sex, it might actually wear itself out. When Alice simply said ‘pole’, his green eyes lit up, feeling a bit more… renewed. “Where the hell do you even get one of those?” He demanded, after they had put their stuff in the back of the truck and gotten into their seats, turning on the AC immediately.

“A sex shop.” Alice answered promptly, watching his brow slowly rise and laughed, nodding. “I’m not kidding. That’s where I got mine in Tampa.”

Her bedroom in Tampa had one installed. It was her way of practicing instead of spending a lot of time at the strip club. Alice did it in the privacy of her own home and came up with a few moves that blew the customers’ minds, including her boss. For her innovation, she was rewarded a lot more clientele and made a lot of money.

“I can go in if you want. I know you don’t want people knowing the Undertaker visits one of those places.” Now she was giggling.

“Oh no, darlin’, I’m going in.” He said with an amused grin, glancing at her and wondered if they could also get mirrors to go with it, smirking at the thought. “People can know the ‘famous Undertaker’ is getting some with a hot redheaded vixen, just makes me that much more awesome.” Laughter escaped him when she just agreed. This woman had definitely been made for him. There was no denying that one. “How ‘bout some mirrors?” He suggested, licking his lips. The idea of seeing her beautiful backside from all angles, at the same time… hell yes.

“Whatever you want, Deadman. I’ll buy a couple…toys for us to use as well.” Sending him a wink, she helped pile the rest of the purchases into the truck bed and jumped up into the passenger seat. “First, we need a bed. Then we can go to the sex shop.”

It wasn’t a surprise when Mark already had a place in mind to get their bed and knew where a sex shop was. They were actually across from each other with a busy street separating them. The bed was beautiful, dark cherry wood, four-poster and king-sized. Mark asked if she wanted a canopy with it and Alice shrugged, not really caring if they had one or not. Mark left it off and they bought a bed set to go with it, which was red, brown, and tan. After a small argument about who would pay, Alice made a deal with Mark that as long as she could buy everything at the sex shop, he could buy the bed and bed set.

He agreed, kissing her and they were told the bed would be delivered tomorrow morning. That meant they would have to sleep on the floor for tonight or get another hotel room. Hopping back into the truck, they were off to the sex shop and Alice could tell Mark was running on fumes, feeling a little drained herself. This would be their final stop for the day and then they would get some food before getting a hotel room for the night. There was no way she’d be sleeping on a floor, even if it was carpeted.

He got a momentary burst of energy when they walked into that sex shop. Houston was full of them and some were seriously shady places people would go to pay for the booths and do terrible things in them. Disgusting. He had done some shady antics back in the day, but nothing like that. Even he had had standards. This was one of the more reputable ones and had a very large selection of items. He watched as Alice looked around, obviously getting a feel for the place and pulled his shades off his eyes, positioning them up on his bandana. Mark could see a lot of stuff he wanted to buy and take home; they could definitely have the floor tonight, it was carpeted, and he began to grin.

“Well, darlin’, where do we start?”

“Does it look like I’m a sex shop expert? Just look and…buy whatever you want. I think the poles are over here…”

Usually, all sex shops were set up the same and she wasn’t disappointed to find what she was looking for in the particular section she ventured into. There were several to choose from by height and weight, she chose the middle one, a nice balance in weight and size. There were stripper outfits next to it, so she grabbed a couple sets of various colors, feeling Mark’s heated gaze on her the entire time. All of her stripper clothes and accessories had been destroyed in the vandalization of her apartment. She also made sure to purchase the bolts that were specially made for attaching this to the ceiling. It was a very good thing Derrick had put them on the ground floor.

“Did you pick out what you want?” Alice asked, walking over to him while carrying the stripper pole and outfits like it was no big deal.

While she had been examining the poles, -he hadn't really noticed much difference in them, but she was the expert, so he would defer to her judgment- he had been examining some items that he would really enjoy using on her. Mark had to wonder just how open to experimenting his delicious Red would be. “Oh… I picked out a few things…”

Eyeing the various toys on the counter, Alice could feel the heat flooding her body all over again and looked back at him, her eyes telling him all he needed to know. She approved of his selections and didn’t mind delving into OTHER forms of sexualization. Setting the pole and outfits on the counter along with the toys, Alice paid for it all as per agreement and had it all bagged, thanking the lady behind the counter with the hoop in her nose.

“Thanks. Come on Deadman, we have a lot of…experimenting to do.” She giggled, taking his hand, and walked out of the shop with him, tossing their things in the backseat of the Silverado. “The bed won’t be there until tomorrow, so did you want to get a hotel? I really don’t think you should sleep on a carpeted floor with Summerslam coming up…”

To be honest, he was getting tired of hotels. “I've slept on worse, but if you want to get a hotel tonight, we can.” They had one day left anyway and he knew they were on the exhausted side. That would be their own faults for staying up and having delicious, messy sex all night. “Want to get some food to go and find a movie to watch tonight, darlin’?”

“Believe me, I don’t wanna stay at a hotel any more than you do and, if you didn’t have an important fight coming up this Sunday, I would say fuck it let’s just slumber it up at home.” Alice could tell Mark really did not want to go to a hotel and unbuckled her seatbelt to scoot over to lean against him, feeling his arm wrap around her. “We bought some extra blankets, so if you’re comfortable with it, we can stay at the apartment tonight.” They had a new television to hook up with a VCR/DVD player and a few movies they had picked out together. “I’ll make a soft enough palette on the floor in the bedroom.” Nuzzling his neck affectionately, she felt him nod in agreement and smiled, her touch not sexual at all, just comforting. “Chinese food sounds good for some reason.”

“Yeah it does, and I know the perfect place for some takeout, Red.” He gently but firmly pushed her back over to her side and watched as she buckled back in. “We have enough blankets and pillows… we can make a nest.” It wasn’t like they would need to cover up, it was pretty warm outside. If she needed a blanket, he had no problem being one for her since Mark was a living furnace. “I’m just… burnt out on hotels, Alice.” He admitted, shaking his head, and missed having the option to go home.

Another stab of rage flowed through him at Austin and the Alliance, Page, the McMahons, for taking that from them. While he felt that stab of rage, she felt a stab of guilt because they had targeted him due to her involvement with him. She sighed heavily, looking out the window and pressed her forehead against the glass, a wave of sadness flowing over her. As exciting as it was to build a brand-new house together, Alice missed the ranch already and she knew Mark did too. He had worked hard for that ranch and it had been taken away from him because of pettiness and jealousy. Mark stopped at a local Chinese place and Alice opted to stay in the truck, telling him what she wanted. She looked down at her cell phone and blinked when it started ringing, no number or name popping up. It just said restricted. Frowning, Alice took a chance and answered it, holding the phone up to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Where you at, sugar?” It was, of course, Diamond Dallas Page and he was actually at his own home this time, calling her from a cell he had bought purposefully for the sole usage of bothering her. “You’re not in Florida…” He knew because he had gone looking for her. He knew there wasn’t anywhere in Houston for her, or that dipshit Taker, to go. “So… where are you? I thought we had an agreement, honey, remember? Nobody had to know.”

How in god’s name did he get her new number? Her cell phone had been destroyed in the ranch fire and, when she got a new one, they gave her a new number! The amount of reach this man had frightened her.

“Where I am is none of your business, Dallas. And there is no agreement between us because there is NOTHING going on between us. What you did to me at the arena…you raped me.” She whispered it, tears pooling in her eyes. “You gave me unwanted contact and touched me when I didn’t want to be touched. I want nothing to do with you. How many times do I have to say it?” Come Summerslam, hopefully, all of this would come to an end.

“Now sugar, we both know I never raped you.” He said gently, just a bite of steel in his tone. “You never said boo to me about it, you just stood there and let me rub away all your aches and pains, now didn’t you?” Yes, yes she had, and he felt wounded that Alice was being such a bitch about it after the fact. “You know, you wouldn’t have such hateful thoughts about me if you’d just get away from Taker. He’s poisoned your mind against me, Alice.” They had been doing just fine until the Undertaker showed up and interfered in their budding love affair.

“No, YOU poisoned me against you when you decided to assault me repeatedly!” Alice remarked in a hiss of her own, feeling her anger rising and wiped a single tear away from her cheek. “And yes, you did rape me. I was terrified of you while you rubbed me down. If I would’ve fought and tried to get away from you, you would’ve assaulted me again! Don’t try to twist this around and make yourself the victim. You are a certifiable lunatic and one day soon, you will get what’s coming to you.”

Summerslam, just 3 days away and Mark would have him alone in a cage, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. William Regal had already banned everyone from the Alliance and WWF from ringside besides her, accepting her special request. Page and Kanyon would not find out about it until minutes before the match just so they couldn’t come up with a plan B.

“I hate you, Dallas. I hate you more than I’ve ever hated anybody and that’s saying something. Do yourself a favor and leave me the hell alone. Find some other bitch to get your rocks off on, I’m NOT interested!”

He was laughing at her, softly, darkly. “Oh sugar…” Dallas made a clicking sound, his head shaking, even though Alice couldn’t see it. “I know you Alice; I forgive you, sugar, I know you’re just confused is all.” All those poisonous words coming from her pretty mouth, bless her deceitful heart. “You just keep trying to hurt me and I don’t understand it; all I have is your best interests at heart.” He sighed heavily. “All right, Alice, I’ll see you real soon, understand me? I’m not going to let Calaway keep us apart much longer.”

“Yes, you will because at Summerslam, this all ends. For good.” Her voice had lowered to a deadly tone, a dark promise. “See you soon, Dallas.”

She hit the end button on her phone and tossed it in her purse, burying her face in her hands. Mark would be out any minute and she was in tears over Dallas…again! No, not this time, she couldn’t let Mark see she was upset and immediately blinked the tears away, wiping her cheeks. She poured some water from the bottle into her hand and splashed her makeup free face, deciding to blame it on being hot. Dallas would not ruin her night with Mark, no matter what she had to do. 20 minutes later, Mark slid behind the wheel and they were off to the apartment with her holding his hand again.

He had apologized up and down to her about the wait time, but the place was fairly popular. Not that he blamed others, the food was just that good. They had recognized him, he’d been there… a lot and knew his typical order. He’d had them double it, figuring she’d like most of it and what she didn’t, well… he was usually hungry after sex anyways and pretty sure they had picked up a microwave. Once they reached the apartment, he pulled into a parking spot, one close because they had a lot to carry in.

“You want me to carry it in and you can sort out what we need for the night, darlin’?” He asked, shifting to finally look at her and frowned. She looked… exhausted.

“Yeah, sounds good to me. I got the food and I can grab a couple bags of things from the back.”

Leaving the truck packed wasn’t an option, not with everything they’d bought. Alice stifled a yawn, feeling exhausted after crying from Dallas’s call and followed Mark out of the truck. He handed her four light bags and Alice thanked the stars above they were on ground level. She owed Derrick for thinking ahead for them. Once inside, she broke out the food on the counter and then went into the master bedroom to start spreading out blankets.

Mark walked in, carrying the television and began setting it up while she made the palette of blankets with a huge number of pillows. They would be fine like this for one night. After everything was set up, Alice brought the food into the bedroom, deciding they could eat out of the containers since they were technically serving dishes, just aluminum and plastic. Alice peeled her jeans off, leaving her tank top on and waited until Mark settled down beside her, not surprised he'd quickly pulled on a pair of black pajama pants that hung loose on his hips. She could tell he was just as tired as she was, stroking his face and handed him a fork as they both dug in just as the movie he put in began.

“We can set up the pole tomorrow.”

Unloading that truck had been a trip. At the time, shopping had been sort of fun. Not that he would ever admit it outside of his head. Now, however, after a long day and a rather sleepless night, he felt like they had been a bit extravagant and shouldn’t have bought even half of the purchases. Mark knew he was tired. Settling down next to her was the best part of his day, especially when she handed him food and he leaned back against the wall, taking a deep breath.

“You okay darlin’?” He asked quietly, knowing she was just as tired as him.

“Yeah, just tired.” Alice wasn’t afraid to admit it, taking a bite here and there, but her appetite was ruined, thanks to Dallas. Fuck him, she thought bitterly, beginning to dig into her food just to spite him.

Neither paid attention to the movie, just focused on eating and made small talk, mostly about the weekend coming up. Alice laughed at Mark’s declaration he would lose his ability to write once the weekend ended, especially after Saturdays signings. She would be right beside him, signing the same autographs and meeting the same fans, looking forward to it.

“You need to have a stamp made.” She joked, setting aside her food and snuggle down on the bedding and pillow while he continued eating. “I really do like this apartment.” Another yawn followed.

“Be my luck they’d call bullshit on it.” He snorted, finished with his own food, though he had devoured quite a bit.

Mark took inventory of her, smiling slightly as she had bunkered down and did look quite comfortable. Then he noticed her own food, and how little she had eaten. Given how busy they had been today, and the sex, he would have figured she’d be starving.

“You must be tired.” He moved everything aside and made himself comfortable with her, pulling her into his arms. “You sure everything is all right, Red?”

Being in his loving, strong arms, how could Alice not be alright? She wasn’t though. Page loved to mess with her head and she couldn’t help wondering how the hell he’d gotten her new number? Only Mark, Glenn and the company had it and, last she checked, the WWF had privacy laws.

“I’m nervous about Sunday.” She admitted, which was partially true and felt his arms tighten around her, running her nails soothingly up and down his tattooed sleeved arm. “I know we have William Regal on our side, and I know you want me to chain the door, so he’s completely locked inside. I just…I want this to end. I just want to be happy with you and stop looking over my shoulder or getting ridiculous phone calls from him. I just wish he’d get the fucking hint I don’t want him; I’m with the man I want. Why can’t he just leave me alone?” Her voice cracked, tears forming in her eyes and Alice did everything she could to keep them from falling.

Mark got the sneaking suspicion that something had happened today. He mentally reviewed their day and realized, after he had come out from the takeout shop, she had seemed… different and he had, at the time, pinned it on exhaustion. Sighing, he kissed the side of her head, deciding not to press the issue on what had happened. Mark knew Dallas wasn’t anywhere around, the proof of that was she had been in the truck when he had come back out.

“He will, darlin’, I’ll make sure of it.” He had every intention of making sure Page wasn’t able to walk out of that ring, or walk again, period.

His warmth combined with his low voice and the feeling of his heart beating against her back was the perfect lullaby. The movie was ignored as Alice closed her eyes, the exhaustion of running on fumes and burning herself out sexually coursing through her. It didn’t matter they were sleeping on a bunch of blankets and pillows. She was out like a light in minutes, her red hair splayed all over the pillows and his nose was buried in it, Mark joining her not long after.

Chapter 50

Ten hours later, Alice was woken up in the most…precarious position. Mark had woken up before her and removed her panties without her feeling it, deciding to give her a wakeup call she wouldn’t soon forget. Alice felt something warm and wet against her, squirming on her back and could feel her body come alive, a soft moan escaping her. Her eyes remained closed, her fingers burying in her lover’s hair and felt her thighs slightly tense, her legs draped over his broad shoulders. It was a good thing Alice kept everything trim and clean downstairs because Mark enjoyed pleasuring her with his tongue more than any other man she’d known in her life.

Mark had a theory about women. Treat them right in the bedroom and they were very apt to blow your mind, and other parts, in the future. That theory had not been proven wrong with her, at all. Not to mention… Alice tasted delicious, he had considered trying to live off her essence.

“Mmm…” He rumbled, knowing she was awake by the change in her body, a hand moving up to gently squeeze her arm.

Dropping her hands to the blankets below, Alice did not want to hurt him or rip anymore of his hair out than she already had. She moaned and watched him feast on her, that long tongue flicking repeatedly against her clit slowly driving her to the brink of insanity. Mark alternated between teasing her swollen bud and thrusting his tongue inside of her, trying to prolong her climax. His strong forearm held her down to where she couldn’t buck against his mouth either, giving him complete control over the situation. Today was their last day together and Alice planned on making the most of it, including giving Mark a show on the pole if he installed it. When he had woken her up good and proper, and gotten his fill, Mark pushed away from the trembling, panting Alice. He grinned down in her red face, taking in the way her chest heaved and began dropping kisses along her jawline, down her shoulders. They would have to be getting up anyway. Deliveries were coming for that furniture and he figured they’d just stay inside and unpack their belongings, have sex, unpack more… that sort of thing.

“Breathe, darlin’.”

“Easy…for you…to say…”

Alice had a dreamy smile on her face, the storminess in her greys returning to normal while staring up at the man who had given her an incredible wakeup call. She reached for him and frowned when he shook his finger at her, instead helping her sit up fully. He tossed her panties at her, ordered her to get dressed and then they were making breakfast. Mark had been up early and gone grocery shopping for a couple things, enough to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner since they would be gone for nearly a week starting tomorrow.

“Yes master, right away master…” She muttered good naturedly, slipping her panties and shorts on before shakily getting to her feet. Her thighs were still trembling from his wakeup call. “How long have you been up?”

“Fair few hours.”

He had slept like a rock until maybe 5 AM or so, then his body had begun protesting the floor. Mark had gotten up at that point, knowing if he forced the issue, he’d be in agony all day. He had learned that a long time ago, when his body woke up with a warning twinge, he obeyed.

“I’ll get breakfast started, darlin’.” He studied her thoughtfully, finally nodding. “You look better.” She had been so exhausted last night.

“I feel much better.” Alice slid her hands up his bare chest and crooked her finger, beckoning him to lower his head until she could capture his mouth in a passionate kiss, tasting herself on his tongue. It was an exotic taste and she pulled back wanting more, but Mark was steadfast. “No fair.” She pouted, accepting a peck and then a swat on the behind followed by an order to get in the shower. He’d already taken one. “Fine – fine, be that way.”

Watching him walk out, Alice shook her head and grabbed a towel out of one of the bags she’d carried inside before heading partially down the hallway into the bathroom with the shower. After doing some shopping, while she had still been asleep, and putting away the small bit of food he had bought, Mark had also run the dishwasher on the new dishes because he wasn’t eating dust and cardboard with his food. He stood there in the kitchen cooking, wearing shorts and a tank top, nothing else, his mind straying to the woman in the shower and this upcoming match against Page. Admittedly, while she had been asleep, he had also… checked her cell phone and there had been a restricted number she’d had a conversation with while he had been in the takeout shop. He figured whatever Alice had heard during that conversation, whoever it had been with, it hadn’t set well with her.

“You and Derrick have really outdone yourselves.” Alice proclaimed 20 minutes later, walking out towel-drying her long red hair with a white tank top and red shorts.

She put a bra on simply because there would be a lot of people coming and going in their apartment today setting things up. Mark had paid them extra to carry the furniture in and set it up for them to make things easier. All they had to do was point and direct, which was nice.

“Mmm that smells so good…” She was starving, her appetite back in full swing and stayed in the doorway, knowing Mark would have a fit if any of her hair got into the food. “What are you making?”

“Cowboy omelet and corn beef hash with fried eggs on top.” Mark liked eggs, good source of protein. When she walked over, he was in the process of making the fifth omelet because he ate a lot. “Peppers, mushrooms, cheese, diced ham and onions with Tabasco on the side.” Tabasco was a requirement for him and eggs. “Here, grab them paper plates, darlin’.” They could either eat standing up at the counter or on the floor, using one of the boxes he had emptied and stuffed trash in as a table. He began loading their plates and grinned down at her, taking a deep breath. “You smell almost as good as this food does, Alice.”

Tossing the towel down the hallway into the bedroom, she did as she was told and smacked Mark’s ass on the way. “Stop teasing me.” Alice warned playfully, taking the clean fork along with the paper plate of food and walked into the living room, deciding to sit on the floor with one of the boxes as a table. “It’s going to be really nice when this place is furnished.” She commented, seeing Mark nod in agreement, and smiled at him before she dug into her food.

Halfway through, there was a knock on the door and Mark stood up to answer it, which was their kitchen table being delivered. The irony made her laugh. He shook his head and flipped her the middle finger before directing the boys where they wanted the furniture. They could always move everything later, he just wanted everything assembled because he was feeling lazy. Mark returned to their out of the way little breakfast box nook and resumed eating, smirking when she told him what she had found so funny.

“So, if I’d have waited an hour, we’d be eating at a table.” He shrugged good-naturedly, reaching over to grip her chin and drop a kiss on her lips. “Keep it up, Red, I’mma spank you.”

“Mmm now is that supposed to be a threat? Because I enjoy having my ass spanked.” She kept her voice low to where only he could hear, not wanting the strangers in their apartment to know what she enjoyed sexually. “Keep it up and I might spank you.” Pulling away from him, Alice resumed eating the rest of her food and felt better, cleaning her plate. She managed to squeeze by the assembly men to grab seconds and had snatched Mark’s plate as well, splitting what was left between the two of them. “Here, hopefully that’s enough and if not, we’ll have to make something else.”

“Nah, there’s still leftover Chinese in the fridge.”

He wasn’t cooking again until dinnertime and figured sandwiches for lunch. Mark resumed eating, rolling the idea of letting her spank him over in his mind. No. Nope. They were not that far into this relationship for THAT and he was pretty sure he still had a bit too much pride to allow himself in that kind of position. Having his ass exposed… no, just no. Maybe after some tequila or whiskey.

“I’ll get the uh, bedroom set up after we’re done with breakfast.”

“I thought you were having them set everything up?”

The kitchen table, bedroom set and living room furniture was all delivered in one fell swoop. Mark shook his head, giving her a look that clearly said he did not want strangers in their bedroom – the place where the magic happened. She laughed at that thought, nodding in understanding and cleaned their messes up, kissing him before he could protest.

“Do you want my help with the bedroom?” She asked against his lips, reaching up to caress his face while holding the empty paper plates and forks in the other.

“Nah, you can boss them around.” Mark figured he could assemble the bed easily on his own. Before buying the thing, they had gone over it practically with a fine-tooth comb, knowing the frame had to be sturdy enough not to only to support his size, but their extracurricular activities. “I will, however, come get you when it’s time to pick a spot for the fun stuff.” Winking down at her, he wondered just how she would feel about all those mirrors he was putting up today, beginning to grin.

“Wait, you want me to choose where the rest of the furniture goes?”

Alice blinked at Mark’s affirmation, slowly looking around the room and chewed her bottom lip. She had designed her apartment to her liking, but what if Mark didn’t like her taste? Or where she chose to put the furniture? He sauntered down the hallway to the bedroom and closed the door, leaving her there to deal with the movers and tell them where to go. The table was set up in the corner of the kitchen where it opened into the living room, which she didn’t mind. That actually looked good and it was round and small, just big enough for them. When they got the house built, they would be able to get bigger furniture, but for now this worked. Looking around the living room again, Alice knew the television, the second one, would be against the far wall, so the microfiber sectional only had one place to go.

“Okay boys, the couch can go here.” It was L shaped and had recliners on each portion. Hopefully, Mark would approve where the sectional was.

Mark figured seeing how Alice liked things would give him a good idea how their house would wind up designed and furnished. He could hear her telling the movers where she wanted things and the rustle of plastic as they assembled the stuff. Putting their bed together took little time and then he set up the dresser and nightstands that had come with it. He even got to break out his new power tools and got all the mirrors up, grinning. This was going to be his favorite room.

“Come back here Red.” He called when finally done, needing to know where she wanted the pole.

The sectional looked incredible in the living room with the dark tan carpeting. It was pure black and cherry wood, matching the kitchen table and the bedroom set. Alice thanked the gentlemen, shaking their hands and tipped them, having some cash on her from the ATM. She’d gotten it out while shopping the previous day with Mark in between stores. Closing the front door, she padded down the hallway and pushed open the bedroom door, gaping at the sight before her. Mirrors…were on every wall of the room, facing the bed. There was even one on the ceiling! Anytime they made love, they would be watching themselves and she had no idea why she found the idea so… erotic and amatory.

“What did you do?!”

“Well, Red,” He hadn’t put on the sheets or anything like that, but the packages were there, ready to go. Mark sat on the edge of the bed, grinning at her. “I figured I wanted to see all of you, at once, when I’m fuckin’ you.” His voice had started to drop to a low, husky drawl as he took in her slightly flushed face. “And, if you’re going to be using that pole…” His voice trailed off suggestively. “I really want all angles.”

Now she had a shy look on her face, her bottom lip sucked between her teeth while gliding her hand down one of the posts on the bed. “I don’t have a problem with that. Just never really…watched myself perform before. Or watched myself being fucked.” There was only one way to tell if she would like it or not and that would have to be when they had sex. Walking away from the bed, she grabbed the sex shop bag and pulled the stripper pole out, opening the box to dump the contents on the bed. “How about you get that installed, I’ll test it out to make sure it’s sturdy and I’ll make the bed?” Once again, his eyes darkened while staring at her and she could feel his heated gaze burning into her back. “Get busy, Deadman.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mark saluted and then slapped her ass playfully. They got to work, and at some point, Alice began using her cell phone as a radio and he found himself listening to her singing while they worked. It was… amicable and nice… he realized they were acting very domesticated and it suited them. Or at least him, but… he also knew they were doing this work for a purpose, to play.

“All right, it’s pretty damn secure.” He informed her after the pole was installed, grabbing, and showing it with some serious muscle behind his tugging. Now, if his ass got up there and started doing whatever strippers do, he’d probably take out the ceiling.

“Hmm…well one way to find out just how secure and sturdy it is.”

With a devious smile, she sauntered over past him and rubbed her hand up and down the pole, channeling her inner stripper goddess. Her eyes closed as she walked around it a couple times, just getting a feel for it again and hopped up on it, her legs wrapping around it securely. So far so good, she thought, feeling Mark watching her and knew what the ultimate test would be. Slowly sliding down the pole, she walked around it again to build up speed and grabbed it again in a steel vise, using pure arm strength to climb up the pole, spreading her legs as wide as they would go.

Chapter 51

While holding onto the pole, she flipped her head to where she stared at Mark upside down and then let go of the pole while keeping herself perfectly still, using her leg strength to keep her from crashing and landing on her head. Then, she did something that made him jump and slid down the pole with her leg, stopping just before her head collided with the carpeted floor and laughed, releasing her leg from the pole to fall back on the carpet. She hadn’t done that in so long and it felt…familiar in a weird way.

“Yeah, I think it’s sturdy enough, honey.”

“Yeah I bet.”

She hadn’t been on a pole in a few years and, apparently, it was just like riding a bike or something. Mark did have to wonder if she had been a stripper or an exotic dancer, or some weird combination of the two. Either way, he was in love.

“I have some ones around here somewhere…”

Jokingly, he started patting himself down, catching Alice’s hand before she could slap him and pulled her into him, letting her body gently crash into his before dipping his head down to kiss her. Alice was a stripper and an exotic dancer – they went hand-in-hand. Technically, she’d been an exotic dancer because strippers tended to have sex with their clientele while she refused. Dancing, lap dances and stripping her clothes off to show the goods was about as far as she went.

“You’re such an ass.”

Her grey eyes were sparkling though, seeing how much he enjoyed watching her, even if it was a tease compared to what she could do. The bed set was pure black, even the sheets, which were Egyptian cotton. Mark had insisted on it and the comforter was a thick, soft fabric and would still give him traction during their sexual bouts.

“How about some lunch? I’ll warm up the Chinese from last night and then we can unpack everything else and pack for tomorrow.” Tonight, she would give him a proper performance with one of the outfits she’d bought.

Reluctantly, he nodded and followed her out of the bedroom. Leftover Chinese… he was down and figured she’d definitely have more of an appetite today. Mark also knew she’d sleep well because he had every intention of wearing her out, and not from just regular exhaustion.

“I could watch that ass all day.” He rumbled, rather enjoying the sight of Alice sashaying down the hallway.

Alice stopped in the middle of the living room and slowly turned to face him, looking somewhat nervous. “There was really only one place the sectional could go…” She gestured to the spot she’d picked out, the TV and stand already set up against the far wall. Mark wanted to mount it to the wall, but Alice didn’t want to go through all that trouble since they wouldn’t be staying here permanently. “Are you okay with where I positioned it? Also, I like where the kitchen table is, there really is no other place to put it unless you want to pull it out a little more…” She headed into the kitchen to start warming food up.

“Darlin’, it’s fine.” He reassured her, taking a good look around. The apartment hadn’t been small, but they had bought sets, not just individual pieces. She’d had everything positioned, both in an obvious manner, but also in a way to maximize space. “I like it. We need a few rugs though.” The light-colored carpets had been all Derrick; Mark had wanted something darker, thinking of families with children.

“But…the place is already carpeted…” Alice pointed out the obvious, busy pouring food into the bowls for them to heat up in the microwave. She grabbed some forks from the drawer and divvied up the food, giving each of them more than enough. The cable guy should’ve been here by now, so she was wondering where he was and groaned when another knock sounded at the door. “Cable’s here.” She murmured, handing Mark his food, and walked over to let the gentleman inside that would hook them up.

Alice directed him to the television and then sat down at the table with Mark, knowing he wouldn’t want to eat on their brand-new pristine couch. He had meant area rugs, but didn’t say a word, not wanting to embarrass her. Mark would just get a couple and throw them down, one in the main area and one at the door leading in. That one especially, everyone was likely to track crap in and stain that spot. Though, the idea of causing damages in a complex he sort of owned was hilarious.

“Cable huh?” He didn’t remember that one, though when it came time to watch MMA, he wasn’t going to complain. “What do you like to watch, Red?”

“I don’t really watch anything specifically, but it’s nice to just channel surf and lay around relaxing.” They would have cable in the bedroom as well, though it wouldn’t be on often if the mirrors, pole, and Mark in general was any indication. “I do like the UFC though and MMA.” When Mark arched a brow, Alice did the same thing and swallowed her bite of food with a drink of water. “What? What’s wrong? Do you like that stuff too?”

Alice had to be screwing with him, she had to be. There was no way she was a former exotic dancer / stripper, somewhat insane, scary strong, beautiful as a sunset, and she liked MMA and UFC. Obviously, this was all a giant mind fuck against him; that or he was in a coma and imagining up the perfect woman.

“It’s okay.” He said finally, offering a nonchalant shrug, still eyeing her.

Now it was her turn to eye him, seeing the shock register on his face briefly before he wiped it away. What was that about? Couldn’t a woman enjoy wrestling and MMA fighting? MMA wasn’t as big as it should’ve been, though.

“Boxing is cool too.” She added as an afterthought, taking another bite of food, and blinked when Mark purposely dropped his fork in his bowl, the clinging sound echoing around them. “You’re done already?” Mark hadn’t even eaten half of his food, which was a rarity.

“No, I’m not done.” He shot back before getting up to grab her by the front of her shirt and heave her halfway across their little round table.

Mark planted a very thorough kiss on Alice’s pliant but bemused lips, growling softly before letting her sit back down. He dropped back into his own chair, picked up his fork, and resumed eating like nothing had happened. Now, he wasn’t a big believer in destiny or any of that crap, but… it did seem like Alice had been custom-made for him. He grinned wryly, wondering what other ‘options and features’ she came with that he didn’t yet know about.

Being grabbed by the front of her shirt would’ve startled any woman and gotten a fist to the man’s face, but not when it came to Alice and Mark. They were completely different, and she didn’t mind being manhandled by him, on occasion. Not the way Page did, obviously. Mark’s manhandling resulted in them being naked in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms and taking each other to the limit and brink of insanity. She smirked while he continued eating and finished hers before standing up to walk around, sliding her hands up his arms to his shoulders and made sure to press her breasts right against the back of his neck. He was at the perfect level and she knew he could feel her nipples poking through the thin material against his neck. While the cable man was in the bedroom hooking everything up, after finishing the living room, Alice took the opening and nipped each of his ears while massaging his shoulders.

“You’re tense, honey…” She was sure Mark was tense in OTHER regions of his body too.

“You have no idea, Red.” He grunted, trying to eat while not being distracted by the teasing vixen behind him. She was such a pain in his now throbbing cock. “Keep it up, Alice.” His tone was full of dark intentions and he had no problem in bending her over the table.

Mark bet the cable man would wind up learning a thing or two. He put down his fork again, feeling her stepping away from pushing away from the table and got to his feet, turning to stare down at her. A shiver coursed through her body at the sight of him towering over her.

“Not while the cable guy is here.” Alice chastised, grabbing the empty bowls to put them in the sink and rinsed them off, feeling Mark come up directly behind her. “Mark…” Her tone held warning as his hands slid up her sides and back down, squeezing her backside through the cotton shorts she had on. The laundry room was just off to the side and it had a door, so before Alice could think or fathom what was happening, she was spun around and lifted in his arms. His mouth found hers before she could protest as he carted them both into the laundry room, closing the door behind them. “Mark, we can’t…”

He was out of his mind to do this while the cable guy was still here! The evil smirk on his face told her there was no choice in the matter as he started the washer, which already had some clothes in it. He even took enough time to pour laundry detergent inside before closing the lid and planted Alice on top of it, his mouth once again finding hers. Her shorts and panties were gone in an instant along with her tank top. Alice didn’t bother wearing a bra and was lifted long enough for the clothes to be put in the washer before Mark set her back down again.

“Miss, I’m done out here, if you’d just sign the paperwork, I’ll be on my way.”

Mark took care of it, ordering her to stay put on top of the washer and she complied, feeling the vibration of the machine flow through her. He signed the paperwork and sent that guy on his merry way, this time not bothering to close the doors to the laundry room, as he stood in that hallway and eyed her. Buck naked, sitting on the washer, and Alice was flushed. Smirking, Mark simply slid his shorts down enough to free his erection before stepping between her spread legs, hands moving down to her delicious backside, pulling her forward. Clutching his shoulders, Alice wrapped her legs around his waist and gasped out the moment his cock penetrated her, not caring who walked in on them.

It could’ve been the President of the United States and she wouldn’t have bat an eyelash or stopped her man from sending her over the edge. Alice couldn’t remember ever feeling this sexual with a man, wondering where her inner sex goddess had been this entire time. Perhaps it did take the right man to bring it out in a woman and all of them had a little naughty sex goddess deep inside of them. Mark was bringing it out of her, making her do things she never dreamt of and feeling sexier than she had in her life.

“Harder…oh god pound me, Mark…” She ordered in a throaty moan, her body rocking along with his in motion and felt him lift her from the washer to carry them out of the laundry room.

Within seconds, she was turned around bent over the new kitchen table and Mark slid home inside of her again, making her cry out in pleasure. They were going to christen every room in this apartment, bathroom included. He figured they’d have to have sex on one side of the kitchen / dining area and then the other, just to make sure, and smirked at the idea. They even had a little patio off the living room, with sliding glass doors; he knew better, though the idea was tempting. Mark bent down, running his tongue up along her spine, memories of their time at the old ranch, naked and outside, making love wherever they wanted, filtering through his mind.

“The mirrors were a very good idea.” Alice murmured hours later, laying in their brand-new bed with her leg draped over Mark’s and her hand caressing his chest.

They had stayed naked after the laundry room/kitchen romp. It didn’t stop there either. Mark hadn’t let her climax, keeping a pace to where she was just about to fall over the edge, but he ended up dragging her back at the last second. It was a slow, delicious torture. Mark didn’t cum either, showing just how much self-control he possessed, and Alice admired him for it. He lay on the couch with her for a while, spoon fucking her slowly, methodically, his hands caressing every inch of her he could reach.

It was sensual, and Alice enjoyed it, countless moans and cries of his name spilling from her lips. After the couch was christened, Mark carted her down the hallway to their room and finished her off with her on all fours again, making her look at herself in the mirror while he pounded her the way she wanted. Watching herself be fucked by this gorgeous man had been too much to handle and Alice found herself having the more explosive, intense orgasm yet. Mark had joined her, both cumming together in waves and then collapsing on the bed in a sweaty, exhausted, satisfied heap.

He mumbled his agreement, face buried in her damp hair. The mirrors HAD been a good idea. He had been able to see every expression on her face, the visual of the ecstasy Mark had wrought from her had been delicious and he was looking forward to the next time. Which would probably be in a few hours, he needed time to recharge and felt like every last fluid had been drained out of him and gone into her. They needed to wash the new bedding already and the bedroom smelled of them, of sex, and while he didn’t overly mind… for now, he knew eventually it wouldn’t smell so delicious.

“I love you, Alice.” He said quietly, knowing he didn’t say it all that much, but when he did, he could always feel the happiness, the contentment, practically radiating from her.

“Mark, you home?”

Derrick had shitty timing and Mark had to wonder what he wanted. They hadn’t been THAT loud.

“I brought you guys a housewarming present.”

Groaning, he reluctantly pulled away from her. “Bet its flowers or a houseplant, and a wall clock.”

Alice giggled softly, nuzzling him a second longer and pushed him out of the bed while she grabbed her clothes, slipping them back on. She could shower later, they had an impromptu visitor. Derrick would be told not to enter without knocking first from here on out though. Stepping into the bathroom to quickly wash her hands, Alice sincerely hoped he didn’t smell anything else that had happened in the apartment and walked out while Mark finished dressing.

Chapter 52

“Hello again, Derrick.” She greeted, shaking his hand with her freshly washed one and took the beautiful flowers from him along with the picture frame. “Thank you, these are lovely.” The scent permeated the air as she set them on the kitchen table in the center since they were already in a glass vase. “Mark will be out shortly. Do you want something to drink?”

“Nope.” He flashed her his water bottle, grinning broadly. “I knocked a couple of times, but I guess you didn’t hear.” Derrick he knew how much Mark despised doorbells, so he hadn’t rung it. He preferred the big man to not try choking him out. “Thank you though.”

“Where’s the clock?” Mark walked out, back in shorts and hadn’t bothered with a t-shirt.

“I knew you’d be expecting it.” Derrick snorted, rolling his eyes. “Hey, before you go, I want a rematch since we have a court here.”

“Yeah, I know, I helped design this place.” He walked up behind Alice, eyeing the flowers. “Told you.” Mark whispered, dropping a kiss on her neck before glancing at Derrick. “We haven’t played ball in… months.”

“I know, and you just barely beat me last time.”

That was true, and Mark had to cheat to do it. In his defense, Derrick had hip-checked him, and it had hurt, the spry little bastard.

“A rematch? A court? You mean like basketball?”

Derrick arched a slow brow at her and then looked at Mark, blinking. “Yeah…Mark is one of the best basketball players Houston has ever seen. You didn’t tell her about your college and near pro-ball days, man?” Derrick had gone to school with him and they’d been on the same team.

“No…” She dragged that word out, intrigued, and looked up at Mark curiously. “You played basketball in college?” They really did come from two completely different backgrounds. College wasn’t even an afterthought due to how she was brought up and raised.

“Hell yeah, he did!” Derrick crowed, listing off some of Mark’s achievements while in college, which mostly revolved around basketball. “This mother fucker was supposed to go overseas with us. He was 12 hours away from getting his degree – 12 HOURS – and he gave it all up for professional wrestling. I still can’t believe you did that, Calaway…” The team had been steamed when he didn’t show up for the bus to take them to the airport to go overseas, but Derrick had forgiven him once they reconnected several years ago.

Now Alice was in shock. “Oh wow…” She didn’t know what else to say.

As if Alice needed another reminder of how two completely different people they were at times and their backgrounds. Mark cleared his throat, giving Derrick a look that promised retaliation. “I was good, but basketball is a lot harder on a man my size than wrestling.” All that running from one end of the court to the other, the jumping…he’d be retired by now. “I’ll do a rematch.” He had every intention of knocking Derrick down to the pavement a time or two, send him home with a skinned backside. “You wanna be my cheerleader, Red?”

Derrick had not missed that look, gathering Mark hadn’t told her for whatever reasons and grinned.

Challenge accepted.

“Not like I’m not already your cheerleader, but sure. Let me go grab something from the bedroom really fast.”

Kissing his cheek, Alice zoomed off to the bedroom to put a bra on, refusing to go out in public without one. Although hers were perky and didn’t sag, she did not feel comfortable without one out in the open. Slipping her white tennis shoes on and pulling her red hair up in a messy bun on top of her head, Alice came out 5 minutes later just as Mark finished tying his gym shoes.

“Ready when you are, Deadman.”

“I still can’t believe you didn’t know about his college days. What else has the big man kept from you?” Derrick mused out loud, shaking his head and ignored Mark’s dark look shot at him. “Hey, the lady deserves to know what a damn tyrant you are. Give her a chance to run away from your ass.”

“Not going to happen.”

Alice grabbed Mark’s hand on their way out the door, waiting for him to lock it behind him and followed Derrick out to the where the recreational part of the complex was located. As Derrick kept talking about their college days, and many other topics, Mark honestly didn’t know if his friend was trying to help or hurt this relationship. He hadn’t withheld information out of spite or fear of running her off, but Alice hadn’t had the best childhood or life as an actual adult. Mark didn’t need her freaking out any more than she already had about their different backgrounds. He had pulled his hair back into a low hanging tail at the nape of his neck and wrapped a bandana around his head to keep sweat from his eyes, still not wearing a shirt. Eyeing the court, Mark grinned when they reached it, having every intention of making his friend eat his own tongue. He had also grabbed some bottled water, figuring with as hot as it was, he and Alice were going to need it. Not to mention, they had already used up a lot of their own… liquids.

“You want to ref us?” Derrick offered with an easy-going grin, picking up a discarded basketball and giving it a few dribbles.

“Okay, what are the rules?”

“When it comes to Mark and I playing, there are no rules.” Derrick stated, continuing to warmup with dribbling the ball and smirked at the redhead. “It won’t be that hard. Anything goes…except bloodshed.”

Alice giggled nervously when Mark said ‘no promises’ and shook her head, amusement shining in her greys. It did bother her a little that he was a college boy turned professional wrestler, but that wasn’t a flaw either. She was in love with a smart man, for the most part, and he loved her back, wanted to live with her and share their lives together. Alice counted herself blessed, it was the only word to describe what had happened in her life. Luck had finally turned in her favor along with fate, even with the whole Dallas stalking situation. She would not let their pasts and upbringing dictate their relationship, though Alice would be lying if she said she didn’t want to know more about Mark. If it was up to her, she wanted to know everything about him.

“Oh, and any blatant cheating, that has to be called.”

“Pissed about last time?”

“Whatever happened to good sportsmanship? Or did that go out the door when you decided to play a fake sport?”

Mark wasn’t bothered in the slightest, this was just how it went when they got together and competed, trash talking, taunting. He already knew Derrick didn’t mean anything by it. “All right, enough chit chat, I’ll show you fake.”

“Fake athlete…”

Mark’s eyes narrowed, though he was grinning. “Yeah darlin’, if you catch him cheatin’, call it.”

“I’m not the one who cheated to a win!”

Mark started laughing and the game commenced.

Watching Mark move on the court, it became crystal clear to Alice how good he was, and she idly wondered what drew him to professional wrestling. If he was this good at basketball and only 12 hours away from a full ride basketball scholarship, what made him decide to give all of that up for professional wrestling? Was it the physicality? WWF wasn’t fake by any means, though fans were made to believe it was scripted, when in reality, it was all real. The moves and everything were real, they didn’t script a single thing and real-life feuds were actual feuds. Derrick didn’t need to know that though and could live in his way of thinking. She wouldn’t pop that bubble and open his eyes to the truth.

“You’re off the court. Ball goes to Mark.” She ordered, taking the ball from the sidelines, and tossed it to her man, winking.

“Hey now, a ref can’t be biased, baby.”

That earned Derrick a forearm to his chest followed by a SWISH from Mark, the ball hitting nothing but net.

Smirking, Mark met Derrick on the court again, weaving, ducking and then cursed when he wound up eating pavement. He rolled over, bringing a hand up to stare at what used to be his palm and then pushed himself off, before he baked. That black top was HOT.

“You’re an ass.” He informed his friend in a growl.

“And I am also a lot smaller than you, I think you crushed my chest.” They were not as young as they used to be, but both in great shape for their respective sizes. “Your tit is bleeding.”

“Pec.” And it was, scraped, nothing major and Mark rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna feed you that ball, Derry.”

“Don’t call me that!”

Alice cringed when Mark hit the pavement and wanted to go to him to make sure he was alright, but the acid in his eyes stopped her. The words caught in her throat. “Wouldn’t that be considered a foul?” She asked, blushing when both of them looked at her and held her hands up. “Hey, I’m just trying to be as fair as possible.” Not to mention, she didn’t know jack about basketball or the rules. Personally, she thought the NBA was overrated and full of jackasses, but kept that opinion to herself. College basketball, on the other hand, wasn’t all that bad. “I think…Mark should get a free-throw shot since you forced him to hit the pavement.”

“What?!”

“Come on now, Derry, gotta play fair.”

He was liking this cheeky wench even more, but she was obviously favoring Mark and, while he found it amusing, he could see the big man wasn’t overly enjoying the idea of being publicly favored this way. “Want that free shot?”

“No.” Mark grunted, shaking his head. It happened, a lot, biting pavement. And since Derrick had done it while in motion, it was a legal move.

“Didn’t think so.” Play resumed and next it was him being body checked. “My ass!” Where the hell was his free shot?

Feeling marginally better, Mark helped his friend up. “Need some cream for that burn, boy?”

“I got your cream right here.” The following gesture left no doubt where said cream was coming from. “Oh… my ass…”

“Take a minute, let’s get a drink.” And let Derry have a moment to recover HIS pride.

It wasn’t that she was favoring Mark. Alice had NO idea what she was doing or how to referee a basketball contest. She wasn’t a fan of the sport, never watched it on television and only knew about the March Madness college games due to her foster Dad being obsessed with it every year. Sitting down in the grass, where her backside wouldn’t be burned by the pavement, Alice downed half her bottled water and smiled over at Mark and Derrick still ribbing each other.

The score was tied, and the next shot would be victory. It still amazed her how athletic Mark truly was, feeling her body flush with pure warmth at the sight of his body coated in sweat while he moved fluidly on the court. Once the break was over, and Derrick had recovered from the fall, it was back to business with them nearly fighting each other for the ball. She just hoped Mark was careful since he had a very busy weekend ahead of him, especially when it came to beating the hell out of Dallas.

Derrick won without cheating. He watched that shot, making it back from the 3-point line and Mark was turning to watch too, both of them holding their breath. When it swished through the net, he jumped up into the air before starting to dance. Mark shook his head, high-fiving his buddy before walking over to drop on the grass beside Alice, stretching his long legs out before him.

“He was always better. I was just taller and wider.” He admitted, finishing what was left of his water and winced. Mark was starting to feel those scrapes now and really hoped Derrick had a rubbed raw backside.

“In your defense, you had an…extensive workout beforehand.”

Alice grinned evilly, recalling the several hours of lovemaking and straight out fucking they’d done prior to Derrick coming over unannounced. She looked over at Derrick, who was rubbing his backside and laughed when the man groaned out about having a scraped ass cheek. Then he looked at the other one and groaned even louder.

“You won and look what happened to my man’s pectoral and his knees.” Alice had a feeling his backside had taken a beating too, no pun intended. “Come on, I’ll get some ice for both of you.” Standing, she extended her hand to Mark and smiled when he took it, pulling him up using her arm strength. “And if you don’t mind, I’m gonna try to find a gym around here…”

“There’s one on the property, on the other side of the court.” Derrick pointed with a pained smile. “Help yourself, it’s only available to the occupants that live here.”

Were they sure this was supposed to be middle class housing? “Okay, thanks.”

Low income housing usually just provided a cheap playground and a place to do laundry. Rich people had pools, nice playgrounds, several recreational room facilities and etcetera. The basketball court was part of the only playground in the complex, right smack in the center. They provided appliances in the units and the gym had been something for Derrick and other meatheads, housewives looking for a quick workout, whatever. Mark sincerely doubted it would have gone in, if not for the fact Derrick lived on the property. The ‘eternal’ bachelor, supposedly.

“It’s not like… a normal gym, darlin’. Some weight shit, treadmills, bike machines and… punching bags.”

“Hey, and we put in a TV and DVD player with some yoga shit.”

That was new.

“That’s plenty for me. Catch you boys in a while.”

The clothes she had on were perfect for a workout and watching Mark run back and forth on the basketball court heightened her adrenaline. A good, solid workout for a couple hours, even if she spent most of it kicking and hitting the bag, would make her feel better. They hadn’t exercised at all yesterday and Alice didn’t want to start slacking, even if it was their days off.

“So, you didn’t give her enough of a workout before I got here?” Derrick wasn’t stupid, noticing the disheveled looks from both of them when he first arrived. He laughed when Mark punched him in the arm. “Just joking man, don’t take shit so serious. Now let’s go get some ice.” They really needed it.

They both limped back to the office, where Derrick kept an ice machine because the man had to have ice water at almost all times. He accepted the bag full of ice he was offered and dropped down on the couch, taking a look around. Desk, computer, desk chair, two chairs before it, the couch and kiddie toys for clients with children.

“Man… we’re getting old.”

“Don’t I know it…” Derrick groaned as he very gingerly sat down. “So, where’d you meet her?”

“Work, duh.”

Where else was he going to meet a woman? Not like he had enough time to trawl bars for a potential long-lasting relationship. Mark wasn’t about to elaborate on Alice’s past, however; he didn’t care who he was conversing with. That was her business.

Chapter 53

The sun setting on the horizon was Alice’s signal to stop and head back to the apartment. Her kicking was getting better along with her punching, at least she thought anyway. She was somewhat shocked Mark hadn’t followed her, but also relieved because she needed some time to herself. Mark needed it too. It was nice being naked and wrapped up in each other, but the real world was also a huge slap in the face. She trudged inside, seeing the lights were all off and frowned, not seeing Mark anywhere. He must’ve still been with Derrick. Shrugging, she peeled her clothes off, kicking them into the pile of dirty clothes forming outside the bathroom door and turned the shower on as hot as she could stand it to relax her muscles. She was sweaty and smelled from head to toe both from being outside in the hot sun as a shitty referee and her workout.

Mark was a tad bit drunk. He and Derrick had got to reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ and talking about their current lives. Once office hours were over, Derrick had drawn the shades and broke out the moonshine. The alcohol was terrible, the taste was like dirt, but damned if the burn and pleasant feeling afterwards didn’t feel good.

“I gotta get back to my ol’ lady.” He rumbled finally, pushing himself out of the chair he had occupied and instantly regretted it. Mark should not have drunk that crap.

“Hope she don’t want any… whissey dick.”

By the time Mark came through the front door, it was after midnight and Alice was on the couch sleeping. The television was on some kind of infomercial and she was curled up on the couch with a blanket and pillow. Mark had set out some chicken breasts to bake in the oven with a couple sides, so she whipped them up and left a note on the table for him. Alice wasn’t mad at him for staying out, it was nice to have some quiet time to reflect on everything and she’d gotten to watch some of her shows she knew he wouldn’t like. Her guilty pleasures. Feeling a finger brush against her cheek, she snuggled further into the pillow and let out a contented sigh, a slight smile on her face.

He was way too drunk to even consider eating right now. Mark would throw up, so he just put it all away, sort of. He didn’t know how long she had been waiting on him and felt…bad. Which was a first, he had never felt bad at all about keeping anyone waiting, not when he was out having a good time and catching up with friends, but… he did now. He also knew better than to try moving her from that couch to their bed. Mark had nearly dropped his own big backside just trying to get back into the apartment. Sort of making out her note, he gave it up in the end and just used the pen to scrawl what might’ve been a heart with some XOXO’s to show he had seen the note, all very sloppy in his drunken mind quite neat looking. He grabbed a pillow off the bed and made himself comfortable on the floor by the couch, staring up at her for a minute before closing his eyes. Then he got back up, needing to piss and banged his knee against the toilet, cursing loudly. By the time he did make it back to his little bed on the floor, he was surprised he hadn’t woken her up.

“Oh no…”

Alice stifled a giggle at the sight of Mark sleeping on the carpeted floor, when she woke up around 4 AM to use the bathroom, shaking her head with a soft smile. He was snoring like a freight train, which was a sign he was extremely tired and didn’t care where he slept. Still, they had a few more hours to sleep before needing to get up to catch their 10 AM flight. Sighing, she squatted down beside him and sat on her knees, smoothing some hair from his handsomely rugged face with the back of her hand. Leaning over, she softly brushed her lips against his and blinked when he pulled her on top of him.

The soft kiss quickly turned passionate and somewhat sloppy from his drunken stupor, but it didn’t bother Alice. The taste of the moonshine on his tongue combined with him in general just turned her on and she could feel how hard he was as his erection pressed against her panty covered sex. She was in a simple nightshirt with panties on, no bra. Sleep was suddenly the last thing on her mind as Mark groped her breast through her nightshirt, muttering something about how good she felt. Alice smiled, sitting up long enough to remove the nightshirt and wasn’t surprised he had reached between them to rip her panties off, leaving her completely exposed to him. Instead of letting him claim her like so many times before, Alice wanted to tease him a bit and rubbed herself up and down on his hardened shaft, stimulating herself as well as coating his cock with her essence.

That wasn’t happening. Mark was still pretty jacked up, but he wasn’t in any mood to be teased and rolled suddenly, trapping Alice between the floor and him. His glassy emerald eyes focused in, with a little difficulty, on her face and he reached down, guiding himself into her slick sex, snapping his hips forward. Not thinking twice about it, he grabbed her by the wrists, guiding them over her head and pinned them there before using his other arm to steady himself, NOT wanting to crush her.

Alice felt his face bury in the crook of her neck briefly before moving down to capture a pert nipple in his mouth, his cock hammering in and out of her as hard, fast, and deep as Mark could get. She could tell he was drunk, his movements were a little off balance, but it was still good old-fashioned fucking, nonetheless. Her pussy was on the verge of being numb from how much sex they’d had that day and night, but at the same time, Alice was not complaining.

This man desired her, wanted her and she felt a twinge of regret at the fact she wasn’t able to give him the stripper show she wanted. After Summerslam, when things calmed down and Dallas was out of their lives, she would do it after they came home on their next days off. He moved his hand between them, releasing her arms and felt her hands burying themselves in his now loose hair. Mark began thumbing her clit, needing her to reach that point pretty soon because, even in his alcohol-induced state, he knew he would blow his load pretty early.

The fact that he had been able to get it up was impressive.

“Come on, Red, cum for me, darlin’.” He rumbled encouragingly, his mouth sealing to the side of her neck, leaving one hell of a hickey.

The hickey didn’t bother her, enjoying being marked by this man. He could leave love marks all over her body, and he had in precarious places earlier that day; it was nothing makeup couldn’t cover up. It also didn’t take long for her climax to build, his thumb going faster and pressing harder against her swollen nub. Just a little more…suddenly, the rubbing and thrusting stopped abruptly. Mark collapsed on top of her, crushing her with his weight and Alice had a hard time breathing, using her strength to pull herself out from under him.

She stared at him in shock, her jaw dropped, while his snores filtered throughout the living room. Mark just fell asleep on her! He literally passed out on her while having sex! Mortified, Alice scrambled up to her feet, her legs feeling like jelly and made her way to the bathroom, needing a very cold shower. The next time he wanted middle of the night sex while still drunk, he could copulate with himself!

Well, in Mark’s drunken defense, she probably shouldn’t have kissed him, not that he knew she was pissed off at him. He was way too drunk to know anything outside of… nothing. By the time he would be awake, he would probably be way too hungover to care about passing out mid-thrust, mid-rub, and all that. He simply rolled onto his back, snoring, body parts dangling out and doing what they would with his hand on his dick.

Feeling particularly vindictive, Alice did not go back to sleep after what happened and instead watched some television in the bedroom. When 8 AM rolled around, she promptly walked out and went to the kitchen, grabbing a pot out of the lower cupboard. Then she grabbed a steel stirring spoon and mentally counted to 3 before pounding the hell out of it.

“THIS IS YOUR WAKE-UP CALL!” She roared at the top of her lungs, beating on the pot, and watched Mark bolt upright, much like he did in the ring in his earlier years, with bloodshot eyes and a screaming headache. “TIME TO GET UP! WE HAVE TO BE AT THE AIRPORT IN 2 HOURS!!” Then, she put the pot and spoon on the kitchen counter and went back into the bedroom to resume her television show while Mark cursed a blue streak.

Mark had absolutely no recollection of last night past the point of… probably about 11… he remembered telling Derrick he needed to get home… Derrick offered one more shot and that had been it. He didn’t remember coming in and sure as hell did not remember what he had done to piss Alice off, but her tone was full of anger. His head felt like there were razorblades in it, his tongue was dryer than Linda McMahon after watching her husband cheat on her… it sucked.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR DAMAGE?” He bellowed, instantly regretting that one and groaned, hunching in on himself to stop himself from puking. Derrick was a bastard.

Alice was pissed off for a very GOOD reason and the fact he was yelling at her was an indication he didn’t remember anything that happened between them earlier that morning. GREAT! That just pissed her off more. Grabbing her bag, neglecting his, Alice planted it by the door and stalked into the kitchen, already dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top with white flames going up the sides. The food she’d made for him, that he didn’t eat, was tossed since they wouldn’t have time to eat until they were on the plane or grabbed a quick bite to eat at the airport before boarding their flight.

“If you puke on that carpet, Mark Calaway, I will make you EAT IT.” She growled, not amused in the slightest and her greys were pure steel while cleaning up the mess she’d made the previous night.

“Who pulled the string on your tampon?” Mark growled, pushing himself off the floor with a groan.

He had absolutely no idea what he had done to piss her off, besides probably coming home at an obscene hour, but either he had done something seriously messed up or she was just an angry, raging bitch this morning. Regardless, he didn’t overly care right now. He needed a shower. Coffee. Pills for his aching head. He was going to raid his Vicodin… yes, definitely.

“Bangin’ fuckin’ pots…” He dipped his head under the sink faucet, trying to ease the desert going on in his mouth and the sandpaper tongue he had.

“I’m not on my period, number one, so nobody and, just so you know, the next time you want to have middle of the night sex, MAKE SURE YOU’RE NOT FUCKING DRUNK AS A SKUNK!”

There, she felt marginally better and stormed out of the kitchen, shaking her head. It happened, people made mistakes because that was life. Nobody was perfect. She understood that, but…the fact she couldn’t even keep her man awake, drunk or not, for sex really made her self-esteem plummet. It was stupid for thinking that way, but at the same time, what woman wouldn’t be pissed off their man had fallen asleep on them DURING sex? After sex, sure that was fine, but DURING? Gritting her teeth, Alice sat on the couch on the far end and curled up in the middle nook, flipping through channels.

Rolling his eyes, Mark stepped into the shower and put it out of thought while he took care of his body odor and the scent of really nasty moonshine. It felt like it was coming out of his pores. When he was done, he felt slightly better. Ready to ingest some coffee, not food though. That still made his stomach flip-flop. Sighing, he stepped out, toweled off and walked bare assed back to the bedroom to change.

“So what, I came before you did, is that your problem?” He demanded gruffly when he emerged, spotting her on the couch. It happened, not that it was anything to brag about, but still.

“If only!” Alice snapped, feeling her blood boil all over again and narrowed her eyes at the sheer perplexity on his face. If she wasn’t so pissed off, she would’ve laughed because it was a priceless face. “It’s really sad you don’t remember. You seriously have no recollection of holding me down and fucking me this morning? You have no recollection of making me THIS close,” She paused, making the finger inch motion and drew out the word ‘this’. “To cumming and then passing out on me IN MID-THRUST?!” Now his face was one of shock and humiliation. Good! She wanted him to feel just as humiliated and mortified as she was! “You nearly crushed me to death because you were on top of me and you don’t remember that?! You are a piece of work, Calaway!”

Mortification passed quickly when he realized what she was really mad about. “So… you’re mad… because I didn’t get you off?” He remarked slowly, snorting and rolled his eyes. “Red, I woke you up yesterday with sex, and we have sex all the fuckin’ time. Go learn to masturbate.” He got into the fridge, procuring several bottles of water, and lined them up. “I’m sorry, it happens.” Most women would have not allowed him to get that far, not reeking the way he had. He began knocking down the waters, one by one.

“No, I’m not mad about not getting off! I know how to use my damn finger and vibrator, thank you very fucking much!” Alice shot back angrily, standing up from the couch and folded her arms tightly in front of her chest, eyeballing him shrewdly. “What I’m pissed about is the fact you fell asleep on me WHILE we were having sex! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?! I don’t care how drunk you are, if I can’t keep my man satisfied and awake long enough for BOTH of us to have an orgasm, and at least FINISH what we’re doing, something is very wrong! And you’re right, we have sex a lot and I think we should taper off a bit with that, especially after this morning. Go use your hand the next time you want an orgasm.” Sneering, she fell back on the couch and shook her head, not believing the audacity of this man to try to blame her for what happened!

“The fact that you’re taking me being drunk as fuck, and passin’ out as a personal affront to your capabilities, is fucked up, Alice.” Shit, what was that about strippers? Daddy issues, self-esteem issues, all that stereotypical bullshit… well, stereotypes were usually based on actual people. “You don’t have to worry about havin’ sex for a while… you equate your self-esteem and worth with it… I’m not your private fuckin’ shrink, Red.” Mark was not about to lose his dick trying to fuck confidence and self-worth into her; his sperm wasn’t some magical boosting juice.

Men would never understand, and Alice was too angry to explain it to him in a way he would see where she was coming from. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and just let Mark think whatever he wanted, looking positively disgusted by his poisonous words. Alice did not equate her self-esteem and worth to sex – not even a fraction. It honestly hurt her feelings he would fall asleep on her during sex…it was an emotional problem, not a physical or mental one. It just hurt her feelings, but of course he had to overthink it.

Grabbing her bag, she stormed out of the apartment and went to the truck, not waiting for him. She refused to cry in front of him, deciding she would be getting her own room that night to mull things over and figure out where to go from here. There was no way she could share a room with him after what he said, and she didn’t care if the Alliance was still after her. That’s why aliases were made, and she had a couple she could use. As soon as the truck unlocked, she slipped inside and took the backseat, putting distance between her and Mark for the time being.

In his hungover state, Mark did not care if he hurt her feelings with what he said. Drinking that much and passing out, yes, it was bad he had passed out on her and nearly crushed her, but Christ… he had been so obliterated… it happened. Any woman who did not understand that, or who felt emotionally crushed on something that happened to poor saps everywhere… he didn’t have the patience to babysit Alice and give her a safe space. Sliding his shades down over his nose, Mark got behind the wheel, tossing his own bag into the seat she normally would have occupied.

Chapter 54

The plane ride was silent as well as the ride to the hotel. Mark wasn’t going to the house show that night, his head hurt way too much, and the media appearances were enough to make him want to sock someone in the face. Because she was part of Deadman Inc, Alice had to tag along and plastered a smile on her face, shaking hands and whatnot. After 3 radio interviews, 2 regular interviews at some venue and an over the phone interview, all revolving Summerslam, it was time to call it a day.

Alice decided against getting her own hotel room because of the Alliance, letting cooler heads prevail, but had changed their room to having two beds. She just needed time to get over what Mark said to her and what happened. Everything would work out for the best, or so she thought. Mark didn’t comment on the two separate beds when they walked into their room, having gone straight to media appearance as soon as they landed. Their bags were left in the lobby to be taken up to their room. Collapsing on her bed, Alice stared up at the ceiling and shut her eyes, hoping their relationship would survive this fight.

Unlike Alice, Mark wasn’t sweating the status of their relationship at the moment for the simple reason: no relationship survived without a fight or a hundred. He was exhausted and had made himself a vow to never drink like that again before a day he would be busy running around for a pay-per-view. Getting through the countless media appearances and signings, without breaking someone in half, had been a chore. He figured they’d be pissy and then reconcile in the morning or something. Everyone fought, it was just a matter of getting over it.

The following day, Alice was up before Mark and down at the hotel gym at 6 AM, needing a workout. She didn’t do it the previous day due to all the media appearance, but the first signing wasn’t until noon. Then another at 3 PM and then the last one at 6 PM. The silence was deafening between her and Mark, but Alice didn’t know what to say to him. She already knew she wasn’t good enough for him and her insecurities were shining through…insecurities she tried holding back and hiding.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became and soon, she was kicking the bag repeatedly instead of doing each kick precise. Both feet were kicking the bag one after the other as beads of sweat formed on her forehead, neck, and arms. She had on black spandex shorts and a black sports bra, her hair braided down her back tightly and a black banana was wrapped around her head. Taking a break, she stopped with the leg workout and began jabbing the bag with her fists, wearing protective fingerless gloves to protect her hands.

His beautiful redheaded angel was angry. He could see it radiating from every pore of her body and he almost pitied the idiot who had hurt her because those kicks and punches looked brutal. Lethal, if she had aimed them at someone’s head. Rumor was… Alice and Taker had been distant throughout their activities, but those had just been rumors and he had ignored them because in this business, rumors flew around like fireworks on the Chinese New Year. However, seeing her like this, so hurt and mad… made him think.

Feeling like someone was watching her, Alice slowly turned around and didn’t see anyone, eyebrows furrowing together. Was it Dallas? He hadn’t bothered her since their last conversation, which was a very small blessing. Alice didn’t feel like dealing with him or the Alliance right now, just wanting to focus on her workout. She glanced up at the clock, seeing it was going on 9 AM and blinked, not believing she’d been doing this for the past 3 hours. Deciding she had enough, Alice made her way out of the hotel gym and back up to the room to shower, stopping at the sight of Mark standing outside in the hallway with Stephanie. She immediately snuck back into the doorway of the stairwell and listened in since their room was just adjacent to it, grey eyes narrowed.

“Listen, I’m planning on turning against my brother when all is said and done. I know the WWF isn’t going anywhere, what fool do you take me for, Deadman?” Stephanie purred, once again digging her nails into his bare chest and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “I think we could develop some kind of partnership just like we did back in ’99, hmm? You know you enjoyed it, deflowering me, and showing me how to become a woman…do you honestly think you can change that stripper whore into a woman? Think about it, Mark…”

Why wasn’t he shoving her away or yelling at her to get lost? Alice was so confused when it came to Stephanie and Mark’s relationship…and it made her sick to her stomach as those nails once again dug into his chest.

“Why isn’t he telling her to get lost, hmm, sugar?”

Dallas had followed her and, when Alice had come to a halt and then backtracked, because she was obviously eavesdropping… he was curious. He stood behind her, seeing her body tense, his mouth by her ear. His blue eyes watched as Stephanie ran a hand up Mark’s chest to his throat, squeezing gently and had to wonder what the hell kind of kinks they had.

Mark’s hand moved to catch hers, squeezing in warning, though to anyone else, it probably wouldn’t seem that way. THAT particular kink of his was private and she had only discovered it accidentally. As a general rule, he liked to do the choking.

“Oh you DO remember…” She purred seductively.

“Now sugar, I hate to say it, but it kind of looks like they never really stopped, doesn’t it?”

No, it didn’t.

It looked as though Mark was captivated by the Princess and Alice felt so much hurt and pain flood her body. No wonder he’d fallen asleep on her during sex! She probably wasn’t kinky enough for him or didn’t satisfy him the way she thought! Alice could feel Dallas behind her, feel his hot breath against her ear and neck, but didn’t move or respond to him. He still scared the hell out of her, but that fear was overshadowed by the pain in her eyes and face. It was obvious the Ministry angle between them had a lot more meaning between the two than either let on. No matter how hard she tried, Alice couldn’t pull her gaze away from the scene. It was like watching a car wreck in slow motion – one could never look away.

He hadn’t backhanded her into next week, so Stephanie was taking that as a good sign and slowly moved her hands up until she could pull herself up, kissing his jawline. “Think about it, Mark.” She whispered, running her tongue along his bottom lip before stepping back. “Just like old times.”

Even by his standards, that was cold, and Alice’s shoulders were beginning to shake. Dallas wanted to reach out and hold his woman, but… this was a harsh lesson she needed to learn. “Sugar… I think, from the way he’s not pushing her away, all you were was a distraction to him.”

Mark STILL hadn’t pushed her away and let that whore slid her filthy disgusting tongue along his bottom lip! Alice felt nauseous, finally looking over her shoulder at Dallas and then back at Mark, tears slowly spilling down her cheeks. “A distraction?” Her voice cracked, talking barely above a whisper, and felt Dallas’s hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently as a way to comfort her.

What was she supposed to do now? Mark was her everything, the man she loved, and here he was allowing another woman to touch him and nearly kiss him! Alice wanted to go out there and rip Stephanie’s hair out of her head and shove it down Mark’s throat, her fists clenching at her sides as she continued watching.

“Alice, if he cared about you, he wouldn’t be…” Dallas gestured at the pair, seemingly without words. “That.” He would not be standing there with Stephanie McMahon, out in public, in a hallway that seen a lot of foot traffic -no doubt because of the event going- and letting her make obvious advances on him. “I’m sorry sugar.” He whispered soothingly.

Mark would have to bleach his entire face now. He felt dirty, like he had just been prison raped or something, but said and did nothing, just stared down at her, his eyes dark and brooding.

“Please stop.” Alice pleaded in a whisper, feeling her heart clutch painfully in her chest and actually gripped her sports bra, the tears not stopping. She couldn’t see Mark, not right now and watched Stephanie saunter away, sashaying her way down the hallway with Mark watching her. He went back into the room she shared with him, acting as if nothing happened and Alice didn’t know what to do. “Stay away from me, Dallas. Even if I’m with or without him, I will never want you. Get it through your head.” Wiping her tears away, she jogged across the hallway and opened the door, immediately heading into the bathroom without a word to Mark. Her own room was definitely on the agenda after the signing that night followed by copious amounts of alcohol to numb her pain.

With an extra kick in his step, Dallas sauntered off down the hallway, going the same direction Stephanie had. He began whistling, unable to keep the smile off her face. She’d change her mind soon enough. He just knew it. His Alice was so fickle that way.

Mark had no idea where the fire was, but he really needed that bathroom. He pulled out the bottle of peroxide he carried in his bag and began splashing it on his face, just in case. He did not trust Stephanie McMahon one bit and had to wonder what her end game was. More importantly, was he going to wind up with an STD?

After an hour-long cry fest in the shower, Alice felt drained emotionally, physically, and mentally. She really did not want to go to this signing, but knew the company had ordered it. Being part of Deadman Inc. suddenly wasn’t that appealing. Mark was the last person she wanted to see and be around, especially after that disgusting display of affection between him and Stephanie. She would not be kissing his mouth any time soon, if ever. If he wanted that man-eater so badly, he could have her.

Alice would continue to be professional at the arenas and working with him, using him for protection against the Alliance, but that was as far as it’d go. Changing into a pair of black jeans and a Deadman Inc. sleeveless top, Alice didn’t bother doing anything with her hair and left it down, brushing it. Her makeup was simple black liner, gloss and foundation, nothing special. A knock sounded at the door as Alice walked over to answer it and let Glenn inside, mumbling a half-hearted greeting before going back over to sit on her bed, staring at the television.

Glenn had the worst timing ever. Mark had finally pulled his head out of his backside and his own musings long enough to realize he should probably talk to Alice before they went to this next shebang. Except she had been in that shower for so damn long and still going out of her way not to talk to him, not look at him.

“Everything okay?” Glenn was not always Captain Perceptive, but… the air in here was so damn thick, he felt like he needed a knife to cut it away. When Mark just gave him a ‘look’, he cleared his throat.

“Never better, Big Red. Welcome back.”

Alice had to inject sincerity into her tone and forced a smile on her face, though it didn’t reach her eyes. There were simply some emotions that couldn’t be drawn out without realism. After what happened between her and Mark and then witnessing Mark and Stephanie’s…Alice immediately pushed that thought, that vision, out of her head and cleared her throat, changing the subject.

“How’s preggo doing?” Teresa and Glenn were still friends of hers, even if her and Mark weren’t together. Eventually, she would have to talk to Mark about all of this, including what she’d witnessed, and more than likely end their brief relationship.

“She’s fine, throwing up everything she eats, thinks about, or smells, but other than that, fine. Says it’s a good thing because she won’t have to worry about weight gain with all the weight she’s dropped.” Glenn hadn’t found that amusing and had taken to loading his wife up on vitamins and shakes, about the only things she could tolerate. Those healthy shakes. “Oh, she loves Club crackers too.”

Mark smiled humorlessly, glancing at Alice. “You ready for tonight, darlin’?” He asked tentatively, figuring she probably wouldn’t rip his head off in front of Glenn.

“Sure, I’ve always wanted to lose all functionality in my hand.” Alice joked, flexing her hand and saw both men do the same, shaking her head. “My first signing…have they thought about putting the autographs in stamp form? It would be a hell of a lot easier on the hands…”

“Hell, we tried getting Vince to do that so many times, the old man refuses to take phone calls regarding that idea now. His assistant takes them and throws them away, his order. Fans like the real deal.” Some were also douchebags and liked to sell autographs on eBay for quick buck. Those were the fans that legitimately pissed him off and annoyed him. “We got 3 signings today – I’m going to kill Vince.”

“Speaking of the first signing, we should get going.” Alice grabbed her purse while Glenn lead the way out and felt Mark’s hand on the small of her back, immediately removing it. “I’m fine.” She whispered, not wanting to be touched and nothing more needed to be said as they headed down to the waiting Escalade that would take them to the first signing. WWE had drivers hired specifically for media appearances.

Shaking his head, Mark pulled his hand away, noting that she made sure she was upfront with the driver and shook his head when Glenn gave him another questioning look. Well, on the bright side, she was sort of talking to him now, that was something, right? Of course, it was probably because Glenn was there, not because she actually wanted to. Groaning, Mark knew he would have to get her away from people long enough to apologize and they couldn’t keep doing this all night.

Stephanie drummed her fingernails on her windowsill, watching the three load into that monstrosity. She had definitely noticed the way Alice was carrying herself and smiled viciously.

Chapter 55

The first signing about killed her hand and Alice had no idea how the Superstars and Divas did this day after day, night after night. Wrestling was easy compared to signing hundreds of autographs and taken countless pictures for fans. Once they arrived at the second venue for the next signing, Alice was pulled aside by Mark since they had an hour to kill before the fans were let in. There were hundreds standing outside in line waiting, it was crazy.

“Don’t. Please don’t. Let’s just get through this, alright?” Alice didn’t need to hear his lame excuses and apologies, already knowing he wouldn’t tell her about his moment with Stephanie. “I’m going out tonight, by the way.” Her voice implied it would be alone, far away from him. The amount of disappointment, hurt and pain in her greys spoke volumes.

That hurt him more than words could say. The pain in her eyes took his breath away and he could feel his own emerald eyes reflecting it back at her. Mark wasn’t sure what was going on, not anymore. What had been a stupid mistake and big fuck-up on his part had turned into something else. What should have been a molehill had escalated and he didn’t know how to fix it.

“Let me see your hand, Red.” He ordered quietly, taking her hand and began rubbing her palm, her fingers, applying pressure points to specific areas. Mark had been down this road before, so… he had experience.

“Please don’t touch me.” His mere touch hurt her as she pulled her hand away from him, looking away and shut her eyes. “I’m sure Stephanie wouldn’t mind a hand massage from you. I’m not interested though. Not anymore.”

Alice had no idea what possessed her to say it, but there was no taking it back. Dallas had planted serious doubts in her mind and actions didn’t lie either. Mark hadn’t pulled away from Stephanie or sent her packing. He merely stood there while the whore planted her tongue against his lips…lips Alice had kissed so many times and used to get tingles from. Before Mark could utter a weak comeback, they were instructed to take their seats for the signing and Alice plastered on a smile for the fans, even though inside she felt like she was dying.

He was guessing that either she had seen Stephanie, or seen them in the hallway, but he did not recall seeing Alice at all. Mark also didn’t think she had time to run into the queen of cunts. All he could do was suck it up, sign those autographs, make small talk with people, smile, and hope she’d let him explain. He had no doubt in his mind, if he had pushed, smacked, or even sneezed on her, Stephanie would have found a way to nail him for assault. That would mean no Summerslam. The fact that bitch had come to see him and pulled that stunt, meant she had something up her sleeve. His mouth still tasted like peroxide.

Second signing finished on time and it was off to the final one. Alice was convinced her hand would fall off, but pushed through it regardless. Every fan she met lifted her spirits a little, but once the signing ended, the sadness crept back in again. Once back at the hotel for the night, Alice didn’t give Mark anytime to talk, meaning what she said. She was going out tonight alone and nothing would stop her. Since they had separate beds, there was no reason to get her own room and besides, the hotel didn’t have any vacancies. Leaving Glenn there to talk to Mark, she left the room without preamble and went down the street to the nearest bar she could find. Her first drink was a dirty martini, the second a shot of whiskey with a chaser and the third…that was all she remembered.

~!~

“Ohh my head…” Alice mumbled, regretting opening her eyes as bright sunlight stung them, which told her it was morning.

Something didn’t feel right; her head was incredibly foggy, and her body hurt from head to toe. Rolling out of the bed, Alice stumbled to her feet and shut the curtains to stop the sunlight from hurting her eyes. When her vision cleared, both Stephanie and Shane McMahon were seated on the far couch of what looked to be a suite with evil smiles on their faces.

“W-What the hell is going on?” All she had on was a WCW t-shirt, no panties or bra, not that Alice noticed at the moment. “W-Where am I?”

“Oh, you poor darling.” Stephanie crooned, a very evil smile gracing her face as she took in the whore. “You don’t remember? Not even a little bit?”

“Of course she doesn’t, Steph.” Shane snorted, shaking his head as he sipped from his bottled water. He waved it in Alice’s direction. “Want some? I bet you have a horribly dry mouth…”

“And I bet it hurts to talk, doesn't it sweetheart? Hurts to swallow?” Stephanie added, overly sweetly. “Sucking dick the way you were… wow. You really are a whore, aren’t you?”

“Slut.” He corrected, sounding almost bored, but the evil gleam in his eyes matched his sister’s. “A proper whore would have charged.”

“True enough.”

Suddenly, it felt like a needle was jammed directly between her eyes and Alice dropped to her knees, clutching her hair in her hands, the memory sweeping her away…

~!~

“Mmm such a good little slut…my precious Alice…” Dallas was hovered over her, her wrists and ankles tied down to the bed with him completely naked on top. Alice was out of it, but that didn’t matter to him. “Open wide now and no biting…” Using the headboard for leverage, Dallas slid his cock between her sweet lips and groaned, feeling her mouth take him in completely. “Ohh yeah…” He sincerely hoped she didn’t have gag reflex, figuring if she did the Deadman wouldn’t be with her currently. That would soon change after this. “That’s it Alice, drive me in and out of that sweet little mouth, sugar…”

Completely out of it, Alice couldn’t fight and just lay there while Dallas fucked her mouth with his cock, not being gentle either. She hadn’t sucked or anything, her eyes closed while he had his way with her in this position. She was also naked and mumbled out through the mouthful of cock, which sounded like a moan.

“You gonna swallow me whole, sugar? Oh yes you are, you’re gonna swallow my seed and like it…” Dallas grunted, driving his cock harder and faster in and out of her mouth, almost to the point of bouncing on her face with his balls slapping across her chin repeatedly. He gave her just enough breathing room to where he didn’t suffocate her, but not much more than that.

His warm seed shot down her throat and Alice choked on it, managing to get it down without spitting any of it out.

~!~

Snapping her eyes open, Alice looked at the bed and saw the ties before looking down at her wrists, beginning to tremble from head to toe. No…NO! This wasn’t happening – it couldn’t be happening! Dallas had…what the hell had Dallas done?! She stumbled to her feet again, gritting her teeth against the pounding drum in her skull and felt the tears pour down her cheeks like two rapid streams. Dallas had raped her…but why couldn’t she fight back?

Stephanie felt like she could have an orgasm on the spot, taking in the way Alice was. She knew the other woman was remembering some of what had happened, how delicious! The little bitch would learn her place, or she’d wind up being a meat puppet for the rest of her contract.

“What did she do next? Oh… right…” She mockingly slapped the heel of her hand against her forehead. “Next, you let him fuck you, right? And you even let him cum in you! That is so gross, Alice. Without a condom?”

“Very dirty.” Shane murmured in agreement.

~!~

She was dry, Dallas didn’t overly mind. “I can fix that for you, sugar.” He breathed, his entire body coated in sweat.

The orgasms he’d had… he was very glad he had been prepared for this and taken that little pill, wanting to make the most of their night together. He reached over the side of the bed and grabbed the bottle of KY, applying it liberally. Dallas didn’t want to hurt his beautiful woman… much. When he slid inside of her, his eyes rolled back into his head. She was so much tighter than he thought she’d be.

~!~

Once again, she couldn’t fight him back or move, the memories hitting her like a mack truck. The last thing Alice remembered was slamming down a shot of whiskey and…that was it. When she came too, she was naked, tied to a bed with Dallas’s cock in her mouth. Dallas had raped her…actually raped her. Alice couldn’t handle it anymore and began spewing the contents of her stomach, whatever she had in her system, on out the carpet. All the semen she had ingested mixed with alcohol, no food. She didn’t have much of an appetite after seeing the display Stephanie put on Mark and drank on an empty stomach.

Her entire body shook violently, beads of cold sweat coating her from head to toe and the tears hadn’t stopped. Mark, she thought heartbrokenly, using the WCW shirt she had on to wipe her mouth off and leaned back against the wall, not looking good at all. Her wrists and ankles were bruised along with most of her body, fingerprint bruises all over, including her lower extremities. Even her breasts hurt, and Alice was too weak to survey the damage done to her at the hands of Dallas.

~!~

Dallas had mauled her breasts, biting and sucking, leaving his marks everywhere. He had also, when he was done with her delectable pussy, finally untied her only to reposition Alice on her hands and knees, using those restraints to force her to stay in the position he wanted by adjusting the tension on them. He had fucked her vaginally once more before finally taking her ass for a test drive. Dallas was planning on marrying this sweet whore, she had been custom-made for him and he would gladly screw all three holes until one of them died from exhaustion for the rest of his life.

~!~

When Alice finally looked up, Stephanie was there. She grabbed a handful of those fiery red locks and very easily dragged the other woman facedown. “Clean it up, slut!” She ordered in her shrill voice, rubbing Alice’s face in it. Alice was too weak to fight back and, when she was done, Alice’s face was coated in her own vomit and she was hurling again. “Disgusting bitch.” She spat, returning to her brother’s side.

“Enough, Stephanie.” Shane ordered, not believing his sister just did that and had no idea why his sister hated Alice so much. He was the one she had betrayed, not Stephanie, since she had been part of WCW. He grabbed Stephanie by her hair and slammed her back on the bed when she didn’t listen, trying to push Alice’s face into the pile of vomit again and held his finger up. “Don’t test my patience, sister. We’re here for a reason and you’re not helping matters any. Get control of yourself now or leave.”

“Why are you defending her?!” Stephanie shrieked, not believing the audacity of her brother, and blinked when she was backhanded across the face, blue eyes filling with tears. “Shane…”

“I SAID ENOUGH!” Alice had been put through the ringer, raped repeatedly in every way possible and he had to send Dallas to another room after he was finished. “We’ll be lucky if the Deadman doesn’t discover what happened to her! Do you want that?!”

Stephanie clamped her mouth shut, shaking her head, and stayed silent, tears falling silently.

“Now then,” Shane paused, turning his full attention back on Alice and didn’t go near her or the pile of vomit. “You’re probably wondering what happened last night. There’s a simple explanation, so I’m going to use small words.” He knew she was still suffering from flashbacks because the drug that was dropped in her drink didn’t permit her to be completely unconscious during the rape or forget about it. It was a simple date rape drug he procured from someone off the streets and had lasted all night, just as his dealer promised. “You were drugged, Alice. It was a foolish thing for you to go to a bar by yourself last night, you know. You were drugged, and Dallas was right there to save the day by bringing you back here and…well…I think you’ve figured out the rest. And if you don’t believe us, watch this.” Then he pressed play on the VCR and showed her everything that Dallas did to her, all the positions he’d fucked her in and it was all recorded by Shane and Stephanie themselves.

Alice had nothing left in her system or she would’ve vomited all over again, watching her own rape happen before her very eyes.

“What is really brilliant about all of this, Alice, is that the drug is now completely out of your system.” Shane informed her, clasping his hands in front of him, quite businesslike at the moment.

As far as he was concerned, that’s what this was – business. She had screwed with him on a professional level and well… he had just shown her Shane McMahon wasn’t someone to mess with, at all. He raised a hand to Stephanie when she opened her mouth, not surprised when she clamped it shut. These women in general were sluts, she wasn’t an exception.

“So… can’t prove you were drugged… by the time we’re done… you’re going to be known as just THE WHORE instead of the Undertaker’s whore.”

Shane had won.

She had gone to war with him and lost…big time.

Everything.

Alice took the wet rag he tossed at her and wiped away the vomit on her face, the tears continuously falling. “W-What do y-you want f-from me?” She stammered out in a croak, not realizing her throat was also bruised heavily and coughed, wincing as a shot of pain pierced through her abdomen and throat.

Squatting down to be eyelevel with her, Shane didn’t have to contemplate what to do about this. This was all a master plan, on his and partially Dallas’s part. He just included Stephanie, so she didn’t feel left out of the loop and did something stupid, like turn her back on him. They were McMahons – devious and ruthless.

“That’s a very good question, Alice. What do I want from you? It’s simple, whore. You played me and the rest of the Alliance – you turned your back on us and you paid the price for it. I was kind enough to send Dallas away to let you get your bearings in order, to show you that video. And nobody else has to see that footage and find out about this…if you do one thing for me and Stephanie.”

“W-What?” Alice whispered, not meeting his eyes and felt her stomach churn all over again, not believing she allowed this to happen to her.

This was her fault for not sticking to Mark like glue, regardless of their silly fight. None of that mattered anymore, though. Even if she cried rape to Linda McMahon and Marissa, Shane’s wife, they wouldn’t believe her. Nobody would. She could go to the emergency room to have a rape kit done, but again, what good would that do? It was done and there was no taking it back or changing it.

“You. Out of the WWF. Forever.” Shane had paused in between words to make sure she heard him loud and clear. “We will allow you to do Summerslam simply because we’re feeling generous after what happened to you.” Filming a woman being raped hadn’t been easy on the stomach or mind, no matter how cold-hearted he was. “Finish Summerslam and then leave the WWF. Go back to Tampa and resume your life. Do not tell Mark about this or else he will see this footage. And we can tweak it to where he will think and believe you enjoyed what Dallas did to you instead of it being construed as rape.” Technology had started to grow over the past year and it was amazing what people could do with video footage, how they could manipulate it.

First, they had her raped and videotaped it and now they were blackmailing her with the footage?! Alice had watched it and knew it wouldn’t take much to make the footage believable that everything was consensual. “Okay.” She nodded, holding her hands up in surrender and prayed she could leave this room soon, to leave this company and get as far away from these people as possible. Mark included. “W-What if Dallas comes after me and tries to drag me back?”

“You let me worry about Dallas. You do what we tell you to do, and you won’t ever have to see him again.” Shane assured her, keeping the cool tone in his voice. “I promise, he won’t lay another hand on you…unless you decide to defy us again. Then…I will make sure he breaks you COMPLETELY.”

“I-I won’t defy you. I’m done. I’m done with wrestling, with this company, with all of it. You win.” Alice shakily stood up, holding the wall for leverage and didn’t care vomit had gotten into her hair. “P-Please let me go…” Her entire world had shattered and gone up in flames along with her self-respect and self-esteem, truly thinking of herself as nothing more than a whore despite being raped.

Stephanie could only watch, her big blue eyes lit up with malicious fire. Shane had just torn this slut down and forced her into submission. “Of course, you’re free to go, sweetie.” She said when she realized her brother would let her talk again, standing up and dusting off her skirt. “Good luck getting back to the actual hotel… like that.” She snorted, her upper lip curling.

“I believe what’s left of your clothing is in the bathroom.” Shane said, pointing a lazy finger in that direction before popping the video out and pocketing it. It wasn’t the only copy, he wasn’t that stupid. “Pleasure doing business with you, Alice.”

The second the door closed, and they were gone, Alice made her way into the bathroom, took one look at her reflection in the cracked mirror before collapsing on her knees. She had nothing left. No fight left inside of her. Who could she call? Who would believe what happened? Shane and Stephanie made it clear, mostly Shane, she was not to tell Mark. That didn’t mean she couldn’t tell someone else. Alice needed help, barely able to walk and saw her purse sprawled out on the bathroom floor with her cell in it. It was nearly dead, just enough juice to make one phone call and she prayed they answered.

“Hello?”

“Torrie…it’s Alice…” Her voice sounded really rough and gritty, her throat killing her. “I-I need your help…and I need you not to ask any questions.” She gave the woman a list of what she needed and found out what motel she was at, giving Torrie the room number. “One more thing – make sure you come alone.” Then she hung up and waited, leaning back against the bathroom wall staring at the door fearfully.

Chapter 56

Torrie did come alone because who else would she bring? She still really didn’t know that many people outside of the ECW/WCW crew and the WWF stars only were just now starting to accept her presence. She got what Alice had asked for and made her way to the really cheap, sleazy motel, wondering what this was about. She had seen Mark and Glenn that morning, they had both looked worried. Glenn had been on his cell and Mark had been drinking coffee like it was liquid crack, circles under his eyes. Her stomach lurching, she knocked on the door, doublechecking to make sure it was the right number.

What the hell was Alice doing HERE of all places?

Hearing the knocking, Alice peeled herself from the bathroom floor and trudged to the door, opening it just wide enough to yank Torrie inside. The room smelled of sex, vomit and sweat, not appealing at all. Torrie looked mortified, not that Alice blamed her and took the bag of stuff she brought, heading into the bathroom.

“Jesus Allie, what happened to you?”

“I said no questions.” Alice whispered, not able to look her friend in the eye and dumped the contents out on the small sink, seeing there were clothes for her to wear to the arena that night along with a few toiletries. “Thank you for…helping me.”

Torrie noticed the bruises all over her friend and felt tears burn her eyes, reaching out to take her hand. Alice flinched back, acting like she’d been burned and it broke Torrie’s heart. She actually had to vomit in the toilet the moment Alice removed the WCW shirt stained in vomit and sweat, seeing all the bruises marring her friend’s body.

Alice knew it was bad and would have to use a ton of makeup along with covering most of her body up that night in order to hide what happened. Right after Mark and Glenn’s match against Dallas and Kanyon, she already had a flight scheduled to go back to Tampa…where she belonged. Shane had left it for her as per their agreement. Stepping in the moldy shower under the sprays, Alice closed her eyes to wash away the sweat, vomit and fresh tears pouring down her cheeks, getting it all out of her system before she faced Mark later that night.

While Alice was in the shower, Torrie went back out to her car and grabbed her own bag. She hadn’t left it in the hotel because… her entire life was in this bag, she wasn’t risking it. She had left it locked in the trunk and hesitated before going back inside. Torrie felt like she should call someone… wouldn’t Alice want Mark here? Or maybe the police. She finally decided against it, knowing she had already betrayed Alice once and couldn’t do it again. Sighing, she went back into that room and began opening windows to air it out, spraying her vanilla body spray everywhere to help with the odor. Then she began setting out her makeup and salves, knowing Alice was going to need a LOT of help getting herself looking… somewhat presentable.

Two hours later, Alice stared back in the cracked mirror in the bathroom and nodded, knowing this would have to do. Mark wouldn’t think anything of her wearing a dress to Summerslam. Even though it didn’t say Deadman Inc. on it, there was no time to change it. It was a simple long sleeved black dress that covered her arms and shoulders completely, exposed her back and had a built-in bra. It went to her knees, sealed to her curves and luckily, there was hardly any bruising on her legs. Her throat was also covered by the dress since it had a turtleneck design. Her hair was left down, curled at the ends for style and Torrie applied heavy foundation since Dallas had smacked her around last night. Little visions, little tidbits, from the previous night were still rolling through Alice’s mind, tormenting her. More would follow, but she had to focus on the task at hand tonight, which was getting through this match and then disappearing.

Mark would not come after her and, if he did, she would not be found, already planning on leaving Tampa to go to Miami to start her life over. Unfortunately, there was only one thing Alice was good at doing in life and that was stripping, so she’d be looking up the clubs in Miami to see if any of them needed dancers. She had to work because the money she did have saved up would run out eventually. Slipping the two-inch heels on her feet that strapped up the calves, Alice was as ready as she’d ever get and walked out of the motel room, breathing in the fresh summer air. Torrie was her saving grace and she’d never be able to repay the woman for all she did today, including not asking questions about what happened.

“Jesus fucking Christ, where the fuck have you been?!” Glenn demanded angrily, worry laced in his tone the moment their locker room door opened and in walked Alice.

“Out. I lost track of time. Sorry.” Her voice was robotic, not upbeat, and cheerful like it usually was. The life in her eyes was gone along with her voice. She just felt…dead inside.

Mark heard Glenn and stormed into the room, from the bathroom, where he had been on the phone. Now, if it were any dress except that one – one that basically covered her, all the important bits and then areas like her neck and arms, he might not have thought twice about it. As it was, that dress… and then her tone, and her eyes, something was wrong.

“What happened?” He demanded, walking over to stand in front of her. “Where’ve you been, Alice?” His tone was a mix of worry, concern, and anger.

“Don’t worry about it. Like I told Glenn, I lost track of time and I’m sorry.” Again, she had a robotic voice and it was somewhat raspy from having a cock shoved down her throat, for god knows how long, the previous night. “Don’t!”

Alice immediately backed away when Mark went to touch her, shaking her head and a flash of fear pierced her eyes. As fast as it happened, it was gone again and replaced with lifeless greys. Any part of her body he touched would hurt; Dallas had done quite a number on her.

“I-I’m fine. Are you two ready for the match tonight?” She couldn’t wait to see Dallas suffer and hoped Mark completely annihilated him, fighting back tears with every ounce of control she could muster up.

“Glenn.”

“Got it.” Glenn stepped outside to give them some privacy, as well as block the door from anybody going in and anybody coming out, namely her. It was more than obvious that something had happened to Alice.

Mark stepped back, having not missed that look in her eyes, her reaction breaking his heart. “Alice, you never were very good at lying.” He reminded her softly, watching her hand clench, guessing it wasn’t something she had conscious control over. “Darlin’, what happened last night?” More to the point, who had it happened with because obviously something had gone down.

Shane’s words penetrated her mind, reminding her what would happen if she breathed a word what occurred. Mark wasn’t stupid; he had probably already figured it out, but she’d agreed not to say a word. Alice shook her head, tearing a hand through her hair and wrapped her arms around herself, sitting down on the bench.

“P-Please don’t…” Her voice cracked, sounding raspy and broken, the life completely sucked out of her. “L-Let’s just get through this…through tonight…okay? Please…” She couldn’t – wouldn’t – refused to tell him Shane McMahon and Diamond Dallas Page had drugged and raped her and videotaped it all. “I-I’m not telling you what happened, so don’t ask again.”

Mark took a deep breath, frustration building in him. Right alongside it was a feeling of hopelessness, impotence, because he knew the damage had already been done. He was praying, and he knew this was wrong and the Lord would probably strike his ass down for it, that she had been mugged, beaten up, because that was honestly better than the alternative.

“Who lay hands on you, Alice?” He asked finally, impressed with how calm his tone came out. “You don’t have to say what happened, it’s pretty damn obvious with the way you’re dressed and how you’re acting.” And god help whoever had done it because he was going to rip them apart. “Give me a name, Red.”

“No.” She whispered, trying her best not to start crying and looked down at her clasped hands resting in her lap. “I-I can’t…I can’t, Mark, okay? Please? Please don’t ask me anymore questions. I’m not…I can’t…I can’t…”

The tears began, and Alice completely broke down all over again, knowing Torrie’s makeup job had been ruined. She didn’t care, burying her face in her hands and curled up on the bench, shaking her head repeatedly. The video…if Mark saw it, he would hate her, and she couldn’t allow it to happen. How was she supposed to get out of her iron-clad contract with the WWF though? Would Vince let her out of it? Did she even care? What little funds she did have, Vince would take without batting an eyelash and he would sue her for breaking it. Did Shane and Stephanie consider that? Maybe they wanted their father to go after her…it would distract him from his company slowly but surely being taken over by his rotten children.

Honestly, he had no idea what to do in this situation and raked a hand through his hair, looking upward as if the heavens would drop him a lifeline. Of course, nothing. He walked to Alice, slowly, and crouched down, reaching out to place a gentle hand on her side. When she tensed, shoved him away and began crying even harder, he felt something in him crumbling.

Glenn poked his head in, saw the pair and cleared his throat. “Should I get the trainer? The uh, lady one?”

“Might be a good idea.” He whispered loud enough for Glenn to pick up.

“No!” Alice winced when she shouted, clutching her throat and sheer panic filled her eyes, written all over her face. “That’s not…necessary. I’m fine – nothing to be done.” What would that lady doctor do? Confirm the elephant in the room and acknowledge it? No, this had to be forgotten and the sooner, the better. “Mark, I’m leaving. After tonight, I’m…going back to Tampa…” There, that was a change of subject and she saw the fury building in his eyes, swallowing hard. “I gave this a shot, but…this isn’t for me.” She was damaged and accepted it…accepted she had lost the war against Shane and Stephanie McMahon, especially Dallas.

“Isn’t your contract iron-clad?” Glenn was just as lost as Mark was and probably felt, staring at her wide-eyed. “Woman, you can’t just leave. That’s not how this works. Do you think Vince is gonna let you waltz out of this company and break your contract without any repercussions? You’re stuck, and you signed on the dotted line, which locked you in. Unless you don’t mind being sued and taken for every penny you’re worth. Vince is a ruthless bastard, he’ll do it.”

That wasn’t the deal she made with Shane and Alice began pacing, breathing somewhat heavily. “T-There has to be a way – THERE HAS TO BE! I must get out of here, I have to leave the WWF! That was – It doesn’t matter, I have to go. I don’t have a choice!” Oh god, she could feel a panic attack surfacing and didn’t realize all her sobbing and crying had wiped away the heavy makeup, revealing her freshly bruised face.

“Yeah, no, you don’t have a choice, you HAVE to stay, to fulfill your contractual duties. My WIFE stuck her neck out for you. And anyway, everyone knows you signed to save your ass from the WCW bullshit. Vince was forced into signing you and he isn’t one to let that go.”

“Were you raped?” There, Mark had come out and said it.

That shut Glenn right the hell up. “Raped?” Yes, it made sense, but… he had kind of not thought that far ahead. Or at least refused to acknowledge what his mind knew.

“W-Why can’t you let this go? Why are you forcing the issue? If you know the truth, there’s no reason why you need to hear me say it, Mark.” Her voice had gone quieter with each word that came out of her mouth, the tears continuously flowing much like they had earlier in the day at the shoddy motel. “And I understand Teresa stuck her neck out for me, Glenn. I’m very grateful to her for what she did for me, even if I don’t sound like it right now.” Alice wanted to get as far away from this company and everyone associated with it as humanly possible. “And raped is too nice of a word for what happened to me. I’m leaving it at that.”

Needing a minute to herself, Alice closed the door with her back and slid down to the floor, crying her heart out. Mark looked like he had no idea what to do. She had admitted she had been raped, called that a nice term, which made the hair on the back of Glenn’s neck stand up. She was refusing to be touched, refusing to allow them to help her; he didn’t understand it.

“I’ll go get a trainer and call the police.” He said finally, sighing. If she heard him, whatever, Alice would not confess what she just did and expect them to roll over and ignore it.

He could only nod, staring at that door.

Alice did overhear him and immediately grabbed her purse, redoing her makeup. Torrie had borrowed her everything she had since her belongings were currently in Mark’s hotel room. She had asked the blonde if they could room together because she didn’t trust anyone else right now and Torrie more than obliged. They would get a room on the outskirts of the city and even use an alias, so nobody could find them. The Alliance had left Torrie alone, thankfully, though she was technically part of them. Once the police arrived, which raised a lot of brows from onlookers and their coworkers, including the Alliance, Alice refused to speak with them.

“Everything is fine, officer. I don’t know what these gentlemen were thinking calling you, but I’m fine. Really.” Her voice had that light-hearted tone to it again and she’d managed to fool the police into believing her. Stupid move on Glenn’s part.

She locked eyes with Shane briefly while the police left, swallowing hard and stepped back inside Mark’s dressing room, hoping that sent the WCW owner a message. She had not ratted them out and kept her word, though she would have to have a secret meeting with him to discuss the terms of their agreement. Glenn had to leave before he strangled Alice, storming out of the locker room and left Mark to deal with her.

A few minutes later, the trainer was also sent away with Alice flat out refusing to be examined, assuring them she was perfectly fine, just sore from training. Once everyone was out of that room, all Mark could do was stare at Alice. She had life in her tone, her eyes were shiny and bright, but her lip, that upper lip, was giving her away. She was outright lying.

“Either you’re really, really scared of this person, Alice, and afraid he can hurt me-” Mark snorted at that. “Or you weren’t raped.” And that would hurt just as bad as the other because that meant she had taken a lover and was having one of her guilt, self-esteem crisis. “Which is it, and quit lying to me.” He was trying to be patient, trying to… just understand, but she was not helping her own case right now.

Her eyes had turned to pure steel the moment those words came out of his mouth about her not being raped. “It’s none of your business what happened to me. Please stay out of my business. I’m handling this the only way I know how, and it doesn’t help you and Glenn are jumping the gun, sending people in here. That doesn’t help the situation, drawing attention to us DOESN’T HELP.” Alice did what she had to do, damned the consequences, and folded her arms in front of her chest, stepping back when Mark stepped forward. “Don’t. Let’s just get through this match, destroy…Page…” She had a very – VERY hard time not saying his name scathingly. “And go back to the hotel. I need to get a hold of Vince and find out if there’s any way out of this contract or maybe I can buy my way out of it…” Would Shane help with that? Probably not since he’d had to use Mommy’s money in order to finish his buyout of WCW.

“You’re making it pretty clear there is no us, Alice.” Mark was done with her. She had just humiliated him and Glenn and all they had wanted was to help her. “Vince won’t let you out of it or buy it out. He had his balls twisted to hire you.” Alice was rapidly burning bridges with allies, who would have gone to bat for her. He stepped out into the hallway alongside Glenn, closing the door on her.

It was the only way – the only way to ensure he never saw that footage of her and Dallas…her rape. Dallas had broken something inside of her, so her heart shattering into pieces didn’t bother her nearly as much as it should have. Seeing the smug smirk on Shane and Stephanie’s faces on their way to gorilla position, Alice kept her head down and simply walked, every part of her body hurting. It would take time, but the wounds, the physical pain, would heal. Not the emotional and mental, however. Once they were inside the cage, with Dallas and Kanyon waiting, Mark slammed the door with authority and Alice chained it shut with a special chain and padlock Mark handed her prior to coming out here. She didn’t smile, her eyes pure steel while staring up at the man who raped her and the man she loved, but could no longer have.

Chapter 57

“What the fuck?” Glenn whispered, face hidden under his mask as they sized up their opponents.

“Not now.”

They had a match to put on and asses to beat. Mark had gone and broken one of the cardinal rules. Don’t mess with the people he had to work with because personal and professional never worked out. It seemed lately, with all this Alliance VS WWF war, a lot of rules had been thrown out, but that probably shouldn’t have been one of them. He spared Alice a sideways glance before giving his attention to Page.

Page was staring at Alice with an amused smirk. She looked so wounded, so sad, so blank, but he knew better. She had LOVED having him stuff all three of her holes in ways the Undertaker only wished he could. He was tempted to say something, but just barely managed to bite his tongue. No point in starting things off on… an unfriendly… foot.

Alice promptly flipped him the double bird, making the crowd roar in approval and some of that fire filled her eyes. Dallas blinked, and the fight was on as Mark attacked him while Glenn went after Kanyon, the poor bastard. He was clueless as to what kind of monster his tag team partner actually was. Clapping her hands and cheering, Alice watched the systematic decimation of Diamond Dallas Page at the hands of the Undertaker. William Regal had gone through with his plan not to allow any Alliance or WWF members at ringside besides her. The blood pouring out of Dallas’s head made a satisfied smile, a cold, unforgiving smile, cross her face while he spat it out on the mat.

By the time it was all said and done, Kanyon had been released from the cage while Dallas was stuck in the middle of with just Mark and Glenn to beat on him mercilessly. With a chokeslam from the top rope and then a Last Ride, the match was over with and the Brothers of Destruction were UNIFIED WWF and ECW/WCW Tag Team champions. Stepping into the ring, after unlocking the cage, Alice walked over to where Dallas lay prone and bloody on the mat, tears pooling in her eyes.

“You got what you deserved. I only hope that one night with me was enough because it’ll NEVER happen again.”

No more drinking, partying…none of it would happen because she didn’t trust anyone now. Dallas had broken her trust of the wrestling business alongside Shane and Stephanie McMahon. Standing, Alice raised both Glenn and Mark’s arms in victory before they exited the ring, heading to the backstage area.

“Are you alright?” Torrie asked as soon as Alice came through the curtain, still not fully understanding what happened to her friend.

Alice shook her head sadly, watching Mark and Glenn walk down the hallway without her and sucked in a deep breath. “Is the car waiting for me outside?”

“Along with your things, yes…are you sure you want to do this, Allie? What if Vince comes after you?” Torrie was really worried about leaving Alice alone right now. She had no idea what the woman was capable of. “Just…stay with me and talk it over with Vince, tell him what happened and…”

“I have a meeting with Vince in the morning. I’ll stay with you until then and hopefully, I’ll figure out a way to get out of my contract.” Torrie had already given her a keycard to her motel room and Alice planned on scrubbing her battered, bruised body until it was raw…until she could no longer feel Dallas’s touch.

Something told her there wasn’t water hot enough to burn it away.

~!~

Vince stared across his desk at the redhead, who was once again dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, her hair down and makeup barely covering her bruised face. “You want out of your contract? You do realize it’s iron-clad and the only way out of it is if you buy it out, right?” He folded his arms in front of his chest, wondering what could’ve happened to her. “D-Did my son…?”

“This is all I have to my name, including my vandalized apartment, which the authorities still don’t know what to do with. You can have it all, just let me out of this, please.”

Working for a company where she’d been raped and brutalized…Alice needed to start over, even if she did go back to stripping. Contemplating her request, Vince wasn’t necessarily worried about the money so much as this woman’s emotional wellbeing and state of mind. He looked down at the rather small figure and knew she hadn’t worked here nearly long enough to build a nest-egg of any kind.

“This isn’t even a 16^th of what you would owe me for your contract, Alice. The answer is no. You are going to stay and pursue your training with Lita. If you don’t want to valet anymore, that’s fine by me. But you are staying, and you are going to get through whatever is going on.”

“P-Please, you don’t understand…” Now Alice was desperate, burying her face in her hands and cried openly in front of the owner of the WWF, not caring anymore. “I-I can’t stay here…”

Completely out of character, Vince walked around his desk and wrapped his arm around the redhead, letting her cry on him. He had a sinking feeling his son and daughter had something to do with how broken Alice was, feeling his blood boil at the audacity of his children. He hadn’t been on television lately and decided to step back to see what they would do. So far, he wasn’t impressed and planned on taking the reins back soon enough.

“Whatever happened, don’t let it destroy you. Overcome it. You’ve got too much talent, according to Lita, and I trust her word.” She was the main women’s trainer on the roster right now. “Do you need a couple weeks off to get your head on straight and your mind refocused? You can take them, but I want you back here in a month, training. Do you think you can handle that?”

One month…and then she would have to return to this hellhole. “Okay, I can do that.”

~!~

“I’m sorry, repeat that?”

Alice hadn’t bothered to even call him and let him know she wasn’t going to come back to the room, see him, or anything… instead, he had gotten a phone call from Vince saying she was taking time off and would be returning to train. Not as their valet, but to train to become a wrestler. He repeated it slowly. The words felt heavy on his tongue, numbing him.

“Why won’t she tell you… anything?”

“We fought before we came back on the road.” About sex and his passing out, of all things. Fighting over that now seemed so stupid, so petty in retrospect. “And she went out…” She hadn’t let him touch her, asked him to not talk to her, all of that, and now… now she was doing the same thing, but for entirely different reasons.

Glenn had no idea what to say to his friend, just started patting his back and watched the big man bury his face in his hands.

~!~

Alice stared up at the building where Raw Is War emanated from. It’d been exactly one month since she left to get herself together, her mind back on track and focused on her career. Vince had assured her, several times, this was what she was meant to do in life. During her time off, Alice realized just how ridiculous and stupid she’d been with Mark. They had a whirlwind romance that was based off sex, protection, and love. Alice did love him and always would, but after what happened to her, she couldn’t be with him anymore. Instead of staying in Tampa, just as she planned on doing, Alice found a small one-bedroom apartment, a studio, in Miami and worked out every day. Building her muscle mass, talking to Lita almost on a daily basis and received one phone call from Teresa that ended with the woman screaming at her about how stupid she was. Pregnancy hormones, Alice didn’t take anything Teresa said personally and still considered her a friend – her and Glenn.

Shane had gotten a hold of her as well, demanding to know why she hadn’t resigned with the company yet. Alice informed him what his father said, and she honestly had nothing left to lose if the tape was shown. Apparently, Shane heard the resignation in her voice and decided to go another direction, ordering her not to see or speak to Mark Calaway. They didn’t want the Deadman having her by his side again because Dallas would no doubt pitch a fit. As long as she stayed away from Mark, all would be well, and the footage would never be shown. Alice agreed, and nothing more had to be said. Mark wanted nothing to do with her anyway, not that she blamed the man. All she’d done was hurt him and denied any help he tried getting for her after the rape. If only he knew the reason why she’d done it…Alice immediately pushed that train of thought out of her mind and grabbed her gear bag from the trunk of the rental.

Vince had paid her for the month off, not wanting her to have any excuses not to come back on the road once the month was up. Smart man. OVERCOME splayed across her shoulder blades in black lettering, shown for the world to see in her black spaghetti strapped camisole and black spandex biker shorts that went to her knees. Her first tattoo – Vince had used that word several times and Alice took it to heart, so much so she’d had it inked on her a few days after settling into her Miami apartment. Her fiery red hair was pulled up in a tight fanned bun on top of her head, face devoid of makeup and eyes focused. Every day she’d been gone, Alice worked out and the muscle definition could definitely be seen, but she still looked feminine and beautiful…just a little stronger. Walking inside, Alice pushed the black shades up on top of her head and headed down to gorilla position, where Lita was waiting to resume her training.

Glenn had taken to sleeping on Mark’s couch in that tiny apartment during what days off they did have. Mark had insisted on doing house shows, constantly, something not normal for him, but he figured that was Mark’s way of dealing with what had happened. Working and beating the hell out of people. Who was he to deny his friend the therapy? Teresa had… had a meltdown on him, about Alice being stupid and their inability to stop her from whatever it was she had done, followed by kicking him out of his own house. He had obliged and called her every night, left the answering machine a lot of apologies and sweet nothings, but he wasn’t entirely sure what he was apologizing for. Glenn had gone home, twice, and each time gotten stuff thrown at his head. His wife and pregnancy were not mixing well at all.

“This hurts…”

“Suck it up asshole.” They were in the ring, sparring. Mark was literally whipping Glenn’s pudgy ass into shape.

“We got a few minutes,” Lita said by way of greeting, noting the changes in the rookie, but she didn’t comment on it. “They’ll be done soon.” She gestured past the curtain.

Nodding, Alice had glanced past the curtain and saw who was in the ring before immediately closing it, beginning to bounce foot to foot to warm up. Her bag was against the wall behind her, which only held a change of clothes after their training session ended. There was no reason to stay at the arenas during the shows because Alice wasn’t on it anymore. Just training and practicing until Vince decided he wanted her on television to perform. It worked for her, she supposed, because she’d be able to go back to the hotel before everyone else.

“That’s beautiful ink you got.” Lita read the word and smiled, knowing that single word meant a lot to the woman if she had it permanently etched into her skin. “You look good. Been working out like I told you?”

“Every day.” Alice didn’t stop bouncing, thrusting her arms out with black fingerless gloved hands, grey eyes focused, determined. “Is it crazy I actually missed being on the road?”

“No, not at all.” Lita had no idea what happened to her and hadn’t asked, just kept her grounded and focused on wrestling. “Just means you are definitely meant for this life and job.” She added thoughtfully, knowing how it felt, missing the road.

She had been injured a time or two and that had sucked. The frustration, knowing she was missing out on valuable time as well as being on television. With as fast as this business went through women, that was something no serious female wrestler could afford. She knew Mark and Alice had been a thing, everyone knew it. But apparently that was… done, she guessed and kept her nose out of business that wasn’t hers.

“Oh hey, they’re done.”

Just as Mark and Glenn came through the curtain, steely greys locked on baffled emeralds. Mark wasn’t expecting to see her again, that much was obvious. Alice stopped bouncing and cracked her neck, nodding to him and Glenn before walking past them through the curtain, jogging down to the ring. Lita shrugged, following suit, and slid in the ring as the training commenced. They were starting from scratch, knowing it wouldn’t kill Alice to get a refresher course on the basics. She would have to get used to falling again, warning her about having a bruised back.

“No pain, no gain.” Alice replied, bouncing off the ropes expertly and soaking in as much knowledge as she could, picking up the speed. She did not see Mark and Glenn watching her, zoning in on her training and getting better in the ring.

“Good, very good. You remembered how to do it right. Now, time to learn how to fall again.”

Every hit on the mat, on her back, was a reminder of what she had to overcome to get here to this moment.

Mark and Glenn stood on the stage, watching the women with arms folded over their chests. So she was back… she hadn’t told him she was leaving. Hell, after Summerslam, they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other. He had to get word Alice was leaving from Vince, of all people. Mark was slightly curious about her being back and what she was doing. Finally, he shook his head and walked backstage, leaving her and Lita to it.

Glenn just followed him, a bit baffled all the way around. “So… what’s next?”

“I’m getting drunk tonight. How ‘bout it?”

“Sure…”

Chapter 58

Three hours later, the training ended, and Alice was sore from head to toe, much like she’d been the first time. However, her body was more conditioned, and she’d hit the ropes and mat precisely. Lita sent her off to the showers and then made plans to meet up with her tomorrow before Smackdown! began. Alice waved her off and stepped into the shower room, hesitantly looking around. She locked the door when she didn’t notice anyone else in here and stripped out of her clothes, not taking much time. Her hair could be washed at the hotel later that night, Alice wasn’t comfortable shedding clothes anywhere near her coworkers.

Stepping out, she dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a black sleeveless buttoned up top, not showing off much of her body. She had taken a more conservative style, not wanting to give Dallas any incentive to come after her again, which Shane promised wouldn’t happen as long as she stayed away from Mark. It was hard working in the same company as the man she loved, but Alice was strong and would get through it, somehow, someway, without getting liquored up.

“Allie! Oh my god, you’re back!” Torrie tackled her as soon as Alice came out of the showers, beaming. “Lita told me, but I didn’t believe it! How are you? Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

“I’m fine, Torr.” Alice chuckled softly, hugging her friend back and broke the contact just as quickly. She still wasn’t comfortable being touched and probably never would be again. “I was just on my way out to head back to the hotel…”

“But the show…”

“I’m not valeting anymore, just strictly training to wrestle.”

“Oh…”

“Allie, you’re back!”

Stacy came scurrying up, her long legs made even longer by the heels she wore. She bent to hug her friend, frowning when Alice quickly stepped away. She had been doing her own thing and keeping her head down backstage, not about to get dragged into trouble like Alice had been. Stacy had kept her eyes opened, most of the time, and had been aware Alice had left, but nobody really knew why.

“Um… are you okay?” She asked, looking at Alice and then to Torrie.

Torrie hadn’t said a word about that day and what she had seen to anyone, not even Stacy. To Alice, Stacy was not to be trusted. She went into the same category as Debra, as far as Alice was concerned. Playing nice wasn’t an issue though, she could do it as long as the woman didn’t touch her again.

“I’m fine. Just focusing on my career and training. I’m not valeting anymore.” Shane and Stephanie had kept their mouths shut, along with Page, because nobody was questioning her about being raped. “I just got back tonight. And I’m on my way out, so I’ll talk to you both later.” She directed that at Torrie and made her way past them, shouldering her bag and could feel her back beginning to hurt and tense up.

Ice and salve since she’d already had a hot shower.

“Uh, I’m sorry, what did I miss?” Stacy was a bit miffed, having no idea what she had done to piss Alice off, but obviously she must’ve done something to be dismissed and disregarded so easily. “What’d I do to her?”

“Don’t take it personally, Stace.” Torrie patted her friend’s arm sympathetically and shook her head. “Come on, we have to go work.”

Glenn spotted Alice walking down the hallway from the open door of the dressing room he and Mark were sharing. Mark was in the shower, getting around for the night and he was wrapping his wrist, pretty sure it was sprained. That’d teach him, sparring with that asshole. He nodded when she spotted him, blue eyes cautious.

Just keep walking, don’t stop, and talk to him, Alice mentally coached herself, nodding at him again for some sort of acknowledgement and hurried past him out the door.

Shane smirked, witnessing that, and had kept a close eye on Alice since she came back, which had only been for a few hours. So Daddy dearest decided to put her strictly into training instead of valeting. Stroking his chin, he contemplated if that should be changed because Dallas was due back tonight as well. He would be going after The Rock for the WCW title, needing it back in their encampment, even though they still had the WWF title. Shane was power hungry though and eyed Glenn, who was watching him, a purely demonic smile crossing the McMahon heir’s face.

What the hell was that about?

Shane was a power hungry little scumbag and he knew it. He also knew nobody would step to bat for Alice, not again. Vince maybe, but even then, Vince’s generosity had limits. Marissa, Linda, Glenn’s whore wife, Mark, and Glenn… they had all stepped up to help and Alice had effectively spit on them all. Not that they knew why, or the circumstances… whistling, he headed off down the hallway, having an idea in mind.

Glenn wasn’t saying a word to Mark about seeing Alice. He figured there was no need for the big man to get THAT drunk tonight. Though, he was curious about Shane though… that had been an interesting little expression on that pasty face.

Dallas was back. Alice immediately changed the channel as soon as his music came over the speakers and could feel the tears sting her eyes, wet hair hanging down to the middle of her back. She cut several inches off her hair, but it was still long enough to make her comfortable. Short hair was not her style. For the past month, Alice struggled falling asleep because nightmares of what Page did to her plagued her. Her memory was still spotty in certain areas, but for the most part, she knew exactly what he did to her. The video Shane forced her to watch pieced everything together, but he hadn’t recorded everything either. Alice had never felt so alone and isolated in her life, hoping one day she felt normal again – herself again. She doubted it would happen, not after being raped and drugged as viciously as she was. Curling up in the bed, Alice didn’t pay attention to the television and closed her eyes, silent tears falling.

Performing with a sprained wrist was not the highlight of Glenn’s fairly fucked up last few months. It ranked in the top five shittiest things so far, and he was firmly blaming Mark’s hard head. Or however he had done it. Mark was focused tonight. Seeing Alice had knocked him for some serious loops, but he couldn’t dwell on her, not right now. He had work and wouldn’t let his personal life ever have another impact on his professional ever again. Mark had been burnt once, lesson learned. He just hoped… she was in a better place and happy.

~!~

“Vince, it’s her CONTRACTUAL obligation to valet someone to the ring.” Shane pointed out, not backing down from his old man and folded his arms in front of his chest. “The pay-per-view is Sunday…you should make her valet The Rock to the ring for his match against DDP.”

So much progress was made with Alice already and Vince didn’t want to screw it up, eyeballing his son suspiciously. “Why specifically DDP? Why can’t she valet someone else?”

“They have history and it makes sense.” Shane had promised her not to let Dallas near her, but that didn’t mean he’d allow Alice not to fulfill her contract completely. “It’s iron-clad and…”

“And no longer your problem or concern, Shane.” Vince cut him off smoothly, waving his hand. “We renewed the terms of her contract when I gave her a month off. I don’t know what you did to that poor girl, but…this is not how I raised you. Get out of my office.”

“But…”

“NOW!” Vince roared, using his deep Mr. McMahon voice and watched his son stalk out of his office, shaking his head sadly. Where had he gone wrong with his children?

Apparently, his old man still had a taste for the redhead and Shane snorted as he made his way down the hallway. If Vince didn’t want to do the right thing and hold that whore accountable and to the same standard, he did everyone else… then maybe he’d just force the issue. Or maybe he’d set Stephanie loose, the woman had been chomping at the bit to do something ‘fun’, as she called it. His sister was way worse than he ever thought about being and that was a fact. He sometimes felt bad for his poor brother-in-law, who had never really known what he was marrying.

~!~

Due to outside interference, Mark and Glenn lost the WWF Tag Team titles, thanks to Test. They were still the WCW Tag Team champions, but nevertheless, Glenn was pissed off. He did not enjoy losing gold by cheating and the fact it was a WCW referee that made a fast count…didn’t help his temper any. Mark had gone back to the hotel and Glenn was on his way home to talk to his hormonal wife. Tomorrow was Smackdown!, he would leave in the morning, but really wanted to sleep in his own goddamn bed holding his woman. The moment Teresa opened the door, Glenn didn’t wait for a protest or anything to come out of her mouth and kissed her breathlessly, lifting her in his strong arms, kicking the door closed behind him.

“If you’re so pissed off at Dad, just release the tape and be done with it, Shane.”

“No! We agreed not to do it as long as she kept her word to stay away from Calaway.” That was a personal request from his sister, now that he thought about it. Did his sister still have feelings for the Deadman, perhaps? “She hasn’t broken her word; therefore I won’t break mine, but she still should follow the stipulations in her contract.”

“If Dad doesn’t mind her breaking the contractual obligation, that’s no business of ours.” Though Stephanie really wanted to release that tape just to spite the redheaded whore. “She’s not part of the Alliance anymore.”

That tape was the only leverage they had over Alice’s head, but that power only went so far. Shane wasn’t stupid; the moment he released the tape, that power was gone, and she would no doubt tell his wife, his mother…everybody what had happened to her. Although he’d told her he wasn’t worried about people finding out, in truth, Shane had a feeling people WOULD believe her simply because of what happened to her in the early Alliance days.

“We’ll leave her alone for now.” Shane decided, heading out of his sister’s suite to go back to his own.

Stephanie was pissed with that redheaded whore. She had spent the last month trying to get Mark to see that they could have their own little… partnership, of sorts, on the side and he had gone as far as to shove her into a swimming pool while laughing at her. Laughing at her! As far as she knew, he hadn’t taken up with another woman, hadn’t even looked at them and a few of the new girls had definitely made advances on him. He had instead been keeping to himself, hanging out with only that idiot Jacobs, and working… she was not amused. How had ONE stupid cunt managed to bring all these powerful people to heel?

~!~

Awakening with a scream was her usual MO and it was even worse while on the road. With her body caked in sweat, Alice shakily swung her legs out until her feet hit the carpeted floor and looked down at her wrists. No matter how much progress she made, the memory would not leave her. Her throat felt dry…she’d been having another nightmare about Page and his cock driving in and out of her mouth. Only…it hadn’t ended well for her mouth. His cock had split her mouth wide open, her jaw unhinged…it was a gross, sadistic nightmare. Swallowing down half a bottle of water, Alice set it on the nightstand and stood to go to the bathroom, freezing when a knock sounded at her door. What the hell? Alice immediately grabbed the small can of mace she started carrying with her, not taking any chances and slowly made her way to the door. This particular hotel did not have peepholes, unfortunately.

“W-Who is it?” She called out, cursing the fear in her voice, and wished she had a weapon of some kind along with the mace. Burning someone’s eyes wouldn’t stop a full-on assault. Blinking when she heard the name, Alice unbolted the door and opened it, staring back at none other than Mark Calaway. “What are you doing here?”

She yanked him inside, closing the door and bolted it, not wanting anyone else to see him enter her room. A quick glance at the clock told her it was 4 AM. Another glance told her he was inebriated out of his mind. Not good. He was there because he was drunk, obviously. In his sober state of mind, Mark would have never bothered looking her up and hunted her down. Red had stomped the hell out of his heart, sober Mark knew better than to let her anywhere near the pieces.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He demanded, his words slurring. “Why’re you back, Al?” He would never call her Red or darlin’ again, not outside of his head anyway. “What the fuck you even leave for?”

This was NOT the time or place to have this conversation, not with him completely blitzed. However, it looked like Mark was determined to talk to her in this condition and Alice was too drained to argue with him. Her back and backside were killing her.

“You were right…actually, Glenn was right, I can’t break my contract. Vince is forcing me to uphold it and…made some adjustments to my contract to where I don’t have to valet anymore, just train. And I didn’t leave permanently, just long enough to get my shit in order, find a new place in Florida to live and…heal from what happened. You need to sit down before you fall over.” Hesitantly, she pushed him toward the bed and had him sit down, immediately backing away a few feet. Even touching someone bothered her. “I-I’ll make you some coffee…you need to sober up.”

“Don’t want any.” Mark informed her, fumbling in the pocket of his fairly baggy jeans and procured a freshly filled flask of what he was pretty certain was whiskey, or bourbon. They were both brown and went down easy at this point. To emphasize this, he uncapped it, took a healthy swig, and then belched, grinning broadly when her nose crinkled. “What happened? The “rape” you lied about?” He snorted at that, shaking his head, and then had to catch himself before he hit the floor. “Why’d you lie?”

Who the hell lied about being raped? He and Glenn had looked like fuckwits to the trainers and the police. They had also gotten a serious lecture about how they could be charged for wasting police resources, brilliant night that had been.

Chapter 59

“I told you to let it go and you wouldn’t listen to me! Did it ever occur to you that I wasn’t…I COULDN’T…be examined or show what happened to me that night?! Did it ever ONCE cross your mind just how FUCKED UP I was?! How much physical, mental, and emotional pain I was in?! No, it didn’t because all you cared about was finding out the truth. Here it is, ready? Not that it matters anymore, but yes, I WAS raped, asshole. Viciously, brutally, violently. I was drugged and raped the night I went out, Mark.” It took most of her time off to come to grips with the reality of the situation, the cold hard truth. “I have nightmares on a nightly basis over it, barely get any sleep and have been working out so much because it’s the only thing I can do, so I don’t lose my fucking mind. So there, you found out the truth. Happy now?” Alice looked down at her wrists again and clenched her fists tightly in front of her, closing her eyes briefly. She would not be going back to sleep anytime soon.

Sneering, he stood up and glared down at her. “I already knew the truth, Alice.” He shot back flatly. “You wouldn’t let me touch you, you refused to be helped, the way you were dressed…”

His eyes closed against the pain of that fateful night, when everything about them changed. She had come in wearing a black dress, high collared, covered her wrists… she had looked beautiful, but it had been a front. No amount of makeup had been able to mask the stillness of those gray eyes he had loved to look in.

“You were afraid of me.” Of him. Of HIM. “And you wouldn’t… let me help…”

Instead, Alice had gone out of her way to inject life and personality into herself, protecting whoever had done this to her for whatever reason. He had never felt so damn helpless in his life, so… weak. The woman he loved had been so damaged; she wouldn’t let him help her and, without a name or anything to go on, Mark had to suck it up, especially after she went to those lengths to stop him from helping with the trainer and the police. And like an idiot, he was standing here, hurting them both all over again. He shook his head, scrubbing a hand over his face to wipe away the tears he hadn’t realized until now he had cried. His tears moved her and broke her already mangled heart, but Alice had to stay strong, remembering Shane’s order to stay away from him.

“Fuck…”

“Mark…” She wanted to go to him, to comfort and hold him close, to tell him how much she loved and missed him with every fiber of her being. A vision of him and Stephanie flooded her mind, however, and the sorrow she felt momentarily turned into anger. “What’s done is done. It can’t be changed. I didn’t want nor need your help with what happened to me.” Her voice had turned monotone, robotic, the same it had been a month ago when she’d first spoken to him after the rape. “I don’t have time for a sob fest from you. You can see yourself out.”

Walking into the bathroom, she slammed the door with authority and flipped the lock on it before turning the shower sprays on, letting the water wash away her own fresh tears. That had absolutely killed her to say to him, but it was for his own good as well as hers. That tape could NEVER be shown to anyone, especially Mark.

All Mark could do was stare at that bathroom door, his lips firmly pressed together. He could vividly remember the last time he had cried like a little boy. He HAD been a little boy. Mark had heaved gut-wrenching, chest bursting sobs, feeling like everything in him was centered on the clenching in his chest. His throat had been constricted, and tears had burned his eyes while he had struggled to keep it all in before exploding. He felt like that right now and he made his now somewhat sober escape. Mark had fallen hard for her and he knew, deep down, he had been hoping for some sort of reconciliation, some kind of closure that would stop the pain and instead, he was leaving with more.

~!~

“He came to my room and I sent him packing! What the fuck else do you want from me, Shane?!”

Shane gritted his teeth, tempted to throw the tape in her face and had to simmer his temper, clasping his hands behind his back. “You were told…”

Alice cut him off. “I was told to stay away from him and I HAVE! He’s the one who came to my room and I didn’t know what to do! He was completely drunk out of his damn mind! I didn’t tell him who raped me or anything! He doesn’t know, only that I was.” Her voice had lowered, but Alice knew better than to divert her eyes from this man. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked. I’ve alienated him and everyone who gave a damn about me!” Even Torrie hadn’t spoken to her lately. It was the night of the pay-per-view Unforgiven, nearly a week since her return. “I just want to be left alone to continue to do my training.” Once her contract was out in 4 years, Alice already decided she would not be re-signing.

“One more chance, Alice.” Shane hissed out, dark eyes narrowed to slits down at her. “If I catch wind of you and him again…” His voice tapered off, a sick smirk curving his lips. “You’re gonna have a repeat performance with Page. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.” Alice was shoved none too gently out of the room and slammed right into the last person she wanted to see, immediately backing away from Mark. “S-Sorry…” She mumbled, taking off down the hallway with Shane standing in the doorway of his office.

“Mind your business, Deadman.” Shane sneered, not afraid of him and slammed the door shut.

Deadman had another hellacious hangover, it was about the only way he was sleeping anymore. Stone cold drunk until he passed out. He had tried sleeping, without any type of aid, and kept waking up having the most fucked up nightmares. Or his mind kept him up, playing their greatest hits from the memory bank. Alcohol it was. He stared at the closed door for a moment, wearing shades inside and not caring if that made him a douchebag. What the hell had THAT been about? Alice had been in Shane’s office… why? What business did those two have together? He groaned, rubbing his temples, and continued on his way, trying to coax his brain into not trying to puzzle it out.

~!~

“Ow fuck!”

“You’re not focusing.” Lita observed, driving her forearm right into Alice’s face and watched her hit the mat without remorse. “Up, try it again!”

How could she focus? Shane had threatened to have her raped again by Dallas if she didn’t stay away from Mark! What if Mark came to her hotel room again or they ran into each other in the hallway, like they’d done earlier? Alice stumbled to her feet, holding her jaw and this time blocked Lita forearm, only to have her feet swept out from beneath her.

“Up – again!”

Grunting, Alice managed to get to her feet and bounced off the ropes, doing a leapfrog with perfect precision and was clotheslined to the point where it felt like her head had become detached from her body. “FUCK!”

Definitely not focused. “Up – again!” Lita clapped her hands, knowing she had to be tough on Alice since the woman refused to get her head in the game. “You’re making a lot of mistakes tonight, what’s going on?”

“I-I don’t know…”

“You really are a horrible liar.”

That got her to crack a smile, though it was sad. “I know.” Mark told her that a time or two.

Sighing, Lita rolled out of the ring to grab their water bottles. She returned and dropped down onto the mat, gesturing for Alice to join her. She handed over the water, sipping her as she stared at the woman she was trying to train.

“You’re really good.” She complimented, after taking a long swig of water. “And you could be better, hold the women’s title better.” Alice looked a little shocked, a little pleased by that. “But not if you can’t get your shit together, Alice.” She added bluntly. “I don’t know what shit you’re carrying around, and it’s not my business unless you want to share. But the thing is, when you get in this ring, you have to leave all that baggage behind you. Your neck isn’t the only one on the line, you know?” She wasn’t being mean, only honest, and her tone was kind. “Whoever you’ll be working with is going to be relying on you to not hurt them.” Because not all wrestling the men had going on, those were turning into legit brawls with intent to hurt. Once when things settled down, she expected them to remember what the hell they were supposed to be doing. “Well, not hurt them in a way that can shelve them or really damage them, you know?” She then amended.

Lita was the one woman in the WWF who had been there for Alice since day one. She had welcomed her into the fold with open arms, alongside Trish, though there was a bond with Lita unlike the blonde. Maybe it was due to the fact they were both redheads. Alice didn’t know, but she could feel the ball in the pit of her stomach forming. It was killing her keeping what happened to her a secret. What Dallas, Shane and Stephanie had done to her and put her through. Looking down, Alice fingered one of her braids thoughtfully and decided it was time to tell someone. She had to get this off her chest, no matter how much it would hurt. Nobody else was in the arena at the moment, just them and Alice felt the tears start sliding down her cheeks before she could stop them.

“I need to tell someone what happened to me…a little over a month ago. I trust you, Lita, so I hope you keep this quiet. You say there’s something holding me back and you’re right – there is.” Then, through a quiet voice and tears, Alice told her everything that happened, including the names of the culprits that wronged her and cut her down to nearly nothing.

For her part, Lita managed to keep her expression neutral as Alice told her everything that had happened. About being drugged, about Dallas raping her… in all holes, about it being taped and Shane and Stephanie’s threats to release the video. She listened, didn’t allow herself to even consider interrupting and, when Alice was finished… she took another sip of water. A large part of her wanted to reach out and hug the other woman, but she was very much aware of Alice’s ‘don’t touch me’ issues, and now she knew the reasons why. Sighing, she did reach out to brush away a flyaway hair from Alice’s face, staring at her.

“We can’t change what happened to you, Alice.” She murmured quietly, showing a hint of sympathy. “But it doesn’t have to define you.”

“No matter what I do or how hard I try to get past it, I can’t. Shane just threatened me again, in his office, before coming to train with you that, if I don’t stay away from Mark, I’ll end up raped again.” Alice shuddered at the thought of it happening a second time, sheer fear in her greys and draw her knees up while sitting on the ring apron, taking a couple deep breaths to calm down. Now Lita no longer looked neutral; Lita looked pissed and it showed in the flames in her dark eyes. “I just wish they’d leave me alone and let me get on with my life. They broke me…they made me alienate everyone I love and care about. I have nothing left except wrestling…” It was literally the only thing that kept her sane at this point.

“Shane isn’t going to be running things for much longer.” Lita stated with confidence. “I don’t see Vince allowing it; he cares too much about his… legacy.” Which was the truth. “Just… do what they want for now, but this isn’t forever and this ring,” She reached out to grab the bottom rope, giving it a shake. “This is where you start getting this shit out. They can’t take this from you, Alice. Own it.”

Because one day, Alice would have that last laugh, she just needed to get the fire back and, with time, she would. Looking at the ring, Alice wiped her tears away and stepped through the middle rope, standing in the middle of it. Lita was right, this was where she could vent, safely, and it would be therapeutic for her. Every time she thought about what happened to her, it could come out in this ring.

“I hope you’re right regarding Vince.” She finally spoke, leaning over the top rope and ran her hands across it, closing her eyes to focus on that feeling. “Thank you for talking to me and letting me vent, Lita. I owe you one.”

Lita snorted, hopping down from the ring apron, and waited for Alice to join her. “You owe me several…and a drink. You’re gonna come back to the hotel with me and we’re getting shitfaced, safely. I know you were drugged, but that was in a bar. You’re safe with me and we’ll even invite Trish and Torrie over, if you want.”

For the first time in a while, Alice felt like everything would be alright and nodded, taking Lita up on her offer. “I’ll stick around until the show ends and then head back with you guys.” Normally, she left shows early and holed herself up in her rooms, but not anymore. Alice had to start living again and decided to let Lita help her do it.

“Look, here’s some advice… about Vince. Keep focusing on your training, you’re already really good and you have serious potential, but you need to be valuable to him.” Honestly, Vince was probably Alice’s strongest ally. “I’m making regular reports to him and he’s eventually going to want to see you in action. If he thinks you’ve got it, he’s going to protect you.” Like her, for example. She was damn good at what she did, in and out of the ring, so she was still around, still relatively safe from the backstage crap. “It sounds like he already has some interest in helping you out, so it shouldn’t be too hard. Show him you’re worth investing in.” Vince was not all bad… he hadn’t made any moves on her, but she could train, wrestle AND was a fan favorite.

Chapter 60

Another month passed by in what felt like a blink of an eye. Alice took what Lita said to heart and began training harder than she ever had in her life. Mark hadn’t come to her hotel room again; the phone calls had stopped, and she was solely focused on becoming a professional woman wrestler. Lita was astounded by how much progress she made, and Alice practically lived in the gym, even on her days off. She ignored the warning of getting burnt out, it was her therapy to get over what happened to her. When Vince called her into his office Monday evening, after her training session with Lita, Alice was incredibly nervous.

“You think you’re ready to show me what you got in a dark match tonight?” Dark matches were used to showcase potential wrestler/Diva’s talent, to show the officials if they had what it took to be a WWF Superstar/Diva.

“Uhh…really?” So soon? She’d only been training for a little over 2 months and this Sunday was the pay-per-view event No Mercy.

“Yes. If you do well tonight, I’ll give you your first televised match at this Sunday’s event.” Vince had every confidence in the world in Alice’s abilities and could tell she’d been working extremely hard. Lita had also given tremendous progress reports as well. “Instead of Torrie facing Stacy Keibler in the first-ever Lingerie match, it’ll be you. Are you interested?”

Showcasing her body like that would be a first since the rape, but like Lita said, she had to own this, and wrestling was all she had. “Yes sir.”

“Good, off you go then. Your match tonight is against Trish.”

Alice walked out of Vince’s office with a big smile on her face, the twinkle and spark of life back in her greys. Lita already knew what Vince would say because he had pulled her in earlier to discuss it. She was waiting when Alice walked out, smiling pretty broadly herself.

“How’d it go?” When Alice recapped for her, she grinned. “I know it’s not… the best, but you can still wrestle.” Lingerie matches sucked, but… they could still show off their actual talent along with their assets. Such was the life of a female wrestler. It had been that way for years and probably would be that way for a good many more. “You need to go talk to Trish; she can help you work through something to show off your skills.”

“Thank you, Lita.” Alice did something out of the ordinary and hugged Lita around the neck, squeezing her briefly before taking off down the hallway to find Trish.

“What is she excited for?” Torrie asked, walking up with a smile and had a black bandage around her hand and wrist, preventing her from bending it. “Is she the one who is taking my spot at No Mercy?” No malice was in her tone.

“Yeah…don’t be mad at her. You’re injured and…”

“Are you kidding me? After everything that girl has been through lately, she deserves this. I’m truly happy for her.” Her voice lowered, eyes gleaming. “Between you and me, I hope she kicks Stacy’s ass.”

“Same here.” Lita didn’t have a doubt in her mind Alice wouldn’t deliver.

“Hey!” Trish was a bit surprised when Alice walked into the women’s shared locker room and came right to her. “What’s up?”

It took her a moment to realize Alice wasn’t overly comfortable surrounded by the other women and gestured for her to follow. She led them into the ‘coat’ room, sighing and pulled the door shut behind them. This was also where some snuck cigarettes since there was a window and she waved a hand to help disperse what smoke was left.

“They need to start giving us more space.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Alice had noticed the limited space the women of WWF received, and it wasn’t fair. Though, they did get their own hair and makeup stylists, but the men occasionally used them to. “I – um – I came to ask you some advice about a potential match I might be having. Well actually, I’m having a dark match tonight…with you. And if I do good – you can go over me, I don’t mind – I will be facing Stacy this Sunday in my debut match against Keibler. Lita wanted me to ask you some advice on how to showcase my talent…in that type of match, should I get it.”

“Advice?” Trish looked confused at first. “Ohh, she wants me to help you through the dark match. I get it.” She nodded, beaming. “We can show off where you’re at, and make sure you get that pay-per-view match, I gotcha.” Glancing up at the nearby clock, Trish bit her lower lip thoughtfully. “We still got some time, we could go down and work something out. We can choreograph something that really shows you off.”

She grinned, liking the idea. Lita had done it with her too, so it was kind of nice being able to do this for someone else. Paving the way, being relied on for the future. Though, she had only trained quicker than Alice because she had started a little earlier and hadn’t had those months off.

“What do you think? It’ll be fun!”

“I’m game, let’s go.” Alice grinned back at her, laughing as Trish looped her arm through hers and together, they walked out of the closet, both thankful to be away from the cigarette smoke. “Seriously though, who the hell would smoke having a job like this?”

“Oh, I know, right? It’s crazy because you would think they can’t breathe. Thank goodness, I never got into that nasty habit. You?”

“No, I tried it once and threw up. It was nasty, though I might’ve inhaled too much too fast.”

“Inhaling is a bitch and it’s so easy to do. I tried it once too and weed, back in my modeling days. Never again.”

Trish was very outgoing, easy to talk to and an all-around sweetheart. Lita was a little rougher around the edges, but for the most part, these women were possibly the best thing that ever happened to Alice. Torrie would always be her best friend, but Trish and Lita especially, were also besties.

“Okay, so what did you have in mind as far as moves? I can do a dropkick, a moonsault, a suplex…” Alice rattled off a few more moves and watched the blonde start thinking, seeing the wheels in her head turn. “Lita thinks I should do something with my legs for my finisher and I was thinking of grabbing my opponent’s arm…actually, it would be easier to show you. Can I?” When Trish nodded, Alice took her arm and took a deep breath. “So basically, I yank on your arm and press my foot against the side of your face and drop you to the mat. I did it with Lita and she thought it looked really cool, but…I’m open to suggestions too.”

“You really need to start recording your training sessions, it’ll help you so much.” Trish thought it sounded cool, but also a bit painful. “It’ll show you what needs work and how a move looks when you perform; it helped me a lot. Jackie actually told me that, before they shipped her off down to Ohio.” Jacquelyn had been the trainer until Lita had been appointed. Now Jackie got to deal with the rookies down in OVW and let officials know when people were ready to be called up. “Try the move on me… it uh, how bad does it hurt?”

“Lita said it stunned her and hurt her shoulder a little, but the more I do it, the better I’ll get.” Alice sounded really excited about the finisher and raised a brow when Trish extended her arm, urging her to do it. To try it out. The only way to practice is was to use a person. Dummies wouldn’t work for this. “Okay, so you’re standing there, and I hold your arm and then press my foot against your face like this,” Pausing, Alice dropped to her back and jammed her boot while yanking Trish’s arm, watching her body hit the mat with a thud.

“Okay…ow…” Trish slowly sat up on the mat, nodding while checking her mouth to make sure she wasn’t bleeding. “Again.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna practice until they open the doors to the fans. You’re gonna nail this tonight and you’re gonna be in that match on Sunday. Now come on, do it again.”

“Okay, hold on…” Trish had taken that move two more times. “I think you should do this.” She then showed Alice an arm twist, simulating the finishing move. “Right?” When Alice nodded, she shook herself out. “Again.” Oh, that did hurt! “Okay…” She got up again, glad this was a dark match because she hurt and was going to stink the joint out. “But you need to be able to do it with some momentum, like, I’m not going to necessarily be standing still and that move can be used if you catch a person off-guard. So, let’s spar, not to hurt, but wrestle.” Which hurt, but not like too badly. “And you try to bust that on me.”

Sparring was easy, she’d done it plenty of times with Lita over the course of her training and was a natural at it. When Trish got caught off guard, after missing a bulldog, which wasn’t the same as her ‘Stratusfaction’ move, Alice took advantage. She twisted Trish’s arm and dropped her foot in her face, making her fly back on the mat.

“H-How was that?” They were both breathing heavily, caked in sweat.

“G-Good…good, that was really good.” Trish winced at her shoulder, shaking the tingling sensation out and rubbed it a little, nodding. “You’re ready. That sparring session, let’s reenact that for the dark match tonight. It’ll be more than enough to showcase your talent and what you can do in the ring.” They had done nearly every move and then a few only men did, just for sheer fun. “I’m gonna go ice down, see you in a few hours.”

“Trish.” Alice extended her hand and shook the blonde’s, smiling softly. “Thank you so much.”

“Hey, you’re welcome, nothing to it.” Trish said with an easy smile. “Us girls, we got to stick together, right?”

Well, them and the others like them, not those skanks who did messed up crap just to get ahead or acted like queen bitches because they could. She had been put in a stupid spot with the owner and that had been the most humiliating event of her life. Trish was damn eager to sweep that under the rug and show the world she was not just a pair of tits and a perky butt.

“We make each other look good and help each other on the way up.” Once they were out of the ring, she slung her non-pained arm around Alice’s shoulders and squeezed. “One day, we’ll be the women’s champion. Me first, of course.” She was teasing, fluttering her eyelashes playfully.

Mark had watched them, sitting up in the arena seats and smiled a little half smile. Alice had gotten so damn good and he was so proud of her. She’d come a long way from that little valet he had met out in the parking lot.

“You first, definitely. You deserve it and I’m still a rookie. Hopefully, one day I’ll face either you or Lita, or maybe both of you, in a match for the title though.” That would be the ultimate match for her, the dream match, facing the two women who had helped her build herself back up. Alice didn’t see Mark watching her, laughing at something Trish said as her laughter echoed back up at him.

~!~

“That was very good.” Vince McMahon, himself, which rarely happened, came out to witness the dark match firsthand and clapped as soon as Trish gained the pin fall.

Alice insisted on the veteran winning. “Thank you, Mr. McMahon…Vince, sorry.” She corrected herself, breathing heavily and helped Trish up from the mat, refusing not to show the woman respect.

At this rate, his women’s division would be better than the men’s, though that was due to the fact the WWF was currently in a real-life war, thanks to his ungrateful children. “Alice, if you want the match on Sunday, it’s yours. You’ve earned it. We’ll start you in regular competition on a weekly basis on Raw and Smackdown!. Alternating so you don’t get burned out. Keep up the great work, ladies.”

No sooner did Alice arrive backstage, she was greeted by a one-armed excited Torrie Wilson. “Oh my god, that was amazing!! I can’t believe that move you did! What are you going to call it?! Did you get the match on Sunday?!”

“Yes.”

“Well done, Alice.” Lita complimented softly, hugging Alice briefly and blinked when the woman didn’t let go, giving her a full-fledged hug.

“Thank you, Amy.” She whispered, pulling back after a few seconds and wiped some tears away.

For once, they were happy instead of sorrow.

“She’s gotten good.”

“Told you.”

Glenn was also wondering if Alice might’ve turned a little lesbian… not that he would blame her if she had.

~!~

Stephanie was not amused at all at how smoothly that whore’s life was going. Of course, she wasn’t allowed to do anything about it. Hell, it seemed like she had done Alice a favor, orchestrating what had happened along with Page and Shane. Raping that cunt had been the best and worst thing Page had done yet, because apparently Alice had gotten so many helping hands that she was now getting to debut as a wrestler on a pay-per-view event. SICKENING!

How the hell did this happen? How the hell did a whore wind up on a pay-per-view event in a MATCH? Granted, it wasn’t an ordinary match. She would have to be dressed in lingerie for it, and that made Shane smile. Alice would be very uncomfortable doing something like that, exposing her body, but yet, she was still doing it. Once a stripper whore, always a stripper whore. Vince was out to showcase his newest acquisition, to rub the fact Alice was no longer part of the Alliance and that didn’t set well with him. Maybe it was time to have another chat with Alice and remind her who ran her life and who was the boss, regardless if she was working in WWF. Perhaps a demonstration was in order…he went to go track down Stacy Keibler to discuss her match coming up with Alice.

As far as Stacy was concerned, she and Alice had no beef, even if Alice seemed distant to her lately. She listened intently to what Shane was saying, frowning when he began making ‘suggestions’. “Um… you do remember what she did, right?” She asked hesitantly.

“Remind me.”

Totally missing that dark look in his eyes, Stacy cleared her throat. “She put both the Dudley’s through tables… with her legs.”

He seen where this was going and pinched the bridge of his nose. What was it with these WCW whores?! “Well, Stacy, here’s what you WILL do.”

Stacy seen that look now, swallowing down a lump in her throat.

Chapter 61

“So, wait, you want me to go out to the ring during the Dudley’s match tonight and…basically provoke Stacy?”

“Yes. It will get the fans more adept to you taking Torrie’s place and they already know you from your days with The Undertaker and Kane.”

Days she missed – the apartment in Houston and the house they were planning on building together…Alice immediately pushed all of that out of her mind, needing to focus just as Lita instilled into her over the past month. “Okay, so who are the Dudley’s facing?”

“The Big Show…in a handicapped match.” Vince could already tell this would not bode well with Alice, but he had to get the spark going between her and Stacy somehow. “Just…watch yourself.” He did not forget what she’d done to the Dudley Boys and something told Vince they hadn’t either.

Nodding, Alice walked out of Vince’s office and headed straight to wardrobe, needing something to wear tonight for Raw Is War.

When Stacy got word of tonight’s change-up, she inwardly groaned. Looks like she’d be giving Shane what he wanted a lot earlier than expected. She eyed the Dudley’s, who were looking pumped up and eager and knew it wasn’t at the chance of facing Show. No, it was because they wanted to get their hands on Alice, who had embarrassed them.

“Be nice…” Glenn ordered, eyeing the makeup women, who were right next to wardrobe. He had forgotten his black makeup for his eyeballs. “I’m serious, my wife likes them this way.”

Snorting, Mark leaned against the makeup table, watching as Glenn began freaking out when they got too close. Glenn had a thing about his eyes being touched.

Janet spotted Alice walking up to them and smiled, continuing doing Glenn’s makeup. “Hey sweetie, what can we do for you?”

Janet and Tiffany were the hair and makeup stylists of the WWF and some of the nicest ladies she had ever met. Alice had spotted Mark and Glenn, but had to stay focused and walked up to Janet. “Well…” She could feel Mark’s eyes on her and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “I need an outfit. I’m…going out to the ring with Big Show tonight.”

“Really? So, you’re valeting again?”

“Just for tonight. Vince wants the fans to see me and Stacy together before the Lingerie match this weekend.” Alice felt herself blush a little at the thought of being seen in front of millions in skimpy lingerie. “It makes sense…but I wasn’t prepared and have nothing to wear.”

Janet nodded in understanding, gesturing to the wardrobe dresser they carted around with them. “Pick out whatever you want and then we’ll get your hair and makeup done. I’m almost done with Kaners here.”

“Janet?”

“Yes, Kaners?”

Alice had to stifle a laugh and began sifting through the drawers for an outfit.

“Don’t call me that…” He growled, watching as Janet got a little bit closer with that smudge stick. He swore to god the woman was purposefully taking it slow and taunting him. “Mark, she’s going to take out my eyes! I need them! I got a baby coming!”

“She’ll only remove one.” He drawled, winking at the makeup women. So, Alice was going to valet for Big Show. He had seen the line-up for tonight and she was a last-minute addition. Mark inwardly smirked, remembering the last time she had had an encounter with the Dudley’s.

“Do you know how long it’s been Mark? What if we did just a little swipe?” Tiffany held up a stick of black eyeliner.

“IN HIS EYE?”

“Finish him before he has a panic attack…”

Black plastic pants and an orange halter top was what she picked out of the drawer. Alice quickly went to the changing station and pulled the curtain closed to change out of her regular clothes. She already showered and had been on her way out of the arena when one of the technicians stopped her, saying Vince wanted to see her in his office. Alice had gone, found out what she was doing and now here she was, ready to go out and start her feud with Stacy.

“Oh wow, that orange really looks great on you!”

“You should totally wear orange lingerie this Sunday!”

“Umm…I don’t know about that…I don’t wanna look like an orange out there or a peach.”

“Tiff, can you start her hair please. I’m not done with Kaners yet.” Janet giggled when he growled at her again, rolling her eyes. “Hold still or I WILL jab this in your eyeball, Jacobs.”

Alice and Tiffany laughed when the man stayed perfectly still, and she leaned her head back to let the glam squad work their magic. She did crack one eye open to lock it on Mark, who was staring back at her and then shut it again.

“This would have been done in like 30 seconds if you hadn’t been such a big bitch about it.” Janet remarked with a smile, ignoring the way he was now gawking at her.

Mark was laughing at him and Glenn had to wonder if this makeup broad spoke to people like this or if he was just a special occasion. “I’m sorry I have a thing?”

Shaking his head, Mark straightened up. “You ready?”

“Yep.” He was done being harassed.

“I think Tiffany is right, wear orange Sunday.” That was at Alice and then he and Glenn were walking away.

Alice got a huge smile on her face at his suggestion, watching him walk away and sighed, hoping she could make amends with him soon. Lita was right, Vince wouldn’t allow Shane and Stephanie to have this kind of power much longer. She didn’t know if Mark would forgive her for pushing him away and saying the horrible things she did, but Alice would try…once the Alliance was taken care of. Not until then. That tape was still being held over her head and there were multiple copies, according to Shane. Besides that, she really didn’t want anything to do with Dallas and so far, he’d been keeping his distance. By the time Tiffany finished, her fiery red tresses were in spiral curls all around her shoulders and down her back, resting just below her shoulder blades. Makeup was thicker black liner than she was used to, a brush of orange shadow both on the lid and under along with foundation and red gloss.

“Miracle workers, thank you both.” She hugged them and headed down the hallway to find Big Show’s locker room, hoping he wasn’t angry or put out by this last-minute change.

Show had been more perturbed than anything, having the Undertaker’s ex-girlfriend and valet accompanying him down to the ring. He didn’t feel like stepping on toes. However, when he answered his dressing room door and seen her, he smiled in pure pleasure. He had a wife, but he was still allowed to appreciate a lovely lady.

“You look really nice in orange, and hi.” He greeted, flustered, and cleared his throat. Show wouldn’t have figured orange and her hair color would have gone so well, but… they did. “Come on in, you can leave the door open. Unless you want to talk in the hallway?”

“Whatever you want to do, Mr. Wight.”

“Just call me Show.” Paul smiled back at her warmly.

He was a giant teddy bear and couldn’t be mean to a woman, no matter the circumstances. His wife would have his balls in a vise if he wasn’t a complete gentleman. Beth didn’t take any crap, one of the many things he loved about her.

“So, what’s the game plan? Vince told me you were accompanying me to the ring for one night tonight, but didn’t tell me why.”

“Oh – well – Torrie’s injured and I’m taking her spot at No Mercy in the Lingerie match with Stacy Keibler. So, he wants me to go down there and basically get the fans believing we have heat.” Alice had nothing against the blonde and hoped they could be professional about this, even though she was in the Alliance. “I won’t get in your way, I promise.”

Paul stared down at her, his eyebrows drawing together in concern. He was all fine with this, but there was one little problem and it wasn’t Stacy. “I don’t mind you coming out and getting the ball rolling for the pay-per-view, but what about the Dudley’s?” Everyone had seen what Alice had done to them. It hadn’t been a very great night for a lot of people, who had been on the receiving end of those two dicks and their stupid tables. “They don’t have any love for you.”

“Yes, I’m aware and I’ll stay out of their way. I’m just out there to bait Stacy and…stop her from cheating you out of a victory.”

Alice could get a lot more physical now that she had proper training, short as it was, and her body could take more punishment. Even if the Dudley’s did put her through a table, she would be able to take the punishment due to her body being conditioned to take bumps. It would hurt…and it was a very big possibility, but Vince was right. They had to stoke the fire for the Lingerie match a bit and get the fans invested.

“I’ll meet you at gorilla position, sound good?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” That was pretty much all he could say, seeing the spark and determination in Alice’s eyes.

She was planning on making a name for herself, even he could see that one. He just hoped the Dudley’s would… no, they weren’t going to be professional at all. They were going to do their best to put her through a table, especially if she got too close to that ring. Sighing, Show shook his head and watched her walk away.

Raw Is War kicked off with a handicapped match pitting The Big Show against the Dudley Boys. The masters of the tables, along with their Duchess of Dudleyville Stacy Keibler, sauntered to the ring carrying a table. Spray painted on it was ALICE in white, a clear message on what they were planning to do.

Stacy did not want to do this, but kept the smile on her face and stepped through the middle rope, barely flashing a hint of her backside, using her long legs for sex appeal. They were her best asset. The Dudley’s began pacing the ring hungrily and Stacy knew she couldn’t stop what was about to happen to her friend. Even if Alice had given her the cold shoulder, she didn’t want to do this and hoped the Dudley’s didn’t get their hands on her.

“Told you.” Paul whispered down at Alice, heading down to the ring with her beside him.

Swallowing hard at the sight of the table with her name on it, Alice put one foot in front of the other and kept a smile plastered on her face, knowing she couldn’t turn and run now. She watched Big Show step over the top rope with ease to enter the ring and the match was on, the Dudley’s immediately teaming up on him. Typical, she thought, staying on her side of the ring for the time being.

They might’ve been double teaming him, but he was the Big Show for a reason. Eventually, he got his hands wrapped around both of them and hurled them both back into their corner. They could sort out who had the bigger set and face him properly. He bent down, hands on his knees, eyes locked on them and snorted when they simply eyed him.

Please let Alice just taunt her, start their thing, please let her steer clear of the Dudley’s, Stacy prayed silently. She recalled what Shane had told her and her smile hitched a fraction, swallowing hard.

Alice jumped up and down, cheering, when the Big Show chokeslammed Bubba Ray Dudley, beaming from ear to ear. That was until D-Von came up from behind her, grabbing her by her curls. Alice reacted on instinct, slamming her head back against his and cracking him in the nose, feeling him instantly release her. Blood – she made him bleed! Alice moved away from him, nodding when Paul asked if she was alright and felt Stacy whip her around to face her, yelling at her. Narrowing her eyes, Alice received a lethal slap to the face seconds later and she stumbled a little, but it didn’t do much damage, just inflamed her cheek.

Growling, she tackled Stacy to the mats below and began driving her forearm into the woman’s face. She didn’t see the Dudley’s gain the upper hand on Big Show, putting him through a table until her head snapped up from punishing Stacy, grey eyes wide. Both Dudley’s zeroed in on her and Alice immediately got to her feet, trying to run, but they quickly blocked her in and began stalking her. Before Alice knew what was happening, she was dragged back into the ring by her curly red tresses and Stacy had joined them, instructing the Dudley’s to put her through a table while holding the side of her now bruised face.

“PAYBACK IS A BITCH, SWEETHEART!” Bubba Ray crowed right before leaping off the middle turnbuckle and slammed her body through the table as hard as he could, putting his full force into it.

Alice and Paul were left a mess in the ring with pieces of wood sprawled all over the mat.

Mark and Glenn were watching from backstage. When she had gone out there, both of them had been expecting this to happen. They had toyed with the idea of going out, saving ‘their’ valet, but… something held Mark back. He had tested the waters earlier with that comment, he would just have to suffer and let her fight her own battles.

“Fuck…”

Glenn echoed that when she went through that table, both men turning away from the screen.

“I am so sorry, Allie…” Stacy whispered, her head down, but when she looked up, that smile was back on her face. She was having a hard time keeping from crying, but this was what had to happen and just wished she could’ve stopped it.

“Come on get up – get up!” Lita shouted from her place backstage, clasping her hands together tightly alongside Trish, watching on the monitor as the Big Show lifted Alice up from the wreckage.

“Come on Alice, wake up.” Paul urged, slowly setting her on her feet and draped her arm over his neck, seeing her eyes slowly opening. “That’s it girl, come on, you’re okay…”

Holding onto the Big Show, Alice felt like she’d had her bell rung and her back was killing her, but other than she seemed to be alright. “I-I’m okay…” She breathed out, trying to get her equilibrium back on track and cracked a smile up at the big man. “Are you okay?”

This woman was out of her mind asking him that question when she could barely walk. Paul had to applaud her strength and toughness though, not many women walked away from being put through a table by the Dudley’s. They were usually taken to the back via stretcher and taken to the trainer.

“I’m fine.” Speaking of the trainer, that’s where Paul was taking her because she had to be checked over.

Lita let out a breath of relief when Alice was up and walking on her own feet instead of a stretcher. Granted, Show had a firm grip on her, but those feet were mobile. “That’s my girl.” She was so glad Alice had insisted on learning how to take those bumps the way she had because it just paid off and probably saved her back.

Chapter 62

“I know you want to be a wrestler.” Paul said as he helped Alice backstage, his goal the trainers. “But if you ever decide to valet again, I will not say no to having you around.” She was one tough broad.

“You got it, big man. Just let me know.” Grinning despite the pain, Alice wasn’t surprised to see the trainer’s office in her line of vision and was helped inside by Paul, sitting down on the bedding.

“We REALLY need to stop meeting like this, Alice.”

“Nature of the business, doc.” Alice winked at him, wincing at his cold hands against her back press and shut her eyes, her neck and lower back hurting the worst. “Let me guess, ice and rest, right?”

“Let me check to see if you have a damn concussion, woman.” Larry shook his head, not believing Alice had walked away from that devastating move from the Dudley’s. Torrie had ended up spraining her wrist and injuring her back after being driven through a table the previous week from the tag team. “Okay follow the light, you know the drill.” After doing it a couple times, Larry determined she was just jostled, but no concussion or major damage was sustained. “Ice and rest, yes.”

“Yes doc.” Gingerly getting off the bedding, Alice made her way out of the trainer’s just as Lita and Trish came up to her along with Torrie. “I’m okay…”

Maybe Torrie should’ve thought about training because then she wouldn’t be injured like she was. “Are you sure? That looked brutal, they didn’t go easy on you…”

“No concussion, just ice and rest is all I need. Maybe some aspirin because I do have a small headache.”

“Good, can you drive back to the hotel on your own or do you want to wait until one of us can do it?” Torrie couldn’t drive currently because of her arm being in a sling.

“No, I’m fine.” Alice would be sore tomorrow, but for now her adrenaline was preventing her from feeling the full extent of pain.

Stacy came running up, crying now that they were backstage. “Are you okay?” She asked, ignoring the looks she was getting. “I didn’t want them too, Alice, but…” She chewed her bottom lip. “They really don’t like you.” Shane had ordered them to not hold back at all. That had been a directive the Dudley’s had taken to heart. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Lita raised an eyebrow, glancing between Alice, Torrie, and Stacy, all three of them had come in together and seemed close at the time. But Torrie and Alice were definitely the tight knit part of this little group.

“Just like you didn’t mean for Torrie to go through a table last week, huh?” Alice had never liked Stacy and only tolerated her because of Torrie. They had brought Stacy into the fold because they were known as the women of WCW, the main crop of women.

“I – uh – I just…”

“You can deny it all you want, Keibler, but the truth is, you’ll do whatever it takes, whatever necessary, to keep your spot in the Alliance. To not be targeted the way me and Torrie have, all because we defected to the WWF. All because we didn’t want to put up with the bullshit anymore, the ABUSIVE bullshit.” Alice watched her lower her head in shame and snorted, holding her lower back. “This Sunday is gonna be a whole different ballgame. Because you won’t have the Dudley’s watching your back. It’s gonna be me and you in the ring, and I’m going to kick the shit out of you in the name of the WWF and my friend, Torrie. Now get the fuck out of here with your fake crocodile tears and leave us alone.”

Gasping, Stacy looked at Torrie and saw the same expression on her face that Alice had, both of them completely disgusted with her actions. She didn’t know what else to say and took off running down the hallway in tears.

Poor Stacy, she was bawling her eyes out, alternating between being upset over what had happened and pissed off with Alice for not realizing there was another hand pulling her strings. Shane snorted, shutting the door in her face, hearing her breaking out into another round of those tears. Well, she should have defected with everyone else. She thought she’d play it safe, stick around, keep her head down… not how it worked in HIS company.

“I need a drink, Allie, how about you?” Torrie said after a moment, clearing her throat.

“No thanks.”

Ever since the drugging and rape, Alice steered clear of any kind of alcohol and stuck with water with occasional tea. Never again would she allow something like that to happen to her. Never again would she let her emotions override her rational thinking.

“I’m just gonna head back to the hotel and maybe go down to the hot tub.”

The hotel had a pool and hot tub, which was closed off to everyone except the WWF Superstars. ECW/WCW stayed in a separate hotel, Vince had assured her, so there would be no running into any of the opposition. Vince wanted her to start staying in the same hotels as the WWF Superstars and Divas, having discussed it with her. He figured she’d be more protected in a hotel as opposed to the cheap motels she’d been staying in.

“It’s not you, Torrie, okay? It’s me. It’s my issues and…I’m just better off being alone.” It protected everyone, including her, though she did hate alienating her friends and the man she loved. “I promise, when this is all over and the Alliance is gone, I’ll be more like myself again.” Alice could only hope that would happen, hating how closed off and afraid she’d become. Squeezing her friend’s uninjured shoulder, Alice made her way down the hallway slower than usual, needing to grab her bag and purse from the WWF women’s locker room before heading out.

“I’m really worried about her…” Torrie voiced her concern to both Lita and Trish, frowning. “I’ve never seen her so…I don’t even know what the word is.”

“She’ll be fine.” Lita stated confidently, not worried about her friend and pupil because she was dealing with what happened to her to the best of her ability. “Everything will be fine, she just needs time and you need to give it to her. Space and time.” She walked off to get ready for her own segment that night.

“Yeah I know, easier said than done, right?” Trish murmured with a soft sigh, shaking her head. She didn’t know Alice or Torrie very well, not really. Trish had no idea what had happened to Alice, but from the change from how Alice had been when she had first come into the company to how Alice was now, she knew it had been something bad.

“Yeah.” Torrie said, knowing when she was ready, Alice would come to her. “Yeah, it is.”

~!~

Pulling on the white cotton robe, Alice had braided her hair back after having another hot shower, which loosened the muscles in her back even more. The hot tub would just be icing on the cake. She padded down to the hotel pool area and opened the door, seeing there was nobody else in sight. Good, she wanted it to herself and figured most of the Superstars and Divas were still at the arena for Raw Is War. Biting her lip, Alice hesitantly took her robe off and draped it over the lounge chair before slipping into the hot tub, turning the bubbles on. The jets hit her lower back, making her groan and her eyes closed, getting lost in the sensations and relaxation the hot tub gave her. It was nice being alone, nobody could hurt her and never would again, not if she had any say in the matter.

“Eat shit and die.”

“It never fails to amaze me how… dysfunctional you really are. Known you for years and you still surprise me every damn day.” Mark chuckled, walking into the swimming room alongside his friend.

He was in black trunks, flip flops and not a thing else, his long hair pulled back into a very sloppy bun at the base of his neck. Trying to get Glenn to come swim with him, he pointed out that the cardio would be good for Glenn’s expanding ass. Glenn couldn’t swim; however, he could tread, but… not today apparently.

“Where’re you going?”

Glenn muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘to go fuck your Mom’.

Shrugging, Mark slid off the sandals, dropped his towel and dived in.

Due to how loud the bubbles were along with the jets, Alice didn’t hear anything and kept her head tilted back, letting the water melt away all the aches and pains. There was a timer on the jets, however, so when they shut off and she leaned over to turn them back on, Alice froze at the sight of Mark in the swimming pool. When did he come in here? Did he know she was here? The hot tub was connected to the pool, but there was a wall to prevent the cold and hot water colliding. Frowning, she watched him for a minute as his arms sliced through the water along with his big body, the bun at the nape of his neck slowly coming undone. She missed him so much…her heart ached for him along with the rest of her body. Sighing sadly, Alice turned the jets back on and leaned back against them again, fighting back tears.

Mark did several laps in the pool, his frame cutting through the water a bit more gracefully then someone his size should be able too. Contrary to popular belief, weightlifting wasn’t the only way to keep in shape, especially with his joints. Lighter stuff, like this, helped out a lot. Not to mention, moving in water, pulling his himself, took a lot of work. Water resistance was a real thing. Sighing, he pulled himself up near the jacuzzi, hearing it going and was tempted to peek in, but decided not to be rude.

Moving to get out of the hot tub, after peeking to see if Mark was still doing laps, Alice didn’t see him right by the entrance. She jumped out of her skin when he reached out to touch her arm and nearly backhanded him, immediately falling back first into the pool. A small shriek echoed around the pool room as Alice resurfaced, coughing, and glared at a laughing Mark.

“You’re an ass.” She muttered, snorting some water out of her nose, and groaned, her back once again hurting from going hot to cold. Maybe she’d go back into the hot tub for a few minutes longer.

Mark had been about to tap her arm, so she didn’t nail him on her way by, but he should have probably spoken up instead. “Sorry, darlin’.” He said apologetically, bending over to extend his hand. When Alice just stared at it, he frowned. “Not going to bite.” Though she looked more irritated than scared and he should’ve been worried about her trying to drown him. “How’s your back?”

Just take his hand, he’s not going to hurt you, Alice mentally coached herself and took a deep breath before hesitantly reaching out to clasp his. Instantly, the sparks flew up her arm and their eyes locked as he pulled her out of the pool with ease to stand in front of him. Her heart pounded a furious tattoo in her chest and she was sure Mark could hear it, her hand still clasped in his. “My back is sore, but fine…thanks.” She answered softly, not pulling away from him like she should’ve. Just talking to him civilly like this wasn’t in her best interest, not with Shane lurking in the shadows having spies watching her. Even if the Alliance didn’t stay at the same hotel as the WWF, there could still be spies. “S-Sorry for almost hitting you…again.” The memory of popping him in the nose flittered through her mind, making her smile.

Apparently, they were having the same memory because he let go of her hand to reach up and rub his nose, his emerald eyes narrowing at her smile. “It wasn’t that funny.” He muttered, stepping back to give her some space. “I didn’t mean to startle you, Alice.” He said, not entirely sure if he had said it already and reached back to pull the rest of his hair out of what was left of that bun, shaking it free.

“I know, it’s okay.”

Alice saw him struggling with the hairband being caught in his long hair and stepped up to take control, slowly working it out until the band was around her finger. She had to do it for him a lot when they were together. Alice placed it in his hand and hated how awkward they were with each other. Mark was keeping his distance and she should’ve done the same. From day one, this man had a draw to him she couldn’t explain, and it hadn’t gone away just because of the rape.

“It felt good being out there again in front of the fans, just not the same as it was with you and Glenn. Paul said I could do it for him again, but…I don’t think I’m meant to be a valet anymore.”

“You’re too talented to be a valet.” He stated instantly, remembering all the training sessions he had sat in on, not that she had ever known. That was the way they both seemed to prefer it these days. “You’re getting your big chance Sunday.”

Doing a lingerie match of all things. He remembered Glenn telling her early on she would have to suck it up, do those kind of matches, and try to let her actual natural talent shine through, or something like that. Glenn wasn’t a poet.

“Yeah I know, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I feel bad because it was supposed to be Torrie’s big break.” Those damn Dudley’s putting her through a table, because of Stacy, was the reason why Vince had gone a different direction. “I know it’s just a Lingerie match, the first-ever, and not a lot of people are going to care about it, but…I’m still gonna go out there and give my all in it. Lita has really helped me out these past few months with my training and so has Trish. Hell, Trish is the one who helped me with our dark match to make sure it was as good as possible. I know it’s crazy, but I’m actually excited about wrestling in lingerie because it means I’m getting in the ring and showing what I can do.”

He could practically feel the excitement radiating off of her and he knew how much Lita had done, what Trish had done tonight. Mark realized, he was turning into a bit of a crazy stalker kind of guy and cleared his throat, offering her a smile. “You going to wear orange?” He teased, now heading for his towel, contemplating ducking himself back in the pool. Alice, in orange lingerie… bad thoughts, sick thoughts. Stephanie McMahon. Potential hard-on was gone.

Blushing, Alice took her own robe and wrapped it around herself, hiding the white bikini she had on. It was the same one she’d worn when Glenn took them to Tennessee to recuperate. “I don’t know…would I really look that good in orange?” Her fiery red hair and orange…Alice didn’t know if it’d look good or not and she really didn’t want to look like a piece of fruit in her debut match. She eyed him when he nodded, wondering if she should believe what he said or if he was just being nice. “Okay explain because the only reason I wore orange tonight was because I’m tired of black, red and white combos.”

“It looked good on you.”

He hardly believed they were standing here having a conversation about the color of her lingerie for her upcoming match. They had spent over a month together traveling, having sex, moving in together and they had been reduced to this. Talking color coordination. But… given where they had been not so long ago, where she refused to even look at him, Mark would take what he could get.

“Not a bright, day glow.” That never looked right on anyone. “But regular orange looks good on you.”

“Okay, orange it is then. I’ll have to buy some when I go home for my days off.”

Alice wondered if Mark still lived in that apartment with the furniture they picked out together…and christened. Or had he started the process of building a new home that she was responsible for destroying. How far along was Teresa in her pregnancy? Was Glenn still being as quirky as ever? There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but none of them left her mouth. The most important question she wanted to ask was if he was happy. The tape…Alice suddenly looked around with worry in her eyes and stepped away from Mark.

“I-I shouldn’t be here. I-I need to go. I-I’m sorry…” She began rushing past him, but Mark reached out to stop her and wrapped his hand around her upper arm, pulling her back. “Mark please…I-I have to stay away from you and you NEED to stay away from me…I-It’s the only way…” Now she was terrified and kept looking at that door, waiting for Shane, Stephanie and even Dallas to walk through it, even though they were in a different hotel.

Now Mark was confused and, after all this time of binge drinking and generally being out of it, his clear mind was protesting having to figure out riddles. “What are you talkin’ about, Alice?” He demanded, suddenly tired. “What’s the only way?” He was guessing this was somehow related to her being assaulted. “Are you being threatened?” Still? Well, if she was, then it had happened with someone she worked with. Someone who could keep an eye on her while she was on the road.

“Yes.” Alice couldn’t lie to him anymore, desperation shining in her watery greys. “I have to stay away from you, Mark. Or something really bad will happen.”

Such as watching a tape with her drugged out of her mind and being raped by Dallas in every way possible. Alice felt her stomach churn at the memory, immediately pushing it in the far recesses of her mind and felt his hand tighten on her arm slightly. Mark didn’t want her running away from him again, especially now.

“W-We can’t be seen with each other…it’s the only way…”

“Who is doing this to you, Alice, and what do they have on you?”

Mark couldn’t imagine anything worse than what she had already admitted. Being raped seemed to be at the very top of ‘worst things’ ever. He just didn’t see how that got any worse. He let go when she began squirming, not about to compound her issues and knowing he was lucky she had talked to him this much. Especially after his drunk ass had shown up at her motel room that one night… morning, whatever.

“Alice…”

“I can’t tell you. I want to so badly, but I can’t. You can’t ever know.” Alice was in turmoil, wrapping her arms around herself and could see the resignation in Mark’s eyes. “I-I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…” She whispered, turning, and walking out of the pool room before he could stop her.

Alice ran back to her room as fast as she could and slammed the door shut, pressing her back against the door. She slid down until her backside hit the carpeted floor, drawing her knees up and cried, her heart breaking all over again. How much more pain would she be able to endure and how much longer would she be able to keep the truth from Mark before it all spilled out?

Sighing, Mark dropped down into one of the pool chairs, burying his face in his hands. That damn stupid feeling was back. Being helpless, worthless, unable to help. Alice was going through hell and there was nothing he could do, not that she’d let him. She was protecting herself, maybe even him and he snorted, remembering her Messiah complex from when they had first met. Shaking his head, he leaned back and closed his eyes. Someone in the company, who hated her… well, that wasn’t a very long list.

Chapter 63

“I don’t know about this…”

“Stop, you look beautiful and this doesn’t show nearly as much as the other ones.”

“But…”

“Have you SEEN some of the lingerie and outfits I’ve worn?” Trish demanded with a smile, fluffing her hair out while staring in the mirror. “You look fabulous, don’t second guess yourself.”

The lingerie she picked out was revealing, but still left plenty to the imagination. It was all lace and see through, but none of her major areas were shown. The sleeves went to her elbows and the bottoms looked like boycut panties. The sides were in a diamond cut out, and the top on the back showed off a good portion of skin as well. Her hair was spiral curls all down her shoulders and back with orange clips on either side. Her makeup was black liner, a darker orange shadow, foundation, and red gloss. The red really stood out because of her hair and it looked good with the orange. They were both wrestling barefoot, which Alice didn’t like, but at the same time she understood why the company was doing it that way. Still, she felt more comfortable with her wrestling boots. So instead of the boots, she wore orange stilettos that were two inches and easy to slip off.

Grinning, Trish turned to Alice and looked her over, nodding. “You look beautiful and, as far as lingerie goes, that isn’t much different than some of the other women’s actual wrestling attire.” She pointed out, which was true enough. She could remember watching RAW back in the day, some of the ensembles Luna and Sable, Tori, had wrestled in… a lot more scandalous than what Alice wore and those hadn’t been for pay-per-views.

“That’s kinda why I went with it because it doesn’t look like actual lingerie, even though it is.” Alice admitted with a sheepish smile, plucking the fabric from her upper stomach, and once again surveyed herself in the mirror.

It was sexy yet comfortable enough to wrestle in and wouldn’t show any of her assets. The lingerie also came with a matching orange silk robe, so she slipped it on and tied it around the waist. It rested against her mid-thigh and hid what she had underneath perfectly.

“Is it safe to wrestle barefoot in a ring? I really wish I could wear my boots.”

Lita and Trish chuckled, shaking their heads. “Not for a Lingerie match, apparently. This is new territory for us, you gotta remember. This is the first-EVER Lingerie match.”

“Right.”

“Just…” Trish suggested, frowning as she considered it. “As soon as you’re done and back here, go scrub the hell out of your feet.”

Most people didn’t wrestle barefoot, but who the hell knew what was on the ring… some of the boys even wore their wrestling boots outside. “Yeah, good idea.”

“We’ll be cheering for you!”

That was NOT a comforting thought as Alice glanced down at her stiletto covered feet, groaning. Maybe she should’ve worn thigh highs or something…too late for that now. Sighing, she headed down to gorilla position, smiling when Big Show let out a low whistle and rolled her eyes at him. They had become friends after the table incident and he’d even called to check on her in her hotel. The guy really was a teddy bear and it wasn’t a bad idea having a giant for a friend. AC/DC’s Thunderstruck blared through the speakers as Alice made her way down to the ring, not acknowledging the fans like she normally would. She slowly walked across the ring apron and smirked before flipping over it to land on her feet, in her stilettos, in the ring with ease. Just as the lyrics ‘You’ve been thunderstruck’ sounded, Alice ripped open her robe and winked in the camera, slipping it off tossing the robe to the side before kicking her stilettos heels off. Definitely scrubbing her feet raw after this match, that was for sure.

Unlike Alice, Stacy HAD worn stockings, held up with those garter belt straps. All black, and her legs were definitely emphasized. She wore basic black lingerie, a top and bottoms and had tucked a small black whip down her front. Stacy eyeballed Alice’s bare feet once in the ring and tried not to cringe, knowing the other woman would definitely want to scrub her soles when they were done.

“She’s got this…”

“Oh yeah.”

Stacy got exactly one crack on her backside with that whip before Alice took it and began smacking her with it, laying the shots into her. This bitch had an ass whooping coming after what happened to Torrie and her with the Dudley Boys. Once Stacy was down, she tossed the whip aside and began stomping her with her bare feet, dragging her up by her blonde hair and groaned when Stacy delivered a jawbreaker. That hurt…Alice was clotheslined next and hit the mat, this time being dragged up by her hair to lean in the corner. With Stacy’s long legs, she pressed her foot against Alice’s throat, cutting off her air supply for a 4 ½ count. Alice coughed, trying to regain control and when Stacy tried it again, she smiled wickedly and slammed Stacy down to where she was forcefully doing the splits.

Then she delivered a kick to the back of her head, the sound echoing around the arena. Stacy kicked out after a count of two, but Alice could tell she was completely out of it and rolled her up for another 2-count, Stacy flipping her, and Alice did the same. They did a sequence of four before Alice regained the upper hand and swung Stacy off the ropes before clotheslining her. Picking her up, she twisted the blonde’s arm none too gently and dropped down on the mat with her foot in Stacy’s face, making her fly back to land on the mat. Her finishing move – Lights Out. Three seconds later, she had gained victory as AC/DC once again blasted through the speakers and Torrie Wilson ran down the ramp, sliding in the ring with her sling still on, embracing Alice tightly.

“For her!” She shouted at the camera, lifting Torrie’s good arm, and pointed at her, nodding.

Stacy was definitely out of it, not even bothering to open her eyes as she curled in on herself.

“That was so awesome!” Torrie laughed, using her good arm to hug Alice before stepping away to let the other woman enjoy her moment.

“Oh that move hurts…” Trish groaned backstage, though she was pleased that Alice had remembered to put in that arm twist.

“Hell yes it does.” Lita was very proud.

So was he. Mark had watched the match from the monitor in his dressing room, a wad of chewing tobacco tucked behind his lip. He smiled and applauded quietly. “Good job, darlin’.” He murmured to the empty room.

Not only was Stacy completely humiliated by the two reject ex-Alliance whores, but they were FLAUNTING the victory in front of the world! Stephanie was LIVID, her blue eyes nothing more than ice while staring at the monitor, her upper lip curling. Mark hadn’t given her the time of day, no matter how many advances she put on him. The man wasn’t budging and, as far as she knew, Alice had stayed on the straight and narrow, keeping her word to Shane. Her brother was insane to keep the tape hidden instead of exposing it, especially after what just happened to one of their own. Something had to change, and Stephanie’s mind began to turn, the wheels going. She had to get that tape away from her brother somehow…

“You nailed it!” Lita exclaimed when Alice finally made it backstage, grinning broadly and high-fived her friend. “That was awesome.” Even in lingerie, there had been wrestling, which was where the women had to just keep sucking it up. Let that talent show and they’d get past these type of matches.

“Lights Out is what that move is? Did you pick the name, or did they just start calling it that?”

“No, I came up with it. I don’t know where I got it from, just came to me.”

Alice shrugged, not able to wipe the smile off her face while embracing both women who had helped her in every way possible. The rape had been a little over 2 months ago and Alice was finally feeling like her old self again, the confidence back. She was still leery when it came to certain things, but for the most part, this was the real her.

“Okay, I’m gonna go change out of this and into something more comfortable.”

She headed off down the hallway toward the WWF women’s locker room, proud of that match she’d just had with Stacy. Alice didn’t get very far because she was suddenly yanked into a nearby pitch black dressing room and felt lips instantly on hers. From how much time she’d spent kissing these certain lips, Alice knew exactly who it was and couldn’t fight what she wanted, what she craved, kissing him back with an equal amount of passion. Anyone else would’ve been on the floor cupping themselves in pain, but not this particular man.

Given what had happened to her, Mark knew doing this was risky to him. She had decked him once, and he had expected her to deck him again, or nail him in the balls. Instead, she was returning the kiss. He had figured, if she was paranoid about them being watched, a dark room where no one had seen him enter was just the ticket. When he finally broke the kiss, they were both panting for air and he rested his forehead against hers, his nose brushing hers.

“Congratulations.” He rumbled huskily, enjoying having her in his arms again.

Even through the darkness, she could see him and rolled her forehead against his, pressing closer to him. “I love you, Mark.” Alice whispered, once her breathing was under control again and the passion haze clouding her mind dissipated. She still had the robe on, but it was untied, and his hands were caressing her back, not moving to release her once. “I-I still love you…I still want you and god help me, I miss you.” Her voice cracked under the intense emotion currently flooding through her body, never wanting him to let her go again. “I’m in trouble…I’m scared, and I don’t know what to do anymore. The only thing I DO know, the only thing I am sure of, is how I feel about you. That hasn’t changed, not even after what happened to me. And I’ve tried…I’ve tried pushing you away and I can’t do it anymore…”

Mark held her close, inhaling her familiar scent and then let out a slow, soft sigh. “We’ll figure it out, darlin’.” He whispered soothingly, knowing the first step would be in fixing whatever hold was being held on her. For that, she’d have to trust him, confide in him… if she could. “I love you too, Alice.” He kissed her forehead, his lips moving down, brushing her eyelids. He had never stopped, which was probably why he hadn’t taken another woman to bed since that awful night.

“W-We can’t be seen together.” Alice caressed his chest, feeling he had his tights on and probably the black leather Deadman Inc pants he always wore when he wrestled. He was going against Booker T tonight while Glenn was going against Test. “Mark, I’ll tell you everything, but not until after your match.” She didn’t need him going out there and destroying Booker T, even though it would be amusing to watch. “Tonight, I’ll come to your room.” Shane could still have spies on her, but Alice was willing to take the risk since the WWF and Alliance had separate hotels. “I won’t run again, I’ll tell you everything that happened and what…they’re holding over me. I just hope you don’t hate me after I tell you everything…”

He honestly doubted he could hate her. Dislike her, sure, he had done that aplenty lately, but not actually hate her. Obviously, Mark was here, wasn’t he? After everything Alice had said and done these last few months, and vice versa, he seriously doubted either of them could hate each other. They had tried making each other feel that way; they both seemed to have failed miserably.

“All right, Alice.” He agreed in a soft voice, stroking her hair gently and then reluctantly let her down. “Go on.” He’d go after her, give her time to clear the hallway.

“Mark…”

Alice didn’t want to let him go and brought his face down to hers, passionately kissing him again, pouring everything she felt into it. Every emotion that she’d kept at bay went into the kiss, making both of their worlds spin. Only when they needed oxygen to breathe did Alice pull back, breaking it and released his face.

“What’s your room number?” She didn’t bother asking before and committed the number he gave her to memory, kissing him again. “I’ll be waiting for you in your room.” She then forcefully broke away from him, needing to do it and walked out of the room, jogging down the hallway to the WWF women’s locker room.

What the hell was Alice doing coming out of an empty locker room? Stephanie’s eyes narrowed when Mark Calaway walked out a few minutes later, a devious smile curving her lips. “Got you, whore.” She whispered, sauntering down the hallway to go have a chat with her brother.

Only, Shane didn’t believe a word his sister said. “I’ll look into it.” He replied, sounding bored and waved her off dismissively.

“Of course you will, brother dearest.” Stephanie said sweetly, blue eyes flashing fire.

He wasn’t going to look into it and, even if he did, all Alice had to do was say no bueno and that would be that. Shane was getting soft and she had to wonder if he wasn’t starting to get a little soft spot for the WCW whore. Her entire family was going soft. Her eyes narrowing, Stephanie vacated the room, already planning on dealing with this. Someone needed to step up, remind all these fucks that the McMahon name still meant something. A certain whore really needed that reminder.

Shaking his head at his sister’s retreat, Shane already knew she planned on taking matters into her own hands, which was why he had moved the video tapes to a safer, undisclosed location. One where Stephanie would never think to look. Granted, it was a risk, but Shane didn’t trust his sister to go back on their word to Alice. If Alice was screwing around with the Deadman again, well…honestly, he didn’t care. The tape was being held over her, so he kept power, that was it. Stephanie was obsessed with Mark, had been from the day they did the Ministry angle and, after it was over with, the man hadn’t given her the time of day. Mark had broken something in his sister, or flared something up, and neither were good.

Chapter 64

When Mark got back to his hotel room that night, Alice was standing by the window, watching the rain fall out the window. She had on a long sleeved white top and a pair of dark blue jeans. Alice thought about wearing it to Mark’s room, but not much talking would get done between them and it HAD to be done. She loved him, and he loved her, but there was a very big obstacle standing in their way of being together completely. Hearing the door open, Alice didn’t look away from the window and felt him walk up behind her, his hands resting on her hips gently.

“Good match tonight against Booker T. I knew you’d win.” It just sucked Glenn couldn’t do the same, but then again Test had cheated.

Mark shrugged, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. He was tired. He was annoyed. Stephanie McMahon had badgered him, yet again, on his way out the door and he’d had to put the last of his patience to use in not strangling her. Mark was pretty sure he’d be doing everyone a favor if he did. The woman had looked like the cat who had swallowed the canary and was looking to swallow something else too.

“Thank you, darlin’.” He rested his chin on top of her head, looking out at the rain with her.

“I need to start at the beginning…the fight we had and everything after that.” Alice spoke quietly, knowing Mark deserved to be looked in the eyes during the explanation and turned around to look up at him. “Getting mad at you for falling asleep on me during sex was…childish. So childish and it was stupid. Incredibly stupid.” Even Lita had agreed with that because she had told her mentor EVERYTHING. “And it’s my fault, not yours. You couldn’t even remember what happened and I…I took it out on you when there was no reason too. I never used sex as a way to validate myself or for self-esteem. It did take a stab at my pride when you fell asleep on me, but…there was no reason for me to get THAT upset over it. It was because of the whole Alliance situation and your house getting burned down and finding out how completely different we really are. Our backgrounds.” She clarified, fighting the urge not to look away from him. “I’m sorry, Mark. I’m sorry for how I acted and how I treated you. If I would’ve just let it go and let you get over your hangover…I never would’ve been drugged and raped.” This was all her fault and Alice took full responsibility for it. “And it didn’t help that I watched you and Stephanie…have a moment together.” She shuddered at the memory of Stephanie’s tongue tracing his lips and felt tears sting her eyes. “It really hurt to watch you with her…how she traced your lips with her tongue and dug her nails into your chest again. And you didn’t do anything to stop her. You didn’t even bat an eyelash or shove her away or scream at her. I watched it all and Page planted doubts in my head. He came up behind me in the stairwell where I watched you and Stephanie and told me you two never stopped having feelings for each other, that you two still wanted each other. And I believed him…like an idiot.”

So she HAD seen that, Mark had always wondered, knowing she must’ve from some of her previous comments from their fighting. “Darlin’, I should’ve put her ass through a wall.” He said quietly, but at the time, he had been suspicious of Stephanie’s motives or her trying to have him hauled off to jail. Mark would not put anything past that evil bitch. “I’m sorry for everything, Alice.”

He had no words to truly tell her how sorry he was, the truth of it reflecting in his emerald eyes. Dallas had been there, whispering poison in her ear, that was not surprising. Mark somehow, as much as it churned his gut to think of it, knew Dallas was probably the one who had sexually assaulted her as well.

“Mark, she wants you. She STILL wants you, it’s obvious.” Alice had a feeling it was because of Stephanie she’d been given that ultimatum to stay away from Mark or else the tape would be revealed. Pulling away from him, she walked over to sit down on the bed and clasped her hands in her lap, knowing the harder part was yet to come to talk about. “The night I went out for a drink, I just went to one of the local bars. I ordered a dirty martini, a shot with a beer and…that’s all I remember. When I woke up I was naked…in a grungy motel room with no recollection of what happened to me. Shane and Stephanie were there too. They…have a tape, Mark. A tape of what happened to me…of what Page did to me.” Alice began to cry, covering her face with her hands and trembled from head to toe, hoping he didn’t expect her to go into details about the rape. “T-They forced me to watch it…and then when I threw up, Stephanie smashed my face into it like a…dog…”

Just hearing her admit, again, what he already knew and finally giving names was enough to set his blood to boiling. But Alice didn’t need him rampaging right now. She was obviously having a hard enough time telling him this much and he stepped forward to draw her trembling body against his, wrapping her in his strong, secure arms. Mark was going to snap Stephanie McMahon’s hate filled head right off that artificial body. Then he had every intention of shoving Shane McMahon up Page’s ass until Shane died of suffocation and Page died from being ripped apart.

“I got you, darlin’.” He said softly, soothingly. “They’re blackmailin’ you with that tape, aren’t they?” It wasn’t even a question, just a statement.

“Yes…T-They said they would make it look like I enjoyed what Page did to me…” Alice felt sick to her stomach, trying to stop shaking, but it wasn’t happening, not right now. Even in his strong, secure arms, the tears flowed, and the fear overwhelmed her. “M-Mark, I don’t…I didn’t…I didn’t want him. I was drugged, and I still don’t remember all of it, only bits and pieces. I had…bruises all over and some cuts…” Shutting her eyes, Alice felt him lift her princess style to cradle her in his arms, burying her face in the crook of his neck. “They said you’d…never believe me…that once you saw the footage, even if they had to alter it, they would make sure you believed I enjoyed what he did to me…that you’d hate me…”

“You really believed that, darlin’?” Mark was disappointed she thought so little of him, but he managed to keep it from his tone. “Alice, everyone seen what Page was doing to you. He tracked you down to Florida and Texas, ain’t nobody in their right mind would believe you’d sleep with that worthless sack of flesh willingly.” Bruises, cuts… they had messed her up and he wondered if Vince knew just how far his children had sunk. “Have you tried talkin’ to Vince?” Highly doubtful, not that he blamed her.

“Vince knows something happened to me, but I didn’t elaborate on it. He’s actually the one who talked me into staying. He’s not as bad as people make him out to be.” Alice smiled softly, remembering what Vince had said to her and closed her eyes briefly, the word OVERCOME across her shoulder blades not just for show and style. It meant something to her – she had to overcome so much in her life and she would continue to do it. “I-I didn’t want to tell him what happened and the tape threat…I had it in my head. I wouldn’t put it past them to bring it out if I told anyone, but eventually I had to talk to someone about what happened, so I told Lita.”

“Lita’s good people.” He said quietly, mulling her words over. “If Vince knew…” Mark pressed a finger to her soft lips when she opened her mouth. “If he knew about that tape, he might be able to persuade Shane to hand it over and the copies.” Shane could be reasoned with, but Stephanie on the other hand… she was just crazy. He was actually wishing her husband would return, just so he could keep the nut in check. “Marissa and Linda would help too.” Just the threat of Marissa might be enough.

“Or they would simply think of me as a whore and call it a day.” Alice extracted herself from his arms, needing to stand and fought the urge to drink. No, alcohol wouldn’t solve anything, and she didn’t trust a drop after what happened. “Vince wouldn’t, but I don’t know about Linda and Marissa. Shane could easily convince her it was for ‘business’ and she’d agree with him. It makes me wonder how the hell he managed to get married in the first place.” Snorting, Alice looked back at him with sad grey eyes and didn’t know what to do about this situation. “If you want me to tell Vince about what happened, I guess I’ll do it. I just really don’t think it’ll help. It’s been too long, and Stephanie probably has copies of her own while Shane has his. Not to mention…Page…”

She had a point and Mark hated conceding it, even if it was mentally. Sighing, he stepped away from her and dropped down onto the edge of her bed, draping his arms on his knees. All he could was stare at her. They were at a standstill. Either she kept on bending to those insane fucks to save her career and reputation, or she risked everything again. Mark was going to kill Diamond Dallas Page. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he wouldn’t. He was already planning on how he could do it and make it look like an accident too.

“If they find out yer here, they’ll send Page after you again, won’t they?” He asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

“Shane said he would send Page after me again, to teach me a lesson…” Alice could hear and FEEL Mark’s anger radiating off his body, trying not to feel guilty about it. “He said…it would be a lot worse the next time unless I listened and did whatever they wanted. I know Stephanie is behind the stipulation of me staying away from you. I feel it in my gut and heart, especially since she’s been pursuing you ever since. This is her doing, most of it anyway. Shane wanted me to be punished because I defected to WWF and embarrassed him. So he wanted to embarrass me…and strip me of every ounce of dignity, pride, and self-worth. He succeeded, for a while, but Vince’s talk and Lita helped me see I am worthy of being in this company. I’m tired of staying away from you. I’m tired of being scared and I’m tired of letting them run and dictate my life. I just wish there were a way to get that tape before they show it.”

Watching herself being raped was bad enough, but having others see it…Alice swallowed hard at what people would think of her. Mark would not put it past Stephanie getting her hands on a copy of that tape and showing it to the entire world, just because she was a spiteful shrew. She didn’t need a reason, she’d just do it. He was a bit curious about Dallas. With as obsessed as the man had been, tracking her down, burning houses, finding her cell numbers… was a one and done all he was? Or was Shane keeping him on a leash? Mark was curious to know how that worked out.

“What do you want to do, Alice?”

“I don’t know. I wish this would go away. I wish this would’ve never happened. I wish I wouldn’t have been such a cold bitch to you and taken what happened between us to heart. But that’s not reality. That’s not what we’re dealing with now. He raped me, he got what he wanted from me ultimately, but Shane is keeping him away from me. Shane promised as long as I did exactly as I’m told and stay away from you, Page wouldn’t bother me.” Sighing, Alice sat down beside him and tucked a loose fiery red curl behind her ear, tears forming in her eyes. “That tape will come out and everyone will know what happened to me, if I’m with you. And call me crazy, but…I’m willing to risk it if it means being with you again.”

Personally, Mark thought whether she was with him or not, that tape was going to come out. “What if I played Stephanie?” He asked suddenly, feeling his skin breaking out with the creepy crawlies just thinking about it.

The idea of pretending to be even somewhat interested in her… the Stephanie of today was not the girl he had known in 1999, they were worlds apart even if not that many years had actually passed. It was crazy. If he could get close enough to her, make her demented mind believe he wanted her… maybe, he could find a way to those tapes. Alice stared at him like he’d grown a second, possibly even a third, head, wondering if he was serious. Yes, he was very serious, and she felt sick to her stomach. Mark was willing to ‘whore’ himself out to Stephanie in order to gain access to those tapes? Alice frowned, not sure if she liked the sound of that and remembered what Lita told her after one of their training sessions. Let people help…if this were what Mark wanted to do, Alice wouldn’t stand in his way.

“If you think that’s the best way to handle this and put an end to everything, I won’t stop you.” Now she really needed a drink, scrubbing a hand down her face and wrapped her arms around herself. “I guess this means we can’t be together yet then…if you’re gonna convince Stephanie you want her…”

“Alice, if yer scared of that tape bein’ leaked, we couldn’t be together anyway.” Mark pointed out, staring at her intently. “Not without a lot of sneaking around anyway.”

He wasn’t keen on sneaking around, not after their last go at a relationship. They had been together in every sense of the word, moving in together, to take so many steps backwards had been a giant kick in the gut. As much as it hurt her to hear that, Alice knew it was the truth – the cold, harsh reality of the situation.

“Right.” Mark would never look at her the same way again if he saw that tape, no matter if she were raped and it wasn’t consensual. “I should go then.”

There was no point staying here when they couldn’t be together. Alice didn’t expect this to be easy, though she didn’t think it would ever happen either. When Mark pulled her into the dark dressing room at the arena and kissed her, she couldn’t push him away and it was obvious he still had feelings for her. But Mark was right, they couldn’t be together with that tape lingering over her head and the Alliance still in power. They would never get a moment’s peace and always have to look over their shoulder.

“I’ll see you around, Deadman.” She headed for the door, needing to get back to her room, have a cry, maybe scrub her feet a second time and then try to sleep.

“Hey.” Mark was up and off that bed, pulling her back into his arms. “Don’t you go getting any ideas, Red.” He said quietly, his mouth right by her ear. “This isn’t us sayin’ goodbye, you got me?” Given she had let the fear of that tape rule her life for so long, and there was a very real chance Stephanie would release it at even a whiff of them together… no, if it was that important to Alice’s mental and emotional well-being, he’d figure out a way to get the damn thing and destroy it. “We’ll get this sorted, Alice.”

It felt like another goodbye and her entire world was unraveling all over again. Alice did her best to stay strong, but against this man, she was pretty much powerless against him. She felt him turn her around and his mouth instantly captured hers, her arms instantly encircling his neck and his arms around her waist. Her feet left the ground as her legs wrapped around his waist, the kiss never breaking as Mark carted them both back to the bed with her straddling him. She moaned in his mouth, getting lost in the feeling of their bodies pressed together and waited until Mark was both winded and dizzy before hopping up.

“When you’re done with the Princess, let me know.” Before he could stop her, or think to move off the bed, Alice was gone and jogged back to her room, the tears pouring down her cheeks.

Groaning, Mark, who had risen to a sitting position when she had bolted, flopped back onto the bed, and ran a hand down his face, exhaling loudly. Done with the Princess… he had no idea how that was going to work out. He had been rebuffing her for a few months now. Cursing, he rolled onto his stomach, willing away the erection. Thinking about Stephanie did it.

“Fuck me…”

Chapter 65

“I’m sick of this Alliance crap, this invasion crap…so what I’m proposing is at Survivor Series, there’s one match to determine which entity will finally survive.” Vince announced in the ring to kick of Raw Is War, with his lovely wife Linda McMahon, while Stephanie and Shane stayed up on the stage away from their parents.

“You wanna put it all on the line? YOU’RE ON!” Shane shouted in the microphone, feeling his anger rising at everything their parents said to them.

Stephanie blinked, staring up at her brother in shock, not believing he just put their entire Alliance on the line at Survivor Series. She quickly jolted out of the shock and cheered her brother on, nodding, knowing they would be the surviving team and WWF would be out of business forever.

Vince wasn’t standing in the shadows anymore and had come out with guns blazing. Alice knew this would change the complexion of the industry forever and wondered where that left her and Mark, especially after their meeting last night. Would he still go after Stephanie for the tape? Or would he go a different direction now that Vince had changed the game?

“The old man has finally lost his mind.”

“Nah, this is a good thing.”

Mostly, Mark amended in his head. Like the others, he had gathered in the hallway to catch the news on one of the big screens backstage. He could hear their coworkers discussing this turn of events, more than a few of them debating how this could play out. There was a genuine fear that Shane and Stephanie could take over. Well, this changed things a bit, didn’t it? Even if Vince won though… he had a feeling Stephanie would still use that tape, she was just that spiteful.

“There is no way the Alliance is winning. Though I am curious who Vince will choose for his team.” Survivor Series would either mean the beginning or the end of WWF. “This is huge!”

“Huge stakes for sure. I don’t know what they’re gonna do about all the champions. Maybe they’ll unify the titles?”

“WCW never had a women’s champion, so that wouldn’t be possible for the women’s division.” Alice pointed out, trying to wrap her mind around this and looked down the hall, spotting Mark.

Would she really let a tape of footage of her being raped stop her from being with the man she loved? The Alliance would die at the Survivor Series and WWF would come out triumphant. Vince had something up his sleeve, the man didn’t take risks for the hell of it. He even said during his promo it was a CALCULATED risk. Just like this was about to be a calculated risk from her. Tossing all caution to the wind, not caring what the consequences would be, Alice jogged down the hall where Mark stood and leapt into his arms, her mouth instantly finding his…in front of everyone.

“No sneaking around, we’re together and they can show the tape to anyone they want. You know about it, so they can’t hold it over my head anymore, not when it comes to you.” She mumbled against his lips, feeling his arms tighten around her and the biggest smile spread across her face, hugging him tightly around the neck. “I love you, Deadman.”

Lita smirked and nudged Trish, who was blubbering with tissues, nodding her head in approval.

Mark was grinning broadly, more than slightly surprised to find Alice in his arms like this, but he was definitely not about to complain about it either. “I love you too, darlin’.” He rumbled, waiting until she raised her head before capturing her lips in another searing kiss.

Oh really… oh fucking really! Apparently, everyone was losing their damn minds tonight. Scoffing, Stephanie disappeared alongside of Shane, heading for their section of the arena. “Are you really going to let her get away with that?!” She demanded in a somewhat shrill voice, tossing her thumb over her shoulder to point back at Alice CLEARLY defying them.

“Stephanie, I have bigger things to worry about than some fucking whore.” Like, this winner take all coming up. Shane could END his father once and for all.

This was a big ‘fuck you’ to Shane, Stephanie, and Dallas along with anyone else who didn’t condone them being together. When Mark set her down, Vince had walked up to them and she clutched her man’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“So, I see you’ve overcome your demons and found where you belong, Alice?”

“Yes sir.” Alice leaned her head against Mark’s arm, not a hint of fear or trepidation in her eyes. “And I know the WWF will win at Survivor Series.”

“You should because we WILL survive.” Vince’s eyes moved to Mark, noticing a huge weight had lifted off the big man now that he was back with the redhead. “Mark, you and Glenn will be on Team WWF. I will let you know who else will be on our team in time. I have some thinking to do. But you and Glenn definitely.” They were on Team WWF going into Invasion; Vince had no doubt in his mind they would kick ass and takes names at Survivor Series. “Come sweetheart, we have a lot to discuss.” He wanted his wife’s input.

Alice turned to face Glenn, walking up to him and watched his head tilt to the side, his eyes unreadable. “I owe you a huge apology for what I did and for alienating you and Teresa. I was in a bad place and I hope you can forgive me, Glenn. I’m really sorry for not letting you guys help me and I promise I won’t do it again.”

Glenn’s response was to totally muss up her hair. He ignored her shrieks and squeals, messing it up good and proper. “Forgiven.”

Mark’s jaw hit the floor, watching his friend walk away and shook his head. “He’s having issues.” He said apologetically, knowing Glenn was suffering from apparent pregnancy sympathy, which made him a total bitch to deal with sometimes. Mark had taken to slipping his best friend Midol.

“Hey, if messing up my hair is enough to be forgiven, I’m good with it.” Alice flipped her head forward and then back, fluffing it up a little to give it a wild look. She didn’t care, she was back with the man she loved and this time, nobody would split them up. “I know you have a match with Glenn against Booker T and Test tonight.” Reaching up, she caressed his cheek with the back of her hand and smiled. “Mind if I hang out in your dressing room until it’s time to leave?” Her training session was already done, and she was freshly showered, not having anything planned on the show that night.

“Probably be a good idea if you did, Red.” He agreed and hadn’t missed Stephanie slinking off after her brother, hating the feeling in the pit of his stomach. Vince had finally gotten his balls back and was apparently out to reclaim his company, but they had a ways to go until then. He wrapped his arm around Alice’s shoulders, guiding her down the hallway. “Feeling better?”

“Say that again.” Alice had stopped mid-step and looked up at Mark, grey eyes sparkling. “What you just called me, say that again.” Her eyes slowly closed when he repeated the special nickname he came up for her and opened her eyes again. “I’m feeling fantastic now.” Crooking her finger, Mark bent down enough for her to lean up to brush her lips against his and then continued walking again toward his dressing room. “I know you had a plan for that Princess whore, but I couldn’t let you do it. I know I said I wouldn’t stop you, but…after Vince’s announcement, there’s no reason for you to go through with it.”

“Red.” He said it again, just to see the sparkle in those beautiful, haunting grey eyes of hers. “If it ever crossed your mind that my plans involved sleepin’ with that slut, just know that was not anywhere close to bein’ on the agenda.” He had been there before, but now it was a whole new ballgame and that harpy bitch was an entirely different person. “And as much as I hate sayin’ it, with all this out now, don’t be surprised if she attacks with whatever means she has left.” Though, if Page even so much as breathed in Alice’s general direction, he was going to kill the son of a bitch. That was still in the top three of his ‘to do’ list.

“We’ll get through it and we’ll overcome whatever that whore throws at us.” Alice stated confidently, squealing when he lifted her as soon as they were inside his locker room and wrapped her arms around his neck, her forehead resting against his. “She can throw the world at us.” She still couldn’t believe Mark forgave her for everything she’d done, everything she’d put him through. “Even if the Alliance somehow miraculously wins at Survivor Series, we’re still together despite them and everything they’ve done to us. I don’t want to lose you again, that’s all I know.”

“You won’t.” He said confidently, then hesitated. Well, not by his choice anyway. Alice had proved she was a flight risk, not that he blamed her. He would have run for the hills too, if he had been in her shoes. “And they ain’t winnin’, not this time.” Mark snorted, sounding overly arrogant, but he didn’t care. He and Kane would be leading this charge, there would be no backstabbing like there had been with that snake Austin.

If only that were true. Alice and Mark didn’t realize it, but Vince had an ace up his sleeve he wasn’t sharing with anyone, not even his most trusted and loyal. At the moment, however, all they were focused on were each other and enjoying the brief time they had. There was a lot – A LOT – to make up for and Alice would do it, no matter what she had to do. Eventually, Mark did have to set her down and get ready for his match with Glenn, who had joined them. In time, she would have to make things right with Teresa as well, but all Alice could do was take one step at a time. Kissing Mark quickly, they walked out to go do their match with Booker T and Test and Alice immediately locked the door behind them. She wasn’t THAT stupid to leave it unlocked.

~!~

“What the HELL is that bullshit, Shane?! She’s not supposed to be with him! She’s supposed to be with me and you told me if I gave her enough time, she would come to me!” Dallas screamed, shoving his boss against the wall, and put his finger in his face. “SHE’S MINE!”

Stephanie had informed Dallas what she, along with a lot of others, witnessed that night with Mark and the redheaded slut. Shane was not in the mood to deal with this psychopath. Of course, he had lied through his teeth to Page, but the idiot, in his delirium, had believed it. As if Alice would ever willingly go to the man after he had brutally raped her! Page really was a fuckwit and Shane made a mental note to fire him after Survivor Series. Once victory was in the bag, he’d have no need of this lunatic has-been.

“Now, Page,” He stated evenly, moving his hands down to the other man’s, working on prying those fingers off his designer suit jacket. “It’s only been a few months, and she has been-”

“Sleeping with Calaway, which was not the deal.” Stephanie supplied sweetly, not being helpful at all.

“You told me, you PROMISED, she would be mine, McMahon! You’re not living up to your word!” Dallas growled, clenching his fists tightly at his sides and narrowed his icy blues at his boss. “You will make this right.” It was an order, not a request. He didn’t request anything, not when it came to Alice. His sweet, delectable Alice. “This was YOUR idea to do what we did – to hold that tape over her head and apparently, it’s not working anymore. You’ve lost your power over her and you need to get it back! Or I’ll take matters into my own hands!”

Stephanie liked the sound of that, grinning from ear to ear.

“Or maybe I’ll just fire you instead of waiting until after Survivor Series and call my sister’s husband to inform him what she’s been doing WITHIN the Alliance. And what she’s been trying to pull with Calaway.”

Stephanie’s jaw dropped, no longer amused and a hint of fear entered her eyes. “Excuse me?!”

Shane still had some power and it revolved around everything he knew about his sister whoring herself out to half the Alliance locker room. “You heard me, SIS. I wonder what Hunter would think about you acting like a whore to Calaway and using a tape of a woman being raped as a means to keep her away from a man that’s NOT and never will be yours?”

“Y-You wouldn’t…”

“Try me.” Shane wasn’t dealing with this anymore. “I’m having the tapes destroyed, all of them. I suggest you two find another hobby and someone else’s life to make miserable.” He left the room, getting the last word in while his sister’s shrieks sounded behind him.

Hunter had threatened to divorce her on multiple occasions and Stephanie refused to allow that to happen. NOBODY left HER. Granted, he had married her for power and, out of a sake of obligation, after she had spewed some feel like a virgin malarkey, but he was usually pretty wrapped. This wouldn’t fly, and her eyes narrowed, not helped by Dallas cupping his hand over her mouth to shut her up.

“Now my sweet, sweet Stephy,” He said slowly, his voice pure ice. “I know you well enough, sugar, to know you have… a backup or two up them pretty sleeves of yours.”

She stared at him for a moment before smiling against his palm.

Dallas backed her up slowly until her back hit the wall, planting both of her arms up above her head while keeping his eyes locked on her. “Tell me what your backup plan is.” He ordered, removing his other hand from her mouth and slipped his hand beneath the skirt she had on. “Now.”

This wasn’t the first time Stephanie had willingly parted her legs for an Alliance member and it wouldn’t be the last, gasping at his finger caressing her. “I – um – I do, but I don’t know if I-I should tell you…” She panted like a bitch in heat, keeping her arms above her head while Dallas continued his assault on her raging body.

Yes she would, Stephanie would go off like a geyser as Dallas pulled his fingers away from her to whip her around, pushing his tights down and bent her over. “You sure you don’t wanna tell me?” He growled in her ear, teasing her with the tip of his cock and felt her shiver against him. This wasn’t the first time they’d had a round – Alice would understand once all was said and done.

“Fuck me and then I’ll tell you.”

Smirking at her playing hard to get strategy, Dallas decided to go along with the game for now and began pounding into her, holding the back of her neck while joining their bodies. “Tell me.” His fingers buried in her hair, yanking her back and slammed into her harder. “Or I won’t make you cum like you want to, my little slut.”

Purring, Stephanie whimpered and dug her nails into the wall, wondering why Alice didn’t want to be with this man. She didn’t know what she was missing! “A-A tape…oh god make me cum…I have one of the tapes…”

“Good girl, now you’ll get your prize.”

Slapping a hand over her mouth, his thrusts came hard, fast, and deep, feeling her cumming for him like the loose bitch she was in no time. Nothing compared to Alice’s tight pussy he’d had the pleasure of having repeatedly for an entire night. Stephanie was too loose for his liking, but if fucking her gained him access to bringing Alice back to him, he’d do it with a demented smile on his face. Stephanie walked out of the room, straightening her skirt and hair, trying to act like she wasn’t just fucked by Diamond Dallas Page.

Chapter 66

A knock sounded at Mark’s dressing room door, making Alice immediately wary. When she asked who it was and heard Torrie’s voice, she opened it without hesitation and let her inside. “I’m glad you’re still here. There’s something you need to know…and see.”

“Okay…”

Pulling out her videotape recorder she brought on the road with her to chronologize her journey in the WWF, Torrie pressed the play button. It was footage of Stephanie stumbling out of Shane’s office, straightening herself out. Not even a minute later, Dallas emerged, looking quite sweaty and a little out of sorts, zipping his pants up.

It did not take long for the pieces to fall into place. “Holy shit.” Alice looked at Torrie in shock and then back at the camcorder, wondering how her friend hadn’t been caught.

“They’re fucking each other, Alice. I couldn’t get close enough, but I clearly heard them going at it.” Torrie made a disgusted face, which mirrored Alice’s. “If you could somehow catch them in the act…”

“It would be over. The blackmail would be over. There’s no way Triple H would forgive her for that let alone her parents.” Alice began pacing back and forth, chewing her thumbnail thoughtfully. “But how can we catch them in the act? If anyone sees me in the WCW hall, or you, we’re fucked…”

“We need a spy definitely, someone they would never suspect and…I think I have the perfect person in mind.”

Alice listened in, raising a very slow brow, and wondered if Torrie was crazy, suicidal or a genius. “Do you think she’ll do it?”

“Considering everything that’s happened to her since she came into the Alliance, plus what her husband has done, I don’t doubt it.” Torrie may have been over-confident, but this particular person had a vendetta to settle with the Alliance and her loving abusive husband. “Only one way to find out though.”

They would have to talk to Debra, Mrs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, privately.

The trick was catching Debra alone. The woman was rarely without her husband and, ever since Austin had come back on the road, after the events in Texas, she had been kept to his side like glue. Debra had been left in that burning house, after Alice had nailed her, and rescued by someone who was not Alliance. Debra held no love for the Alliance and she wasn’t overly fond of her abusive husband, who had made her do a lot of things she had argued against, each time getting her ass handed to her for it. Needless to say, Debra was very isolated, afraid, and lonely. She had only one person in this world who didn’t think she was some kind of backstabbing whore and that was the guy who had turned her into one.

“The only problem is getting her alone long enough to talk to her…”

Torrie thought about it for a minute and sighed, suspecting the next suggestion to come out of her mouth wouldn’t go over smoothly. “Stacy.”

“What about her?”

“She’s still with the Alliance and talks to Debra all the time…”

“I just kicked her ass at No Mercy and besides, she’s slutting it up with the Dudley Boys…”

Torrie shook her head sadly. “Shane forced her to do it. Stacy has been trying to survive like me and you, Alice. I know you don’t trust her, but we’ve all been friends and she’s not mad at you for what happened at No Mercy. You should give her a chance.”

Alice had a hard time believing what she was hearing, eyeballing Torrie’s slung arm. “Did you suddenly forget what SHE suggested the Dudley’s to do to you…and to me?” Though honestly, the Dudley’s had been after her ever since she embarrassed them.

“No, but again…that was Shane and Stephanie. They wanted her to prove her loyalty to them by hurting me, her friend. Same with you. She came to me crying last night, Allie.” Torrie admitted, remembering opening her hotel room door and Stacy stood there with bloodshot eyes and a heartbroken frown. “I listened to what she had to say. I think she’d be our ticket to get to Debra. Hell, she might even be inclined to helps us bring Stephanie down.”

“If you trust her, I suppose I can at least listen to what she has to say.”

“We’ll have to do it tonight, meet her at a hotel. She’s not staying with the WCW crew anymore, she started going to those little… well, roach trap places.” Torrie admitted quietly with a shudder. “That match you went out with Big Show for, Shane got a hold of her that night, told her how things were to ‘play out’. Things are… okay under Shane’s control. Trust me, Allie, she never stopped being our friend, but…” Torrie shrugged, thankful she had Tajiri to help her get away while Alice had found safety with Mark and Glenn. Not too many people had been willing to step up and see what was going on. “She’ll be our way to Debra, and both of them have a lot to gain by Vince being in charge and all this shit with Shane and Stephanie gone.” Hell, who didn’t these days? “We just need more proof. Stephanie sleeps around, but we need evidence… I heard her husband is um… scary?” She had no idea if that was true, but Stephanie had seemed terrified of him finding out. Torrie knew that because she had heard Shane taunting his sister with that threat.

Tonight was supposed to be her reconciliation with Mark. They were together again, and she wanted to be with him, to sleep in his arms, to have him make love to her. However, this was a tad more important because, if they could get Stacy and Debra to help them bring Stephanie down, Alice would never have to look over her shoulder again. She could be completely happy with Mark, Torrie could be happy with Tajiri or whoever she wanted to be with and so could Stacy. Maybe they could get Stacy into the WWF, if she helped them with Stephanie. Debra would probably be welcomed back into the company with open arms…Vince seemed like a forgiving man…to an extent.

“I don’t want Mark involved in this. If we’re doing this, it’s gonna be me, you, Stacy and Debra against Stephanie and Dallas.”

“Agreed, the less people know, especially the WWF guys, the better. Besides, they have enough on their plate with the match coming up at Survivor Series.”

“Just let Mark know you’re going to keep a low profile for a few more nights.”

She had witnessed that little reconciliation the two had in the hallway, who hadn’t? Torrie was pretty sure, after everything Alice had been through and, with this new changeup with Vince, Mark would understand. Hell, everyone knew out of the McMahon siblings, Stephanie was the loose cannon, so it made sense for Alice to lay low and let Stephanie cool her jets.

“Or… whatever you want to tell him.” She shrugged finally, not entirely sure what her friend would say, but… the sooner they got this done, the better off everyone would be.

“No, lying to him isn’t an option.” Alice had kept enough from him for too long and starting their relationship fresh on a lie would not end well. “I’m going to tell him the truth and he’s going to comply with what I want to do.”

Mark wouldn’t be happy with letting her handle this, but Torrie was right. He had to keep focused on the Survivor Series match. He could protect her from Page, but when it came to catching Stephanie and Dallas in the act, that would take a little finesse.

“I’ll convince him this is the right thing to do. Just tell me where and when you want to meet to go see Stacy after the show.”

Torrie nodded, giving her an address they could meet up together at and then drive to Stacy’s motel without any suspicion.

Bunch of cheating fuckers… Glenn was less than amused when they came backstage, fresh off their match. He was holding his jaw, mask now off, pretty sure his face was bruising when they had stomped on him, pushing the edge of that mask into flesh. Mark was in a VERY good mood, cheating fuckers or not. He knew it was stupid, being as happy as he was, especially with all the problems going on around them and the potential of what could happen, but… he was.

“Don’t worry, you’re still pretty.”

Alice wished she were in as good of a mood as Mark, but not after Torrie’s visit. Pure determination shined in her eyes and face while she paced, stopping as soon as the door opened. Poor Glenn had gotten it hard from Test, but the Brothers of Destruction had won the match, which was all that mattered.

“We need to talk. It’s nothing bad, but…you might not like it either.”

“For fuck’s sake, are you with him or not?” Glenn demanded irritably, really not wanting to deal with a depressed Mark ever again. He had enough going on with a depressed, lunatic pregnant wife at home.

“Of course I am! No – No, it’s nothing like that, I promise!” She saw the slight panic cross Mark’s face and wanted to set his mind at ease, pulling his face down for a passionate kiss. “I’m yours, I’m not leaving or going anywhere. Well…technically I am tonight, but I won’t be gone more than 2 hours…3 tops…”

“What the hell is going on now, Alice?”

“Torrie came to me with some VERY interesting information and footage. Apparently, the Princess whore is bumping uglies with Page.”

Glenn had to turn and grab the nearest trashcan, cursing his wife and her inability to remember her birth control, that he paid for like a gentleman, and get them BOTH pregnant. “FUCKING GROSS!” He spewed, both the vomit and the nastiness she had mentioned.

Mark shrugged at the look on her face. “He’s gotta work out all the time now too, or else he gets bitch tits.” He sighed, pulling her into his lap as he dropped into a chair. “And what’s your game plan for this info, Red?”

This was the part Alice knew he wouldn’t like.

“We need to catch Page and Stephanie in the act. In order to do that, we need an inside person…or two…from the Alliance. Torrie explained to me what’s been going on with Stacy. She’s terrified of the Alliance and Shane forced her with the Dudley Boys. Shane also forced her to convince the Dudley’s to put Torrie through a table as well as me. Apparently, she’s been staying at a motel that’s not…it’s bad and I’ll leave it at that. We want to go talk to her tonight after the show…just me and Torrie.” She stressed that point, lowering her eyes from Mark to look down at her lap. “If all goes well with the talk with Stacy, which it should, then we’re going to convince Stacy to get Debra’s help. She’s the one NOBODY would suspect to turn on the Alliance because of her husband. But she’s terrified of Austin and has wanted to get away from him for a while now, ever since she was left alone in the hospital in Houston. If this all works out the way we want it too, we can be together without any blackmail or anything hovering over us, Mark. We can be happy, and Page will be out of our lives forever. Stephanie too.”

Because there was no way Stephanie wouldn’t bow down to whatever demands the women had once they got the footage they needed. He was going to assume the part she stressed about her and Torrie only was something she was expecting him to have a fit over. Under normal circumstances he probably would have, but… These last few months after everything that had happened he knew he had to let her do things her way.

“All right Alice.” Mark nodded in agreement, albeit reluctantly. “You call me if you need me.”

“I didn’t want to keep this from you. And it’s not that I don’t need your help, but…I don’t think there’s much you can do, no offense. This is going to require a feminine touch and Stacy knows me. She’s friends with Debra. It’s just better if the women deal with this situation and I will ask for your help if I need it.” Alice breathed a sigh of relief, thankful he wasn’t fighting her on this and rubbed her nose gently against his. “Regardless, I’m staying with you and traveling with you. Just give me a couple hours tonight to talk to Stacy with Torrie and I’m all yours.”

Debra… the last time Alice had encountered Debra, it hadn’t ended well. He wondered if Debra would actually be inclined to discuss anything with the younger woman. Sighing, he stroked his chin, staring down at her thoughtfully.

“How’re you going to get Debra on your side?” He asked quietly, wondering what her approach would be.

“Torrie thinks Stacy can do it. She’s not going to listen to anything I have to say after what I did to her. Torrie thinks if Stacy talks to Debra into bringing Stephanie down along with Page, it’ll get her away from the Alliance and Austin.” Personally, Alice thought Debra should file for divorce and leave the abusive dick, but that wasn’t her problem. “Stacy and Debra are friends, I guess. They’ve been talking and relying on each other while in the Alliance.”

If rumors were true about what was going on down those corridors, Mark didn’t blame them. Sounded like they both needed someone on their respective sides. “All right.” Mark pulled her back into his arms, holding her tightly against him and buried his face in her hair. “I’m not kiddin’, if you need help, you call or text me, got it?”

“I promise I will. And I’ll be careful.” Alice murmured, hearing the concern in his voice, but this was something she had to do. If they wanted to be together without any obstacles or problems in their way, Stephanie and Page had to go. Shane seemed to have tapered off and focused more on bringing Vince down than her, which was a plus. “I love you.” Glenn had left the locker room to answer his ringing cell phone, which was more than likely Teresa. Kissing him again, Alice pulled the straps of his tights down his arms to hug around his waist, exposing his delicious sweaty bare chest. “I think I need a shower, Deadman…” Pulling away from him, she took her top off and let it float to the floor along with her bra, winking at him over her shoulder. He could only see her mostly covered back, thanks to her hair, and arms. “Care to join me?”

That was an offer he couldn’t refuse, and Mark stood up. In the back of his mind, he did have to wonder if this was a good idea, if they weren’t gearing up for some major hurting, but… at the same time, he wasn’t about to pass this up.

“Hey man.” Glenn walked back in. “I’m going to bail- what the fuck is your dick poking out for?”

Cursing, Mark snatched up Glenn’s bag, knowing that’s what he had come back for and tossed it at the bigger man. “Leave.”

“Yep.” He was gone.

“Bitch tits.” He hissed, shaking his head, and trailed after his Red.

Chapter 67

By the time Mark stepped into the shower, Alice was completely naked and engulfed in the sprays, the water cascading down her beautiful slightly muscular body. She felt Mark come up behind her and moved her hair to drape over one shoulder, revealing her the tattoo across her shoulder blades. “Mmm…” She moaned as soon as his lips began to trace the ink, his tongue snaking out only enhancing the fire raging inside her body. “I missed you so much and that feels amazing…”

She loved his hands, how much power they held and yet, he remained gentle with her in his caressing and massaging. Alice felt… so different, and his hands were getting reacquainted with her body, memorizing how her muscles definitely had more definition these days. The tattoo was new, he had seen it a time or two since she had been back, but never this close. Obviously, it meant something personal to her, and he sort of got it, overcome. She had done that and still had plenty more to overcome yet.

“I love you.” He whispered in her ear before kissing his way down the column of her throat and then nipping at her pulse point.

“I love you too.” It was incredible how her body instantly knew his touch and responded to him as she turned to glide her nails down his chest. “I know I’ve changed, but I’m not too muscular for you now, am I?” She tried to sound teasing, but honestly, Alice was afraid Mark wouldn’t think of her the same now that her curves had hardened into muscle.

They were still there, just not as soft as they used to be. Mark had started working out harder in the gym as well, his own body feeling a bit different and more muscular, toned. It was a very good change. Mark considered her, stepping away as far as he could and took her in. The shower sprays cascaded down on her muscular yet still feminine body, water running down in rivulets… his eyes trailed those areas, taking in her stomach, her hips, those damn delicious legs. He didn’t have to answer really vocally, his cock was rising to the occasion, letting her know that she definitely wasn’t too muscular for him.

“You’re gorgeous, Alice.” He complimented thickly, rumbling his appreciation at the view.

Biting her bottom lip, Alice felt another wave of heat flood throughout her body at his intense, appreciative gaze and reached out to wrap her small hand around his thick shaft. Lowering herself to her knees in front of him, Alice moved her head forward and suddenly…a flashback from her assault and rape happened. Dallas straddling her face, driving his cock in and out of her mouth roughly, to the point of nearly splitting her jaw in half. Mark was with her, not Dallas and Alice knew that, but she couldn’t pleasure him orally. Dallas had ruined that for her and she was just now figuring it out, backing away shaking her head repeatedly.

“I-I can’t…No, I can’t…I’m sorry.” Hopping out of the shower, Alice wrapped a towel around her body, trembling from head to toe. “Fuck…”

Dropping to her knees, she buried her face in her hands and cried, hating what Dallas did to her and how much he’d emotionally and mentally scarred her. At first, all he could do was stare at the wall, his jaw on the floor along with his now screaming, aching balls. His first reaction was to have a bit of a meltdown because it had been a very long time. Mark hadn’t even jerked his own cock since they had separated. Once that had passed and common sense, and the ice water, had kicked in, he stepped out of the shower and knelt down before her, frowning as he reached out slowly, hesitantly to touch her shoulder.

“Alice?” He was guessing she was having issues due to what that son of a bitch had done to her.

This was just reinforcing his resolve to murder Page.

“Why? Why did he do this to me? Why couldn’t they just leave me alone?! I-I’ve gotten better…I’m getting there, I just…I’m so sorry, Mark. I can’t do it…”

Why would Mark want to be with a crying blubbering idiot like her? Alice was nothing more than damaged goods thanks to Dallas, Stephanie, and Shane. They had destroyed her ability to give the man she loved a proper blowjob and she hated them for it. Every single one of them.

“I-I’ll get better…I just need a little more time…” She didn’t know if she was trying to convince him or herself, but Alice didn’t want to lose him simply because she couldn’t do a simple thing in the bedroom any more like a blowjob.

He dropped his naked backside on the locker room bathroom floor and pulled her into his arms, gently and slowly, giving her a chance to pull away or stop him, until he was cradling her like she was a small child. Gently, Mark began rocking her, stroking her hair and back, both hearing and feeling her body wracking sobs. He’d just have to show her with actions that he could wait. Mark wasn’t angry, and he loved her unconditionally. They’d get through this. Page wouldn’t. Page was a dead man walking. Stephanie… he was seriously changing his stance about hurting a woman. Surely killing her would be doing everyone a favor. That bitch brought nothing but misery.

It felt like hours, but really only minutes, before Alice finally calmed down enough to sag against Mark, hiccoughing. She hated how she’d broken down over something as simple as a blowjob. What the hell was she thinking trying to have sex with Mark after what happened to her? Alice wasn’t ready – that much was obvious. She thought she could forget what happened to her, but the thought of sex honestly scared the hell out of her. It’d been over 2 months since the rape and Alice had focused primarily on her career, strengthening her body, and becoming a force to be reckoned with in the ring. Sex had been the last thing on her mind…until Mark pulled her into a dark dressing room and kissed the breath out of her. Now…Alice found herself terrified of intimacy and felt fresh tears slide down her cheeks, not knowing what to do about this.

He knew exactly what he would be doing. Mark wouldn’t be pulling her into dark rooms and assaulting her lips anymore. Obviously, that didn’t help her any. She had been raped and didn’t need him thinking and acting on orders given from his dick. They’d get through this, one step at a time, and maybe… maybe after the McMahons and Page had been dealt with, maybe Alice would need to see a shrink or something. As much as she had overcome already, some things just couldn’t be solved in that ring.

~!~

“Are you okay?”

Alice shook her head, slipping in the driver’s seat while Torrie scooted over into the passenger because of her injured arm. “No. I…had a meltdown with Mark in the shower earlier after his match. I tried to…get back on the horse, so to speak and failed.” She had let Mark comfort her for a bit and then they both stood up, dressed, and she left to meet up with Torrie after promising to go to Mark’s room after their talk with Stacy. “I just need a little more time…”

Torrie frowned, wondering if time was what her friend needed or something more. The poor woman had been raped by Diamond Dallas Page, of all people, and Stephanie and Shane had recorded it. Now she was afraid of intimacy and rightfully so. Who the hell wouldn’t be?

“Stacy knows we’re coming, I called her earlier at the arena and she said she’s willing to talk to you. I didn’t tell her why though.”

“Good, hopefully she doesn’t give us a hard time and helps us pull this off.”

“Stacy’s pretty forgiving with her friends, so I don’t think she will.” Torrie assured her softly, trying to assure her Stacy was on their side. “Sweetie, I know it’s none of my business, not really, but… well, we’re friends and you’re my best friend.” She glanced over at Alice, gnawing her bottom lip. “Maybe you need to see someone like… a therapist. They have therapists who deal with what you went through.” Well, maybe not the videotaping part of it, but the gist was the same.

“I know…and I’m gonna see someone about it. I have to talk about what happened or I’ll never get over it. I just want to be happy with Mark. I love him. I just hope he’s patient with me because I won’t be able to be intimate with him right out the gate.”

Alice had thought long and hard about this, deciding some therapy would do her good. It wouldn’t be easy to talk about the rape, but maybe if she did, she’d have some kind of closure with it. Being an ex-stripper turned professional wrestler, the therapist would probably laugh at her, but Alice had to do something before she lost Mark forever.

“That man loves you, Alice.” Torrie stated confidently, not an ounce of opposition in her tone.

She didn’t know him very well, but she had seen the way he had been looking at Alice all this time, and the way he had been since she had returned. Hell, she had even caught him watching Alice during her training sessions, she just never said anything about it. Torrie had a feeling Mark would be supportive over whatever Alice wanted to do. If he were any sort of decent human being, after what had happened to Alice, he’d be her personal cheerleader.

“I don’t think patience is going to be a problem.”

The rest of the ride was made in silence and they arrived about 20 minutes later on the outskirts of the city. Alice cut the ignition and looked at Torrie, worry shining in both of their eyes. This motel was grungy looking from the outside, so they couldn’t imagine what it looked like on the inside. Poor Stacy, Alice thought, stepping out of the vehicle, and immediately stuck to Torrie’s side, having her can of mace in hand. They went to the room number Stacy gave Torrie and knocked three times in a rhythm, both being yanked inside moments later with the door deadbolted. Stacy looked terrified out of her mind and…were those bruises on her arms?

“D-Did anyone follow you?” Stacy demanded somewhat hoarsely, unable to meet her friends’ eyes while staring at the door, waiting for it to be broken down.

“Stacy, what happened to you? Are you okay?”

“Do I LOOK okay?!”

No, no she didn’t.

“I told them I didn’t want to do this anymore,” Stacy whimpered, shaking her head, and backed away from the door. “I’m tired of having to help hurt my friends.” With Vince’s challenge… Shane was now ordering people taken out, including women. He figured if they were all hurt, winning that take-all match would be a cinch. “I HATE what they make me do, and being afraid…” She winced when Torrie held out her arms, staring at the floor. “I told the Dudley’s they could find a new Duchess…” That hadn’t gone over well.

Alice’s heart broke for Stacy and she stepped up to her, wrapping her arms around her neck to hug her tightly. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, Stace.”

It wasn’t a surprise when the battered woman broke down completely and admitted what the Dudley’s did to her. They gang raped her, which was the reason she started getting her own room in the sleaziest motels she could find in the cities they stayed in. They had gotten to her several times, breaking into her hotel room, and even raped her in her sleep. Alice and Torrie cried with her, not believing what the Alliance had done to the women of WCW.

“I-I was so ashamed…I didn’t know what to do or how to tell you guys what was going on…”

“All of this is coming to an end – all of it.”

Nodding, Stacy stepped away from them and wrapped her arms around herself again. “The stuff they had us doing to you guys, I never wanted to do it, but I didn’t have a choice. Hell, I should have stood up to them or left like you guys,” She snorted bitterly, angry with herself for being weak. “But I thought, if I went along with it, they’d stop hurting me and leave me alone.”

That had worked out great...NOT! She moved away from the door long enough to grab the cheap dresser and pushed it in front of the door, not taking any chances. Those fuckers would have to earn it.

“So what’s this all about?”

“First, you need to watch the footage Torrie has and then we’ll explain.” Alice nodded to Torrie to hand over the camcorder and took a chance to sit on one of the only chairs in the room while Torrie sat on the bed.

Raising a brow, Stacy pressed play and watched the footage, her eyeballs nearly falling out of her head and her jaw dropping. “Oh my GOD!”

“Pretty fucked up, isn’t it?” Torrie muttered, taking the camcorder back and turned it off, not risking the footage being destroyed. “Stephanie and Dallas have been fucking and…” She trailed off, seeing the guilt-ridden look on her friend’s face and the realization dawned on her. “You know about them, don’t you?”

“Stephanie’s been working her way through the Alliance and fucks anyone who is willing to bring Chris Jericho down. She HATES him and wants him gone out of the company forever.” Stacy wrapped her arms around herself, beginning to pace back and forth. “You plan on using that as leverage against her and Page, don’t you?”

“That footage won’t be enough, even though it’s obvious. We need SOLID proof.”

“And how do you expect to get that?”

“By catching them in the act.”

It suddenly clicked why they were here, why they needed her, and Stacy’s eyes widened and then narrowed, her thin shoulders falling. “They don’t trust me, I told you… I told them I wanted out.” There was no way she was going to be able to make it down a WCW corridor anymore without being regarded with suspicion. “I don’t know what I can do… I can try to get, um, evidence…” Stephanie was such a sick bitch… it made her feel green around the gills.

“We understand they don’t trust YOU, but there is one other woman in the Alliance they DO trust.”

Stacy had to think about it for a minute and felt her eyes widen all over again. “Wait a minute…you don’t mean…”

“Who else has been abused in the Alliance? Who else has been aching to get away from her abusive defecting husband?”

“Mrs. Stone Cold Steve Austin herself and Torrie told me you two are friends.”

It was true. Stacy had helped Debra eavesdrop on Torrie a time or two, against her will, both of them forced to do it. “We’re not THAT close, but…you want me to convince her to turn against the Alliance and help us bring Stephanie down, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“She is the only one who can get close enough to maybe plant a device in Stephanie’s office wherever the shows are. They won’t suspect her.”

“Ew you want to film them having sex?” Now Stacy was going to be sick.

“Can you think of a better way to bring Stephanie down? If so, I’m all ears, Keibler.”

“I’ll leave those ideas to you, thanks.” Stacy grunted dryly, shaking her head. As far as she was concerned, she was going to cut her hair, become a virgin ala Catholic style, and join a convent as a nun. “I think Debra will do it.” She said finally, mulling it over. “If I ask.” Debra was pretty sure Alice was out to kill her after that burning house incident, where she had been hit in the head and basically left for dead. “She wants away from Austin, he’s… he’s not a nice person.” Debra had said he used to be sweet and charming… Stacy didn’t want to know what had changed.

“No, he’s not and I don’t blame her. If she gives me a chance, I’ll…apologize for nearly killing her.” Alice muttered that last part, knowing it wouldn’t be easy considering everything Debra had put her through. “Even though she helped that bastard kidnap me…”

“No, you’re not apologizing to her. She’ll help us because she wants the Alliance gone and away from Austin. Stace, just talk to her and explain the situation. Leave Alice out of it, if you want. Tell her I have footage she needs to see and then we’ll take it from there.” Torrie suggested with a smile, trying to ease her friend’s frazzled mind. “And if you want, you can start rooming with me at the hotels the WWF is staying at. You can’t stay in these…places anymore.”

Alice agreed with Torrie on both suggestions, giving her full approval. “The sooner we nail Stephanie and Page, the sooner we can all start being happy and living semi-normal lives again without having to look over our shoulders.”

“Alright…I’ll do it.”

Torrie let out a sigh of relief, having not realized she had been tense. Apparently, she hadn’t expected Stacy to agree so easily. It was obvious the woman was desperate to get out of her situation and Torrie didn’t blame her. What the hell kind of company was Shane McMahon running?

“I don’t get it… if Shane’s letting all this happen…” Her thoughts were voiced slowly, as if she was trying to find the right words. “How does he expect to run EVERYTHING, if they win?”

“What do you mean?”

“People are going to talk eventually and not everyone is going to be on board with his… policies.”

“Oh, that’s easy enough… gag orders.” Stacy shrugged, running her fingers through her limp hair. “Debra has one on her, she’s not allowed to say a word about what happens to her or she can be hauled to court.”

“A gag order!? Seriously?! He put a gag order on her!” Alice gaped along with Torrie, both staring at Stacy like she’d just grown a second head. Shane was a prick, ruthless and diabolical, but to go that far…Alice’s heart really went out to Debra now. “We have to get you and Debra out of that fucking company. I don’t care what we have to do. Stacy, you need to call Debra and tell her to come here. Tonight.”

“Wait…WHAT?!”

“Yeah – WHAT?!”

“This can’t wait. She has a fucking gag order on her not to speak a word about all the abuse she’s suffering. This is wrong, and it can’t go on any longer. I won’t go anywhere, or I’ll hide in the bathroom while you and Torrie talk to her. Explain the situation and then I’ll come out and talk to her.” Alice was fed up with the Alliance, more specifically, Shane and Stephanie McMahon thinking they could rule over people and abuse them without any repercussions. “She needs to get away from her husband, which shouldn’t be hard since the man drinks himself into a stupor every night.”

“True, but…the hotel they’re staying at is ALL Alliance…” Stacy didn’t know if Debra would be able to sneak away long enough to come here. “And what if someone follows her here?”

“I have an idea. Give me a few minutes.” Walking into the bathroom, Alice pulled her cell phone out and dialed the one person she knew would help her in the blink of an eye. “You told me to call if I needed your help, Deadman. And we need it badly.”

Chapter 68

Mark hadn’t been honestly expecting Alice to call him. Not after what had happened in the bathroom earlier. That hadn’t stopped him from waiting on his bed, staring down at the cell phone on the nightstand, fully dressed, boots on, keys and wallet within reach.

“What do you need, Red?” He asked calmly, taking note of her tone, and gathering things were worse than she had originally thought.

She smiled at how alert he was and felt that familiar warmth flood through her at what he called her. “We just found out a lot of…disturbing shit.” That was putting it mildly. “Apparently, Shane has put a gag order on Debra. If she utters a word about what’s going on in the Alliance, including what they’ve done to her, Shane will sue her.” She didn’t want to think of all the horrendous things Steve had done to his wife, knowing him and Mark used to be best friends. “Mark, we need you to pick Debra up. We’re going to call and tell her to go outside of the hotel and you need to be there to get her. When you have her, call and we’ll give you the address on where to go.”

Alice rattled off the Alliance hotel address and instructed him to leave immediately. They wanted him there by the time Debra walked out the door. Walking back out 5 minutes later, Torrie and Stacy looked up at Alice and she nodded.

“Call Debra, tell her to go outside for some air and Mark will be there to pick her up and bring her here.”

Hoping this wasn’t a mistake, Stacy did as she was told and was surprised to discover Debra was willing to come talk to her, not mentioning Torrie or Alice being at her room.

Debra trusted him. He had known her a very long time, before she and Austin had gotten married. Back when she had been Jeff Jarrett’s valet. The woman was dumber than a box of rocks when it came to her men, which was strange as hell because she was, for the most part, pretty smart. When he pulled up to that hotel, he was not surprised to find Debra there, glad he had gone for a lowkey rental instead of his usual motorcycle or big truck.

“Get in, darlin’.” He ordered softly, leaning across the seat, so she could see him through the partially cracked window.

Debra hesitated for only a moment before nodding and opening the door. She glanced backwards, paranoid, before sliding onto the seat and hurriedly closing the door behind her. Since Debra had gone with Mark willingly, there was a very good chance the woman knew who else would be waiting alongside Stacy. A knock sounded at the door about 30 minutes later and Alice was the one to open the door. Stacy was too afraid to do it in case it was the Dudley Boys or Shane McMahon.

“Talk to Stacy and Torrie, Debra. I’ll stay out here with Mark for a minute until you’re ready to talk to me.”

Nodding mutely, Debra hurried inside past the redhead and shut the door, her face coated in thick makeup to hide the bruises Steve inflicted. He called them ‘love taps’. She really hated her husband and had to get away from him before he wound up killing her.

“Thank you.” Alice murmured, looking up into Mark’s beautiful emerald orbs and accepted a very soft kiss from him. “I love you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, needing the comfort right now after what she’d discovered.

“Why is she here?” Debra asked tiredly, tossing her thumb over her shoulder towards the now closed door. She knew Mark, trusted him, had not assumed for a minute Alice would be there. Alice hated her.

Stacy smiled weakly. “We need to talk.” She said, gently taking the older woman by the hand and pulling her further into the room.

“I’ll explain everything.” Torrie added in a promise.

Loosely, Mark wrapped his arms around her, keeping his back to the parking lot to shield her from anyone’s view. “I love you too, darlin’.” He murmured softly, listening as the women inside the room talked quietly.

“The gag order will prevent me from saying anything about Stephanie and Page…” Debra had known about Stephanie whoring herself out to certain Alliance members and refused to do the same thing. Steve would’ve outright killed her if she cheated on him.

“Right, but it doesn’t prevent you from planting a camera in Stephanie’s offices.” Stacy, Torrie, and Alice had sat down to discuss this further to make sure the plan would actually work. “All you have to do is plant the device in Stephanie’s office and hotel room. And make sure you remove it before going onto the next area.”

That would be easy enough for Debra since Stephanie was rarely in her office, except when she had ‘private’ meetings. “You know, Stephanie isn’t just fuckin’ Page. She’s fuckin’ other men too like RVD and Test. I think even Rhyno, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Really?” Torrie looked disgusted, seeing Stacy nod in confirmation and shook her head. “What a slut!”

“She fucks anyone, she is a slut.” Stacy hissed, shaking her head in disgust. “She… I don’t know… she’s just crazy.” There were rumors about Stephanie, and like… 50% of them were true; Stacy knew that for a fact. “Everyone says if her husband was around, she’d be different…” She wished to god Triple H was on the road to handle his psychotic, nymphomaniac wife.

“Okay, so how are we going to do this?” Debra asked quietly, trying not to imagine Stephanie being bent over her desk, shuddering. Her eyes narrowed in on Stacy’s arms, frowning. “They hurt you again, honey?” She asked quietly, wrapping one long, thin arm around Stacy when she just nodded. “Whatever y’all need me to do, I’ll do it.” It was one thing for her stupid old ass to be putting up with this abusive nonsense, but these young girls hadn’t done anything to deserve it.

“One second.” Torrie stood up to open the door and ushered Alice and Mark inside. He wasn’t going anywhere because he would be able to help with this. “First, we need to make sure you’re okay with Alice and Alice is okay with you. We’re all on the same team here. We all want the same thing.”

Debra nodded, hearing rumors through the grapevine about Alice being raped by one of the Alliance members, but nobody had been able to confirm anything. Dallas was keeping his mouth shut due to Shane’s tight leash on him. “I don’t think we’ll be best friends, but I’ll help in any way I can.” Seeing the deep bruises on Stacy cemented that fact.

“Fair enough.” Alice turned to look up at Mark along with the rest of the women and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. “Do you think Glenn would help out with this? We need a…recording device, something that will record Stephanie in the act with Page.”

“Or Rhyno.”

“Or Test.”

“Or RVD – or as I like to call him RV Puke.”

“Glenn’s on board.” Mark assured them unquestionably, knowing his buddy would be down for whatever the women wanted. “Want me to check with Teresa and find out what states this is legal in? Just in case you girls decide to lawyer up?” Some states had iffy recording laws, others had laws where only one party needed to know… just weird stuff, it all varied.

“You won’t need to. It’s a place of employment.” Debra informed him coolly. “If Vince is serious about getting those kids of his in line, he’ll pull that card. If you’re going to let him in on it.”

All Vince would have to do is say ‘security camera’ and nobody would say boo. Debra was a little brighter than Torrie had thought. Maybe Steve hadn’t pounded all those brains out yet.

“That’s perfect, Debra.” It would be the perfect scapegoat for planting a camera in Stephanie’s office at the arenas. “Of course, the Princess can’t know about it. Mark, Vince trusts you above all the others. Would you talk to him and fill him in on what’s going on and what we’re planning?” She was pretty sure the old man would do whatever it took to bring his daughter down. Shane would have to wait, Stephanie was linked to Page intimately and therefore, she took priority.

“How much does Stephanie and Page actually go at it?” Torrie felt nauseous as soon as the question came out of her mouth.

“At least once a night, but he’s been going to her hotel room as well. He’s there now, actually.” Debra shuddered, her and Steve’s room were adjacent to Stephanie’s suite and she could HEAR them going at it prior to Stacy’s phone call. “He wants something from her and she’s not giving it up easily.”

“Too bad we couldn’t plant a camera in her rooms as well. Something tells me she fucks him more at the hotels than anywhere else.”

“I could take care of that…if we had the proper device.”

“Wait, we can!” Stacy was getting excited, knowing they actually had a chance at getting this done, doing this, basically saving themselves from the Alliance for good. “She has a personal assistant, and she’s not very nice to the guy.” He was a gay man, meek and quiet, and took a lot of abuse. “He’s always losing papers and stuff.”

Debra seen where this was going. “And he’s always in the catering area… with everythin’ spread out on a table. We can get her hotel reservations, know what room she’ll be in next and get in there before her.”

Mark grinned down at Alice. “I’ll talk to Vince. What do you think about all this, darlin’?”

She was beaming now, the gleam in her grey eyes ignited and rubbed her hands together. “His name is Samuel, right?” Stacy nodded, and Alice was grinning along with Mark. “I know exactly who you’re talking about.”

She had several lunches in catering with Samuel prior to defecting. He HATED Stephanie and had kept the job because it put food on the table and kept a roof over his family’s head. Stephanie was his meal ticket, but if they could offer Samuel something better in exchange for helping them, this would work out in their favor.

“This sounds fantastic. I can’t wait to bring that whore down and show her she’s NOT invincible.”

“Same here!” Debra was tired of being abused and ridiculed, tears of happiness shining in her eyes. “And when this is said and done, I’m divorcin’ Steve.”

“When this is said and done, we’re all going out for a drink to celebrate.” Stacy didn’t care about her job anymore; it had grown way too personal to be considered just a job, especially after she was gang raped.

“Sounds good to me – let’s show them the women of WCW don’t take shit from anyone!”

“YEAH!”

Mark had no idea how the hell it had happened, but one minute the women were celebrating and cheering, and the next all four of them were hugging and crying on him. Not that he was complaining. They were all beautiful women and he dropped a kiss on Alice’s head, trying not to laugh.

“Okay, okay. What about tonight?” He’d talk to Vince in the morning; maybe they’d sit down, have a cup of coffee together… plot destruction. It’d be like old times.

“We’re all going to have to go back to business as usual… aren’t we? At least for another night or two…” Debra trailed off, glad her husband was usually passed out at this hour or else she’d have broken legs upon her return. He’d think she was out whoring.

“My business as usual is this.” Stacy said quietly, stepping out of the hug and blushed when the Undertaker really took her in.

This was… not alright. “You can come with us, Stacy.” He offered quietly.

“She can come with me.” Torrie smiled at her friend. “No one is going to mess with you, okay?” It was Debra they needed to make sure nobody suspected since Stacy had already started sealing her fate by speaking out.

“Come on, Stace. We’ll help you pack.”

Alice hadn’t told Mark about what happened to Stacy yet. She would save that for when they were alone in the safety of their hotel room. Torrie did as much as she could with one arm and Debra helped as well, all the women getting along for the first time…ever. Debra was never part of WCW, only WWF, and still considered herself WWF. She told Stacy and Torrie that several times throughout the months the Alliance had been in the WWF.

“A-Are you sure about this?” Stacy didn’t want to be caught by the Dudley’s again, shuddering.

“I’ll have Glenn meet us down in the lobby.”

Mark knew nobody in their right minds were going to try to take them on in an actual fist fight, not without weapons at least. He and Glenn had beaten down several would-be attackers, who thought they were going to get the jump on them. That didn’t fly anymore, however. That parking lot beatdown he had taken months ago had been more than plenty.

“He’s Kane, right?”

“Yeah. He’s not as big an ass as he acts.” He didn’t need anyone telling him what had happened to Stacy, he could see the bruises and knew that look in her eyes because it was the same look Alice had the night of Summerslam.

“Yes. The Alliance isn’t allowed anywhere near the WWF hotel and nobody will say no to the Deadman.”

Mark would be their ticket into getting inside without any fuss…after they dropped Debra back off at the Alliance hotel. She didn’t want to bring the woman back to her abusive husband, but until this plan happened, she was stuck. They drove Debra back to the Alliance hotel, the women all crouched down just in case someone came out. After Debra promised to get a hold of them tomorrow, she hurried inside with the girls praying she made it back to her room without anyone noticing she’d been gone. Then it was time to head back to the WWF hotel and Alice held Mark’s hand the entire time. Torrie and Stacy were in the back, talking quietly amongst themselves about the upcoming plan. Sure enough, when they arrived, Glenn was outside waiting for them and it wasn’t a shock when he took one look at Stacy, promptly puking in the nearby trashcan. Pregnancy sympathy was a bitch.

“I’ll call you guys tomorrow. Will you be alright?”

“Yeah…” Stacy hugged Alice tightly, tears falling down her face. “Thank you for believing me.”

“I want in on this too!” Torrie whined playfully, all three girls laughing as they embraced tightly before Torrie ushered Stacy inside, Glenn following just to make sure nobody messed with them.

“I don’t know about you, Deadman, but I’m ready for bed.”

He was too, but with clothes on and a pillow between them because he did not trust himself while he slept. Mark also knew that no matter what she might say, she wasn’t going to be ready to be intimate with him anytime soon and that was fine. As long as he didn’t try anything in his sleep, he didn’t want to set back what progress Alice had made on her own.

“I really hope they don’t drag him with them…” He said, watching the three and the way Stacy and Torrie were eyeballing his buddy. Mark would admit… Glenn was getting in touch with his feminine side… and it was Teresa’s fault. “He’ll have painted toes in the morning…”

Giggling, Alice didn’t doubt it and headed up to their room, feeling better than she had in a while. With his help, they would bring Stephanie and Page down and then all that would be left was Shane. When Mark put a pillow between them, Alice found it amusing and shook her head, pulling it away to snuggle against him. His strength and comfort were what would get her through this and allow her to heal. There was an on-road psychiatrist Vince and Linda offered the Superstars and Divas, so Alice planned on talking to them about what happened to her. A couple sessions would do her some good, hopefully.

“Mmm better…” She murmured, relaxing against him and felt his nose bury in her hair. “I need you to hold me, Mark.”

“Just don’t break my nose.” He grunted, using his feet and heels to pry his boots off, letting them drop at the end of the bed.

Mark kept his hold on her gentle, loose, giving her the ability to move away from him if she wanted to. Sighing in contentment, he buried his face in Alice’s hair, inhaling her scent. It had been way too long… he already knew he was going to get his first night of real sleep since their fight and separation.

“I love you, Red.” He murmured sleepily, refusing to go to bed without telling her those words again.

“You’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?” Alice joked, yawning and could already feel the darkness overtaking her. “Love you too, Deadman. Always.” Within seconds, she was out like a light and Mark joined her moments later.

Chapter 69

Vince stared at his most trusted, his most loyal, Superstar with a raised brow, listening to every word that came out of Mark’s mouth. Stephanie had been hounding him for weeks…something he didn’t know. Stephanie had also been whoring herself around the Alliance locker room – also something he didn’t know. Very interesting information, to say the least. When Mark told him about Alice’s brutal rape at the hands of his daughter, son and Diamond Dallas Page, Vince immediately lowered his head and shut his eyes. The fact they had videotaped it just cemented how truly demented and cold his children were and it also told him how far they were willing to stoop in order to get what they wanted. His head on a silver platter, which wouldn’t happen. Stacy being gang raped -Glenn had found that information out the previous night from the blondes- was also information he didn’t need to know.

“Okay…” He swallowed hard and had to take a long swig of water, clearing his throat. “What do you plan on doing about this, Mark?”

Mark took a deep breath and already knew Vince would be on board with almost everything they wanted to do. There were some things, however, that would probably permanently tarnish the company’s reputation and he knew that would be where Vince was likely to balk. So… he laid out the women’s game plan, which was blackmailing Stephanie’s whoring ass. Everyone knew Paul kept her in line when he was around; nobody bothered wondering how or why and nobody actually cared. Then he added his and Glenn’s demands, they wanted those dicks in matches, where they could legitimately damage them, and nobody would bat an eye because accidents happened.

“Your kids need to be gone, Vince. We’ll win that big Winner Takes All match for you, and Shane might have enough common sense to step off, but your daughter… she’s a psychopath.”

“So, you want Diamond Dallas Page in a match where you can end his career.” Vince concluded, folding his hands in front of him and sighed, knowing it would’ve come down to this sooner or later. “There’s a problem with that request, Mark. Shane has already put DDP in the Winner Takes All match at Survivor Series. So here’s what I’ll do for you. At Survivor Series, since it’s a pay-per-view event and ‘accidents happen’, you can end DDP for good there. USA won’t condone that amount of violence, but pay-per-view does. As for my daughter, you have my permission to do whatever necessary to bring her down without physically harming her.” Vince still loved his daughter, even if she was a whore. And since I am the Chairman of this company, I’ll have the cameras installed personally since I know exactly where her office is.” He kept a close eye on his children, despite the rumors of ‘not giving a damn’. “Is that acceptable?”

“Deal.” It was the best they were going to get, and Vince could get everything done a lot quicker than them. They’d handle the hotel part… once that schedule was retrieved. This hopefully wouldn’t take more than a few days; Mark knew time was going to be something they were running out of, fast. All it took was one wrong word from someone, or Stephanie, Shane or Page becoming suspicious and everything would go up in smoke.

“McMahon…” He said slowly, standing up.

Vince correctly interpreted the look in his Superstar’s eyes. Yes, he had done some shady things in the past, but this was his company and his reputation at stake. “I won’t screw you over, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He already knew if he did, Mark would probably strike him dead without thinking twice.

When Mark came back to their room, Alice was up, showered and dressed for the day, pacing nervously. She had also made a phone call to one of the officials in the company, asking about the on-road psychiatrist. Luckily, the woman, Cindy, wasn’t busy and could get her in for the first session today before Raw. It would be done in her hotel room, away from prying eyes and ears of the arena.

“How’d it go?” She asked as soon as Mark stepped through the door, stopping her pacing, and smiled with relief when he nodded at her. Vince had complied; that was one less thing for them to worry about. “I – um…I have a session with Dr. Morgan today at 3 in the hotel. So, I won’t be going with you to the arena…unless you want to wait for me. It’ll be an hour long.” Lita understood why she was canceling training for today and commended her for getting the help she needed. “If you don’t want to wait, I understand, and I’ll see if I can hop a ride with someone else…”

Mark considered her and then shook his head. “I’ll wait, I’ll be down in the gym during your session. You can text me when you’re done.” He was starting to get… antsy, actually. “Glenn can keep me company. Seen him on my way back up, he smells like nail polish remover. Bet his toes are pink.”

However, Big Red seemed in a better mood than last night, so there was that. He had to wonder what his pregnant wife thought about her husband taking up with all those young girls, deciding he’d be minding his own business. Teresa was scary enough when she wasn’t knocked up.

“Okay…sorry.” Once again, Alice was messing his schedule up and sighed softly, closing the distance between them to hug him around the waist. “This will all hopefully be over after Survivor Series.” She mumbled, nuzzling his chest for a minute before pulling away and accepted a soft kiss from him. “We didn’t really get a chance to talk last night.”

They had passed out after the meeting at Stacy’s motel room…if it could even be called that. Sitting down on the bed, Alice turned to face him and clasped his hands in hers, needing to feel some part of him while she spoke. He’d always been her calming agent, even before the rape.

“There’s something I need to ask you…and I want an honest answer.” She cracked another smile when Mark nodded and kissed his hands, looking up into his eyes. “Going to therapy is my last resort, so if this doesn’t work, would it bother you if I can’t give you blowjobs anymore? I don’t think sex will be a problem, with some therapy, but I…I don’t know if it’ll help me in the oral department. To be honest, I don’t even feel comfortable with you going down on me anymore.” Touching her was fine, but Alice couldn’t handle having a tongue on her private region or her mouth on his.

It was a weird PTSD, to say the least.

See, he had been concerned before about their relationship being based on sex, because they had a lot of it. Everywhere. Mark pulled his hands out of hers and clasped hers instead, squeezing gently. “Darlin’, I was never with you for the sex, or the blowjobs.” He informed her, which had been true. It had just been a major benefit. “If need be, if it does become an issue down the road, I could do couple’s therapy or something with you.”

“I know that. You wouldn’t have said you loved me if it was just sex between us.” Alice touched his face gently, caressing his stubble and slid the pad of her thumb across his eyebrow. “You shouldn’t have to go to couple’s therapy with me because we don’t have any issues. It’s all me…and because of what happened. I don’t know why I’m having these issues when I know it’s you I’m with and not that monster.”

All she knew was Alice wanted to get back to normal and be with Mark in every way possible. She missed making love with him and running around naked together or simply sitting on a couch watching television in all their birthday suit glory. Dallas had taken some things from her, but not everything and little by little, she would get most of it back.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay with not going down on me or me going down on you, if this therapy doesn’t work. It might just have to be pure lovemaking between us without any foreplay.” That would get boring eventually, but hopefully they could find ways to spice it up.

“Darlin’, in the event of no foreplay, that’s where the couple’s therapy comes in.” He pointed out gently, leaning in to brush his lips against her forehead. “I’m willing to wait and work with you.” Mark knew Page had royally screwed her up and it would take a lot of time, patience and understanding from him to help her heal as much as she possibly could. He also planned on killing Page, so… there was that.

He sounded so sure and it made her smile, despite how nervous she was about her upcoming therapy session. “Thank you.” Alice murmured, meaning those words with every fiber of her being. “Alright, enough about that. I want to hear what you’ve been up to since we’ve been apart. Are you still in the apartment?” He nodded, and she frowned, touching his face again. “Mark…you haven’t started designing the house, have you?”

It was more than a statement than an actual question. Had he been waiting for her or was there simply too much going on to start the plans? Maybe he was waiting to be rid of Dallas once and for all, so the creep didn’t come on his property again. Alice had her own place in Miami and had to start over after what happened to her, not thinking she’d ever get back together with Mark. Everything had changed drastically, but something told her Mark wanted to go a lot slower this time around with them, which she didn’t have a problem with.

“I’m sorry…I screwed everything up…”

“No, I never started designing the house, all the insurance money came through, so I could…” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Did buy land.” That had been some beautiful property, out in the country, part of it woods, a creek running through it… price had been right as well. “To be honest, I spent a lot of time drunk, Alice.” When she looked like she was blaming herself, he shook his head and kissed her again. “Not you, all me. I made that decision.” He was a grown man, nobody had forced him to do what he had done. “And Glenn’s been getting shit thrown at him whenever he went home, so… he’s been staying with me a lot, making me work out with him.” It hadn’t been fun hungover all the time, but… there it was.

“But it was because of me that you drank so much. Though, I have to admit I did notice the change in your body and how much working out you’ve done.” His stomach was harder, leaner and he looked incredible despite all the drinking he’d done. Most of it had to be worked out in the gym with Glenn. “I think the therapist is going to tell me I apologize too much.” Mark nodded in agreement and she playfully punched his shoulder. “You’re not supposed to agree with me, you ass.” Alice kissed him a little deeper and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close. “Congratulations on the land.”

“I have pictures on my cell.” He informed her, having been drinking straight heavy liquor, which didn’t hit his gut like beer tended to. “And you do apologize too much, Red.”

It was crazy because she had nothing to apologize for. People around her, grown people, adults with working brains, were the ones who kept screwing up and hurting her. Yet, she was apologizing for her reactions to what was being inflicted upon her. He would never understand it and hoped the therapist could help her overcome that.

“Any other tattoos?”

“Not yet.” Alice had gotten bitten by the ink bug and planned on having more work done in the future. She just had to figure out what else she wanted inked on her, what meant the most to her. “Show me the pictures, please?”

She wanted to see the land and already knew Mark had a concept for the house he wanted built. Alice moved to sit beside him while he pulled out an envelope from his bag, which had fresh pictures of the land his realtor overnighted him. Apparently, Mark had bought this land very recently, at least according to the date stamped at the bottom right corner of each photo.

“Oh wow, this is beautiful.” Looking up at him briefly with a small smile, she went through them slowly. “I don’t blame you for jumping on this opportunity.”

“Mmm… I went and seen it a few weeks ago, got permission to spend the night on the land.” He told her, pointing out features that had basically sold him on the property. “Plenty of room for a house, garage, anything else… hunting is good too from what they say.” Mark believed it because the forest and creek provided a habitat for animals. He wasn’t big on hunting though. “Made the offer on it… last week, I think, they took it up a few days ago.”

He had requested the images, so he could start finally considering building a house. The apartment was… Mark hated being there. All those mirrors… he had smashed them and never gone back in that room since. Alice handed the photos back to him and Mark slid them back into folder he had them in. Maybe his house burning down had been a blessing in disguise because now he had even more land and could do whatever he wanted with the design of his house.

“It’s breathtaking, really. I moved from Tampa to Miami, got a small apartment there. Much cleaner and more security than the last one, so I don’t have to worry about break-ins. It’s on the safer and better side of the city.” Even though she’d thought about going back to stripping…until Vince gave her a bigger goal to obtain in life. “Oh, and the police never did a damn thing about my other apartment, so I told them to shove it up their ass before I left Tampa.”

The police not doing a thing didn’t really surprise him. Crime rates in big cities tended to be insane and crimes just got… pushed aside, especially if it was something ‘minor’, like a break in. Drugs and murder were Florida’s big problem. Miami wasn’t that great either and he wasn’t overly pleased she had relocated there, but at the same time, he wasn’t surprised either.

“Do you like it there?” Mark asked quietly, nodding when she made a so-so gesture.

“It’s better than Tampa, but that’s about the only ‘good’ thing I can say about it. It works since I’m hardly home there anyway.”

Alice shrugged, not planning on taking Mark to her apartment, ever, because of how small it was. It was more like a studio than anything, the poor man would feel like a sardine in a can. It would not be comfortable for him at all. Miami also had a high crime rate on the bad side of the city, but the good side wasn’t so bad. She also made sure to install a security system in her studio apartment, that way if it were broken into again, she would catch the culprit in the act.

Well, they were in agreement about it being better than Tampa, but he only thought that because it was likely nobody knew where she lived. Mark had a feeling Alice would have gone out of her way to cover her tracks, just to avoid a repeat of Tampa and what had happened that night with Page. He knew they couldn’t go rushing this time, not like they had before. She needed to heal, mentally, before he went barreling in. He had royally messed up… Sighing, he ran a hand down his face, feeling both like a weight was lifted and another had been placed.

Chapter 70

After her therapy session, which went well for the first time, Alice walked out wiping tears away from her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling drained after recounting the rape and what Dallas had done to her. All Stephanie and Shane did was videotape it, but Dallas was the one who did the actual deed. Sighing, she headed down the back staircase and then thought better of it, deciding instead to leave Mark alone to his workout and went back to the room. Laying down, Alice cried herself to sleep curled up in a ball, her chest rising and falling steadily, and tear streaks were on her face.

“Pink looks good on you, man.”

Glenn wasn’t amused, staring at the one bright pink nail he had missed this morning, when erasing the reputation damaging atrocity those women had committed upon him. He had even allowed it because Stacy needed to relax, and laughter was a really good way of achieving that. She was nowhere near better, but… she had slept fairly well it seemed, curled up next to Torrie. Glenn had spent a lot of his night on the phone after the women had fallen asleep, explaining the situation to his wife. She was very understanding… he was concerned for his wellbeing.

“Sure does.”

If Glenn wasn’t married, Stacy would’ve fallen in love with him. Any man who allowed her to paint their nails pink in order to make her laugh was prince charming in her book. She gushed about Glenn to Torrie after he left, to which Torrie informed her friend he was married to a lovely, slightly psychotic woman and it would be in her VERY best interest not to pursue the Big Red Machine. Then Stacy decided they would definitely be better off as friends. Currently, they were on their way to check on Alice to see how her therapy session with Cindy went.

“When is yours?”

“Friday…yours?”

“Saturday.”

Once they reached the room Alice was staying in, Stacy knocked timidly, heaving a sigh when Torrie then followed it up with a louder knock. “What if she’s not there?” She asked quietly, really hoping that Alice’s session had been a good one. First sessions of anything usually set the tone for everything after.

“Then where else would she be? Mark’s rental is down in the parking lot still.” Torrie knocked louder.

When there was no answer, Stacy panicked and immediately whipped her flip phone out to dial Mark’s number. He had given it to her and Torrie, just in case something like this happened. There was no point calling down to the front desk because they’d been given specific instructions not to give anyone a keycard to the wrestler/Divas rooms without permission from said wrestler/Diva.

“Mark, we have a problem…”

“Maybe…”

“Um…Alice isn’t answering the door to your room and…” The line went dead. “Uh oh…”

Torrie smacked her forehead hard.

Mark and Glenn were both up to the room in record time, having completed their workout by running up the steps. Mark didn’t say a word as the women simply stepped out of his way and swiped his keycard. He opened the door and halted, followed immediately by stumbling forward as two women and Glenn pushed in after him.

“She’s sleeping.” He said blankly, turning to stare down at Torrie and Stacy.

“I told you!” Torrie hissed, nudging Stacy none too gently in the side.

“Well, how was I supposed to know?!”

Glenn shook his head when Alice’s eyes opened and saw all four of them staring down at her, sighing.

“What’s going on?” Alice asked sleepily, reaching for the clock on the nightstand to see what time it was and saw she’d only been asleep an hour, yawning. “Is it time to go to the arena?”

“Stacy jumped the gun and thought something happened to you, so she called Mark and scared him into coming up here.”

Alice groaned when she heard that, shooting Mark an apologetic look. “I’m fine, just taking a little nap after my therapy session.”

“I’m sorry! I thought you were kidnapped or something when you didn’t answer the door!” Stacy was a little hysterical – being gangraped did that to a paranoid, scared woman.

Stacy was going to have an anxiety attack. “Why don’t you go get your nail polish and you can do Mark’s toes?” Torrie suggested, trying to calm her friend down.

Stacy eyed Mark doubtfully, though she did smile, wiping at her nose. “Hot pink?” She managed to joke, voice cracking.

WCW, the McMahons, and the Alliance in general had screwed these women up so bad… Mark just had no words. “More of a purple kind of guy, darlin’.” He said finally, flashing her a gentle smile before sitting on the edge of the bed and placing a hand on Alice’s knee.

“It’s okay Stacy, I understand why you freaked out. I didn’t realize how deep of a sleeper I could be.” Alice clutched Mark’s hand, squeezing, and silently thanked him for not biting Stacy’s head off. She had every right to be worried and paranoid due to the plan they had in store for Stephanie and Dallas – the Alliance in general. Glancing at the clock again told her it was time to get up anyway. “Let me go get cleaned up with the girls and we can leave for the arena.” Kissing his lips softly, she stood up from the bed and walked into the bathroom with Stacy and Torrie.

“Those women have been through hell, man.”

Glenn shook his head alongside Mark, hoping all of this ended at Survivor Series. A few minutes later, the girls emerged from the bathroom and all headed out to go to the arena. Stacy would be staying with Alice, Mark, and Glenn, knowing the Alliance would be on the lookout for her.

Glenn, like the smart husband he was, had been keeping Teresa informed on the situation and any changes that tended to happen. No detail was too small, he told her everything. One, because she was a brilliant lawyer and she might come in handy if things took a turn down a legal road, and two… she was pregnant, scary hormonal. While he had fucked the temper at him out of her, he wasn’t about to fan it again by keeping her in the dark. It’d be his luck she’d somehow find out he was traveling and spending time with all these women and greet him with a cleaver the next time he went home.

~!~

“We need to talk.”

“No, no we really don’t.”

This bastard had caught her just outside of her therapist office and, naturally, Mark was currently working out with Glenn. It was one week until Survivor Series, so both were gearing up for it. Dallas picked his spots, she’d give him that.

“What do you want? Haven’t you done enough to me?”

The sheer pain in her voice hurt him and Dallas frowned, stepping up to her only for her to take one back. “You enjoyed our time together, sugar, I know you did. I had you moaning and screaming and panting…” His voice lowered, trying to entice her, but all it did was disgust her. Dallas was confused, not understanding why his advances worked on Stephanie so easily, but not the woman he really wanted…HIS woman.

“Only because I was drugged out of my mind and didn’t know what the hell was going on or what I was doing.” Alice hissed lowly, refusing to back down from him and took another tentative step back, tears filling her eyes. Jus the sight of Dallas caused them to rise, the emotions inside of her stirring violently. “Please leave me alone.”

There was a reason he’d come to see her, having heard of her therapy sessions, and had snorted at the idea. The amount of fear in her eyes, however, didn’t make him feel very good. Dallas didn’t want her to fear him, how was he supposed to woo her back into his arms and his bed?

“Stephanie told me about the tape…and I intend on destroying it. I’ve been trying to get it from her, but she’s steadfast in keeping it close to the chest. Just thought I’d let you know what I’m trying to do for us.”

“There is no us! Do you understand that?! THERE IS NO US!!” Alice couldn’t keep quiet anymore and began screaming at him, tears flooding down her cheeks. “I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU, RAPIST!! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!”

“Is there a-” Cindy blinked when Alice hightailed it into her room and narrowed her eyes at Diamond Dallas Page, pursing her lips tightly together. “I highly suggest you leave the premises before I call security and Vince McMahon, SIR.” She used that term loosely before slamming the door shut in his face.

Screw that, she was calling Vince McMahon and security anyway.

Meanwhile, Alice was trying desperately to get a hold of Mark.

~!~

“What I don’t understand is this, if he wanted her so badly… why’d he stop after… you know…” Glenn was spotting for Mark, having just finished his reps and was now in cool down mode, sweat pouring down his face. “He was all up in her shit, stalking her, tormenting her, and then it just stopped. I don’t get it, that would have been the perfect time, when she was so-”

“Vulnerable.” Mark finished, grunting, his eyes focused on the bar he was gripping, hoping Glenn remained focused because, if he dropped this, it was going to really hurt. “I don’t either, man.” Made no sense, not unless Dallas had thought he was… in whatever with her, obsessed, and raping her had eased that itch so to speak.

“Either way, he’s still got to die.”

That was for damn sure.

Once Mark finished his reps, Glenn took a break to check his phone and handed Mark his along with bottles of water. Mark nearly spewed his out and bolted out of the gym, making Glenn tilt his head. He followed simply because he knew why Mark would move like his backside had suddenly caught fire. Alice. The redhead who stole his heart and would probably drive his best friend to insanity with a smile on his face.

~!~

Cindy opened the door holding a baseball bat and immediately lowered it upon seeing a shaken Mark Calaway and Glenn Jacobs in front of her. “We’ve been trying to get a hold of you, Mr. Calaway. Please come inside, she’s…shaken up. Page paid her a visit after our session and waited until she walked out of my room to approach her. She…started screaming at him and I heard her, so I came out and demanded Page to leave or I was calling security and Vince. I did anyway.”

“Smart woman.” Glenn muttered, watching Mark race into the room Alice was in.

Talk about eating their own words. They had just been discussing Page and his lack of fucks in regard to Alice and now… now he had shown back up. It was weird. He had all those months to go after her, when she had been alone and at her weakest, but as soon as Mark was back in the picture, Dallas was too. She was in a chair, face buried in her hands, shoulders shaking. Slowly, Mark reached out to place his hands on her knees.

“You okay, darlin’?” He asked quietly, dropping down in front of her.

Her head snapped up with tears in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks, relief coursing through her at the sight of Mark. Instead of hugging him, she kissed him passionately, needing to feel his lips against hers after that confrontation with Dallas. He scared her; the Alliance wasn’t allowed in the hotels of the WWF, but somehow, he’d gotten through the receptionist to come up to Cindy’s room. It also scared her to know he knew about her therapy sessions. Only when they needed oxygen to breathe did Alice pull back to break it and then hugged him, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Mark felt his arms wrap around her, holding her against him and they stayed that way for the moment. Alice could not wait until Survivor Series came because everything would come to an end. Stephanie hadn’t slipped up yet, but it was only a matter of time before they had the footage they needed to bring her down. For the longest time, Mark simply held her against him, letting both their breathing return to normal. That had been a passionate kiss, yes, but he had also felt her fear and desperation in it. They were banking a lot of hopes on Stephanie screwing up and so far, she was being… good. It was odd.

“Darlin’, what happened?” He asked again softly, resting his forehead against hers. “Did he touch you?” Because if he had, Mark was going to hunt him down and kill him now.

How the hell had he even gotten into the building let alone this floor?

Alice shook her head, taking another deep shaky breath. “No. Mark, he knows about the tape and he said he’s going to try getting it from Stephanie to…destroy. He said it was for us…meaning me and him.” She shuddered, clutching him, and felt fresh tears spill down her cheeks. “I want him to go away…why won’t he leave me alone?” Shane had gone back on his word, though she’d gone back on hers first, so it was turnabout. Dallas was on the loose again…and that terrified Alice because she didn’t want to be kidnapped and caught in his clutches. “I love you. I want to be with you, not him. Never him, even if there was no you. But you’re the one I want, and he won’t get it through his sick, demented mind. I don’t know what to do about this anymore…”

Dallas knew about the tape and he was trying to get it… to destroy, for the sake of his and Alice’s ‘relationship’. That was what Mark had heard and then translated. Dallas hadn’t been done after getting her, he had been biding his time and waiting. Mark groaned, burying his face in his hands, and had to wonder if Dallas’s suddenly reemergence had anything to do with him and Alice going public again with their relationship. If the man was seeing her being snatched from him, which was laughable as he had never even had her, not without the assistance of drugs and rape, he was acting out to ‘save what was his’.

“I’ll handle him, Red.” He soothed, his eyes turning to acid. “I’ll take care of it.” Violently.

“I know you will. I trust you, Mark.” Alice cupped his face in her hands, softly kissing him again and draped her arms around his neck. “You’re always here for me, you’ve been since day one and I love you for it. I just wish he would take the damn hint and leave me alone.” She needed to stay close to Mark from now on, deciding he would have to come to her therapy sessions with her and any place she went, even the bathroom.

A soft knock came at the door followed by Cindy poking her head in with a soft smile. “Do you need to talk some more, Alice? I’m free, especially after what happened. Vince has notified security and there will not be any more Alliance members coming into this building.”

“He scares me. I’ve never been so scared of anyone in my life…and I feel so powerless against him. All I could do was scream and rage at him and cry. I feel so worthless right now.”

“Mark, why don’t you wait out there with Glenn while I talk to her for a bit?” Cindy suggested, walking over to Alice and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You’re not worthless, Alice. Never think that about yourself. That’s how he WANTS you to feel. He wants you to feel powerless and he has complete power over you. When in reality, YOU are the one with the power. YOU are the one with the strength and YOU are the one who can and WILL stand up to him. You are a survivor, not a victim.”

“Please don’t go.” Alice clutched Mark’s hand, trembling all over again and leaned into Cindy’s embrace. “I want him with me, to hear what you say and what we talk about.” She needed him in her eyesight after what happened with Dallas.

Mark could see a very awkward future in store for them if Dallas weren’t stopped. He had a feeling he would be escorting her and sitting in on her therapy visits. He’d probably be sitting on the toilet while she showered from here on out. Dallas had done quite a number on her…She had intimacy issues, and now she was going to have being alone issues, no matter where she was alone at.

“If that’s all right with you, ma’am.” He said finally, nodding at Cindy.

“As long as she’s alright with it, sure. I will need you to sign a confidentiality form, however, which basically stops you from talking about whatever is discussed in this session. And any future sessions.”

Chapter 71

“Oh yeah…mmm harder…” Stephanie crooned, bent over her desk at the arena with Test plowing in and out of her. “Oh Andrew…”

He didn’t care what she called him, just feeling her tight pussy wrapped around his cock was enough for Test. “Better than what your husband gives you at home, huh, Princess?” He hissed, thrusting harder, faster, and deeper, wrapping his hand around her throat to yank her up to where her back collided with his bare chest. “Tell me I’m a better fuck than him.”

“Mmm so much better than him…” Stephanie purred, wondering why she’d given Andrew up and went with Paul, then remembered it’d all been to make her father’s life a living hell.

Vince had been feuding with Paul for months along with DX and finally, Hunter had gotten the upper hand on him by using Stephanie against him. Marrying her drugged up in a drive-by wedding chapel in Vegas. It was romantic, to her anyway, and it turned out to all be a ploy, after Vince got the hell beat out of him at Armageddon defending her honor. For nothing. That’s how the McMahon-Helmsley Faction was born, and they’d kept power all this time…up until Hunter’s body gave out on him and his quad tore, sending him off the road for a long period of time.

“He’s worthless…”

“And?”

“Useless, old, miserable…he can’t even fuck me anymore with that stupid injury of his!” Stephanie cried out, feeling her climax building while talking badly about her husband. “He’s nothing compared to you, Andrew…”

Test snorted, knowing she was only sweet talking him because she wanted him to destroy Chris Jericho in exchange for sex. He was scum and not ashamed to admit it, taking the pussy that used to be his for one hell of a ride. “Fuck Steph, had I known how loose you were, I wouldn’t have bothered with a proposal. I would’ve just fucked you and left you.” He chuckled in her ear, hearing her panting laughter in response as they both sent each other over the edge. “That’s it you little slut, cum for me…all over my cock…the way you never do with Hunter…”

His words did nothing to deter her from climaxing, her orgasm rushing over her in a harsh wave and rode it for all it was worth, savoring him continuously thrusting inside of her. “You better fuck up Jericho tonight. If you don’t, I’ll make it to where you can’t use your dick again.” Even though Test was feuding with Kane currently, Stephanie was sending him on a side mission to destroy Chris Jericho for good.

“You got it, Princess.” Test slammed his mouth down on hers before exiting her office, nodding at Dallas on his way.

Squaring his shoulders, Dallas walked inside Stephanie’s office and saw her panties were still down. She was still bent over her desk and he took the opportunity, immediately shoving his pants down to grip her hips. “I hope you didn’t use all of your energy on him, because we need to talk.” Then his cock slid inside of her dripping sex, wondering how she managed to be fucked by countless men one right after the other. “I want the tape…”

“Not until I’m ready to use it against that redheaded whore.” Stephanie growled, feeling him grip her hips and could feel her pussy already succumbing to what it needed. It was official, she was addicted to sex.

“Then tell me when you plan on using it.” Dallas ordered, his cock sitting inside of her not moving and felt her hips wiggle against him, urging him to start moving. “Tell me and I’ll fuck the shit out of you the way you want me to.”

It was torture having a cock inside of her that didn’t move an inch. “Survivor Series. That’s all you need to know. Now fuck me or get out, Page.”

Smirking, he didn’t bother changing the position and began thrusting in and out of her harshly, brutally, making sure to leave marks on her.

~!~

Torrie watched this along with Stacy, Alice, Mark, and Glenn, all of them unable to pull away while Dallas made Stephanie his bitch the same way Test had. “Wow…” There were no other words she could use to describe what she just watched.

“Oh, it’s not done yet. And we got that slut right where we want her.” Along with multiple copies of that tape.

Rhyno had come in after Dallas, fucking Stephanie in the same position bent over her desk. She was using these men for their talents in exchange for pussy. Either her pussy was made of gold or these men were desperate…either way, she’d been caught fucking 3 Alliance members and now they had definitive proof. Glenn cleared his throat, not entirely sure what to make of what they had just watched. Angles were great, they didn’t have to SEE specific parts, but there was NO denying what had just happened.

“She… uh… wow…”

Three men, one right after the other, and she hadn’t even bat an eyelash. Hell, the bitch hadn’t even taken a moment to clean up, she had just let them keep plowing her. What was messing Mark up, and he was a self-admitted whore back in the day, was the fact that these… so called men, were content with dipping their dicks into other men’s leftovers and banging that grand fucking canyon Stephanie called a pussy. What the FUCK was wrong with those people?

“I’mma be sick.”

A strong determination filled her eyes as Alice stepped forward to remove the tape from the VCR and turned to face her friends, all of them nodding in silent agreement. This whore was going DOWN. It was funny how Stephanie called Alice a whore, when all she’d done wrong in her life was stripping. This slut had let 3 men screw her one after the other…that was something Alice would NEVER do. She’d only had sex with a handful of people and, unfortunately, one of them had been against her will with Dallas.

“What do we do with this? We know she’s going to send my rape tape out at Survivor Series. Should we wait until then or do it as soon as possible?”

“I personally think we should tell Triple H about his wife fornicating and fucking her way through the Alliance. And send him a tape as proof.” Torrie wanted Stephanie GONE and destroyed, having no love for the woman at all.

No, she wasn’t a woman – she was a skanky ho!

“No, we can’t do that. This is our only leverage against that slut. I say we confront her about it, get her alone and secluded, show her the tape and then make our demands.” The list was long, extensive and would ensure they were never screwed with again. “You’re not going to like this plan, but…”

“You want Mark to kidnap her, don’t you?”

Stacy, along with everyone else, turned to look at Mark, who looked green around the gills. “Would you do it, Mark?”

Glenn knew Stephanie would do everything in her power to make sure her reputation wasn’t destroyed, but if she planned on sending that rape tape out at Survivor Series, there would be no stopping it. Something told him it would come directly to Mark too.

Stephanie lied to Diamond Dallas Page – she had originally wanted to do this at Survivor Series, but little birds told her Stacy had defected from the Alliance after her fun night with the Dudley Boys. So, she ordered a bouquet of flowers with a gift-wrapped package and had it sent to Mark’s room at a precise time.

It was a couple days before Survivor Series, which made this all perfect…too perfect. Alice couldn’t have been more certain as she answered the door, with a can of mace in hand and saw the bouquet of flowers along with the present gift-wrapped in black and purple packaging.

“Delivery for Mark Calaway. I need his signature, and this is to go directly to him.”

“Mark, it’s for you.” Alice stepped away from the door, wrapping her arms around herself and watched him accept the flowers and gift before shutting the door.

Mark didn’t even have to guess who this was from, he recognized the penmanship. Frowning, he tossed the flowers onto the table, he wouldn’t be surprised at all if there was something in those bastards, like razor blades or shards of glass. Stephanie wasn’t exactly a sane woman. He then eyed the package, finally unwrapping it and eyeballed the tape. He locked eyes with Alice, both of them knowing exactly what this was.

Why the fuck was Stephanie sending this to him?

Maybe it was self-torture or maybe morbid curiosity, but Stephanie and Shane had told her they would make the footage look like she enjoyed what Dallas did to her. She was drugged out of her mind and didn’t realize what she was doing, but never once did she moan or make a sound. Basically, Dallas raped her while she was mostly sleeping – that’s how drugged up she was. They made it to where she couldn’t fight back at all. Alice walked over to Mark and took the tape from him, shutting her eyes briefly.

“Wait…you’re actually…you’re not gonna WATCH it, are you?!”

Torrie frowned, having the same question on her tongue, but the look on Alice’s face told her to keep her mouth shut.

“I want to see how they’ve altered the footage from its original state, to see what exactly they did to make it look like I enjoyed being raped by that asshole.” Alice stated in a monotone voice, popping the tape in and pressed play, taking a deep shuddering breath.

~!~

“Mark, you really have picked a winner with this one.” Came Stephanie’s sultry voice, though it still sounded like nails on a chalkboard. “Look and watch your whore fuck another man willingly. I bet it’ll leave a bitter taste in your mouth, just like hers.”

On the bed, Alice was tied up by her wrists and ankles on a shoddy bed, the sheets clearly stained with Dallas straddling her face. He was driving his cock in and out of her mouth, her eyes closed and moans that did NOT sound like Alice filtered out. Then it got to the bouncing part before cutting out, Stephanie’s face filling the screen again.

“Oh Dallas…”

“I tried warning you. Look at all that cum on her face and she’s ENJOYING it.” Stephanie sounded sickened, although a smirk curved her lips before the footage cut out and then came on a few seconds later.

“Oh, fuck Alice, your pussy was tight, but I had no idea your ass would be too, sugar…”

“Oh Dallas…” Once again, that same moan filtered through the footage, but it was clear as day Alice was out of it while he pounded her ass, a weak cry escaping her from the pain he inflicted.

“Damn sugar, I popped your ass cherry it looks like…fuck you feel good wrapped around me...I’m gonna cum in your ass, Alice…”

“Oh Dallas…”

Stephanie scoffed, the footage moving back to her. “How sick is that? She let him fuck her ass!”

“Anal…that is one dirty bitch…” It was Shane McMahon’s voice.

The footage cut out, came back on a few seconds later with Dallas’ head between her thighs, Alice looking as though she was sleeping on the bed covered in sweat.

“Pussy tastes like sugar…no wonder I call you sugar…”

Footage cut out again and came back on a few seconds later.

This time, Alice was on all fours with her face buried in the bed and Dallas was holding her down by the neck, tears streaming down her cheeks while being raped.

“Say my name, sugar…”

She started to say ‘Mark, please help me’ in a weak voice, but instead all they heard is the same thing throughout the video “Oh Dallas…”

“Mine, you’re MINE, Alice! The Deadman won’t want you after this, sugar, only me. Only me – you understand that? You are MIIIIIIIIIINE!”

“Needless to say, I think you should cut your losses with…what does he call her? Red? Yeah that’s it, with Red. Cut your losses with Red before she ends up cheating on you all over again.” Stephanie’s voice had dropped to that sultry tone again. “If you want someone to treat you right, you know where to find me.” It looked as though she’d added that last part on her own since nobody else is around her. “See you soon, Deadman.”

The footage ended.

~!~

So much agony filled her eyes and washed over her re-watching it happen all over again. It was the exact same footage they had shown her only…her moans had been added to it. Moans that weren’t hers. Alice looked down at the tape of Stephanie’s greatest hits still in her hand and a vicious smile crossed her face, her grey eyes steeling over.

“She’s going to regret the day she met me when I’m finished with her. All of them are going to pay…and it’s going to start with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. Fuck using this as leverage, we’re going to expose that nasty cunt for the whore she is. And it’s going to start with her dear hubby finding out exactly what she’s been doing during his recovery.”

Torrie smirked, a coldness to it that chilled the room. “I’m in.” After watching her friend being raped viciously by those monsters, even if Stephanie and Shane hadn’t touched her physically and let Dallas do all the work, they were STILL witnesses to what happened to her.

“And after that, we’re turning this over to the police.”

“Fuck the police. They haven’t done shit for any of us, why should they give a shit about us now? The rape happened 3 months ago, it’s too late to report it. But we WILL destroy them and it’s going to start with the Princess. We need to gain the location of Hunter and overnight one of the tapes to him. And we’ll let fate and Hunter’s wrath take care of the rest.”

“Good, that slut is going down.”

“Shane will be next at Survivor Series. The WWF is going to win, even with Kurt Angle defecting to the Alliance.” That had been a shock to everyone in the company.

“That Olympic Gold Medalist punk is going to regret jumping ship after we’re done with him.”

“Not to be the negative Nancy here, but are we sure this is the only copy she has?” Mark finally asked, not even looking at any of them, his eyes firmly fastened on the floor. He had not had any intentions of watching that video. Mark had known what it was, and he had never been planning to see it. He would have happily destroyed it. Why Alice had WANTED to see it… he couldn’t wrap his mind around any of her reasons.

“Good question, and we need to make copies of ours before we go shipping them off.”

“Way ahead of you, Glenn.”

“You didn’t actually think we’d go through with this and not make copies,

did you?”

“Vince has a copy, along with Linda, and us, plus we made 10 extra copies, just in case.”

Alice had no idea why she wanted to relive her rape, but it gave her a sense of…closure, in a way. Cindy had talked about closure and how important it was – to face what happened to her head-on. That was the main reason she’d popped that tape in and watched it entirely. She wanted to see how Stephanie and Shane portrayed her during the footage. Mark would never understand what it meant to be drugged and raped, to be completely and utterly powerless. Unless he was raped, he would never understand why she’d done that, but something told her Torrie and Stacy did. Watching that would also hopefully open Mark’s eyes to why exactly she couldn’t give him blowjobs anymore, why she was terrified of doing it. Visual proof was a lot more powerful than people realized.

“All right, let’s… end this.” Mark was going to need a very long vacation and probably some therapy of his own.

“I think that’s…” Stacy reached up and plucked a hair, frowning. “You’re going gray, did you know that?”

Glenn covered his eyes with his hands, just so he couldn’t be a witness to whatever Mark would do for that trespass.

All Mark could do was stare at the gray strand in her fingertips, sighing. “Be bald next I reckon.”

Chapter 72

Arriving at the arena later that night, Stephanie froze at the sight of Alice sitting behind HER desk in HER chair. “I take it Mark enjoyed my little gift?” She didn’t bother hiding the fact she’d been the one to send the flowers and tape to him.

“Oh of COURSE he did, but before you did that, he watched another tape…of you.” Alice swung her legs from being propped on the ground to plant her knee-high boot covered feet on the cement floor.

Stephanie scoffed, rolling her eyes. “And just what tape is that, whore? You know you liked what Page did to you. And yet you’re feigning innocence by crying rape! You’re pathetic, truly.”

“No – no, that would be YOU. What kind of woman allows not one, not two, but THREE men to fuck her back-to-back with her bent over her desk?”

Stephanie visibly paled and her jaw dropped, feeling her heart plummet to the pit of her stomach. “W-What are you talking about?” She stammered, setting her purse down on the desk and couldn’t believe Alice knew about her extracurricular activities.

It was Alice’s turn to smirk. “Oh I know you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. Let’s see it went Test, then Page and then Rhyno, right? You didn’t even have the common courtesy of cleaning yourself up, just let those men dip their dicks in you one right after the other. How sick are you?”

Now Stephanie was scared shitless and it showed on her pale face, blue eyes wide. “W-What – H-How…”

“Oh you know, I learned a couple things from you and your brother and decided to make a little tape of my OWN of you fucking your way through the Alliance locker room while your dear, sweet husband is off the road recovering from a career-threatening injury.” Alice studied her freshly red painted fingernails with a cold smile. “How do you think he would feel if he saw that footage, hmm?”

When Paul had kidnapped, drugged, and married her, he had been… well, power hungry and out to screw with Vince. As it turned out… Paul was very business oriented when it came to his career and the WWF in general. He was also not one to take grief from his wife, or allow her to let her madness run free. Paul had gotten his own little taste, decided he wore the pants in their relationship and showed her what happened when she defied him.

“Pretty mad.” She said through grit teeth. Paul also had a bit of a conscience, a weird set of morals considering what he had done to her. He would be livid in all actuality. “What do you want, Alice?”

The irony of the situation was too much. Those were the same words she used when she woke up and discovered what happened with this whore, her brother and Dallas. What did they want from her?

“What do I want from you, Stephy? Hmm…that’s a very long list of demands, but the first is you getting the hell out of this company. You will relinquish everything ECW and WCW-related and you WILL go home to your husband, who needs you right now.”

An evil smile crossed her face as Alice saw the sheer disdain and hatred on Stephanie’s. Good. She wanted her to feel that rage, that contempt…it was just a TASTE of what Alice felt after being brutally raped and drugged.

“Secondly, you will be writing Mark a check that will ensure the ENTIRE new build of his home is paid for. He shouldn’t have to pay for it after what YOU, your brother and your men did to his old home, right? Right. You will also write ME a check to pay for my damaged apartment in Tampa that I had to leave, thanks to Stone Cold Steve Austin and his wife.” Walking right up to Stephanie, Alice didn’t have a hint of fear in her eyes while going nose to nose with the Billion Dollar Princess. She had her right where she wanted, her by the proverbial balls and all the power. “Speaking of Debra, she’s no longer in the Alliance and you WILL hire a brilliant lawyer for her to divorce her psychotic husband. She wants nothing more to do with him or the Alliance – she’s done with the abuse and she wants OUT. You are her ticket, get it done. Third, you WILL fire Diamond Dallas Page from the Alliance immediately. And you WILL convince Shane to do it since he is Shane’s employee, technically. Either way, he’s gone. I would demand you to fire the Dudley Boys, but since they are Tag Team champions and WILL get their asses handed to them on Sunday, I’ll let the chips fall where they may with the Hardy Boys.” Stacy agreed that was fine as long as they lost, and she would make sure it happened. “Fourth, Stacy Keibler is no longer your and Shane’s concern. She is no longer in the Alliance.” Vince had signed her to a contract that morning. “You will stop hounding her and you WILL stop the Dudley Boys from coming after her. You will also stop going after Torrie as well. Leave them ALONE. You will also leave ME alone. I bleed WWF now, no more attacks, no more sneaking around and you WILL stay away from MY man, Mark Calaway, or I will destroy you.” Then a thought popped into her head. “You know what? That sounds like a damn fine idea, actually. You and me, this Sunday, in the ring. One on one – Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley versus Alice. Sounds like big money, doesn’t it? We’ll even do a bra and panties match, since that’s your specialty; you like to drop your drawers for anyone who glances your way.”

“B-But I’m not…”

“You’ve been in matches before. Hell, you’re a FORMER WWF Women’s champion! I’m sure you’ll manage just fine in the ring with me.” Not fucking likely, Alice thought, planning on ripping her limb from limb. “Oh and there’s no outside interference…nobody can come down and save your ass.” Alice smirked when Stephanie complied to all the demands and had pulled her checkbook out to scrawl out one for Mark. “Finally, you will STOP meddling in people’s lives and using your pussy as a means to an end. You make me sick cheating on your husband the way you do with all these men! Using their talents in exchange for your pussy. Sickening, pathetic…I don’t even have the right words to use to describe how truly insane you are. Now, do you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding everything I’ve demanded? You have 24 hours to procure all of them or I swear to god, I will send that tape off to your husband. Your mother and father, bless them, already have a copy and are willing to make sure Hunter receives it on my, Torrie, Stacy, Mark and the entire WWF’s behalf, Princess.”

Stephanie could only stare at her in shock, not believing her parents knew about her sexual activities with several members of the Alliance. “But I…”

“No buts, Stephy. I’m SURE you can manage to deliver all of our demands quickly. That’s what your best at, right? Being quick?” She smirked at the rage in Stephanie’s eyes and sauntered over to the door. “See you at Survivor Series.” Then she shut the door and headed down the corridor with her head held high and shoulders squared, feeling better than she had in a long time.

All Stephanie could do was stare at that door, her blue eyes narrowed as she went over everything that had just happened. That fucking whore Alice had just backed her into a corner, derailed everything… and all by threatening to show a tape to her husband. It was no secret he was about the only person who could really control her. Shane had some influence, sure, but it was Paul who scared the hell out of her and Alice had used that to her advantage, blackmailing her.

“WHOOOORRRREEEEE!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling fury coursing through her, but there was nothing she could do either.

“Is it done?”

“Did she agree to do everything?”

Pulling the check out of her pocket, Alice handed it to Mark and smiled at her friends. “What do you think?”

The money would more than cover all expenses for his new home to be built and whatever he decided to do with the rest was up to him. She had her own check to pay for the apartment as well as emotional trauma. Stephanie had been QUITE generous, not that she had a choice.

“That whore is going down on Sunday along with her brother. You two ready for this?” It wouldn’t be just her in the match, but Torrie and Stacy would be making special appearances as well. It would truly be a glorious night for all of them and anyone against the Alliance.

Glenn let out a low whistle, his eyes wide. “Wow…she must REALLY not want Hunter knowing about her screwing around on him.”

“She looked scared to death when I mentioned him, actually.” Alice shrugged nonchalantly. “I still may have the tape sent AFTER all our demands are met.”

Stacy wouldn’t blame her if she did.

Neither did Torrie.

Mark pocketed the check, already deciding he was going to donate it or something. He had several favorite charities, he’d just send the money to them. Insurance had paid for everything, quite a nice amount too, because he was never one to skimp on insurance policies, which had paid off.

“I’d send it to him.” He added finally, slapping Glenn’s hand away when the idiot went to retrieve that check from his pocket. “Because you shouldn’t trust her to keep all of her promises… and… fuck her.”

That was a sentiment they could all agree on, just not… literally. No one present actually wanted to fuck her.

“It could come in handy in the future should she decide to cross us again.” Alice mused thoughtfully, shrugging, and decided to sleep on it.

They had all the time in the world now that they had Stephanie under their thumb. They had the power, not her and her asinine brother, who was clueless to what was going on around him. Shane was obsessed with bringing his father down and didn’t care what his sister did, or WHO.

“She’ll be lucky if I don’t wrap my hair around her throat and choke her out with it in the ring on Sunday.”

“Thank you, Allie.” Stacy hugged her briefly, both still not comfortable with fully hugging someone or touching in general.

“One step at a time.” She hugged Torrie as well before walking over to where Mark stood, her fingers dancing up his chest playfully. “Thank you for helping us with this, Deadman. Wouldn’t have pulled it off without you.” His influence and respect with Vince had been the sole reason they were able to retrieve the footage on Stephanie.

“I have a feeling you ladies would have gotten it done one way or another, with or without my help.” Nothing scarier than a group of motivated, pissed off women and he knew Glenn shared that sentiment because he could see that curly head nodding from the corner of his eye. He caught Alice’s hand, raising it up to drop a kiss on the back of it and smiled down at her, his eyes crinkling. “Starting to feel better, darlin’?”

“Yeah, little by little.” Alice smiled genuinely up at him, which didn’t happen often these days and wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing him in. “I love you.” The room had cleared, giving them some time alone, or rather Glenn had ushered the blondes and himself out the door to go down to catering. She appreciated the gesture and felt Mark hold her close, his strong hand gliding up and down her back while she massaged his chest. “I miss you. I miss us. I know I freaked out last time, but can we try again? Tonight?”

Her grey eyes looked up at him, full of love and need, remembering all the blistering times they had together. She wanted that fire, that passion, back and would do whatever necessary to obtain it. Mark considered her, wondering if she meant the whole kit and caboodle, like oral sex, or just being intimate in other areas. He was pretty sure she’d have another panic attack if she got anywhere near his dick with her mouth, or vice versa.

“We can try.” He agreed, staring down into her grey eyes, taking note of the yearning in them. Alice wanted what they had; he wouldn’t lie, he missed it, but he also knew she probably still needed time and he had plenty of that. “I don’t want you rushin’ things though, darlin’.” He murmured, kissing her forehead. “I want you to be comfortable.”

“I know. Cindy told me in order to get over my fear, I had to face it, or try to. So, I’m going to try. Get back on the horse, so to speak.” Mark was the only man she wanted to be with in every way possible. “I appreciate the patience.” Taking his hand, she lead him over to sit on a metal folding chair and straddled his lap, her mouth finding his hungrily. “I appreciate your understanding.” Alice mumbled against his lips, kissing him deeper and took advantage of his tights being pulled down to where he was completely bare from the waist up. “It’s been too long, far too long…” They could take their time, there was no rush like he said, but one way or another, they would end the night by making love. “And I’m not doing this because of you, I’m doing this for me and for us.”

Way to make him feel like a meat puppet and he had to stifle a snort at the thought. He was officially a giant therapy fuck-toy. “Mmm…” Mark pulled his lips away from hers, his emerald eyes dark with lust. “That’s all well and fine, darlin’, but this night just started, up and off.” He pinched her ass gently, refusing to try to work these next few hours with a hard-on.

“I know, I need to go train with Lita.” She pecked his lips one more time before standing up from his lap, rubbing her nose against his. “Until later, Deadman.”

Feeling more like herself, she winked over her shoulder at him and walked out of the dressing room to head down to the ring. Tonight, she was learning a couple more moves to add to her arsenal. She also knew about the tape, there was no way she could keep it away from her mentor and Lita commended her on the incredible plan to bring Stephanie down. Normally, filming someone being banged by multiple guys would be frowned upon, but not in this case.

“How long do you think Stephanie will play nice?”

Mark looked up when Glenn, sans all those women, came back in and smirked. Glenn looked… ruffled; being surrounded by females wasn’t something the man was used to. “Good while, she’s scared of her husband. I’m a bit more curious about Shane.”

Yes, they had nailed Stephanie’s ass, but what about Shane? “We beat him and it’s over.” At least, in theory.

Chapter 73

Shane listened to his sister and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. She’d finally been caught and on tape, no less. Stephanie had become a huge liability. Marissa could see that tape, especially if their parents had a copy of the tape.

“I told you not to fuck around on Paul and you didn’t listen to me. This is all on you. Deal with it. I’m about to bring down Dad and his entire empire. I don’t have time for your bullshit, Stephanie.”

“Shane, Paul can’t find out! If he does…” Stephanie shuddered, already knowing what would happen and wrapped her arms around herself, tears sliding down her cheeks. “That whore is blackmailing me, and you don’t care?! She’s demanding DDP be fired...”

“Page is part of the Survivor Series team. That’s not going to happen.”

“But-!”

“Get the fuck out of my office and deal with this shit on your own!”

Shane was absolutely worthless! Stephanie could have clawed his eyes out if not for the fact that while he had dismissed her, he hadn’t turned his back on her. Shane already knew she was a ruthless, backstabbing bitch, apparently it ran in the family.

“Fine, fine.” She spat, storming out and slamming the door behind her as hard as she could. Alice was going to win. She was going to get everything she wanted, including Mark, and Stephanie was going to wind up with a very pissed off husband. “Page…” She whispered, eyes turning to glittering ice as she turned that one over in her head.

Maybe… maybe she had one last card to play.

Dallas’s dressing room was always dark, very rarely seeing any light. He heard the door open and close, soft small hands running up his bare arms. “What do you want, Stephanie?” Dallas asked in a low voice, knowing those hands anywhere and gripped her wrist, yanking her to stand in front of him.

“I’m in trouble, Dallas. So much trouble…and I need your help.” Stephanie pleaded, caressing his chest with her hands to try to entice him. “Please, help me.”

His blue eyes darkened while staring down at her, enjoying the feeling of her caressing him and slid his hands down her sides, pulling her against him. “What happened? What do you need from me?”

Stephanie knew this was a gamble, but she had nothing left to lose and unbuttoned the blouse she had on slowly, explaining the situation with Alice. “S-She’s threatening to send my husband that tape and he CANNOT find out about this…about us. It’ll ruin your chances with Alice and my marriage! Please, you have to help me.” She gasped when he gripped her by her hair and slammed his mouth down hers, feeling the anger radiating off him. “P-Please, Dallas…”

Whipping her around, Dallas didn’t say a word and yanked her panties down along with her skirt, shoving her against the wall. “You stupid slut…” He growled, gripping the back of her neck tightly and knew she’d let him do whatever he wanted to her. “How could you allow us to be VIDEOTAPED?” His cock slid inside of her tight hole, riding her ass the same way he had Alice and wasn’t surprised when she simply moaned in response. “I’m fucking your tight little ass, Steph. You got a problem with that?”

“N-No…” Stephanie responded breathlessly, ignoring the pain of his cock in her ass, and bent over a little to give him more room. “Help me…please help me stop her…”

Ripping her hair back to where her back was against his chest, Dallas was relentless in his thrusts and gritted his teeth, letting his anger spill out through the session. “Alice belongs to me, Stephanie. I will hurt her in order to make her see the error of her ways. I will help you with your match at Survivor Series. Now cum for me like a good little bitch.”

Stephanie left his room an hour later, looking a little disheveled and had a big grin on her face, knowing Alice would go down at Survivor Series.

Alice… his poor, beautiful, stupid Alice… why did she fight this so much? Why did she insist on fighting what was clearly meant to be? It hurt Dallas, knowing she was fighting so hard to get out of her situation, when all she had to do was come to him and he would have very gladly snapped Stephanie’s neck in two. He shook his head, in the bathroom now, washing his cock as he reflected on what he was going to do. Of course, she had to be punished for filming his indiscretions with other women. Why was she trying to hurt him? Why was she making him hurt her? Trying to get him fired? Now that was just insulting. He groaned, clenching his fists, and leaned back into the wall, taking a deep breath. Alice had messed up for the last time. He would have to do something drastic.

~!~

After the house show and getting something to eat at a local diner, Alice and Mark arrived at the hotel with Glenn, Torrie, and Stacy. They were sharing a room together to make sure nothing happened to the girls. Teresa already knew about it and Glenn assured her it was a suite with their own rooms. The woman was surprisingly alright with him protecting two women considering she was pregnant and extremely hormonal and emotional. Alice stepped inside and kicked her shoes off while Mark went to use the bathroom, having a couple beers at the diner to unwind. She bit her bottom lip, looking at the bathroom door and then down at what she had on, contemplating if she should surprise him. No, he would think she was rushing and after all this time, a little play was needed to break the ice and hopefully get them back to where they used to be. Nothing could ruin her night, not after Stephanie had sent her assistant to inform Alice she accepted her challenge at Survivor Series and Diamond Dallas Page had been fired.

Mark did something he hadn’t in quite some time, he wrapped his hand around his dick, retrieved some great memories from the internal spank bank and jacked off. If she really wanted to try getting back on the horse tonight, so to speak, he wasn’t about to embarrass himself by being a one-minute man, which was very possible. He hadn’t bothered with women since her and Mark had usually been a bit too drunk to even bother touching himself. He did, however, keep it down, not wanting to attract Alice’s attention into the bathroom.

After getting her nerves under control and pumping herself up, along with her confidence, Alice changed out of her clothes and into something more comfortable. It was a simple black nightgown that went to midthigh, one of the only pieces of negligee she currently had with her on the road. She brushed her hair, redid her makeup, and then walked over to stare out the window. Mark was taking an awfully long time in the bathroom, but she chalked it up to nerves.

Tomorrow night was Survivor Series, and everything would change after it was over, be it good or bad. Alice heard the bathroom door open and didn’t turn around, continuing to stare out into the night thoughtfully. Her stomach twisted in knots the moment his hands touched her shoulders and slid down her arms to rest on her hips. It felt as though his hands seared through the thin material of her nightgown and Alice let her eyes drift shut, focusing on that heated feeling.

He had taken his time to wash up when he was done with humiliation prevention, trimming some wildly out of control areas in the process. Mark had only pulled on a pair of black drawstring pajama bottoms and come out to find her staring out the window. The nighty she wore was pretty simple and it suited her. He let his chin rest on the top of her head, looking out into the night and then smiled, feeling Alice leaning back into him.

Because of her job and wearing precarious outfits at times for wrestling, Alice had to keep herself groomed properly, so there was no need to check those areas. She still had her diaphragm and had recently gotten a fresh shot of birth control to prevent pregnancy. No babies in her future for sure. Her body was like Fort Knox, no matter who she slept with. Thankfully, she hadn’t gotten pregnant from Dallas’s rape or else Alice would’ve probably shot herself in the head. The nervous energy in the room made Alice feel uneasy and she could feel it radiating from Mark as well. He was just as nervous as she was. They’re first time together had been carefree with no pressure whatsoever. They both wanted each other and had taken the plunge. This time was different because they loved each other; feelings involved complicated things.

“This is silly. Why are we nervous? Do you remember the first time we had sex at the bed and breakfast place? It was so much fun and there was no pressure; we were carefree and didn’t give a damn what other people thought.” It was like Romeo and Juliet, in a way, because he was WWF and she was part of the Alliance at the time. “I want that back. I want to feel that carefree again.” Being raped had changed so many things and Alice hated Dallas for taking that part of her spirit away from her.

“I do too.” He said softly, but also with a tinge of sadness.

They had been very different people back then and it hadn’t even been all that long ago. Though, sometimes it seemed like an entirely different lifetime ago. Mark knew why he was nervous. She had been raped, assaulted in the worst, most brutal way possible and she had issues the last time they attempted being intimate together. He knew she had gone to therapy, obviously, he just wasn’t sure if she was ready yet. If HE was ready to do another round of panic attacks. Sometimes, more damage was caused when trying to fix things, he was hoping to avoid that. But… on the other hand, he also knew drawing it out, making it harder than it actually had to be, wasn’t helping either. He reached out to gently pull her into his arms, bending down to kiss her, letting her feel his desire, his love, all of it in that one kiss.

The kiss was soft, tender, and full of love and need, so many different emotions wrapped up together. Alice trembled against him, fighting back the urge to pull away and poured what she felt into the kiss as well. Desperation, love, need, want, fear, desire…everything both good and bad. His tongue swiped across her lips, begging for entrance and Alice opened her mouth, granting it to him. She moaned the moment their tongues danced together for the first time in what seemed like ages, tasting each other. Mark lifted her up with ease and Alice’s legs encircled his waist, feeling his arms tighten around her body. He backtracked to the bed until his legs hit it and fell back, letting her take the reins and complete control. Alice was gentle, the nervousness slowly diminishing the longer they kissed and explored. Nipping his bottom lip lightly, Alice felt more confident and glided her lips and tongue down his strong jaw to his neck, beginning her exploration of his beautiful muscular frame.

There would be lots and lots of foreplay; he had decided that in the shower. She was going to be 100% relaxed, at ease, and ready. If Alice felt fear, he would simply slow down or stop to give her a moment. Of course, him lying there with her doing all the ‘work’, so to speak, might seem selfish, but Mark also knew she needed to feel in control, especially after what had happened to her. Where all her ability to save herself, or even speak out for herself, had been taken from her.

Pulling back from his chest, after exploring it for a while and refamiliarizing herself with his body, Alice sat up and smiled down at him, reaching down to pull her nightgown up over her head. The trembling ceased, and she was more relaxed since Mark allowed her to take control of this. She took his wrists and pulled him to sit upright, their chests colliding and captured his mouth again, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Touch me…” He had kept his hands on her waist and sides, not moving to her intimate areas. She took his hands and planted them on her breasts, the warmth searing through her all over again. “Mark…”

Her head lulled back as his fingers plucked each hardened nipple, rolling them and replaced his fingers with his mouth. Her fingers instantly buried in his hair as Alice’s breathing turned ragged, the fire inside of her raging and slowly building into an inferno. Mark took his time in giving attention to her breasts, sucking and licking, nipping with his lips, his teeth, hands gently yet firmly caressing every bit of skin he could get too. He could feel Alice’s skin erupting into goosebumps beneath his palms and slowly tipped her upper body back, his head following to begin kissing a path up between her breasts to her throat and then back down.

Fire, she was on fire. Everywhere he touched, kissed, nipped, and licked left a trail of heat behind. She moaned uncontrollably, massaging the back of his neck, shoulders and then went back to his hair, making sure not to tighten her fingers too much. Alice loved his hair, especially when it was down and had a wild style to it.

“Lay me on the bed.” She whispered in command, feeling her back collide with the soft bedding moments later with him on top of her. Their mouths met again as Alice pushed his pajama pants down his legs with her feet, using her flexibility for the first time in what felt like ages. “Please…please I’m burning up…” Her sex was dripping for him, Alice was ready to feel him fill her to the brink and could feel him trembling against her. “Mark, I love you…and I trust you…make me yours again…”

Being claimed by this man was all Alice wanted, needed, and craved at the moment, nothing else mattering to her, not even Survivor Series, Stephanie, Dallas, Shane…none of them. It was just her and Mark reconciling and coming together after months of anticipation and waiting. His breathing was just as ragged as hers, and he could feel her trying to coax him into filling her.

“Not just yet, darlin’.” He managed to get out through grit teeth, running his hand down her side, over her hip and to her dripping wet sex.

She was definitely ready for him, he didn’t even need to test those waters. He slid two fingers into her aching core, feeling her walls clenching around him greedily as he positioned his thumb over Alice’s clit. Manipulating her while pumping his fingers in and out of her at a steady pace, his darkened eyes fastened on her flushed face.

Torture! Sheer, blissful torture! “Oh god!” Alice cried out, knowing it would not take long to make her climax, not with how long it’d been since she last had sex. “Mark…Mark please…”

Chapter 74

It wouldn’t be long if he kept up his ministrations and that made his fingers pump harder and faster. She bucked her hips involuntarily and felt his forearm plant down on her stomach to keep her from doing it again, her eyes closed. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heart pounding in her ears and the hot coil within her developed, threatening to spring free. She was at the edge, teetering and one more thrust was all it would take to send her completely over it. Instead of feeling his fingers, they were replaced with his cock and he thrust home inside of her, making Alice’s eyes roll in the back of her head at the exquisite ecstasy.

“Oh…oh fuck! Mark!”

Alice came hard and it took his breath away, nearly suffocating his cock. Mark actually felt like he had to fight to pull his hips away, thrusting in her again and again, forcing her to enjoy the delicious torture as wave after wave of ecstasy coursed through her bucking frame. She was beautiful, crying out his name, and he felt something akin to a smile, but a bit more savage spreading across his face at the sound of almost… victory in her tone.

Triumph was more like it. Alice hadn’t climaxed since the rape and it was against her will. This time, she was fully aware of what was going on, who she was with and wanted to cum as hard as possible. Her body did not disappoint her, giving into her desires and wrapped Mark up in a tight wet, warm cocoon. He didn’t stop thrusting, not for a second and rode out her first orgasm, making her breathless. If Alice died while cumming, there wasn’t a better way to go in her mind. Dying at the hands of the man she loved making her cum harder than any other man had before…a delicious way to go indeed. She didn’t care who heard her, screaming his name at the top of his lungs as another intense wave crashed over her, her juices soaking him once more.

Gritting his teeth, Dallas listened in as Alice screamed a name that wasn’t his, his anger rising off the charts. She was supposed to come to HIM after they made love, not back to the Deadman! What the hell?! He thought they had something special and to hear her scream the Phenom’s name instead of his…boiled his blood. She would pay for defying him, for not coming to him willingly and her punishment would commence at Survivor Series. Stephanie needed his help and he would give it since Alice needed to be taught a lesson.

“Oh right there…right there oh god!! MAAAAAAAARRRRKK!!!”

That bitch was toast.

“You’re not done yet, Red!” He growled, refusing to stop just yet.

He could HEAR that bastard out here… Dallas could hear the lust in the Deadman’s tone, hear them both moaning and other sounds. He could feel his own blood pressure steadily rising as he stared at that door.

“FUCKIN’ TIGHT!” Mark was pretty sure her pussy was going to snap him in half with as hard as each climax seemed to be.

That was HIS fucking tight pussy! Dallas had to storm off before he tried breaking down that door and killing them both.

“ALICE!” He bellowed, not giving a good goddamn who heard them as he finally gave into his own orgasm.

“MARK!”

Even though Dallas had stalked away, he could HEAR Alice’s shriek down the hallway as she climaxed again. “MOTHER FUCKER!”

Alice didn’t want to stop, urging him on even as his dick went limp inside of her and she gasped for air, barely able to breathe. “D-Don’t stop…” She rasped out, never wanting to lose this intense high.

Mark kissed down her back, having her bent over the bed with both of their feet braced on the floor. They weren’t done yet. Alice was FAR from done with him and ignored her body’s protests, wiggling her backside against his limp dick. Somehow, someway, some force of nature or maybe it was an act of god sprung Mark to life again, causing him to hiss out the faster she rubbed her pussy against him.

“I need you again…Make me cum for you again, Mark…” Turning around, she pulled him down for a passionate kiss and then slammed him on the bed, his legs still dangling off the edge with her straddling him. “I’ll do all the work this time, Deadman…” The hunger for him had spiked and there wasn’t a hint of fear or trepidation in her smoky greys, only lust, love, and famine. Just to help him harden a little more, Alice snaked between them to wrap her hand around his cock and stroked him, enjoying how his face contorted and changed.

Their neighbors on both sides, whoever those poor bastards were, got to hear Alice and Mark throughout the rest of the night. Nobody bothered calling the front desk to complain of noise; nobody called the police either. Everyone knew who Mark was and nobody was about to have to deal with a pissed off, probably naked, Undertaker. Women were a bit jealous, hearing Alice shrieking her delight all night long and men were enjoying a shared triumph because ‘that guy got it DONE’.

“It’s fucking broken…” His dick was broken, and Mark couldn’t even FEEL his balls anymore.

Alice laughed breathlessly, laying on her back staring up at the ceiling, covered in a fine sheen of sweat. There was no perspiration, it was straight sweat, and she loved it. She hadn’t had a workout like that in a long time, not even with Lita in the ring. Her thighs trembled from the aftermath, her heart wouldn’t stop racing along with her pulse and she felt more alive than ever. The sparkle and life were back in her greys and she was pretty sure her pussy was numb, possibly even broken.

“So worth it.” All Alice could do was turn her head to look at him, giggling softly and didn’t bother moving, every part of her body tingling. “I love you, but I think you broke my pussy, Deadman…”

“Good.” Mark muttered, still a bit on the breathless side. He needed a shower again, drenched in sweat and other bodily fluids. Mark could feel the sheets beneath them, the blanket, soaked and was a bit on the glad side this was one of those rooms with two giant beds or else they would have been screwed. “I could probably hit myself in the balls and not feel it.” When she lazily raised her trembling hand up, he lashed out to catch it. “Not gonna test it, Red.”

Alice smirked, feeling her hand rest against the side of his face, and stroked it, groaning when she rolled on her side to fully face him. “We overdid it.” There was no question about it and the entire hotel probably hated their guts, not that it bothered her. “I can always rub it back to life again.” She laughed at his groan, patting his face gently and slowly pushed herself up, letting out a groan herself. “Come on, big man, we need a shower…and then sleep. We have a big night ahead of us.” They would get 4 hours of sleep, if they were lucky, before having to go to the arena.

Groaning, Mark dragged his ass out of the bed, turning to help drag hers as well before they plodded slowly into the bathroom. When she glanced down at his abused junk, he let his hand move to cover it. “Don’t even look at it.” He was only half-teasing and didn’t think they had overdone anything. That had been some delicious, epic sex, but his genitals weren’t thanking him for it right now.

“Don’t look at mine either then.”

It probably looked just as battered as his did, not that she was complaining. Showering together after all the sex they had, for hours on end, would stop them from doing anything besides washing themselves and then collapsing in bed. Stepping into the hot sprays, Alice sighed and let the water flow over her for a few minutes before allowing Mark the same courtesy, reaching for the shampoo. They took turns under the sprays and stepped out a half an hour later, both dead on their feet. Alice was out cold before her head hit the pillow and barely felt Mark wrap her up in his arms, both wet and naked, not caring one iota.

When Alice and Mark emerged from their room, looking like they had not gotten enough sleep, Glenn was bright eyed, bushy tailed, and smirking. He had sent Mark a text, saying he’d meet them in the hall, Stacy, and Torrie kind of up his butt as usual. “So… apparently-”

“You guys are loud. We were right under your room, you know that?” Torrie said, both amused and exasperated. She was glad they had worked out some of their issues, glad Alice had been able to get back on that horse, but holy hell. “We had to drug ourselves to sleep.”

Glenn had recorded the noise, figuring later on he’d nail Mark with a lovely rendition of him bellowing ‘ALICE’.

“Not sorry. Buy earplugs.” Alice leaned into Mark as his arm wrapped around her shoulders to pull her against him, nuzzling his side.

“That is so not right.” Stacy was smiling though, happy for her friend and simply rolled her eyes. “I SUPPOSE I could invest in them.”

“You better because, after I whoop the living shit out of Stephanie and the WWF wins the Winner Take All match and sends the Alliance packing, we WILL be celebrating tonight.” Good old-fashioned fucking sounded good; her insatiable appetite for Mark had returned and Alice wasn’t satisfied, just sated, for now.

“Reminder: Stop somewhere after the show and grab earplugs.”

“Second the notion.”

“Third that.”

Maybe bringing Teresa on the road wouldn’t be such a bad idea…after the Alliance was gone. When Mark got that smug, overly satisfied smirk on his face, Glenn decided he was going to make that ALICE his ringtone. Well, Mark’s ringtone, for when he called Glenn. Glenn would now forever know who was calling him. He began giggling. Stacy and Torrie ignored it, they were getting used to his weirdness at this point.

“Maybe after the show, we should just go find us a bed and breakfast.” He murmured in her ear, grinning and kissed the side of Alice’s head when she laughed softly.

“Mmm yes…”

Mark was taking the week off after Survivor Series because he had to finalize plans on his house. Alice wasn’t going with him due to having to keep up with her training and she didn’t have vacation time stored up the way Mark did. They wouldn’t see each other for a couple days…and Mark hadn’t talked to her about Thanksgiving either. Either it hadn’t crossed his mind, or he wanted to spend it with someone else besides her. After everything she put him through, Alice didn’t blame him, but she would leave a lasting impression on him before he left.

Honestly, he hadn’t thought about Thanksgiving at all. His mind had been a bit busy planning the downfall of Stephanie McMahon and the Alliance, on top of the murder he was busy premeditating of Diamond Dallas Page. Usually, he spent Thanksgiving with Glenn and Teresa. Speaking of… Glenn was sometimes a mind reader, or just that kind of idiot.

“Hey, you guys, Teresa said to bring you both home for turkey and ham. And you two,” Glenn added, glancing down at Torrie and Stacy. “She wants to meet you.” She’d even quite nicely promised not to carve anyone up.

The smile deteriorated from Alice’s face as soon as Glenn informed her of the invite, slowly shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t.” She didn’t have any other plans, but her and Teresa did not see eye to eye ever since her rape and what she did to Mark and Glenn, humiliating them.

“Why not?” Glenn stepped in front of her, planting his hands on his hips.

“I appreciate the thought and the invite, but I really don’t think-”

“You’re coming.” Glenn ordered, looking up at Mark and then back at her sternly. “You and my wife need to have a conversation about what happened to you. I told her some of it, but she wants to hear the truth from you. And after what she did for you, it’s the least you can do. Besides, she’s pregnant, hormonal and I’m not gonna have my dick suffer because of you. You’re coming.”

“Three against one, sweetie.”

“Four, actually.”

Sighing, Alice just nodded and gave into Glenn, knowing she was outnumbered and had no other reason not to go.

Mark cleared his throat, not about to cross Teresa. He knew what her damage was, it was the same as all theirs had been, only Teresa still had issues wrapping her head around not wanting help. Of course… he doubted Glenn had told Teresa about the video, probably because Teresa would have wanted to go all lawyerly and have some heads on a legal platter. Maybe.

“We’ll bring wine.”

“You better. She’s allowed one glass every now and then.” Glenn shook his head, then grinned at the blondes. “She’s been talking to these two on the phone.” His wife was becoming sociable. He blamed two things. Alice and pregnancy.

“We’ll bring two bottles.” Alice had a feeling Teresa would give her the third degree followed by hugging her so tight, she cut off her air supply and possibly suffocated her. There were worse ways to go, she supposed, the smile returning to her face. “Alright, let’s go kick some ass and celebrate!”

“Absolutely.” Stacy couldn’t wait to go to Glenn and Teresa’s, finding his wife fascinating to converse with and looped her arm through Alice’s while Torrie took the other side, bumping Mark to the side.

“We want details on how mind-blowing your night was.” Torrie whispered, grinning impishly, and laughed at Alice’s flushed face.

Together, they all left the hotel and headed to the arena, parting ways to each get ready for their matches that night.

That whore was in for a rude awakening in her match against Stephanie tonight.

~!~

“Dallas, what are you…?” Stephanie was pushed back into her office at the arena and the door slammed shut by Dallas’s boot, swallowing hard.

“She fucked him. Alice.” He practically spat her name. “That whore…she fucked Calaway despite everything we’ve done to her…and I’m gonna help you bring her down tonight.”

Dallas hadn’t given her a straight answer after the last time they were together, and Stephanie could feel a sly smile cross her face. “You will?” Her hand slid up his chest, pressing her body to his and gasped when he grabbed her wrist none too gently.

“We’re both going to get what we want tonight, Stephanie. The complete and total destruction of Alice and the Deadman.” He saw her blue eyes glitter with happiness at those words and snorted, turning her around to bend her over her desk. “First, time for a workout and I’m taking my pay in advance.”

Stephanie braced herself, gasping and gripped the desk, letting him fuck her hard and fast, just the way she liked it.

Chapter 75

“You fucks better keep in line.” Mark ordered, staring at his teammates for tonight’s match.

He had to leave Alice in order to go handle business. His title and role as locker room leader had somewhat taken a nosedive, but when he spoke, ears still opened. Good. Rocky, Jericho, Show, him, and Kane… He had no problem with any of these men, but Chris and Dwayne had an antagonistic relationship at best. Angle defecting had been… weird, actually. He knew the boy scout felt like nobody really respected him, which was sort of true. Athletic ability, Kurt had plenty. Personality wise… Kurt was a douche.

“If we lose because you can’t play nice…”

“I’ll kill you.” Glenn added flatly, not about to lose, even if he had to rip Chris Jericho’s pretty blonde hair out by the roots. He liked Chris. The kid wasn’t bad. He had even been helpful with Alice, but between him and Dwayne…the tension was thick.

“We got this.”

Rocky didn’t stop bouncing from one foot to the other, getting himself hyped up. It was his pre-match ritual and he wasn’t stopping just because Taker wanted to have an impromptu meeting. This was his time to shine, to bring home the victory for WWF and no piss ant like Chris Jericho was going to stop him from doing it. He would shelve his animosity toward the blonde for the night, but come Monday, all bets were off.

Jericho snorted, fluffing his hair out and nodded when Taker glared at him. “We’re gonna win, big man. You worry too much.” He slapped Taker none too gently on the chest and left the locker room, the arrogance radiating off him in waves.

Rocky stopped hopping and shook his head sadly. “You’re gonna have to watch him.” He pointed out, folding his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t know what the fuck is problem is, but…something’s changed and I don’t trust him.”

This wasn’t good. They all had to stay on the same page and work as one or they would be slaughtered by the Alliance.

Considering Chris had helped Alice and them out more than once… hell, they had even taken the blonde bonehead out to eat with them, Mark was inclined to give him a pass, but… he was going to subscribe to Austin’s old standby of Don’t Trust Anyone for the night. He knew Shane McMahon wasn’t above bribing people out of desperation, making promises his ass wasn’t going to be able to keep. That and vendettas, people, and their vendettas. Not like he had room to talk. He had his sights set on Page tonight.

“We’ll all keep an eye out.” He said finally, sharing a look with Glenn.

Glenn just nodded.

~!~

“Do NOT take Stephanie lightly, Alice.” Lita advised, recalling when she’d lost the Women’s championship to that hussy and scowled at the memory. It was a tarnish on her career she’d never be able to escape, only overcome at best. “You know how crafty she is and with Regal on their side now…” Mick Foley was the stand-in Commissioner of the WWF, currently. “I know Mick said no outside interference, but that doesn’t mean shit. Keep your eyes peeled for anything.”

Alice nodded, jumping from one foot to the other to warm her body up, having already done her stretches and shadow boxing. Mark had taught her how to do that and her punches had improved along with her in-ring ability in general. “Don’t take too many risks, I got it.”

Determination shined in her steely greys, knowing she couldn’t allow her personal feelings to interfere with being the holy hell out of Stephanie. Her outfit for the night was white with cut out teardrops up the side and one directly between her breasts. The back was open, halter and showed off her tattoo since her hair was piled on top of her head in tons of curls, bobby pins, a few braids, and a TON of hairspray.

“Exactly.” Lita nodded, smiling her approval. “You beat her ass, but eyes peeled and, if you think you’re in the clear, you’re not. Those fucks aren’t going to let anything slide tonight, there’s just too much at stake.”

Alice could definitely get a beatdown in, that was for sure, but unfortunately the McMahons were always able to pull some surprise move out of their asses, she had seen it time and time again. Usually Shane, if she were honest, but… Stephanie had her own bag of tricks, she was sure. Wholeheartedly agreeing with Lita, Alice continued prepping for her match and took a deep breath when the technician knocked on the door, telling her 5 minutes until her match. They were kicking off the pay-per-view, the first on the card, which didn’t surprise Alice at all. Walking out, after bumping fists with Lita, Alice headed toward gorilla position, so many thoughts racing through her mind.

From where she started to where she wound up…the heartbreaking, exquisite journey she’d been on. From her first meeting in the parking lot with Mark to being forced to work with Dallas and being abused in the Alliance, to Mark being her savior and starting a relationship with him, despite the fact they were supposed to be enemies. Mark’s ranch being burnt down, her apartment being vandalized, the drugging and rape, her split with Mark because of Shane and Stephanie’s demands…all of it culminated to this moment. Clenching her fists, Alice waited until her entrance music started up before heading down to the ring, Stephanie already waiting on her. It was time to end this once and for all between them, to send the Princess packing back to Connecticut with her injured husband.

Stephanie had changed into her barely used ring gear after her warmup with Page. She smirked from her place outside the ring as Alice slid in, blue eyes glittering viciously. Oh, she would probably get her ass kicked, she knew that, but also knew she would have the last laugh tonight. Once Alice was done posing for the fans, she got into the ring, approaching the other woman.

“You ready, whore?” She asked with a sneer, taking in the outfit Alice wore. “All white, huh? Bit ironic, you’re anything BUT virginal.” She spat viciously.

To think, all of this could have been avoided if Alice would have just fallen in line from the very beginning and accepted her role as Page’s woman, but no…. the whore had to have standards. And Mark. That was a no go in Stephanie’s book. Not saying a word, Alice waited until the bell rang before driving a lethal forearm into Stephanie’s face. Instantly, blood began gushing out of her nose and her blue eyes had gone from glittering with wicked intentions to pure terror. Alice was NOT messing around.

Stephanie tried getting out of the ring and she was stopped by Alice grabbing the back of her head, slamming her face down into the mat. She hoped she broke Stephanie’s nose and proceeded to drive her face repeatedly into it. All the agony and heartache this slut made her feel was coming out in this match. Lifting Stephanie up by her hair again, Alice swung her up and delivered a piledriver right in the middle of the ring, not caring that Stephanie’s blood was all down the front of her from her nose. It was a purely animalistic feeling, the dominance she felt, and it showed in every deliberate move she made.

She was out to HURT and MAIM Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.

“Holy shit!” Lita crowed, covering her mouth with her hand while watching backstage.

“If she goes overboard, that ref is going to-” Glenn shook his head, watching as said referee began getting in Alice’s business. That was a WCW referee, they had been having issues with those bastards ever since this Alliance invasion. “Any wrong reason and they’ll disqualify her.”

“I don’t think she’ll mind.” Mark remarked with a shrug, trying not to smile as he watched his woman beat the ever loving piss out of that whore. He turned and began to shadow box, listening as the announcers called the match.

Poor Stephanie. Shaking his head, Dallas decided to go make his presence felt. It was time Alice knew some semblance of his pain, the pain she was purposefully inflicting on him by cheating on him with that dead dick.

When the referee grabbed her by her hair, all bets were off, and Alice nailed him with a wicked forearm to the face as hard as she could, sending him flying out of the ring. Then, she straddled Stephanie and began pounding her face with a closed fist, blooding her further. She didn’t care if she was going overboard, tears of anguish and anger burning her eyes. Because of this whore, she had nearly lost the love of her life and was brutally raped! Gritting her teeth, Alice didn’t stop until she was forcefully yanked away from Stephanie and Diamond Cuttered in the center of the ring.

“FUCK!”

“WHAT THE – MARK, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!” Glenn shouted, watching his friend take off out of the dressing room and knew this would not be good, especially since Page was currently in the center of the ring straddling Alice’s face.

“Oh my god! Just like the tape!” Torrie went into the bathroom to vomit.

Dallas was thinking of that night right now and, if not for the fact that they were in the middle of the ring, surrounded by a sea of fans and live on pay-per-view, he might’ve done a reenactment and shoved his dick down her slut throat. “You fucking whore! Why do you make me hurt you!?” He screamed down at her, moving until he was hovering over her body, his hands planted on either side of her head.

No music to cue him, no indication, Mark just FLEW out onto that stage and down the ramp, moving faster than anyone had ever seen him move before. He was NOT letting this son of a bitch do this to her again!

“MY GOD, IT’S THE UNDERTAKER!!”

“What the HELL is he doing out here?! He has no business being out here, JR!”

“And DDP, that sick human being, does?!”

“He was helping our owner!!”

Alice was conditioned a lot better to take moves in the ring, so the Diamond Cutter hadn’t knocked her out like before. However, when Dallas straddled her, memories of her rape came flooding back to her and all Alice could do was lay there prone, tears falling from the corners of her eyes. That was until Page was TACKLED to the mat and Alice snapped out of her frozen state, scrambling backwards from the two men fighting. Or rather, one man beating the holy crap out of the other.

Mark was livid, Alice could feel the anger radiating from him even across the ring and moved her greys to where a bloody Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley lay. Scowling, ignoring the pain in her neck, Alice stumbled over and dragged her by her hair into the center of the ring. She picked Stephanie up to stand and swung her against the ropes before twisting her arm and nailing her with Lights Out. Mark and Dallas had spilled to the outside and a WWF referee sprinted down the ramp to make the three count, giving Alice the victory over Stephanie.

He could hear Alice being announced the winner, had heard the bell, all of that, but all Mark could focus on was killing this son of a bitch. Page was trying to rouse himself, get into this fight, but he wasn’t having it. He grabbed the smaller man by the back of his neck and hurled him into the ring post face first. His grin was pure evil when Page connected, the SMACK quite… wet sounding and, when Page reeled around, he was bleeding badly, which only got Mark’s blood pumping even more. Page stumbled forward, right into the waiting boot and dropped like a sack of potatoes. His acidic gaze moved to those steel steps, having a sadistic idea in mind.

Normally, Alice would’ve stopped him at this point, but not this time. Not after what happened to her and them. Alice shoved Stephanie’s carcass out of the ring, not minding her body making a thump and smirked coldly, her eyes moving to where Mark had tossed the steel ring steps inside the ring. She had been weight training and fixed them for him while he dragged Dallas’s body into the ring. Alice noticed Mark had Dallas’s blood all over him, much like she was stained in Stephanie’s, and slid her tongue out to wet her lips while Mark continued beating down Dallas.

Whatever he had planned would no doubt end Dallas and Alice already planned on sending that video to Hunter as soon as this was over. Linda was waiting on stand-by, of course Stephanie hadn’t followed her instructions and did what she was told. Now, she would pay the ultimate price by having her husband, who she was petrified of, find out everything she’d done within the Alliance in his absence.

“DO IT!!” She screamed, nodding her approval when Mark looked at her and pointed, letting her know this was for her.

Everyone watched backstage with bated breath as the Undertaker hoisted Diamond Dallas Page up over his head. If he didn’t lighten that landing, or ‘fake the move’, he was going to break Page’s spine. Shane could only stare at the screen, his eyes wide as he took in the scene. His insane sister, demolished. Page… about to be dead. His Alliance was going up in smoke and the show had just started!

“I love you.” Mark said, meeting Alice’s flinty gaze before bringing Dallas down with all his strength.

If the man died and he went to prison or something for murder, so be it, but this mother fucker would never lay a hand or anything else on her ever again. Dallas wasn’t dead, but he would wish he were when he regained consciousness. He would be paralyzed from the waist down. All Mark could do was stare down at the other man, seeing the angle of Page’s body and knew he had broken something. Snorting, he stepped around the carnage and pulled Alice into him, bending down to kiss her, blood, and all. Dallas got what he deserved and so did Stephanie. Alice didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for what happened to them and felt Mark lift her up during their explosive kiss, wrapping her legs around his waist. Breaking it, they both held their fists in the air in the center of the ring and Alice rested her forehead against his for a few seconds.

“I love you too, Deadman.” She whispered, rubbing her nose against his and then felt her feet touch the canvas as they flipped over the ropes to land on the outside with ease.

Walking up the ramp together, they turned around to survey the damage and both had sick smirks on their faces full of primal satisfaction. Mark’s arm remained around her waist while they watched the EMT’s fly down to the ring to take care of Dallas and Stephanie, their blood splattered all over the ring. It was possibly the most beautiful sight Alice ever seen in her life, watching Stephanie Dallas wheeled to the back on gurneys to be taken to the hospital.

Chapter 76

“EMTs said his spine was broken.”

“Good.”

Stacy sat at a table in the cafeteria with Glenn and Torrie while they waited for the main event, which would be awhile. The entire building was buzzing over the Undertaker purposefully destroying a man, not that Vince hadn’t already gone on damage control. If only that could happen to the Dudley’s, she would’ve rested a lot easier at night.

“He deserved it.”

“No kidding.”

Torrie snorted, shaking her head as she took a sip of water, really hoping Mark and Alice cleaned themselves up before showing their faces. The sight of blood had made her feel gross… that was a LOT of blood, how they had been able to kiss each other… she’d never know. But… she smiled in satisfaction.

“I bet Stephanie will think twice the next time she decides to fuck with someone.”

~!~

“This is a DISASTER!! My sister had destroyed everything!!” Shane was beside himself, after hearing Dallas was being sent to the hospital with a broken back. “I need a replacement NOW!”

Booker T held his hand up, deciding to save Shane’s ass even though he’d bypassed him for Diamond Dallas Page. “I’ll do it.”

Shane was already a step ahead of him, but decided not to say he owned Booker T outright. “Good, we’re back on track. The WWF is going down tonight!”

~!~

The only company that would go down tonight was the Alliance just like Mark was currently going down on Alice, devouring her sex with his mouth and tongue. Alice trembled, gasping out and gripped his hair under the hot shower sprays, the blood of their enemies washing down the drain. “M-Mark…” They were giving into their animalistic urges, especially after destroying two people together. “Oh fuck!” Their celebration had started early.

It had started out as a simple shower, together, which was probably the first clue that they were about to have sex. They were reveling in their triumph, knowing that a major message had been sent backstage. They were not going to be fucked with any longer. Not going to take the abuse and the bullshit. Everyone had been put on notice. Mark was kneeling on the floor of the shower, one of her legs draped over his shoulder, his hands running over everything he could reach as he fucked her with his mouth.

“Come on, Red!” He growled, nipping her thigh before running his tongue down her slit. “Cum for me, darlin’…”

The fear of oral sex had been tossed out the window the moment she felt Mark’s mouth on her nethers, the memory washing over her how amazing it felt. “Only…for you…” She breathed out, holding herself up with one leg and leaned back against the wall, grinding her pussy into his face to make him tongue fuck her harder, faster, and deeper. “Oh yeah, oh yes!”

His sinfully long hot tongue sliding in and out of her…it didn’t take long for Alice to climax as the orgasm ripped throughout her entire body, shrieking his name. His growls sent vibrations through her frame as Alice leaned back against the wall, trying to catch her breath while Mark drank her completely dry. Not one drop left his greedy mouth. He lifted her leg from his shoulder and Alice waited until he stood up to capture her mouth, tasting herself on his tongue.

“Don’t you move, Deadman.”

They would have to be quick about this, so she dropped to her knees and eyed his erected cock, seeing the pre-cum on the tip. Her tongue snaked out to lick it off, the hunger inside of her once again overtaking her fear and Alice gripped his outer thighs, taking as much of his cock in her mouth as she could. This was the man she loved, the man she wanted to pleasure in every way possible and now that Dallas was gone for good, never to bother her again, Alice could finally relax and live her life fully again, including the bedroom, shower or wherever her and Mark decided to have sex. His eyes momentarily crossed as he fought the urge to grab her by those fiery red locks and fuck her willing mouth. Baby steps, baby steps… he dug his fingernails into the wall, staring down at her bobbing head, forcing himself to not move his hips.

“Fuck…” He moaned, his voice a low rumble.

Green fire burned in his eyes as she tipped her head back to meet his gaze before swallowing him whole again. He was not going to last. She didn’t want him to last, wanting him to explode to taste him, and drove his cock in and out of her mouth at a fast, hard pace. Each thrust in her mouth created a new sense of need, want and confidence. Alice hummed with her mouth still wrapped around his cock, sending vibrations through his groin and body. She smiled inwardly, hearing him growl in approval and reached up to take his hands to bury in her hair. No more trepidation, no more fear and no more holding back. Alice moaned louder as his fingers tightened in her hair, feeling the tip of his cock hit the back of her throat and reached up to fondle his balls, massaging them to urge him to let go and give her what she craved.

“I’m gonna cum, Alice.” Mark managed to get out through grit teeth, feeling she at least deserved a warning, in case she wanted to pull away and not take it down her throat.

When she simply hummed her approval, he let go, his eyes rolling back into his head as he emptied his balls. Her name escaped his lips in a very loud roar as he came, feeling all his muscles trembling at how explosive this was. Every drop of his delicious semen flowed down her throat smoothly as Alice swallowed him practically whole, also trembling from the aftermath. Her nails ran down his thighs, making sure he wasn’t holding anything back and Alice released him a few minutes later, once his dick grew limp inside her mouth. She looked up at him with pure love and lust swirling through her stormy greys and accepted a passionate kiss from him, neither caring the water had turned cold. It felt wonderful against their heated bodies as they kissed each other deeper, the animals inside of them temporarily sated.

“I’m not done with you tonight.” She promised in a purr, flicking her tongue against his lips and smirked when he groaned.

Stepping out of the shower to give him a moment under the cold sprays, Alice wrapped a towel around her body and felt vindicated. Shaking his head, Mark washed his junk in the icy water, which hurt… drained balls, ice water, not a good combination, before stepping out after her. He shook himself off, water flying everywhere and began laughing when Alice shrieked, snatching the other towel to wrap around his waist.

“Sorry.” He chuckled, dropping a kiss on her head before walking out into the main room, needing to redress… in clothes not covered in that pig’s blood.

“You came for me…again. You saved me.” Alice leaned in the doorway, content to be in just a towel for the moment since her match was done for the night. “You nearly killed him…for me.”

Just as she’d nearly killed Stephanie because of what the whore did to them. If it weren’t for Mark, Alice wouldn’t have survived the match let alone all these months. He truly was her knight in shining leather and that brought a smile to her face.

“Thank you…for helping me tonight. For all the other times you helped me and being patient with me. No wonder I’m in love with you.”

His bare ass was to her as he slid his legs into his pants. “Yeah, I am pretty awesome.” He grunted, turning to zip himself up, grinning at her. Mark took her in, emerald eyes filling with affection as he crossed the room to pull her into his arms, feeling her face burying itself against his cold chest. “I love you, Alice, and you’re welcome.” He whispered, kissing the top of her head. “Not that you need to thank me for Page…” That had definitely been his pleasure. Mark had wanted to break that bastard for a long time and he had been planning on doing it in the match later, but… Page had pushed his buttons by putting hands on Alice, and his balls near her face, one time too many.

~!~

“THE WWF LIVES, THE ALLIANCE DIES, AT THE SURVIVOR SERIES!!”

All Shane could do was gape, wondering what the hell had just happened… how… HOW? Kurt Angle, that little weasel… All the hard work he had done, the resources and money he had invested into this… all of it gone. His sister, gone, and probably not to return anytime soon, not that it mattered. He could only bury his head in his hands, shaking his head.

Vincent Kennedy McMahon, himself, came out from the back to stand on top of the stage and took his jacket off, tossing it down before raising his arms in victory.

The Alliance was dead and buried.

Alice cheered and hugged Stacy and Torrie tightly, all of them jumping up and down as soon as the announcement was made. The WWF had put the final nail in the Alliance’s coffin and it was Kurt Angle who was the proverbial nail. His defection had been a hoax, a mind game and he screwed the WWF by nailing Stone Cold Steve Austin in the head with the WWF title belt. It was a beautiful thing to witness, to watch as The Rock crawled over and pinned Austin for the victory. Alice broke out of the hug just as the door opened and she made a beeline for Mark, jumping into his arms hugging him tightly around the neck. Sweaty or not, she didn’t care. He’d been eliminated earlier on in the match and stayed near gorilla position just in case he had to go out to run interference for Team WWF. Mark didn’t care if she cared, they had been making out covered in blood, this was just another celebration. Grinning, he held her tightly, nodding at Glenn and the rest when they made it backstage finally.

Debra promptly walked up to her husband as soon as he arrived backstage and slapped the taste out of his mouth, planting her hands on her hips. “You’ve been served.” Then she turned on her heel and stalked away, her heels clicking against the flooring echoing back at him while he was served divorce papers.

Alice high-fived Debra, nodding her approval and smirked at a distraught looking Austin, grey eyes sparkling. The Alliance was over and done with. Everyone who had defected from the WWF to the losing team would be out of a job more than likely, unless Vince McMahon showed some heart. She doubted that highly. Packing up their things, Alice headed out of the arena and stopped at the sight of Kurt, asking Mark to give her a second. She walked over to him and hugged him around the neck, kissing his cheek.

“Thank you.” She whispered in his ear, patting him on the arm and then walked off with Mark to go start their celebration. Mark would be leaving tomorrow morning to go finalize paperwork on his new house being built and they would meet up again in Knoxville for Thanksgiving on Wednesday afternoon.

“Hey fuckers!” Glenn came running up behind them, draping an arm around both Alice and Mark’s shoulders, though it felt weird since she was so short. “Vince is having a party, you guys coming?”

They were coming, just probably not to the party, Mark smirked in amusement. “Not likely, man.” He grunted, nudging Glenn back out of their personal space and turned to look at his friend, tucking Alice into his side. “You go make our excuses, yeah?” He glanced down at his woman.

They were going to go have their own, personal celebration.

“Why would- Oh, Ohh…yeah.” Glenn grinned knowingly. “Okay, have fun.”

“You sure you don’t wanna go to the party?” Alice teased, squealing out when Mark lifted her over his broad shoulder and smacked her backside, purring in his ear. “I’m gonna take that as a no.”

Glenn laughed harder, shaking his head at their antics, and waved at them on his way to his vehicle. He couldn’t wait to get home tomorrow to see his wife, also taking the week off.

No sooner were they in the SUV rental, Alice immediately straddled him and pulled his shirt up over his head, their mouths finding each other. “Fuck me Mark, I can’t wait…” He was amazing in that match, showing why he was the Phenom of the WWF and nobody could hold a candle to him. “I love you…” She muttered out the moment his cock penetrated her, every other thought flying out the window and clung to him for dear life.

~!~

“It’s only a couple days and Vince really wants me to keep training with Lita…and I need to talk to his lawyers about what happened to Stephanie last night.” They were waiting in the airport for his flight to be called, having spent the majority of the night sexing each other up. He’d be sated until Wednesday, then they could rile each other up all over again. “Besides, you’ll be so busy with your house, the time will fly by.”

“Who are you trying to reassure, you or me?”

Mark figured he had gone those months without her, he could handle a few days, especially since he had a surprise for his redheaded delight. He was also tired, he knew she had to be as well. The woman was insatiable, and he wasn’t complaining. They had a lot of lost time to make up for. He groaned when his flight was called, bending down to kiss her one last time.

“See you in a few days, darlin’.” He murmured against her lips.

“See you in a few days, Deadman.”

kissed him softly, already knowing he would call her when he landed and headed out of the airport once he went through the terminal. She could’ve waited for his flight to take off, but Alice didn’t think it was necessary. Sending Lita a quick text, she got in the rental and drove off to do her training. Glenn also texted her to make sure she was coming and informed her, if she didn’t, Teresa would string her up by her boobs. That would hurt. Alice responded with bringing three bottles of wine and left it at that, focusing on doing her job for the next 2 days.

After giving Lita and Trish their gifts she’d purchased at a local mall in one of the cities they’d traveled in, Alice boarded her flight to Knoxville. She only spoke to Mark once and he’d been exhausted, so it wasn’t that long of a conversation. They had played phone tag ever since, missing each other because she was busy training, working out or in meetings to discuss her character going forward in the WWF. Vince’s legal team had worked day and night to clear her name of all charges Dallas tried pressing against them. He was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, zero hope for recovery, even after emergency surgery.

Alice was a happy woman, especially when Vince informed her Page would never be allowed anywhere near the WWF again. She hugged him tightly, thanking him for all his help and then informed Linda, who was also in the meeting with said lawyers, to send the ‘gift’ to Hunter. Linda understood the hidden meaning and promised it would be done. She had given Stephanie a shot and she blew it, now she would suffer the holiday season with her clueless husband injured. Both were injured, actually, so it fit the bill. Exiting the flight, a couple hours later, Alice swung her bag over her shoulder, having a carry-on and headed through the terminal, her hair down with a white sweater and black dress pants.

It was chilly in Tennessee, surprisingly.

Chapter 77

“Get the hell off me…”

“You have to let us see…” Torrie wheedled, smiling sweetly up at Mark as they walked through the airport together, glancing over at Stacy. They had met him for a consultation on a gift for Alice and then just all flown in together. “We got to see it before you had it tampered with…”

Stacy giggled, grabbing Torrie, and prying her off of Mark’s arm. “I’m sure whatever you did to it, she’ll love it.” She said quietly, dressed for the weather in fleece leggings and a knit tunic, a snowcap on her head because her ears were fricking cold. “I hope Teresa likes us…”

“I hope she bakes you two into pies.” Mark grumbled with a smile.

Just as she headed toward the rental car place, Alice spotted a blonde out of the corner of her eye and barely had time to react. “Good to see you too, Torrie.” She laughed, setting her down since she piggybacked her and accepted a hug from Stacy, her eyes moving to who they were with. Her grey eyes lit up like stars at the sight of Mark, the biggest smile crossing her face as she headed toward him.

“I thought your flight wasn’t scheduled to land for a couple more hours.” That was her way of greeting him followed by accepting a kiss from him. “Not that I’m complaining because I’m not.”

Stacy stayed back with Torrie, both waiting to see if Alice noticed what Mark had done for her.

Now, he had toyed with the idea of her actual name, but… he was pretty sure they were forever. Nobody could go through the stuff they had and still be together unless that was fate, fortune, destiny, or something higher power involved. But still, the actual name was a major step, and this was a highly public place. RED was fitting. It was the first thing he had called her, probably be the last too. However, she hadn’t noticed yet. Mark did, of course, have an actual present for her too, not just the tattoo.

It didn’t take Alice long to notice his throat and what was on it, swallowing hard at the simple dark red and gray letters outlined in black adorning his throat. RED. He had gotten her nickname, her special nickname he only called her, mostly, inked on his skin. Permanently. Alice swallowed hard, knowing he’d just gotten it done a few days ago, so it was still incredibly tender. She could see the ointment spread on it too to keep it from scabbing over and itching.

“Mark…” She finally found her voice, though it came out soft and full of shock, her eyes tearing away from the tattoo to lock eyes with him. Not realizing it, tears had formed in her eyes and a few slid down her cheeks. She reached up, blinking at the wetness on her cheeks and groaned, knowing she was crying. “W-When did you decide to get that done?”

What if the bubble burst between them and everything fell apart again? Alice didn’t see it happening, but it was always a possibility considering their last fight had been over him falling asleep on her during drunken sex! They had to have the weirdest relationship in history.

“Day I went home.” He answered with a shrug, trying to gauge if those were happy tears or sad ones. Mark figured, if by chance, they didn’t make it and he highly doubted it, unless he got rip-roaring drunk and passed out on her during sex again, he’d be able to explain it away pretty easily. “Are you… upset with it?” He asked slowly, hesitantly, honestly not taking that into consideration.

What woman wouldn’t want her name, or nickname as it was, adorned on HER man’s body?

“No, I’m not. I mean, it’s your body and you should ink it with whatever you want. I just…didn’t expect this, that’s all.”

Alice wanted to reach out and touch it, but thought better considering he’d gotten it done the day he went. This man was out of his mind. He’d been exhausted after their night of celebrating the end of the Alliance, Diamond Dallas Page and Stephanie. She wiped her tears away and took his hands, giving them a gentle squeeze with a genuine smile.

“It’s beautiful. I love the colors you chose for it.” Examining it closer, there was also green mixed into it with the red and gray as well. “Do you need more ointment for it before we head out to Glenn and Teresa’s?”

That was just downright adorable. “This ain't my first rodeo.” That was an understatement. Mark was covered from head to toe and everywhere in between with tattoos. He patted his bag, which was over his shoulder. “Got everything I need in here.” Including a few things for her. “Let's get going before Teresa loses her shit.”

“I know it’s not, but I’m still going to be concerned and ask you questions, regardless.” Alice remarked softly, rolling her eyes when he took her bag and waved the blondes over to join them since they were all riding together. Mark guided them out to the Chevy Silverado he rented, and the blondes piled in the back while Alice took the passenger seat. She grabbed Mark’s hand as soon as he slipped behind the wheel and leaned her head back against the seat, her eyes gazing at the tattoo again. “I love you.” Unbuckling her seatbelt, she scooted over and snuggled against his side, wanting to be close to him after being apart for 3 days. “I missed you.”

“I love you too, darlin’.”

“They’re so cute…”

“I know.” Torrie sighed wistfully.

“Glenn says that amount of clingy is bad though.”

Stacy had a new habit of taking Glenn’s word as the Bible. Probably because he was very sweet to her, protected her, and wasn’t trying to rape her. He had informed her he was going to adopt her as his new mascot because nobody had ever been that much of a cheerleader for the Big Red Machine ever. Minus his wife, of course. Teresa had said she could be their ‘teenage’ kid since the pair were over a decade older than she was.

“He also lets you paint his nails pink.”

“Which is why we can’t take anything you say about Glenn seriously.”

“Fair enough.”

“I’ll be as clingy as I want to, and Glenn can kiss my ass, if he doesn’t like it. I don’t hear Mark complaining.”

Alice grinned up at him, feeling him kiss the crown of her head and caressed his chest gently with her hand while he drove. If they were alone, she would’ve done something more evil and provocative. Such wasn’t the case though, unfortunately.

“Did you grab the wine already?” It wasn’t a surprise when Mark nodded. “Thank you.”

Mark knew better than to show up without that wine, it was Teresa’s favorite. “No raping me at the cabin.” He informed her, smirking when her mouth dropped. “Tight spaces, darlin’.” They would get the guestroom and Stacy and Torrie would be sleeping out in the living room in front of that fire… actually, now that he thought about it, maybe he would switch the sleeping arrangements up.

“Is it an actual cabin?”

“Yes. They designed it themselves.” They were quite proud of it. “Glenn’s been working on an addition for the baby, so they don’t have to give up the guestroom, but with winter coming on…” Mark knew it wouldn’t be done until summer, which Teresa had said was fine since the little one would sleep in their room for about a year. Poor Glenn and his impending lack of a sex life.

“Same goes for you then.” Alice didn’t take the rape joke to heart, kissing his cheek to let him know all was well between them. Once they arrived at the cabin, the nerves began boiling up inside of Alice as Stacy and Torrie hopped out of the truck, leaving her alone with Mark for a minute. “I don’t even know what to say to her…after all this time…” Teresa was pregnant and sounded terrifying…the last thing she wanted to do was upset a pregnant, hormonal woman. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…” Looking up at Mark when his hand reached out to finger her chin, Alice leaned into his touch and soaked in his strength. “Lead the way then.”

That rape comment had slipped out as a joke and Mark regret it almost as soon as he realized what he had said it. He did not miss the ‘you dumb fucker’ looks he had gotten from both Torrie and Stacy and cleared his throat, offering Alice a half-smile as he stared down into her nervous eyes. “First darlin’, I’m sorry about what I said out in the truck… that joke I made. It was stupid and slipped out and I shouldn’t have ever said it.” He was such an asshole sometimes.

“It doesn’t bother me. I know it should, but therapy has really helped me come to terms with what happened. I can’t change it. Don’t feel bad for simply saying what’s on your mind, Deadman.” Alice kissed him softly, caressing the side of his face and felt his forehead rest against hers. “Thank you for taking my feelings into consideration. Now come on, let’s go give preggo a greeting, wine and hopefully she doesn’t start crying after I apologize up and down for being an ass to her.”

Lacing his fingers with hers, Mark led the way inside, inhaling the scent of fresh baked pies. “Oh sweet Jesus…”

He was going to gain so much weight. Then he blinked, staring up at Glenn having Torrie and Stacy up on his shoulders, each woman had a rag. They were in the main room of the cabin, dusting.

“What the…”

“I can’t stop sneezing and I can’t climb up there to dust the rafters.” Teresa said by way of explanation, bustling right on by him to grab Alice, hugging her.

Hugs first, all the other stuff later. Then more hugs.

Alice blinked, not expecting this type of reaction and hugged Teresa back, unable to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. “I-I’m…”

“No. Don’t you dare apologize.” Teresa ordered, pulling back with tears of her own in her eyes and wiped Alice’s away. “Glenn didn’t tell me everything, just enough to understand what happened to you. You have nothing to be sorry for. I know why you closed yourself off and when I watched you beat that whore’s ass, I felt vindicated for you. Now come help me in the kitchen. The blondes can handle the dusting.” She sneezed again, groaning. “See what I mean?!”

All Alice could do was follow her, looking over her shoulder at Mark, who had Stacy on his shoulder while Torrie remained on Glenn’s, helping them out. It was cute, in a weird way.

“You are a lot heavier than you look, darlin’.” Mark commented, turning whenever Stacy gestured him to. He had been nice and given up two of his bandanas for the girls to use to wrap around the lower halves of their faces. He and Glenn were left with the rest and he was sneezing every other second. “Thanks so much for this, Glenn…”

“I’ve been working on building muscle. Apparently, it’s heavy.”

“Mi casa su casa…” Glenn muttered good-naturedly. “She’s on a cleaning kick.”

“It’s called nesting.” Torrie informed them, glancing down at the pair with a grin. “I got you those books to read, haven’t you?”

“No…”

“He oughta.” Teresa snorted from the kitchen, smiling at Alice. “I’m going to adopt Stacy, she’s a sweetheart.”

After finishing up the prep work for tomorrow’s meal, Alice went to track Mark down and found him outside by the pool, which was covered for the winter. It was too chilly to swim, and Glenn lived in the woods, so debris would get in the pool a lot, especially in the fall. Alice remembered the last time she was here in the white bikini, swimming in the pool and having a steamy moment or two with Mark in the water. Glenn had carted Teresa inside the house for their own romp, which was around the time she’d gotten pregnant.

“Penny for your thoughts?” She nudged him when he didn’t immediately notice her presence and saw the thoughtful expression on his face. “What’s on your mind, Deadman?”

“Just thinking darlin’.” He flashed her a slight smile. “And… relaxing.”

Mark had been busy ever since she had come back into his life. They had spent their time planning on how to destroy the Alliance, wrapped up in all that drama and trauma and now…. now it was over, and his body was only now starting to realize it could come out of the high alert, tense mode it had been in. He had also destroyed a man, and he would do it all over again if he had to, but… situations like that made people stop and have to think. He wrapped his arm around Alice’s shoulders, drawing her into him.

“Wondering if I should build a ranch or something like this cabin.” He liked the open floor design, it was… homey. “What do you think?”

“I – I don’t know…” Alice did like the log cabin, but…she didn’t know if it was really Mark’s style. Maybe she was wrong in that assumption, but his ranch was MASSIVE compared to Glenn and Teresa’s place. “Your old ranch was beautiful and homey…and I loved it there.” He wanted her honest opinion and Alice wouldn’t lie to him, leaning into his side. “Or you could have both…make it a ranch and log cabin combined?” It was just a suggestion, Alice didn’t think he’d actually go along with that idea and looked up at him. “Anything else on your mind?”

That ranch hadn’t been him at all. Mark had bought it that way and basically called it a day besides moving his belongings in. “Don’t want two ovens.” He grunted, staring off into space again and glanced down when she nudged him, frowning. “Sorry, I’m tired, Red.” His throat hurt. All the tattoos he had gotten, and this was the one that hurt the most. Well… they were right when they said love hurt and he snorted at his little joke. “When you moving back in with me, Alice?”

“Stop joking around, Mark.” Alice chastised, shaking her head, and figured he was messing with her.

That was until he grabbed her hand and pulled her back against him, staring down into her slightly bewildered eyes. She swallowed hard at the intensity swirling through his emerald orbs and knew he was being serious. This wasn’t a joke.

“You still want me to move in with you even after what happened?” At his firm nod, she bit her bottom lip and let out a shaky sigh. She had just gotten herself established in Miami with a new place, only to have this sprung on her. “W-What if things fall apart again? I don’t want to lose you and I’d love to live with you, but I’m scared.” First the tattoo and now this…Alice felt her head swimming and had to sit down…no, lay down in the grass, the coolness of it feeling good against her. “Lay with me out here, please?”

Chapter 78

Laying with her, Mark rolled onto his side, propping his head in the palm of his hand, elbow on the ground. He simply stared at her, wondering what the big deal was. “Darlin’, the girls were right. We’ve been clingy with each other ever since we got back together and, the last time we were together, we were that way too.” He reminded her gently. “When we were apart for only 3 days, we were constantly playing phone tag.” It just made sense, moving in together. “Or do you not want too?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. You know I do and if you don’t, you’re stupid or blind or lost too many brain cells due to chair shots to the skull.” Alice giggled at his growl and reached up to stroke his goatee thoughtfully, her eyes going back to the tattoo. “We moved really fast last time. Like INCREDIBLY fast and I just want to make sure this time around, we’re doing this the right way. That we’re moving in together and sharing our lives together for the right reasons. I love you and, even when we were apart, I didn’t stop loving you for a second.” Her eyes moved back up to meet his, twirling a piece of his hair around her finger. “If this is what you truly want, and you can suffer the black cloud that seems to follow me everywhere I go, then I’m in. But I’m warning you now, I’m bad luck.” She had to be with everything she’d been through this year.

“As if I didn’t know that already?” He remarked sarcastically, rolling his eyes and caught her hand before she could nail him again, kissing her fingertips with a grin. “Alice, you’re not bad luck, you’ve never been.”

She had, unfortunately, been a bit too attractive and desirable for her own good. Making enemies of people who couldn’t take hearing ‘no’ very well. That didn’t mean she had bad luck, it meant she needed to stop associating with dickheads. Well, they had solved and shelved that problem. He was pretty sure he wasn’t having any issues with his luck, not negative anyway, she was here with him in his arms. Proof bad luck wasn’t a thing.

“Besides, I broke all those mirrors… how many years of bad luck is that?”

“Well, we’ll just have to replace them in the new house, won’t we?”

Alice brought his mouth down on hers, kissing him passionately to seal the deal, so to speak. They were never conventional and never did things the ‘right’ way. It was one of the things that made them so special and their relationship unique. The way Mark helped her heal all these months from the rape and stood beside her every step of the way…how could she not be in love with someone like that? He brought her back to life, when she was at her lowest, along with wrestling. Mark and wrestling…they both stopped her from completely falling apart and losing everything she’d worked hard for. Now that Dallas, Stephanie, Shane, and the entire Alliance was gone, they could finally be content and happy together.

“I guess I’ll come keep your ass company when we’re off the road.” She laughed at the look on his face and kissed him again. “Yes, I’ll move in with you, Deadman.”

The most arrogant expression ever spread over Mark’s face. “As if there was any ever doubt, woman.” He snorted, his tone dripping with the same arrogance adorning his face. She growled in response and made him begin laughing, the sound of it echoing throughout the area and rolled, so he was laying on top of her, bracing his weight on his elbows so he didn’t crush her. “It was funny.” He informed her, dropping a kiss on her nose. “Also… I have some stuff inside for you to look at… need you to start picking out colors and materials.” Yes, he was that haughty and, when it looked like Alice might have words for him, he kissed her.

“You…ass…” Alice mumbled in between kisses and used her own strength to roll him over on his back with her straddling him, looking proud of herself. Her legs were ten times stronger than they used to be along with her upper body. Everything had magnified ever since she started training and lifting weights on nearly a daily basis. “Oops, you said no hanky-panky while we were here. Guess I’d better get off you before you…” She smirked, reaching down between them and could already feel Mark rising to the occasion. “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” It was so cliché, she laughed and got off of him, pushing on his chest to get to her feet before helping him up. “Alright, inside and show me what you got in your bag, big boy.”

When they turned around, Torrie was standing there with a slack mouth. “Um… Teresa said… it was time for a light dinner…” She said awkwardly, pretty sure she had just seen Alice groping Mark and her gaze dropped to a place it shouldn’t of before she looked skyward. “I’m sorry!”

She was so damn red and obviously embarrassed, it was funny, and he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing.

“Yeah, dinner… eat, we’re eating now.” She was heading inside, flipping Mark off when he finally did start laughing.

“Come on, darlin’,” He lightly smacked Alice’s backside. “We’re eating.” He echoed Torrie, green eyes twinkling impishly.

“I’ll give you something to eat, Deadman.” Alice muttered, loud enough for only him to hear and followed him into the house to eat the small meal Teresa and Glenn made.

BBQ sandwiches from the crockpot with steak fries – it was perfect. They sat down in front of the fireplace, which was roaring to life and Alice let the contentment wash over her. They talked about what had happened at Survivor Series and then about the upcoming baby, which was a boy. Teresa and Glenn were having a healthy baby boy. Glenn cried because he didn’t know he’d missed the ultrasound to find out the sex of their baby and kissed his wife, apologizing up and down for not being here during that moment. She reciprocated by giving him a small machine that had the baby’s heartbeat within it and kissed him, letting him know she understood and forgave him. The emotional pregnant couple bid everyone good night as Glenn carried his wife to their bedroom to show her how much he loved and missed her.

“You two can have the bedroom, Mark and I will stay out here by the fire.”

Alice had seemingly read Mark’s mind because he was already sprawled out on the bearskin rug on the floor, which was very comfortable.

Considering Stacy and Torrie had been sharing rooms, and sometimes beds if they were with Glenn, it wasn’t anything new to them. “But we want the fire!” Stacy said in a whine, trying to hide her smile when Mark shot her a look.

That fire did look inviting, Torrie would admit it, but she wasn’t entirely sure about sleeping on a dead bear. “We’ll take the bed.”

“Damn right you will.” He yawned, rolling onto his back, and spreading his limbs out, marking his territory basically.

“I’m gonna go change and then join you.” Alice kissed him quickly and stood up, walking down the small hall with the blondes. “The bed sinks in a little, just a friendly warning.”

She patted them on the shoulder, grabbed her bag and escaped into the bathroom to change into soft pink pajama bottoms and a matching short sleeved top, brushing her hair out. Walking out 5 minutes later, Alice giggled at the sight of Stacy and Torrie in the bed, waved at them and shut the door on her way back out to the living room. She smiled at the sight of Mark already snoozing and dropped to her knees, snuggling against his side as his arm wrapped around her instantly. Within seconds, she was fast asleep in the arms of the only man she wanted to be with.

Once he had the living room to himself, he had got up and grabbed his bag, changing right out there. Mark could hear the girls laughing and chatting while Glenn and Teresa… were thankfully quiet. Once he was in pajama bottoms and nothing else, Mark let his bare feet enjoy that rug. Yeah, definitely needed something like this. He smirked, imagining laying Alice out on it, and ravishing her before a blazing fire.

Her eyes slowly opened hours later, the living room pitch black except for the fire on the side of them. It was roaring with life still and it didn’t take long to realize Mark was no longer sleeping. In fact, his head was buried between her thighs, her pajama bottoms, and panties already off. How did she not feel him undress her? Slapping a hand over her mouth to keep quiet, Alice reveled in the feeling of Mark’s mouth on her, tasting and devouring her whole.

“Y-You said no hanky-panky while we’re here…” She stammered out, once he drank his fill and saw the devious grin on his face, his tongue snaking out to lick his lips. Alice immediately pulled him down for a kiss, tasting herself on his tongue and felt the liquid fire course through her veins. “Fuck me, Mark…I want you…” Here and now on this bearskin rug.

Actually, what he had said was SHE was not allowed to assault HIM while they were here, not the other way around. Mark was a bastard when he wanted to be, he knew it. “Mmm, good.” He rumbled, moving so he was on his back and she was astride him. It took little time to position her over him and he arched his hips, sliding home easily. Hissing, he let his head drop back onto the rug, his hands moving to her hips. “Ride me, wench.”

A bearskin rug was definitely in the cards for the new house. It felt exquisite against her heated, sweaty skin as her hips rolled against him, grinding on his cock. Alice loved riding him, smirking when he let out a growl and leaned forward to where their chests pressed together, still gyrating her hips.

“You better be quiet, Deadman.” She warned teasingly before sitting upright again and dug her nails into his chest, becoming lost in the sensation of him buried deep inside of her.

Raising her hand to cover her mouth again, Mark stopped her, and Alice had to bit her bottom lip hard to keep from crying out. Soon, the slow pace wasn’t doing it for either of them and Alice began bouncing on and off his cock, his hands massaging her breasts while hers used leverage to make the impact of each time their pelvises met that much more intense.

“Maarkkk…” She moaned out, losing all sense of control, and bounced harder, driving him even deeper inside of her, if that was possible.

This position was lovely, but he soon enough had her off him and bent over, her face down against that rug and her delectable ass in his vision. Mark gave each side a few smacks, admiring the rosy tone each cheek took on and bent down to nip at her spine before his hands moved to her hips. He guided her back, impaling her again on his cock. He did not give a rat’s ass who heard them, they could take notes for all he cared. The sound of flesh smacking flesh, along with that crackling fire was rather loud and her moans and whimpers only added to the sensual harmony.

“So tight, Red…” He was never going to get enough of her, of this.

“Only for you…” She gritted out, pushing herself up enough to meet him for every thrust he gave her, completely lost in the moment.

It didn’t matter where they were, whose house they were in…it could’ve been in a crowded airport or in the middle of the ring in front of thousands of fans…Alice smirked at the thought of THAT happening, grey eyes glowing in the firelight. She gasped as Mark buried his hand in her red tresses and slammed her back against his chest, her head turning to catch his lips as they crashed down on hers briefly. Her head lulled back against his shoulder, feeling him increase the pace of this dance and gripped the back of his neck, her lips brushing against his fresh ink as his hand snaked down her body to rub her sensitive bundle of nerves, his thrusting never ceasing. His free hand wrapped gently but firmly around her throat, testing the waters with that one and, by the sudden extra gush around his already drenched cock… he was guessing she liked it. Mark never stopped working her clit, feeling her entire body shuddering against his as he upped the tempo, eyes feasting on her sweat slicked curves and muscles, bathed by firelight… He had never seen anything more beautiful.

“Cum for me, Alice.” He ordered, growling it in her ear. “All over me, darlin’.”

Her pulse had quickened the moment his hand encased her throat, but it didn’t scare her like it probably should’ve. Therapy had worked wonders on her; all Alice had to do was remind herself who she was with and it was the man she loved, who would never hurt her. Honestly, it was erotic being held by the throat while he thrusted in and out of her, giving her what they both craved from each other. His ministrations on her clit combined with the thrusts was Alice’s absolute undoing, his husky voice in her ear making her resolve completely snap.

“I-I’m there! I’m…” Alice couldn’t talk, letting out a choked half-gasp, half-cry as her juices flooded him, wrapping around him in a tight warm wet vise and seconds later, he followed, her climax triggering his.

Just because he knew he was loud, Mark bit down on his bottom lip to keep from bellowing her name, feeling it split and then tasted blood. Not that he minded, he rather enjoyed it actually, a bit of pain right at the most pleasurable of moments, it only enhanced all the other things he was feeling. He never stopped thrusting into Alice’s receptive, spasming body, though they were now frantic thrusts, filling her with his seed. If not for her birth control, Mark would have knocked her up at least twice by now.

“Fuck!” He hissed through clenched teeth.

Hopefully, he didn’t jolt her diaphragm, which was possible to do, and she was sure his cock had punctured through her back wall. They collapsed onto the bearskin rug, both of their sides trying to catch their breath. Alice loved the delicious ache between her thighs pulsating through her body and let out a rather rough coughing laugh, trying to catch her breath. Her heart was sure to fly out of her chest and into the roaring fire any second since she currently faced it.

“I’m…never letting you go…again.”

Lacing her fingers with his over her pounding heart, Alice felt him spoon up against her and had no qualms about them being completely naked in front of the fire. Her eyes closed, the memories of the bonfire outside of Mark’s old ranch flowing through her mind and how they’d made love under the fireworks in front of the fire. Slowly but surely, they were getting back to where they used to be, and Alice never wanted it to end, never wanted to lose this deep connection with him.

“I love you, Mark…”

“I love you too, darlin’.” Mark yawned, burying his face in her hair, and inhaled raggedly, smiling from sheer contentment. “Don’t think Glenn and Teresa will love us though if they come out here in the morning and we’re bare assed on their rug.” He could only imagine the pregnant woman’s reaction, snickering softly, half-tempted to push it and see what would happen. “I don’t want to get up, Red, you wore me out.”

In about an hour, he’d probably want to be worn out all over again. He had never met anyone quite like her and knew he never would again. Hell, he hadn’t even looked at another woman since him and Alice had gotten together the first time, she was it for him. Mark had never felt this way about anyone and, when he had thought he had lost her, he had pretty much been broken, a shell of himself, a drunken shell at that. He would do whatever he needed to keep her because she was truly his other half.

“We’re definitely getting a bearskin rug and a fireplace somewhere in the new house.” Alice felt him nod in agreement and couldn’t remember the last time she felt this relaxed. However, she also didn’t want to piss a pregnant woman off after reconciling with her, so Alice moved to grab the blanket off the back of the nearby chair and draped it over them. “There, they won’t see our bare asses come morning.” She kissed him, refusing to get dressed and soon, they were both asleep again.

Chapter 79

Thanksgiving was full of awkward laughter, due to Glenn pouring a gallon of ice water on both Mark and Alice to wake them up. Mark had chased his friend all throughout the house and property before nailing him in the balls. Teresa wasn’t angry; she was happy to see Mark and Alice back together again, which overcome her annoyance at being woken up in the middle of the night to their friends having sex. Glenn had woken up as well and they ended up having their own lovemaking session, so she had nothing to complain about.

After Thanksgiving, it was time to hit the road again to resume work. Mark felt he needed a drastic change to his look and had done something that made Alice nearly have a heart attack. He had cut his hair…his beautiful auburn red locks were gone. Alice had come back from working out and froze in the doorway of their hotel room, her jaw dropped to the floor. Mark stood before her…with short hair and his goatee trimmed neatly.

“Oh wow…” She dropped her bag against the wall and slowly walked toward him, mourning the loss of his beautiful hair. “Mark?” Why…that was the question she wanted to ask him, and her eyes were filled with it, but all he did was smile back at her.

Even with short hair, she still loved him unconditionally and let him draw her into his arms, passionately kissing him. He was also getting ready to switch up his character, go heel for a bit. Mark had done the heel gimmick in the past and people usually still cheered him, which was messed up. So this time around, he was trying out a few new things, smirking as he ran a hand along his freshly shorn hair. He would admit, it felt a lot better, lighter on his head.

“Gettin’ ready to go Big Evil, darlin’.” He said by way of explanation when she couldn’t take her eyes off his hair. “It bother you that much, Red?”

“You could dye your hair green and go bald for all I care. I didn’t fall in love with your look.” His hair though…his beautiful hair was gone, and she would miss running her fingers through it. “Wait, let me check something.” At his raised brow, she slid her fingers through his hair and gripped the back of it, grinning with a satisfied nod. “Okay good, there’s still enough to grab.” Alice laughed at his growl and shoved him down on the bed to straddle his lap, kissing him deeply. “You look sexy with short hair…” Her fingernail traced the tattoo that went up the side of his neck that was linked to one of his pieces on his upper arm. “Big Evil huh? More like Big Evil Red Devil.” Then she traced the tattoo on his neck, greys glittering mischievously. “Maybe I’ll start calling you that…”

“Darlin’, that’s gonna be a bit of a mouthful…” He drawled, lacing his hands beneath his head as he stared up at her, the corner of his mouth curving upwards into a wicked smirk. “Especially when my cock is between those beautiful lips.” He grinned when she pursed said lips, reaching up to grab the back of her head and bring her down for a kiss. “Red is you and Glenn, you can just keep on callin’ me god.” He muttered, nipping her bottom lip.

“You’re such an ass!” Alice smacked his arm, shaking her head and pecked his mouth, rubbing her nose against his gently. “Don’t be surprised if people start calling you Red Devil because of your tattoo.”

Big Evil Red Devil fit him perfectly, actually. Smackdown! was that night and apparently, Mark was debuting his new look by attacking RVD, who’d been hired by Vince after the Alliance lost at Survivor Series. He was the current WWF Hardcore champion and Mark was going after the title at the pay-per-view Sunday, Vengeance. Alice had a match on the card against Trish and Lita in a triple threat for the WWF Women’s title, which had been a shock. Lita told her she was ready for it, but not to be surprised if she lost to either one of them. Alice didn’t care if she lost, her time would come, and this would be great exposure for her character and career.

“So, I wanted to ask you, did you want to wait until the new house is built for me to move in or do you want me at the apartment with you in Houston?”

Considering they were still in the designing phase of the house, though it was now starting to actually get done, he figured by the time the actual place was built, they’d be retired with grandkids. “Apartment.” He grunted, deciding he would have to call Derrick and have the man go in and tidy the hellhole up, bring in a maid or something. Alice hadn’t been back since that day they had fought and he… well, he had let it go in his drunken depression.

“Then we should go to Miami on Wednesday.”

They’d been inseparable ever since getting back together, besides her training sessions with Lita and working out whenever he had media appearances to do for the company. Mark was very popular and now that he was turning heel, that probably wouldn’t change…much. The fans simply loved him and there was no changing it, no matter what he did on-screen.

“I don’t have much, but I don’t want to leave what little I DO have there. Unless you want to go to Houston and I’ll go to Miami for a day to pack my shit and then join you?”

“That one, second option.” He grunted, that’d work out too and then he wouldn’t have to take crap from Derrick about the state of the apartment. Granted, he was part owner of the complex, but still… he would deserve the punch his friend would probably throw at him. “Gives me time to, mmm, clean up…”

Such as getting rid of the glass; he still hadn’t bothered with that. Hell, Mark hadn’t even slept in that room since her. He had crashed on the couch, which needed replaced… drunk, 300+ pound man killed it. Clearing his throat, Mark grinned down at her and slid his hand up and down her back.

“Place is a bit trashed, darlin’.”

“Okay, that’s good because I only booked one flight to leave…tonight.” Alice chewed her bottom lip at Mark’s narrowed eyes and clasped her hands in her lap, suddenly finding them more interesting than him. “I just wanna go and get it over with. In the morning, I’ll sign the papers to the month-by-month lease to end it and then I’ll hop on a flight to Houston.” They would sleep apart for the first time since they got back together, but it had to be done. “You do your cleaning up…”

Alice had to wonder how bad off the apartment actually was, frowning at the possibility. After this and she was moved in with him again, they wouldn’t be apart for a while. Maybe they were too clingy with each other, but it worked for them. They couldn’t get enough of each other and both felt incomplete without the other around.

“Okay, what the fuck woman?” Mark demanded, frowning as he stared at her. “Why the hell would you ask me if I wanted you to come with me, if you already had no intention of doin’ so?”

He didn’t get it. Why ask when she already had her flight home booked? Mark would never understand women, his eyes turning to slits as he regarded her. He really hoped he hadn’t just failed some test.

There was no test, not when it came to him. “I was extending it as a courtesy. There’s still plenty of tickets left to go to Miami, so I figured I’d ask you first before booking your flight.” Alice saw him physically relax and rubbed his shoulders, trying to release some of the tension in them. “Didn’t want you thinking I was running off on you or something.” She kissed him softly, once again running her hands through his freshly cropped hair and slid her hands nails down his bare chest. “We have a few hours before we need to be at the arena. Wanna take a nap with me? Or are you gonna go workout and show off your new hair?”

“Already told the guys I’d meet ‘em down in the gym, darlin’.”

The idea of a nap sounded tempting, but he was still trying to work off the spread from Thanksgiving. Teresa had gone OUT of her way to fatten them all up. Mark was convinced she had served Glenn extra portions just to purposefully broaden his waistline as revenge for hers or something.

“Get some rest.” He kissed her nose, smiling when she mockingly yawned. “Knock it off, you can’t tempt me, vixen.” Well, she could, but not right now. He’d come wake her up in a bit, however.

“I love you.” Yawning again, this time for real, Alice snuggled under the comforter and closed her eyes, not bothering to turn the television on. She felt Mark kiss her forehead and heard the door close, a content smile on her face.

~!~

Miami was a nightmare. Her landlord was a bitch and made her pay for next month, even though she was moving out today. Shaking her head, she wrote the slimy bitch the amount she wanted and then reported her to an organization that dealt with abusive landlords. They would investigate her and probably shut down her business along with refunding most of the money she had swindled from people. Boarding the plane, Alice couldn’t wait to get to Houston and leaned her head back against the seat as the flight took off.

~!~

Mark’s cell phone rang hours later…hours after Alice’s flight was supposed to land. “Is this Mark Calaway?” The gentleman asked over the phone, nodding when the man affirmed it was indeed him. “Sir, my name is Mitchel and I’m calling to inform you that Flight 207 went down around 3 o’clock this afternoon. There were survivors, but some people were killed and…sir…sir??” The phone went dead seconds later.

~!~

Opening her eyes, Alice let out a soft groan and looked around the room a bit hazy, a frown marring her face. She could hear beeping machines surrounding her and her head felt like a knot was on it. The last thing she remembered was boarding her flight to go to Houston and falling asleep shortly after takeoff.

“Relax sweetie, you’re going to be just fine. My name is Marcel. I’m your nurse and you’re in the hospital.” The kind woman informed her, jotting down some notes in her patient’s chart.

“W-Where am I?”

“Oklahoma City Memorial. Now close your eyes and get some rest. You were in a plane crash with only minor injuries.”

The number of drugs they pumped through her system made Alice incoherent as her eyes closed again, drifting off into darkness.

~!~

Mark was going to lose his mind! He wasn’t immediate family, so no names were being released to him until all family members had been notified. Alice was an orphan! She had gotten herself emancipated early on to escape her foster family!

“Vince, yer her boss, you gotta find somethin’ out.” He begged, actually begged, his voice hoarse from crying. Mark did not care who seen him shedding tears. If she was truly gone, Mark was sure he would’ve felt something, a pain in his chest, a sudden knowing, ANYTHING, but he hadn’t, and he was going to cling to hope.

“Yes.” Vince said instantly, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “I’ll make some phone calls…”

Glenn could only watch as Mark dropped the cell and sank down onto the bed. He sat down beside his friend, wrapping an arm around the other man’s shoulders, and leaned in, his own heart breaking when Mark began crying.

Linda had been the one who got through to the authorities and demanded to know what happened to her niece. It was a little white lie, but since she was a McMahon, she had credibility. Linda was on the verge of running for Senator in Connecticut and had recently started her campaign. She found out that not only was Alice alive, but what hospital all the survivors had been transferred to. Immediately, she called Mark and informed him of the information she found out, getting a quick ‘thanks Linda’ and a dial tone. That poor man was head over heels in love with the redhead, it was obvious, and she hoped they lasted now that her meddlesome daughter was out of the picture.

He was on a private jet to her, thanks to the McMahon’s generosity and Mark barely even remembered the flight. All he could think about was the fact Alice had been in a plane crash and she was alive. He should’ve gone with her… or they could have driven… Mark also thanked the man upstairs, or whatever higher power, repeatedly that she was alive. Knowing his nerves wouldn’t settle until he seen her with his own two eyes. Getting into the hospital was a train wreck, it was a major hospital already on top of people, who had survived the crash along with their loved ones, swarming. It seemed to take hours until he was finally shown to her room and he dropped to his knees at the sight of her.

“Mr. Calaway, Mrs. McMahon told us to be expecting you. Your wife is going to be just fine. It’s just a lot of bumps and bruises, she didn’t need surgery and she just has a small lump on her head from when the plane went down. Other than, her vitals are great, and we’ve been giving her a little morphine to help manage pain.” The doctor informed him, speaking quietly while his patient continued to sleep in bed.

“M-Mark...” Alice’s head moved from side to side, her brows scrunching together, and tears slid down her cheeks in the nightmare she was having. “M-Mark…” The second he touched her hand, she immediately calmed down and continued to sleep, needing him even in her subconscious.

“You’re the only one she’s been asking for. I’ll leave you two alone and have her use the call button if she needs anything, once she awakens.” The doctor left to go tend to his other patients.

His wife? What the hell ever, he didn’t care. He was going to marry this woman, knock her up, and keep her locked away at home, where she would be safe, secure and his forever. Mark sank down into the chair beside her, holding her hand tightly between his and let his head drop forehead to rest against her side. Alice looked like hell, he probably would’ve too if he had been in a plane crash.

“Jesus…” He could feel relief coursing through him, knowing she would be fine; maybe not keen on being on a plane for a while, but fine.

The wife bit had been Linda’s doing. It was the only way to ensure Mark got to see Alice as soon as possible. If she would’ve told the hospital they were boyfriend and girlfriend, he wouldn’t have gotten straight access to her. Linda hated lying, but in this case, she was willing to make a few exceptions.

Sometime the following morning, Alice slowly opened her eyes and didn’t feel like a brick was on her head anymore. She turned her head, seeing Mark was with her and instantly felt tears form in her eyes, making her head hurt. Crying always gave her a headache. He was here with her…she hadn’t lost him, and she was alright. The doctor had given her a clean bill of health because the small scrapes, bruises, and a few contusions she’d suffered during the crash. The heart monitor she was hooked became faster and louder as Mark’s head snapped up and their eyes met – grey on emerald.

“I-I told you I was bad luck…” Alice started crying as soon as he hugged her, clinging to him for dear life, trembling and ignored her body screaming at her to calm down. “I-I’m okay…I’m okay now…”

“It wasn’t you.” He whispered, burying his face in her hair, and inhaled deeply. “It was the plane, there was an engine problem and they didn’t catch it during the pre-flight check.” Mark had gotten to hear all about it while waiting for her to wake up. He was one of the fortunate people who had gotten to come see a loved one alive and not identify the body. “You’re not bad luck, Alice.” She was, however, not ever leaving his side again. Or at least, not anytime soon. “I love you.” He said it over and over, raining kisses all over her face.

Engine trouble…on the very plane she had boarded headed to Houston. For some reason, Alice didn’t buy this was purely coincidental. She didn’t want to worry Mark though and decided to keep her feelings to herself for now. Once they were out of the hospital and at home safely, then she would talk to Mark about this. Alice had learned long ago never to go against her gut instinct and her gut was currently telling her someone did this. Someone had sabotaged the plane and killed all those people, meaning for her to be one of them. Mark would probably think she was paranoid, maybe she wouldn’t mention it to him at all.

Chapter 80

The following day, on strict orders to rest and recuperate, Alice was released from the hospital and flown on the private jet of McMahon’s to Houston. Mark wanted to cancel his match against RVD at Vengeance, but Alice wasn’t hearing it. He would be the new Hardcore champion, a title he hadn’t held yet in the company. Any championship was better than none.

“Mark, I can fly, and I’ll stay at the hotels to rest since you won’t let me stay at home by myself.” It sounded like he was the paranoid one. “Either I stay home, and you go to Vengeance, Raw and Smackdown! or…I’m going with you and staying my ass in the hotels to rest and relax. Take your pick.”

“You were just in a plane crash, darlin’.” He reminded her, in case she forgot, fairly certain he wasn’t being unreasonable. “You need to be resting, not traveling all over the damn place.” Mark was a little paranoid, he’d admit it. He had nearly lost her and wasn’t apologizing for trying to keep her in a little safety bubble. Not until… next week or something, when it wasn’t so fresh in his mind.

“And I’m telling you I’m not letting you pass up the opportunity to win WWF gold…of any kind.” Mark was fond of the Hardcore title, but it was a championship to add to his long list of achievements and she wouldn’t be the sole reason for him passing it up. “Mark, look at me.” Turning his head by the chin until his eyes met hers, Alice softly brushed her lips against his. “I’m fine. A little sore and bruised, but nothing I can’t handle. Traveling is part of our job and I’ll be fine at the hotels. Or the arenas, since you won’t leave me alone.” She didn’t mind having someone worried over her safety, it felt nice to be cared about as much as he did her. “You even said we could drive there, if we leave tomorrow.” That would be Friday. San Diego would take roughly two days drive, with frequent stops, including overnight at hotels to sleep for at least 8 hours. “We can even leave tonight to give us more time, if that’s what you want to do. But you ARE going with or without me.” Alice was not taking no for an answer.

“Can’t leave you alone.” He snorted, shaking his head and pulled his chin away from her as he took a step backwards. “You’d wind up in trouble, darlin’.” It seemed every time Alice went to go do something without him, she wound up in mortal danger. “Fine… fine.” Mark knew when he was licked and rolled his green eyes at her amused grin. “Laugh it up, chuckles.” He sighed, dropping a quick kiss on her quirked lips. “Don’t know why I bother…” Arguing with a woman, who already knew she was right and was just waiting for him to realize it, was exasperating.

“Knew you’d see things my way, Deadman.”

Alice giggled softly, winking, and slid from the bed slower than usual since her midsection had a deep bruise in the middle right above her belly button. No internal damage, thankfully, it was from the seatbelt she’d buckled herself into before the plane crashed. While Mark muttered good naturedly and packed his bag, she did the same thing, even though she wouldn’t be able to do much. The doctor wanted her to rest at least 2 weeks, which meant her shot at the Women’s championship had gone up in smoke. If someone had sabotaged the plane, and she found out who it was, she would kill them for that reason alone. Sighing, Alice still hadn’t told Mark about her suspicions and decided once they were home next Wednesday, after the pay-per-view, Raw and Smackdown!, she would sit down and discuss it with him to see what he thought.

Sighing, Mark moved to help her, stepping back when she held up a hand and turned towards the dresser. He had gotten the apartment cleaned the night before and morning of the day the plane had gone down. All the mirrors were gone, the stripper pole had been removed, new couch… fresh paint and those area rugs he had wanted were also now down. Alice hadn’t commented on anything, but he also figured she had been too busy dealing with pain and then arguing with him.

“You hungry?” He asked, already knowing they would take a plane. Statistically, crashes were rare… and he wasn’t above chartering a private flight. It would mean they could stay here, which would allow her more time to relax and recover in a bed and not a vehicle.

More therapy was in her future. Alice nodded, not looking forward to being on another plane and zipped her bag up, sitting down on the bed beside it. Even through the chaos and her foggy brain in the hospital, due to the drugs, Alice knew in her heart this wasn’t an accident. This was a freak onetime occurrence. It was too coincidental to her being on a plane headed straight for Houston, Texas. Nobody knew she moved from Tampa let alone where she’d gone. She made sure of it and even used an alias with her last scumbag landlord.

Sighing, Alice wondered if maybe she wasn’t going insane or paranoia was setting in now that Page and Stephanie were out of their lives, Shane too. She snapped out of her deep thoughts as Mark walked back in with a sandwich and chips, taking them and kissed him softly. Even though she wasn’t hungry, Alice would force herself to eat because it would help regain her strength. She hated feeling helpless and vulnerable. Sandwich and chips were the best she was getting because Mark hadn’t really bought anything outside of canned goods and those only because they kept forever.

“You eat all that,” He said teasingly, sitting down on the bed alongside her with his own food. “And I’ll get’cha a can of pears for dessert.”

Mark figured he’d just order out for supper, providing her appetite picked up. Alice hadn’t really eaten much, not that he blamed her. She hadn’t really talked about the accident either, though the doctors had mentioned the possibility of survivor’s guilt popping up. Considering everything Alice had already gone through… he figured god might have it out for redheads.

“Penny for your thoughts, darlin’?”

Shutting her eyes briefly, Alice shook her head and took a bite out of the sandwich, not tasting it. Her stomach churned every time she thought about the possibility of the plane being sabotaged. All those people that died…and she lived. Maybe she did have a bit of survivor’s guilt. Maybe that’s what she was feeling instead of paranoia.

“It’s nothing. This is good. Thank you.”

She kissed his cheek and continued eating, trying to push the negativity in the back of her mind for the moment. At least she was still alive and with the love of her life. They ate in amicable silence, each in their own thoughts and she took their plates out to the kitchen, setting them in the sink. Then she sat on the couch and turned the television on, needing a distraction of some kind to get her mind off things. He had it on some local news station and wasn’t surprised when Alice immediately changed it. Mark shuffled around in the kitchen, pulling out the blueprints they had been working on and the materials list they had agreed on, colors and all that from the drawer he kept his paperwork in. They had actually managed to cover quite a bit, and he figured this was enough to get the construction crew started. Eventually, he’d like to live in a proper house again.

“I’m going to go mail this, darlin’.” He said, grabbing a manila envelope off the top of the fridge. “And by mail, I mean have Derry fax it all to the builders. Were there any changes you thought of?”

“No, just as long as they add the black bearskin rug and fireplace in the living room or sitting room, whichever you want.”

Alice grinned, both deciding on black since Glenn and Teresa had brown. That had been an incredible night with him by the fire on the bearskin rug, making love for hours on end. They would get there again, it would take time for the house to be built, but eventually they would have their own paradise again. She felt the same way he did, wanting to live in an actual house instead of an apartment or hotel. Mark dropped a quick kiss on her lips and headed out, ordering her to keep the door deadbolted. She rolled her eyes, wondering who the paranoid one was now and flipped the deadbolt before laying down on the couch, flipping through channels.

Him. He was still the paranoid one. Bearskin rug… that was something they’d have to order themselves. Mark had hired contractors to build, not decorate. The decoration from them went as far as what material and what color said material was going to be. He made a mental note to find a place locally where they could get a bearskin rug and wondered if that a thing anymore? He knew activists were becoming pains all-around, not that he had considered it until now.

“Need you to fax this shit for me, Derry.”

“Finally got around to designing it?” Derrick eyed the envelope. “About time.” He had seen Mark hauling out trash bag upon trash bag of crap the other day from the apartment, guessing his buddy was not the cleanest person. Of course, he knew they were back together, which was why Mark had been cleaning.

After calling the Oklahoma City police department, who gave her a number to call regarding the plane crash, Alice stayed on hold for a while. Mark wouldn’t be back any time soon, not if him and Derrick began chatting, which she was fine with. He didn’t need to overhear this conversation anyway. It wasn’t a huge surprise to discover the investigation was still underway and they hadn’t had a chance to look at the engine. Alice had to bite her tongue to keep herself from blurting out her gut feeling. Just as she hung up the phone, Mark returned, and Alice said a silent prayer of thanks above while she continued flipping through channels.

“Everything squared away with Derrick?” She asked softly, scooting over as he plopped down on the brand-new couch. It was the same microfiber material, just all black instead of brown.

“Yeah, we got everything sent over. Bill will probably be in touch soon enough to let me know cost estimate, when they can begin, all that.” He explained, propping his sock covered feet up on the coffee table, having kicked off his shoes at the door. “Hopefully, we’ll have our own place, proper house, again soon enough, darlin’.” Mark grinned down at her and then hesitated. “Alice, you’re looking tense, everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s good.” Alice had done that thing with her lip again, the only way to tell she was lying. Mark was the only one who noticed when she did it too. Her head dropped when he pointed it out and accused her of lying to him. “Yes, I am lying to you and I’m not telling you what’s on my mind because you’ll think I’m fucking crazy. Hell, maybe I am! Maybe I’ve finally lost whatever’s left of my mind.”

Standing from the couch, Alice needed a drink or something, not believing it would take around 6 months before the investigation would be completed. 6 months until she would have any answers if the plane had been sabotaged or not. She felt him come up behind her, his hands planting on her shoulders and leaned back against his chest, tears stinging her eyes. That was until his mouth sealed to her neck, gently suckling and the tears dried up, her eyes closing at the distraction he provided.

Considering they had been warned at the hospital that survivor’s guilt, PTSD, anxiety in general, were very likely to happen… Mark wasn’t overly surprised by her current issues. Alice had lived while many others had died; he couldn’t even begin to imagine the guilt of that one, or the ‘why me but not them’ mentality. All he could do was be here, support her, and try to either talk to her about it and see if he couldn’t walk her back from that way of thinking or… distract her. He was distracting her.

Hours later, they lay naked on the living room floor after christening the new couch, her leg draped over his with her head resting on his chest. Mark had to do most of the work, not that he minded, and they’d made slow passionate love to each other. It was the perfect distraction, but reality had reared its ugly head again. “I never thought I’d see you again.” She confessed, not looking up at him and continued stroking his abdomen, feeling the abs he developed.

“When the plane went down, all I thought about was you.” They’d been through hell and back with the Alliance, Dallas, Stephanie, Shane…all the obstacles they had somehow overcome. “How we weren’t given nearly enough time together after everything that’s happened.” Her voice cracked, the tears starting to fall. “I should be asking myself how I’m even here with you now, how I survived, but all I CAN think about is how grateful I am we’re together and I did survive.”

Half her thoughts anyway – the other half was who had sabotaged the plane?

He listened to her quietly, holding her gently in his arms. Mark had been a bit concerned he might hurt her abdomen more since it was still heavily bruised, but she had reassured him he wasn’t hurting her. He had still been cautious, gentle… it had been different, but he wasn’t complaining.

“Someone up there is looking out for you, Alice.” Caressing her back soothingly, Mark had never been much of a believer, but obviously she was being looked out for. It was the only explanation at how she had managed to make it through all these things life seemed to like tossing at her. “We have time, darlin’.” He whispered, kissing the top of her head. “We’re gonna make the most of it too.”

Lifting her head to look up at him, Alice nodded in agreement and kissed him tenderly, gingerly scooting until she lay on top of him. He was right, they would make the best of it, however much time they were given. After the rape and now the plane crash, Alice wasn’t taking a single second for granted anymore. Marriage and kids had never been in the cards for her, not with how she was brought up through the court and foster system. With Mark, she would do both – get married and have kids, if that’s what he wanted. It wouldn’t be for several years, at least with the kids, because of her birth control shot and Alice wanted to wrestle for a while before settling down completely. She loved running wild with Mark in and out of the WWF and wrestling had become a huge passion of hers. Mark sat upright, wrapping her legs around his waist and slid home inside of her, forcing all other thoughts to leave Alice’s mind except him and what he was doing to her.

“I love you.” She breathed out, tilting her head to give him full access to her neck and chest, her hands caressing every inch of his body she could reach. Once again, they made love gently, taking their time and reaching heights only they could together.

Chapter 81

“I’m fine…”

“No, no you’re not.” Torrie frowned, looking up at Mark, who shrugged back at her. “Why is she here?”

Alice had taken a tranquilizer as soon as she boarded the private jet Mark had set up for them to take from Houston to San Diego, refusing to let her fly on a regular plane so soon after the crash. “Torrie, I’m fine. Just because I’m not part of the pay-per-view anymore doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be here. Besides, this is a big night for Big Evil.”

“You were in a PLANE CRASH. You should be at home with your feet propped up, eating bonbons and RELAXING.”

Stacy and Teresa had given her the same verbal treatment Torrie currently was and all Alice could do was smile. They really did care about her wellbeing. “I’m fine, I promise.” Besides, she had to talk to Cindy about what was currently going through her mind regarding the plane crash. “Besides, I have an appointment with Cindy…”

“The therapist? You’re still seeing her?”

“Yes, she’s a good friend and…I want to talk to her about what happened.” Alice didn’t elaborate and headed up to the suite Mark booked for them, their hands clasped together while Torrie headed out to the arena.

Personally, Mark figured she could sit in the hotel suite, eat those bonbons with her feet up and relax. Cindy should be coming to Alice, not the other way around since the woman had been in an airplane crash. He already knew his cell number was going to need changed because he had three women blowing him up, wondering if HE was out of HIS mind for letting her come to the arena. Someone needed to inform those broads this wasn’t the 1940’s and women made up their own minds, with or without the man’s approval.

“Cindy comin’ to you or you goin’ to her?”

“She insisted on coming to me, but I told her it wasn’t a problem to go to her.” Alice held her hand up before Mark could open his mouth to protest, shaking her head. “I need to do this alone, no offense.”

Cindy would give her advice on what to do regarding keeping this from Mark because Alice didn’t know if telling him her suspicions about the crash was the right thing to do. Her therapist and friend would give her sound advice and steer her in the right direction. Cindy was completely trustworthy, and they had become good friends during their sessions with the rape. This was something bigger though…an actual crime and possible murder.

“You act like I broke my leg or something. I just got a little banged up and I’m fine, I can certainly walk on my own and I’ll even take the elevator if it makes you feel better, Deadman.”

Obviously, Cindy hadn’t insisted enough or at all if Alice was going and Mark rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He grumped, wondering why she couldn’t just sit, relax, and take some downtime like any normal person would. The woman had no proper sense of self-preservation, that was for damn sure. “Do what you will, Red; arguing with you gets nobody anywhere.” Mark teased, though it was also true.

He grabbed his bag and dropped it on the bed, beginning to pull out his gear for the night, a hand moving to rub his short hair. It was still new, and he was slowly getting used to it, though it was very nice not having to wash and condition a lot of hair. Now, he didn’t need to worry about tangles, or… anything really.

“Mark…” Alice groaned out his name and walked over, running her hands up his back until he turned to face her. “I don’t mean to…shut you down like that. I know you’re worried about me and I appreciate it.” She reached up to caress his face with her hand and pushed him down on the bed to where she could straddle him to be eyelevel. Alice was small compared to him and short, he towered over her even in this position, but at least he was more at her level now. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, resting her forehead against his. “I promise, I’ll take it easy after I talk to Cindy, alright? I won’t get up out of bed except to use the bathroom or when we have to leave to go to Raw tomorrow.”

“No.” He shook his head and gently dislodged her, moving back to what he was doing, though he did flash her a smile. “Takin’ it easy, AFTER doing all that, is what you were gonna do anyway.” So, she was making a promise based on what she was likely to do anyway, sneaky woman. “You know you best, I’m just… bein’ overprotective.”

Mark knew he was, he couldn’t help it. After everything she had gone through with the Alliance, Stephanie… Page… and then to be in a plane crash… he was probably going to be overprotective for a long time. At least he realized he had an issue, that was good, right?

“Yes you are, and it’s adorable and irritating at the same time.”

Alice smiled to show she didn’t hold it against him, not blaming him after what happened. Hell, what if he had the same thoughts as her regarding the plane crash? Did he think someone sabotaged it? It wouldn’t be the first time they were on the same page without realizing it.

“Mark…”

Her cell phone decided to ring at that moment, making her blow out a breath and walked away from him to let him get ready for the show. Now wasn’t the time to tell him; Cindy first and then once they were back in Houston, she’d come clean. Maybe. Alice was more confused than ever about this entire situation and scared as she answered her phone. It was Cindy asking her to come a little later since one of her clients were still needing to talk. She understood and figured Mark would be happy with her relaxing instead of on the move constantly.

“Cindy had to postpone on me for an hour.”

That sucked because he had to leave soon. Frowning, he shrugged out of his thermal shirt and reached for his new tank top, or what had been a tank top. He had destroyed the sides and would wear it over his tights.

“You want to ride with me anyway?” He asked, next reaching for a red bandana, his green eyes moving to study her thoughtfully. “Alice, I’m sorry I keep askin’, darlin’, but… is everything all right?” She kept having these looks, expressions… and he wasn’t entirely sure how to decipher them.

“No, you don’t want me to go to the arena. Temptation and all that.” Alice reminded him, shutting her eyes at his question. “I just need to talk to Cindy. And then I’ll be able to tell you what’s on my mind…what’s been going through it.” She lay down on the bed and reached out to take his hand after he tied the red bandana around his head, kissing the back of it. “And you never have to apologize for asking about my wellbeing. I just…I just want you to get through these next few days, become the Hardcore champion and when we’re home, I’ll tell what’s going on.” If Cindy told her to…if not, Alice would cross that bridge when they came to it.

Well now he was curious, and curiosity had killed the cat… Mark considered her, wondering if he couldn’t coax it out of her, knowing satisfaction had brought said cat back. He smirked slightly, running a finger along his bottom lip before deciding to let it go for now. She was right, he needed to focus. Hardcore champion… that’d be a new one and he was honestly looking forward to breaking someone’s head in, could be fun.

“Fine – fine, you win.” He caved, leaning down until he could brush his lips against hers. “I love you, Alice.”

“Love you too, Big Evil.”

Alice had started calling him that ever since he cut his hair and chuckled at his eyeroll, snuggling into the bed. She set the alarm on her cell phone to wake up in an hour, keeping the ringer on and snuggled into the pillow, closing her eyes. Before Mark left, she was out like a light and didn’t see Mark use her cell phone to call Cindy…or check her text messages.

So you think the plane was sabotaged?

Yeah…it’s insane, right?

Not really.

So you believe me?

I didn’t say that…we need to sit down and talk.

I agree…Mark doesn’t want me to come on the road with him, but I can’t get this out of my head. You’re the only one I trust to talk to about this right now.

Then let’s set up a meeting for Sunday afternoon. Does 2 sound good?

Yeah, we should be in town by then. If not, I’ll text and let you know.

Sounds good, just try to breathe, and relax. Don’t say anything to anyone until you talk to me about this.

Okay.

That had been a conversation between Cindy and Alice from 2 days ago back in Houston.

Oh, for fuck’s sake… Mark groaned inwardly, wondering if he needed to have Alice taken to see a proper psychiatrist. Cindy was good, he’d admit that, but he didn’t think Alice needed to see a friend and that’s what she felt Cindy was. Cursing under his breath, he put everything back the way it had been, deciding maybe he needed to speak to Cindy face to face. He had been about to call her, but when he had hit her number, it had brought up all those text messages. Quietly, so he didn’t wake Alice, he grabbed his belongings and left, his expression troubled. Sabotaged… a plane?

For what?

When Cindy opened her door, and saw Mark standing there, she was…surprised, to say the least. “Mark, you cut your hair.” She observed with a smile, stepping aside to let him in her room and shut the door. The man looked…troubled, very troubled, and she wondered if Alice had spilled what had her up at night. Granted, Cindy didn’t know what to think regarding the plane crash, which was why she wanted to talk to Alice face to face to really gauge her and hopefully help her through whatever inner turmoil she had going on. “What can I help you with?”

“Alice.” He answered bluntly, not surprised when she immediately began shaking her head. “Look Cindy, I know there’s patient confidentiality and all that, but I want to talk to you about her theory regardin’ the plane.” From his understanding, Alice thought the plane had been sabotaged, that was it. If he had known she thought it was because of her… “I know yer meetin’ with her soon enough, but I want to talk to you ‘bout what the doctor’s told us, about PTSD and survivor’s guilt.” Mark honestly believed she was suffering from one or both of those diagnosis. “And maybe druggin’ her ass up a bit until she can work it out.” At the look on Cindy’s face, he held up his hands. “Look, I’m not tryin’ to be an asshole, I love her. But after everything she’s gone through, I think… I think she might have some issues that therapy with you just ain’t helpin’ with, not totally.” He sounded like a dick and he knew it, groaning. “Sorry.”

Given everything Alice had been through with this company, Cindy did not blame the woman for thinking the plane was sabotaged. She did understand where Mark was coming from, but did not appreciate what he was saying about her client/friend. Did Alice know how he felt about this? It was obvious Mark didn’t believe for a second the plane was sabotaged because of Alice. And drugging her up until she worked shit out – not an option. Drugging people up to help them work through their problems wasn’t the answer, especially when it came to Alice.

“Mark, with all due respect, you need to leave my room and do not come back again. I have nothing to say to you regarding Alice.” She was pissed he had questioned her credibility and thought he was a complete asshole. “Unless you want to discuss YOURSELF, which you would need to make an appointment, there’s nothing more for us to discuss.” She would be mentioning this to Alice and advising the woman to keep her thoughts regarding the plane crash, when it came to Mark Calaway, to herself. “Though I will give you one bit of advice – going through your girlfriend’s cell phone and reading text messages is a violation of privacy and, given what’s she’s been through, do you really think that’s wise to do? Think about it.” Turning, she headed into her room and closed the door quietly behind her before she wound up saying anything else to the giant, her blood boiling.

Of course… obviously, Cindy was too close to Alice and that was not what Alice needed. She needed an objective eye, not a harpy bitch, who got offended over valid concerns and thought she was being insulted. And people thought he had an ego? Probably a good thing he wasn’t in the business of supposedly helping people, Mark snorted, hating to think of what kind of damage he would wind up doing to people because he couldn’t take an opinion or supposed personal affront. Sighing, he headed to find his dressing room, wondering just what the hell to do. He loved her, but she needed treatment by someone who wasn’t a friend, could be objective, and wouldn’t feed into paranoia. Not exactly like he had been trying to snoop, he had wanted Cindy’s damn number and the conversation had come up.

“Fuck…” He groaned, dropping down onto the bench and rubbing his hands down his face.

~!~

All Alice could do was stare at Cindy in shock, her greys wide and jaw dropped, not believing what she was hearing. Mark had invaded her privacy by going through her phone, her text messages, and for what reason? Didn’t she tell him she would talk to him about what was bothering her when they were home? Alice felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach as Cindy informed her of how Mark reacted to the possibility of the plane being sabotaged. Of course he didn’t believe her and thought she was insane! And then to question Cindy’s credibility on top of everything all because they were friends? Cindy was a wonderful therapist and had been the only one to help her through the rape…and helped her get back to who she used to be, at least partly. If it wasn’t for Cindy’s guidance and dedication, she never would’ve been able to do or have oral sex again!

“This is unbelievable…why would he do something like this?” Alice stood up from the couch and walked over to stare out the window.

“I couldn’t believe it myself and…I may have snapped at him a bit, but it was only because I was angry at how he was speaking to me. He thinks you have severe PTSD and paranoia. He doesn’t think for a second the plane crash could’ve been sabotaged.” Honestly, Cindy didn’t know if she believed it either, even after talking to Alice for an hour and hearing what she had to say, which is why she advised Alice against talking to Mark until they had this meeting. “He wants you to see someone more qualified, someone who will more than likely diagnose you having PTSD and severe paranoia.”

“T-The plane…was headed for Houston. I was on it and suddenly, the engine goes out. The investigators haven’t ruled out sabotage yet and, until they do, I’m going to trust my gut instinct. I’ve always gone with what my gut tells me and it’s telling me something isn’t right with this crash. Someone wants me dead and that’s not crazy because there are people out there who HATE and DESPISE me.” Alice wrapped her arms around herself, tears stinging her eyes. “Was it a mistake to move back in with Mark so soon, Cindy?” How could she be with someone who didn’t believe her or, at the very least, give her the benefit of the doubt?

“I can’t answer that for you, Alice. The only thing I can say is – don’t talk to him about this at all. We’ll keep up our sessions and talk about this when you need to, but you need to push this in the back of your mind when you’re with him. I’m going to be blunt with you, as I always have from the moment you started coming to me…nobody is going to believe you. Even I’m having a hard time doing it and the only advice I’m giving you is practical because this is very far-fetched and unbelievable. Don’t tell anyone about this until the truth comes out from the investigators. Because if you are being targeted, and this was an attempt on your life, that very person who did it is still out there gunning for you. You need to be cautious.”

“I won’t mention the plane crash to anyone.” Alice decided that after finding out what Mark did. “But I AM going to tell Mark he needs to keep his grubby paws off my phone.” She felt violated all over again, hating she would now have to put a lock on her phone because of the man she loved.

Chapter 82

“You went through her cell?”

“I didn’t mean to, I wanted Cindy’s number to talk to her and, when I hit it, that fuckin’ conversation came up.”

“You shouldn’t have read it.”

“Yeah well, I’m an asshole.”

“I know.”

Mark hadn’t told Glenn about the plane bit because he didn’t need people thinking Alice was crazy. She wasn’t, she was just having some issues. He didn’t blame her, she had been through a lot in her life, but… he still wanted her to see someone else. Someone who wasn’t her friend. Friends tended to turn blind eyes and not see things how they are, but how they wanted them. For example, he still respected Glenn. Glenn had shit himself. Obviously, he was blinded by friendship.

“Think Cindy will tell her?”

“Bet your ass she will, they’re friends.”

~!~

After making some tea to calm them both down, Cindy sat down with Alice and decided to get down to the main reason she made the appointment. “I don’t believe you have PTSD. Paranoia, yes, and for good reason. But I don’t think you have PTSD. Do you shake and tremble whenever you’re…intimate with Mark?”

“I used to, but no, not anymore.”

Cindy took a sip of her tea. “What about getting on the plane in Houston? Did you feel jittery and scared to get on the plane?”

“A little, yeah. I also drugged myself as soon as I was on the plane, so I was passed out before it took off.” Alice frowned, looking down at her hands and wondered if maybe she did have a slight case of PTSD. It was all so fresh to her, though, only time would truly tell if she did have it. “I have to fly for my job. I can’t not fly, so maybe that’s why I was okay getting on it.”

“Mind over matter…takes someone very strong to have that ability.” Cindy commended, setting her tea down and clasped her hands in her lap. “As of now, I don’t think you have PTSD. If you start feeling jittery, beyond scared to where you can’t board a plane, then we’ll evaluate this again in the future. For now, I just want you to focus on living your life, being with Mark and try not to think about the plane crash too much. I know that’s easier said than done, but getting back into your normal routine is the best thing you can do right now.”

Sipping her tea, Alice nodded and wondered if she could do that.

~!~

“Why’d you cut your hair?”

“I like it, it’s cute.” Torrie cemented that by reaching up to rub the back of Mark’s head, giggling when he growled at her. “Is Alice here?”

“Uh… no.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “She’s probably still at her appointment, why?”

“We wanted to keep her company, for a little bit anyway. Since she can’t train.”

Glenn sighed when Stacy bounced up to him. “No, whatever it is you want, no.”

“Yes.” She held out the small bag she had been carrying. “It’s for the baby.”

Frowning, he peeked in it. “Are those… blue booties?”

Mark peered in as well.

“She knitted them herself.”

Stacy blushed at that, wringing her hands. “I needed a – um, hobby, something to occupy myself with after what happened, so…” She shrugged. That pair was the cream of the crop, she had made several others and they hadn’t come out right.

Glenn hugged her gently.

See, life wasn’t always so bad. Even Mark was grinning.

~!~

By the time Mark returned from the pay-per-view, with the WWF Hardcore title in tow, tired and beaten up, Alice was fast asleep in bed. She’d come back from Cindy feeling more alone than ever, had a crying jag in the shower and then passed out from exhaustion. Her hair was still somewhat wet from the shower because of its thickness and she looked at peace, but inside she was torn apart. Mark going through her phone didn’t set well with Alice, but she didn’t know how to handle it. Cindy advised her strongly not to talk about the plane crash and she planned on following it, but…Mark had violated her trust. She didn’t hear him plop his stuff down on the carpeted floor or walk into the bathroom to change since he’d showered at the arena. When he crawled into bed with her, she didn’t feel that either, dead to the world and everything going on.

When he woke up, Alice was not in his arms where she had been when he had fallen asleep. He hadn’t expected her to be asleep when he had gotten in, he figured she’d be up and ready to have a go or two at him after his talking to Cindy. Mark knew that broad would tell Alice everything he had said, and he was fine with that. He had even been ready to have that talk with his woman. Then he had seen her asleep, and looking so… calm and relaxed, as only sleep could do, and he had smiled a bit like an idiot before joining her. So, half-awake, aware he was holding a pillow, Mark raised his head off the bed, blinking and yawning away the sleep.

“Darlin’?”

Alice was not in the suite, she was down at the hotel gym kicking the hell out of the bag with music blaring in her ears through her ear buds. Screw doctor’s orders, she was just bruised and had endured far worse in her life. Her promise to Mark was broken; it was time to get back to some form of normalcy in her life. Cindy had been right. Relaxing and eating bonbons wasn’t in her DNA and never had been. So, she had gotten up at the crack of dawn, kissed Mark’s forehead, showered and changed into her workout clothes before coming down here to kickbox for a while. Whoever had tried to kill her would not get another opportunity because Alice would be keeping a close eye out from now on. And if her gut instinct told her not to board a plane, like it had that day, Alice was listening instead of ignoring.

“Hey cute mama, what’s got you up and going?”

Chris hadn’t seen Alice in a while and had been a bit busy. He was up, bright eyed and bushytailed, planning on working out, catching his flight home, and enjoying a little R&R with his family. Grinning at her when she glanced his way, Chris frowned at the sight of her earbuds. He mimed her removing them, rolling his eyes when she did.

“Can you hear me now?” He joked, walking over to study her face. She looked… peaky. “You okay?”

“Yeah – no – I don’t know.” Alice kicked the bag again and blinked when it actually came off the chain it was hanging from, jumping back. “Great.”

Rolling her eyes, she downed some water and then poured a little over her head to cool off, finally flashing a half smile at Chris. It’d been a while since they talked and, honestly, she had nothing to say to him after what he pulled at Survivor Series. Somehow, the man still had his job even after he nearly cost the WWF the victory by attacking Rocky.

“How’ve you been?”

“Besides getting my ass beat constantly for what I did?”

He shrugged, knowing he hadn’t made himself any friends, but… he had also had friends in the Alliance and been in both ECW and WCW at one time. No regrets, he was a heel through and through, well… not in real life, not really. Besides, everyone thought HE had been the mole – nope. He’d deserved his beatings since and was gearing up for another round he’d imagine. Chris stooped to pick up that heavy bag for her, rehanging it.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I don’t know if I’m okay…if I’ll ever be okay. I think I’m losing my mind, Chris.” Alice confessed, leaning to the side to stretch her bruised frame.

Her abdomen and sides were bruised from the impact of the plane crash, thanks to her seatbelt. Damn things. Cindy’s voice rang through her head, reminding her not to talk about the plane crash with anyone. Chris wasn’t very trustworthy either and she had to keep her guard up around him. Taking another swig of water, Alice felt drained again and grabbed her bag to toss her gloves into it, zipping it up.

“It’s fine, I’ll work it out somehow.”

Chris was trustworthy for her anyway. He had seen what had happened to her, the miles of crap she had been put through. Hell, he had even helped her a few times with those problems. He had even come out because she had called him and rounded up the others to Mark’s place in Texas. She was one person he definitely would not be putting in harm’s way.

“You sure?” He asked quietly, studying how tired she looked. Not physically either, but mentally maybe, emotionally. “You want to go grab a light breakfast? My treat?” His gaze strayed to her front, her sides, eyebrows drawing together in concern. “Are you… are you supposed to be working out? That looks like it hurts, Allie.”

“Probably not, but I really don’t care. It’s the only way I can alleviate this…tension and stress I’m feeling.”

Mark didn’t believe her, so what made her think Chris would? Nobody would believe her. Even Cindy didn’t, but she had also helped her gather her thoughts and get her priorities straight.

“I’m not hungry, Chris, but thank you anyway. I’m gonna head back up to our room and see if Mark is up.”

They had to talk. She couldn’t avoid him forever. They would fight, she’d be silent with him for a while and then they’d make up. It was usually how it worked and this time, she wasn’t at fault, he was.

“On second thought, breakfast doesn’t sound good, but coffee does. I’ll get a coffee with you, after your workout. Just text me and let me know when you’re done, okay?”

“Sure, sounds good.” Chris had felt dejected up until she offered to get a coffee with him, brightening up again.

Alice walked out with her bag over her shoulder, heading back up to the room reluctantly.

Figuring Alice had needed some alone time, Mark hadn’t bothered to call her, hunt for her, none of it. Instead, he had taken Glenn’s advice to ‘slow your roll’ and ordered up some food, coffee… and the sport section of the local newspapers. He had showered and was chilling in a pair of sweats on the bed, eating and catching up on scores, laying stretched out with his plate within easy reach. His eyes flickered up when Alice walked in, smiling at her crookedly. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize she had been down in the gym.

“Hey darlin’.”

“Hey.” Alice shut the door and dropped her bag, taking her shoes and socks off, desperately needing a shower. She pulled the band out of her hair, fluffing it a little and peeled her sports bra, shorts, and panties off next. “I need a shower. And then we can…talk.”

Not waiting for a response, Alice walked into the bathroom and shut the door, setting her phone on the counter. She would not be leaving it out anywhere Mark could get his hands on it from now on. Stepping under the sprays, Alice planted her hands on the wall and let them wash the sweat and grime down the drain from her 3-hour workout. Wondering what Mark would say about her coffee date with Jericho, Alice knew he wouldn’t be happy since he was the black sheep of the locker room currently.

The last time he and Alice had been in a fight, she had been a raging bitch and he had responded by being the biggest asshole he could muster up in his hungover state. He had fallen asleep during sex, not one of his finer moments. This was… worse than that. Mark had technically invaded her privacy and he knew he should have exited out of that conversation, but… he hadn’t. She had been hiding it from him and he knew he should have waited until Houston for their talk, but he had been a bad combination of concerned and confused. Rolling off the bed when there was a knock on the door, Mark answered it and signed for the literal dozens of bouquets that were now being brought in. Major mistakes got major apologies.

Wrapping a towel around her body, Alice brushed her hair and teeth before twisting her hair up to clip it back, studying the bruises still marring her skin. She took some salve and slathered it on them, glad it was helping. Checking herself one last time in the mirror, Alice glanced at the door and knew she couldn’t prolong the inevitable fight any longer. However, the moment she walked out and saw the dozens upon dozens of flowers, all different kinds, covering the hotel suite, her greys grew wide as saucers.

“What’s all this?” She asked in awe, looking around the room and walked over to the white lilies, inhaling them.

They were her favorite flower. So delicate and simple. Roses were a close second. The room smelled amazing and Alice couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.

“This is me apologizin’ for being a rotten bastard.” Mark explained softly, the bed cleared off and now he was standing by it, staring at her with a hesitant smile. “I was in your conversation with Cindy, and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry Alice, I had no right to invade your privacy, darlin’, especially after you told me we’d talk in Houston.”

He could have told her it had been an accident, and why he had been on her phone in the first place, but that would have been an excuse. A true excuse, but an excuse. He wasn’t going to do that. Mark would own his mistake and pray she didn’t bang any pots near his headfirst thing in the morning. Trying to glare at him, the smile on her face ruined it and all she did was shake her head, walking over to hug him tightly around the waist.

“Thank you.” She murmured, feeling a wave of relief flood over her and couldn’t believe he actually spent all this money on flowers…for her. “I forgive you, Deadman. There was no need to go to all this trouble, not that I’m complaining. They’re absolutely gorgeous.” Alice brought his mouth down on hers after hooking her arm around his neck, giving a proper kiss to thank him for being so thoughtful and sweet. “I love you.” He had his reasons for not believing her gut feeling about the plane and, honestly, that was his right. They didn’t always have to believe in each other’s way of thinking as long as they could find a compromise along the way. “I should’ve told you how I was feeling instead of keeping it from you. I’m sorry too. Forgive me?”

Wait, wait, wait, what? Mark had just been knocked for a loop and he was pretty sure the confusion was showing in his eyes as he stared down at her. He was supposed to be apologizing, the one who had royally screwed up, but she was apologizing to him… for not telling him when he had WANTED her to. Mark had to wonder if she was concussed, this was insane.

“I… there’s nothin’ to forgive, Red.” He said finally, flabbergasted. “I’m the one who screwed up, Alice. Please… don’t apologize to me…” It made him feel even worse, lower than low. “I overstepped. I do that, I’m workin’ on it.” Slowly but surely, he couldn’t micromanage her life and he wasn’t entitled to know every thought that flickered through her mind.

Chapter 83

Chris was done with his workout. He hadn’t logged anywhere near close to what Alice had, but he was sweating like a whore in church. He had done an intensity workout. Quick but it drained every part of him. He shot Alice a quick text, letting her know he was hitting the shower and he’d meet her in 20 minutes for that coffee, needing that caffeine.

The coffee was the last thing on her mind, not after Mark had filled their suite with flowers as a way of apologizing to her. “I need to work on that too, though.” She admitted, sitting down on the bed, and pulled him down with her, staring into his eyes. “I’m not…good when it comes to talking to others about how I’m feeling, especially if something’s bothering me. Cindy is a therapist and it’s her job to hear people’s problems and help them work through issues. That’s why I wanted to talk to her first because I…I know you think it’s insane the plane was sabotaged. Hell, it even sounds crazy to me.” Cindy had told her not to mention it and here she was, talking about it to the person who didn’t believe her. “Mark, when I boarded that plane, something didn’t feel right to me…like…like I KNEW something bad was going to happen. I can’t explain it and maybe it is paranoia. Maybe I am losing my damn mind, but…the investigators told me they are looking into this and they won’t have answers for several months. Usually, it takes up to or more than 6 months before any answers are given when it comes to plane crashes. I was one out of 6 survivors and there were over 250 people on that plane. I really hope I’m wrong about this; I WANT to be wrong about this and the engine failing to be a complete accident.” Something told her it wasn’t, but Alice didn’t know how else to convey how she felt without sounding like a lunatic. “Look, my point is I shouldn’t have given you a reason to go through my phone and snoop around. I should’ve been honest with you – you of all people. You’ve never lied to me or steered me wrong, you love me, and I love you. I should’ve trusted you with how I was feeling…and I didn’t. And for that, I’m sorry. Even though you were wrong to go through my phone snooping, I understand why you did it and I hope I never have to push you to those lengths again.”

Mark hugged her, pulling her against him and buried his face in her still wet hair, not caring. He just couldn’t let her see his face, because she would probably not be happy with it. Mark had thought… he had thought she had thought the plane had been sabotaged, which was… doable. She hadn’t come outright and said it, but her tone… the look in her eyes spoke volumes.

“Darlin’.” He sighed, not pulling away. “You… do you think you were… were the target?”

“I don’t know. I want to say no, but after everything that’s happened…I’d be an idiot to rule it out.” She pulled back to see the expression on his face, even if he resisted a bit. “It was just a little TOO convenient with that plane going to Houston. I didn’t tell anyone except you, Stacy, Torrie, Glenn and Teresa where I moved to from Tampa. Nobody in the company knew that information and I made sure not to talk about it out in the open. And…you don’t believe me. You don’t believe the plane was sabotaged.” Alice expected that, it didn’t hurt her any less, but she knew it was coming. “The only thing I can do now is wait until the damn report comes back from the investigators. If it was sabotaged…with me on it, then I’m 99.9% sure I was the target.” That would mean all those people died because of her. Alice shuddered at the possibility of being responsible for all those deaths and felt cold suddenly, taking a few deep breaths. “I’m praying and hoping I’m wrong in all of this. I want to be wrong, Mark.” Her voice cracked under the intense emotions she currently felt. “I-I don’t want…to be responsible…for all those deaths…” Then she began to openly sob.

Mark held her stroking her hair, but inwardly… he was a wreck. Cindy was a quack if she was supporting these… these paranoid delusions. He knew Alice had so much thrown at her, but to believe a plane had been sabotaged… all those lives put knowingly at risk, just to target her… no… there was just no way.

“You’re not.” He said firmly, finally. “You’re not responsible, Alice.” Because she hadn’t been a target. Unfortunately, engine failures happened.

“Cindy doesn’t believe it was sabotaged either, just so you know.” Alice muttered, pulling back to wipe her tears away and heard her cell phone go off, immediately sending it to voicemail.

Whoever it was could leave a damn voicemail and she would listen to it when she wasn’t sobbing. Until she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, the plane wasn’t sabotaged, Alice would not be satisfied and be able to move on from the crash. She would try to move on with her life the best she could, but that paranoia would not cease until the investigation report came back telling her it was a freak accident.

“I won’t mention this again. I’ll talk to Cindy about it and get through it the best I can, but…I know you don’t want to hear about my craziness. I’m sorry this happened, Mark…”

“Darlin’, I don’t think yer crazy…” He said slowly, because he didn’t. “I think you are… paranoid.” Apparently, he was just going to have to sound like a dick for the foreseeable future. Mark stared down at her, almost helplessly, unsure of what to say or do. “And after everything that’s happened to you, I don’t blame you for being paranoid, but an airplane, Red?” He could not keep the questioning tone from his voice. When more tears made an appearance, he felt like the biggest bag of dicks in history, reaching out to brush them away. “Alice…”

Grey eyes narrowed at his confession. “I am NOT paranoid. I know in my heart and my gut something isn’t right about this situation!” Cindy had been right, and Alice should’ve listened when she advised not to talk about this with Mark. “How would you feel if someone you love told you they didn’t believe you, that they thought YOU were paranoid, when you KNEW in your heart, your mind, and your gut, something wasn’t right? How would you feel, Mark?”

She left him with that thought and stormed into the bathroom, hating herself for getting upset. What did she expect to hear? Did she think he would change his mind after hearing her out? No, that’s not who Mark was. Once his mind was made up about something, there was no changing it. Dressing in a pair of jeans and a short sleeved black top, Alice looked down at her cell phone and saw Chris had been texting and calling her about the coffee.

Something came up with Mark, I’ll meet you for an early lunch. Need to get out for a while. Let me know where you want to meet.

Walking out, Alice grabbed her shoes and ignored Mark, slipping them on. “I’m going out for lunch with a friend. I’ll be back later. Maybe I can find someone who will actually believe me since my own boyfriend doesn’t.” Then she stormed out, slamming the door behind her so hard, the walls shook.

Well… he hoped they would lie to his face about believing him and then have him committed, if he ever got so paranoid that he thought someone had sabotaged an airplane to get to HIM. It was just… so crazy. An airplane engine, that required some knowledge of how the things worked to begin with. If there were any sabotage, it’d probably wind up being something to do with terrorists and not her at all. Rolling his eyes, Mark dropped face first onto the bed. He was sensing a very, very long rough patch ahead until those investigation results came back.

There was no rough patch. From that day forward, Alice did not say a word about the plane crash and focused on her career. She still had sex with Mark, still said she loved him and all that jazz. It was actually smooth sailing through the holiday season. Christmas was beautiful in Texas, even with no snow. It was still in the 40’s and 50’s, which was still chilly. Mark had presented her with a beautiful set of earrings and necklace along with other things he thought she’d like. As much as Alice enjoyed the gifts, she felt…hollow inside and knew it was because there were trust issues between them. She didn’t trust him around her phone and he didn’t trust her judgment. Still, they went on as if nothing were wrong and swept those issues under the rug.

While they were on their 5 days off for the holidays, Mark received a call from Glenn informing him Paul Levesque ‘Triple H’ was returning to television. It would be at the following Raw and wherever Paul went, Stephanie followed. Alice shrugged when Mark told her, simply telling him as long as she stayed out of their business and lives, she had no problems with the Princess whore. Apparently, Paul had forgiven his wife for screwing multiple members of the Alliance, including a psychopath.

Mark highly doubted Paul had forgiven his wife. Paul liked the power of being married into the family and he liked the idea of cementing his own legacy even further by expanding himself backstage. He was already an incredible wrestler, even Mark would concede that, but he wouldn’t be able to do it forever and wrestling was ingrained in Paul’s very core. Hence… Stephanie. He’d imagine Paul had probably beaten her ass, or done something that Slut Queen wouldn’t find pleasurable since the man had always been able to scare her. One day, he would ask and find out, just because that might be a useful trick to know.

“Want to go out, darlin’?” Mark asked, a bit tired of this underlying current of tension that had permeated their relationship.

Sure, on the top everything was peachy keen, but even he was noticing some changes. He wasn’t that oblivious. He also knew it was his inability to believe her crazy theories about that plane.

“Sure, getting cabin fever?” She half-joked, knowing it was true and could see the uncertainty in his eyes. Alice moved from sitting beside him on the couch to straddling him, rubbing his shoulders and softly brushed her lips against his. “You’re supposed to relax when we’re home, not stress out.” Loving him wasn’t the issue, she loved him with her entire being and would do anything for him. “If this is about Stephanie, I already told you I won’t touch her as long as she stays away from you and doesn’t touch you.” Grinning, Alice pecked his lips again and slid off his lap to head down the hallway to change out of her shorts and tank top into something more presentable. “Do you wanna take your bike?”

That had been her gift to him for Christmas – a new motorcycle that was a replica of his very first one he’d bought in 1991 after his first world title win. It had been destroyed in the fire because of her, so Alice had looked high and low for an exact replica and found it on Craig’s List of all places. Glenn had helped out by giving her a clear picture from 1991 and she’d made sure everything was added and done up exactly the way Mark had it. His emerald eyes lit up at that. Mark had spent quite a bit of time admiring that bike, but hadn’t gone out on it yet. When he had learned it had been destroyed in that fire those Alliance fucks had set, he had been, well… as stupid as it seemed, heartbroken. It had signified a major high point in his life. So her replacing it… he hadn’t realized it was possible to love this woman any more than he already did.

“You gonna wear those leather pants?” He had bought her some riding wear after the motorcycle present, figuring eventually when good weather all across the states hit, they’d ride his motorcycles quite a bit more.

“Way ahead of you, Deadman.” Alice called out from the master bathroom and stepped out, wearing her brand new black leather pants, a long-sleeved Harley Davidson thermal top -it was chilly outside, only in the 40’s and she wasn’t freezing her backside off- and black boots on her feet, also new.

The thermal top hugged her curves and sealed to her body perfectly. She even added a black bandana with red flames around her head, black fingerless gloves on her hands. Mark had completely hooked her up with what she needed for riding, though when it was warmer outside she wouldn’t need the long sleeved thermal to keep warm or the leather jacket she began pulling on.

“They fit, thankfully.”

She had gained a little weight because of her muscle mass, but it wasn’t anything to change the size of her clothes. Mark had his cell phone out in record time and was snapping pictures, grinning when she gave him an exasperated look. Leather pants clinging to her… that top… the gloves, Mark was pretty sure he had a new fetish they needed to explore.

“Sorry darlin’, but that is definitely spank bank material.” He teased, walking over after pocketing his cell to kiss the top of her head. “Give me a minute.” Slipping into the bedroom to change, Mark was not about to go out in sweatpants –his preferred attire and not much else when he was home– not for riding.

“Don’t keep me waiting.”

Alice winked over her shoulder before heading out of the bedroom, stretching the leather pants by doing a few squats, trying to get use to the material clinging to her. Granted, she had worn leather pants a lot when she was Mark and Glenn’s valet as the Brothers the Destruction, but that had seemed so long ago. Since Summerslam, actually. That night, she hadn’t worn leather pants and hadn’t been herself either, having tossed the turtleneck black dress away as soon as she’d gotten back to the hotel. Never again would she wear it, especially since it’d had some of Dallas’s blood on it. She heard a low whistle and kept doing the squats, going slower to allow Mark to get an eyeful of her backside in the leather stretching.

“See something like you like?” Loaded question, she laughed when he growled and danced out of his way, shaking her finger. “We can fuck later. Come on, let’s take that bike of yours for a ride.”

“Yeah, we’re definitely gonna be takin’ a ride, Red.” He rumbled lewdly, dark intentions lacing his tone. His usually emerald eyes were dark, dripping with lust and when she wiggled her backside at him, he could feel his cock trying to spring to attention. Not happening, not in these pants, he knew better. “Come on, darlin’.” Mark gestured for her to go ahead, whistling again as he admired her swaying backside as he followed. He was going to bend her over that motorcycle, groaning at the thought. After their ride… they were going to put the bike through its paces first and then he’d put Alice through HER paces.

The vibration of the motorcycle flowed through her, the sound of the bike sounding amazing. The sunset was breathtaking, the clouds different splashes of color as Alice tightened her arms around his waist, gliding her hands up and down his black thermal top he had on. His muscles rippled beneath her touch, even though the material, and it made Alice smile, nuzzling his back with her nose and mouth. Her legs were wrapped around his waist completely, so it was intimate, and his body heat soaked through her as well to keep her warm. Moving her hands to his back to slide her hands up the shirt, Alice felt him shiver and smirked, the stars beginning to peak out one by one. She loved this man so much and wouldn’t let anything come between them again.

They would work through their issues and overcome anything, no matter the circumstances. So what if they had different views regarding the plane crash? Mark was entitled to his opinion and they hadn’t discussed it since the day she stormed out on him to go meet Jericho for lunch. After a few hours away to calm down and think rationally, Alice decided she would not resent him for simply having an opinion and she hadn’t. All the tension between them Mark felt was on him because she’d gone on with life as if nothing happened, keeping her meetings with Cindy to talk about how she truly felt.

Chapter 84

The motorcycle exceeded his expectations, Mark decided, after taking it along familiar, slower roads before finally hitting the highway to put her through her paces. Of course, they couldn’t do this too long, even though it wasn’t that cold, in his opinion. However, the wind factor was definitely biting and, if not for his big, heat generating body, Alice would probably be freezing her delectable backside off. Sighing, he cut into a rest stop, planning on turning around. He stopped, cutting the ignition after parking, and shifted, so he could glance down at her.

“How’re you holdin’ up, Red?”

“I’m good.” She answered, looking around at the rest stop they were in and figured Mark needed to stretch his legs.

It’d been a while since he was on a bike and she hadn’t either. Up until she met Mark, Alice hadn’t been on a motorcycle at all. She was falling in love with riding and wondered what he would think if she got a motorcycle license. One day, she wanted to ride alongside him down the road with the wind whipping through her hair and feeling the full adrenaline rush. He dismounted and helped her off, lacing their fingers together. It was a habit, holding hands regularly wasn’t enough for Alice, not when it came to Mark.

Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s been awhile, darlin’.” He chuckled, shaking his legs out, though he did enjoy the feel of it.

Honestly, Mark had missed the rumble of a powerful motorcycle, having her along for the ride had only made it that much more enjoyable. Looking around, noting the few semitrucks parked, most likely the drivers were taking naps after long hauls. Now that was a job he had nothing except the utmost respect for, and one he’d never do. Long hours, little sleep, sometimes dick pay… he was good. Without warning, he snatched her up, his lips claiming hers as his hands moved to that leather clad ass he had been thinking about during the entire ride.

Kissing him back was a no-brainer, his hands anywhere on her body always lit her on fire. Alice wrapped her legs around his waist, returning the kiss with equal fire and passion, the cold breeze blowing over them not fazing her. Shrugging the leather jacket off to give her more room to move, Alice broke the kiss to move her lips to his ear, down his neck and traced the RED tattoo on his throat. Every time she looked at it, she was reminded of how this man truly felt for her. He had inked himself in order to show his dedication to her. Mark held her up with brute strength as she continued teasing his neck, feeling his fingers dig into her leather clad backside.

“I take it… you like the bike?” She murmured in his ear, flicking his lobe with her tongue, and felt him shiver against her, chuckling softly.

Her jacket hit the ground and he stepped away from it, so he didn’t stand on the leather, growling because his hands were holding her up or else he would have stripped other things off of her as well. Mark didn’t care who could see them from the highway, or those semitrucks. His teeth nipped at her pulse point before running his tongue up the column of her neck and jawline before feeling her lips meeting his.

“I’d like to bend you over it…” He growled against her mouth followed by biting down gently on her bottom lip. “And fuck you senseless.”

It was nighttime with only the lights shining from the building several hundred feet away from where they were parked. Alice shivered at his proclamation and could see the determination in his eyes, but he would only do it if she complied. Why wouldn’t she?

“So do it.” She challenged, nipping his lip this time, and reached down between them to feel the bulge in his jeans, purring in satisfaction. “Make me grip the handlebars from how hard you fuck me, Deadman.”

Feeling her feet hit the ground, Mark spun her around to where her back met his chest and his hand reached down to unsnap her leather pants, pushing them down her legs along with her panties. His mouth devoured her neck, her hand reaching up to entwine her fingers in his short hair and felt him gently position her over the bike. The sound of his zipper going down made her wet with anticipation, her mouth watering and felt his hands grip her hips, his cock gliding up and down her slit.

“God Mark, stop teasing me…”

Suddenly, blue, and red flashing lights were behind them and Mark was literally caught with his pants down, banging Alice into oblivion. “Step away from the woman, sir!” The police officer ordered through a megaphone.

“Oh, you’ve GOT to be kidding me!” Alice groaned out, drying up instantly.

“Are you fucking kiddin’ me?!” Mark roared, stepping back, and zipping himself back up. He went to help her with her clothes only to realize there were guns aimed at him. “For fuck’s sake…” He growled, stepping away and raised his hands up. When he was told to get on his knees, hands behind his head, he rolled his eyes and did so, watching as Alice redressed herself. “Woman, could you sort them out, please?” He asked, cursing a blue streak when he was swarmed by the cops. “Hey, hey! She’s my- OUCH!”

“Sir, you need to be quiet.”

Mark was now hunched over, face in her leather jacket, his hands being cuffed behind his back. This was not exactly what he had in mind when he had set out on this ride today.

“Ma’am, ma’am, are you all right? Do you need medical attention?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?! He didn’t do anything to me! Let him go!” Alice snapped, not believing this, and watched horrified as Mark was dragged off in cuffs. “No, I don’t need medical attention! He wasn’t raping me! It was consensual!” This was humiliating…if this ever got out to the tabloids and dirt sheets, Mark’s reputation would be ruined. “Listen officer, he’s my boyfriend and we were having a heated moment, nothing more than that.”

“You’ll have to give a statement downtown in order for him to be released on bail.”

Alice’s jaw dropped. “On BAIL?! But he didn’t do anything!!”

“Ma’am, ma’am, please stop yelling at me…”

Law enforcement blew ass chunks!!

“I am going to fuckin’ sue you bitches into bankruptcy.” Mark informed his arresting officers in a snarl as he was stuffed into the back of a cop car, having to turn and press his back against the opposite door, legs up on the seat because he was way too big. “You can use that against me.” He had been read his Mirandas, but he was PISSED.

“Sir…”

“She told you it was CONSENSUAL, but yer arrestin’ me on rape. That’s unlawful as fuck.” Now… indecent exposure… that one would’ve been something he’d accept, but rape? HELL NO!

Alice was taken downtown, after calling to have Mark’s bike towed back to the apartment. She wasn’t leaving it at the rest stop, no way in hell! She promised Mark to get him out of jail, but once at the police station, Alice was interrogated for 3 hours. 3 hours of saying the same thing repeatedly. Her story didn’t change once because it was the truth! Mark had been fingerprinted and booked, currently sitting in a jail cell while she went through hell with the police to try to free him. When it was all said and done, Mark was fined for indecent exposure, his bail was set for $5,000 and there would be no court date since Alice didn’t press any charges against him.

“Mark…” Alice whispered, standing when he walked into the room and huge tears immediately flooded down her cheeks. He looked awful and pissed beyond belief. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind he would be suing the law enforcement of Houston, Texas.

Head of the precinct had come down, due to hearing threats being made against some of his officers, and he had brought a lawyer. “Now, Mr. Calaway,” He frowned, eyes narrowing. “Don’t I know you?”

“Um… he’s a professional wrestler…”

“Now, we’re very sorry about everything, but threatening legal action isn’t something we take lightly.”

“Good.” Mark snarled, just barely managing to keep his tone at an ‘inside’ level, fire in his acid eyes. He wrapped an arm around Alice, pulling her into his side. “Lawyer up, son.”

Said lawyer was relatively young, and a wrestling fan. He glanced at Mark, then to Alice, inhaling deeply. Oh boy.

“Your officers, if you can even call them that, WRONGFULLY arrested and accused my boyfriend of rape! I understand being fined for indecent exposure and we take full responsibility for that, but what your officers did was WRONG, and you know it!” Alice refused to keep her mouth shut, her own greys steeled over and leaned into Mark’s side, folding her arms in front of her chest tightly.

“Ma’am, they were just doing their jobs and thought…”

“I told them SEVERAL times, while they were arresting Mark, he didn’t rape me, and they STILL brought him in and booked him!”

This was a wrongful arrest indeed and the lawyer looked very nervous, wondering if he’d be able to win this for the precinct or if they’d be better off caving to Mr. Calaway’s demands.

Alice knew Mark wouldn’t back down and didn’t blame him.

“Mr. Calaway.”

Mark had gotten a phone call and grinned, baring his teeth viciously when his own lawyer finally showed up. “Richard.”

“I’m Richard White, Mr. Calaway’s attorney.” Richard held out a business card before straightening his three piece suit, looking at those assembled. “Now, are you charging him?”

“They said indecent exposure, a fine, but then made us post bail.”

“Oh really? How much?” At the figure, his brows rose. “Were there any witness to this alleged crime?”

“One… who refused to be identified.”

Probably a trucker.

“I see… well, indecent exposure can be a misdemeanor, and the fact that you’re making them pay bail means there’s a court date, and you are charging him. So, I suppose you’ll be retracting your fine, so the judge can set his or her own then?”

“You guys fined him here?” He was not going to win this at all.

“Well…yes, that is protocol here…” The head honcho looked a little pale and white under the collar, clearing his throat. “We are the police and have every right to fine a citizen if they are breaking the law, which they were!” How were his men supposed to know she wasn’t being raped?

“And how long did your men question Mr. Calaway’s girlfriend?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Because if they were harassing her, she could potentially have a lawsuit against your precinct and the men who were questioning her. So again I ask, how long?”

“3 fucking hours.”

Richard raised a slow brow, wondering what exactly they could’ve questioned her about for that long period of time. “Is there a reason it was that long?”

“T-They said they wanted to be thorough, given who Mr. Calaway is and his profession…” He immediately regretted those words as soon as they left his mouth.

“In other words, they wanted to ruin his credibility and his reputation.”

“Exactly.” Richard could see the lawyer already backpedaling and knew they’d have this win in the bag with possibly a lawsuit. “Alice, do you think they were harassing you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s all I need to know.”

“N-Now wait just a minute…!”

“So, because I’m a professional wrestler…”

“And a FINE, upstanding citizen,” Richard interrupted before Mark could lose his temper. “Who has regularly donated to charities here in Houston, including those for our fine boys in blue, this is very disturbing. You will be hearing from us.”

The chief might have peed a little bit.

Mark led Alice out of the precinct, Richard right behind them to make sure he didn’t go back and open his mouth. He was… pissed, to put it mildly. “There a case?”

“Several, I should imagine.”

“Good, I want that rent-a-cop’s job.”

Not to mention, Mark had collaborated with his friend, Derrick, to make beautiful homes for the less fortunate, middle class citizens of Houston. The Houston police station was toast, and they would be losing their head honcho if Mark had anything to say about it. Alice kept her mouth shut while Richard and Mark discussed the upcoming trial, still not believing what happened. Because the motorcycle had to be towed, which would be coming out of the sheriff’s pocket Alice imagined, they had to hitch a ride with Mark’s lawyer. How humiliating! Alice walked inside the apartment and immediately stripped out of her clothes, starting up the shower. No doubt Mark would join her to get the stench of being locked in a jail cell for hours on end. The more she thought about it, the more her blood boiled, and she hit the shower wall, letting the sprays pound down on her.

The best he and Richard had been able to figure out was either a trucker had seen them and called the police or a passerby on the highway had caught a glimpse and made that call. Either way, Mark supposed he could see it from someone else’s perspective. A giant like him, pounding a tiny woman from behind… Cursing under his breath, he shed his own clothes, wondering if she’d be all right with him joining her. The apartment shower wasn’t exactly built for two, but they had learned to make it work.

“Room for me, darlin’?”

“Always.”

Alice cracked a small smile at him and stepped aside, busy lathering her hair in some shampoo while he took to drenching himself along with his hair under the sprays. She had to wonder what he was thinking, if he blamed her for this. Egging him on while riding probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, given the circumstances. Lust had taken over irrational thought and as a result, Mark had been arrested for indecent exposure. Sighing, Alice waited for him to step aside and felt his fingers begin working the suds out of her hair, one of his arms snaking around her waist to hug her. There was nothing sexual about it. Hell, she wasn’t in the mood and neither was he; they both had been humiliated and the sooner this night ended the better off they’d be.

“I look like a giant biker.” He said finally, which… he was, he knew it, well… mostly. “I shoulda known better. Someone was bound to see us, and think the worst given our size differences.” Mark gently tipped her head back under the sprays, both hands now moving through her hair, making sure to get all the soap out, mindful of not letting it go down her face or into her eyes. “Still…. for them to not listen the first fuckin’ time…” It was like they had thought she would change her tune, obviously, holding her that long for the same question with an answer that had never changed. And his motorcycle… he groaned.

Chapter 85

“Your motorcycle is here, by the way. I had it towed here and you should tell Richard to add that to the list of demands you want in court.” Alice informed him, helping him since her hair was very long and thick.

It took a while to wash it and she contemplated cutting it or at least getting a trim. It’d been a while since she had anything done to her hair, maybe it was time. When Mark spun her around and passionately kissed her, Alice felt he relief and love coursing through it, returning it with equal intensity.

“You didn’t think…I’d leave the bike there, did you? I would never do that. It’s outside as we speak.” He’d probably missed it considering Richard had his undivided attention. “I love you, Mark. I’m so sorry for what happened to you. From now on, we need to be a little more careful when we do shit like that.”

“You ain’t got to tell me twice.” He muttered, shaking his head before carefully moving her, so he could get to his all-in-one body wash and shampoo. “If there is a single scratch on her, I’ll go fuckin’ wring all their necks, Red.”

He ought to on principal, paying bail at a price way higher than what a judge was likely to fine him for indecent exposure. Talk about crooked cops! Mark closed his eyes after he was lathered from head to toe in soap and stood directly under the spray, his blood boiling all over again.

“Felt bad for that kid lawyer though.” He grunted, eyes shut. “He looked ready to piss himself when he realized how much they fucked up.”

“I don’t think he’s going to be their lawyer for long.”

Alice slid her hands up his chest in a gentle loving caress, trying to calm him down. She had seen Mark angry before, but nothing like this. He was enraged from what happened and she didn’t blame him.

“Turn the cold water on, it’ll help you cool off.”

Pecking his chest, she stepped out and wrapped a towel around her body and one around her head. Alice looked back at him through the shower curtain and sighed, knowing this would put an even bigger kink in their relationship. They couldn’t win, no matter the circumstances. After dressing in a pair of cotton shorts and a matching tank top, all black, Alice crawled into bed and turned the television on for background noise. She was exhausted after spending damn near 5 hours at the police station.

Actually, Mark wanted to work out, beat the ever loving hell out of something. There was a punching bag in the bedroom, where her pole had been, so he was considering going and beating on it for a while. Being arrested for raping his own girlfriend… and then being held for 3 hours while she answered the same questions over and over… that was harassment. The more he thought about it, and about how that dickhead captain had handled it, Mark turned on the cold water, letting it beat down on him and tried to cool his jets.

“Jesus, you’re ice cold!” Alice gasped, feeling his chilled skin against hers when he pulled her into his arms an hour later.

He muttered a half-assed apology, chuckling in her ear and she rolled her eyes, snuggling back into the bed. Turning to face him, Alice softly kissed his cold lips and caressed his face, pressing her chest against his. Her arm hooked around his neck when he deepened the kiss and Mark rolled to lay on his back, pulling her on top of him.

“Is your dick an icicle? Because if we’re doing this, you better not freeze my pussy.” Sitting up while he had a chuckle at that, Alice removed her top, no bra as usual, and pressed her breasts against his chest, shivering at how cold his skin was. Her nipples hardened instantly. They were at home, in the seclusion of their bedroom and if anyone disturbed them, Alice would personally kill them.

Before they could test that icicle dick theory out, they heard a very loud smashing, crashing, crunching and a car alarm. Mark was up, off her, and tucking his frozen limbs into a pair of pants before she could even blink. He ran his cookies through the apartment and opened the door. His motorcycle… had been run over, by a semitruck!

“Man, ‘m sorry…” The DRUNK driver fell out of the open door, stumbling and reeking of beer. “‘m neighbor next door… nice bike.”

His motorcycle was under the truck, mangled, and Mark had absolutely no words.

“Mark, what’s…going…OH MY GOD!!” Alice shrieked, covering her mouth with her hand, and dropped to her knees in the doorway, tears streaming down her cheeks.

There were…no words. What the hell had they done to deserve this? That motorcycle had cost her quite a bit of money, especially with all the bells and whistles she added to it, and took her MONTHS to find! She didn’t stop Mark from manhandling the guy, only for him to start puking like the exorcist all over Mark. Alice was beside herself, covering her mouth with her hand and couldn’t move or speak, just cry. Her heart was shattered at the mangled pieces that once made up that beautiful replica motorcycle.

After calling the police and dealing with those dickheads again, the pieces of the bike were taken away by a tow truck to a scrap yard. The drunken trucker was taking away in handcuffs, read his Miranda rights, and given a DUI on the spot. He was 4 times over the legal drinking limit and couldn’t walk a straight line, falling flat on his face before being shoved in the back of a police car. Mark was given a warning not to put his hands on civilians, especially since he was on the verge of suing the precinct for the bogus arrest earlier the previous night. It was now 4 AM in the morning and Alice barely had enough energy to make it to bed, passing out before her head hit the pillow.

All things considered, he probably should have gone to jail tonight… Mark had to take another shower, this time to rid himself of the puke and the stench of it. His motorcycle, a perfect replica of his very first one… destroyed. They had JUST now gotten it out and driven it and… groaning, he banged his head against the tiled bathroom wall a few times, cursing when his head throbbed in return. What the fuck? Where had their perfect day gone?

~!~

“It was a fucking disaster. And I can’t find another replica anywhere on the net.”

Alice buried her head in her hands, gripping her hair in her fingers while Torrie and Stacy gaped at her. As if being arrested on false charges of rape to his own girlfriend wasn’t bad enough, Mark’s brand-new bike Alice worked hard procuring for him was destroyed by a drunk trucker! Torrie did NOT know what to say, her eyes wide.

“Uh…”

“That is fucking crazy.” Stacy was also in shock, but not as much as Torrie because her tongue hadn’t lost its ability to talk. “Is that mother fucker paying for damages?”

Alice snorted, shaking her head. “He just filed bankruptcy and now he has a DUI, along with a ton of court fees and fines to pay for. I don’t think Mark is getting a dime from him unless he takes him to civil court and even then, it’ll take forever to get money from the bastard.”

“True.”

“True.”

~!~

“Let me get this straight… you were arrested for… raping her in a public place, but then it was dropped to indecent exposure…” Glenn was having a hard time believing the story that had come out of Mark’s mouth, wondering what the hell kind of bad luck those two were having. Maybe breaking all those mirrors had finally caught up to the guy. “And… after getting your motorcycle… a drunk driver ran it over?”

Mark nodded, feeling overly miserable just thinking about it. Taking the idiot to court would be a waste of time, especially since he had filed bankruptcy. He’d wind up shelling out more money in lawyer fees than anything he’d actually get.

“Do you know how hard it was for her to get that?”

“Yes, yes I do.” He had been the one to get her a picture.

~!~

“Maybe we can find him another one…maybe not the exact replica, but…”

“No.”

Alice was miserable and shook her head sadly, refusing to go to those lengths again. First, he didn’t believe her about the plane crash and now his bike she’d bought for him had been completely destroyed. Their relationship was not in a good place and Alice had no idea how to fix any of this. Every time Mark mentioned the bike, he began yelling about it and Alice had learned quickly not to talk to him when he was being a bear. It was better to give the man space and time, which is why she was currently with Torrie and Stacy.

~!~

Hell, it wasn’t even her he was mad at. Mark was mad at those crooked cops. He was mad at that drunk driving bastard. He was mad at whoever had called the cops while bending her over that beautiful bike. Alice had spent an insane amount of time finding that exact motorcycle, and she had paid a pretty penny for it too, so for it be destroyed right out the gate the way it had, angered him.

“You know, I think you guys need a vacation. Like… for real, take her someplace warm, outside of the states.”

“Because we have the time WHEN? Besides, we’d probably wind up in a tropical storm knowin’ our luck right now.”

~!~

“I’m bad luck.”

“No you’re not, stop saying that!”

“Yeah, what Torrie said! That’s not nice to say about yourself.”

“Then please explain to me how, from the moment I signed with WCW, thanks to Eric Bischoff, bad shit keeps happening to me? Getting vandalized, raped, used, abused, winding up in a plane crash, nearly losing the love of my life because of said rape and blackmail, said boyfriend getting arrested on false charges for trying to fuck the shit out of me over his brand-new motorcycle I bought him and then that motorcycle being demolished the FIRST time we take it out?!”

“Uhm…”

Even Stacy had to admit that was A LOT of bad luck. “Maybe it’s just a phase and it’ll pass…”

Not fucking likely.

~!~

“Maybe this is just karma…”

“How do you figure Glenn?”

“Well, you were a real bastard back in the day.”

That… was true and, even now when the situation called for it, Mark could be a real bastard. Like now, he and Glenn were sparring, and he aimed a punch right at the taller man’s shoulder, smirking when Glenn’s hand flew to cup the area. “Karma, huh?”

“She is raping you. Violently.” Glenn said through grit teeth, returning the punch with interest and smirked when Mark went stumbling backwards. “Right up your ass.”

That was true.

~!~

While Mark and Glenn were sparing in the ring, Alice remained at the hotel and decided to go out to the local gym down the street for a workout. First, a weight landed on her foot and luckily, the damn thing didn’t break it. Then, on her way back to the hotel, with a bandaged foot, some idiot ran a red light and slammed into the side of the rental car she was in. What the HELL?! It wasn’t on her side, thankfully, but still jolted her pretty good and the car had been ruled totaled, towed away to a scrap yard. Mark had enough on his plate, so she called the first person that popped into her head and looked up when they walked through the door to her room in the emergency room.

“What the hell happened, Red?” Chris demanded, walking over to her, and glanced at her foot. “Are you okay? Where’s Mark?”

“Mark is not going to find out about this.”

“Okay, babe.” Chris agreed, staring at her out of wide blue eyes.

He could not believe out of all her friends, all the people she knew, she had called him. And it wasn’t the first time Alice had reached out to him when she had needed help. She had done it when she moved to Texas the first time.

“There’s no way he’s not going to find out about this. Your foot is bandaged, and you look shaken.” Not unless she planned on disappearing for the night or something. “What the hell happened?” He had gotten the rundown from the doctor on his way in, but Christ… all the man had really said was something about a bruised foot and a car accident.

“I can explain away the foot easily. It’s just bruised, I wrapped it in some salve to help the bruising diminish faster.” Alice tried not to tremble and cry, failing miserably. She hated keeping things from Mark, but the man was on his last nerve and she was afraid of losing him. “He can’t find out about this. He just can’t. I’ll lose him, and I can’t handle that.”

Chris walked over and took her hand, sitting down beside her on the bedding. Alice hadn’t told Mark about their lunch date either, not thinking anything of it. Chris was a friend and nothing more; she didn’t want to call Torrie and Stacy because they would’ve been hysterical over what happened to her and called Glenn, who would call Mark and…

“I’m bad luck…I need a lucky rabbit’s foot or something.”

“You’re not bad luck, Allie.” Chris amended softly, wrapping an arm around her, and hugged her into his side, before leaning over to pull tissue out of the little generic box on the stand between beds. He began wiping the tears and hint of snot from her face, studying her thoughtfully. “Bad things happen to you, but I don’t think you’re bad luck.” When she shook her head, obviously disagreeing with him, he sighed. “Alice, Mark loves you, trust in that.” Everyone could see the almighty Phenom was in love, he had destroyed a man for her, on live television, no less.

“I know he does. I love him too, so much.” It was obvious she was crazy for the giant with emerald eyes and devilishly handsome looks. Alice sniffled, wiping tears away with her tissue and looked up at Chris, who brushed her tears away with the pad of his thumb. “Thank you for coming. You really are a great friend.” Maybe Chris was right. Maybe this was just a rough patch they were going through and soon everything would go back to normal again. “I’m gonna have to tell him about this, aren’t I?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

How the hell was Alice supposed to explain this one?

“Look, I know I don’t know you that well, and I’m not Mr. Popular, but I am married.” Chris had read and interpreted the expression on her tear streaked face. “Lying to him about this, he’s going to find out eventually. And even if he doesn’t, if you love him as much as I think you do, you’ll tell him when the guilt gets to be too much, and then… then it’ll be a mountain out of a molehill situation.” He had been there, done that and his wife hadn’t spoken to him for a month because she had been so pissed and hurt. “It’s like a band-aid, just rip it off and get it over with. Don’t drag it out, Allie.”

Nodding, Alice knew what she had to do and shut her eyes, deciding Chris was right. If she didn’t tell Mark and he found out his own way, which seemed to always happen, their relationship would have more distrust than it already did. That was the last thing Alice wanted. It was bad enough Mark didn’t believe her about the plane crash and the last thing she needed was him thinking she was having an affair with a married man. Chris had implied that by stating the fact he was married. Taking her cell phone out, Alice took a deep breath and dialed Mark’s number, waiting for him to answer.

“Hi, I’m sorry to interrupt your sparring session, but…I’m actually in the hospital and I need you to come here.” Her voice cracked. “I’ll explain everything once you get here. And you need to ask Glenn or someone for a ride because the rental is totaled.”

“We’re on our way.” Mark grunted when she refused to explain until he was there, wondering what the hell was with this woman and not just coming outright and saying things?! “Alice was in an accident, give me a ride.”

“Yep.” Glenn grabbed his keys. “She okay?”

“Says she is.” Alice also tended to downplay her injuries or when things were wrong. Mark had to stop and take a breath, realizing his heart was pounding like crazy. “She’s fine.” He said, more to himself then anything.

Chapter 86

Chris was gone by the time Mark and Glenn arrived, rushing into Alice’s room. She blinked as Mark gave her a near bone-crushing hug and could only pat his back, chewing her bottom lip. When he demanded to know what happened, wanting an explanation, Alice told him exactly how her day started up until now. The weight dropping on her foot followed by being t-boned by a drunk driver – the irony alone about killed her. The police had come to get her statement and Alice told them what she remembered, having slight whiplash. At least she wasn’t going that fast when the accident happened, or it could’ve been a lot worse.

“I-I can’t take much more, Mark…I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I’m over it. I’m so over the bullshit and I just want it to stop!”

Laying down on the bed, she curled up in a tight ball and cried, not caring Glenn was there. Glenn being there wasn’t such a big deal. It was when a nurse poked her head in and began eyeing them like something was going on that Mark started to have a problem. With the way their luck had been going lately, he would not be surprised in the slightest if social services or something came and did a wellness check on Alice. Or maybe people would think she was some kind of sex worker and they were her pimps.

“Come on, darlin’.” He scooped her up off the bed, wanting to leave before any of that actually did happen. “Let’s go back to the hotel… we’ll talk there.” Maybe that vacation idea wasn’t such a bad idea.

“My foot is just…never mind.” Alice mumbled when Mark shot her a look that clearly said she wasn’t walking.

He was carrying her, and she’d deal with it. Glenn drove them back to the hotel with Alice securely in Mark’s arms, sitting sideways. She was still in her workout clothes, but hadn’t gotten much of one in due to dropping a damn weight on her foot accidentally. The doctors at the ER did an x-ray to determine for sure if it was heavily bruised or fractured. Deep tissue bruising was the official diagnosis. Once they were back at the hotel, Mark carried her up to their suite and shut the door, flipping the deadbolt on it. Alice could only sit there with her head lowered and clasped her hands in her lap, waiting for Mark to tell her to get the hell out of his life and never come back.

What Mark did was draw down the shades, blackening the room, placed an order for food at a specific time, kicked off his boots and then began removing what she had on. Carefully, he redressed her, a bit surprised she was going along so quietly with all this. Getting into his own comfortable clothes, Mark crawled under the blankets, pulling Alice with him.

“We’re going to take a nap, darlin’.” He informed her, feeling about as tired as she looked. “Then, we’ll eat, and we’ll hide the rest of the night in here with movies.”

Mark wasn’t leaving this room until tomorrow, neither was she. He’d simply dressed her in a white nightgown, nothing complicated and Alice could only snuggle against him. He had checked her foot, put more salve on it and left the bandage off to let it air out. Alice was blessed to have a man in her life like this, who took care of her and thought back to what Jericho said. Mark loved her…and she should trust in it.

“I love you, Mark.” She whispered, feeling his arms tighten around her and his nose buried in her hair, mumbling it back. Closing her eyes, Alice relaxed against him, despite being in a car accident, and let the darkness overtake her.

Neither woke up for the next 10 hours.

They would have to watch movies some other time.

Mark was up before Alice was, contemplating Glenn’s mumbo jumbo about karma kicking his head in. Well, it hadn’t been him yesterday, just her. If he looked back at their relationship objectively, about the only time they had brought their misery down on themselves, it had been the night he got rip-roaring drunk and passed out during sex. The next day she had been spiteful and mean, which he had reciprocated with interest. That blowup of theirs had led to some heartbreaking, painful situations, but even then… Dallas, Stephanie and Shane had made the decision to destroy Alice. Their fight had been the opening those three had needed and the rape was definitely not her fault. No, he conceded mentally, running lazy fingers up and down her arm, watching Alice sleep. They just had some really crappy luck lately, but things would turn around.

Slowly opening her eyes, Alice turned to look up at Mark and turned to fully lay on her back, caressing his face with the back of her hand. Even in the darkness, she could clearly see him since the television wasn’t on and the shades were drawn. She wanted to ask what was on his mind, but instead his head dipped to capture her mouth in a slow, sensual kiss. A soft moan escaped her, her fingers burying in his hair and caressing him, enjoying him hovering over her. She loved his body weight on her, pushing her into the mattress and the taste of him on her tongue. They hadn’t made love in a few days due to being arrested on false charges, the bike being demolished and then her car accident. Neither had been in the mood, but it seemed as though Mark was, and Alice would not deny him anything, reaching her arms up as his hands slid up her nightgown to remove it.

“I need you…inside me…now…”

Foreplay would have to wait until later, it’d been too long for them and Alice shut her eyes the moment he penetrated her, their bodies rocking together in harmony. An hour later, Alice lay curled up against Mark caressing his chest and both were perfectly content in all their naked glory. It hadn’t been as long as they both wanted, but memorable, nonetheless.

“That was so nice…” She murmured softly, kissing his chest, and felt him kiss the crown of her head. “Mmm…”

“Yes, it was.”

Pure contentment flowed through him as he held her against him, enjoying the weight of her as he shifted, so she was laying directly on him, feeling her head moving to rest just under his neck. Mark began running his hands slowly up and down her back. He could feel her entire body and it wasn’t tense anymore, neither was his. It seemed every time they had tried for a moment, something extremely insane happened and he’d been expecting it this time too. They’d get through this stretch of bad luck they were having. Though… he was also a bit concerned that everything going on around them would only fuel her paranoia, not that she had been mentioning the plane to him anymore, but… he knew she still thought about it.

“I love you, Red.”

“I know you do. I love you too.”

Alice slid the pad of her thumb across his lips and smiled as he kissed her wrist, feeling contentment wash over her. Maybe Mark was right all along. Maybe the plane wasn’t sabotaged, and she had paranoia. The investigators hadn’t found anything yet, but it was still underway. If she didn’t stop this nonsense, she would lose Mark and Alice refused to let that happen.

“You were right. About the plane crash.” She saw the surprise in his eyes and leaned up a little where her elbows rested on his chest. “With everything that happened with Page and the McMahon brats, I let paranoia get the best of me. I’m done with it. I just want to get back into the swing of things, my training and building our house, being together like this. I’ve missed this connection between us…and I know it’s my fault because I was mad at you for not believing me. But you were right…and I’m done with the bullshit. I just want to get back to normal. Wrestling, waiting for our house to be built so we can run around naked in it and making love to my amazing boyfriend. I think the bad luck we’ve been having is mostly stemmed from my issues, even if I can’t control drunk drivers.” Where the fuck did those people come from anyway? “And once we’re in our beautiful home, running around naked together, we’re gonna get you another bike. Not until then though because I don’t trust the apartment building and security anymore where we’re at now.” Gated community, her ass!

“Mmm, that drunk driver, he was our next door neighbor, did you know that?”

He hadn’t, not until Derrick told him. Not that he was really ever home, so he didn’t know all his neighbors. At this rate, he didn’t want to know. Mark was just tired of living around people, obviously they were not people friendly.

“You really believe that, about the plane?” He asked, trying not to sound skeptical, but she had been so adamant about the plane having been sabotaged, with her as the target. “Or are you just tellin’ me what you think I want to hear, darlin’?” Mark kissed her nose, smiling to show he wasn’t trying to be mean or an ass.

“I know I was being stubborn about it at first and I really did believe it was sabotaged because of me, but…it’s crazy. It’s crazy to think someone would kill all those people just to get to me. That’s like…insane, it’s insane and I’m insane for even believing that could happen. That shit happens in movies and this isn’t a damn movie. This is our life, and this is real, we’re real and I’m tired of worrying about someone being after me. I did that enough when the Alliance and Page was around; it’s time to just start living and put all the bullshit that’s happened in the past. You were right, the engine failed, and it happens. That’s realistic, not someone sabotaging the plane to get to one damn person.” Alice explained truthfully, making it clear she no longer bought into the whole paranoia crap, not after everything that happened. “And no, I didn’t know that was our neighbor and I hope Derrick kicks his ass to the curb for what he did to your bike.” That last part was a mumble.

“He did.” Mark had caught that mumble, beginning to chuckle. “He was already in the process of evictin’ the guy. Apparently, he turned into a drunk after his divorce and bankruptcy and was damagin’ the apartment and causin’ problems with the other tenants.”

That motorcycle incident had been the fast-track to the eviction. Hearing Alice’s thoughts about that plane, about the whole paranoid thing, he hadn’t realized how much that had been weighing on him until just now. Mark felt relief course through him as that weight was lifted, hugging her even tighter.

“We’re gonna be fine, Red.” He whispered.

~!~

Triple H’s return was off the charts and every single person in the backstage area, as well as all the fans in the arena screaming and roaring for him, had chills. It was a moment in history that would never be able to be replicated. In the back of Alice’s mind, Triple H’s return meant one thing: She’d have to deal with Stephanie all over again. Hopefully, the Princess had learned not to screw with another woman’s man and cleaned herself up. It was obvious their marriage was still going strong, though it was also curious she hadn’t come out to the ring with her husband like all the other times. For 10 minutes straight, the fans would not let The Game talk and Alice smiled at how speechless Paul was, not knowing the man, but she could tell he loved this business. He loved wrestling, the passion in his eyes and demeanor spoke volumes. Mark placed a hand on her shoulder and she grabbed it, not taking her eyes off the monitor.

“I thought I’d never say this, but it’s damn good to have him back.” Glenn had some issues in the past with Paul, but these past 8 months off to recuperate from his injury had changed the man. He was happier…shook hands with his fellow colleagues instead of sticking their nose up at them and acted like an ass. “We should take him out for a celebratory drink.”

“You know who will have to tag along if he does that, Big Red.”

“The banshee knows her place. She’ll keep her mouth shut.” Glenn argued confidently, brushing his hair back.

Alice highly doubted that. “If you want to go out, that’s fine, but I’m going back to the hotel then. I don’t want anything to do with her.”

“Paul won’t let her come.” Mark assured her, shooting Glenn a dark look. Banshee knew her place… Glenn was obviously suffering brain damage or something. Teresa needed to stop trying to brain him with her skillets. “When he gets backstage, I’ll introduce you to him, darlin’.” He had his issues with Paul, mostly concerning the actual business and how Paul had gone about incorporating himself into things, but he’d never deny the man knew the sport both out in the ring and outside of it like nobody else.

“No, I’m good.” Alice didn’t want to meet Stephanie’s husband, especially since she was the one who had Linda overnight him the tape of his wife’s indiscretions. “You can go see him and say hi and take him out for a drink, but I don’t want to meet him.”

Anybody associated with Stephanie McMahon could shove it, including her husband. Tonight, Alice had returned to the ring in a match against Trish and she was sore because she hadn’t been in the ring in a while or trained. She trained with Lita earlier that day and then had her match with Trish, which went flawless, thankfully.

“Glenn, do you mind giving him a lift to the hotel, so I can take our rental?”

Glenn shot Mark a look. Eventually, Alice would have to meet and deal with Paul. He was definitely destined to run this company, even with bitchface at his side and, if Alice was in this for the long haul… “Yeah, yeah I can do that.” He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I don’t have to go out.” Mark stared down at her, his eyes searching her face intently. “I can come back with you.”

“Co-dependent much?” Glenn sniggered, catching Mark’s hand, and twisting before he could get decked. “You two sort it out. Text me.” He waved at them both before walking off.

“You don’t have to do that. If you wanna go out with the guys and have a couple drinks, go for it.”

Touching his face gently, Alice brushed her lips against his and caressed his bare chest. They spent a lot of time together, more than enough and sometimes it was good for them to get out with other people. This was Paul’s big return, his big night, so if Mark and Glenn wanted to take him out to celebrate, she didn’t want to stop him.

“Give me the keys and go out with the boys. I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.”

If she were sleeping, he could wake her up if he was in the mood for some loving. Mark caved, kissed her again and then went off to find Glenn while Alice gathered her belongings to leave the arena. Stepping out, she ran right into the last person she wanted to see and shouldered her bag, blatantly ignoring Stephanie.

Chapter 87

Stephanie was under very strict orders to stay the hell away from Alice, courtesy of her husband. He had gotten that tape and proceeded to punish her in the most inhumane way ever. She was now wearing a very thin, very flexible, annoying chastity belt and he had the key. He had flat out told her she was a slut, not even a whore because they charged and were actually selective about who they took it from. Since she wanted to have every dick she could… he’d make it to where she couldn’t. Paul hadn’t even TOUCHED her, not a kiss, nothing. Stephanie was a very pissy, very frustrated woman. Her blue eyes narrowed as she stepped aside, tempted to say something, anything really, but she didn’t.

“You best watch your mouth around Alice. Don’t be a prick.”

“She knows better than to think I’m being a prick.”

Glenn was odd and usually said weird things. Alice seemed to be one of the few who took it in stride. If Alice knew what Paul had done to his wife, she would’ve laughed Stephanie to hell and back. Karma truly was a bitch sometimes. Stephanie did not look happy at all, frustrated actually and Alice was tempted to mouth off to her, but decided against it. Best not to put fuel on the fire.

“Hey Allie!” Chris called out, bypassing Stephanie and grinned at the redhead, his bag slung over his shoulder. “You heading out? Where’s the Deadman?”

“Going out to celebrate Triple H’s return to the ring.” Alice ignored Stephanie’s scoff and smiled at Chris, seeing he was ready to head to the hotel. “You need a ride? I was on my way to the hotel.”

Chris smiled sheepishly, nodding. “If you wouldn’t mind, my ride took off already and didn’t even tell me. Assholes.”

Stephanie had listened in, very intently and the gears in her devious mind began turning, blue eyes glittering wickedly.

~!~

“Wait, I’m sorry, what?”

“I wanted to meet her.”

The three were walking out, with Dwayne trailing behind them on the phone with his wife. “You want to meet Alice?”

“Considering everything my wife put her through, yes. I wanted to apologize on Stephanie’s behalf.” They all knew Stephanie would never do it. “I…” Paul shook his head, tugging at his ponytail. “I always knew she was messed up, but that…” Not to mention the tape he had received had given him quite a few nightmares.

“She’s not keen on meeting you.” Mark informed him evenly, rolling his eyes at the sight of the Hummer. “What the hell?”

Paul grinned broadly. “I’ll never get rid of it.” He loved this gas guzzling bitch. His old lady would have to grab a cab.

~!~

There was a very good reason Alice didn’t want to meet Paul. Any man who was married to a harlot like Stephanie and STAYED married to her, even after all the cheating she’d done, wasn’t a good person in her book. Alice wasn’t a saint by any means, but she would never stay with someone who cheated on her with MULTIPLE people. Her and Chris had some laughs on the way back to the hotel, mainly making fun of Stephanie. He still had the best one-liner for that whore out of everyone in the company and had reiterated it during their conversation. Chris was easy to talk to, fun, warm and kind…if she weren’t in love with the Deadman, Alice could easily see herself falling for a guy like Chris. His wife was a lucky woman.

“I’m starving!” Chris announced as she made a turn, the hotel still several blocks away. “Want to go get something to eat with me? My treat?” He flashed her a grin from his seat, batting his baby blues when she hesitated. “You can text Mark and let him know if you need to.” He would let his wife know later; she knew about his friendship with Alice and knew who the Undertaker was by reputation. She wasn’t worried. That and Chris liked blondes. “Not pizza though.”

After that time at the diner with Mark and Glenn, he had given up pizza, forever. Letting Mark know about hanging out with Chris wasn’t the best decision considering she didn’t tell him about the hospital fiasco. How she’d called Chris, panicked, instead of her boyfriend. Going out to eat with a friend wasn’t cheating and, besides, Alice had fun with him. Maybe when Mark got back to the hotel later that night, she’d tell him, but not now.

“He won’t mind.” She lied, shrugging, and pulled into a small diner Chris pointed to. “Are you sure you want to go here?”

At his nod, she parked the vehicle and stepped out, heading inside with him. It was close, small, and more importantly, there weren’t that many people here. That meant it was perfect. Chris was a Superstar in the wrestling world and a villainous one at that; he had gotten spit on and worse by pissed off fans, trying to avoid that tonight.

“Hey cake, cool.” He grinned at the cake under the big glass counter, eyeing the carrot and then looked down at himself, wondering how much workout time a slice would cost him. “Come on, babe,” He led her to a corner booth where they weren’t likely to be bothered if people strolled in. “How’s your foot?”

“Never better, all healed. You didn’t see my match against Trish tonight?” At Chris’s sheepish look, she had her answer and shook her head, smiling, nonetheless. “I suppose Diva matches aren’t worth watching to you boys backstage.”

That was the sad reality. Chris wasn’t the only one who didn’t pay attention, unless the women were showing skin in their bra and panties. It came with the territory, sex appeal and it sucked for the Divas because they wanted to really showcase their talent. Chris was the current reigning and defending WWF Undisputed champion. Ric Flair and Vince McMahon were co-owners of the company, thanks to Stephanie and Shane selling their stock to him prior to Survivor Series. So in a way, the McMahon children, the demon spawns, got the last laugh on their old man. At Vengeance, back in December, Chris Jericho won against both Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock to become the Undisputed champion, which was the WWF and WCW championships combined.

“I still can’t believe you’re the champion right now. So surreal, are those things heavy as hell to carry around?”

“I try to look at it as working out when I’m carrying them around.” Chris joked with a grin, accepting the menu the waitress was handing him, watching as Alice took hers.

He ordered a glass of water with ice and lemon, studying her thoughtfully. Truth be told, he didn’t watch many other matches unless it was an opponent or something because he was usually busy getting around or warming up. Or, lately, avoiding getting his ass handed to him by Dwayne. Dwayne was still a little… pissed with him, to put it mildly, but she wasn’t wrong either. The women didn’t get the respect or attention they deserved and her saying it so bluntly… that Diva’s matches weren’t worth watching, he felt like a dick.

“No, you’re wrong, Diva’s matches are worth watching.” He corrected her gently. “You guys work just as hard as we do, but you don’t get the breaks we do.”

“True, but it just means we have to work harder to get the company to notice us for more than just tits and ass.”

Alice was confident that would happen one day, but probably not before she retired. She figured wrestling 3 years, which was how long her contract was for, would be more than enough time to establish a legacy. Then she wanted to settle down with Mark and have a few babies with him, if he even wanted kids. They hadn’t discussed it due to her Fort Knox birth control plan.

“By the way, I never thanked you properly for coming to the hospital when I called. Thanks for being there for me…again.” It seemed as though whenever she needed help and called Chris, he was always there to lend a helping hand. Alice would not take his friendship and kindness for granted. “If you ever need anything from me, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Chris cocked an eyebrow at her before ordering himself the country fried steak, steamed vegetables, and a side salad. He waited until she had placed her order before setting aside the menu, folding his hands on the tabletop. “Nah, don’t worry about it, Allie.” He waved her off dismissively, only smug on television, but out in the open as Chris Irvine, he was very humble and respectful. “We’re friends, right?” At her nod, he grinned. “Besides, rescuing damsels in distress is my side job.”

“I guess it kinda is, huh?” Alice laughed right along with him, sipping her water, and felt normal for the first time in a while. It was nice getting out and having a conversation with someone other than Mark. “Oh my god, this cheeseburger is gonna go right to my ass. I’m gonna have to work out twice as hard tomorrow, but it’ll be so worth it.”

Chris laughed, shaking his head. “Nah, you won’t gain that much weight and, besides, carbs are good for you since you work out so much.” He’d noticed she tried getting a workout in at least once a day, sometimes twice, depending on the type of mood she was in. This past week, a whole new Alice seemed to surface, and she was happy, content and her paranoia had seemed to vanish.

When Alice gave him a doubtful look, Chris began laughing. “Hey, look, why don’t you work out with me? I’ve been doing these intensity workouts lately, and they live up to the name.” He was working on his abs and everything else, and those workouts kicked a person right into shape. “You do twice as much in half the time.” Which was the point of the intensity. “You ought to try them out with me.”

Alice thought about it while chewing her food, deciding it couldn’t hurt to try out his intense workout. She’d been looking for something new to do regarding workouts because hers had become somewhat stale. Kickboxing was great and all, but she needed something more to work on the strength in her arms.

“Alright you’re on, let me know when your next workout is, and we’ll do it.”

Chris let Alice know when his next workout was, which was the very next morning. He did one a day, because that one was usually enough to leave his body screaming at him. Factor in all the walking around he did, wrestling, everything else, he got plenty of cardio.

~!~

Mark was choking on beer. Paul had informed them what he had done to punish his whore wife and that was the funniest thing he’d heard in a long, long time. “A chastity belt?”

Paul had not been amused at finding out Stephanie had been cheating on him and letting herself be pounded back to back to back by fellow coworkers, most of them anyway. One of those men being her EX-fiancé, Andrew AKA Test. He had made her get every STD test known to man and even then, he still hadn’t laid hands on her.

“I’m not going to lie, I was ready to file for fuckin’ divorce.”

“I would’ve.” Dwayne snorted, shaking his head. “That’s just nasty, man. I know she’s your old lady, but still…”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because I’m stupid.”

“We’re in agreement, yes you are.”

Glenn knew why Paul didn’t file for divorce. Everyone did. He didn’t love Stephanie, only using her as a way to get to the top in the WWF. Mark had commented on it a time or two, which made him and Paul butt heads frequently, but they also had respect for each other. How on earth this man could stay married to a whore like Stephanie was beyond him. However, that chastity belt idea was one that had him nearly crying from laughing so hard.

“Better watch it, Hunter. Just because she can’t take a pounding doesn’t mean she won’t still cheat with that mouth of hers.” Dwayne pointed out, watching his friend’s eyes narrow and shrugged, finishing his beer. “Just saying.”

Time to buy a muzzle for his wife. “Think she’d like a pink muzzle?”

Glenn was so glad he had just swallowed or else that beer would have sprayed all three of those fuckers, everyone laughing now. Nobody was going to comment on why Paul was still married to the whore. None of them wanted to ruin a good time with that talk.

“Add some fake gems to it…” Glenn rasped out, tears in his eyes.

“And a leash… so you can yank it and she’ll go off like a dog.” Dwayne sniggered, then mockingly barked.

The fact that Paul was laughing his ass off, as his wife was getting talked about the way she was, told Mark all he needed to know. Not that he overly cared as long as Paul kept her in check.

~!~

Stephanie paced back and forth in the hotel suite, wondering what she’d have to do in order to get this ridiculous chastity belt removed. Paul hadn’t touched her once and it would interfere with her plans. Of course she was a McMahon and had figured out a way to do it, but…Paul wouldn’t be happy with her, if he ever discovered it. When he stumbled into the hotel room after midnight, Stephanie was waiting for him and held out a glass of water, watching him down it in a couple gulps. She was in just the chastity belt and a pink silk robe untied to show off her breasts.

“Paul, is everything alright?” She asked, seeing the drug take effect and took the glass from him, watching hungrily as he took his shirt off.

“I’m hot…” He muttered, noticing what his wife wasn’t wearing through blurred vision and tried clearing it, but his body was screaming at him to take her. “Steph…” Yanking her against him, Paul’s mouth crashed down on hers and he broke it, feeling the chastity belt against his lower region. “W-What’s going on…?”

Not above drugging her own husband with a sex-enhancement drug, Stephanie pressed her finger to his lips before kissing him again and reached in his pocket for the key to her chastity belt. “I’ve been a bad girl, Paul. Such a bad girl, but I want to make it up to you.” Her hand purposely brushed against his bulging cock and smirked, rubbing up against him. “Fuck your wife, please…”

Ignoring the alarm bells ringing in his head, Paul took the key from her, unlocked the chastity belt, and tossed it aside before slamming her against the wall roughly, his mouth on hers again. Throughout the fucking, Stephanie was grinning like a mad woman and cried out, feeling his seed explode inside of her…a seed she planned on using to her advantage. He would pay for forcing a chastity belt on her! She just had to wait for the opportune moment to put her plan into action and Paul wouldn’t see it coming.

Chapter 88

Mark wasn’t surprised to find Alice asleep when he got in, or at least she was trying to sleep. He had to get a shower due to Glenn spewing beer everywhere, which had triggered Dwayne and he was not amused. He wasn’t drunk either because he knew better than to come home to her shitfaced and likely to pass out during sex.

After dinner with Chris, they caught a movie at the local theater before heading back to the hotel. Alice had changed and laid in bed, trying to fall asleep, but it was hard for her to sleep without Mark. Co-dependent indeed. Hearing the shower going, Alice slipped out of bed and padded into the shower, shedding her clothes in the process. She pushed the curtain back and stepped inside, sliding her hands up his broad back, kissing the middle of it. Obviously, he wasn’t obliterated or else he wouldn’t be able to stand up in the shower.

“Did you have fun with the guys?” She asked softly, stepping back as he turned around and she took the washcloth from him, gliding it across his shoulders, down his arms, chest, and abdomen.

“It was amusin’.”

He bent down to drop a kiss on her head before stepping back and letting her have at it with the washcloth. Mark already had his hair all lathered up. He wasn’t about to tell her what they had talked about because she hated Stephanie McMahon, not that he blamed her. He did too, but… the chastity belt story had been hilarious.

“Thought you’d be asleep by now, Red.”

“I just got back a little while ago, myself.” Alice admitted, continuing to lather up his body and smiled at the curiosity burning in his emeralds. “I went out to dinner with a friend. And I’ll be working out with them in the morning, so if you wake up and I’m not here, you know why. We’re gonna try a different type of workout that’s supposed to be more intense.” Why she didn’t just come out and say it was Chris was beyond her. “Is that okay?”

Being the tired, oblivious man he could be sometimes, Mark simply nodded and didn’t even bother asking her what friend. He assumed she meant one of the women. Alice didn’t really associate with any men outside of him and Glenn, not that he blamed her. Men tended to act stupid around her. Page. Shane. Austin. Those dickheads from WCW in general.

“Intense huh?” He tipped his head back, rinsing out the soap. “The way you work out, darlin’, I doubt that.” Not that Mark didn’t enjoy the benefits, she was very toned, flexible, strong…and his cock was waking up.

Noticing it, Alice was never one to turn down shower sex and smiled impishly, gliding the washcloth down his toned chest to stroke his cock and balls, cleaning them both. “Supposedly, the intensity of this workout is supposed to cut the time in half, but do twice as much in that short period of time. Should be interesting. Might even tone up my fat ass.” She looked behind her toward her backside and then back at him, moaning as his hand came down to smack one of her toned cheeks. “I think you’re clean enough.” Tossing the washcloth down, Alice pulled his face down to hers and passionately kissed him, continuing to stroke him with her slick hand.

He would call her ass many things, but not fat. Curvy. Pert. Muscular yet feminine, but not fat. One of his favorite things in the world was to be flat on his back with her riding him reverse cowgirl, just so he could admire that perfect backside of hers bouncing in his vision. Mark let his hands move to said perfect ass, slapping both cheeks at the same time and grinned against her lips when she jumped.

“I can think of a few ways to help you tone it up, darlin’.”

“Mmm do tell…”

Alice squealed out as he lifted her over his shoulder and stepped out of the shower, carting them both soaking wet out to the bed. Mark set her down on the bed and then laid sprawled out in the center, crooking his finger at her. Obeying without hesitation, Alice kissed him again before he turned her around to straddle him with her back facing him. He lifted her again by the hips and impaled her on his throbbing cock, both groaning at the friction. Reverse cowgirl…it was obvious what position he wanted her in and she didn’t mind it, feeling his hands slide up her body to where his hands gripped her breasts.

“Oh, fuck this feels so good…” She hissed out, rolling her hips experimentally and faced the headboard.

Mark had laid down backwards on the bed for some reason and it worked out in her favor. Deciding to show her flexibility a bit more, she stretched her legs out in a split of sorts and used the headboard as leverage to bounce on and off his cock, her toes curling into the bedding. Her legs never bent, not once. If Mark had known that he was destined to fall for a stripper… he would have gotten in gear a long time ago and hunted her down. Her flexibility made his cock throb, the visual feast she was providing him had him growling as he watched her bouncing on him. The way she didn’t bend her legs, using that headboard and her hands for leverage… he felt like she was a bit of a sexual gymnast, and he moved his hands to her hips, beginning to guide her. Just watching and feeling her, the pace she was going, he was going to wind up blowing his load a bit early.

The more she showed her flexibility and strength to Mark during their sexual encounters, the more Alice valued being a stripper. It really did wonders for her body, strength, and flexibility, which in turn made her boyfriend throb inside of her. Her cheeks stretched just slightly every time she bounce on and off of him, moaning uncontrollably. Just to make sure she didn’t slip up, Alice used the headboard as leverage with her feet, pressing them against it while holding onto the top, using pure upper body strength.

“I-I’m close…so…close…” Alice stammered through ragged breathing, the water from the shower mixing with sweat beading her body as well as Mark’s. “Oh Mark!” She’d never, ever get tired of his cock and popped her backside up and down, using the muscles in her backside to bounce harder and faster on top of him.

He drew his legs up, just enough for her to brace her upper body on, feeling her hands moving to grip him calves as both their movements became less controlled and more primal. Using his long reach, he moved a hand around her, delving between her thighs and found her clit, manipulating it with his fingers. Mark could feel Alice’s vaginal walls clenching around him, his teeth gnashing together, feeling his balls tightening with each bounce.

“I’m gonna cum, darlin’.” He growled, though that did not mean an end to the festivities since she was quite capable of getting him back up and running in record time.

“Do it! Cum with me!” Alice choked out in a raspy cry, clutching his thighs, and used them as leverage instead of the headboard, her eyes closing at the hot coil within her threatened to spring free.

Not until he climaxed with her…Alice could hold out as long as need-be unless she passed out from exhaustion. Her legs went from outstretched to bent in-between his legs and continued the onslaught on his cock. Reaching down to fondle his balls while he stroked her maddeningly. The explosion between them had both roaring each other’s names, his seed filling her completely and her juices soaking him, some of her essence coating his balls as well. She leaned back with him still pulsating inside of her to where her body aligned with his and showed her flexibility again, his cock continuing to thrust in and out of her until he couldn’t any longer.

“I’m there! MARK!”

“Sweet fuckin’ Christ!” He snarled, burying his face between her shoulder blades, taking ragged breaths.

Mark didn’t move, just let her lean into him while he leaned into her, feeling his cock softening until it slid out of her. That was immediately followed by both their fluids drenching him and the bed. He began chuckling, planting lazy kisses along her shoulder blades.

“I’m thinkin’ of retirin’ just so I can stay in bed with you for the rest of my life.” He’d die a happy man that way too.

“Wait about 4 years and then we can retire together and fuck each other all we want.” Alice remarked, tilting her head back until his lips brushed hers, nuzzling his jaw lovingly. She did move, twisting to where she laid out on top of his chest and kissed up his jaw to his ear, cooling them both down. “I love you so much, Mark.”

One day, she hoped to marry this man and have his babies…only his babies. She would never have anyone else’s babies. The incredible thing about this was he was all hers, completely and he loved her as much as she loved him. Even with all their bad luck lately, though nothing had happened for the past week, Alice still felt like the luckiest woman in the world to have Mark and nothing would change that.

“Good, that helps.” He quipped, reaching down, and fumbling for sheets. It was a bit nippy, not that he minded the feel of her nipples against his chest. When Alice shifted to give him a look, he flashed her a grin. “Eventually, I’m going to marry your ass, so you lovin’ me makes that easier, now don’t you think?” Mark pulled the sheets over them before wrapping his arms around her again, smiling at the look on her face.

Raising her head to look into his eyes, Alice could tell he meant what he said. “You want to marry me?” She sounded both unsure and surprised, probably due to the fact they hadn’t been together that long. “I would hope it does help a little bit.” She joked, trying to lighten the mood from the serious marriage topic and kissed his chin, caressing his chest gently. “I suppose I’ll marry you…but there’s something I need to know first. What are your feelings on kids?”

“I haven’t even actually popped the question, or given you a ring, and you’re asking me about kids?”

Mark didn’t know if that was good or bad, studying her face intently. Alice was on multiple forms of birth control, she had never hidden that from him, so… he wasn’t exactly sure where she stood on children. He considered it, really thinking about them having kids, or if they wanted them at all. Right now, big no. There was just too much going on and they weren’t ready at all, but down the road, he could see them having some red haired, hazel eyed ragamuffins running around.

“Wouldn’t mind havin’ a couple pups with you.”

“I wasn’t aware you had to wait to have the ‘kid’ conversation until after being proposed to.” That confused the hell out of her. “I was only asking just to see what your reaction would be. I don’t want any kids right now, not when I have my career to think about. No offense, Deadman, but I want to establish myself as a wrestler and my legacy before I retire. Once I retire, I wouldn’t mind popping out some kids with you. I’ll be honest, never thought of myself as mother material, but with you I’d give it a go.”

“Nah, kid conversation is good to have before I go drop a shit ton of money on a gaudy ass ring.” He informed her, grinning, and tried to lighten the mood, though her words about popping out some kids with him had something inside of him… purring. Like a smug, giant ass cat satisfied as hell. “Look, Alice,” He ran his fingers through her hair, staring into her eyes intently. “I want kids, but not now. I want you to have your career first, and I don’t want to be a part-time dad either, which means I need to enjoy a run or two and then slow my roll. Because we’re either both in it full time or not at all.”

“Well, when my contract is up in 4 years, I’m done with wrestling. I’m going to retire, regardless of where I’m at or who I’m with, which I’m hoping is with you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it, honestly.” Alice lowered her eyes from his to the tattoo on his throat and softly kissed it, sighing softly. “I want to settle down then, but if and when we are together, probably married, in that gorgeous house and you still want to wrestle, I don’t have a problem with that either. I want you to do this as long as you feel you can and as much as you want.” She never wanted him to give something he loved up, especially his wrestling career, for her.

“I’m not gonna do this forever, darlin’. My knees and hips won’t let me.”

Hopefully, Mark would not be foolish enough to keep on trying, like some other major, older names he knew. He was hoping he’d be smart enough to know when to stop and walk away. However, in this business, who knew? Then again, in this potential future, her and a passel of kids… that was a good reason to hang up his boots. But that was at least 4 years down the road, plenty of time for them to work out the kinks.

“So, you’re going to marry me, we’ve established that, right?” He was smirking now.

“You’ll have to pop the question and find out, Deadman.” Alice smacked his chest playfully, rolling her eyes at his Cheshire smirk and pecked his lips before extracting herself from him. “Oh god, we need another shower.” She groaned at the sweat and bodily fluids covering them both, eyeballing the bed. “And new sheets.” There was no way she was sleeping in their slop, cringing at the thought, and laughed when Mark stood up with a groan of his own. “Go start the shower and I’ll call room service to come give us clean sheets, then I’ll join you.”

Mark had a feeling she was going to make him ‘pop the question’ before giving him a proper answer. He was fairly sure if he proposed, legitimately and not as a joke, Alice would say yes, but still… having a solid yes or knowing she would say it, without a doubt… his ego and feelings were kind of at risk here. Snorting, he swatted her ass before heading into the bathroom.

“Best leave out a tip, darlin’.” He pointed to his wallet, which was sitting on the dresser. They had gotten into the habit of tipping their maids better than usual, normally because those poor women had to deal with their… lovemaking leftovers.

Of course, Alice would say yes to marrying him! She wouldn’t answer his question though until he properly proposed. It was just the principal and one tradition she didn’t want to break. They broke so many as it was, not that she minded. After tipping the maid well and tossing the sheets at her, Alice headed into the bathroom shedding the robe she’d pulled on and joined her soon-to-be fiancé, grinning at the thought.

Chapter 89

“N-No Hunter…it-it’s because…HUNTER, IT’S BECAUSE I’M PREGNANT!”

Paul literally FROZE midway stepping through the rope and could not move to save his life. What the hell did his wife just say?! What did she just sprout out to the world?! She was pregnant?!

Alice slapped a hand over her mouth, watching Stephanie crying in the ring clutching her stomach while Paul just stayed there by the ropes, frozen solid. How the HELL could she announce something THAT personal to her husband on national television?! Didn’t the McMahons have any morals, any respect?! Stephanie had been going on about renewing their wedding vows and kept prodding Paul until he exploded at her.

Then she dropped that HUGE bombshell and said that was why they had to do it, they had to do it in front of the world, so they could be a family with their new baby. Alice was going to be sick and Paul looked like he wanted to spew his breakfast, lunch, and dinner all over the ring. She had to turn away when he lifted Stephanie up and passionately kissed her, holding her close celebrating in the ring. Mark had finally come clean about the chastity belt thing – pillow talk – and now apparently it had come off because the slut was pregnant.

Paul was kissing the daylights out of her because… live television, but inside he was screaming bloody murder. He had always wanted a family, children of his own, but he had NOT considered that possibility with this slut. Not unless she had done some serious counseling and changed her ways. He was going to hurl. Paul had taken that chastity belt off of her ONE GODDAMN TIME, he had been beyond inebriated beyond belief and now fate was repaying him for lifting that punishment, even if it had only been temporary.

“Oh that’s so goddamn gross…”

“No kiddin’, I’m going to puke.”

Stephanie was screaming with joy on the inside, practically giddy while walking backstage arm in arm with her husband, blue eyes sparkling. He wouldn’t be able to treat her like a piece of shit anymore now and the chastity belt would be coming off. Her hormones would break him, and she couldn’t wait to watch him crumble into dust. The best part was – the pregnancy was a scam…a lie…not that he’d ever find out. Stephanie had taken precautions and had help within the company from an unknown source, probably the last person on planet earth who would help her. Humming, she kissed his cheek and enjoyed how pale he was.

That poor man…Alice could only surmise Stephanie had tricked her husband somehow into taking the chastity belt off for one night of sex…and it wound up with her pregnant. If it weren’t for the chastity belt, she would’ve questioned whose baby it was, but since Paul had punished her in his own way, he was the only one who could be the father. There was no two ways about it.

“Bro, you fucked up.”

“Eat shit, Johnson.”

“Stephanie, shut up.” Paul already knew he had screwed up and, if not for the fact he had put that belt right back on her the morning after his drunken stupidity, he would have second guessed that pregnancy. “It’s not coming off.” He informed his wife, sneering when her blue eyes widened. “I don’t trust you. You’ll fucking let a train of guys have at you and I’m not risking anything happening to my… kid.”

Dwayne shook his head and walked away.

Oh no, this belt would come off and Stephanie already knew how she was going to have to play this. “Fine.” She heaved a sigh, knowing Rome wasn’t built in a night and, if she changed instantly, he’d know she was up to something. “Whatever.” She’d wait and be patient.

Alice had turned the corner and stopped at the sight of Paul and Dwayne having words, overhearing the sneer in Stephanie’s voice. The woman would never learn, Alice thought, shaking her head, and tried to bypass them, but Paul’s voice stopped her.

The redhead had been avoiding him for the past few weeks since his return and Paul had wanted to meet her. He understood why she wanted nothing to do with him and it had everything to do with his banshee wife that had her raped. “Alice, right?” He cracked a smile at her, ignoring Stephanie’s pure disdain and extended his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

It would not be smart to be rude to this man, so Alice decided she could swallow her pride enough to shake his hand. It must’ve stuck in Stephanie’s crawl to witness her husband being friendly towards her, so that was a huge plus. “Nice to meet you too…Hunter? Paul? Sorry, I don’t know what to call you…”

“You can call MY husband…”

“Paul is fine.” He interrupted smoothly and smiled warmly at her, releasing her hand, and ignored Stephanie’s gaping face. “The guys call me Hunter, so if that makes you more comfortable. And I also wanted to apologize on behalf of my wife for what happened to you. If I was on the road, that never would’ve happened.”

Alice cleared her throat, appreciating him saying that and in front of the whore, no less. “Yes well, everyone deserves a second chance and hopefully, she’s learned her lesson.”

“You-!”

“She has.” Paul interrupted again, wrapping a tight arm around Stephanie’s shoulders. “We should get going.”

Stephanie gritted her teeth, not believing how she was being treated, especially in front of this stripper whore!

“Congratulations on your new bundle of joy.” Alice then walked away, not seeing the hatred in Stephanie’s eyes and headed back to Mark’s dressing room.

“That fucking-” Stephanie shut the hell up right quick when Paul whipped her around by both arms, and cowered at the fire in his eyes.

“ENOUGH Stephanie, enough!” Paul did not care who seen him laying his wife low like this; he had had enough of her antics. “You have done ENOUGH, and you WILL let her be, do you understand me? I don’t give a fuck if she calls you a fucking whore to your face, you will smile, say thank you and keep on going. You got me, woman?”

Glenn had gotten all that on his cell phone, saving the video and sent it to Mark.

When Alice was shown that video from Mark, her eyes about fell out of her head and her hand covered her mouth, looking up at him once the footage ended. “Wow.”

Paul wasn’t such a bad guy after all. She had misjudged him and felt horrible about it, knowing it was because of his link to Stephanie. Not that he blamed her, but seeing Paul defend her to his wife…the woman who had made her life miserable while in the Alliance, and out of it, warmed something inside of Alice.

“You were right about him. I met him earlier and he shook my hand in front of her, then apologized on her behalf for what happened to me. He did it right in front of her.” She just hoped Stephanie didn’t try anything and kept her nose to the ground, especially now that she was with child.

“Like we told you, darlin’, this is his business; he lives and breathes it. I think… I think when he married her, he was in love with the person he thought she was.” Nobody had known then Stephanie was insane. He had known she had a dark side, he had helped cultivate it, but there was a big difference in dark side and totally unhinged. “And of course, her last name, he wanted that. She uh, fucked around on him, and he lost his shit. I think the only reason he hasn’t divorced her yet is because of the fact that Linda and Vince already started the ball rollin’ on him being in charge when they’re gone.” Because their kids were both mental and would NOT be getting a damn thing. “But that’s probably contingent on him being in the family.”

“You would think he’d have more respect for himself than that, though. All they’d have to do is put it in their will he gets all the control when they’re gone, and Stephanie and Shane wouldn’t be able to do jack shit.”

Alice shrugged, not feeling sorry for Paul because it was his fault he was in this situation. It made her wonder why he took the chastity belt off Stephanie in the first place if he wanted to punish her. It wasn’t Alice’s problem and she didn’t want to begin understanding their dysfunctional marriage.

“Anyway, I guess there’s gonna be a renewal of their vows next week on Raw.”

“Yeah, Stephanie was boasting about it on their way out the door…after being verbally castrated by Paul. Did you get my video?”

Alice walked over and kissed his cheek, nodding. “Thanks, Big Red.”

Wills could be contested though, especially over an estate like the Titan Sports. Given that the company was run via Vince, Linda, and a board of directors, if he were Paul, Mark might’ve stuck it out too and ingrained himself, so when the time came, he was in a favorable position. But he wasn’t Paul, he’d never marry a whore like Stephanie McMahon and he sure as hell did not want to run or be a part of the off-screen bullshit that went on to keep this company going. Mark liked his job and the idea of retiring from it completely.

“TMZ…”

“Don’t think I didn’t think about it.” Glenn grunted, sounding smug. “But then… then I’d probably wind up sued…”

That was a good point. “Yeah… being backstage and all…”

“Yep.” If only Paul had done it in an airport or something, it’d be all over the Internet.

Something told her Glenn would keep that video just in case Paul decided to be a dickhead down the road and use it as leverage against him. Alice felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out, reading the text message from Chris. He wanted to work out with her again in the morning and she had to admit, Chris was right when he said it was a lot more intense than a regular workout. It worked muscles in her body she didn’t know existed. Sending him a quick text back, Alice slid her phone in the back pocket of her jeans and noticed Mark staring down at her.

“What? Sorry, that was my friend I’m gonna go workout with them again tomorrow morning. This new workout is crazy and intense, but I love it.”

Glenn raised a brow. “New workout?” Probably with Stacy or Torrie since they liked dipping their pedicured toes into new things.

“Yeah, something called CrossFit.” She shrugged, scrolling through the rest of her text messages while Mark and Glenn conversed amongst themselves on their way out of the arena.

Chris grinned at the text message, glad he had a new workout buddy and idly wondered if Alice had told Mark about them hanging out yet.

It was… weird, the way she never said the friend’s name, but just ‘my friend’ because, by now, Mark would’ve figured she would have said Lita, Trish, Torrie, or Stacy. Mark pushed it out of mind because he knew, if he got too curious, he would wind up breaking his promise to never snoop through her cell again and that just couldn’t happen. She hadn’t trusted him around that thing in ages, and he didn’t blame her one bit.

“CrossFit?”

“We’re too big, I tried. Height wise, I mean.” Intensity training, with their height and size, and weight… they’d wind up without knees. “Slow and steady for us, turtle boy.”

Alice didn’t think anything of it, used to saying ‘my friend’ when it came to Chris. She honestly didn’t mean to keep it from Mark, figuring it was no big deal since he went out with the boys sometimes without telling her exactly who it was. “I’m sure you two could do it…” Glenn gave her a look that asked her silently if she was crazy and left it at that.

Chris was a lot smaller than Mark and Glenn, so CrossFit worked for him and her. She loved the intensity of it and since Mark couldn’t do it, at least she had someone to partner up with to do the workout. They wound going out for pizza -Glenn had an obsession with this type of food and Alice had to wonder if he needed to go to pizza rehab for his addiction- before heading back to the hotel for the night.

~!~

After her workout with Chris the next morning, Alice walked out of the gym, freshly showered, and stopped at the sight of a limousine pulling up to the curb.

The door opened, and Stephanie McMahon stepped out, wearing a pink tunic with jeans, narrowing her eyes at the redhead. “What are YOU doing here?” She sneered, blue eyes turning to ice as Paul walked out of the gym not even a minute after Alice did. “Are you KIDDING me?!”

Paul blinked at the sight of Alice and then his wife, wondering what she was doing here.

“Now you two are WORKING OUT TOGETHER?!”

Alice gaped, looking at Paul and immediately shook her head, seeing Stephanie turned hysterical. “No! No I don’t work out with your husband! I was here with…”

“Me, bottom feeder.” Chris added, noticing the scene and wrapped an arm around Alice’s shoulders. “She was here with me, not your husband.”

“Oh.” Stephanie brightened up again, eyeballing the way Jericho had his arm around Alice’s shoulders and snorted. “God, you really are a needy whore.”

Paul growled, shoving his wife none too gently into the limousine since the door was still open. “Sorry about that, Alice.” He slipped inside and slammed the door shut with authority. “DRIVE!”

“Thanks…” Alice shrugged his arm off her shoulders with a friendly smile. “That woman needs to be put on drugs or something, even if she is pregnant. Poor Paul…”

“Yeah no shit, maybe an anti-psychotic, she has serious mental trauma.” Chris snorted, shaking his head as they watched the limo take off. He hadn’t even noticed Paul until just now, not that either man had pleasant words to say to each other. Paul was a scumbag, who was staying married to that slut for the power, which was gross. “I’m still trying to figure out how she’s pregnant… how the fuck does she get pregnant after one apparent time,” Because Paul had told Dwayne about the ‘one time’ and now everyone knew. “With her husband, but all those other dicks… that doesn’t add up, you know?” He shook his head again, blowing a strand of hair out of his face. “Whatever, thinking about it makes my skin crawl.”

“No kidding.” Alice shuddered along with him, frowning. How DID Stephanie manage to not get pregnant by all those men she screwed, but yet one time with Paul was all it took? Something didn’t sound right with that…Chris made a major point. Alice felt her eyes narrow slightly, tapping her nails against her arm and tilted her head thoughtfully, mulling that over for a bit longer. “Hmm…”

“What are you thinking?” Chris could see the gears in Alice’s brain turning, curiosity burning in his blues.

“You’re right when you say that, you know.”

“What? About her being fucked by all those guys in the Alliance and only getting pregnant by her husband?”

“She didn’t use condoms in that video. So either she got off her birth control she was on or…she’s lying about her pregnancy.”

That was a definite possibility. “Maybe…who knows? Not our business and I don’t even wanna get near THAT fiasco.”

“Right.”

Chapter 90

“Okay, let’s go get coffee and play detective.” Chris wrapped his arm back around her, guiding her across the street to the coffee shop. It didn’t look too busy. “Mmm, bagels, we need carbs.” Those workouts were whipping his already cute ass into shape, but they left him starving. “Oh come on, Allie, whole grains are good, right?”

He began laughing at her look. Chris had gotten used to what she drank when she was with him and ordered for them both and bagels. Then guided her to a corner table, putting everything in front of her, dropping down on the opposite side.

“She’s playing a game.” He stated in a suggestion, tapping his fingers on the table. “Or maybe she really is afraid he’s going to leave her.”

“Considering she’s been bitching at him since he returned to go out to the ring with him and he’s denied her…and then put a chastity belt on her…”

“Wait…WHAT?!”

Alice laughed at his expression, nodding. “I’m dead serious. Paul told them all about it when they went out for drinks. Him, Mark, Glenn and Dwayne, I think.” She wasn’t sure about who all had gone out the night of Paul’s celebration.

Chris was glad he hadn’t taken a bite out of his bagel or a drink because he was busting a gut, laughing so hard tears formed in his eyes. “A…c-chastity…b-belt…” There was NO way he wouldn’t use that against the Princess. That was PRICELESS! “That poor bastard actually put a fuckin’ lock on her and he’s the only one with the key.” Chris was going to keel over from laughing as hard as he was.

Alice joined him, unable to help herself because, while the idea sounded unbelievable, he’d actually found a company online that made chastity belts for women with lock and key.

“Now, when I think chastity belts, I think of those old European dark ages things… you know?” Chris snickered, taking a small sip of his coffee. Small sips, small bites, this conversation was going to cause him to choke if he didn’t watch it. “The big iron ones, like… metal diapers.” Obviously, that stuff had come a long way, he knew for a fact there were fetishes that involved contraptions like that. He and Jessica had stumbled upon a website one night, while drinking and being jackasses, and had retreated very quickly from that one. “How fucked up do you have to be to… to get something like that OFF a person and then nail them?” Paul had said he was drunk, but obviously not drunk enough, not if he had managed to remove that belt. “Hm.”

“No clue, but then again, people do crazy shit when they’re drunk as a skunk.”

Mark was a prime example of that one and Alice wasn’t about to tell Chris about the time he’d fallen asleep on her during sex. Not happening, she was taking that one to the grave. Glenn knew about it and that was bad enough.

“Very true. Guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.”

~!~

“When is the next ultrasound appointment? I want to be there to hear my child’s heartbeat and see it on the screen.” Paul needed some kind of solid, concrete evidence his wife actually was pregnant.

Stephanie had been expecting questions like that and nodded. “Okay, I think it’s set up for April, but I’ll double check and let you know.” She murmured softly, staring out the window and wished he’d take this stupid chastity belt off her. “Paul…”

“What? I didn’t work out with her today, Stephanie. I went there alone and came out alone. She was just there…with Jericho.” That had been a new one. Paul wondered if Mark knew about Alice and Jericho hanging out, figuring the man wouldn’t be thrilled about it because of Survivor Series.

“That’s not what I was going to say, but never fucking mind. Prick.” Stephanie muttered under her breath, gasping when he gripped her hair tightly in order to pull her face to where their noses touched. “You’re hurting me…”

“I’ll do more than that if you don’t leave Alice alone. We clear?”

That redheaded whore was interfering with her marriage now and Stephanie was livid.

Stephanie liked pain, but she usually expected sex to go along with it and Paul was keeping his ass sober, just so this didn’t happen again. He wanted solid evidence his wife was pregnant. Paul had no trust for this cheating, manipulative whore that he had married. They had been doing that storyline a few years ago, and she had been… sweet and nice, and he had been a fool. He had fallen in love with her, and of course her name and the legacy she was part of, but… she was insane. He was insane. This entire situation was insane.

~!~

“Okay, she’s not here…” Mark had come down to the gym, with Glenn, figuring they’d get in a workout and he’d surprise Alice, wanting to see her go at it with this training thing of hers.

“Smells like sweat and ass in here… gross.”

Alice was back at the hotel and in the shower, figuring Mark was still working out with Glenn. He chose the hotel gym instead of the one down the street, preferring to stick to the security the hotel provided. He’d be swarmed by fans in seconds if he went to a regular gym in the city. Alice stepped out and wrapped a towel around her body, brushed her hair and braided it over her shoulder before walking out. Mark was waiting for her and she squeaked out, immediately running back into the bathroom at the sight of Glenn.

“Goddamn it, Mark!” She shouted through the door, not believing he didn’t forewarn her about having company. “Bring me my bag, you ass!”

Glenn had slapped a hand over his eyes, refusing to peak at his best friend’s woman. Mark began snickering at how red Glenn was right now, carrying her bag over and sliding it through the crack Alice left. He outright laughed when she shut and locked that door.

“Sorry darlin’, didn’t expect you to come out… in… wait, we’ve all seen more in your wrestling matches.” Like, bra and panties, he watched her matches, each and every one, so did Glenn.

And by that logic, she was actually better covered up with that towel. “Hey, he’s right.”

“Not with THIS skimpy towel!!” She argued through the door, growling under her breath and pulled her clothes out of the bag, hearing both men laughing at her.

She was going to drop ice cubes down their pants and watch them squirm to try to get it out. Grinning evilly, Alice finished dressing and walked out in orange cotton shorts and a matching tank top. They had Smackdown!, but it wasn’t until later that night and they had a drive ahead of them to get to the destination.

“You both suck. Seriously. I’m telling Teresa you watch my bra and panties matches too, Glennie!”

Glenn stopped laughing, shaking his head. “No, please don’t…” His wife was hormonal and did NOT want him looking at any of the women, even Alice, he worked with. “She’ll hit me with another frying pan!”

“Mmmhmm…”

“I’ll save ya, Glenn.” Mark laughed, knowing Teresa WOULD do the iron skillet upside the head and that was just mean. The women in their company were usually in various stages of undress; Glenn by all rights should probably be brain dead by now. Especially when one considered his two little adopted mascots: Torrie and Stacy.

“You better.” Glenn’s blue eyes were narrowed at the smirking Alice. “That’s not nice.”

“And it was nice to make fun of me for squealing because you saw me practically wet and naked?” Alice giggled at his cheeks turning crimson again and walked over to pinch his cheek, sending him a smirk of her own. “That’s what I thought, Big Red.” She bumped her hip with his and laughed, grabbing her bag out of the bathroom. “I take it Glennie boy is riding with us to the next area?”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Call you what, Glennie boy?”

“THAT!”

It was hilarious and, yes, Glenn was riding with them. “Come on, Red, be nice to the guy.” He laughed, reaching out to smack Glenn in his tits. “He’s getting bitch tits.”

“I hate you.” Glenn was working out, trying to get rid of it, but according to the doctor he had seen, it was a sympathetic pregnancy thing and might not go away until after Teresa had their son.

It’d be his luck, he’d lactate right along with her.

The entire ride, Mark and Glenn ribbed each other while Alice drove, laughing at their antics. Sometimes, they acted like little kids and it was amusing to witness. She had even whipped her phone out to videotape them for a minute before Mark caught her and ordered the phone to be put away. Blowing him a kiss, Alice did as requested, having more than enough footage to send to Teresa should Glenn get out of line. Snickering, they stopped at a fast food joint for a quick bite to eat and then headed straight to the arena because traffic had been a bitch to get through.

“At least we’re not late.” She commented, grabbing her bag and laced her fingers with Mark’s as they headed inside the arena.

If Glenn had known Alice was squirrelling that footage with intent of keeping him in line, he would have smashed her phone. That was some shady shit, and he was learning women were shady, violent creatures.

“Show don’t start until I arrive anyway.” Mark snorted, winking down at her.

On their next days off, he had a surprise waiting for her ‘traditional’ ass, having decided he’d be proposing. They didn’t need to get married right away. A long engagement was fine if she wanted it, but he wanted a ring on that finger of hers.

“Cocky much?” Alice scoffed when he replied with ‘very’ in that deep dark baritone, feeling his arm wrap around her shoulders to pull her against his side.

“You don’t know the half of it, Red.”

“Apparently not. I’m fine with it though.”

Love did weird things to people and their flaws didn’t matter, no matter how big they were. In this case, Mark’s cockiness was well-known, and he didn’t bother hiding it, so it was part of him instead of a flaw. Again, love did crazy things to people.

“Paul, please take this damn thing off me!”

They had walked into a warzone, stopping at the sight of Stephanie berating Paul in the middle of the hallway near the entrance.

“TAKE THIS OFF ME NOW OR I SWEAR I’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!”

Paul snorted, folding his arms in front of his chest. “You’re LUCKY I forgave you and I’m still with your whore ass!!”

“I WOULDN’T WHORE AROUND IF YOU COULD GET IT DONE IN THE BEDROOM!”

“Oh shit…”

Paul began laughing at her, rather enjoying the way her face just got redder and redder. “Slut, I’ve seen your home videos, obviously no ONE man can get it done for you. You need a fucking train of them, one after the other.”

Mark brought his fist up to his mouth, biting down his snickers.

Glenn was recording again. He was about to start a video collection of these two, this was hilarious.

Stephanie hauled off, slapping the taste out of his mouth and Paul reciprocated by backhanding her…in front of everyone. She hit the floor like a sack of potatoes, clutching her stomach and scrambled away from him, tears in her eyes. “FUCK YOU, ABUSIVE ASSHOLE!!” She screamed, tears flooding down her cheeks and gasped when he wrapped his fingers in her hair, yanking her up to be nose to nose with him again. “P-Paul, the baby…”

Alice swallowed hard, trying not to feel bad for Stephanie, but that backhand…it looked brutal and she wondered how often Paul beat the hell out of his wife. If he was abusive towards her, perhaps that was the reason she got love from other places. It was still no excuse allowing several men to pound her one after the other. Glenn had stopped recording and looked at Mark, wondering if they should intervene.

“Mark, Dallas, Terry…they were all better than you and I wish to god I was pregnant by one of them instead of you!”

Bad feelings were gone and replaced with anger at Stephanie mentioning Mark’s name.

Paul did NOT beat the hell out of his wife, well… not until he had gotten that tape of her bent over a desk and then taking one guy after the other without even attempting to clean herself up. She had just let them keep adding to the sperm bank she apparently had going on in that slut pussy. He was about to beat her for real this time, in front of all these people.

“Enough.” Mark ordered gravely, catching Paul’s raised hand and shook his head when the other man stared at him out of livid eyes. “You are better than this.”

“M-Mark, thank-”

The look he shot her shut made her mouth clamp shut.

Alice gritted her teeth, fists clenched at her sides. She understood why Mark went to Stephanie’s rescue, but…the vision of them in the hallway outside of his room all those months ago flashed through her head. Mark had to feel something for the whore, she just didn’t know how strong those feelings were.

“None of this would’ve happened if you kept your goddamn legs closed and stayed away from men that weren’t yours!” She snapped, unable to hold her temper back and grabbed Stephanie roughly by the upper arm, slamming her against the wall. “I’m only going to tell you this one more time, so pay attention SLUT, STAY AWAY from Mark or I will end you…PERMANENTLY.”

Stephanie was terrified, remembering the last time she’d been in the ring with Alice and swallowed hard, her blue eyes turning to Mark. “Please…”

“He should let your husband beat the living shit out of you for everything you’ve done to this company, to your parents and to every person that works here. You’re pathetic!” Alice had to walk away from her before she wound up bashing her skull against the cinder block wall and stormed past everyone down the hallway, not waiting for Mark and Glenn to catch up.

She needed some time to herself.

Well that was awkward, and Paul wasn’t sure how he felt about someone else putting hands on his pregnant whore. He eyed Stephanie and then looked at Mark. He knew Stephanie had a thing for the man and he also knew Mark did not have feelings for Stephanie, not anymore, and they had never been anything but lust. But Stephanie of 1999 had been an entirely different Stephanie.

“Um…” Glenn really hoped no charges were pressed because he would not put it past Stephanie to file aggravated assault or something against Alice.

Cursing under his breath, Mark pinched his nose and closed his eyes.

Chapter 91

All she did was shove the whore against the wall away from her abusive husband while Mark dealt with him. Alice was shaking with rage, needing to blow off some much-needed steam. She went down to the ring, not seeing anyone in the squared circle and began running the ropes, trying to get her mind off things…mainly Mark and Stephanie. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop picturing them together and wished she’d never watched those old videos of them. Mark’s Ministry days…and the Black Wedding…snorting, Alice ran the ropes even faster and closed her eyes, just vaulting herself from rope-to-rope.

“Need a partner?”

As entertaining as that spectacle in the hallway had been, Chris hadn’t stuck around to watch. He had come out on the other side, sliding into the ring under the ropes. Frowning, Chris took in the look on Alice’s face and could tell she was royally pissed.

“Cute mama, what’s wrong?” He asked softly, walking over to gently cup her chin, studying her eyes. She was pissed. And sad. Chris stepped away, pulling his hand away, giving her space. “I’ll spar with you if you want, Allie.”

“Thanks.”

Alice didn’t want to talk about what she was feeling and thinking right now, appreciating Chris offering to spar with her. They locked up, both showing their power and then she put him in a headlock, flipping him on the mat like Lita showed her. Because of the power in her legs and her weight training, Alice could manage it with Chris with ease. She released him, and they went at it again, beginning to jab at each other while turning in the ring. Sparring was made up of several things when it came to wrestling and currently, Alice wanted to do all the above.

Mark stood at the top of the stage, arms folded over his chest as he watched Alice and Chris sparring together, wrestling… Alice was holding her own, and he noted the smaller man had been holding back… until she nailed his ass and then they were really going at it, but they were both grinning. They were at ease with each other, which told him quite a bit. If he had to hazard a guess, he would bet money that her ‘friend’ she had been working out with lately wasn’t one of her female friends. He didn’t know what to think about this and simply watched.

“I tap, I give up, let go, Allie!”

Chris thought he had the upper hand on her until she slapped an armbar on him and the man tapped in no time, especially when she wrenched back on it. Her body was caked in sweat, little wisps of red hair sticking up in all directions and her braid had loosened. It felt good to spar with someone that wasn’t a woman, who could really put her through her paces. Chris did not joke around when it came to the CrossFit training and whipped her into shape quickly with it. That had also helped with her flexibility, which she knew Mark appreciated, especially in the bedroom. Releasing Chris’s arm, Alice stood up and grabbed her bottled water she’d brought down to the ring with her, downing most of it and pouring the rest of it over her head to cool off.

“Thanks, I really needed that.”

“No problem.” Chris was drinking his own water, sweating profusely, and breathing heavily. “Care to talk about what’s bugging you?”

“Stephanie just hit a nerve with me tonight…and I snapped on her. Every time she mentions Mark, my blood boils and I just…go off. Probably because I know they have a past together and slept together. That shouldn’t bother me, but it does and…I don’t know why.”

“Wait…they…” Now Chris was going to be sick. “Wow…” He had NO idea the Deadman and Stephanie had a romp back in the day. “Ministry days, right?”

“Bingo.”

“Yeah, that was before my time. I was in WCW then.” Chris reminded her, taking another sip, and tried not to throw up, shaking his head.

What the fuck was with these men and sleeping with that thing? He was sure Stephanie had her purposes, but that was not one of them. God did not intend for pussies to be THAT well used.

“Came in when he was with Paul Wight.” He smirked at that memory, snorting. Taker had been in top form then, verbally, more intimidating. “Well, I can say that his taste has greatly improved since then.” Not that it had really been all that long ago.

“Just now though, he stuck his nose in that whore’s business again and saved her stupid ass from her husband!” Alice growled in frustration and plopped her backside on the mat, drawing her knees up shaking her head. “I don’t get it. I really don’t.”

Then she proceeded to come clean about catching Stephanie and Mark making googly eyes at each other outside of his hotel room. How Stephanie had slid her tongue along his lips and dug her nails into his chest…it STILL sickened Alice to this day every time she thought about it. Sometimes, she had nightmares where Mark left her for Stephanie and Stephanie left Paul for Mark. It was stupid, but her subconscious enjoyed playing mind games on her for some reason.

“I mean, I get he probably did it because a man should never hit a woman, but Stephanie isn’t even close to a woman, not in my book, not after what she did to me and everyone else in this company.”

“Or more importantly, WHO she did.”

Alice laughed despite the situation and tapped her water bottle against his.

“He was probably just trying to keep Paul out of trouble. I mean…” Chris pointed out, leaning back onto his hands on the mat, staring out at the empty seats. “It’s one thing to, uh beat your woman, or guy, up behind closed doors, another to do it out in the open like that. Not to mention, Taker used to be considered the locker room leader. He’d settle fights and all that for the guys, keep people in line.”

Of course that had been before the Alliance fiasco and, honestly, Alice. Taker had kind of started straying from that role, preferring to spend his time with her. He used to have an open door, nobody knocked anymore because they knew he had his woman with him. Not that Chris would say that out loud.

“You don’t think he still likes her, not on some level, do you?” Because he couldn’t see it, not after everything Stephanie had done.

Having decided that now was not the time or the place, Mark vacated, his mind processing Alice and Chris hanging out. Hanging out, talking, sparring, and very comfortable and familiar with each other. What the fuck had he missed?

“I honestly don’t know.” Alice lowered her eyes to the mat, drawing her brows together and frowned, not knowing what to believe when it came to Stephanie and Mark. “I don’t WANT to believe he does. I know he loves me, but you can love two people and…this isn’t the first time he’s saved her ass. And he didn’t push her away outside of his hotel room either when we were split up. That wasn’t the first time she made an advance on him and he didn’t push her away either. It happened when we first started dating while I was still in the Alliance.”

She had no idea she’d been responsible for destroying Mark’s locker room leader status. He was the warden of the WWF and solved problems, but now that she was in his life, Mark no longer took that responsibility. Maybe it would be a good idea she stayed away from him while they were at work, so people could rely on him again. They saw so much of each other as it was, did she really need to hang out with him in his locker room all the time too? That would have to change…Lita, Trish and the other girls would welcome her into the women’s locker room with open arms and hanging out with them more at work would do her some good.

“Hey,” Chris wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her into his side gently. “Now Allie, during that time with the Alliance, when everything was going down, maybe he didn’t… didn’t push her away because well, let’s face it, Stephanie could have had him arrested or something and everyone was counting on him to lead Team WWF.” Well, he hadn’t because he had been a scumbag then, but… the point still stood. “Maybe you’re just reading too much into it?” He was trying to be helpful.

“Maybe you’re right.”

Alice had no reason not to trust Chris and looked up at him, leaning her head on his shoulder for comfort. They were just friends, she felt nothing toward him and besides, the man was married anyway. She was in love with someone else, but that didn’t mean, and man and a woman couldn’t hang out as just friends.

“Thanks for talking to me about this. I should go get ready for tonight and you should get ready as well, champ. See you later.” Standing, she stepped out of the ring and headed up the ramp, feeling marginally better now that her temper simmered after the sparring session.

Sighing, Chris rolled over to watch as she made her way up the ramp. Poor Alice, he thought, finally pushing himself up and slid beneath the rope, hopping down. It was just so damn weird how Stephanie McMahon was able to turn so many people on their heads. He wished she’d get run over by a mack truck, pregnant or not.

For the now, Mark had shoved Chris and Alice out of his mind. He wasn’t usually the jealous type; he had no reason to start now and, if he was objective about it, Alice and Chris had always had a fairly interesting friendship. Hell, the first time she had moved in with him, she had called the blonde first to have him come to Texas because she had ‘felt’ something was wrong.

In a weird way, Chris was like a brother to Alice – the big brother she never had. It was why she trusted him so easily, even though she probably shouldn’t. Alice’s flaw was trusting people too easily and wearing her heart on her sleeve. Stopping outside of Mark’s dressing room, Alice went to push it open and then stopped, deciding to keep walking. She didn’t want to bother him while he was getting ready for the show and figured hanging out with the other Divas of the company would be better. Her bag was with her because she’d taken it down to the ring, after shoving Stephanie against the wall.

“Hey sweetie, everything okay?” Trish was surprised when Alice set her belongings down on the bench and smiled, wondering what was going on.

Lita eyeballed her pupil, seeing the trouble brewing in Alice’s greys and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Wanna talk about it?”

“No. I just decided I think it would be best if Mark and I spaced ourselves from each other while at work. He needs to focus on his career and I need focus on mine. Being up each other’s asses as much as we are isn’t healthy and, besides, I need some girl talk in my life.” They laughed at that, welcoming her with open arms, not minding sharing the women’s locker room with her.

~!~

“Do you know Alice is with the women?”

That explained why people were poking their heads in his dressing room. Whenever she was with him, Mark had kept the door shut. It had become a habit after everything she had gone through with the Alliance, shut and locked had been safer. So, after he had finished dressing, he had opened his door since she wasn’t back.

“Huh.” Mark ripped the tape he had been wrapping his wrists with off with his teeth. “I didn’t.” He supposed she had gone there after working out with Chris, which he was still processing.

~!~

Things went smooth for the night and Alice agreed to go out with the girls one of these days clubbing. She wouldn’t drink alcohol, but she could get down with dancing and having a good time. Mark went out drinking with his buddies, so she saw no reason why she couldn’t do the same thing. It wouldn’t be tonight; Mark would probably want to know where she was, unless Glenn told him since he seemed to be the WWF’s spy. Glenn always knew what was going on and where people were at all times, for some reason. Then again, Torrie and Stacy had been in the women’s locker room with her, so they could’ve told him as well. Whatever Glenn knew, Mark knew, that was just how it went. Tapping on the open door, Alice stepped inside while Mark had his back to her and turned around, their eyes locking.

“Hi. Are you ready to go?”

He nodded, sporting a cut on his forehead from a lethal chair shot, thanks to Dwayne, during his match. Maven, the Tough Enough rookie, had defeated him for the Hardcore title. Mark slung his bag over his own shoulder, already knowing where she had been, though Glenn was also annoyed with him, so… that had been about it. He had told Glenn to stop being obnoxious and now Glenn was pouting.

“Yep.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Hungry, darlin’?”

“Oh my god, what happened to your forehead?” Alice demanded, dropping her bag and cupped his face tenderly in her hands to survey the damage, frowning. His forehead was black and blue with a little purple mixed in, the cut visible. Mark didn’t have his red bandana on at the moment. “Where’s your Hardcore title?”

“Hey Deadman, just came to check on you. Didn’t nail you too hard with that chair, did I?” It was Dwayne in the doorway and he smiled at Mark’s glare, holding his hands up. “Hey, we’re feuding now.”

He had cost Mark the Hardcore title against Maven, the same boy who had eliminated Mark out of the 2002 Royal Rumble a few weeks ago. It was humiliating…and Mark hadn’t lived it down because he’d been knocked out of the ring by a rookie, if Maven could even be called that. With the help of Al Snow and Dwayne, Maven was now the new WWF Hardcore champion.

What the hell had Alice missed? “I-I didn’t see it…”

She’d been busy with the girls, talking about the women’s division and bouncing ideas off each other to help improve their in-ring ability. Her heart broke for Mark, understanding why he lost the title because he was a heel and Dwayne was a face on-screen, but it still sucked he had to lose it to that Tough Enough rookie.

“You’re an asshole, Johnson.”

Mark rolled his eyes when Dwayne flashed that overly white, way too many teeth, oh so charming smile of his. He didn’t mind losing the title, not really. He was a heel and that was how things went. However, he DID mind nearly having his brains scrambled.

“Sorry man, just a bruise?” Dwayne had gotten distracted out there and hit a bit harder than he had intended. When Mark nodded, he grinned again. “You can nail me next time. Wait… no, that didn’t-”

“Go away.” Mark was laughing now. “Next time though, I’m gonna knock out some of your teeth.” He had too many anyway.

Alice laughed as well, seeing Mark was in good spirits nevertheless and kissed his arm, snuggling into his side. “I’ll make you feel better at the hotel.” She murmured, deciding she would be getting salve and ice on his forehead immediately. “And I don’t mean sexually either. Now come on, food and then bed, in that order.” She walked out with him and headed out to the rental, wondering where Glenn was. “Where’s Big Red?” More laughter followed as Mark informed her he’d hurt the big man’s feelings by calling him a pussy because Teresa had called him crying again. “That poor woman really needs to pop that kid out soon before they both lose their minds.”

“Too late, Glenn was crazy before she got knocked up. Now he’s just a big cry baby pussy on top of being crazy.” Mark sniffed, using the remote lock to unlock the door. “Now… darlin’, there’s uh, one more segment to be taped and I want you to wait here while I do it.”

His gaze moved towards the just barely underground parking area, smirking slightly. Well, Rocky might’ve gotten him with that chair pretty good, but… he would have a bit more fun with what HE was going to do. Not that Mark would purposefully put the other man out of commission, that was just a dick move. However, he didn’t want a distraction in her while he was doing it, dropping the man’s head on the top of a limousine would require full mental faculties, so he didn’t actually DROP Dwayne’s head and kill him.

“Okay.” Alice figured he didn’t want her around the segment he had to do and watched him walk away, pulling her cell phone out to check her email and keep herself busy.

Chapter 92

Rocky ran his mouth like always to Jonathan Coachman about not being even with the Deadman, his bag over his shoulder in front of his limousine. Suddenly, he was viciously attacked by the Undertaker from behind, trying to fight back, but it was no use.

“No Rock, we…ain’t…even!” Every word that came out of the Deadman’s mouth was met with a fist to the face. He chokeslammed Rocky on the hood of the limousine and then looked up at the roof, a sick smirk curving his lips. “Get your ass up here!” A few seconds later, he tombstoned Rocky on TOP of the limousine and stared down at him hardening, getting his revenge for what happened earlier on in the night. “No Rock, we ain’t even.” He growled, snorting, and slid off the limousine to walk away, leaving behind the carnage.

Dwayne groaned once the cameras went off the air, knowing he deserved it and rubbed the top of his head, trying not to see stars.

Alice looked up 10 minutes later when Mark came walking back toward the car and rolled the window down, having started it to put the heat on. It was cold outside. “Everything squared away?”

“Yep.” Dwayne would have a bit of a headache, but Mark had taken care to make sure the other man’s head had been tucked firmly between his thighs, up high enough to make sure his skull didn’t hit that limousine. The rest of him, sure, that had landed rough, but those were the brakes and Dwayne would live to fight another day. “Had to tombstone Rocky on a limo.” He informed her, grinning at her wide eyes. “What? He’s alive, and fine… mostly.”

“You…I’m sorry, what?” Alice rubbed her forehead, trying to make sense of what he just said and felt her jaw drop when he reiterated it. “They…scripted you to drop a man on his head on the top of a limo?” Mark was a very safe worker, one of the best, if not THE best, in the company, but how the hell did he manage to deliver a tombstone piledriver on top of a limousine without hurting the man? “No wonder you didn’t want me to witness that.” Now she would have to watch Smackdown! when it came on Thursday just to see the segment. Mark had put his red bandana back on for the segment to hide the cut and bruising on his forehead from the chair shot. “I guess you got your revenge on him then, huh? Do you want me to drive?”

He didn’t want her to witness that… Mark cleared his throat, shaking his head. “No, I got it. Wasn’t revenge, darlin’, he swung the chair too hard, shit happens.” He hadn’t wanted her there because he didn’t need the distraction when there was a literal life depending on him. The day he destroyed a man’s career on accident -Page was entirely on purpose and he’d do it all over again- because he had been distracted by his woman would be the day Mark hung up his boots. “Food, I’m starvin’, how about you?”

“I am too, do you want to go out or do you want to get room service at the hotel and relax?”

Alice wasn’t surprised when he chose to go out somewhere because room service got tiresome after a while. They stopped at a small diner, seated in a back corner and Alice sipped some coffee while Mark opted for iced tea. He had cut back on his drinking habits, she’d noticed, which was a good thing because he looked fantastic. Mark was probably in the best shape of his career thus far and she knew he was gearing up for a title run in a few months…after WrestleMania. After they ordered, Alice smiled as Mark took her hand in his and laced their fingers together, noticing the trouble in his eyes for the first time.

“What’s wrong? Does your head hurt?”

“Not too bad, darlin’, I took something for it back at the arena.” He assured her with a slight smile, his emerald eyes crinkling as he studied her. “Seen you sparrin’ with Jericho tonight.” He confessed, calmly taking a sip of his tea.

Mark modulated his tone, not wanting to sound like he was accusing her or anything, or sounding like a jealous prick, because he wasn’t jealous. That puny fuck had nothing on him and he knew it. He also knew Alice loved him just as much as he did her, which sometimes bordered on obsessive.

“He your trainin’ buddy, Red?” It did explain how both Chris and Alice were starting to look a lot fitter and he had definitely noticed an increase in her strength.

“Yeah…” Alice didn’t understand why she felt shame suddenly course through her because Chris was a friend and nothing more. However, she usually told Mark everything. “He’s my friend…and he introduced me to CrossFit. I know you…and the others in the back don’t like him very much, so that’s why I didn’t say anything. I just called him my friend and left it at that.” She didn’t pull her hand away from his and stroked her thumb across the back of his, taking a sip of her coffee. Eyeing him, Alice could see the resignation in his eyes and squeezed his hand, cracking a smile. “Please don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad, darlin’, I just don’t get why you didn’t tell me you and Chris were still hanging out is all.” He squeezed her hand gently. “I knew you guys were friends. He helped you out quite a bit back… during the Alliance shit, and he did me a good turn as well.”

Like at the ranch in Houston, along with Glenn and Dwayne. Professionally, he didn’t trust the little bastard, not after Survivor Series because Chris had made it clear he would put his career, his interests, over being a team player. Outside of work, no problems.

“I know…I just really didn’t think about it, honestly. Now that I look back, I should’ve just said his name and I never did.”

Alice sighed with both relief and sadness because of the conversation she’d had with Chris about Mark and Stephanie. Why couldn’t she just come out and ask him if he had feelings for Stephanie still? Was she afraid of the answer? What if he did and wasn’t acting on them because she’d been plowed more times than Jenna Jameson? Alice couldn’t bring herself to ask the question and tried not to let it bother her, but deep down it always would. That question and uncertainty would always burn inside of her.

“I know you don’t trust him in the ring and I don’t blame you for it, but he really has helped me get better with my workouts. I like CrossFit too. So, do you mind if I keep working out with him? I would do it with you, but…Glenn is right, you giants are too big for it. It’s for smaller people like me and Chris.” That got a chuckle out of him.

“Yer happier and more relaxed after yer workouts, so keep on doing them Red, if they make you happy.” He had no trust issues when it came to his woman. Not to mention, Chris was devoted to his own wife, who was tall, leggy, and blonde. Alice wasn’t Chris’s type. “Glenn and I looked into that CrossFit stuff after you mentioned it, that kind of workout, with my knees… it’d kill me.” He could admit it; his ass was going to wind up taking yoga one of these days. When he could stop associating it with Page anyway. “Chris steps out of line, I’ll beat his head in.” Mark then added, smirking when she rolled her eyes, mostly joking.

“My big, strong protector as always.”

Alice grinned, not taking what he said to heart because she would beat the hell out of Chris if he betrayed her. She could hold her own now against men, no longer a damsel in distress. Mark didn’t seem to have trust issues regarding her and Alice felt bad she kept having them with him. However, he did give her a reason because of what happened with Stephanie. Their food arrived, and that thought was temporarily pushed back into her mind, both starving after the show.

They ate in amicable silence, like normal, and then headed out to go back to the hotel to rest up. Tomorrow, they were heading back to Houston for 2 days off and Alice couldn’t wait, missing their bed. They also had some last-minute details to finalize with the house and Mark was adamant about including her in everything. Once they were back at the hotel, Alice waited for Mark to kick back on the bed and sat on her knees beside him, slowly removing his bandana to survey the damage Dwayne inflicted.

“You need to put salve on this.” She already had the container with her and dabbed her fingers into it, beginning to spread the substance over his cut and bruises, not before kissing them though.

Feeling overly arrogant tonight, Mark folded his hands behind his head and allowed her to tend to his bruises and scrapes. After pulling her to straddle him as he lay out, propped on the pillows. Things were getting fun again in the WWF now that that Alliance crap was over. Now he was beating rookie ass, and then… having his own beaten in return. Mark sometimes forgot how much fun it was to play a heel and, since he was free to be himself while doing so, he was just letting his natural inner asshole surface.

“I think you should dance for me tonight, darlin’.” He suggested with a smirk, wiggling his brows.

“Dance for you? How do you propose I do that without a pole, Deadman?” Brushing her lips against his, Alice proceeded to kiss his cheeks, nose, and forehead again, being careful not to get near the injured area. So it was more like the side of his forehead instead of directly in the middle. “When we get home tomorrow, we can go buy a new stripper pole, install it and I’ll dance for you then.” She couldn’t do it without a pole and removed her long-sleeved top, wearing a black cotton bra that molded to her breasts perfectly. Her hair was still in a braid, reaching up to take the band out of it and began unraveling it, sliding her fingers through it.

“With as flexible and talented as you are, Red, you can’t dance without a pole?” Mark cocked a brow, wondering if she was only that kind of stripper. Well, boring. He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, darlin’, hopefully we won’t be in that place much longer, no point in putting up another pole.” Especially since he had to patch the ceiling from the last one after pretty much tearing it out.

He was challenging her. Grey eyes narrowed at him as Alice slid her nails down his chest, a sly smirk curving her lips. “You think I can’t dance without a pole?”

She would have to prove him wrong now, wouldn’t she? Leaning forward, she kissed him a little harder and then swung her leg off him as both feet landed on the carpeted floor, grabbing her cell phone. She put Pandora on it, a music player and turned on Ginuwine ‘Pony’, keeping her back to him. It was one of the songs she used to strip to and one of her favorites, sliding her hands down her sides. It always got her into the mood, the beat of it making her hips pop. Swaying her hips, Alice went to the floor and then stood back up, bending over keeping her legs straight and shook her backside at him, smacking it with both hands. The bed in the hotel had poles, but Mark had challenged her, and she would not disappoint him, feeling his eyes boring into her heatedly.

Unsnapping her jeans, once again, she bent over keeping her legs straight to push the material down and stepped out of them gracefully, a black thong staring Mark in the face. Turning, she smiled wickedly, gyrating, and snapping her hips from side to side, the lighting in the room somewhat dim due to only one lamp being on from the nightstand. Mouthing the words, Alice closed her eyes while lowering herself to the floor on her knees and bent backwards, shaking her upper body to the beat while sliding her hand down her taut toned stomach to cup her thong covered crotch. Doing a bridge, she flipped up and landed back on her feet before starting to gyrate her hips all over again, turning to show her thong again.

Damn right he had challenged! A stripper / exotic dancer who couldn’t jack it without a pole? No. He knew better. Mark knew his woman had her own little treasure trove of hidden talents. He had no idea what the hell song was playing, but she obviously did, and it took him a few moments to start catching the actual lyrics, his emerald eyes darkening as he sat upright on the bed, his feet planting on the floor. He hunched over, resting his elbows on his knees, and watched her. When she was close enough, he reached out to lightly slap her ass, nostrils flaring at the wicked smile she shot him. Raising one foot up to press against his shoulder, Alice whipped her head back and rolled her hips seductively, deciding right then and there to give him a lap dance. It was something she hadn’t done for him yet, a dirty smile crossing her face.

“No touching, Calaway.” She purred, pushing his hand away when he went to grip her hip and shook her head, planting both of feet in front of him.

Unsnapping her bra, she tossed it to the side and straddled his lap, making sure he followed her orders as she began rubbing her breasts against him, the song playing again. Grinding against him, Alice caressed every inch of him and could see his resolve weakening, threatening to snap. She wanted him to snap and throw her on the bed, keeping her thong on just so he could tear it off her body. Standing again, she turned and began rubbing her backside against his jean covered erection, moaning at the bulge pressed against him. She leaned back, grinding her backside harder with her head leaned on his shoulder, her back pressed against his upper body.

“How do I feel, Deadman, hmm?”

Teasingly, she nipped his earlobe and hooked an arm around his neck, rolling her hips harder and faster. He was going to wind up acting like a 16-year-old boy and pop his top with his dick still tucked in. Hell, Mark was still wearing the same clothes he had tombstoned Rocky in and he was regretting it because leather was constricting as fuck when sitting down. Gritting his teeth, he leaned back, planting his hands behind him on the bed and twisted the blankets with his fingers.

Chapter 93

“Like purgatory, Red.” He growled, his eyes promising her that when all was said and done, her ass would be his.

Shifting, she went back to straddling him and the feeling of leather against her thighs, legs and rubbing herself against him sent shivers throughout her body. Her nipples were hard, her breathing ragged and her body was flushed from head to toe. Hovering her lips over his, her hands gripped his shoulders and slid the leather vest off his shoulders down his arms, not stopping the lap dance.

“Mmm Mark…”

Next time, maybe he wouldn’t challenge her because right now, she had complete control and wondered what she’d have to do to make his snap. Alice didn’t want to tell him to touch her and take her, she wanted him to lose control and do it because he could, because he couldn’t handle the thought of not touching her. Her breasts brushed against his chin, barely touching his lips before moving back down to rub against his again. Contrary to her hopes, Mark would definitely be challenging her again, because he rather enjoyed the results. A glance down at his lap, where her crotch had been a moment ago, told him she was having just as many issues as he was, and he flashed her an evil smile of his own. Which one of them was going to break first, it was an interesting idea and he was determined it would be her first.

Oh, she would get him to break one way or another, Alice just had to be creative about it. Smirking back at him, she removed herself from his lap and turned with her back facing him, peeling her thong off keeping her legs completely straight. He could clearly see her well-trimmed pussy and grinned, kicking aside the flimsy fabric. Since he didn’t want to touch her, she would just have to pleasure herself and could see his eyes darken further. Sauntering past him to the other side of the bed, Alice lay down to where he had to turn to stare down at her and slid her hand down her breasts and stomach, caressing herself. She bent her knees to plant her feet on the bed and continued rubbing her clit slowly, teasingly, a soft moan escaping her.

“Those leather pants…look constricting, Deadman…” She pointed out breathlessly, licking her slightly glossy lips.

“They are, darlin’, but don’t stop on my account.” He rumbled, pushing himself up off the bed and stared down at her out of lusty eyes. “Keep goin’, Alice.” He ordered, his voice dropping to a rough baritone.

His fingers were busy being hooked in the waistband of his pants. He was rather enjoying watching her pleasuring herself. His urging lit her on fire as Alice nodded, stroking herself to the beat of the music, a new song coming on. Her thighs trembled, a wave of warmth flooding over her body as her fingers brought her closer to that fine razor edge.

“Mmm yeah…” She purred like a kitten who just had a ton of warm milk, her juices coating her fingers and the hot coil within her formed, threatening to spring free.

A woman knew exactly where to rub and how to do it to bring themselves the maximum amount of pleasure. Alice sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, molding her breast in her free hand and plucking her nipple, hissing out. Sometimes, a woman didn’t need a man to get off, though she would’ve preferred climaxing around Mark’s dick. Alice was getting herself off in front of him and it was a beautiful sight. Mark could not recall seeing anything else so delicious, so sinful… his pants were undone now, but he hadn’t bothered removing them, not yet. His boots and socks had been removed when they had first come in, his toes were curling as he took in her just barely parted lips, listening to her breathy moans. He could see her pulse quickening, eyes narrowing as he moved quicker than a man his size should be able to, grabbing her hands and pinning them above her head before she could bring herself to completion.

“Not just yet, Red.”

Big Red Evil Devil…Alice groaned out in clear frustration, not believing he’d let her rile herself up ALMOST to the point of no return, only to forcefully pull her back from that edge. Mark did that on purpose, after ordering her to continue pleasuring herself. “You are evil, Mark!” She declared breathlessly, hearing his chuckle against her throat and enjoyed the feeling of him hovered over her. “So damn deliciously evil…” All she could do was lay there beneath him, at his complete mercy and whimpered at his lips barely brushing hers, hovering just like she did to him during the lap dance. “You better fuck me soon before I have to get myself off, Deadman…”

Gasping at his teeth sinking into the spot where her shoulder met her neck, Alice wiggled and writhed beneath him, twisting her wrists in his vise grip to try to break free to touch him. That was until he plundered her mouth with a slow, sensual kiss that sparked the fire inside of her into a full blazing inferno. He kept her wrists firmly within his hand, not about to let her even get close to her pussy. Only he would get her off, at his own leisure.

“You’ll cum when I say you can, Alice, and not before.” He growled in a dark tone, running his nose along her jawline, up the side of her face and into her hair, inhaling deeply. “I’m gonna fuck you until you can’t walk a straight line, darlin’.”

“So do it.” She challenged in a rasp, writhing under him and arched her body up the moment his mouth encased her nipple, his goatee only adding to the sensations his body created. “I feel I should be rewarded after giving you what you wanted…” Not that she didn’t enjoy his punishments because they were also incredible, straight purgatory as he’d voiced earlier when she had control of him. “Mark…” He released one wrist and buried her fingers in his hair, ordering her to keep her hand there or else he would hold it hostage again. She gasped when he suddenly, without preamble, thrust inside of her in one swift hard, fast motion, making her cry out. “Ohh yeah! That’s it, there you are…oh fuck me…fuck me hard and fast…give it to me…get off in my tight little pussy…”

He was back out of her again, his evil laughter echoing throughout the room when she let out a moan of pure frustration. Dragging her off the bed, Mark moved until he was sitting on the edge of it, legs spread, feet on the floor and he tugged at her until she was straddling him, her back to his chest. “Ask nicely, Red.” He growled in her ear, biting gently on her lobe, his hands moving upwards to cup her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers. “Beg for me.” His mouth was on her shoulder now, kissing and biting at her delectable flesh.

Now she was writhing against him, soaking for him, and whimpered out again, not believing how much he teased her. “Please…please fuck me with that hard cock of yours, Mark…I love it when you fuck me…let my pussy squeeze you dry, oh god…” His finger had ventured down to start stroking her bundle of nerves, gasping, and kissed along his jaw, hooking an arm around his neck. “Slide that cock inside of me, take what’s yours…only your pussy…” Alice was being very vocal tonight, begging him the way she wanted him to and meaning every word that came out of her mouth, even if it was in raspy breaths.

“Since you beg so sweetly, darlin’.” He rumbled darkly, hands dropping to her hips and lifted her, only to impale her a moment later, both of them moaning at the feel of each other. She was soaked, gripping at him and he could feel his cock throbbing, burying his face in her hair as he took several deep breaths. “You are fuckin’ drenchin’ me, Alice.” His hand moved back around, fingering her though he didn’t allow her to move on him, not yet. Mark wasn’t moving either, just enjoying the feeling of her wrapped around him.

Once Mark began moving, Alice used the floor as leverage and gripped his thighs, bouncing on and off him, using her backside to glide up and down his shaft. “Oh yeah…oh fuck so hard and warm…Ohh…” Her moans became louder, not caring who heard them and the sounds of flesh smacking flesh echoed throughout the room, resonating around them. Her breasts bounced, her body coiled and his hands helping guide her up and down his cock felt incredible. “Ohh ohhhhh, please, please fuck me, Mark…Oh pound me!” Within seconds, she was on her hands and knees on the carpet, the bed not close enough apparently and Mark was balls deep inside of her again. “Yes, baby harder…oh god pound me, pound my pussy that’s it…”

They were both going to have rugburn by the time this night was over, her body was being pounded across that carpet and he was going with her, finally letting out a curse when he realized he was going to hurt her. He was up and out of her again, pulling her up almost violently and picked Alice up, using an arm to clear the dresser before planting her on it, stepping between her beautiful, spread thighs. Within seconds, he was balls deep again, her ass on the edge of the wood, leaning into her to keep her supported and, when Alice leaned back, his head followed, capturing a nipple in his lips. Rugburn was the least of Alice’s worries, though she had to admit fucking this man on a dresser was hot as well. It had a mirror attached to it, so every thrust made it bang against the wall. She gripped the dresser with one hand and his hair in the other, holding onto him with everything she had as Mark pounded her, moving in rhythm with him.

“Oh god right there…right there don’t stop!” Mark lifted her from the dresser when she began slipping and smashed her against the wall, their mouths meeting almost violently, and his cock never left her. He drove her up and down, her hands gripping his shoulders and their tongues danced together, both getting completely lost in the moment. “M-Mark please…please make me cum for you!”

She hated her life. Paul was down in the gym with some friends, working off his anger before he joined her, and she was stuck in this hotel room listening to MARK AND ALICE HAVING SEX in the room next door! Stephanie was not a happy camper, especially when there were repeated thuds against the wall.

“Such a tight little pussy!” Mark wasn’t overly concerned with his indoor voice, never slowing down because he wanted to hear her screaming his name.

“Mmm such a rock hard cock…you feel so good inside of me…” Alice knew she wouldn’t be able to hold back much longer, gritting her teeth against the impending climax. “Bend me over that bed, baby and fuck me raw…fuck me until we both see stars…” Mark pulled her away from the wall and set her on her feet, reluctantly leaving her tight body and turned her around, shoving her down on the bed. Her pussy was already sore from the multiple positions and times he pulled in and out of her, but it was an exquisite pain. “Yes – YES!! Oh right there…harder, oh Mark! MARK!!”

Her fingers gripped the comforter tightly, slamming back against him as their pelvises crashed together and was determined to make him reach his end with her. She would not climax without Mark, no matter how long it took and continued screaming his name. Alice wouldn’t have to wait much longer. That dance of hers and the foreplay afterwards, watching Alice pleasuring herself, had gotten him going and prolonging his body’s screams to cum was torture.

“I’m about to drown you, Red.” He informed her in a growl, his balls tensing in anticipation of release. One hand moved up to gently but firmly hold her throat, feeling her swallowing against his palm, her gray eyes near black with her desire and he pinned her back against that wall one more time, holding her still right as he did finally explode in her.

Stephanie was screaming in rage, hearing that whore’s name being bellowed from HER Mark’s lips.

“MAAARRRRRRKKKK!!!!” Alice shrieked, climaxing with him as he continued plundering in and out of her hot sex, her juices soaking him to the point where some slid down his balls and down her thighs.

Her breathing was ragged, her pulse racing against his palm and Alice was sure her heart would give out at any given moment. That explosion had been intense, possibly the most intense fucking they’d had since. They both collapsed against the bed in a sweaty heap, Mark halfway on top of her and Alice turned her head to be able to breathe properly. Her thighs were shaking, her pussy ached, and she’d never felt more content in her life. Pushing herself up, Alice managed to roll until she faced her man and softly kissed his chin, cheek, and neck, cooling herself off.

“I love you…” Draping a leg over his, they kissed laying on their sides for a while, both not able to get enough of each other. Somehow, Mark rose to the occasion again and began making love to her all over again. “Oh Mark…” Spoon fucking was the best if it was with the right partner and he knew exactly how to do it, claiming Alice as his. “Ohh yeah…Ohh your cock feels so fucking good…” She didn’t know what got into Mark, but Alice definitely wasn’t complaining either and went along for another adventurous ride, drowning in ecstasy.

“Mmm, I love you, Alice.” He whispered, face buried in her hair.

Stephanie gaped, not believing they were STILL going at it and shrieked again, destroying a lamp as she threw it, watching it crash against the wall. That whore was going to PAY for this!!

When Paul finally came up to the room he shared with his manipulative bitch of a wife, he was a bit surprised to find her asleep. He had been expecting her to wait up, just so she could fight with him some more and he wasn’t having that, not after having his meltdown at the arena. That was a memory he was going to be ashamed of for life, slapping her in front of all those people, even if Stephanie had deserved it. Frowning, he stared down at her, taking in her tear stained face, and sighed. Something would have to change, he thought, surveying the damage to the room.

Chapter 94

“Home sweet home!” Alice crowed with a grin, walking inside their apartment and immediately took both of their bags to the bedroom to unpack.

She tossed their clothes in a hamper, deciding to do laundry tomorrow instead of today like she normally would. Mark told her he was taking her out for dinner tonight and to dress in something a little nicer than jeans. Not that he didn’t enjoy her jeans, but tonight he wanted her dressed to the nines and he would do the same. Alice had to wonder what he had up his sleeve and glanced at the clock, seeing it was going on 2 PM. Their flight had been delayed an hour, which was a good thing or else they would’ve missed it. Spending the night making love and finally passing out against each other at 4 AM, only to be forced to get back up at 9 AM, wasn’t good on the body. It was worth it though, every time she made love with Mark was memorable and worth being sleep deprived.

He figured if they were hanging up their boots in the next 4 years or so, they could catch up on all their sleep then. As it was… sleep was a bit of a waste when there were so many other things to do, with and to her. Thank the stars for the two bathrooms, the master and then the tiny ass one this apartment had. If not for the fact that it was a two bedroom, they would have been stuck with one and that probably wouldn’t have been conducive to them both dressing up. While she was dolling herself up, he was trimming his facial hair, eyeballing his short, red hair, and grinned at himself in the mirror, a hand moving down to the pocket of his black slacks.

Deciding to go simple yet tasteful, Alice pulled on a short sleeved white dress with a black buckle cinched around the waist. White was always a great color on her due to her fiery red hair. Alice left it down, straightened and styled it to the side to hang over one eye somewhat. Good thing her bangs were as long as the length of her waist length hair. It had grown out again, very fast, and was in need of a trim again one of these days. Mark didn’t seem to mind her long hair, even though he’d gotten rid of his and Alice was too attached to her hair to think about chopping it off. Maybe one day after she retired from the ring she’d shorten it. Then again, maybe not.

The dress rested just above her knees and flowed out a little instead of clinging to her legs. She stuck with simple makeup, black liner, gloss, and foundation along with mascara. Mark had gotten her some black diamond earrings for Christmas, so she slipped those on as well as the matching necklace, which was also black diamonds all the way around. Slipping into black two-inch Stiletto heels that were white on the top and black on the bottom, Alice finally took one last look in the mirror and stepped out to wait in the living room. Mark was still getting ready and she suddenly felt nervous, wondering what he had in store for her tonight.

Black dress slacks, black dress shoes, a black button up shirt and he had contemplated a white or gray tie before finally giving it up since it wasn’t really his style. Instead, he accented with a silver necklace and a watch, both presents from her. His mind briefly flashed to the last time they had been home, what had happened with his motorcycle and Mark flinched. They were not going to have another disastrous night and he had absolutely no intention of trying to fuck her in public, so… Clearing his throat, he stepped out of the bathroom and into the living room, halting at the sight of her, his mouth going dry. Her mouth was dry as well, seeing her man dressed in all black and they both gave each other a slow scan, drinking the appearances. The silver chain and Rolex were just one of the many gifts they had exchanged with each other. She smiled softly, biting her bottom lip and slid her hands down her sides.

“It’s too much, isn’t it? You said dressy, so…I didn’t know HOW dressy to go.” Her greys never left him as Mark stepped up to her, taking her hand and gave her a slow twirl, her cheeks turning crimson at his low whistle. “You clean up very handsomely.”

“Thank you.” He gave her another twirl, this one faster, and eyed that skirt, smirking slightly. “You are beautiful, Alice.” Mark was tempted to waste their dressing up and take his time undressing her. Tempted but no… reservations had been made, plans in motion, they had a big night ahead of them and he smiled, pulling her against his chest. “Very beautiful.” He murmured, bending down to drop a chaste kiss on her lips, careful not to smudge her.

“So are you…in a manly way.” Alice chortled, smoothing an invisible wrinkle down his shirt and fixed the collar of it since he hadn’t. What did he have planned? It could be anything at this rate. “Alright Deadman, time to feed me. I’m starving, and I bet you are too.”

It was just after 5 PM, they had taken quite a while to get ready and dolled up for tonight. Their reservations were at 5:45, so they were pushing for time. Mark gripped her hips and helped her inside the Chevy Silverado before walking over to hop up in the driver’s seat, firing it up. Reaching over, Alice held his hand and looked out the window deep in thought as the stars sparkled throughout the sky. There was nothing like a Texas night sky, it was truly spectacular, even while driving in a truck.

Feed her…he’d feed her all right and raised Alice’s hand up, kissing the back of it. Mark steered with one hand, knowing exactly where they were going and just enjoyed the silence with her. Unfortunately, the city lights soon overrode the natural beauty of the sky, just another thing he missed about living in the country, but that would be remedied soon enough. Mark glanced across the seat at her as they pulled in front of the restaurant, smiling when she gave him a look. He got out, walking around to help her down and then handed his keys over to the valet, taking the ticket he was offered in return.

“Shall we, darlin’?” He extended his arm to her.

It was a steakhouse…a high-class steakhouse that cost too much money for a simple piece of meat and sides. Alice had no idea why she was brought to an extravagant place like this and didn’t question it, just allowed Mark to guide her inside. They were seated in a private room with soft white lights hung on the walls and around the windows. Long stemmed candles and glasses were on the table along with fine china, everything looking extremely posh. Alice could only sit down and looked around the room while the waiter lit the long-stemmed candles, giving the room an even softer glow. They were both handed menus while their glasses were filled with red wine, which would go beautifully with the filet mignon. The menus were for extras, if they wanted anything more such as appetizers. Alice ordered a shrimp cocktail while Mark opted for oysters, also a great choice. Their dinner would consist of filet mignon, lobster tail, baked potato, and steamed vegetables in butter…not that Alice knew that yet.

“Okay Romeo, what’s this all about?” She asked softly, once the waiter left them alone, crossing one leg over the other under the table. “What’s the occasion?” Nobody came to a restaurant of this magnitude without an ulterior motive.

“Woman, I am allowed to wine and dine you.” Mark shot back, pretending to be offended by her question, as if he had ulterior motives. Which, he did, but still that was beside the point. “I’m offended.” He sniffed, stretching his arms out while surveying the setup, inwardly pleased.

Mark had picked the right place, but… Alice seemed overwhelmed. It took him a moment to realize that she probably hadn’t ever stepped foot in a place like this. She did not come from money and she only recently had really come into anything… due to her new job.

“You don’t like it?” He asked quietly, suddenly wondering if maybe this was too much.

“No, that’s not it. This place is beautiful, and I do like it. It’s just…a little overwhelming, I guess. It’s fine, I was just curious and trying to lighten the mood a bit since you’re so tense.” Alice had noticed it from the moment he stepped out of the spare bedroom, where he’d gotten ready, and seen her all dolled up. “I didn’t take you to be a wine and dine kinda guy. You’re rough around the edges, I figured you’d take me to an Outback Steakhouse or something with peanuts on the floor.” She laughed, reaching across the table to take his hand, and slid it up his forearm, her greys glittering in the candlelight. “I love you.” She’d eat and go anywhere with him, even to a place as extravagant as this. “Just…be patient with me. I’m not used to the finer things in life or being wined and dined.”

They hadn’t had time to really do this sort of thing since being together because of Page and the Alliance. Now that was offensive and Mark’s emerald eyes narrowed briefly at her remark about what kind of guy he was. He already knew he was rough, but that did not mean he didn’t appreciate finer things, for fuck’s sake… Mark mentally simmered down, knowing his irritation wasn’t really aimed at her so much at himself for being nervous.

“Maybe,” He reached for his wine, taking a slow sip, studying her thoughtfully. “We should start all over and I’ll wine and dine you more.” He teased, mostly.

Several years ago, he would have started their relationship off with grand, elegant gestures because that had been him at that time. He had relaxed and just mellowed out a bit since then. That and Alice had been impressed by him enough as it was when they had first met. The thing was Alice didn’t need grand gestures and to eat at fancy restaurants like this one in order to tell if a man cared about her. She was a simple woman; she did not come from money at all. Her mother and father had been poor when they died, so they didn’t leave her much of anything. The state took it all anyway because she was in the system.

While Mark went to college and had a fantastic childhood full of love and affection, Alice was met with coldness and cruelty. It was why she’d gotten herself emancipated at the age of 16 and left her foster parents’ home. They had signed on the dotted line without a second thought or glance, sending her on her way. Living in the slums and on the streets, at times, became second nature to Alice. Mark really didn’t know the extent of her past and Alice never wanted to tell him, taking some of the things she had to do in order to survive to the grave. None of it was sexual, that had been her line that she wouldn’t cross, but she had done other thing, committed some crimes, she wasn’t proud of. Being with Mark opened her world up to new experiences, such as eating in a fancy restaurant with candlelight all gussied up.

“Start over for a third time, you mean? I don’t think so. I love you for who you are, not what you are or what you can do for me. Besides, I like discovering all these different sides of you, Deadman.”

She sipped the wine, enjoying the taste of it and looked around again, having a feeling she struck a nerve with Mark. Voicing her opinions sometimes got her in trouble with him and Alice had learned not to say every single thing that popped in her head. It wasn’t that Mark got pissed so much as learned that some of Alice’s opinions, or the things she said, were her truths and they revealed quite a bit about her that she usually didn’t care to tell him. Deciding he was going to have to take it in stride and get off his jitter inducing PMS, he grinned at her, hearing music beginning to play. Might’ve been overkill, but then the waiters started bringing in their appetizers and he’d forgotten that this place was all about decent sized portions on top of extravagant presentation. The food not only smelled delicious, but the plates were basically edible art. He might’ve overwhelmed himself too.

“Oh my god, this shrimp is to DIE for!”

Alice was in heaven, loving her seafood and hadn’t had it so long, being very careful not to drop any cocktail sauce on her dress. Maybe wearing white wasn’t the smartest choice, but it was the nicest thing she had currently. Slowly, Alice had started rebuilding her wardrobe, recently purchasing this little number for one of the events on the road. She never expected Mark would take her out to a place like this and figured breaking it in on him wasn’t a bad choice. The shrimp cocktail came with 6 delectable oversized pieces and Alice smiled as the waitress poured her another glass of wine, thanking him before topping Mark’s off as well.

“How are the oysters?” She took one when he offered it, nodding. “That’s delicious too.” Alice had offered him a shrimp, but Mark declined, not a big fan of it apparently.

To him, these appetizers were perfect, not too much so they didn’t get full, but not too tiny as to be irritating. This place was worth the money and it had cost a pretty penny to set this up, especially in a private room. It was amusing, the way she ate so carefully, and he realized it was because of that dress. Mark would have suggested a napkin to tuck into her neckline, but… he knew women, they didn’t like mussing up the pretty picture they presented, and he was very appreciative of it.

“Don’t get full yet, darlin’.” He laughed when she finished and eyed her plate sadly, he was guessing that had been damn good shrimp. “Plenty more comin’.” Including dessert, he smiled, reaching over to take her hand, squeezing it gently.

“I can only imagine.” Alice laced their fingers together and studied him through the candlelight, memorizing the different contours of his handsomely rugged face, his nose, his eyebrows, and those addictive lips. Standing, she walked around the table, which was only a few steps, and leaned down to softly kiss him. “Dance with me.”

Chapter 95

They were in a private room and currently the only ones in there while their dinner cooked. Soft music was playing through the speakers and it was Brad Paisley’s ‘We Danced’, one of her favorite country artists. Alice was into all genres of music and felt his arm wrap around her waist, both beginning to sway to the song. They had time for a dance before dinner. Mark was not a dancer; he could because every boy had learned how back in high school when he had been a teenager and had no idea if that was still even a thing. But… for her, he would dance, and it was well worth it to see the surprise in those beautiful grey eyes. He smiled down at Alice, drawing her closer to him as they moved in time to the music, letting his head rest on top of hers. It seemed like their bad luck had finally run its course and, for that, Mark was extremely grateful because this was a perfect moment he would cherish forever.

This was a moment in time she never wanted to end, being in the arms of the man of her dreams, dancing slowly and enjoying being together. This song mirrored exactly how she felt, except the ring part, knowing eventually that would happen if they continued being together. She had no idea how soon that was about to be and felt him kiss the side of her neck, pressing her against him tighter. Mark twirled her and then dipped her before bringing her up again, the biggest smile crossing her face. Her arm hooked around his neck as their foreheads pressed together, her Stilettos giving her a slight height advantage, but Mark still had to hunch to reach her. Out of the corner of his eye, Mark caught the waiter raising a hand to halt the people behind him, nodding appreciatively when the man held up his hand, wiggling all 5 fingers. Five minutes, good. He was leaving a hell of a tip, that was a perceptive waiter.

“I love you, Alice.” He rumbled, not minding being overly hunched because she was definitely worth it.

Everything they had gone through to get to this point, she was worth it and so much more. Mark would do it all over again if he had to, but he also knew he’d have done anything he could have to prevent what had happened to her. It was such a bitch, how things had worked out, to get them here but at the same time, the pain and heartache had been worth it.

“I love you too, Mark.”

Alice pulled back to look up at him and accepted a soft kiss, caressing his face tenderly with her hands. The song ended, and he lead her back to her seat, once again pulling it out for her. Dinner was soon served, and Alice felt her stomach rumble with life at the spread in front of her. Filet mignon, cooked to perfection with just a small portion of pink in the middle. Medium rare – just the way she liked her meat. They ate in amicable silence, after prepping their baked potatoes and whatnot. There was no need for A1 sauce because the filet had plenty of flavor in it already. By the time they finished, Alice felt as though she’d gained 20 pounds and was going to explode, only able to finish half her baked potato, but everything else had been devoured. Mark had completely finished his plate, which wasn’t surprising and he too looked ready to pop the button on his slacks.

Mark was going to regret all that delicious food. He had seen the playback from last night’s taping; he had to lose a bit more weight… maybe start toning himself up. He wasn’t getting any younger and, pretty soon, his beautiful, fit woman was going to realize he was not the best looking guy on the block. Maybe the best at sex, but… Sighing, he reclined back in his chair, stretching his long legs out and contemplated the table. Dessert was definitely not happening anytime soon.

“Mighta overdone it, darlin’.”

“Same here.” She tried not to let out a belch and laughed when Mark did, shaking her head. Some things truly never changed, and she was glad for it, hiding her own small belch. “It was delicious though, can’t deny that.”

No dessert, she’d end up exploding all over the private room and that would be quite a mess to clean up. If Alice had an inkling to how Mark viewed himself regarding him not being the sexiest man on planet earth, she would’ve slapped him silly. He WAS the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on, even with a little weight put on. It was sexy to her, period. Everything about him was sexy from the top of his gorgeous auburn head to the tips of his toes.

“Definitely gonna have to do something like this once in a while from now on.” Alice was enjoying being wined and dined, though she wouldn’t expect it constantly.

“Mm, yes…”

With their schedules, with their LIVES, they didn’t get to go out much and when they did, trouble seemed to follow. Mark knocked on wood, just in case. But there were so many things they could go do and see. Concerts, fights, live entertainment with their dinner, he had to wonder if she had experienced any of that. When the waiter appeared with dessert, which neither of them could probably eat, he started laughing at the look on her face. She looked ready to explode, he knew that feeling. However, her dessert plate had a small velvet box sitting off the side of… whatever the hell that sugar laden confection was.

“Are you crazy? I can’t possibly eat another…bite…” Alice noticed the small black velvet box and swallowed hard, her words trailing off.

The dessert looked tasty, but her eyeballs were firmly planted on the box. No, it could be just another piece of jewelry he’d bought to add to her black diamond collection he started at Christmas. Slowly, she picked it up and examined it, feeling Mark watching her intently. He was waiting for her to flip the lid open and look inside. Were they ready for this step? Mark had claimed she would marry him one day…but this soon?

Alice took a deep breath and mentally counted to three before popping the lid open, tears instantly welling and flooding down her cheeks. It was indeed a beautiful black diamond ring, the band lined with regular clear diamonds and a big one in the center. She was so enthralled with the ring, she didn’t notice Mark stand up and walk over to get down on one knee in front of her until his hand took hers, her greys meeting nervous emerald gems.

“Mark…”

“Now, darlin’, you already said yes, but only if I did it traditionally.” He reminded her with a nervous grin, seeing the uncertainty in her grey eyes. “And I’m not saying we need to run out and get married right away.” They could do a long engagement, he was fine with that. Gave them more time to get their lives and careers sorted and cemented, shelved, whatever they decided to do in the future. “I love you Alice, and someday, I want you to be my wife.” This was an engagement ring and it would match all the other jewelry he had bought her. “So… will you marry me?” He was not the best at this sort of thing.

Taking the ring out of the box, she slid it on her left ring finger, not surprised it fit perfectly and kissed him passionately. They were eyelevel with him being down on one knee. He went to all this trouble and paid for this expensive dinner all to ask her to marry him properly.

“I don’t want a long engagement and I don’t want to wait.” They had been through hell and back together, and lord only knew what next obstacle would come their way they’d have to conquer. “I’ll be your wife under one condition.” At his raised brow, Alice grinned and rubbed her nose gently against his. “Marry me tonight. Or before we leave to go back on the road. I love you and I don’t need a big ceremony.” She didn’t have any loved ones and planning a wedding took time; it was a pain in the ass. “I’m in white, mostly, anyway. We can find a chapel, get hitched and spend tonight and tomorrow consummating.” She murmured that in his ear, hearing him groan and nipped his lobe. “The next time you fuck me, I want it to be as Mrs. Mark Calaway.”

“All right woman, up you get.” He pulled her up into his arms, kissing her. If she wanted to get married tonight, that was just as good as a long engagement and Mark grinned against her lips. “You sure you don’t want a big ass weddin’, darlin’?” Teresa would kill them both.

“No, I don’t need or want one. There’s no reason to spend all that money on a damn wedding when we can put it towards the house or something else we really want.” Like a honeymoon, for example. “I just need and want you, Mark, in every way possible. I want to tie myself to you in every way possible.” Alice had no fucks to give when it came to Teresa, Torrie, Stacy, Glenn…nobody else mattered when it came to their decision on when and where to get married. It was their choice and Mark respected her wishes not to have a big wedding. “And besides, this beautiful ring,” She paused, holding it up. “Will tell everyone all they need to know.” They could get Mark a ring tomorrow, if they could pry themselves out of bed long enough to do it. “Unless…do you want a big wedding?” Please say no, please say no, she thought, staring into his eyes.

It was almost adorable the way Alice worried about money, but he also knew it was because of her upbringing. How she had lived after being emancipated and survival habits were hard to break. “No darlin’, we don’t have to have a big wedding.” He said softly, meaning it. “You and me and a preacher is all I need.” A hotel room to destroy afterwards because there would be a lot of marital sex, consummating.

“Good.” She cupped the back of his neck and kissed him again, this time adding a little tongue before deepening it, a soft moan escaping her. “Mmm we’d better get a move on then.” Alice meant it, the next time they had sex, she wanted it to be as his wife.

In record time, Mark had the bill paid and sped away from the restaurant heading toward an all-night wedding chapel Alice found on her phone through Google. They pulled up, not seeing any other cars besides one or two, which were more than likely the owners. Alice allowed him to help her out of the Silverado before pocketing the keys and grabbed her hand, guiding her inside. They explained what they wanted, answering a few questions and Mark signed some paperwork.

The chapel would fax over everything needed for an official marriage license and hopefully it wouldn’t take too long to get it. They could get married without one, thankfully, since they signed the necessary paperwork. Alice picked out a small white veil to wear along with a fake bouquet of white roses, using the bathroom to redo her makeup. Mark hadn’t changed anything about his appearance and stood at the back of the room. Alice waited for the wedding march to play before slowly making her way down the aisle, the small white veil over her face.

Well, he had Shawn Michaels beat because at least there was no Elvis impersonator like the other man had for his shotgun wedding to Rebecca. Shotgun wedding… worth it, especially when Alice finally drew up near him and he reached out, gently lifting the veil and cupped her face in his large hands. He was tempted to kiss her again, but… he waited, offering an apologetic grin when the officiate cleared his throat, receiving an amused smile from the man in return. Lacing his hand with hers, he turned forward, inhaling deeply.

“Have you two written vows or…?”

“This is kinda spare of the moment…” Alice turned to face Mark, clutching both of his hands, and decided to speak from the heart. “I do want to say something though.”

“Very well, dear, the floor is yours.”

“Mark, from the moment I met you, I knew my life would never be the same again. I don’t know how or why you came into my life and protected me the way you have, loved me the way you have, but I’m eternally grateful for it. You are the man of my dreams, the one I’ve been waiting for all this time. My knight in shining leather.” She grinned tearfully, always thinking of him in that way. “And now, as I stand here before you tonight, I only have one vow I can make to you. I will never stop loving you and I will protect you with everything in me the way you have. I am honored, excited and privileged to be your wife.” Sniffling, Alice had to take one of her hands away from his to dab under her eye, holding back the tears as much as she could.

“Mr. Calaway, do you have anything you’d like to say to her?”

No… not really, but this was their wedding and Mark wasn’t doing this again, so he cleared his throat, reaching for words he didn’t usually possess. “Darlin’… Alice,” He stared down at her, his own emerald green eyes misty. “Alice… from that first time we seen each other, I knew then you were something special and that you were going to be my woman. You’re the only woman I want, the only one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I can’t promise you that things will be easy, or that we won’t have our share of sorrows, but I can promise that I’m never going to forget that our love is a once in a lifetime love, and I’m going to treasure every moment, good and bad.” Maybe not as poetic as her, or as romantic as what others could do, but it was from the heart.

The tears in his eyes made hers flow down her cheeks, his words piercing her heart and she laced their fingers together, her eyes never leaving his. She believed every word he said and the fact he spoke from the heart made her fill with even more love for him. It may not have been poetic, but it was perfect nonetheless and she had to fight the urge not to kiss him.

Chapter 96

“Do you have rings?”

Alice shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Very well then, let’s proceed to the actual vows.” The older gentleman cleared his throat. “Mark William Calaway, do you take Alice Danielle Marshall to be your lawful wedded wife? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long you both shall live?”

“I do.” Mark rumbled, his voice deep and thick with emotion.

“And do you, Alice Danielle Marshall…”

“I do!” Alice blushed with the older man and Mark began chuckling at her, her cheeks turning crimson. “Sorry, jumped the gun…I do, to all of it and more.”

“Quite alright, dear.” It was obvious how much she loved this man and the feelings were more than mutual. “Then by the power vested in me, by the state of Texas, and the city of Houston, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, sir.”

Drawing her into his strong arms, Mark lifted her chin in his hand to stare into her eyes and passionately kissed her, sealing the deal as Mr. and Mrs. Calaway.

They were married. Legally married. Mark stood up at the counter, paying and shooting the breeze with the woman, who ran this part of the little chapel, while Alice went over the photos that she had taken of the ceremony along with a video. He had told her to get all of it; they might as well, it’d be the only things they had outside of memories. While she was doing that, he scrolled through his cell, busy booking a honeymoon suite at the downtown Hilton. Champagne, big bed covered in rose petals… they were not spending their wedding night in that apartment.

“Get what you wanted, darlin’?”

“Yeah, we’re good to go. The video will take time to develop and so will the pictures. We should get them the next time we come off the road.” Alice informed him, holding out one single picture they’d taken of them standing at the alter hand in hand. “Until then, this is the only proof we have.” Shrugging, she slipped it in her purse and clasped her husband’s hand, waving at the kind couple that had just married them. “Ready to go home?” She raised a brow when he informed her they weren’t going to the apartment. “Umm…where are we going then, dear husband of mine?”

“Mmm, all night sex shop for lingerie first.” Because… wedding night, her pert ass was going to wear something white and lacey for him. “Then… a honeymoon suite.” No tiny apartment and he didn’t want to have to clean up the mess he was planning on. “Any objections, Mrs. Calaway?” He wrapped his arm around her, drawing her into his side with a grin. Mark was going to enjoy calling her that. “How do you feel about having Mrs. Calaway as a tramp stamp, Red?”

He could just imagine that one, smirking at the thought, at the mental image. Yeah, he’d love to see that peeking over her black thongs. Grey eyes glowed up at him as Alice snuggled into his side, caressing his pant covered thigh sensually.

“Mmm sounds good to me…” If their marriage didn’t pan out, which she didn’t see happening, there was always laser tattoo removal. Mark had gotten RED on his neck for her, so having Mrs. Calaway on her lower back wasn’t such a bad idea. “Every time you bend me over and fuck me, you’ll see that tattoo though…” Now she was rubbing him through his pants, feeling him harden and purred. “How do you feel about that, Mr. Calaway? Think you’d enjoy seeing our last name branded on me while you fuck me?” If she was getting a tramp stamp, might as well get one with her married name.

“Wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, darlin’.”

Though, he did remove her hand. They hadn’t even made it that far out the door, those people were still watching, and he wasn’t getting arrested for indecent exposure again. Sure as hell not on their wedding night. Growling, Mark swept Alice up bridal smile, laughing as she began giggling, feeling her hands clasping around his neck and spun her around in a few slow circles.

“Mine.” He rumbled before claiming her mouth in a hungry kiss.

“Yes, all yours.”

Alice squealed out when he spun her around, hoping to hell she didn’t flash anyone since she had a white thong on beneath the dress. Mark didn’t know about it yet, they were lacy, and she had a matching bra that had a certain design, most of it see-through. Her areolas could clearly be seen through the material. Mark didn’t know she’d already planned on wearing something sexy under her dress, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t add accessories. Once inside the truck, Mark pulled out and headed to the nearest all-night lingerie shop.

“Stay put, Deadman. You can’t see what I’m going to buy.”

Kissing him quickly, she slipped out and went inside to do some shopping. White garter belt with hooks, thigh highs, robe and traditional wedding garter were purchased and in a dark bag, so Mark couldn’t see any of it. Whistling, Alice sauntered out and hopped up back into the truck, tucking the bag against her side on the floorboard where he couldn’t reach.

“I think I do want to get that tattoo the next time we have more than 2 days off.”

“Sounds great, now you can keep YOUR pert ass still.” He snorted, not believing she had made him sit here. Women… When she gave him a look, he rolled his eyes. “Sit, wife.” He was going to really enjoy using those terms: wife, Mrs. Calaway… Mark was going to wear them out damn quick.

Whistling, he got out of the truck and headed inside, ignoring the curious looks he got. A big ass man in black semi-formal clothing, he probably looked out of place. His eyes took in the various shelves, displays… finding what he wanted and headed straight for it. Without an ounce of shame, he put his few purchases on the counter and bared his teeth in a wicked grin when he was given a weird look by the cashier.

Alice could ONLY imagine what he was purchasing in this type of store and blushed at the thought, looking in her bag to make sure she didn’t forget anything. Hopefully, it was sexy enough for him. She had also kept the veil to wear with the whole ensemble. 20 minutes later, Mark came strolling out with a bag of his own, dark, and set it on the floorboard by him to where she couldn’t reach it. Just like she did to him.

So unfair, she thought, glaring playfully at him and shook her head, unable to wipe the smile off her face. They were now on their way to the Hilton, one of the most extravagant elegant hotels in Houston to mostly fuck in their honeymoon suite. Grabbing their bags, Mark lead her inside and grabbed their keycard along with a sign that said DO NOT DISTURB to hang on the door handle. Alice flushed again, nodding when the lady congratulated them on their marriage and beamed, grey eyes sparkling.

Considering he had done all this with the last minute reservations and special room orders on his cell, and not so very long ago, Mark was rather impressed with the fact that his orders had exceeded his expectations. Worth the amount of money he had shelled out for this place. Green eyes landed on the champagne waiting in a bucket of ice, two wine glasses beside it. A giant box of chocolates, rose petals everywhere and a gift basket. That one was not him. but he also knew places like the Hilton went out of their way for their clients. Mostly because clients who came to places like this had money. After setting the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door, he planted his bag on the floor by the bed, watching as she did the same before reaching out to pull Alice gently against him.

“I love you, Alice Calaway.”

This had truly, without a doubt, been a night she would never forget. “That is going to take some getting used to. I love you too, Mark Calaway, forever.” Cupping the back of his neck, his mouth captured hers as they began caressing each other, getting lost in the moment. It took a great deal of strength on her part, but Alice managed to break the kiss and stepped back, shaking her head. “Let me go change. I don’t want this night to go to waste simply because we can’t keep your libidos in check.”

Winking, she zoomed off into the bathroom and shut the door, flipping the lock on it. The bathroom was luxurious with a full-sized jet tub and a see-through shower, soft towels hanging on the racks. Unzipping her dress, Alice stepped out of it and hung it up on the nearby rack before proceeded to pull the thigh highs and garter belt on, attaching them to said thigh highs. She also pulled on the wedding garter on her thigh and then pulled the white silk robe on that was see-through, but still left plenty of the imagination. It didn’t show the masterpiece that was beneath. Alice fluffed her hair out and quickly redid her makeup before slipping her Stiletto heels back on. Hopefully, Mark would be happy with her appearance. Taking a deep breath, she tied the robe around her waist and opened the door, flipping the light off. The room was bathed in candlelight, the lights dimmed, and she smiled at the sight of her husband setting something up on the bed, clearing her throat.

Mark had been busy setting the mood. There was a Bose stereo system and he had found a soft old jazz station, playing it quietly as background music. He had lit the candles set out, poured them each a glass of that champagne and removed his shoes, socks, and the top, wearing nothing now except his dress slacks. The bed… he had bought an under the bed restraint system, something that simply went under the mattress and had wrist and ankle straps, all Velcro, so it wouldn’t do any physical harm to her. Mark had also bought some massage oil, something that would heat up when activated by… wetness. Smiling, he turned to greet her, eyes surveying the robe.

She walked over to him, accepting the glass of champagne with a strawberry floating in it and sipped it, moaning at the exquisite taste. It was top of the line, everything in this hotel was. They toasted each other, finishing the champagne and Alice took both of their glasses to set them down on the nearby table. Her hands slid up his bare chest, her touch completely sensual and watched his emeralds turn to dark forest smoldering green. The robe went to mid-thigh, so it showed the thigh-highs she had on and stilettos, but nothing more.

“Ready to have your present unwrapped, my loving husband?” Smirking, she stepped away from him and turned to where her back faced him, undoing the robe slowly. Leisurely, the robe slid down her arms and back as her thong was revealed to his hungry vision. “I think you should remove my garter with your teeth like the groom does to the bride at a wedding reception.” She suggested coyly, sliding her hand up the pole on the four-poster bed and slid her back down it, shaking her backside a little.

His response was to first slap her ass hard enough to make her squeal followed by sweeping her off her feet again with a smirk. “Darlin’, so far, quite a bit of tonight has been what you think.” He informed her in a husky drawl, though a tinge of something dark was creeping in. He had proposed, her condition had been if it was done tonight. Sex store, she had decided he would sit in the car. “I think… you’re going to need to start savin’ your breath.” Because he was fixing to steal it. After kissing her again, Mark dropped her in the center of the bed, laughing at how disheveled she looked, how sexy, staring up at him out of wide, grey eyes. He tugged at one of the wrist cuffs, cocking a brow.

Her eyebrow was also cocked in wonder, her mouth going completely dry and slid her tongue along her bottom lip. “You want to tie me up?”

Why did that thought immediately make her panties drenched? Alice had never dipped into that side of sex and found herself intrigued, excitement flashing in her eyes. Taking her stilettos off and dropping them to the side of the bed, Alice laid down and extended her wrist to him, showing she had complete trust in her husband. Her husband…it had such a nice ring to it. Whatever Mark had planned for her, Alice was ready for it and watched him put the other cuff on her wrist, binding her down to the bed.

The ankles cuffs weren’t really necessary, but… he did it anyway, knowing just how strong those legs of hers were. The Velcro was strong as well, she’d probably wind up trying to undo it with her teeth, but the beauty of this system was, if she pulled one arm towards her, the other arm would wind up being dragged towards the edge of the bed, forcing her to stop. Mark smirked, finishing with her ankles, and crawled up Alice’s delectable body, brushing his lips against hers.

“You’re mine, Alice.” He whispered against her jawline, running his palm down her body, feeling the material of her lingerie and then down to cup her sex, feeling how soaked she was, even through that flimsy material. “In every way.”

“Yes…” Alice moaned out, feeling his fingers stroking her through the material of her thong before pushing it aside completely, his warm fingers being coated in her creamy pussy. “All yours…”

The ring on her finger glittered under the candlelight, proving she belonged to him in every possible way. There was a warming sensation emanating from his fingers and it made her pussy wetter, practically leaking. It wasn’t a huge surprise when he ripped the thong clean off her body, leaving her in the garter belt, thigh highs with hooks, bra, and garter on her thigh.

“W-What is that?” She moaned out, shivering against his touch as he continued caressing her lovingly and whimpered, already writhing on the bed. Whatever substance he had on his fingers was working wonders on her sex.

“Just a little something I picked up, darlin’.” He rumbled, moving so he was kneeling between her forcibly spread legs, taking in the beautiful sight before him. Grinning wickedly, Mark ran his tongue up her slit, activating that oil even more and began chuckling huskily when she tried squirming, hearing breathy little gasps from his beautiful newlywed bride. “Don’t like it?”

He highly doubted that, the blankets beneath her were already showing damp. His tongue moved a slow trail up along her thigh before back down her slit, a hand moving to caress up her calf. Her muscles were taut, he could feel her trembling under his palm and peered up into her flushed face, licking his lips.

“Delicious.”

Chapter 97

“Dumb question, Deadman, of course I like it…” Alice gritted out, looking down to watch his tongue slid up and down her wet sex, her juices coating his lips and some of his goatee.

This was pure torture not being able to move or grip his hair in her hands. Alice quickly discovered the cuffs he’d put her in had a restraining system where, moving one arm too much resulted in the other side tightening. More of the oil poured directly over her clit, stimulating the warmth even further before Mark dove back in to devour her. It was edible and must’ve tasted good or else he wouldn’t have done that. Her moans grew louder until she was softly crying out, begging for her impending explosive climax. Every time she thought her pussy would dry up, just a few drops of that oil made her wet all over again. How could she ever dry up when it came to this man? Not possible – even when she was around him at the arenas or out to eat, anywhere, her panties were always wet.

“Maaarrrrrk…”

“Mmm, yes, wifey?” He rumbled, pulling back to watch as that oil trailed a little path down her pussy, down even further, and arched a brow, wondering if she’d kill him for going after that beautiful, bouncing backside she taunted him with. A second later, he was blowing on the area the oil had made a wet little path of, watching as she clenched and growled. “A little hot, Red?”

“Understatement…”

Alice’s chest rose and fell rapidly from ragged breathing, her body glowing in the candlelight and her greys smoked over, darkened. Her red hair was splayed all around her and she groaned out as more of the oil was poured over her, hissing. Her eyes flew open when Mark’s hand reached beneath her to start slowly, carefully, penetrating her backside, whimpering again. He had oil on his finger to stimulate her, lube her up.

“Mmm that feels good…” She squirmed, trying to turn to where he had better access, but the cuffs were preventing that. “Oh Mark…”

His fingers were big enough to be the size of a dick, a regular dick since he was not regular by any stretch. Would his cock even fit in her tight hole? One hand pleasured her anally and the other continued stroking her bundle of nerves, the sensations making her head spin. Mark was a bit curious about that as well, eyeing her intently, her face, gauging her reactions to what he was doing. He knew he wasn’t a tiny man downstairs by any means, and he had… above average fingers in regard to length and width. It came with the territory of being a near 7 foot giant. He also knew Dallas had raped her, in all of her holes, so… he had steered clear of her backside. Until now. When he felt like he had stretched her out well enough, he slowly slid another finger in, along the first, feeling just how much tighter, and the heat. Mark could only imagine that enveloping his cock and could feel his eyes rolling heavenward at the thought.

“Oh fuck…” Alice gasped out, gripping the line of the restraints and arched her body to where his hand had more room to venture, explore and stretch her.

She wasn’t freaking out, even after being raped, because this man was her husband, the love of her life. He would never do anything to hurt her or cause her pain, only the exquisite kind like this. It did hurt to have his fingers inside her, she wouldn’t lie, but it also felt amazing. She’d only experienced anal sex once and it had been during the rape with Dallas. With Mark, it would be a completely new experience and, if he wanted to take her backside for a ride, she would not deny him. The oil coating his fingers had helped tremendously, the warmth from it causing the pain to lessen greatly.

He was going about this ass backwards and the pun there made him inwardly chuckle. Mark should’ve consummated this marriage properly, and then gone for her ass, but he hadn’t. However, they also had all night and, for some reason, the sight of her in white lingerie, knowing tonight was their wedding night, and having his way with her pert backside… it was evil. It lit his blood on fire and he slowly withdrew his fingers, from both her ass and her drenched pussy, moving to the front of his slacks, his eyes locked on hers as he began undoing the button and zipper. Even two of his fingers were still a bit on the… small side and he noted the size difference when he glanced down at himself, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. He might actually split her in half. A woman’s body was amazing in terms of stretching certain areas and that included the tightest hole on their body – their backside. Alice noticed the size difference as well, swallowing hard and a hint of fear entered her eyes. The fear mixed with lust and want, however.

“Go slow and I’ll be fine.” She advised softly, surrendering everything to him and felt the cuffs leave her ankles and wrists. Mark laid out on the bed beside her, completely naked and divested her bra, wanting to hold onto her breasts while claiming her. Her legs clamped together, also on her side and Alice gasped out at the first penetration of his tip in her tight hole. “S-Slow…” The warmth enveloped her again and Alice realized Mark had lubed his cock up with the oil, making him slide inside of her much easier. “Oh Mark…” She moaned out, breathing in and out deeply and felt his mouth seal to her neck as he pushed in a little further, stopping to give her time to adjust to his massive length. “You feel so good…so warm and hard in my ass…”

He had been right in assuming that she would feel tighter and hotter this way. He loved Alice’s pussy, it was warm and delicious, fitting him like a glove. This was like the glove had been shrank and the heat… it was hot. That was also the warming oil. Mark went slow, and it was killing him, but Mark also knew that her ass was not her pussy, it wouldn’t take much to land her in the ER, not with his size. It seemed to take an eternity before he was completely sheathed in her and he pulled his upper body away to look, he was balls deep in her ass, and she was so tense… he began kissing her shoulders, her neck, moving her hair out of his way.

“Relax, darlin’.” He whispered soothingly, caressing her breasts before sliding his hand down between her legs, knowing stimulating her clit would make this much more enjoyable for her. “I got you, Alice, I got you.”

Relaxing wasn’t an option, not until her body decided to adjust to Mark’s girth inside of her ass. “I-I’m trying…” She stammered out breathlessly, lulling her head back against him as his fingers stroked her soaking sex, getting her mind off of the fact there was a dick in her ass.

Not that she regretted it, she’d been the one to encourage him to do this, but Alice didn’t expect to feel so…full. Experimentally, she carefully moved her backside against him, grinding back against him a little and felt her eyes nearly roll in the back of her head. Slowly, he slid out halfway and then pushed back into her ass, crying out softly. This was intense…Alice reached behind to bury her fingers in his hair, gripping the bedding with her free hand.

“Move, baby, please move…”

Move he did, but Mark did it slowly. He didn’t pound her like he would have normally. Instead, his strokes were slow, leisurely, taking his time and letting them both feel the intense sensations from this. Mark knew without a shadow of doubt he was not going to be able to last, not this time, it was too tight, too constricting, too inviting and he also knew he was going to have to pull out or else he would hurt her. The idea of not cumming inside his woman was not something that appealed to him, but hurting her was unacceptable.

The more they did it, the more she would get used to Mark’s cock and soon he would be able to pound her the way he wanted to. The slow thrusting in and out of her ass was indescribable, something Alice never thought she would enjoy. She could hear Mark grunting and groaning in her ear, his hand coming down on her cheek to smack it lightly.

“Oh god…oh god, Mark…”

She climaxed, her juices flowing over his fingers that never stopped stroking her. Her orgasm triggered Mark and he quickly slid out of her ass to spray on her cheeks, the warm hot liquid flowing over her skin. Alice moaned out, gripping the bedding while he finished unloading and tried to regain her breathing. At least cum was good for the skin, or so she’d heard, a smile crossing her face.

He had drenched her ass cheeks and the bedding beneath them with his own climax. Mark did not care and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He had to struggle to get his breathing in check, that had been so intense. Knowing she would feel it soon enough, Mark got out of the bed after a few minutes, looking down at the front of the slacks he hadn’t bothered to remove. These were garbage, he wasn’t having them dry-cleaned with all their cum coating the front. He pushed them down his legs, walking over to the Whirlpool to get it going, eyeing the basket that had been left and spied the scented bath oils, adding some of that as well. Once it was filling, he walked back over to the bed, dropping down on the edge beside Alice and peered into her flushed face.

“You all right, darlin’?”

“Y-Yeah…” Her thighs were STILL vibrating, and Alice wasn’t sure if she’d be able to walk at the moment. He kissed her, letting her taste herself on his tongue and moaned, pulling her closer, trembling from the aftershocks of their first anal sex. “I love you.” She whispered against his lips, nothing but love shining in her greys and could hear the jets going in the jacuzzi in the room.

Mark proceeded to take the garter in his teeth and slid it down her leg before removing the thigh highs and garter belt with hooks, leaving her completely naked to his hungry vision. He lifted her in his arms and carted her to the Jacuzzi, gently setting her in the hot bubbly liquid. It smelled heavenly and she sighed, immediately leaning back, and sat on one of the jets to massage her backside. THAT felt wonderful too.

“Mmm…”

Before getting in, Mark poured them each another glass of the still chilled champagne, passing hers over before moving to sit opposite of her. Leaning back as those jets worked their magic on his spine, one was against his bent knee, which felt awesome. And it smelled good, not overly ‘pretty’, but good. Whatever that oil stuff was, he wanted some. Leaning back, his head came to a rest on the edge of the massive tub, eyes drifting shut. What a night… he probably should have bought some Epsom salt or something for her, but honestly, he hadn’t been planning on taking her ass. He popped an eye open, looking at her. She looked… relaxed and happy, which made him smile.

“Oh shit!” Alice took her wedding ring off with wide eyes, looking around to see where she could set it down and frowned as Mark stopped her. “It’s going to get ruined, isn’t it?”

He explained it was made of white gold and the stone wasn’t going anywhere, she could wear it all the time, never had to take it off. Alice chewed her bottom lip, wondering if maybe she should take it off when showering and doing dishes while at home. Mark slid it back on her finger and kissed the back of her hand, assuring her it wouldn’t be ruined.

“Sorry…I’ve never had something this expensive, so I’m a little nervous about doing certain things, like being in a jacuzzi, with various shit in it.” She kissed him softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close. “Thank you.” Pulling back, she admired her ring again. “I can’t wait to get your ring. We should do that tomorrow.”

“Woman,” Mark pushed her gently but firmly back into the tub, moving back to his own side. “Let tomorrow take care of tomorrow.” They still had the rest of tonight and it was just barely hitting 10 o’clock! “Maybe I’ll just have one tattooed on.”

Shawn had done that and wore a traditional band over it, when he wasn’t in the ring, or out doing whatever that redneck hick did. Made sense. He bet that would hurt like a son of a bitch, on that spot, contemplating it. Her eyes lit up when he suggested that, looking down at her own hand where the ring was. She wouldn’t be able to wear it out in the ring, it was too big, but she also wanted something on that finger to symbolize they were married.

“That’s not a bad idea, actually.” Moving over to him, Alice straddled him and brushed her lips against his, massaging his shoulders and arms. “We won’t be able to wear our rings out into the ring, only at media appearances and signings. The tattoos would be more…permanent. How would you feel if the tattoos were…the first initial of our first names? An A on yours and an M on mine? Or we could both get C for Calaway.” If they were doing this, it would be before they went back on the road because a finger tattoo wouldn’t be nearly as rough to deal with in the ring as a tramp stamp, which she still planned on getting eventually.

“C.” He agreed, knowing his wearing gloves habit would help because he’d have to have the thing wrapped when he went out to the ring.

Alice nodded in agreement, leaning her head against him while the jets worked their magic on her bottom. It would probably still be sore in the morning, but she wouldn’t worry about it right now. She glided the pad of her thumb across his lips and slid her hand beneath the water to wrap around his already engorged cock. Straddling him again, Alice traced his lips with the tip of her tongue and then kissed him passionately, brushing her breasts against his chest.

“I’m okay, stop worrying and fuck your wife, Mr. Calaway.” The hot water and jets would only enhance the intensity of their sexual bout. It would also officially consummate their marriage. In her mind, the ass didn’t count.

“You’re a nymphomaniac, darlin’.” He rumbled, hands holding onto her hips, guiding her so she was sliding against his cock and not on it, smirking at the look on her face. “Always so eager…” Mark had never met a woman like her, he was glad he had claimed her completely.

“Only for you, husband of mine.” Alice purred, never getting enough of this man and gripped his shoulders, ready to go on another unforgettable ride.

Chapter 98

“Fuck that hurts…” Alice hissed out, gripping the arm of the chair with her free hand, and doing everything in her power not to tense the hand being tattooed.

Mark was beside her, having his own done and gritting his teeth. The finger was one of the most delectable parts of the body, thin, and to get a gothic style C tattooed HURT. The color was black, of course, simple, and elegant. They had picked the font out together, after making sure Mark’s tattooist in Houston was available.

“Suck it up, cupcake.” Mark growled, though with good humor, wanting nothing more than to flex his own finger.

He had gotten numerous tattoos done on his body and this one hurt second to the one on his neck. The neck tattoo, even just those three letters, had been PAINFUL. Mark flashed her a quick grin, glancing down at the tattooist working on her.

“I’ll buy you ice cream when we’re done.” He teased, hissing when bone was hit and shot his own artist a dark look.

Though, she hadn’t been griping about her ass today, he had seen her sitting not directly on that beautiful behind like normal. Her backside was sore, but nothing like she thought it would be. Probably due to the fact Mark didn’t plow into her like a mack truck. He took his time, pushing inside of her inch by inch until fully sheathed and then very slowly drove his cock in and out of her. After making love in the Jacuzzi, they had tried again after Mark lubed himself up. Alice had cried actual tears that time, but she urged him to continue, wanting to train her ass to be able to take a pounding. Eventually, she wanted Mark to pound her ass into oblivion like he did with her pussy. He had kissed her tears away and unloaded again on her before they ventured to the Jacuzzi for a second time followed by more lovemaking. By the time it was all said and done, the sun had peaked over the horizon before they succumbed to sleep. It hurt to sit down a little, but the pain wasn’t nearly as bad as other agony she’d been through in her life. Training to become a wrestler, for example.

“Uh huh, right there, buddy.” Alice flipped him the bird with a smirk, hearing the tattooist chuckling and leaned her head with a painful grin.

Having her ass a second time had been… physically delicious, but it left him bothered a lot more than he had let on. She had cried, Mark knew it had hurt and he had also known better than to do it again so soon. A day passing would have been better, but… it had happened, and he felt like a rapist.

“I got your buddy right here.” He would’ve grabbed on his junk, but his artist gave him a look. He grinned in return. “All right, we’ll behave.”

It wasn’t rape because she consented him to do it and enjoyed it for the most part. It was just the first part of his dick sliding inside of her that hurt the most. Mark had told her it would be best not to do it twice in one night, but Alice was stubborn and coaxed him into doing it, assuring him it would be alright. And she was right…just sore. He wouldn’t be going near her ass for at least a couple days. Rolling her eyes at his lewd response, Alice looked down at the tattoo and smiled at the C. It was big enough to be noticeable, but didn’t stand out as an attention grabber either. The perfect size and her ring would look exquisite on top of it.

She currently wore her ring on her right ring finger, knowing it would take time for her tattoo to heal. Alice wasn’t done with her tattoo exhibition today, having spoken to the tattoo artist about the Mrs. Calaway on her lower back. The tramp stamp – and she would only be Mark’s tramp for the rest of her life. Once the tattoo on her finger finished, she took her shirt off and laid flat on the bedding while her second tattoo was prepped in front of Mark. Alice winked over at him, seeing the shock in his eyes and grinned, resting her cheek on her forearm.

Well, since they were apparently going to be here for a while, once his own finger was done, Mark began discussing some ideas he had had for tattoos he wanted. He had gotten a lot of his earlier work done in New York, by a great artist: Paul Booth. However, that was New York, and this was Houston, so he had scouted around and finally picked this place, never looking back. They did great work, and kept their mouths quiet. Mark had done a few layouts for their wall, just areas where work was done, to help with advertising, but that was about it.

“Skeleton, dancing.”

“You got a real hard on for pain, man.”

2 hours later, Alice was finally finished and felt like taking a very long nap, her lower back feeling as though it was on fire. It was worth it though. In beautiful gothic black lettering said Mrs. Calaway just as Mark wanted. It was beautifully done, much like her marriage tattoo, and Alice was very happy to add to her canvas with her newlywed husband. Mark had also gotten a dancing skeleton on the back of his neck in all black, which looked extremely hot on him. They walked out of the tattoo shop and headed for the apartment since they’d checked out of the honeymoon suite. For their final night on the road, Alice wanted to cook them dinner and sleep in their own bed. There would be no sex tonight because they both had tattoos to heal and, honestly, she needed a small break.

“Just for the record, darlin’, there will be no jumpin’ on my dick tonight.” He informed her, having every intention of catching up on the sleep they had NOT gotten last night and grinned when she scoffed at him, gathering she felt the same way. “I think you chaffed it raw, Red.” Mark had woken up with a bit of a red and raw feeling penis, he had never thought one could overuse a cock. He had been wrong. The back of his neck stung badly right now, and he was betting her back didn’t feel so hot, though… that tattoo was scrumptious.

“If I need an orgasm bad enough, which I won’t, I’ll take care of myself tonight. No worries, hubs.” Alice laughed at the look on his face and winced, moving a certain way had sent a zip of pain up her back. “I’m cooking us dinner and we’re settling down to watch some television or a movie, whatever you prefer and going to bed early. We have an early flight.” She informed him, knowing they had to pack while dinner cooked, and she decided on something simple yet filling and it would be loaded with carbohydrates. Spaghetti with garlic bread. “What made you decide to get that tattoo on the back of your neck, of all places?”

Automatically, he reached back and stopped just before he touched the spot, shaking his head at his own reaction. “Been wantin’ one there for years, darlin’.” Mark informed her, his stomach rumbling at the mere mention of spaghetti. “But with long hair, wasn’t much of a point.” Because it couldn’t really be seen, and also… long hair sucked when one got a tattoo anywhere near the hairline. “And I like skeletons.” Demons, and other creepy things. “I’ll rub some of that salve they gave you on your back when we get home.”

“I’ll do the same thing to your neck.”

Alice grinned, already knowing he enjoyed dark entities like skeletons, demons, death…it didn’t bother her for some unknown reason. She reached over, taking his hand carefully with her left one and didn’t lace their fingers together because of the tattoo. The rest of the ride was made in amicable silence and, once they were home, Alice immediately got started making dinner while Mark went to pack his things for the road. She would do hers after dinner and before bed. It was hard to believe what had happened during these 2 days off…they had gotten married, consummated the marriage and then got 2 tattoos a piece. This had been one tiring, amazing, exciting, and unforgettable 2 days off.

Mark was so tempted to text Glenn and spill the beans, or a picture, or anything really. That was his best friend, his buddy, his bitch tits, and… no because that would ruin the surprise. Honestly, Mark didn’t need to return to work only to have a fist to the face waiting on him. When he was finished packing, he carried his bag out to drop it by the door, turning towards the kitchen and smiled. His wife, and he loved thinking of her that way now, was cooking and she was singing along to something.

“Mmm…” He rumbled, walking over to lean against the counter, watching her. “You barefoot, woman?” There was another line to that joke, but… not the time for it.

“Barefoot and pregnant, you mean?” Alice smirked, stirring the sauce and had her hair piled up on top of her head in a messy bun, making sure none of her long hair got in the food. That was not appetizing, even if it was her hair. “One day, Deadman, one day.” She slid her hand up his chest, after placing the lid on the sauce and softly kissed him. “Mmm yummy…” Tapping his nose, she danced away from him and pulled out the pot out of the cabinet to start the water for the noodles. “Garlic bread is in the freezer, grab it for me, will you?”

Rolling his eyes, Mark did as he was told, turning to watch her continuing dancing before eyeing the pan she had set out for the bread, then he got the oven preheating. Enjoying working alongside her, even for something as simple and domesticated as this, he got the garlic bread out of its package and set it down, reaching out to pull her to him for a quick kiss. Considering their relationship had never actually gotten out of the honeymoon phase, he didn’t see his marriage straying too far from that either.

“Darlin’, we could always call and ask for a few more days off.” He suggested, knowing she deserved a proper honeymoon, somewhere tropical, like Glenn had suggested when the man had made a comment about them needing a proper vacation.

“You are out of your mind if you think Vince will let you, never mind me, off for a few more days during this time of the year.”

It was WrestleMania time and Mark had to gear up for his feud with Ric Flair. She still couldn’t believe that’s who he’d chosen as his opponent this year. Pillow talk revealed a lot of secrets and that had been one of them. Ric was hesitant about it because he didn’t think he had what it took to hang in the ring with Mark anymore. They were making it a no holds barred match and…Mark had a disturbing segment coming up in a few weeks with David Flair where he would have to beat the high holy crap out of him.

“Let’s just get through WrestleMania first and then we can go on that honeymoon.” Mark also had a world title run coming up soon after WrestleMania, so they would have a very limited opportunity to go. “Where do you want to go on our honeymoon anyway?”

“You don’t worry your pretty little head about that. When you’re ready, you just let me know.”

Given his tenure and everything else, he was pretty sure old man Vince would have let him have a few days off, but… whatever. Mark was honestly looking forward to this feud with Ric Flair, and he had some ideas for it, really loving being a heel and licked his lips, thinking about all the things he would get away with. Of course, out of respect to Naitch, he’d run it by the Legend, but… considering he was helping the old man get a much needed revival for his career, he didn’t see it being a problem.

“They ever decide what they’re going to do with you?” As entertaining as bra and panty matches were, he wanted to see his woman get a proper match, wondering whose strings he needed to pull for that one.

“Actually, Vince had a meeting with me the other day and they’re going to put me in the Women’s title run.”

She had lost out on her opportunity at the Royal Rumble because of the plane crash, so Alice would make sure nothing stopped her from achieving the ultimate goal. Becoming the WWF Women’s champion. She could see holding gold the same time as her husband, both on top of the world and the WWF.

“I’m excited about it. He said I’ve improved a lot in the ring, according to Lita and Trish.” She owed those ladies everything. “I’m gonna have to get new wrestling attire though, something low cut to where I can show off my new tattoo.” She winked at his possessive growl and giggled, pouring the noodles into the boiling water. “And I think I should have some input on where we spend our honeymoon, Deadman.”

“Alice,” Mark said gently, but his tone also firm. “Darlin’, I love you, and I know you’ve had… issues where you didn’t have control or say so,” Such as her entire time when the Alliance fiasco had happened, those months apart when she had been living under the thumbs of the McMahons. “But you don’t get a say in this, no input.” At her expression, he cupped her chin. “You wanted a traditional proposal. You gave me a condition when I did propose,” That they married the same night was the condition. “This time, you will let me decide and you will be pleasantly surprised.” Glenn had said to get out of the states, which he had done many times, but…. Alice hadn’t. She needed to see some of the world, the nicer parts of it. She needed to sit back and let her husband work it out, let him surprise her. “However, I will let you plan out our first-year wedding anniversary.”

Could this man be any more perfect? He wanted to surprise her and give her everything this world had to offer. She could see it in his beautiful green eyes and reached up to caress his face, nodding.

“Okay. You win.” At his surprised look that she wasn’t putting up an argument, Alice laughed softly and shrugged, stirring the sauce, and turning the heat down on it. She didn’t want it to burn the bottom of the pan. “What? I can be reasonable…on occasion.” She smirked, reaching up to grab plates and nearly dropped them when another jolt of pain shot up her back. That one knocked the breath of her. “Nice…catch…” She muttered, breathing a little heavy and took a minute to regain her breath. “I’m okay, just reached up the wrong way, apparently…”

Mark was a little concerned, eyeing her curiously. “Darlin’… you sure?” He knew tattoos hurt like hell, especially if not used to getting them and that one, in that location… pain was going to happen a lot, especially since she was so active. Just bending or reaching was going to pull on that muscle. “Why don’t you sit your ass down and I’ll do this?” He suggested, frowning as he took in her face. For it to hurt THAT bad, where her body physically twitched the way it had, he really hoped she wasn’t having an allergic reaction or something.

Chapter 99

“I’m fine, it’s a muscle spasm and it’s going away. Just knocked the breath out of me for a second.” Alice assured him, gripping his arm to squeeze it, and slowly stood upright again, slowly twisting each of her sides. “Never better, I’m good.”

She’d had the same thing happen to her shoulder blades with her OVERCOME tattoo. That had been more painful to deal with because they had locked up completely on her. Alice couldn’t move out of bed for a good 3 hours and had to lay on her stomach because the tattoo wasn’t healed.

“I got this. I told you I’d cook for us. Why don’t you go pick something out for us to watch while I finish?” Not waiting for a response, she dumped the noodles in the sink and rinsed them off with cold water to keep from sticking.

“Because I do what I want and what I want is to help you, and for you to sit your fuckin’ ass down and take a break.” Mark ordered, gently pulling her away from the sink. “Seriously, Alice, go sit down, darlin’. You did most of the work, I can finish it up.” He didn’t need her waiting on him, or trying to do anything special. She needed to realize he wanted to care for her the way she liked doing for him. “Go on, woman. I’ve got this. You can pick out a chick flick.” He was compromising, frowning as he took in the way she winced as she pivoted. Their kitchen was tiny.

“Stubborn ass.” Alice muttered good-naturedly, squeezing his hand to let him know she appreciated what he did to for her and walked out into the living room to choose a movie.

She sifted through them and finally picked a comedy – Vegas Vacation. It was one of the sequels to the National Lampoon series and she felt like laughing. A few minutes later, Mark came walking out with two plates of spaghetti with garlic bread and handed hers over. She was on the couch, sprawled out with the seat kicked up, relaxing the way he wanted her to.

“Thank you, hubs.”

Pressing play, she began devouring her food and couldn’t believe how hungry she actually was. After last night’s dinner, she didn’t think she’d be eating much for a while and proved herself wrong. All he could do was watch as she devoured that plate like she hadn’t eaten in days, when in fact, last night she had eaten enough to feed a small army. Not to mention their hotel room breakfast… he grinned, enjoying a woman with a healthy appetite, and focused on his own plate and the movie. Though, when he snorted a noodle right up his nose, from the back of his throat, at one of the more amusing moments, he began coughing and set his plate aside, trying not to think about how gross that was. Maybe a comedy during dinner wasn’t the brightest of ideas… he actually wished it were a chick flick.

“Fuck!” Not to mention that was just embarrassing. “Not. A. Word.” He ordered, a bit nasally.

Alice couldn’t say a word because she was too busy gasping in laughter, setting her plate aside before she dropped it. That’s how hard she was laughing. Her poor husband couldn’t catch a break, not even when they were sitting down together watching a movie and eating dinner. A comedy definitely wasn’t a smart move on her part, but it was worth it to see Mark snort a noodle up his nose.

“Are…you…okay?” She asked through deep breaths, holding her stomach, which was both full and hurting, not to mention laughing caused her lower back to twinge.

He was NOT okay. That was humiliating, somewhat painful and very gross. Mark groaned, shaking his head, not entirely sure if he were going to survive his embarrassment and knew she wouldn’t survive the murder he was mentally planning on committing. She was probably going to pee from laughing so hard and the only thing he had to be grateful for, there was no camera on him at the time.

“No…” He grumped, pouting.

Once she stopped laughing, Alice stood up and swung her legs over his lap to sit comfortably, massaging his shoulders and arms, kissing his nose. “I’m sorry I laughed.” That had been funny to witness, but now he was grumpy, and she wanted to make him feel better. “No more comedies during dinner.” She murmured against his mouth before softly kissing him, feeling his strong warm hands on her outer thighs and backside. Alice also noticed he was staying FAR away from her lower back, which she appreciated. She was also giving him the perfect distraction from his burning nose and kissed along the RED tattoo on his neck, being very gentle, his head lulling back. “Feeling better, baby?”

“No, not really.” He laughed, moving her off of him, so he could retrieve his plate, eyeballing it like it might attack him. That was the first, and hopefully the last, time he had ever managed that one. Spaghetti was evil, but delicious. “That felt weird, and gross…”

Like having a feeding tube put in, and a breathing tube, he had done those before, only that had been… more slime. The spaghetti was delicious, and, after another moment, Mark shrugged and slurped a forkful, grinning at her. He was a hungry man. Just… no more comedies while eating, that much was for sure.

“How’s your back, Red?”

“It’s fine, sore, but other than that fine.”

Alice went back to eating her own food, her thoughts turning to the road, the company and what would happen now. They were married, she’d been branded, twice, to show who she belonged to and everything had changed. Did she still hang out with the girls like she originally planned or…how was this going to work?

“Mark…” Trouble laced her tone as Alice paused the movie, not looking at him while twirling spaghetti around her fork absentmindedly. “I-I know I’ve been a distraction to you when it comes to your career and the boys in the back, so I was going to start hanging out more with the women and trying to keep us separated at the arenas. But we’re married now, so how do you want to handle this?” Now she looked at him, seeing the confusion in his eyes and sighed. “What I mean is I would start hanging out with the girls in the women’s locker room, so you have your dressing room to yourself and you can start doing your mentoring thing again.”

What Chris didn’t know was she had overheard him talking to some of the other guys in the company about Mark and his lack of leadership ever since the Alliance invasion. Well now, all of a sudden, that explained the night she had avoided his dressing room and spent it with the women. That was also the night he had seen her sparring with Chris Jericho, had it really been only a few days ago? A lot had changed in those few, short days.

“Darlin’, just because we’re married, doesn’t mean you have to change your plans.” He assured her, the confusion leaving his eyes. “Not like we haven’t been actin’ like we’re married anyway.” They had been doing that basically their entire relationship.

“I know that, but…I think it would be best if we…toned things down a little at work. Be a little more professional with each other, even though we’re married.” That would be extremely weird to do, Alice wouldn’t deny that. “I just think we both should focus on our careers when we’re at the arenas working, that’s all.”

Of course, there were times where that would be tossed out the window, such as when he won the world title. There was no way she wouldn’t congratulate her man on a job well done with a celebratory kiss and leap into his arms at that moment. She didn’t care who watched either and she was sure Mark would do the same thing for her when she won the Women’s title. There was no ‘if’ about it, she WOULD be the Women’s champion and hopefully it would be at WrestleMania or soon after.

“That’s kinda what I was sayin’, in a roundabout way, no… not really. I meant I didn’t care about where you hung out, if you wanted to be with the girls.” They had gotten comments before about their co-dependency issues, about how far up each other’s asses they were. “If you’re going after the Women’s championship, I do think you’re right, Red. We need to separate ourselves at work, be professional. Or else you’re not going to get the credit I know you’ll be due.”

They’d say it was because she was married to the Undertaker and he had pushed her there, or demanded it be given to her. That was, unfortunately, how it worked in this business. Alice breathed a huge sigh of relief, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and smiled at him.

“Thank you. That doesn’t mean we have to stick to the rules ALL the time, just most of the time.”

She winked, finishing her meal while he merely chuckled at her and did the same thing. Once dinner finished, she took both of their plates to the kitchen and rinsed the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. She poured the sauce in a container to set in the freezer, refusing to waste it and tossed the noodles, knowing they wouldn’t be able to be saved. Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Alice walked out and could hear Mark snoring on the couch, smiling down at him. Her poor husband was tired and needed a proper good night’s rest before going back to the grind. Leaving him there for the time being, Alice went into the bedroom to start packing for the road and then put some more ointment on her back. In another day, she’d be able to shower, but the first 2 days were a no-no for bathing regularly. Once she finished and zipped her bag up, Alice changed into a red nightgown and then went out to the living room to grab Mark, guiding his sleepy form to the bedroom.

“Good night, I love you.” She whispered, feeling him pull her back against him and winced at her back before relaxing, falling asleep rather quickly.

Mark slept on his side and stomach that night and Alice did the same, neither of them keen to put pressure on their new tattoos, or deal with the pain. Her a bit more than him, he hadn’t gotten a name done across his lower back. That was going to make wrestling a bitch for a while and he made a mental note to let whoever he would be fighting know that, if they targeted his neck, he was going to shove his fist down their throat. Mark was up before she was, feeling like he had slept like the dead, he had been exhausted. Grinning, he stared down at his sleeping wife, the way she was curled with her pillow, his gaze dropping to that Mrs. Calaway tramp stamp.

He could not have married a more perfect woman.

~!~

It was Monday night; it was Raw, and it was moments away from Stephanie and Paul renewing their wedding vows, when a package arrived for The Game. A video tape…with one BIG revelation…followed by a phone call from his beloved mother-in-law.

“Hunter, Stephanie lied to you, she was never pregnant.”

Paul was beside himself, clutching his forehead trying to make sense of this and swallowed hard. “S-She’s not…pregnant?”

“I am so sorry.” Linda sounded regretful and heartbroken, having found the ‘doctor’, which was an actor she’d hired to take on the role of their OBGYN. The moment she figured it out, she sent a tape of the man’s commercials he did overseas, somewhere in Australia. “Hunter…”

“Thanks Linda, I have to go now.”

Paul hung up the phone, gritting his teeth and his eyes narrowed to slits. Stephanie had left the room to get ready, not wanting her husband to see his bride before the ceremony. She had done all of this…for what? Attention? He could not figure this woman out and was done trying. Fuck this company, he would make it on his own and if Vince were smart, he would STILL sign over rights to him.

~!~

Her dress was provocative, to say the least, and Paul snorted derisively, making sure it wasn’t in the microphone. He kept a smile on his face, watching his slut wife make her way down the aisle and could not believe how much cleavage she was showing. Her hair looked ridiculous too. She was not a blushing bride – more like a blushing slut that enjoyed lying and manipulating him.

Stephanie was unaware of what was going on, beaming from ear to ear holding her flowers and recited vows, her blue eyes glittering with happiness.

“Stephanie, as I look into your eyes tonight…I see you for what you truly are. A NO GOOD LYING BITCH!”

Blue eyes widened, and her jaw dropped, backing up while Paul proceeded to scream at her at the top of his lungs in front of all these people. When Vince went to intervene on her behalf, having asked him to walk her down the aisle and he’d accepted, Paul pedigreed him in the middle of the ring and destroyed the entire wedding set.

~!~

“Oh my god…”

Alice stared at the monitor in shock, along with everyone else, not believing Stephanie had lied about being pregnant to her husband. She had an inkling and suspicion it was all a hoax, but kept it to herself. Stephanie would never learn, and she was left at the altar, Hunter ripping his shirt open and his face completely red. Stephanie glared at him hatefully, shrieking at the top of her lungs and she looked…demonic. That woman was the purity of evil – Mark didn’t have anything on her.

“Wow, she’s completely lost it.”

“I can’t believe Hunter actually went through with it. Do you think they’re getting divorce now?”

“More than likely…”

Nobody had noticed Mark and Alice had gotten married due to her unable to wear her ring and he didn’t either, wearing it on the silver chain she bought him around his neck. After what just transpired, both decided to keep the cat in the bag a bit longer.

~!~

“Let’s be business partners, what’d you say?!”

Chris knew doing this would ensure his hatred backstage as well as destroy any friendships he had created. However, he really didn’t care what other people thought. “Triple H’s worst nightmare just came true.” Chris shook Stephanie’s hand, nodding, and they both exited the ring together, a sight nobody thought they’d ever see. Now he would truly be able to defeat Hunter at WrestleMania and RETAIN the Undisputed World Heavyweight championship.

Backstage, Alice gaped at the screen and tried wrapping her mind around what she just saw, tears swelling in her eyes. Did that mean Stephanie and Chris had been working together all along?

Of course, they had! Stephanie was a McMahon through and through, knowing where to pick her spots and who to align herself with. Chris had been her little mole, her spy, when it came to Alice and Mark, still planning on tearing their world apart. Just as she sauntered to the back with Chris, Stephanie stopped at the sight of the women crowding around the redheaded whore and narrowed her eyes, listening in.

“OH MY GOD, YOU’RE MARRIED?!

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US?!”

“Congratulations!”

“YOU ELOPED!!”

Stacy had been the one to notice the tattoo of C on her left ring finger, her other tattoo covered up currently due to not being able to train until it was healed. “Y-Yeah…” When they all shouted at her when, she chuckled and clasped her hands in front of her. “2 weeks on Thursday.”

THAT WHORE MARRIED MARK CALAWAY?! HER MARK?! IMPOSSIBLE!!

Well, that was one even he hadn’t known. Alice had done a really good job of keeping that one under wraps. Hell, even Mark had, and Chris had found it… odd, the way they kept apart at work. They were usually up each other’s asses, but these past few weeks… not so much. Chris had thought they were going belly up, which would have made the shrew on his arm quite happy. Instead, she was fuming, and he could feel her fingernails digging into his skin.

This was ONLY beginning. Her scumbag husband. This stripper WHORE. Her nosy, interfering mother. They were ALL going to pay.

Chapter 100

“You son of a bitch!”

“Why didn’t you tell us you were married?!”

“Do you have ANY idea what Teresa is gonna do to you AND Alice when you two visit again?” Glenn demanded, groaning at the thought of having to break the news to his wife. “No – NO, I’m NOT telling her. YOU are!” Shoving his cell phone in Mark’s hand, Glenn popped him upside the head, being careful not to touch the back, though he was tempted.

Mother fucker had gotten married without him!

~!~

“So, where’s the ring? Please tell me he got you a ring to wear besides the tattoo!”

“Of course he did.” Alice rolled her eyes, not seeing Stephanie and Chris stalk by her and looked down at her ring finger with a smile. “We wanted something permanent since we can’t wear jewelry out to the ring. He got me a beautiful ring to wear when we’re out of work or doing media appearances. It’s a black diamond with regular diamonds outlining the band, white gold.”

Torrie was crying, hugging her best friend tightly. “It sounds so gorgeous! I’m so happy for you, Allie!”

“I suppose I am too.” Stacy joked with a grin, teary-eyed and hugged her next. “You deserve to be happy, Allie.”

Next was Lita and Trish, who simply patted her on the shoulders. “Thank you. We weren’t trying to hide it, but…it was kind of fun to have a secret marriage for a little while.”

“So Romeo and Juliet.” Torrie swooned dreamily.

“Just without the suicide.”

“Right.”

~!~

Glenn could only stare at his crushed cell phone. He had hit dial and Mark had said they’d gotten hitched, only for Teresa to start bellowing. The man had simply closed his fist around that phone and squeezed. Glenn missed his old Nokia, that bitch could have been dropped from a skyscraper and wouldn’t have broken.

“What… why?”

“You’re welcome?” Mark began laughing when Glenn lunged for him, sidestepping, and letting his friend tackle Dwayne instead.

“HEY! Leave me out of your marital disputes!”

Since it was the end of the night, Alice finally pried herself away from the blondes to go to her husband’s dressing room and knocked, entering. “Hubs, you – AHHH!!” From behind, she was grabbed and spun around in a circle before set down on her feet again. Her lower back HURT now and she turned to glare at a grinning Glenn, shaking her head. “You ASS!” Alice growled, having dropped her bag, and wondered where Mark was. “Okay, where’s my husband?”

“That’s gonna take some getting used to.” Glenn muttered, still not believing Mark and Alice had gotten married during their days off. “So what did that bastard have to do to convince you to marry him?”

“Nothing, I wanted to marry him. See?” She lifted her shirt and showed him the ‘tramp stamp’ that branded her as Mark’s forever, not just the ring tattoos.

“HOLY SHIT!”

Glenn did not have any tattoos whatsoever. He had nothing against them, they just weren’t his bag. Also, he got hurt enough on the job and, with his pregnant wife, why would he want to inflict more pain on himself? No, he was good. He studied that tramp stamp, finally stepping away. Suited her. Suited them.

“He got one too?” Glenn grinned evilly, wondering if Mark did, or would, the man was wrapped and that would be hilarious. “Oh, he’s in a meeting.” He added as an afterthought, rubbing the back of his neck. “He’ll be back soon enough. I still can’t believe you guys didn’t tell me…” He was pouting.

“Big Red, it was my idea…or rather, my ultimatum. I told him I wanted to get married that night instead of having a long, drawn out engagement and wedding. I didn’t want a big ceremony or have to wear a white dress.” Even though the one she wore that night was about as close to ‘bride’ as she’d get since it was white. “I have a picture; do you want to see it?”

Glenn sighed in mock exasperation, nodding, and followed her into the dressing room. She pulled the picture out and he snatched it from her, looking it over. They looked happy, truly happy, both smiling. Alice had indeed worn white and Mark was in all black, which wasn’t surprising. The man didn’t know what color was, apparently. Still, the picture showed just how happy the newlywed couple was and he decided to forgive them.

“So who’s idea was it for you to get a tramp stamp?”

“His. I agreed to it because I wanted more ink anyway and that was a perfect place to put it.” It would be hot in the bedroom for sure.

Glenn hesitated, before finally nodding. “I see.” He loved Mark like a brother and Alice was family now too, but damn they had moved fast. He knew they loved each other, however. Their relationship had been built on danger, on her needing him, and he had to wonder if they weren’t still constantly rushing due to everything that seemed to happen to Alice. What would happen, what would they do, when everything settled down and peaceful? Hopefully, nothing between them would change, he prayed anyway.

“So, no slapping you there, gotcha.” He grinned at her.

She didn’t grin back at him, having an inkling to what he was thinking and how he felt about their rushed marriage. “I don’t have any…loved ones. No family. I don’t know how much Mark told you about my past, but…to make a long story short, I was put in the foster system as a baby. I was tossed around to different families until I turned 13 and then…” Her grey eyes lowered from his, speaking quietly. “Let’s just say, they were religious assholes that abused me, and I finally got emancipated at 16-years-old. I started stripping at 17, after spending half a year trying to find a job that paid enough money for my crappy apartment. I don’t have any siblings and I haven’t talked to those people since I left. So, if we had a wedding, it would be all of Mark’s family and friends there and just a few friends for me.” Alice didn’t trust very many people, not with everything that happened to her. “But I want to make one thing very clear: I love him. I love him with all my heart and…I know our relationship has been really intense and fast because of the crap that happened, but I’m never going to leave him. He’s my other half just as I know Teresa is yours. And I’ve considered you both friends, even family, for a while now. I know Mark is like your brother, so as his brother, I promise I won’t ever hurt him again and I’ll stay by his side through thick and thin. Good and bad times, the whole shebang. I just felt I owed you that explanation since you are the closest thing to family he has.”

Glenn blinked, wondering why she had felt the need to tell him all of that. Alice could have condensed it and not made him feel… weird. He cleared his throat awkwardly, staring down at her. “Fine.” He said, his voice coming out gruff. “If you break his heart, I’ll set you on fire.” He informed her, quite serious. “And if he breaks yours, I’ll set him on fire.” Because Glenn was an equal opportunity flamer. “You guys have to let us throw you a reception or something. We could do a barbecue…”

“You don’t have to…” Glenn’s look told her it wasn’t up for debate or discussion, he was telling her it would happen. “Okay…we could always come home with you to see Teresa next week and do it then?”

It was a suggestion and the grin was back on his face, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She rolled her eyes, wondering if maybe eloping was the smartest idea. That pregnant, hormonal friend of hers was going to tear her a new one, verbally and possibly physically, for being spontaneous and getting married.

“So, should I start calling you Big Red Bro?”

“Not unless you want me to shave your ass bald.” He tugged on her hair, snorting when Alice let out a warning growl. “All right, I’ve got shit to do. I’ll be in touch, and… I also need to go get a new cell… Fuck.” Mark was such an asshole. “Your husband owes me money… and could you text my wife, let her know I’m getting a new phone ASAP?” He made a mental note to drown Mark in the pool when they came out for that barbecue.

“Will do.” Alice laughed, already pulling her cell phone out to text Teresa along with an apology for getting married without her and Glenn as witnesses. When she mentioned having a barbeque with them, all seemed to be forgiven and Teresa couldn’t wait to have them in Tennessee.

“So, how the fuck did you manage to get him to marry the likes of YOU, gold-digger?”

Alice didn’t bother looking up, already knowing who it was and shrugged, making sure to flaunt the C tattoo right in front of her while remaining seated on the bench. “Well, he asked me by taking me out to a fancy restaurant and then I suggested we get married that night. It was QUITE the wedding night too.”

Stephanie gritted her teeth, clenching her fists at her sides. “Why couldn’t you have died in that plane crash?!” Her eyes widened, the look on her face clearly saying she hadn’t meant that to slip out.

It was caught as Alice slowly looked up at the whore and stood from the bench. “Someone was watching out for me, obviously.” Another shrug forced a shriek out of Stephanie.

“Your luck is about to run out, stripper whore. Don’t forget, Mark has been married before and he’ll get tired of you just as much as he got tired of his ex-wives.” Now that she was getting divorced from Paul, it was the perfect opportunity to pursue who she really wanted, and Chris would be helping her. “If you would’ve just died…”

“Good to know how much you care about me, whore. Now why don’t you exit MY husband’s dressing room while you still have teeth in your mouth before I knock them out?”

“Oh I will, but you best remember, whore, wives come and go, especially Mark’s wives, but I….” Stephanie smiled viciously. “I am always here, and he always turns to me.” Oh, that had triggered something in Alice and she wished she knew what that needle was, just so she could wiggle it a bit more. “Always.” The fact that he had married this whore the same night he had proposed did not surprise her one bit. Mark had always moved fast with his women, that was just a fact. “God, what are you, wife number three? I’m so SURE it’ll last…”

Instead of getting pissed off like she normally would have and bashing this whore’s brains in, Alice began laughing. Full-blown laughter right in her face. “I may be wife number 3, but at least I wasn’t left at the altar and humiliated in front of MILLIONS of people around the world. What did Paul call you again? That’s right – A no good lying BITCH.” She was in Stephanie’s face now, seeing how RED she’d made her and knew the whore was livid at her words. She did not care. “Mark may have turned to you in the past, but I can assure you, he has EVERYTHING he needs and wants when it comes to a woman. See?” Turning, with her eyes still on Stephanie, she raised her top up enough to show the Mrs. Calaway tramp stamp right across her lower back. “I’m branded to him and he’s branded to me, or didn’t you notice that tattoo across his neck with MY special nickname he calls me? He’s MY man, not yours and he never will be because I have no intention of losing him, especially to the likes of you and your chastity belt!” Now THAT struck a nerve and she laughed harder, the sound cold and vindictive. “I’m sure Chris wouldn’t mind taking a ride on the Stephanie ho train since, you know, everyone else has.”

“Including your husband?” Stephanie barked out through gritted teeth, refusing to back down from this bitch.

As long as they both kept their hands to themselves, neither would wind up in jail. If Alice so much as tapped her, she was filing charges, her eyes glinting at the thought. Drugging Mark… and having HIS baby… now there was an idea…

“You’re just more desperate than his last wives, you and your tramp stamp, tramp. He wouldn’t even be with you if he didn’t feel bad for you, poor-poor Alice. Poor, desperate Alice… We all know you had to lock him down, nobody else would have looked twice at you after you let Dallas have every hole.”

“I didn’t LET him do anything. You and your fucking brother drugged me, and he raped me while you two filmed it. That’s fine though.” Alice refused to fall into her trap, rolling her eyes and held her hands up with a serene smile. She got the man of her dreams and Stephanie didn’t, nothing would change that fact. “At least I didn’t willingly have multiple guys plow me one right after the other. At least I don’t have greatest hits of fucks out there for the world to see. You really are a sick woman. I’m sure you have multiple STDs on top of it. No wonder Paul left your stupid ass. You’re lucky you kept him as long as you did, now he can find someone who is much WORTHIER of his time instead of dealing with a sex-craved whore like you. And I didn’t lock Mark down, he WANTED to marry me, and the tramp stamp was his idea too. I just happened to agree with it and got it done because I WANTED to. You can stand there and spout all the bullshit you want and try to piss me off, but at the end of the day, Mark is in MY bed fucking ME, not you, Stephanie. He’s screaming MY name, not yours and he loves ME, not you. So go bother someone else, I don’t have time for your stupid retarded games.” Alice grinned at who just came up to stand behind Stephanie and folded her arms in front of her chest. “So instead of coming in here and telling me you wished I died in that plane crash, and how desperate I am to lock down Mark, why don’t you tell him yourself?”

Stephanie paled, knowing exactly who was standing behind her and wondered how much of this Mark had overheard.

Mark had heard quite a bit, actually, and he wasn’t overly amused. He was, however, impressed at how calm his wife was considering the poison Stephanie had just spewed at her. He would’ve co-cocked the bitch by now and gone to jail laughing. Alice had a lot more restraint than him, that was for sure.

“Now, Stephanie,” He didn’t even think twice or have to flip a mental switch, he was livid, his voice had dropped the accent, the drawl was gone. Pure darkness in his baritone and his acidic eyes narrowed in on the goosebumps that dimpled her flesh. “You owe my wife,” His hands were on her shoulders and he made sure she could see his ring finger, that big C on it, wiggling said finger when she tipped her head to stare at his hand. “An apology.”

“B-but, she’s-” Stephanie let out a terrified shriek when she was suddenly on the ground, kneeling at Alice’s feet, a heavy large boot planted between her shoulder blades.

“What was that, slut?”

“I’M SORRY!” She screamed, crying from sheer humiliation, not believing he was doing this to HER.

“Mmm I don’t think she means it, Deadman.” Alice folded her arms in front of her chest tightly, grey eyes gleaming wickedly. “I mean, she was rather mean to me saying she wished I died in that plane crash. And said she’ll always be here, but I won’t be. I wonder what that implies, hmm?”

Stephanie was scared out of her mind, looking up at Alice taunting her and began shaking in both fear and rage. “It’s true! You’re his third wife and he’ll get tired of you! I’ll always be here for him, not – AHHHH!!!”

“You really should learn when to keep your mouth shut, Princess.” Alice was tempted to knee her in the face, attack her in any way, but Stephanie wasn’t above calling the law on her. “I think she deserves a punishment.”

“LET ME GO!!”

Humming, Alice walked around Mark and shut the door, flipping the lock on it. “Stephanie, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is. You want Mark? Have at him…if he’ll let you.” She decided it was time to play a little mind game on the Princess. Her and Mark had discussed Stephanie in depth in their honeymoon suite and she was no longer worried about him leaving her for the whore.

“W-WHAT?!”

“What’s the matter? Isn’t this what you wanted?” Alice caressed her face and down her neck to her shoulder, squeezing a little harder than necessary. “Stay on your knees. You don’t get a say so in what happens to you.” Just like she hadn’t when she was viciously raped and recorded. “Not that it matters, we both know you want my husband’s dick in your mouth. So, go ahead, take it…again, if he lets you.”

Stephanie shook her head, not wanting to do this in front of the redheaded whore and gasped when Mark put more pressure around her neck his hand currently throttled. “P-Please…” She squeaked out, tears in her blue eyes.

Alice sat back and watched, wanting to see what Mark would do and how far they would take this.

Chapter 101

They might have discussed Stephanie McMahon, but that did not mean Mark was stupid enough to think even the slightest thing wouldn’t give Alice issues. Mark wasn’t about to actually let any woman except his wife near his dick, though… it was amusing, seeing Stephanie turning, on her knees no less, to stare up at him. She was bawling, she was a hot mess, her makeup was smearing from her tears… not attractive at all. Snorting, he folded his arms over his chest and glared down at her.

Hesitantly, Stephanie ran her hands up his leather clad legs. She did NOT want Alice here, but, if this was the only way to Mark, right now, she’d take it. “You’re not…” She frowned, hands moving higher up. “Hard.”

“That’s because you’re a skank and I’m not interested.” He informed her flatly, using his knee to push her away from him and looked at his wife, rolling his eyes. “We’re leaving, Alice, say goodbye to the Billion Dollar Whore with the Five ‘n Dime Cunt.” And that was being generous because Stephanie’s pussy was not worth a dime.

Humiliating this whore was too easy and amusing. “Yes master, right away master.”

Laughing, Alice walked over to him since he had both of their bags in hand and felt Mark pull her against him roughly, his mouth devouring hers right in front of Stephanie. She kissed him back with equal fire and passion, allowing him to be the one to break it. Stephanie was gaping at them by the time Mark released her, his hand directly on her backside and squeezed it.

“Mmm…” She looked down at Stephanie, who was STILL on her knees and snorted. “You’ll never have this kind of fire and passion in your love life, whore. Have a nice night.” Walking out with Mark, she shut the door leaving Stephanie in there to bawl more and headed out of the arena with her husband.

As soon as they were near their rental, Mark whipped Alice around and slapped her ass, twice. “Woman, don’t you ever offer my dick to another broad… especially not THAT whore!” He growled, smacking her again when she began giggling. “I’m a one woman man, you got me?” He carefully nudged her back, until she was leaning against the truck, his hand bracing her lower back carefully, so he didn’t hurt her tattoo.

“Like I’d really let you fuck around with another woman in front of me, especially HER.” It was her turn to snort, yanking him against her and slid her nails down his t-shirt covered chest. “I was screwing with her head the same way she’s screwed with ours all these months. I wanted her to THINK she could have you. I AM married to the master of mind games, right?” Smirking, Alice turned and wiggled her backside at him, gasping when he spanked her again. “You can bend me over when we’re at the hotel and punish me in your own way. After we eat.” She was starving and laughed at his animalistic growl, winking at him. “Change of subject – we’re not going to Texas for our days off next week. We’re – uh – we were conned into going to Tennessee for a celebratory barbeque.”

Master of mind games drew the line at Stephanie McMahon and his dick being offered, joke or not. He also knew eventually, they were going to regret that because Stephanie was a grudge holding cunt. He opened the passenger side door, the side away from the building, shrouded in darkness because he had parked way out. Before Alice could say a word, he had bent her over the seat, one knee planted between her spread legs and his hands on her breasts, pinned between her upper body and the seat. Mark bent down to bite the back of her neck, careful to keep his weight off her tattoo.

Didn’t he learn his lesson doing this out in public where people could SEE? He’d been arrested and accused of raping her the last time! Alice couldn’t deny him anything though, feeling her shirt lift to where her fresh tattoo was exposed. Mark quickly got to work, unfastening her jeans, and shoving them down her legs along with her panties, just enough to where he could slide in and out of her hard, fast, and deep.

“Mark…” She moaned out, slapping a hand over her mouth and gasped when he took both of her hands to hold them hostage behind her back.

There would be no clutching anything, he had full and complete control over her. Alice heard his zipper go down and her pussy instantly drenched for him, licking her lips hungrily. All he had done was unzip his pants and he could see the wetness starting to slick her pale thighs. He pushed his jeans down far enough to free his throbbing erection and slid home without any preamble. Obviously, she was more than ready for him and this was going to be quick. He was already pushing his luck, doing this out in public, Mark had always been a risktaker.

“Fuck…” He hissed, his voice a low rasp as he grabbed hold of her hips, pulling her back to meet his thrusts.

“Oh god…”

Alice would never get enough of this man’s cock filling her completely and buried her face in the seat, muffling her cries of pleasure. His growls mixed with her mewls and the sound of flesh smacking flesh echoed around them. Her hands had been freed due to him gripping her hips, slamming in and out of her as hard, fast, and deep as he could, both of them bodies shaking. Apparently, what she’d done to Stephanie had turned him on and Alice had no qualms about it, pushing back to meet him for every thrust. Her nails dug into the seats, trying to find some kind of leverage and could feel the hot coil inside of her threatening to spring free.

“I-If only…this was over your bike…” That made him growl louder, each cheek smacked, and Alice purred, not giving a damn if the entire world heard or saw them at the moment.

“This is fine too, wench.” He growled, grabbing a handful of her hair, and pulled her up until the angle was almost dangerous for his dick. “You’re going to cum for me, wife.” Mark snarled in her ear, feeling her drenching him yet again, knowing the seat and front his pants would be slick with her juices. His fingers found her clit, manipulating her as he bent her back down. “Cum, Red, cum all over me.” He ordered, wanting to feel her pretty little pussy gripping him as only she could.

“All over you…oh god I’m close…so close…”

Alice knew she wouldn’t last long, not with his long, nimble fingers working her bundle of nerves into a frenzy while his cock pounded her relentlessly. She loved being called ‘wife’ by him, the desire flooding her body. The rental could be cleaned, she didn’t care if the seats were ruined as long as Mark did not stop thrusting and came inside of her. That’s all she wanted to feel was her husband’s seed explode inside of her.

“Oh, fuck you feel so good inside me, Mark!” Within minutes, her orgasm crashed over her like a tidal wave and her pussy swallowed him whole, screaming his name in her hand clasped over her mouth. Just in case someone else was out there, Alice was not taking any chances being discovered.

What a whore… Stephanie was LIVID. After that humiliating experience with them, now this? If Mark was going to be blind and not see this slut for what she was, then he would have to be punished along with everyone else.

He came with less noise, though by the way she jumped, he was betting it was with some force. When his balls finally felt empty, Mark pulled away from her, stepping back to expose her to the night air and admired the view. Both of their juices were running down her legs and he rumbled his approval.

“Grab the towel out of my bag.” Alice took it from him and wiped her legs off, her thighs trembling from the aftermath of their impromptu fuck session. “Come here.” She had hopped up on the seat, after pulling her panties and jeans back on, and captured his mouth in a searing kiss, sliding her fingers through his hair. “I love you so much.” She murmured against his lips, accepting another kiss and rubbed her nose against his. Mark reluctantly let her go and slid behind the wheel, pulling her against his side as they drove off from the arena. “I REALLY need food now.”

“You and me both, Red.” He chuckled in agreement, the arm around her lowering, so he could rub her stomach, feeling it rumbling and cocked an eyebrow. “Wearing you out a bit much, am I?” Mark was starving too and now that one appetite had been sated, he could focus on the other. “Hotel food, fast food, or a diner?” He preferred the diners, they were a bit more healthy than fast food and usually a lot tastier then hotel food.

“A diner is fine, hubs. I know you prefer them to fast food and the hotel.” Alice didn’t mind going out and sitting down to eat with her husband. They would have moments few and far between like this coming up since it was WrestleMania season. “I really hope Teresa doesn’t overdo it with the barbeque. Glenn said it’s our wedding reception.” She laughed softly at Mark shaking his head and caressed his jean covered thigh affectionately. “And just so you know, I enjoy being worn out by you.” She flicked the side of his neck with her tongue and moved back down to snuggle, letting him drive the rest of the way.

“Keep that up woman and we’ll be stoppin’ and interruptin’ dinner again.” He warned her with a smile, not overly meaning it. Food first, fucking later. “Teresa will go overboard, it’s in her nature, and Glenn said the closer she gets to her due date, the more she seems to…” Mark searched for the words – words that weren’t what Glenn had used because Glenn had been mean about it. “Be mother Henning?” He guessed that was close enough. “We’ll have to take… can she have wine this far along?”

“Beats the hell outta me. Then again, I have heard alcohol can harm the baby and it shouldn’t be consumed during pregnancy at all.” Alice shrugged, not knowing much about pregnancy, even from school, due to it being a strict all-girls Catholic one. “I guess we could bring it and, if she can’t drink, she can pop it open after she has the kid.” They would have to bring something else then, refusing to come empty-handed. “Is it cold this time of year in Tennessee, or is it like Texas?”

“It’s gonna be cold as fuck, it’s nothing like Texas.” Mark shared a look with her, not looking forward to cold weather. “Those woods, that surround the property, if you go back a bit, there’s a big ass building they use in the winter for shit. Sometimes, her family comes up and that cabin ain’t big enough for everyone. Glenn’s been tinkering with it throughout the years, pretty sure it’s heated. Elsewise, his ass is going to be outside freezing workin’ that grill. Or she’ll boil up whatever we’re having, slap some barbecue on it… I don’t know, they’re southern hillbillies. They use barbecue like we use get together. They just think it’s interchangeable.”

“Good thing I packed winter clothes then.”

It was late February, of course she had packed heavy because of the cities they would be hitting in the next week. Normally, they would go home tomorrow, which was Wednesday, but Mark had a lot of media appearances and signings to do. Alice would be training with Lita and Trish, gearing up for her WrestleMania match, which was why they decided on going to Tennessee the following week for their days off. If they were lucky, they would see home in 2 weeks, though Alice doubted it with WrestleMania looming in the shadows. Mark had a lot to go over with Ric Flair regarding their match.

“Oh sweet Jesus…” He sighed with relief when they were finally parked, opening the door and inhaled the scent of something greasy and fried coming from the diner, turning to help Alice down. “Pie…” He groaned, a hint of mischief sparking in his emerald eyes. “Sounds delicious, what do you think, darlin’?” He asked, draping his arm around her and guided the way inside. “Maybe to go…” He had a plate in mind.

“Better be poontang.”

She laughed at his snort and headed inside the diner, being seated almost instantly. Alice pulled her hair back into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, moving her head to the beat of classic rock playing softly throughout the establishment. She ordered an iced tea and Mark went with a beer, something he hadn’t had in a little bit. After placing their order for greasy cheeseburgers with fries, something completely fattening and delicious, with a side order of apple pie, Alice and Mark talked about their night since they hadn’t seen each other.

“I’ve noticed how much you love being a heel and I have to admit, you are very hot as a heel. I wonder if they’d turn me heel and if I could do it…” That was an interesting thought.

“Women heels aren’t the same as men.” He cautioned, taking a slow sip of his beer, savoring it. It had definitely been awhile. His last alcoholic beverage had been champagne, but that had also been their wedding night, so there was a pass for that. “I like being a heel, like playing the villain, but for women…” Mark frowned, considering her. “It’s more… more like they’re slutty, cheap, not…” He wasn’t sure how to explain it, finally deciding an example would be best. “Stephanie, she’s your prime heel. Granted, she’s a cunt in real life, but… that’s kind of how they go with villains. Or bullying shit, or crazy stalker broads.”

“Yeah no, that’s definitely not me and never will be.”

Alice wouldn’t be able to seduce, manipulate and cheat her way to anything because it went against everything she stood for. She wasn’t a saint, but she also didn’t want to be someone she wasn’t. Heel with Mark seemed to come naturally.

“I like you as a bad guy. It fits you, especially your arrogant personality.” She found it extremely attractive, reaching across the table to caress his hand and fingers. “How’s your neck feeling?” He didn’t have a match tonight, just a segment.

“Fine.”

Which was amazing considering Glenn had slapped him there twice tonight, on purpose, the jackass. But then again, he probably deserved it, not inviting his best friend to be his Best Man. Not that Glenn would ever admit it if his feelings were hurt, that’d mean he’d have to admit he was human.

“Think I’m arrogant huh?” He toasted her, grinning. “Not being arrogant, darlin’, I’m just that awesome.”

“Arrogant in a good way. If you were arrogant in a bad way, I wouldn’t be with you or be able to tolerate you.” Alice grinned back at him, sipping her drink. “When we get back to the hotel and shower, I’ll rub some salve on it for you and you can do my back.” It felt like it was somewhat on fire, honestly, but he didn’t need to know that. She grabbed his finger to examine it, caressing over it gently with the pad of her thumb. “I talked to Glenn, by the way. I explained to him why I wanted to elope instead of having a wedding ceremony… and I think he understands a little better now. That’s why he demanded to let him and Teresa throw us a barbeque. I really couldn’t say no. Poor guy looked so heartbroken over missing us getting married, I felt bad. Still do, actually.”

“Why?” He asked curiously and then wondered just what all she had told him.

Mark was really curious about that, cocking his head to the side as he watched her pull her hand away, picking his burger back up. It was delicious, the grease was coating his fingers, he was going to have to work out like crazy now to get back in shape. Glenn was socially awkward, it was great to watch in action.

“He’ll get over it, and besides, he cries at weddings.”

“So do you, if I recall.” Alice smirked at his glare and blew a kiss while devouring her own burger, deciding now wasn’t the time to tell him what she’d discussed with Glenn.

Chapter 102

“You…got…married…and…didn’t…INVITE ME?!”

Every word Teresa said was met with a slap against Alice’s arm. “I’m sorry…”

“Why? Why couldn’t you have an ACTUAL wedding? Glenn and I did – we didn’t elope like – like…”

“Cowards?”

“YES!”

“I explained it to Glenn, which I’m sure he told you…”

“Yes he did.” Glenn did not keep anything from her or she would castrate him with her meat cleaver. “And you’re wrong about not having any loved ones. We’re your family and so is most of the WWF. I’m sure they all would’ve enjoyed watching you two tie the knot. You took the easy way out.” She sighed heavily, not wanting to hurt Mark and Alice’s feelings, but it was the truth. “I just…wanted to be there…and I wasn’t…” Then she started crying.

Alice felt like a huge dick and hugged her pregnant, hormonal friend, stroking her back. “I know…I’m sorry…” That’s all she could really say and looked over at Mark, begging him silently for help.

Alice was on her own. She had been the one to demand that they get married right that moment and didn’t need a big wedding. She got to deal with the fallout. Mark smirked at her, folding his arms over his chest. A second later, he was walloped with the broom Teresa must’ve pulled from her ass, witch that she was.

“HEY!”

“YOU know better, Mark Calaway!” She walloped him again, watching this grown ass man, near 7 foot, start hopping the hell away from her like the chicken he was. “Ain’t we your family?!” Whack. “Haven’t we been there for you all these years?!” Another whack. “And you,” Whack. “Couldn’t,” Whack. “Tell us,” WHACK, WHACK. “Until WEEKS after it happened.”

Yeah, in retrospect, they probably should have come clean to Glenn and Teresa the day afterwards instead of sitting on it. “I’m sorry?” At least it was the soft end, the bristles, and not that handle she had been hitting him with.

If Mark didn’t want to elope, why did he agree to marry her? Granted, she had given him an ultimatum, but Alice thought she was being romantic and spontaneous by saying she wanted to be his wife as soon as possible. Seeing Teresa and Glenn’s reactions, however, made her second guess their decision to go to a small chapel and get it done. Alice had been selfish not to have an actual wedding with Mark, lowering her eyes and wished they were back in Texas instead of here. Honestly, she didn’t think twice about asking Mark to elope because of her past and her horrible family life…not thinking it would upset those in Mark’s.

Teresa noticed how upset Alice was becoming and sighed heavily, feeling her mother instincts kicking into high gear. “Both of you, out.” She ordered Mark and Glenn, pulling Alice into her arms to hug her. “Girl chat, you’re not welcome in here right now.”

“Come on, man, I’ll get us a beer. You look like you could use one.” Glenn had tried – TRIED – not to laugh at his best friend, but…his wife was a pistol and it got worse while pregnant.

They retreated with a six pack, headed outside, and risked that chilly wind along with the light snow to go out through the woods and to the giant… barn, shed, whatever Glenn called it. Mark cocked an eyebrow, taking in the couches, and the bar, and the heaters… Glenn was turning this into a mancave. He did not blame the man one bit.

“I will PAY for you to get your shit clipped, no more kids.”

“Deal.” Glenn hadn’t wanted any to begin with, and now… one was enough. He didn’t think he could handle Teresa being pregnant again.

“I didn’t mean to scold you both. These damn hormones are driving me crazy.” Teresa sighed, cutting the potatoes, and putting them in the baking dish. Glenn already had the meat marinating in the fridge, they were having a cookout, snow, or no snow. “I understand why you did it, just hurt not to be there for you two is all.”

“I know…and the more I think about it, the more I’m realizing how selfish I was. I basically backed him into a corner, without meaning to. I just…wanted to be his wife and I didn’t need a huge ceremony to achieve it. Planning a wedding is fucking insane.” Teresa nodded in affirmation and Alice laughed softly, helping her by wrapping the other potatoes in tinfoil. There would be garlic roasted and baked, just to have a variety. “I love Mark so much, I just wanted to be tied to him in every way…and maybe part of me was scared, if we had a long engagement, someone would come along and destroy it before we made it down the aisle.” Like Stephanie McMahon, for example.

“Nobody would have ruined it. Mark adores you.” Teresa remarked with a snort, squinting her eyes at Alice. “Have more faith in him. Look at Glenn, he has Stacy up his butt all the time, and I do not worry at all.”

Stacy was too young for him, too blonde, too quiet, and Glenn was all hers. She had no doubts about it. Stacy was too old to be their adopted kid, so Glenn called her the mascot. It was cute.

~!~

He had a pool table… Mark was enjoying this downtime with his best buddy. They weren’t talking about the wedding, or eloping, or anything else because they had already settled that. Glenn had smacked him on the back of the neck, Mark had smashed his cell phone. Conversation over. What he was doing, however, was recapping the scenario with Stephanie, the dressing room story.

“Wait… back up… offered your dick…”

“Well yes, but she didn’t mean it.”

“To that nasty bitch…”

“She was trying to play games.”

“By bringing a man’s dick into it? Some shit should just be sacred, man.”

~!~

“Wait a minute, she actually said that to you?”

Alice was also recounting what happened with Stephanie and nodded, looking troubled over it. “Yeah, she said she wished I’d died in that plane crash.” For some reason, she couldn’t get it out of her head. “It was so random too…”

“That is very random…hmm…” Teresa eyed Alice, wondering what was going through the woman’s mind and decided not to dwell on it. “So, what else happened with her?”

“I – I um…I did something I don’t know if Mark is mad at me about or not.” The impromptu fuck session outside bent over the seat of the rental truck told her he wasn’t, but Alice couldn’t be sure when it came to her husband. He was good at hiding his emotions and how he felt, not wearing his emotions on his sleeve. “I decided to play a game with her when Mark walked in behind her. In a nutshell, Mark forced her on her knees to apologize to me for everything she said and I…I offered Mark’s dick to her.”

Teresa spit out the water she’d been drinking. “WHAT?!”

“It was a game – a mind game! I just wanted to make her as miserable as she’s made me and make her THINK she had a shot in hell at him. It was just a mind game…maybe it wasn’t the best idea to do it, but she pissed me off and…it just happened…” Alice had made mistake after mistake with Mark; it seemed she couldn’t do anything right with their relationship. “I’m an idiot…”

“Yes you are.” Teresa didn’t deny that, refusing to offer a woman Glenn’s dick right in front of her. She was too possessive. “You just have to learn boundaries. Some things are sacred, like your man’s penis.”

“I know…”

“Mark probably thinks you want to share him now… or that you’re testing him, that one.” Teresa scratched her first idea immediately. Alice did not want to share Mark, that was obvious. Second one. “Yeah… yeah, you did mess up. He was probably scared shitless.” She eyeballed her friend. “Have you two spoken about Stephanie at all?” When Alice nodded, she groaned. “And then you did that, he’s probably thinking you’re testing him and don’t trust him.”

“I do trust him completely. I wouldn’t have married him if I didn’t. Stephanie has fucked with our minds and our lives for so long, I just wanted her to feel what it was like to have the roles reversed. For her to feel completely helpless and powerless.” Alice had gone about it the wrong way, even though the one thing that whore wanted more than anything was Mark. “I told him on our wedding night how I felt about her and asked him point blank if he had any lingering feelings from her. I looked into his eyes as he told me ‘fuck no’ and I believe him. He didn’t seem to mind what was going on and played along, then proceeded to fuck me out in the parking lot of the arena…”

It was a good thing Teresa did not have anything to drink or eat in her mouth. “Wait, he did what?” She listened as Alice explained what Mark did to her and scratched her head, completely perplexed. “You two are sick people…I thought Glenn and I were bad, but we have nothing on you two.” How the HELL could Mark want to fuck his wife after she’d offered his dick to a whore like Stephanie? This made NO sense at all.

~!~

“So all this stems from…”

“That one time… Stephanie and I were in the hotel hallway. Alice seen that bitch pawing me and was… upset, confused I guess, I didn’t knock that skanky broad on her ass.”

“You would have gone to jail… Might’ve been worth it.”

It would be worth it NOW, but back then… no. Alice had been in constant danger, Page had been loose… hell, that was the day she had gone out by herself, wound up drugged and raped and… and Mark blinked. “Fuck… FUCK.”

Glenn watched impassively as a heavy ball went flying across the fairly wide open space. “That counts as a scratch.” He snorted, bending down to take his shot. “You are not to blame for what happened to her that night.” He was quite capable of reading into what Mark’s ‘fuck’ had meant. It did not take a genius to sort that one out.

Then Mark recapped what happened AFTER they’d played that sick mind game on Stephanie. “Well now she’s probably doubly confused… you dunking your dick into her afterwards… she probably thinks it’s cause you have a hard-on for Stephanie, or what she did, which involved Stephanie.” Glenn shuddered, racking up for a new game.

“That had nothin’ to do with Stephanie.” Mark said flatly. “Alice is…” He searched for how he wanted to say it. “She has control issues.” Which, he of all people could understand. “She wanted a proper proposal. Gave it to her. Had to get married that night, did it for her. She tries to…”

“Manipulate?”

“Mmm, kind of, but I don’t think of it that way. I doubt she realizes she’s doing it.” Like with sex… and her ass on their wedding night. Or when he had tried keeping her off of him in the jacuzzi. She had insisted and seduced and… he had felt like a dick. “And if that doesn’t work, she adds suggestions, or little taunting jokes…”

“Oh, I get it,” Glenn drawled, blue eyes flashing wickedly. “It was about dominance, you fuckin’ her out there.”

“We got issues?”

“Fuckin’ right you do.”

~!~

Being fucked by her husband out in a parking lot against their rental didn’t bother Alice at all. She enjoyed being dominated by Mark and always had been, from day one. There was a lingering fear though…what if he didn’t want to marry her that night she gave him the ultimatum? She had wanted a proper proposal and then she’d basically demanded him to marry her right away. They had issues…severe issues that would eventually rear their ugly head into their marriage.

Sighing, Alice decided right then and there she would never offer her husband to anyone, man or woman, no matter the circumstances. Maybe planning a wedding anyway would make him feel better…she didn’t know what to do anymore. All Alice wanted to do was make him happy and it seemed she failed at every turn. Was Stephanie right? Would Mark get tired of her like the other wives?

“I’m gonna go lay down, I’m not feeling good.” Before Teresa could protest or utter a word, Alice left the kitchen and went down to the bedroom, closing the door. She just needed time to herself, to reflect on what she’d done and what brought her to this point.

Shaking her head, Teresa returned to her cooking and baking. To her, it seemed like Alice was trying to please Mark and being overly eager about it. Rushing. Mark had done so much rushing his previous two wives, but nothing like this. She would keep her nose out of it for now, they’d have to sort this out themselves. Teresa had a little one on the way and a curly haired husband to keep in line.

“We’re out of beer.” Mark informed Teresa when they finally came back, holding up the empty six pack with a grin.

“We’re runnin’ to town for more, need anything?” Glenn bent down to kiss the top of his wife’s head, hands moving to her swollen belly.

“I have a list.” She pointed at the fridge. “Go see if Alice wants anything, Mark.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Alice was pissed…no, Alice was livid…no, that wasn’t the right word either. She didn’t know what the right term was, but all she DID know was she wasn’t staying here. Teresa was judgmental and so was Glenn. So what if they rushed and got married on a whim? People did it all the time! Alice didn’t want a wedding, but obviously Mark did. They needed time apart to really think things through. Maybe this marriage had been a mistake. Maybe getting married instead of having a long engagement wasn’t the right thing to do. Teresa and Stephanie were in her head and she couldn’t escape either of them, for different yet similar reasons. She had just finished packing her bag when Mark walked into the bedroom and stopped at the sight of her.

“I’m going home.” She informed him coolly, zipping the bag and thrust it over her shoulder. “My flight leaves in 2 hours. I’m not mad at you, I just need some time alone. I’ll let Teresa and Glenn know I’m leaving, don’t worry.”

Now he was totally and completely lost, wondering what the hell he had missed. Frowning, Mark reached out and took her bag away from her, tossing it behind him out into the hallway and closed the door shut. He used his massive frame to block Alice from leaving, folding his arms over his chest as he stared down at his rather cheesed off looking wife, who was speaking to him with ice in her tone.

“And just why would you be runnin’ off?” He asked quietly, making sure there was no ice in his tone, though he could feel it creeping up his spine.

“I’m not running off anywhere. I just want to go home. Our home, to Texas. It was a mistake coming here.”

Everywhere she turned, Alice felt like she was failing in this relationship and maybe she was. She had fought for Mark, fought for them, went to therapy in order to get back to her old self, which was still a work in progress. Sexually, she was fine, but mentally and emotionally, Alice was a wreck.

“I’m sick and tired of having to defend myself to people about the choices I make in my life. I’m sick and tired of defending my relationship with you to everyone. I’m tired of walking around on eggshells and not being able to say what’s on my mind, what’s in my heart, because people will think I’m crazy and ridiculous.” The plane crash, for example, which he had NOT believe her and Alice had forced down all of her feelings about it. Crammed them in a little box and put it in the far recesses of her mind…only for Stephanie to bring it all up again. “I’m just tired, Mark. And I think you are too. We’ve both been trying to make each other happy for all the wrong reasons and…it’s showing. I don’t regret marrying you or how it was done, but something tells me you wanted a wedding. You wanted me in a white dress and you wanted to do it in front of family and loved ones, which I don’t have much of. That’s not me. That’s not who I am. That night you proposed, I thought I was being spontaneous and I should’ve…I shouldn’t have said on one condition. I didn’t mean I WOULDN’T marry you unless it was that night, but again…communication issues.” They had quite a bit of them. “Just like last night with Stephanie…I thought that bitch deserved to have a mind game played on her for a change and again, went about it the wrong way. I’m always doing things the wrong way. It’s never good enough…and I’m done trying to be good enough. We’re completely different people, raised in completely different worlds and somehow found our way to each other, even through all the bullshit that’s been tossed at us. But I can tell Glenn and Teresa aren’t happy about this being ‘rushed’. I just want to go back to Texas, to our home, where I feel comfortable because right now, I don’t feel comfortable here. And I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings, but it’s how I feel and I’m not gonna hide how I feel anymore. So let me go home, please, and I’ll see you on Friday for the house shows.”

“You’re not running away again.” He stated flatly, because that’s all she was doing was running. “Glenn and Teresa don’t care about the rush, they care that we didn’t tell them until weeks afterwards.”

Mark hadn’t wanted a big wedding, just a small one, with the people they cared about, who cared about them, present. He had already had two big weddings and none of his friends had liked those broads. This would’ve been different.

“Every time your feelings get hurt, or you start second guessing yourself, you run. You’re not doing it, Alice. You’re not doing it to me and you’re not doing it to them. They welcomed you into their house, their lives, with open arms and few questions asked. They did it again when we got back together. We have communication issues, fine, we’ll work on it. But you’re not going to turn tail and run.”

“If I was running away, which I’m not, I wouldn’t be going home to our apartment, Mark.” Alice mumbled, wishing he would stop calling it running away when that wasn’t the case at all. Just because she didn’t want to be around these people right now didn’t mean she was running away. “If you wanted to wait and have an engagement, why the hell didn’t you tell me? Do you have any idea how big of a jackass I look like right now?” Groaning, Alice buried her head in her hands and felt the weight of the world crashing down on her. “We really need to start being honest with each other, about everything. I thought you didn’t want a wedding like me and finding out you only went along with it because of me doesn’t feel very fucking good. You make it seem or sound like I forced you to marry me that night – like it was either we get married or I’d never marry you.” That was laughable. “All you had to do was tell me ‘hey darlin’, I think we should have an engagement and plan a little ceremony instead of elopin’’ or something along those lines.” She had done a horrible rendition of his low accent voice and cleared her throat. “Wow, that was bad.”

Chapter 103

“Yeah, it was, leave the accent to me, darlin’.” He deadpanned, trying not to find that amusing. “I didn’t say anythin’, Alice, because I was afraid of losin’ you.” He confessed, then cleared his throat, leaning back against the door. “Ever since we got back together, and after your plane crash, you’ve…. you’re tryin’ to be more assertive, and I get that Red, I do.” A lot of the time, he even enjoyed it. “But sometimes you push it, and I’m scared of you leavin’.” He knew why she had gone before, the McMahons and Page, and then when she had come back… her distance then as well. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid of losing her again. “You’re… you try so hard to make me happy, you do things against what I say,” Her ass came to mind. “And I’m tryin’ to do right by you in return, and we’re fuckin’ it up.” However, leaving when a party, in their honor was being worked on, was not the way to fix shit. “I love you, Alice, and I’m sorry everythin’ came out the way it did.”

“Mark…the – the only reason why I left you the first time was because I was blackmailed into it. I had no choice. I was protecting myself and you – mostly you…I NEVER wanted you to see that tape.” Yet, she had watched it with him, Glenn, Torrie, and Stacy…another contradiction. “At the time, I was panicked and couldn’t let you find out the truth about what happened to me. I was ashamed I’d allowed them to do it to me, that I’d let my guard down.” The tears were back, streaming down her cheeks and Alice sank down on the bed, wrapping her arms around herself. “I could never leave you…not again. Hell, I’m scared of you leaving me all the time, of losing you. I told Teresa one of the reasons I wanted to marry you so suddenly and quickly was because I didn’t want an engagement because something would’ve come along and destroyed it.” That’s the way it always went with them, look what happened the last time! And Stephanie…Stephanie would’ve found a way to make sure they never had a wedding. “I meant what I said in my vows – I will always love you and protect you. I’m not going anywhere, not unless you tell me to get out of your life and divorce me.” She cried harder, burying her face in her hands. “I-I’m sorry…I’m so sorry, Mark…I didn’t mean to force you into this, to rush things…” To be more assertive, which was true now that Alice looked back on it. “I-I just…wanted to be yours and I didn’t need an engagement or wedding or anything – only you and someone to wed us was enough for me. I fucked it all up…I’m sorry…”

“Knock it off, you didn’t fuck anythin’ up.” There was no bite to his tone as he dropped down between her legs, reaching out to pull her hands away from her face. “Darlin’, it’s done and over with, we’re married… and reasonably happy, right?” At her hesitant nod, he smiled up at her. “Teresa and Glenn aren’t judgin’ you, not how you think anyway. I’m family to them, which makes you family as well and they want to share moments with us. Which is why, we’re staying, and eating all the food that pregnant beast is making. If Teresa DOES say somethin’ you don’t like, tell her. She’s a big girl.”

That wasn’t happening. Alice gave him a look that clearly said, ‘have you lost your mind’ and that got another chuckle out of him. Hoping she wasn’t being too clingy, Alice wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck and hugged him close, needing to feel his body, his strength, his love, engulf her whole. It wasn’t sexual, she honestly needed the comfort and felt his arms wrap around her instantly, holding her close.

“I love you, Mark.” Alice whispered, her tears slowly drying up and pulled back to look into his eyes, caressing his face. “They’re my family too, you’re right. We could always still have that ceremony, if you want. Just because we got married at a small chapel doesn’t mean we can’t do it again…the right way. What do you think? Honestly?”

He shrugged, not sure how to feel about that possibility. “Ask me again when I have more time to think about it, darlin’.”

“Hey!”

Mark actually jumped when there was a fierce pounding on their bedroom door, cursing under his breath as Alice began giggling. He looked up in time to see Glenn walking in, looking confused and holding the bag he had chucked out into the hallway.

“We’re supposed to be going to town…” Glenn said slowly, trying to assess the situation and then frowned. “Are you guys leaving?”

“No. I was going to, but hubs talked me down and I’m okay now.” Alice would take responsibility and refused to let Mark lie for her, standing to walk over to him, taking the bag with a tentative smile. “Sorry I held him up. “Go on, Deadman, go have fun with Big Red.”

He dropped a soft kiss on her lips, squeezed her side and Alice watched him walk down the hallway with Glenn. She couldn’t help admiring his cute ass in those jeans he had on, feeling marginally better after their talk. Things would be alright; they would work out and she needed to enjoy herself for a change. Heading out to the kitchen, Alice apologized to Teresa for leaving her hanging and got to work on whatever the preggo told her to do.

“You and Mark alright?”

“Yeah, we will be. Just gotta take one day at a time and stop rushing.”

“Exactly. You know, you two can always have a small ceremony and we could have it here in the backyard.”

Alice laughed, which confused Teresa at first, until she explained why she was laughing. “It’s like our minds are in sync or something.”

“Nah, we’re just women. Women tend to think the same way, sometimes.”

~!~

“So… why was she going to leave?” Glenn asked, passing over a cigar. He wasn’t supposed to smoke anywhere near his wife because she didn’t approve, didn’t like the smell, and didn’t want it affecting the baby. However, they were celebrating.

Mark was quiet, lighting and then puffing on that big cancer inducing but delicious tasting pre-cut Cuban. “She and I have been havin’ communication issues… also, she thinks you fucks judge her.”

“Oh, I am definitely judgin’ her.” Glenn snorted, cigar between his teeth as he navigated the path down towards town since it was a bit slick. “Any woman who WANTS to marry you, I’m judgin’.”

~!~

By the time the men returned, Alice was in tears laughing in the kitchen along with Teresa, both looking up at them before laughing harder.

“Man, she gave my wife drugs, didn’t she?”

“No…” Alice gasped out, leaning against the counter holding her stomach.

Teresa beamed brightly, having stopped laughing and her eyes gleamed wickedly. “I was just telling her about what happened in the nursery…”

Glenn groaned. “Oh for fuck’s sake, Resa!!”

She promptly whacked him with the spoon in her hand. “Language, Daddy!”

“FUCK!”

Another whack.

Alice flew past them to the bathroom before she pissed herself, howling with laughter.

“Man, you are 7 feet tall, you weigh more than she does, and she’s beating your ass? Pussy?”

Teresa nailed him next, watching as he doubled over. She had nailed him within what was easy reach, his nuts.

“Who’s the pussy now, you fu- WOMAN!” Those were his nuts.

“I didn’t get you that hard, either of you.” She said flatly, watching them both rolling on the floor, holding their nethers. “Babies…”

She hadn’t, that was the sad truth, but being struck in the balls hurt, no matter how gentle the tap was. “You… bitch…”

“You know she doesn’t like being called that…” Glenn muttered.

Teresa dropped her pregnant butt right on his stomach. “What, Uncle Marky?”

He just lay there, staring at the ceiling while the preggo bounced on him. “I will pee on you, woman.”

When Alice walked out and saw Teresa’s pregnant body sitting on her husband’s stomach, she had to go right back to the bathroom to pee from laughing all over again.

Glenn was finally on his feet, still clutching his balls and helped his pregnant wife off of Mark, after she forced him to apologize for calling her a bitch. “Lesson learned, we won’t do it again.” He mumbled, referring to the cussing and sighed when she kissed his cheek. Night and day this woman was when she was pregnant. No more kids, he was getting his shit snipped immediately.

“Good boys, now go get the meat started on the grill.” It was an order with a sweet tone.

“Why were you two laughing like a bunch of hyenas?”

Teresa waddled over to check the potatoes that were in the oven, humming under her breath. “I told her about how you painted the nursery orange and I threatened you with a meat cleaver if you didn’t fix it…” She sounded like that was completely normal and, to her, it was.

“And how he hit his thumb with the hammer trying to put that damn crib together!” Alice called out from the bathroom.

“That too.”

“Maybe if you’d let me hire people to do that FOR us…” Glenn grumbled, though it was under his breath, not about to get whacked again. “I liked the orange…” He shrugged at the look Mark gave him, stepping out into the cold. “Got my meat?”

“Right here.” Mark slipped back inside in time to grab the platter from Teresa, smiling sweetly. “Hello.”

“You two best stay out there until that scent of cigar is gone.” She warned him. “Glenn just lit another one up.”

“Not another, same one from earlier.” He grunted.

Mark used his free hand to pluck what was left of his from his jacket pocket and popped it in his mouth, grinning at her.

“Gross…” She went back inside.

After a tremendous steak dinner with all the trimmings, Alice and Mark were forced to retreat to the living room with the only television while Glenn and Teresa cleaned up. Glenn became assertive with his wife, ordering her to go sit down with them and he would clean up the mess. She had been on her feet most of the day and he knew she was on the verge of collapsing. Teresa tried arguing, but this time, Glenn got his way and surprisingly, she didn’t fight him on it. Alice snuggled up against Mark, both laying on the long couch with her back against his chest, her head resting on his arm. They had to lay down after all the food they’d consumed.

“So, have you two talked about having kids?”

“Yeah.” Alice smiled, shifting a little to get more comfortable and sighed in contentment at both being full and being in her husband’s arms. “When I retire in a little under 4 years, we’ll start trying for some rug rats.”

“You want more than one?”

“Yeah, but no more than 3.” They had decided 3 was their limit and Alice silently thanked the stars above because she didn’t think she could handle more than 3 kids without losing her mind.

Teresa smirked. “Mark’s not getting any younger, you know…”

“Plenty young enough for me.”

“Shut up, Teresa…” Mark was too full, too lazy, too content to be concerned with being baited by that pregnant wildebeest. He smirked back at her, pretty sure she was reading his mind because she scowled. “You’re beautiful, sweetheart.”

“They’ll all be redheads.” She yawned, stretching her feet out towards the fire Glenn had built. “And probably hazel eyes…”

“Hopefully two boys and the third can be a girl.” Glenn grinned, dropping a kiss on Alice’s head. “Need the boys to help protect the girl.” He handed Teresa and Alice each a glass of wine, passing Mark a beer and then dropped down on the bearskin rug with his own. She was allowed one glass every now and then, according to her doctor. When Teresa reached for him, he helped her down, pulling her to sit sideways in his lap.

“Why can’t it be two girls and a boy?” Mark growled in her neck, making her giggle because they were sitting upright, and Glenn had gotten the fireplace going a little while ago. It was perfect, calm, and blissful, unlike what their lives had been like recently.

“Well hell, we already got the boy taken care of, so get busy on the first girl.”

Teresa grinned, sipping her wine, and felt Glenn kiss the back of her neck, a shiver rushing down her spine. Her third trimester was hell on earth because she was EXTREMELY horny all the time. Achy and horny – not a good combination.

“Not right away, gotta establish myself and win the Women’s title a couple times before calling it quits.” Alice had been bitten by the wrestling bug; she loved it and it was a true passion of hers. “And if it happens, if his sperm gets through my Fort Knox birth control, then screw it. Guess it was meant to happen.”

“Damn right, sister.”

“How much does a vasectomy cost?”

“Probably a lot.” Teresa looked at him, a bit confused, but smiling in amusement as well. “Getting concerned with all this baby talk?”

“Gotta know how much I have to pay Glenn to get his.”

“He’s going to pay for it? Awesome.” She sipped her wine again, really amused as well. “Saves us the money.”

Glenn kept rubbing his wife, trying not to laugh.

“Hey now, what if you wanna give Junior in there a sibling someday. You never know, could get baby fever.”

Alice ignored Glenn’s glare and shrugged, sipping her wine. She wasn’t surprised Teresa was drinking with them, knowing the woman had her limitations with it and she knew what was best for her. If the doctor said it was fine, that was all that mattered.

“We’re just gonna see how things go with this one and then decide down the road if we want more or not.” Teresa groaned when he hit a sore spot that felt wonderful, the fire’s warmth washing over her also delightful. “Mmm…”

“The baby isn’t a junior, by the way. We decided on the name…”

Teresa held her hand up, shaking her head. “Changed my mind, nope.”

Alice laughed at Glenn’s exasperated look and wondered if it would be like this between her and Mark once she became knocked up.

Mark was wondering the same thing and praying to god because Teresa had gone to an extreme. That or secretly she had always been a crazy nag and pregnancy had unleashed it. He shuddered, shaking his head when Alice cocked her head back to look up at him and took a pull from his longneck. Mark didn’t think Glenn would be able to handle Teresa being pregnant again, the man wasn’t always the most stable to begin with. Glenn was eyeballing the fire, wondering how bad it would hurt if he threw himself in. Where the hell had his beautiful, quiet, reserved but with a hidden temper wife gone and who the fuck was this woman who beat his ass with iron skillets?

“Can I claim spousal abuse on our divorce papers? Is that believable?”

“Sweetie, you’re Kane and huge, and everyone knows you beat me.”

“This is true…”

She tugged on one of his curls, smiling when he bent down to kiss her.

He was going to beat her all right with his cock. In like… 5 years, he figured the kid would be sleeping through the night by then, right?

It did not take long for Teresa to get up and drag her husband to their bedroom for a little hanky-panky, congratulating Mark, and Alice on their marriage on the way out. Alice laughed at Glenn chasing his pregnant waddling wife down the hallway and lifted her carefully, carting her the rest of the way to their room. She finished her glass of wine and set it aside before laying back down again with Mark trapped between her and the couch. She had on cotton shorts and a tank top since it was so warm inside the cabin. Their room also had a fireplace of its own and it was currently going to keep the room warm. Her eyes stared into the fire, straying to the bearskin rug and remembered the last time they’d been here…what they’d done on that rug.

Such a fond memory…Alice didn’t have many bad memories with Mark, which she was thankful for. He began kissing along her neck and shoulders and Alice did not take the reins this time like she normally would have. She merely lay there, her eyes on the fire again and let Mark do whatever he wanted, giving him complete control over the situation. He was actually just content with kissing on her, letting his hands caress up and down her arms. Finally, he let his head lull backwards, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of the fire’s heat washing over them, letting out a sigh of enjoyment.

“We need one of these… think it’s too hot in Texas to put one in?” They got winter, sure, but nothing like elsewhere. Snow in Texas barely hit over an inch and he barely used his winter jacket. “Or…” Mark mused, sounding like he was finding himself funny, which he was. “We just crank the air-conditioning and have a fire anyway.”

His lips felt amazing against her skin, the sound of his voice in her ear even better while he caressed her side lovingly. “I wouldn’t mind that. There’s nothing quite like having an actual fireplace. I don’t want an electric one though. It just takes away from the…purpose, you know?” Mark nodded against her, kissing the top of her head and Alice snuggled further back against him, not remembering the last time she felt this relaxed. “I have an even better idea than cranking the AC. We could just be naked in front of it. Can’t get much cooler than that.”

“Darlin’… you wait… you’ll regret even thinking that.” He snorted, trying not to laugh at her. “I know you’re used to Tampa heat, but that’s muggy… this is a dry, blistering heat and you’ll want the AC on all the time, and lots of lotion.” Mark looked down her body, deciding he would help her with all that moisturizing. “AC cranked, then we get naked in front of the fire. Not dyin’ of heat stroke.”

She got him plenty hot, add in a fire and natural Texas temperatures, recipe for death. Not a bad way to go though, he would mentally concede. Alice chuckled, believing him since he was born and bred in Texas. Mark knew how the weather was in that state better than anyone.

“Sounds good to me, Deadman. AC it is.”

Chapter 104

“Oh my god…”

Alice slowly stepped out of the vehicle, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head and couldn’t believe the beautiful building standing before her. Their house was finally finished. It was early June, the heat in Texas was stifling, but nothing she couldn’t handle. At least there wasn’t any humidity. So much had happened in the past several months, including Alice’s first WrestleMania, where she began the WWF Women’s champion. A week after Mania, the WWF had its first ever draft where certain Superstars and Divas went to the shows. They basically split Raw and Smackdown! into two separate shows and both Mark and Alice had gone to Raw, thankfully. They were married, so the company didn’t feel it prudent to split them up.

After their time spent in Tennessee, Alice and Mark had gotten along famously, continuing to build their dream home and pursued their careers. At Judgment Day, which was the next pay-per-view event after Mania, Mark won the WWF Undisputed championship, so he had to be on both shows. That was the one difference – the world champion pulled double duty for both shows. He had beaten Hulk Hogan for the title, which had been a breeze and also a flashback since Mark had won his very first WWF title in 1991 from Hogan before he left the company for WCW.

“This is gorgeous!” She crowed happily, rushing up to the front door and bounced on her sandal covered heels, wearing jean shorts and a white halter top. “Open it, open it, open it!”

Mark dangled the keys high above her head, way out of reach, just to enjoy watching her bounce around in that halter top a bit more, his eyes drinking in the gorgeous sight his wife was presenting to him. Smirking, he caught her hand before she could swat him, bringing it to his lips to kiss the back of it before turning to unlock the door. He stuffed the keys back in his pocket and caught Alice by the hand before she could scamper inside. Her eagerness was damn near contagious, he could feel it beginning to take over him as well.

“First thing, darlin’.” Sweeping her off her feet, Mark was careful not to hit her head against the door and felt her arms encircle his neck. “We gotta do this right, Red.” He drawled, stepping over the threshold, her in his arms.

Grinning at his thoughtfulness, Alice kissed him softly and then looked around the entrance of their new home, grey eyes wide. It was gorgeous from the paint on the walls, the shiny wooden floors, the carpet, the woodwork…everything about this house was spectacular. Mark set her down and Alice took off down the hallway toward the kitchen, spinning around gleefully.

“You ass, you put two stoves in here!” She laughed, smoothing her hand over one of the kitchen counters.

The living room was just off the kitchen, like the old place…Mark had made sure to make it as much as the old place with a major upgrade. For instance, the living room was twice as big and had a fireplace in it with a black bearskin rug in front of it. The kitchen, 3 bathrooms and hallways weren’t carpeted, but everything else was. The garage obviously not, which was triple the size of Mark’s old one. Also, this house had a recreational room with a pool table and other adult games that could be played they had picked out together. Air hockey was a definite choice as well as darts. Alice was in awe and they hadn’t even gone upstairs yet.

While she ran about like a madwoman possessed, Mark headed down to the cellar, or basement, he had had put in. His last place hadn’t had one, but he hadn’t designed that house; he had bought it as is and then basically lived in it as it had been. This was a new addition and something he had known he would want if he ever moved. Tornados were just a fact of life in Texas and he had been through his fair share. It hadn’t struck him, until he met Alice, just how much he had to lose, especially if they would have some rug rats eventually. It was carpeted, paneled walls, because the idea of a dirt or cement basement had not been appealing, at all. He heard her squealing and headed upstairs.

“Where you at, woman?”

“I’m upstairs in the master bedroom!” Alice called out the door, her squeal coming from the fact Mark had installed a Jacuzzi tub that was on a beautiful huge balcony overlooking the long stretch of land they lived on.

She walked back inside just as Mark came through the door, throwing a thumbs up at the Jacuzzi and then proceeded to bounce on the king-sized bed. It had a very comfortable mattress and the color scheme was deep browns and reds with a hint of grey. It was perfect, not too girly, and not too manly. There was also a fireplace in the bedroom with another bearskin rug – Mark had insisted. There was a walk-in closet for each of them, so they had their own space for their belongings and the master bathroom had both a see-through shower that had sprays coming out of the top and a jet tub that could five 5 Marks easily.

“This house is…I don’t have any words.”

“I do too, darlin’.” He grinned at her, dropping down on the bed alongside her and leaned back, folding his hands beneath his head with a content sigh. “Love it.”

They hadn’t even gone out and really looked over the land yet either. Mark had done a brief trek when he had purchased it, back when they hadn’t been together, but that was about it. Nothing particular had stuck out at the time, but he had also been depressed and in one of two states: drunk or hungover.

“Plenty of room for us and any kids that come along, both inside and outside.” He rolled onto his side, staring down at her. “What do you think? Should we unpack and enjoy our new house?”

“Yes…yes…a MILLION times YES!” Every word that came out of her mouth was paused with a kiss as Alice pounced on him, straddling her husband, and smiled when he bolted upright to wrap her legs around his waist.

This was home for her, in his arms and wrapped around his body, feeling the heat between them, the passion and the love. They had decided to leave the apartment furnished for the next occupants that took it over, which would allow Mark and Derrick to charge them a little more than before. All they really needed was their personal belongings and then they could officially sleep in their new home tonight.

“I love you so much.” Hugging him, her mouth hovered over his ear and puffed her hot breath against his lobe. “And I can’t wait to christen every part of this house, starting with this room and this bed.” Nipping his neck, Mark groaned and went to tighten his arms around her, but Alice extracted herself from him with a teasing smile. “Come on, Deadman, plenty of time for that later. We need to get our shit and say goodbye to that apartment.”

Rolling his eyes, Mark got off the bed and lewdly adjusted himself, shaking his head when her own gaze dropped to his crotch. “Stop eyeballin’ me like I’m a piece of meat, woman.” He reprimanded, laughing with her as they walked out of the bedroom. It even had that new house, new furniture scent, he loved it. “Let’s go…”

Patting her backside, Mark watched her hips swaying from side to side as Alice scurried ahead of him. Not that they had much to grab. Hell, he remembered when she had come to live with him and she hadn’t had all that much then either. Several boxes piled up into the Silverado later, Alice and Mark dropped the keys off to Derrick, thanking him for everything and then headed to their new home. Alice became breathless all over again and this time, instead of unloading the boxes, she ventured to the backyard with Mark to get a feel for it.

“Oh wow…”

Inground pool with firepit, lounge chairs aligned by the pool and there was a sitting area with a small table under a canopy of sorts. Mark made sure they could have fires out here under the stars and they would both be comfortable. Alice couldn’t believe this was all theirs, after everything they’d been through and nothing could bring her down on this day.

~!~

It was the next day that her entire world shattered to pieces all over again.

“Mrs. Calaway, this is Detective Brooks from the Oklahoma City Police Department.”

The plane crash, Alice immediately thought, stepping away from Mark while he finished cooking breakfast. They had christened the entire house the previous night, starting with outside and worked their way in, surprisingly making it up to their bedroom. Mark had been relentless, and Alice met his insatiable appetite, for the most part. He had more control in the bedroom and it made him feel good as well as her. Alice found herself enjoying being dominated and they’d even done anal sex, which was second nature to her by now. The man loved her backside for some odd reason and had still eased his way into it, not wanting to hurt her in any way.

“Yes Detective, what can I do for you?” She asked politely, holding her finger up when Mark opened his mouth to question who was on the phone.

“Actually, my dear, this is somethin’ I can help you with. The plane crash you were in – we got the results back and…” He sighed heavily over the phone, hating the fact he had to inform all the loved ones of the dead and the survivors this horrific news. “Alice, the plane was sabotaged. The engine did not blow on its own…it was tampered with prior to takeoff. They’re thinking one of the engineers did it and we’re bringing each one of them in for questioning as we speak.”

Alice had put the conversation on speaker, so Mark could hear it, both of them staring at each other wide eyed. “The plane was sabotaged…” All of her inner fears and that gut feeling had started surfacing. “I-I’m sorry, I’m just in shock right now…”

“I understand, Alice. This is why it takes so long to investigate a plane crash because we want to be absolutely sure before divulging this kind of news to people. We think the engineer is either a terrorist or…”

“Someone was targeted…”

“Correct.”

“Please keep me informed on what’s going on and if you find the culprit.”

“Will do…this will highly be unlikely, but we’ll do our best to bring justice to all the people who lost their lives that day and to the survivors.”

The call ended, and Alice could only stare at the phone, not believing what they just heard. The plane was sabotaged…she’d been right all along, and nobody believed her, not even her husband.

After hearing her say sabotage, Mark’s first thought was terrorists. That was something everyone had started worrying about after 9/11, which wasn’t all that long ago it seemed. He turned off the stovetop and walked over to wrap his arms around his wife, who was obviously in shock. She probably wouldn’t be the only one today; that person probably had a lot more phone calls to make, families to speak too and he buried his face in her hair, glad she had been a survivor.

“Darlin,” He whispered after time stretched on and she hadn’t moved, pulling back in order to stare into her pale face. “Alice?”

That feeling was back, stronger than ever, and Alice had to push it down along with her fear, not wanting a repeat with Mark like last time. He wouldn’t believe it was sabotaged because of her, even IF the plane were sabotaged. 9/11 had recently happened and so many people lost their lives in New York and Pennsylvania – the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon were bombed by terrorists, planes crashing into them killing thousands. It was horrific and ever since then, airports had been extremely tight with security. Her plane crash happened shortly after 9/11, in January and it was now mid-June. 6 months…just as the investigators said. Maybe it was terrorists, but Alice couldn’t get rid of that feeling in the pit of her stomach the plane went down because of her. It was sabotaged because of her.

“I’m okay.” She murmured, slowly stepping back to look up into his concerned green eyes, caressing his face tenderly with the back of her hand. “I’m here with you, married and happy, in our new beautiful home and that’s all that matters to me.” Alice would wait until the investigators found the culprit and then take things from there, hoping this was just a random terrorist attack. “Okay, so back to breakfast, fire that stove up, hubs.”

Mark didn’t immediately turn the stove back on, the food in the midway cooked stage, so it would hold a moment longer. He searched her face intently, seeing her doing that lip thing and bent down to kiss her forehead. “You are safe, Alice.” He said gently but firmly, seeing her nod before internally sighing and turned back to the stove. He eyed the flapjacks he had been making, bacon sitting on the backburner, his appetite was not as big as it had been, maybe he’d skip adding eggs. She still looked pale, even as he watched her moving across the kitchen to get plates and silverware. “Scrambled, sunny side up or over easy?” Mark asked, deciding they were going to continue on and pretend that neither of them were having internal issues, not yet. Maybe after breakfast they’d talk about it, both of them obviously needing time to come to terms with that phone call.

Was it wrong to pray it had been a terrorist attack, just so he knew his wife wasn’t being targeted, or crazy?

It was terrorists, it had to be. There was no other explanation. Once again, Alice was in inner turmoil over the plane crash because it had indeed been sabotaged. She could’ve died in that plane crash, but somehow survived. Alice shook herself mentally, wanting to enjoy their first breakfast in their new home and stared out the window at the inviting pool. It was hotter than Hades outside, maybe a swim was in order today since tomorrow they had to head back on the road for house shows. After breakfast was ate and the kitchen cleaned up, Mark pulled Alice into the living room to sit down, wanting to talk to her about that phone call.

“I’m not gonna go crazy again, I promise. It was more than likely terrorism.”

Flying was not safe these days, but people had to live their lives and, unfortunately, flying was part of the job with WWE. The company had recently changed their name from World Wrestling Federation to World Wrestling Entertainment, due to the World Wildlife Foundation threatening to sue because of the use of the initials. It was stupid and ridiculous, but Vince decided to change the F to an E and everyone was still getting used to the change.

“What’s on your mind, Deadman? Talk to me.”

“I don’t know, darlin’, it’s all a mess.” He admitted softly, knowing they had promised to work on their communication issues and he wanted to. Mark just didn’t know how to untangle the thoughts he was having and verbalize them in a way that was positive. “I… I was wrong about the plane being sabotaged, you were right, and I apologize for that, for not believin’ you.” However, that was where the line was redrawn. “I’m just… concerned, is all.” Mark took a deep breath, shifting on the couch, so he was facing her fully and reached out to take her hands, squeezing gently. “I don’t want you… to fall back into that paranoid state, Alice.” When she had managed to shelve it, Alice had been so much better, less shifty eyed and not looking over her shoulder. The McMahons and Page had so much to answer for and it made his blood boil all over again. “And admittedly, the thought of terrorists trying to take out the planes makes me scared as shit to fly.” He highly doubted she’d walk away from another plane crash, but what were the odds of that?

Chapter 105

The amount of trepidation and uncertainty in his eyes made her heart crack down the middle, even though he’d apologized for not believing her. Partially, anyway. “I won’t.” She moved to straddle his lap, cupping his face in her soft hands, and kissed him, resting her forehead against his. “I know this wasn’t because of me. There’s no reason to be paranoid because terrorist attacks happen all the time nowadays.” That was the unfortunate truth and their president wasn’t doing jack to help the situation, only sending good men and women overseas to die for a lost cause. “We have to keep living our lives, just like we were told.” The robe she had on rode up her thighs since it only went to her knees and there was nothing on beneath. They had gotten out of bed and came to the kitchen to start breakfast, both famished after all the christening they did to their house. “And there’s no need for you to apologize. You only told me what you truly felt instead of what I wanted to hear. You also opened my eyes to the harsh reality of the situation. I promise, I won’t go back to my old ways, okay?”

“Don’t promise somethin’ you might not be able to control, darlin’.” He advised, knowing her paranoia was not her fault.

It was those dicks who had gone out of their way to destroy her. Hell, that shit could be contagious, and he felt a dubious twinge shoot through him, remembering what she had said about Stephanie’s words, about wishing Alice had died in that crash. The crash wasn’t a secret, that was public knowledge, and so was the fact a WWE/F superstar had been on it and survived, but still… but even Stephanie wouldn’t jeopardize all those lives, those kids who had died, not for one woman. Right? Mark shook his head, pushing all that away and kissed his woman, his wife, passionately.

“I love you…” Alice mumbled against his lips and moaned as he penetrated her, not bothering to remove the robe since his hands had full access to the parts of her he wanted most. “Oh god yes…”

She let the robe slide down her arms, but still kept it on, somewhat, while Mark arched her a little to capture her nipple in his mouth, his hips popping up to thrust inside of her. If he was doing this to distract her, it was the perfect way to do it. Stephanie had come to mind with the plane crash, but at the same time, that would give the whore too much credit. Nobody had seen her since WrestleMania, where she failed in stopping her husband from claiming the championship from Chris Jericho. Paul had lost it shortly after to Hulk Hogan, thanks to Mark’s interference and that was how Mark managed to win the title for himself. Clutching his hands, their fingers laced together tightly as she rode him, rolling her hips and used their strength and leverage to make the most of this.

It had been bliss since they’d been transferred to Smackdown!, not having to do Raw, though there were house shows from Friday-Monday for Smackdown! and Tuesdays was the Raw house show. No trouble, no drama, no distractions and Mark and Alice managed to keep everything professional between them while at the arenas as agreed. Their marriage was flourishing, and all seemed to be well; hell, she couldn’t remember the last time her and Mark fought. They had sex whenever they could, though some nights they were too exhausted for the extra workout. Still, Alice made sure they never went more than 3 days tops without having sex and managed to keep the flame burning brightly as far as their passion went. They were on top of the world right now and Mark had no intentions of letting anything screw that up. Both professionally and personally, he would be damned if that call, the fact that that plane had been sabotaged, set them, or her, back any.

“Mmm, my fiery wife.” He rumbled, turning them so he could lean back against the couch, planting his feet firmly on the floor and watched with a smirk as her legs dangled over his thighs, fully impaling her. He held her hips, refusing to let her move of her own volition and waited for it, feeling her juices soaking him. “Beg.” He ordered, his voice dropping forebodingly. “Beg me to let you cum all over my cock.”

Her body quivered at his demand, soaking him further and Alice released his hands to grip his shoulders, the robe floating to the floor at their feet. “Please Mark…” That wasn’t good enough and she knew it, seeing the determination boiling in his forest green smoldered orbs. “Oh god please…please let me cum for you…I need it…” When he cupped her between them and stated this was his pussy, she nodded emphatically, his finger stroking her while being held still. “Yes, all yours…only yours…please let your pussy cum all over you.”

Her nails dug into his shoulders slightly, teeth nipping his bottom lip and whimpered at his very slow thrust in and out of her. Leaning down, she began tracing the RED tattoo on his neck with the tip of her tongue. Who was he to deny such a sweet plead? Mark, however, did not allow Alice to move herself. Instead, he gently but firmly grabbed her beneath her thighs and began lifting her up and bringing her down harshly, arching his hips to meet the downwards motion. Hearing her cry out as his cock probably jarred whatever birth control she was using set his blood on fire. They weren’t cries of pain, only pleasure, and he knew he was an above average sized guy, so her being able to take him this way, and harshly because he was not being nice about pounding HIS pussy, was breathtaking.

“Mmm, tight little cunt,” He bent forward, biting down on the fleshy area where her shoulder and neck met, leaving a definite mark. “MY tight little cunt.”

There were times Mark allowed her to have control and there were other times where he had COMPLETE control, dominating every aspect of the bout and all she could do was hang on. He would let her climax only when HE wanted her to and not a second before. When Mark got like this, Alice gave him full power and wasn’t surprised when he lifted her off him and planted her on the couch with her legs bent up in triangles on either side of her, her pussy spread wide for him. Her moans spilled out freely as his cock slid back home inside of her, one of his knees bent on the couch and the other planted on the floor, giving him plenty of leverage to pound into her. Their foreheads pressed together, their breathing ragged and her fingers clutched the back of his mostly shaved head. Mark had kept his hair exceptionally short now that it was summer.

“Ohh yeah, so good…I’m so close...make me cum for you, Mark…” Alice begged, crying out again when he purposely slowed down to start stroking in and out of her methodically, instead of driving her over the edge, gripping the back of her neck to force her body up.

Sometimes, he was a jackass, but… it was worth it, hearing her beg him for her release, seeing her beautiful face twisted with passion. With her lust for him and what he could and would do to her body. “No.” Mark snarled, biting down on her bottom lip, hard enough to let her know he was in charge, but not to leave a bruise or split it. When her breathing evened out and her hips stopped grinding, trying to get that orgasm, he began again, working her body into a frenzy the way only he could, only to pull out completely and towered over her, his hands burying in her hair. “I don’t think you want to cum, darlin’…” He informed her in a husky tone, more than a hint of evil lacing it. Stepping just a bit forward, his throbbing cock was right in her face and his eyes rolled back into his head when she automatically opened her mouth for him, drawing him in, his fingers tightening in her hair.

Never would Alice deny herself of having a protein shake from her husband. Mark knew when to push and when to stop to give her some control back. His fingers tightening in her hair made her moan louder and hum in approval, the vibrations flooding through his body. She reached up to caress his balls, glad he allowed her to do that much and felt him thrust his cock in and out of her receptive warm mouth. Propping herself up a little on the couch, turning on her side, Alice gripped the back of his thigh and squeezed with her free hand, digging her nails into his butt cheek. She wanted to climax in the worst way, but…now she had a new goal and that was making her husband shoot his load in her mouth and swallow him whole. His taste was addicting…this man was addicting, in general. Mark allowed her to suck him off, feeling her tongue running down his shaft with every suck, and her hands working overtime to stimulate him elsewhere. Though, when it felt like he might be precariously close to delivering her a salty surprise, he pulled away, staring down at her from narrowed eyes. Her lips were swollen, grey eyes stormy and lust filled…

“Bend over.” He ordered, breathing heavily.

Time for them to both finish. Doing as commanded, Alice kneeled on the couch and held onto the top cushions, feeling Mark slam back inside of her. There was no need for stimulation, she never went dry with this man. He made her wetter than the Atlantic Ocean and didn’t even have to try.

“Oh fuck – oh yes! Please let me cum!! Please baby, give it to me…”

Alice slammed back against him, meeting him for every powerful intense thrust and dug her nails into the cushion. Mark ripped her up by her red tresses and wrapped his hand around her throat, not squeezing, but holding her still while continuing to pound her, her head lulling back against his strong shoulder. He wanted full and complete surrender, which is what she gave him.

“Ohhhhh Mark!” Her end was near and so was his, Alice could feel his cock pulsate inside of her, driving them closer to that fine razor edge to spill over. “Right there…don’t stop…oh god please don’t…stop…” Her voice was stammered do to the velocity of his thrusts.

There was no stopping now, just continuing on, fucking her like they were animals at this point. Primal. Mark needed to cum, in her, and he let that pretty much override everything, his free hand moving to her breast, palming it, teasing her pert nipple with his fingers. “I’m about to fill your delicious little pussy…” He bit down on her earlobe, hearing her breathing becoming harsher, his was too. “Now, Alice, cum for me.” He was giving her permission, and himself as well, unable to hold back any longer.

It was a VERY good thing she had two forms of birth control because, with all the sex they’d had in the past 24 hours, not including this bout, Alice was sure she would’ve been knocked up. “Ohh ohhhhh MAAAARRRRRKKKKKK!!!” She shrieked out, her voice echoing throughout the house, knowing they were miles away from anyone else to overhear.

Not that she cared – they had woken up hotels with their lovemaking before. No, this wasn’t lovemaking – this was straight animalistic fucking and she loved every second of it. Her climax triggered his, both reaching their end together as his seed exploded inside of her, against her back wall, filling her to the brink. Mark didn’t stop thrusting until he was physically unable to, releasing her throat and wrapped an arm around her, kissing along her OVERCOME tattoo and shoulders, both their bodies beaded with sweat.

“G-Good thing I’m protected or else we’d probably have at least one baby by now like Glenn and Teresa do.” She laughed breathlessly, and Mark pulled her from the couch into his arms, carting her upstairs to their see-through shower.

~!~

“Wait so…the plane WAS sabotaged?”

Alice nodded, having coffee with her friends before having to go to training with Lita. Even though she was the current WWE Women’s champion, she still had a lot of improvement to do and wanted to hone her craft. Refusing to stop training just because she’d reached the top of the mountain for women in this sport.

“Yeah, it was probably terrorism though. Wrong place, wrong time type of thing.”

If only that were the truth.

Stacy could only shake her head, a hand over her mouth as she studied Alice thoughtfully. Hearing her friend had been in that crash, unsure if she was alive, that had been terrifying for them all. Mark had been a wreck. She had to set her coffee cup down before she spilled it.

“God…That makes me feel so sick to my stomach… terrorist attacks…” The WWF/E had, after 9/11 happened, been the first gathering of so many people, and they had paid homage to the fallen and dead from those attacks. She remembered watching, crying, and it was clear everyone was still feeling the aftermath. “This job requires so much travel…”

“But… the chances, of it happening again, are slim, right?”

“With the security upgrades they’ve done in every airport in the United States, I doubt it could happen again.”

The country had gone to GREAT lengths and air travel MISERABLE for people after 9/11 happened. Not that people blamed the president for taking extra precautions, but now a person couldn’t even bring a NAIL FILE on a plane. It was crazy!

“Mark thinks I’m gonna become paranoid again and start looking over my shoulder. I’ll just have to prove him wrong with actions instead of words, I guess.” She sipped more of her coffee, thinking back to her talk with the police detective. “The detective isn’t ruling out the possibility of this happening because someone was targeted though. He’s leaning toward terrorist attacks, but until they can question the two flight attendants that survived,” Everyone else had died besides the two flight attendants and five passengers. “There’s really nothing more they can do.”

“So they may never find out the truth is what you’re saying.”

“That is fucking scary.”

“Well, as horrible as this sounds, I’d say it was a terrorist attack, unless someone like a politician or something was on that plane.” Torrie voiced her opinion, after a long stretch of uncomfortable, reflective silence. “Mark doesn’t think you’re paranoid…” She then added, frowning.

“Yes, he does.” Stacy contradicted, finally able to resume drinking her coffee. “Or he did.” She corrected, smiling at her own mouth mistake. “But I think he was more concerned with mental damage than you actually being, honey, after… after everything that had happened.” She knew how that went, she had her own bad days after her gangbang… Glenn and Torrie had kept her grounded those days.

Once again, even after hearing the plane had indeed been sabotaged, nobody believed her that she could’ve been the potential target. Not her friends, not her husband…nobody. Her sessions with Cindy were few and far between since Mark wasn’t fond of the woman. She only saw her once every couple weeks, tapering off because of how happy and peaceful her life had been.

“Right, of course.” She sipped more of her coffee, frowning in her cup and decided a change of subject was in order. “You two must come to Texas one of these days to check out our new house. It’s to DIE for.” Whipping out her phone, she began showing them photos she’d taken of every room, grinning from ear to ear, the black diamond sparkling on her left ring finger.

Until there was concrete, solid, undeniable evidence that someone had targeted Alice, the idea was just too absurd. An entire plane of people, children included… there wasn’t anybody that insane to risk all those people to get to Alice. That was just… it was crazy. The idea of a terrorist act was simply more believable, more likely. Torrie didn’t think anything of Alice’s sudden silence, figuring she was probably reliving that accident and then when she changed the subject, she grinned.

“This is gorgeous and oh my god, I want your tub!”

“So when can we come out? Look at that pool!”

After gushing about their home with the blondes, it was time to go to work and get down to business, pushing the plane crash out of her mind. That bad feeling in her stomach along with her own feelings on the situation had been put back in that box and shoved in the far recesses of her mind. Talking to Torrie and Stacy had confirmed her suspicions, which was why she’d gone along with whatever they said, nodding and smiling, acting like she agreed with them. It was TOO coincidental for her though. After everything that happened with the Alliance, Alice didn’t put it past one of those fuck heads to have some kind of connection to the sabotage. It sucked she had to keep her mouth shut and her thoughts to herself because absolutely nobody believed her. She took her anger and frustration out during training, which was where most of it came out anyway, warming herself up for her match that night at the house show.

Chapter 106

Another month passed by, no other problems surfacing…until Monday rolled around. It was a date she would never forget as long as she lived. July 15, 2002. The moment she walked into the arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Alice felt the tension in the air. Something big was happening tonight. She didn’t know what, but that gut instinct of hers had kicked into high gear. Recently, she’d added black streaks to her hair, giving the new color a try and Mark seemed to like it well enough. It shocked him when she’d first gotten it done, but it did go with her look and made her grey eyes pop even more than they already did. Kissing her husband goodbye, they went their separate ways to get ready for the show that night.

Halfway through the show, Vince McMahon came out and announced who the new General Manager of Monday Night Raw would be. Alice felt her jaw drop to the floor, along with the other women surrounding her in the locker room, at the sight of none other than Eric Bischoff sauntering out onstage. This wasn’t happening…this was the same man that had signed her to WCW and started the entire hellacious run of that company for her! He knew all about her stripper days and had divulged that information to Shane and Stephanie to use against her. And now he was their BOSS?!

Mark knew Bischoff enough to know he was a bastard, who was ruthless and self-serving. The fact he was brought in, not surprising, the McMahons as a rule were also ruthless and self-serving. So when he got word, he wasn’t overly surprised, just curious. How was that going to play out, he idly wondered.

“I can’t believe they brought HIM, Eric is such…”

“He’s an ass. He’s a self-righteous ass, who does what he thinks is best for business and he doesn’t give a fuck about who he hurts on the way. Maybe he’s related to Shane?”

“He also does not care about the women’s division at all. He’s going to try exploiting us as much as possible.” Stacy shuddered, not looking forward to this at all and wondered if there was a way to go to Smackdown!.

“Do you think Vince would allow that?”

“If Vince gives him full reign of the show, yes.” Torrie stated without hesitation, feeling terrible for Alice because she knew this had to drag up some pretty painful memories. “Are you gonna be okay, Allie?”

“Never better.” She was married to the Undertaker, so if Eric even SNIFFED in her direction wrong, Mark would take care of it.

“I wonder if Glenn would set him on fire… he’s been moody lately.”

“Isn’t his wife ragging on him about being stuck with a baby? I’d be moody too.” Torrie really needed a Mark or Glenn in her life. Someone who commanded attention, or was crazy enough to get things done their way. Why were all the good ones taken? “Think Glenn would adopt me too?”

“Sorry, Teresa said there was room in the budget for only one mascot.”

Torrie let out a long sigh, letting her lips blow raspberries before tossing an arm around Alice. “How about you and Mark? Need a mascot? I want to be adopted too!”

“You’ll find someone, Torrie, just gotta be patient.” Alice assured her, patting her head and all three heads snapped up when Trish came in, looking thoroughly disgusted.

“That…PIG!!”

“Who?”

“Jericho.” Trish scoffed, rolling her eyes. “He won’t leave me the hell alone about going out on a date. I don’t want anything to do with him.” She had a thing for Jeff Hardy, currently.

“Oh…”

Alice hadn’t spoken much to Chris since his alliance with Stephanie and enjoyed watching it crash and burn at WrestleMania. Nobody in the locker room wanted anything to do with him. They were still sore at him for nearly having their jobs lost because of his insane ego.

“I don’t understand how you can be friends with him, Allie.” Trish shuddered, needing a hot shower to scrub the prints off her body he’d left. “I can’t wait until this stupid storyline with him is over with.”

“I’m not friends with him. We haven’t spoken in months, actually.”

“Good, keep it that way.” She took her top off and went to shower, shaking her head.

“Wait, wait, wait…” Torrie shook her head, waving her hands as she watched Trish disappear into the shower. “Isn’t he married?” When Alice nodded, her jaw dropped, eyes wide. “And he’s harassing Trish outside of the storyline?” This was unethical! “I’m not even kidding, I’m rethinking this whole wrestling thing. This place is… dangerous.”

“Yeah, no kidding. With Eric here…” Stacy wrapped her arms around herself, sighing. “I didn’t think Chris was a bad guy…” Stupid sure, ambitious for real, but not really bad. “But we all know I have stupid judgement.”

“You don’t have stupid judgment, if you do than so do I. I thought he was a good guy too, but apparently not.” They knew Trish well enough that she would not date someone who was already married. Chris had a leggy beautiful blonde wife at home, but apparently, he wanted his cake and to eat it too.

A stagehand knocked on the door. “Mr. Bischoff wants to see you ladies in his office right away. All of you.”

Groaning, along with the blondes, Alice glanced back at the shower and poked her head in to inform Trish of the impromptu meeting they had to have with Bischoff. She said she’d be out momentarily, so they all waited for her before heading down to see what the new General Manager of Raw wanted.

“Now ladies, I think we need to SPICE things up a bit around here in the women’s division. We need some…HLA.”

“HLA?”

Eric grinned, his dark eyes gleaming. “Yes Stacy, some HLA. It stands for Hot Lesbian Action.”

This was not a good sign for the women’s division at all. “I’m married…”

Eric’s beady eyes moved to the redhead, remembering her from her stripper days and squared his shoulders. “To whom, may I ask? Does he work here?”

It was Alice’s turn to smirk back at him. “Yes he does…you might know him. He’s the Undertaker.”

Eric visibly paled.

Eric recovered pretty quick, stroking his chin as he studied the woman. He remembered her, she was the stripper. He had hired her because of how flexible she was, how gorgeous. She would’ve made a great Nitro Girl.

“You’ve moved up in the world, haven’t you Alice?” He mused thoughtfully. “Now, if I remember Mark rightly… he never had a problem with some hot lesbian action.”

Mark didn’t work for WCW very long and he hadn’t left the company on good terms either. “Considering WCW told my husband he would never amount to anything in this business, and now he’s one of the TOP stars in this company, not to mention a locker room leader, I don’t think he’d take kindly to watching his wife perform sexual acts with other women on national television.”

Trish decided to stand up alongside her friend, folding her arms in front of her chest. “And we dare you to fire all of us because Vince wouldn’t take too kindly to that.”

“You can take your hot lesbian action and shove it up your ass, Bischoff.” Lita refused to do that, she had a boyfriend and a career to think about, not about to let this asshole ruin it.

Stacy and Torrie didn’t say one word, keeping their mouths shut because they knew how vindictive, cold, and calculating this man was.

“I think we’re done here.” Alice lead the charge out of the room, stopping when Torrie and Stacy didn’t follow. “Come on.”

Torrie shook her head, too scared of losing her job and Stacy felt the same way, both cringing as Eric wrapped his arms around each of their shoulders.

Pathetic, Alice thought scathingly, shutting the door behind her and knew Stacy and Torrie would be mixed up in the hot lesbian action Eric had in mind.

“Wipe that look off your face.” Lita ordered sternly, catching the disgust on Alice’s face. “They’re scared, and they don’t have the Undertaker to back them up.” The women needed to stick together, especially now. “And those two don’t have their own names to fall back on, not really.”

Not like they did, but unlike WCW, they had been able to develop their talents. They had even been able to start using them properly, she seen their hard work falling apart with Eric in control. She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head.

“Why him? Is he really that bad?”

Torrie also knew what a bastard Eric was, and she highly doubted he was above letting them be abused.

“I’m not disgusted with them, I’m disgusted with HIM.” Alice cleared that up quickly, not blaming the blondes for staying in his office.

They were terrified, she could see it in their eyes. Alice didn’t have the pleasure of working with Eric for long, not the way Torrie had. She wasn’t the first woman in WCW, but he had taken a strong liking to her for some reason. Sighing, Alice knew Lita was right and they really did need to stick together. They were informed there would be a triple threat match that night for the WWE Women’s championship, courtesy of Eric Bischoff and giving the fans what they wanted. They had no idea what nasty trick the GM had up his sleeve.

Eric Bischoff was shaking things up, it was… amusing enough. As long as the man kept to himself, and remembered who the big dog in the yard was, all would be fine. Mark remembered Alice telling him about Eric being the one to bring her into WCW and how he had promised not to tell anyone what she had done, prior to joining the company. Eric had spilled those beans, he remembered Stephanie throwing that information out all those months ago and snorted, stroking his goatee. Maybe he’d go have a chat with this new GM.

During the triple threat match for the WWE Women’s championship, Alice, Lita, and Trish had a rude awakening. Alice had Lita in a headlock while Trish was climbing the top rope and dropkicked them both, sending all the women crashing to the mat. Suddenly, Eric Bischoff’s music blared through the speakers as Alice turned her head along with Lita and Trish, all of them slowly getting to their knees in the ring.

“Now you know…I tried being nice to you 3, but you decided to throw it back in my face…and I don’t like that. I don’t like that at all. As a matter of fact, I ALWAYS get what I want and what I want is…in 3 minutes…” His voice tapered off, looking at the watch on his wrist and smirked when two behemoths appeared behind the women.

Alice was the first to turn around and received a devastating, powerful Samoan drop from a wrestler named Rosie while the other one, Jamal, attacked both Lita and Trish, beating all the women down in the center of the ring. Alice had never felt such pain in her life, not even when she’d gotten beaten down and tied up by Dallas. They frog splashed each woman before getting out of the ring, driving the air out of their small bodies.

“FUCK!”

“Oh my god…”

Eric was grinning like a fool, applauding the wrecking crew and held the microphone up to his mouth. “Now, the next time I order you ladies to have some HOT…LESBIAN…ACTION, you’ll do it. Have a nice night.” His music hit, and he walked to the back, laughing.

EMTs rushed out to the ring while JR and Jerry Lawler spoke about Eric Bischoff being a disgusting, no good human being.

Mark was not a happy man and he had hightailed it out of his dressing room as soon as he seen Alice get her ass handed to her. Knowing something could be broken because that bastard was a big boy and he had not tried to lighten or sell anything, that was all real. Hot lesbian action? He could see his wife telling Eric to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine for that and didn’t blame her. Alice, along with Lita and Trish, had started trying to show off their actual wrestling abilities, not their bodies. His wife was a champion! When Eric came back behind the curtain, he was greeted to a fist right in his smug, smiling face.

“Ain’t no warnin’ for that, son!” He bellowed, following up with another punch. “That’s my WIFE!”

Security had no idea what to do, they had worked with Taker for a long time and Eric was… well, he deserved the ass whipping.

“GET HIM OFF ME!! I’M YOUR BOSS!! THROW HIM OUTTA MY BUILDING!!”

Security promptly stared at Eric like he’d lost his mind and held their hands up, shaking their heads – all 10 of them. NOBODY fucked with the Undertaker or the Undertaker’s wife. They didn’t care if they were fired because, technically, Eric couldn’t do any firing without Vince McMahon and the board’s approval. This wasn’t WCW where he get away with whatever the hell he wanted.

Somewhere in a disclosed location, Stephanie watched this with interest since the cameras had followed Eric to the back, a smirk curving her lips. This could definitely work in her favor, if she played her cards right.

Eric gaped as the Undertaker beat the living hell out of him – his wrecking crew, 3 Minute Warning – hadn’t intervened either. They respected the Deadman too much. Eric was FUCKED for screwing with the Undertaker’s wife.

“Please – PLEASE, I’m sorry!! I’m sorry!!” He cried out, being lifted by the scruff of his neck, and tossed against the nearest wall just as the EMTs came flying by with all three women.

“They have to go to the hospital for x-rays, Taker!” One of the EMTs had enough sense to shout over her shoulder as they wheeled the women right out to the waiting ambulances.

Now Mark was really pissed, his emerald eyes turning pure acid as he stared down at the man, who had DARED to harm his wife. He was aware cameras were on them, good. There wasn’t anything he could do for Alice right now. He wouldn’t be allowed to be with her until after an exam so…it was time to teach Eric Bischoff a lesson.

“Up, get up, bitch!” He snarled, grabbing Eric by the back of his neck. “MOVE!” He bellowed at bystanders, giving them exactly 2 seconds before tossing Eric headfirst into a crate.

Glenn had noticed that, also on Raw, and clapped his hand on Mark’s shoulder, not surprised when the man shrugged it off. He was pissed, he could feel the anger radiating off his best friend and knew he was worried about his wife. Who wouldn’t be? If they didn’t leave now, Eric would end up going to the hospital with the Divas on his first night on the job.

“Come on big man, let’s get you to the hospital.” He rumbled, glaring down at Bischoff, and proceeded to pick him up before re-dunking him into the crate.

Alice was still knocked out and taken for a CT, MRI, and x-ray, not moving an inch, but she was breathing steadily and strongly.

“They’re not going to let me see her anytime soon.” Mark had done this routine many times over his career. She would be made to suffer alone, and then, when they were done with x-rays and other testing, he would be allowed to see her. “So to pass time, I’m gonna break every bone in this bitch’s body.” Cameras were gone, that was fine, he didn’t need an audience.

“You’ll go to jail.” Glenn pointed out, sounding bored.

He was just barely conscious and probably suffering a concussion, but Eric heard the boredom in Kane’s tone and felt something coiling angrily in his stomach. How DARE they treat him like this? That whore wouldn’t even BE HERE if not for him! But… he kept that to himself, not about to die because he could see it in Undertaker’s eyes. The man was considering killing him.

“If I were you, Bitchoff…”

“I-It’s Bischoff…” Eric corrected, holding his head that had been jarred twice.

“Right Bitchoff, if I were you, I wouldn’t fuck with his wife again. We know your past with Alice and I’m here to tell you, you don’t want to fuck with her. The last guy that fucked with her got sent to the hospital.”

“With a broken spine.”

“His career was ended…along with the rest of the Alliance.” Glenn didn’t care if Eric had no idea what he was talking about. “Do you want YOURS ended?”

Eric swallowed hard, shaking his head, and groaned, feeling dizzy. “No, I don’t.”

“Good.” Glenn grabbed him by the front of his suit he had on, glaring at him hatefully. “You WILL leave the women alone. If you want to do your hot lesbian action, bring in your own chicks to get it done. Leave the Divas alone…or else.”

Eric nodded mutely, stumbling back when Kane released him and watched the monsters stalk away, his eyes wide.

“You feel better?”

“A little.” Mark was aware that a path was being cleared for them both, nobody about to fuck with the Brothers of Destruction in their current mood. “How about you?”

“Fuck yes.” Between his wife having some post-partum issues, not being able to be there with her and his son like he wanted… Glenn was having his own issues. He was leaving in the morning to go home; pretty sure he could feign being injured or something to get additional time off. “Let’s go see your woman.”

God help Bitchoff if she wasn’t able to walk out of that hospital on her own.

Chapter 107

By the time Mark and Glenn arrived at the hospital, Alice was in a private room, still out cold from the drugs they had given her. The doctor informed Mark she had a broken rib, internal bleeding, bruising and contusions all over her midsection and arms. Being splashed by 300 plus pounds didn’t feel very good and wasn’t good for a small body like hers. Lita and Trish suffered the same injuries, though Lita’s was a little more severe. She had to have emergency surgery because her broken rib had gone into her spleen, which had to be removed.

The spleen wasn’t needed to survive thankfully, but these men had attacked them without preamble or warning. It wasn’t scripted; Eric Bischoff would have A LOT to answer for to the Board of Directors and Vince McMahon regarding their injuries. Alice and Trish were being kept overnight for observation, but Lita would be stuck for at least a week because of the surgical procedure. It was 5 AM when Alice finally opened her eyes and winced, hissing out in pain.

“Fuck…”

“Yeah, fuck is right.” Mark snorted from his spot at the end of her bed, playing cards with Glenn. “You’re fucked up, darlin’.”

“Here.” Glenn leaned over and hit the button on her morphine drip, grinning. “Take the edge off for ya.” When they had found out what was up with the women, they had gone back to that arena and now… Eric was somewhere in the hospital as well. “I’ll go get a nurse.” He would take a roundabout way, give them some time, and grinned at Alice again before vacating.

Mark moved so he was sitting beside her, staring down into her face intently. “Want to know how bad it is, darlin’?”

“Judging by that look on your face, I’m going to assume it’s not good.” Alice murmured, feeling the morphine kicking in and sank further into the pillow, sighing gently.

Mark took her hand, first telling her about Lita and Trish’s conditions. Alice cried softly at hearing about Lita’s surgery, hoping her friend was alright. Mark assured her the surgery was a success and she’d be up and running in no time. Then Mark told her about her condition and all Alice could do was shake her head sadly, shutting her eyes.

“It never fails. Just when I think everything is great with our lives and nothing could fuck it up, something or someone does.” Eric Bischoff as the General Manager of Raw was the STUPIDEST decision Vince had ever made. If she thought that, then she’d really think he’d lost his mind when they found out who the Smackdown! General Manager was. “So, I’m out for a month, possibly two?” He nodded, and Alice gritted her teeth, knowing she would miss out on Summerslam because of Eric Bischoff. “Fuck me…”

“I would.” He said dryly, the corner of his mouth moving upwards into a hint of a smirk. “But the doctor already told me I wasn’t allowed to fuck you for a while.” When she didn’t return his smile, he sighed and squeezed her hand. “Alice, this wasn’t anything… you did. Eric Bitchoff is a power-hungry bastard. And he apparently didn’t take kindly to women telling him off.” The Divas were not women to sit on their assess or bite their tongues when something didn’t sit well with them. They were starting to show claws and, he had a feeling once everyone was back to work, they’d make Eric regret this. “If it makes you feel any better, Glenn and I fucked him up for you.”

That got the barest hint of a smile from her, but nothing more than that. “He can take his hot lesbian action and stick it up his ass.” She grunted, hissing out as another shot of pain zipped through her side, knowing it was her broken rib. “When can I get out of here?”

She wanted to go home to Texas, to their warm new, comfortable home instead of being stuck in a hospital bed. Poor Lita, she did not envy the woman and took the cup of water Mark handed her, sipping it slowly. Her throat was incredibly dry.

“Well, doctor said maybe tomorrow, but it just kinda depends, darlin’.” Mark glanced up when there was a knock on the door, followed by Glenn walking back in with a nurse in tow. “Hey, there’s the doctor… you’re new.” A new doctor had come in behind the new.

“Shift rotation.” He flashed a smile before walking up to examine Alice’s vitals. “What’s your level of pain, Mrs. Calaway?”

“Need another boost?” Glenn eyed that button.

“No, no more drugs. I’m a wrestler, I can handle a little broken rib. No problem.” Alice went to sit up and had the wind knocked out of her, forcing her to lay back down, tensed from the pain. “Morphine is too addicting, unless you have something that’s non-narcotic, I don’t want it.” She managed to speak through gritted teeth, ignoring Mark for the moment while the doctor began his examination.

“Your BP is a little high, so we’re gonna want to monitor that.”

“I have a broken rib, what did you expect it to be?”

“Mrs. Calaway…”

“No, get out. I don’t like you or your stupid nurse that won’t stop ogling my husband!” Alice growled, not amused, and waved him off dismissively. “I’ll wait to see the other doctor, the one who’s been dealing with me from the beginning, tomorrow. Get the hell out.”

Glenn sighed when the doctor and nurse left, shaking her backside in Mark’s direction on her way out. “That bitch is lucky Alice can’t get out of that bed right now or she’d be toast.”

“Damn right – fuck them.”

“She’s fat, no thanks. Glenn?”

Glenn promptly hit the morphine button again, laughing at the look on Alice’s face. “Woman, you don’t get to go home with this shit, you’re not going to be addicted. Besides, your husband has a favorite pain medication.”

“Vicodin.” Mark didn’t even bother hiding that, though he had also stopped popping them like candy after she had come into his life. “You’ll be fine darlin’, take the morphine while you’re here. Resting helps you heal faster.”

“Mark…” Alice knew about his pain pill addiction and noticed he’d tapered off of them greatly ever since they started dating, even more so after getting married. He wanted to be alive and with her for a long time to come. “Okay.” She whispered, feeling the morphine kick in and closed her eyes, clutching his hand gently. “I love you…” It was the last thing she said before the darkness overtook her again, the morphine doing its job to put her to sleep so she could heal faster.

“Vince and the Board better fire that asshole for doing this to these women.”

Glenn had gone to check on Trish and Lita, both appreciating it. He did it more for Alice, but also his wife since she was concerned for them. They were all friends, in a tight-knit, very strange group.

“You know, I think we should start druggin’ our wives whenever we want some silence.” Mark yawned, moving down to their spot at the end of the bed and resumed their card game. “When ya leaving?”

“In an hour.” Glenn rumbled, eyeing his cards. “You can nap then. I’m going home to give my wife a break.”

“You could sneak her some morphine.”

“She’s breastfeeding, she’d kill me.” HIS breasts weren’t being rented out to his son. “I’m telling you now, if you decide to have kids, you best be ready to give up a lot of shit.”

“Such as?”

Glenn considered it, folding on the river. “Her body, basically.”

Pregnancy was not in the cards until her career was over and she was completely out of the company. The next morning, Alice woke up in more pain than she’d ever been in and couldn’t believe it all stemmed from one broken rib. She’d been brutally raped and that didn’t hurt nearly as much as this. It was hard to breathe, and Mark pressed the morphine button to give her some relief. He canceled his appearance at the house show and stayed by her side, which she was grateful for. Vince had his private jet waiting to fly them to Houston for her recovery and gave Mark the rest of the week off to be with his wife. He was livid over what transpired and assured Eric Bischoff would receive punishment. They wouldn’t fire him, but he wasn’t allowed to attack women anymore for no reason, or send his men out to do his dirty work.

Wednesday morning, Alice was finally released from the hospital and she was relieved, being helped onto the private jet. It wouldn’t be comfortable for her to sit upright, but hopefully the ride wasn’t that long and then she’d be at home in their comfortable bed. Vince McMahon was on Mark’s hit list again. Allowing that piece of shit to remain on, after he had purposefully injured these women to punish them, was not all right in his books. He had thought they would be past all the chaos after everything that had happened in the Alliance days. Those bastards had punished their women too, Alice and Stacy immediately came to mind. Mark was starting to think this was a WCW issue and Vince had brought that cancer into THEIR company.

“I got your script.” He informed her, patting his bag.

He had that filled before she was released from the hospital, a broken rib wasn’t something to mess around with pain wise. Everything one did pulled at that area. Most people didn’t even realize how involved their muscles were until they broke something or pulled something. Ribs sucked.

“Thank you.” Alice murmured, wearing a long sleeved white hooded sweatshirt and black lounge pants, refusing to dress up.

She would be as comfortable as possible, not giving a damn about her appearance. Makeup free face, hair pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head and a blanket with a pillow. Private jets were a beautiful thing because, after the seatbelt sign went off, Alice removed it and reclined back since the seats were recliners, leather with plush. It was extremely comfortable and the Vicodin she’d taken, with Mark’s encouragement, was also working wonders on her battered body.

“I shouldn’t have mouthed off to him. He said hot lesbian action and I…I used you, Mark. I used you as a way to get out of it by telling him I was your wife. So he knew I was your wife prior to sending those fuckheads out to attack us.”

“And he STILL sent you out?” Mark knew his reputation was widespread throughout this business, he had established it well. Not all of it was good, his younger days for example, but the fact that Eric knew she was married to him and still thought it was alright to punish her… Mark should’ve beat that bastard harder. “No, you shouldn’t have mouthed off to him, Alice.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead as he settled in beside her. “I know you hate being forced into those roles, but you tend to let your mouth run away with you.” As much as he loved it, in this business, she was still a rookie and a woman, so using him as a means to an end was not going to sit well with too many people, he’d imagine. “I’m still gonna beat his ass again.”

“Thanks for making me feel even worse than I already do. I don’t give a damn about your character or your career, Mark. You’re my husband and I wasn’t gonna go out on national television and kiss other women. Not happening.”

Alice was not in the mood for this, rolling her eyes and leaned her head back to close her eyes. Eric Bischoff could go to hell for all she cared. He was the one who brought her into this business, after giving broken promises and then told the McMahon brats about her past as a stripper.

“And just so you know, I’m putting my transfer into Smackdown! as soon as possible because I refuse to work for a lowdown piece of shit like him. And if Vince doesn’t like it, I’ll quit and break my contract. I won’t be abused again like I was in the Alliance. I’ll take the whole damn WWF, WWE, whatever you wanna call it and shove it up his ass.”

Never again would she be victimized by this company that had already done so much to her. Granted, she had found the love of her life, but at the same time, more bad things happened to her than good. Mark was the only good to come out of it besides being the WWE Women’s champion. Even so, she would give up the title in a heartbeat, along with her career, if it meant never having to work for Bischoff again.

“Darlin’, that wasn’t what I meant.” Mark said patiently, at this point more than a little used to her mouth overriding her ass. Which was now why she was on her way home with broken ribs, the woman just didn’t learn. “Or not how I meant it. You shouldn’t have run off at the mouth to him, you know firsthand he’s a scumbag. You should’ve waited and been patient, come to me. Or to someone over Eric’s head. It could’ve been handled quietly, without him losing face.”

Same with Shane when she had lipped off to him and then turned her back on the Alliance. Alice humiliated these men, and they punished her for it. Austin also came to mind. The point here was she shouldn’t have had to defend herself against all these assholes. Shane, Dallas, Stephanie, Austin, Eric…the list was endless! Alice was never one to hold her tongue, she’d been quiet in WCW for the most part, but when someone crossed her, she retaliated. She didn’t care if they were humiliated, it served them right for being dicks in the first place! Austin had manhandled her, Dallas had raped her with Shane and Stephanie videotaping it, Shane had also put his hands on her and now Eric had sent his posse out to teach her a lesson. Fuck these men – all of them could burn in the fiery pits of hell for all she cared!

“So in other words, you want me to be a pussy and not defend or stand up for myself and instead go to you or someone higher up, so they can fight my battles? Fuck. That.” Lita and Trish would feel the same way, she knew it because women in this sport were stomped on and abused unless they fought back.

“Darlin’, it is one thing to stand up for yourself, it is another to humiliate your boss and then throw up your husband’s name.” He remarked unwearyingly. “Why is it so hard for you to come to me, but not threaten people with the fact that we’re married?” Mark didn’t see much of a difference other than one way ensured she wouldn’t get her ass handed to her on a silver platter. Either way, he’d have to bust heads, he just preferred her not to be busted either.

“Because you’ve done enough for me! You’ve been saving my ass since the day we met…for the most part.” Alice sounded frustrated, burying her head in her hands and gripped her hair tightly. “I just…I figured I could handle myself and dropping your name would scare him off. It didn’t. I was wrong. I’m an idiot. Whatever.” A broken rib, bruises, and contusions all over her midsection and arms is what resulted in her sticking up for herself. “It shouldn’t be like this. We shouldn’t have to…stick up for ourselves and defend ourselves in a workplace.” She never had to put up with anything like this while stripping, surprisingly.

“No, you shouldn’t.” On that they were in agreement.

Alice and the other women shouldn’t have to worry about physical or sexual abuse. They shouldn’t have to bust their backsides 5 times as hard for a career that was 10 times shorter and nowhere near the pay. This was an unfair business to women and it wouldn’t change anytime soon, not if they were going to keep taking backwards steps like this.

Chapter 108

After arriving home and sleeping 12 hours straight, Alice finally woke up and felt like a truck ran her over. She gingerly walked into the master bathroom in their bedroom to survey the damage, slowly and carefully lifting the loose tank top she had on. Her abdomen and torso were heavily bruised, the colors a mixture of blue, purple, brown and black. Her biceps were also the same color, but thanks to Mark’s salve, the bruising was fading. It also helped with the swelling. Too bad it didn’t work for broken ribs, she thought bitterly, glancing at the shower and then at her reflection. Mark was out on the property doing something, more than likely, because she’d woken up alone.

Slowly walking out of the bathroom, Alice padded downstairs to get something to eat and had to take the stairs carefully, wincing with each step, gripping the staircase until she was on the ground floor. With how soundly Alice had been sleeping, Mark had figured she wouldn’t wake up for a while. Being tired, in pain, medicated so much in these last few hours… some solid sleep was in order. He had indeed gone out, bright and early, to survey their property line, making mental notes for the fence he would have installed. Mark came in, wearing a hat to shade his head and spotted her just coming down the stairs, frowning as he headed over to help her.

“Figured you’d be asleep another hour or so, darlin’.” He said, sounding apologetic.

“I’m okay…and it’s been at least 12 hours. I’m hungry.” Alice smiled up at him in a half-smile, allowing him to help her to the kitchen and stopped him from walking away. “I love you.” She hadn’t said it in a while, even while medicated heavily and that bothered her. Mark and Alice didn’t go without saying those words for more than a couple hours at a time and here it’d been nearly 2 days since she’d said it. “I’m sorry for what I did…for putting myself in danger again and mouthing off to Bischoff.” He helped her to the kitchen table and Alice sat down, watching him begin the process of making her something to eat. Just a sandwich and chips were good enough for her.

“I love you too, darlin’.” He wasn’t in the mood for a simple sandwich, Mark wanted a sub. He was starving, so he set everything out, including the big loaves of French bread he had made their housekeeper stock when they were coming home. “I was thinking about what we talked about on the jet. You are right, you shouldn’t have… to bend over and take it.” He already knew she wouldn’t be able to eat even half of it. After all that morphine… he should probably make her soup or something. “But you know Bitchoff,” Mark would not use that man’s name because he was a bitch. “And he’s a bastard. I want you to do what you think is right darlin’, but… you gotta be smart about it too. Don’t go puttin’ yourself in harm’s way.” Because that was her pride talking when she just shot off the way she did. And sadly, pride and women in this business didn’t go together very well. “You really going to Smackdown!?”

“No.”

Alice heaved a sigh, shaking her head and looked at her cell phone, knowing her husband was just concerned about her wellbeing. He was right in his own way and she was right in hers. She hadn’t had a chance to check her phone until now. Her jaw DROPPED, reading the text messages from Torrie and Stacy, looking up at Mark wide eyed. Was this possible? Could this really be happening? Mark demanded to know what was going on and all she could do was hand her phone over to him, in too much shock to speak.

“Oh my god…”

Stephanie McMahon is the Smackdown! GM!! What the FUCK?!

STEPHANIE IS THE NEW SMACKDOWN! GM!! HOLY SHIT!!

What the actual fuck was going on in this company?!

“Gross.” Mark grunted after a moment, passing the cell back over to her and returned to making their food, trying not to think about that one.

Stephanie McMahon was back, in a management capacity, because that had ended SO well the last time. Snorting, he shook his head and glanced over his shoulder. There was no way his wife would be making that transfer now, the last thing she needed was dealing with that evil whore.

Stephanie had major plans, however, when it came to the Calaway’s. She had accepted the fact Mark and Alice were married, she was divorced, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have Mark to herself still. She just had to plan everything exactly right and the first step was befriending Alice, gaining her trust. After what happened with Bischoff, that wouldn’t be a problem. After all, people wanted to deal with devils they KNEW instead of devils they didn’t. Smirking wickedly, Stephanie would give it a couple weeks and then she would make her move to invite both Calaway’s onto her show – Smackdown!.

If either Mark or Alice had known what Stephanie would be up to in the weeks to come, they probably would have just killed her and buried her out in the backyard. They had lots of property and plenty of space to do it. Bischoff could be reasoned with and the man was a coward deep down. However, Stephanie McMahon was insanity and evil wrapped up in a slutty little package.

Mark was wrong; there was no reasoning with Bischoff. When the man made his mind up, there was no changing it, not unless he was forced. He would try to force hot lesbian action on all the Divas, even though Alice, Trish and Lita could sue the company for unnecessary roughness. They could prove it with the scripts since it was NOWHERE in their scripts stating they were to be beaten down by two monsters.

“Thank you.” Alice murmured, taking a bite out of the sandwich, and groaned at the taste, not lifting her hands too high or else it would twinge her broken rib, which was only slightly throbbing at the moment.

Something was obviously on her mind, but with the cloudy look on her face, Mark didn’t bother asking. Stephanie McMahon as the GM of Smackdown, Eric Bitchoff as the GM of RAW; either show and she was screwed. He’d stick with RAW, he could beat Eric’s ass again, if the man stepped out of line. Not to mention, Eric wasn’t out to jump on his dick.

~!~

Alice was home alone. Mark had to go back on the road for Raw and it was Monday morning when he finally left. He promised to call at least once a day to check in and if she needed anything, Derrick was just a phone call away. Alice assured him she would be fine, kissed him goodbye and sent him on his way. He refused to let her drive to the airport because of her broken rib. The doctor told her not to drive until she was mostly healed. After a light lunch and sitting outside in the crisp 70 degree weather, reading a book, Alice made her way back inside when her cell phone rang. The number was unrecognizable, but something told Alice to answer it, so she did.

“Hello?”

“Hello Alice.”

Paling, Alice immediately hung on the person and walked back inside the house somewhat hastily, locking the door behind her. How the HELL did her foster mother get her cell number?!

Stephanie simply loved mind games.

She also knew she would have to be careful, cautious, because while other people thought Alice was paranoid, Stephanie knew that Alice wasn’t. Alice had every right to be suspicious of events that happened to her after what went down with Page because Stephanie kept her hands in that whore’s life, playing puppet master and pulling strings. Paul had divorced her, and she didn’t care, it just made things easier for her. She no longer had to worry about people trying to blackmail her with him, like those tapes the whore had shipped to him via Linda, her own mother. Well, two could definitely play that game, especially since poor Alice would be all alone. Poor Mark… alone, and on the road without his whore… however would he manage?

Paranoid, not stupid, Alice had asked Mark if he would room with Glenn since she couldn’t be on the road with him right now. It was for his safety, not that Mark needed to know that. Mark had agreed without argument and that was that. Glenn would keep an eye on him and make sure nothing went awry. The temptation on the road was greatly increased whenever the wrestlers traveled without their loved ones. Alice trusted Mark wholeheartedly, but she did NOT trust the people they worked with besides their close-knit group. Nobody else.

Stephanie was pissed to show up at Raw, staying in the same hotel room as them, and discovered Mark was rooming with Glenn Jacobs. He wasn’t by himself like she’d originally thought. That would not work well with the plans she had in mind for him. Oh well, there was always plan B and she smirked wickedly, checking out of her room to head to Smackdown’s location the following night. Patience was a virtue and she would get her opportunity; it would have to be before Alice came back on the road or else she would have to befriend that whore.

“Someone gave my cell number out to my fucking foster mother and I’m getting it changed immediately.” Alice was on the phone with Mark later that night, unable to go to sleep because she couldn’t get the call out of her head. “I haven’t spoken to her in over 15 years. And I hung up before she could say anything else.” She did NOT want to associate with those bible thumping assholes at all.

Mark’s head was a bit… woozy, from a bump he had taken, but even through all that, he understood and… that was jacked up. “Your foster mother?” He echoed dumbly.

When Alice had asked him to room with Glenn, it was easy enough to agree because… that’s what they did. Well, unless he had other plans, but Mark was married again. This time, he had no intentions of straying. Not to mention, Teresa felt better when Glenn stayed with another married man. Women didn’t trust other women, or their husbands, sometimes in this line of work. Mark didn’t blame anyone for that.

“Why would she pop up out of the blue after… did you say 15 years?”

“Yeah…15 years of no contact and now suddenly, out of nowhere, she calls me. Something isn’t right.”

Alice didn’t care if Mark thought she was being paranoid again. How the hell did her foster mother gain access to her cell phone number? Only a handful of people had it and cell phone numbers weren’t listed. This rattled Alice because that meant someone close to them had given her number to her foster mother. Not okay at all.

“You don’t sound like yourself. I know you took a chair shot to the head, are you okay?”

She had watched her husband and cringed when it happened, though it hadn’t busted him open. On this one, they were in agreement because a woman calling up out of the blue, having found that cell number…something wasn’t right at all. Cell phones were not listed and, after Dallas got his hands on her number, Alice had become paranoid about people getting her number and he didn’t blame her one bit.

“Yeah, just a bit… woozy. Don’t you worry about me none, Glenn’s gonna baby me.” Since coming back from seeing his son, Glenn had been… weird. Having babies apparently did that. “You going to be okay out there by yourself? Teresa could always bring the baby out to keep you company.”

That was a tempting thought, but Alice didn’t want to impose on Teresa. She was still getting used to being a new mom and it wouldn’t be right to bother her. As much as she didn’t want to be alone right now, Alice would have to suck it up and deal with it, deciding to keep all windows and doors locked at all times until Mark came home. Then they could open the house up if he wanted, though she doubted it since it was STIFLING outside, being the middle of summer and all.

“No, I’ll be fine.” Partial truth. “I miss you.” She didn’t want to talk about her foster mother or anything regarding her past anymore, leaning back against the couch with the television muted. “At least I can see you on TV.”

“Hey, if I ever figure out how these laptop things work, we could do that.”

Glenn had invested in one and even put in Internet out at that cabin. That had apparently cost him a pretty penny because of its location and everything involved in running lines out that way. So, Glenn was able to use the webcam to see his wife and baby, it was… neat, actually.

“Course, we’d have to find out if they’re able to put that Internet thing out there.”

“If I can see you other than on television as the Undertaker, I’d really like that.” Alice admitted, standing to go to the kitchen to grab a snack.

She had the munchies for some reason and decided on a pint of ice cream, pulling out the chocolate almond one. When she retired from wrestling, this would be their life, she realized, with a heartbreaking realization. Granted, Mark had a limited schedule these days, but he was still on the road more than at home. Alice didn’t want to have to raise a child or children by herself, but knew that would probably happen until he decided to retire.

“For now though, hearing your voice will have to be enough.”

“We can always try phone sex.” Mark laughed, flipping Glenn off when he began shaking his head and pulling disgusted faces. “Go away man, I’m on the phone.” He waited until Glenn had disappeared into the bathroom before exhaling. “Well, we could… if I didn’t have him around.” Maybe sharing a room was a bad idea. “I’ll call tomorrow and see what’s all needed and how much it’ll cost to run that Internet shit out there. You takin’ it easy, Red?” He doubted it.

“Just get a suite with Glenn so you have your own room and I’ll be more than happy to phone sex with you, but I don’t want you traveling alone. And yes, I’m taking it easy. I’m also bored out of my damn mind, Deadman.” Alice muttered that last part good-naturedly, wincing when a twinge of pain shot through her abdomen, reminding her of the reason why she was off the road currently. “For instance, right now, I’m sitting on the couch in front of the television and fireplace eating a pint of ice cream and have a movie paused. I’m in comfy pajamas too.”

“Paranoid someone might sneak in with me?” Mark teased, knowing her concern was other women, such as Sluttany McMahon, and his former bad habits and bottled blondes. Not that he blamed her, it was a fact of life when on the road. “A pint of ice cream, woman? What kind?” Ice cream sounded delicious, off her body, and he groaned, rolling his eyes heavenward.

She smirked at his groan, taking another bite teasingly and moaned into the phone at how good it tasted. “Chocolate almond…it’s delicious.” She purred that last word, giggling at another groan and wished he were here now to share this pint with him.

She would’ve allowed him to spread it all over her body and lick her from head to toe. Would Alice ever tire of having sex with Mark? Probably not…he was too damn good in bed and knew exactly how to use the equipment he was blessed with.

“Hey, I’m on temporary vacation, so I can splurge and eat some fattening, calorie-filled snacks.”

Considering Mark had never known Alice not to be working, or training, or… whatever, he had to wonder just how good her metabolism was. She had been a stripper, then she had trained, now she was a wrestler… workouts, sex with him, which was like a marathon if he were being honest, smirking at the thought. He was mildly curious how this would work with her being unable to do anything except sit on her backside relaxing. He’d never voice those thoughts aloud however, he liked living.

“Maybe I’ll get my own, darlin’.”

“You should. Indulge yourself once in a while, hubs.”

Alice grinned, feeling marginally better now that she spoke to the love of her life and tried not to think about that phone call from her foster mother. No…she wasn’t even a mother – a mother didn’t allow their child, blood or not, to be victimized and abused by her husband. When he said he was going to get some and crash, Alice laughed, not surprised since she’d put the thought into his head.

“I love you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Be safe.” They hung up and Alice finished her ice cream, half the pint, before curling up on the couch with the movie she had on.

“How’d it go?”

“She’s eating all the good ice cream.”

“Well ain’t she lucky. None for you, you’ve put ON weight.”

Probably, fast food was horrible, and Mark ate a lot in one sitting. Sighing, Mark dropped back onto his bed and folded his hands under his head. These next few weeks were going to suck, reduced schedule or not.

Chapter 109

That same number called her a few weeks later, 3 to be exact, and she still had another 3 to go before she could return to the road with Mark. It had been difficult being away from him for long periods of time. Alice found she couldn’t sleep by herself anymore and only dozed every so often. Her paranoia had decreased somewhat…until this damn phone call. It was her foster mother and this time, she begged Alice to hear what she had to say.

“I don’t care what you have to say, Margaret…”

“You will when you hear what I have to tell you, Alice.” Margaret looked over at her sick husband lying in bed and back out the window, blinking tears back. She didn’t bother telling Alice about Trevor’s condition because she wouldn’t care, not that she blamed the girl. “We’ve seen you on television working for the WWE.” Her youngest was a huge wrestling fan along with the other foster children they currently housed. “We also know about your endeavor in WCW…and I’m finally ready to tell you the truth about it.”

“What truth? What are you talking about? I haven’t heard from you in 15 years and suddenly you’re…”

“Eric Bischoff is the one who offered you that job with WCW, correct?” Margaret interrupted smoothly.

Now Alice was really confused; how did they know that? “Yeah…”

“My darling, you may not realize it, but Trevor and I have always loved you. I know we haven’t shown it, but…when we found out what you were doing, once you emancipated yourself…we couldn’t let it stand. God would not let it stand and sent us an angel. Eric Bischoff, that is.”

Alice felt like gagging, rubbing her temples, and tried to make sense of what she was being told. “Wait…you guys knew Bischoff?”

“Yes. Who do you think sent Eric directly to you? We knew everything you did, Alice, and who you worked for…your employer was less than desirable to converse with, but nonetheless, we…asked Eric Bischoff to help us. You see, Trevor and he knew each other from their childhood days. They went to school together, you see. So Trevor called Eric and asked him for a favor because he didn’t want you in that disgusting form of work anymore. Neither did I. How else did you think Eric ‘discovered’ you, hmm? It was all us, my darling.”

Alice did not know how to think or feel…she couldn’t speak, her vocal cords refusing to work. “Y-You sent Eric Bischoff…” She had to sit down, feeling her legs growing weak and sank down on the nearby chair before her backside hit the kitchen floor. “I-I don’t understand…” Stripping made her happy and they had ripped it away from her by sending that jerk to her work, propositioning her and she’d taken the job due to the income increase. She was also young, stupid, and naïve, not realizing what signing with WCW meant for her. “So this was all because of you…everything that’s happened to me…”

“Yes. We love you so much and wanted what was best for you, whether you realized it or not. Of course, we had to pay Eric a pretty penny to offer you that job…so now, maybe you can return the favor and help us out after what we’ve done for you.” Margaret hated asking her foster daughter for help, but they were running low on options and on the verge of losing their foster home and license due to Trevor’s illness. “You owe us, Alice.”

The job change, Diamond Dallas Page becoming obsessed with her, the Alliance, the rape…all of it stemmed from her foster family getting involved in her personal life. They had set her on a road of destruction, one she didn’t know if she’d survive. The only GOOD thing that came out of what they’d done was finding Mark and marrying him. And these people actually CONDONED doing this and now, they were asking for her help financially?! After dropping this huge bomb on her?

“Go burn in the eight circles of hell along with your wretched husband, you cold-hearted bitch!” Alice shouted, hanging up and immediately called her cell phone company to change her number.

Then she blocked the number Margaret called her from and called Mark, leaving a voicemail about her number being changed.

~!~

She had changed her cell number… Mark replayed the message, this time on speaker for Glenn to hear, frowning. “What the fuck is going on out there?” He rumbled, running a hand down his face. Alice had a horrible habit of not always telling him everything. He got it, she wanted to wear her big girl panties and fight her own battles, he respected that. However, he didn’t appreciate the greys, sighing. “When’s my next day off?”

“I don’t know, I’m not your secretary.” Glenn’s was in a few days, he imagined Mark would be along the same line. “Going to go check in?”

“Yeah, I’m going to have to.”

~!~

It was late Tuesday night when the front door opened, and Alice was sleeping on the couch, the television on. She had her own little setup with blankets and pillows, not able to sleep in the big king-sized bed without Mark. Her first night there, she tried and found she couldn’t, immediately moving downstairs in front of the fireplace and television. Everything was cleaned up, not a speck of dirty dishes or garbage anywhere. Just a glass of water on a coaster on the coffee table. Her fiery red black streaked hair fanned all around her on the pillow and she had on a comfortable nightgown.

The moment a pair of warm lips met hers, Alice instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned in his mouth, quickly awakening. She knew these lips anywhere; it was her husband and he wasn’t supposed to be home until the following morning sometime. They hadn’t made love in over 3 weeks because of her broken rib and Alice ached for him, needing him more than the oxygen in her lungs right now. Given the way she was responding to his kiss, Mark surmised Alice was having sex issues. Not surprising, they had never gone this long without it during their relationships. He had been having private shower time on the road, not about to fall to temptation because there were just too many whores out there who would kill for bragging rights in regard to jumping the Undertaker’s dick. Chuckling, Mark gently lifted her from the couch, mindful of her still healing rib. Broken ribs took anywhere from 4-6 weeks to heal, he was patient.

“Upstairs, darlin’.”

He had gathered from her little nest she hadn’t been sleeping in their bed and carried her up the stairs. Now that he was home, she would sleep in their king-sized bed tonight. Desire for him coursed through her veins as Mark set her on the bed, her eyes watching his every move. The way he removed his top and jeans, showing her that beautiful toned backside of his before covering it up in pajama bottoms. Alice frowned, figuring he’d want to make love to her after not being together for so long. Or maybe he wanted to play hard to get. Either way, she pulled him against her, sitting on her knees and softly kissed him, caressing his chest with her hands, lightly gliding her nails down his chest.

“I’m fine.” She whispered, feeling his hesitation, and sighed when he shook his head at her firmly. “You’re seriously benching me from having sex with my husband?” This was a really bad week and it looked like it was going to get worse.

“Darlin’, take it from someone who has been there, broken ribs ain’t nothin’ to mess around with.” He countered gently, untangling her from him and moved to lay down, gently pulling at her to join him. “Alice, you’re still healin’. I’m not about to set you back.”

Mark wasn’t about to be guilt tripped, raged, or coaxed either. She had done that on their wedding night and he had felt like a bastard afterwards. If Alice would’ve known how Mark felt about their wedding night, she would’ve slapped him so hard, his ancestors would’ve felt it. It was HER decision, her choice, to have him do the second anal sex bout and Mark hadn’t complained at the time. Luckily, she had no idea what he was thinking and simply lay there against him, feeling murderous toward Eric Bischoff and her foster parents.

“Well, since we’re not fucking, I need to tell you something. I found out why my foster assholes contacted me after all this time.” She had sat up, not wincing, or flinching because there was no more pain in her side and the bruises were all gone. “Turns out, Eric Bischoff knows them…or rather, Eric and Trevor, my foster father, know each other from their childhood. They called Eric for a favor, to get me out of stripping because they didn’t deem it a fit career.” Gritting her teeth, Alice had to get out of bed and clenched her fists at her sides, the anger welling up inside her all over again. “They dictated my fucking life, and I didn’t know about it. They paid Eric to offer me the job with WCW and I took it because of the rise in pay and benefits. Had I known my foster fucks were involved, I NEVER would’ve taken that job. I never would’ve been in WCW, I never would’ve caught Dallas’s eye and I never would’ve been in the Alliance and raped by him! All of this, everything that’s happened to me since I took Eric’s offer, is because of THEM. They fucking interfered in my life because it was God’s will. I want to kill them all, Mark. I want them all to fucking BURN, including the fucking state for sending me to those fucks in the first place!” Normally, with her being this angry, Alice would’ve vented in the gym for several hours, but that wasn’t an option because of her injury.

Mark’s eyes got wider and wider throughout her recounting of those phone calls and her conversation with her very messed in the head foster mother. God’s will… what a joke. He didn’t blame Alice for being pissed, though a very small part of him was offering up the fact she wouldn’t have met him either, if not for those evil people. Probably not a good thing, their relationship had cost her a lot. Sighing, he moved up until he was sitting as well, reaching out to brush aside her hair, taking in the rage her steely greys were emanating.

“Why is she telling you all this now?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t on the phone long enough to ask her questions. I just hung up after telling her to burn in all eight circles of hell.” Margaret and the rest of the family were huge religious fanatics, so they would take that to heart and probably never call her again. “The only thing I can think of is Eric. He probably called them bitching about how I spoke to him and whatnot. Wouldn’t surprise me, the petty fuck.” The connection between him and Trevor made perfect sense along with the job offer. Eric had lied to her about the reasoning. “The only great thing that’s happened to me through all of this is you, Mark. And I know this sounds crazy, but…I don’t regret anything I’ve been through because it lead me to you and us getting married, even though I kinda forced you into it.” She cracked a smile at that, taking both of his hands. “I love you.”

“I’m the goddamn Undertaker, nobody forces me into shit.” Mark boasted, letting arrogance seep into his tone before shrugging. “Well, maybe a little.” He added, grinning when she rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “I love you too darlin’. I know you want to fight your own battles, but say the word and I’ll straighten Bitchoff out for you.” He might anyway, just because he was tired of that little prick.

“Mmm my strong protector…my knight in shining leather.” Alice draped her arms around his neck since he was seated on the bed and didn’t straddle him, remaining on her feet. “Do you have any idea how badly I want you to fuck me right now? I want your dick so badly, I can practically taste it.” Then she had a thought, a wicked smile curving her lips and shoved him gently but firmly to lean back on his elbows. “That’s a hell of an idea. I can blow you. It won’t jostle my abdomen or injury any…and I need my protein shake, Deadman.” There was no way he’d deny this, she could already see his cock rising to the occasion and slid her hand down the front of his pants, stroking him. “Let me taste my gorgeous husband…” Foreplay with him receiving the pleasure would have to do until she was 100% healed.

“Alice, no…” He groaned, hating them both at the moment. Him for his inability to say ‘no’ to his wife and her for her inability to stop pissing people in power off, which is why they were both having issues. “Woman, stop.” Mark pulled a pillow over his crotch, shielding his erection from her. “I’m not here to be taken care of, I came to take care of you.” She was a nympho, something he appreciated, most of the time. “You’re not pregnant, are you?” He asked, cocking a brow when that stopped her. Alice had gone from livid and murderous to blowjobs. That was pretty hot actually.

“P-Pregnant?” Alice raised a very slow brow at him and started laughing, knowing it wasn’t a funny subject, but she couldn’t help it. “Sweetheart, if I was pregnant, do you really think I’d be able to keep the baby after being splashed, from the top rope, by a 300+ man?” Men did NOT understand a woman’s body at all. Now she was standing up, folding her arms in front of her chest, and staring at him questioningly. “I don’t get it. You say we can’t have sex because of my injury, which I totally understand. Don’t like it, but understand. A blowjob does not work any part of my body other than my mouth and head, both of which are NOT injured. And you’re denying yourself a release of pleasure as well as me giving it to you? I don’t get you. You frazzle me and…I just don’t get it.” Holding her hands up in surrender, Alice stepped back and shook her head, hating the hurt flooding over her. “I’m not tired, so go to bed if you want. I’m going downstairs to watch a movie or something. Since that’s all I can really do right now.”

“Woman, you can watch a movie in here with me.” He negated, pointing a finger at the flat screen that was over their dresser and then pointed at the spot next to him. Erection gone. “I love you, Alice, but sometimes, I just don’t want sex and right now is one of them.”

Well, he did, but he didn’t. Alice couldn’t even enjoy it properly and he had just hauled himself across the country to be with her after that voicemail. He wanted to hold his woman, sleep off some jetlag.

“Come on, darlin’, I want to hold you in my arms.”

Chapter 110

“You are so full of shit! You don’t want a blowjob because you can’t reciprocate it with me due to my injury! Since when do you not want any kind of sex, be it foreplay or straight fucking? I know you pretty well, Mark Calaway.” Alice eyeballed him and finally slumped her shoulders, a soft smile spreading across her lips. “Alright fine…fine, I get it. You’re trying to be a gentleman – if I can’t have any, you can’t either mentality.”

She knew damn well he wanted sex, but with her injury, it wasn’t an option. Well it was, but according to him it was off limits. Crawling back into bed with him, Alice snuggled against his side with her head on his chest, not laying on her bad side. She draped a leg over his while Mark channel surfed until he came across a movie they both agreed on.

“I’m so glad you’re home. I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Red.” Mark dropped a kiss on her head, setting aside the remote. “And if the sexual tension gets unbearable, I’ll be nice and let you watch while I beat it.” He joked, squeezing her for a moment before reaching down to pull the sheet up over them, then stuck one foot out. It was a temperature regulation thing. “Being on the road ain’t the same without you.” For one, it was more Glenn and more eye rolling, that bastard was getting annoying lately.

“I bet not.” Alice giggled softly, feeling contentment wash over her.

Maybe Mark was right. They didn’t always have to have sex and tear into each other all the time. Alice had a very sexy husband and couldn’t help wanting to jump his bones every time she saw him. Hell, she had tapered off doing that since they kept things strictly professional between them at the arenas…or tried to anyway.

“I admit, this is nice just holding each other and watching a movie in our bed.” Alice looked up at him, smiling when he nodded and leaned up to brush her mouth against his before settling back down. “I’m just glad you’re home. It’s not the same here without you. I can’t sleep very well without you. We really are dependent on each other, aren’t we?”

It wasn’t the first time they had heard it; they’d been accused of that quite frequently. “Little bit.”

Codependency was probably not a good thing, but… it was what it was. Mark was starting to realize why he pulled back more often with her and it was somewhat amusing, maybe a little sexist. Alice was a very sexual, sensual creature, even with what had happened to her. She showed her affection and love with sex. She was also just horny as hell when it came to him and aggressive. It was the aggression that was catching up to him. That was supposed to be HIS job.

“I’m a pig, darlin’.” He enlightened her in a grunt.

“Why do you say that?” Listening to her husband’s explanation, voicing the thoughts in his head, Alice frowned deeply and sat up, staring down at him. “So you don’t like it when a woman makes the first move – when I make the first move?”

Mark felt like he had little to no control in the bedroom, even though she’d let him take her in every way possible. The bout in their rental truck, or outside of it, back in February, came to mind where he completely dominated her. Alice lowered her eyes, furrowing her brows together in thought.

“I don’t…mean to be aggressive or make the first move. I just…want you. You get my libido started with just a simple kiss, a simple touch, and I can’t get enough. I’ll try to…reign it back though and let you make the first move.”

Growing up the way she did, Alice had no idea how else to express her feelings and love for her husband other than sex. Sure, they said ‘I love you’ to each other all the time and had moments like now where they’d talk or simply watch a movie together. Not often, but sometimes.

“I’m sorry…”

“Whoa woman, slow your roll.”

He wanted to meet her foster family, just so he could terrorize them with her. Then he’d gladly help her set them all on fire, just so she could watch them burn as she had said earlier. She thought SHE was the problem and there really wasn’t one besides his own mental conditioning in that the man should be the aggressive one.

“I’m not saying it’s a problem, Alice, it just finally kicked me in the ass about why I get all weird about it. You were raised by idiots, and I was raised by traditionalists who think a woman is meek and mild and the man is the dominant one.” Mark had been that way in all his relationships, until her. “You are fresh air, and I had to stop and realize my damage. Don’t be sorry, don’t change.”

“I’m only aggressive when it comes to you…because I trust you and love you. I think my problem is…or maybe it’s not really a problem, but I think, since I’ve been in control of my life since I was 16, it’s hard to…relinquish that control. I feel like I HAVE to be in control of the situation…and I know that also stems from what Page did to me. And I need to work on that.” Alice didn’t speak much about the rape, knowing it only angered Mark, but sometimes it also helped. “I know that probably doesn’t make any sense…” Mark pressed a finger to her lips, having sat up with her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, assuring her it did. He understood where she was coming from. “I don’t want to be a married couple where one dominates the other. I want us to be equal in this marriage, in every way, even when we have kids. I don’t want them to think the man should dominate the woman or vice versa. I want to make our own traditions and our own beliefs.” She kissed him tenderly. “Just for the record, Deadman, I do love it when you dominate me in bed.”

“Of course you do, I fuck you like no one else ever has or ever will.” Those were HIS ribs she elbowed, but he was still grinning as he dropped another kiss on her lips. “We’ll sort it out, darlin’, this talkin’ thing helps.” They were able to communicate better after that meltdown at Glenn and Teresa’s cabin. Spending these past few weeks away from her had opened his eyes to some revelations about himself, such as his sexism in the bedroom.

“You’re such an ass. I love you anyway though.”

Alice grinned back at him, both of them settling back on the bed to cuddle and enjoy being with each other. The beautiful black diamond glittered on her finger, even in mostly darkness, besides the light coming from the television. Talking did help a lot and Alice vowed to do it more often, finding herself enjoying the communication her and Mark had. They may have gotten married too soon because they were still learning new things about each other, but that was the beauty of their relationship. It was unorthodoxed, but somehow worked.

If Mark had learned anything from his previous marriages and relationships, it was that he was not that good at talking with his women. Alice had taught him how to communicate and he was still learning how to do it in a way that wasn’t… well, didn’t make him come across as a dick. Fortunately for him, his redheaded, black streaked haired beauty was either extremely patient or blind to his faults. Just laying here, feeling Alice in his arms, that was actually… enough, for right now. It was nice, peaceful and he could feel his entire body finally relaxing properly.

“I love you too, Red.”

~!~

“Nice to be back on the road, isn’t it?”

Alice tensed while holding a bar with weights, doing her squats to rebuild the strength in her legs. “Yeah…” What the hell did Stephanie want now?

Stephanie ignored her cross voice, having a purpose for coming here and smiled, studying her nails. “Look, I know you don’t like me and the feeling is mutual. I’d be very happy if you left the WWE and never returned again, honestly. But be that as it may, I saw what happened to you on Raw 6 weeks ago. Even I had to cringe at Bischoff’s hot lesbian action idea. Very degrading to the Divas…”

Dropping the bar, coated in sweat, Alice snatched the towel off the rack to dab her forehead with it and planted her hands on her hips. “Mind getting to the point, McMahon?” She was no longer married to Hunter and had dropped his name like a bad habit.

“Fine – fine.” Stephanie no longer had the high-pitch to her voice, having learned to lower it and use her actual voice when speaking to people. It came across more inviting, she discovered. “I know about your past with Eric. How he paid your foster family off to offer you the job with WCW and everything. You probably blame him for all that’s happened to you in this industry, am I right?”

Grey eyes narrowed. “How do you know about that?”

“The man told me everything when I contacted him back in the Alliance days.” Stephanie replied nonchalantly, shrugging. “I needed dirt on you…a lot of it, not that it mattered or worked.” She felt her blood boil every time she saw the C tattoo on the woman’s left ring finger. “I figured you’d rather deal with a devil you know than a devil you don’t. Eric is ruthless and will stop at nothing to make your life a living hell, Alice, far worse than Shane and I did in the Alliance.” Sending one of their best after Alice and raping her…videotaping it…yes, Eric would do far worse to her. “And he doesn’t give a damn who your husband is.”

“So in your roundabout, insane way, you’re asking me to join the Smackdown! roster…”

“With Mark.” Stephanie added, trying not to sound desperate and smiled again. “The choice is yours, but…like I said, do you really want to find out how far Eric will go to punish you for defying him?”

It was too damn early for this – 6 AM to be exact. “I’ll talk to Mark about it. I can’t promise anything more than that right now.”

“Terrific.” VICTORY, Stephanie screamed in her head, pulling out a card to hand it to Alice. “That’s my personal cell. Call me when you decide what you’re going to do.” She walked off to go find more talent to recruit and rubbed her hands together, wondering if Alice put two and two together yet regarding the phone call she’d received from her foster mother a few weeks ago.

~!~

“I’m sorry, say all that again?”

Mark yawned, agreeing it was way too early for this and the only reason he was climbing out of bed was the fact he smelled coffee. He had heard Alice’s words, but they weren’t actually penetrating. Either he was way too tired, or he had heard wrong. There was no way Stephanie McMahon had actually invited Alice to Smackdown!. There was no way that evil bitch was doing anything out of the kindness of her heart, or whatever it was she had in her chest. Frowning, he scratched his balls before bending down to retrieve the pajama bottoms he rarely used, sliding his long legs into them.

“Explain, darlin’, but use small words. I’m pretty sure I’m hearin’ wrong.” He poured himself a cup of coffee, turning to eye her.

It sounded surreal even to her ears as she reiterated the conversation she’d had with Stephanie to end her workout. Mark continued sipping his coffee, still eyeing her and the disbelief in his eyes was unmistakable. He did not believe Stephanie would make this offer simply out of the kindness of her heart and Alice didn’t think so either. She wasn’t completely naïve and would never forgive the whore for everything she’d done to both of them. Still, it was curious why she would make the offer to Alice and not Mark, the one man she really wanted, or did. Hell, Alice didn’t know anymore, but Stephanie was right about one thing – they knew how Stephanie’s mind worked and what she was capable of…they didn’t know what Eric would do if they stuck to the Raw brand.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…I think we should go to Smackdown!. At least there, we know who we’re dealing with. Eric is a mystery and he doesn’t care who is married to who. He hurt me regardless, even after finding out you were my husband, Mark. God knows what else he’s capable of…”

Mark groaned, slumping back in the chair he had parked in, staring at the ceiling. Way too early for this, his hearing was fine, it was the world that was out of sorts, apparently. “This is a devil you know VS a devil you don’t deal…”

He sighed, knowing this was a major catch .22. Stephanie had her raped… their house set on fire, was Eric really worse than that? COULD he be? Obviously, none of them cared who Alice was tied to, by marriage or not, and he inwardly weighed his options.

“You want to deal with Stephanie over him?” He asked finally, seeing the hesitation in her eyes before she nodded. “Fine. Fine, I’m on board, Red.”

“You know what that means, right?” Alice frowned, slowly walking over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, biting her bottom lip. “Glenn and Stacy…they’ll be left on Raw.” Torrie had been traded to Smackdown! during the draft. Lita and Trish had stayed on Raw and would continue doing so. “I’ll also have to find a new trainer…” Sighing, leaving Raw sounded like such a pain in the ass, but Alice couldn’t get the notion out of her head this was the right thing to do, the right move. “Unless you really think we should stay where we’re at?” Him and Glenn had already put violent hands on Eric and were fined heavily for it. “Maybe switching sides isn’t a good idea…”

“Darlin’, why don’t we get through this next RAW before we make a decision.” Mark suggested, taking another slow sip of his coffee.

He was more awake now, thinking about this satiation was not the wakeup he had wanted. But, there was nothing to be done about it, this was not just something they could decide upon right now, he knew that much. Not only were their careers impacted by a move like this, but so would their personal lives. Leaving behind their friends… well, maybe he and Glenn needed some space. Mark wasn’t sure how many more nights he would’ve been able to handle of Glenn having freak-outs over his wife and baby.

“Let’s see what Bitchoff does next, and we’ll think on this. I don’t think jumpin’ into bed with Stephanie right off the bat is a good idea.”

“I agree. I think we should wait and see what Eric does next.”

Alice felt relief course through her at his response to Stephanie’s offer, knowing he didn’t want anything to do with the Princess whore. Not after everything she’d put them through. Eric was still going on about the hot lesbian action and still had 3-Minute Warning doing his dirty work, but the women weren’t attacked anymore. Eric had brought in other women that were willing to do the hot lesbian action and left Lita, Trish, Alice and even Stacy alone, though she willingly volunteered to be in the hot lesbian action storyline. Alice didn’t understand that one, but she also knew Stacy didn’t want to be hurt any more than she already was from the Alliance days. Kissing his cheek, Alice poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down on the bed, crossing one leg over the other. She’d already showered, and Mark had joined her, but he hadn’t fully woken up until he ingested coffee.

“Thanks Deadman, I know this isn’t good wakeup conversation.”

Chapter 111

Mark wanted absolutely nothing to do with Stephanie McMahon. He would gladly beat the hell out of Eric Bischoff every night for the rest of his life or until the idiot got it through his head to mind his manners when it came to Alice. Stephanie… Mark was fairly certain if she were given half a chance, she’d find a way to drug him and then jump his cock. He shuddered at that, glad he hadn’t had anything in his mouth or he would’ve choked on it.

“Not a problem, darlin.” He grunted quietly, mulling this over. “What I’m having issues with, though, is she hates you… why extend the invite?” Unless Stephanie was actually being smart about business. Alice was becoming popular as hell, and not just for her remarkable… assets. Of course, she came with him, so bonus?

“I-I don’t know…”

Alice was having a hard time with that one as well. Her hatred for Stephanie was deep and she knew the feeling was more than mutual. The women couldn’t stand each other, but yet, Stephanie was extending the olive branch…to her. Not to Mark, just her. Of course, Stephanie knew wherever Alice went, Mark would go, so maybe that was her motive and way to get Mark to Smackdown!. If that were the case, no…they wouldn’t be going anywhere. Raw was where they belonged, even if it was ran by a dictator.

“Like you said, let’s just wait and see where all of this leads…”

Mark nodded, glad they were on the same page on this one. Jumping to Smackdown! was a major decision and, of course she could do it without him, if she wanted, though he did not see Alice doing that one. Their codependency issues would likely come into play. However, they both knew how vicious, how evil Stephanie was. Eric… was a cocksucker for her and Stephanie seemed to know way too much about him, which made Mark uncomfortable. He was content with pounding Eric’s head in if the man got too cocky. Draining his cup, Mark rose to his feet for a refill and planned on drinking it while getting around for the day.

“So, I was thinking after the show tonight, maybe we can go for a ride on your bike.”

They hadn’t done it since the night Mark was arrested after trying to bend her over for a romp. Mark kept a spare bike on the truck, having bought a few of them since they’re house was finished. 5, to be exact. Sure, they’d gone for rides in Houston occasionally, but not lately, not with her injury. Alice had gone 6 very long weeks without physicality with her husband besides being held and kissed. She wanted him completely, in all ways, and it’d been 6 weeks or longer since they’d last made love. Tonight was also her return to the ring; Alice was looking forward to it and hopefully no shenanigans would take place.

Mark glanced up from the jeans he was considering, giving her a slow onceover, and nodded. He hid a smile, dressing himself. It had been a very long 6 weeks and he knew she had gotten pissed with him several times for curbing potential lovemaking activities but, it was for a reason. It wasn’t like he hadn’t suffered as well; there were only so many times a grown man with a wife could jerk himself off.

“Sounds good, darlin’.”

He made a mental note to not try bending her over the bike, not about to repeat that again. Though… he could fulfil that particular fantasy at home since they lived on a private lot, in the middle of nowhere… Mark began grinning. After dressing in a pair of jeans, Alice and Mark made their way to a local diner for something to eat before heading to the arena for Raw. Eric didn’t exactly have the best catering food, so they always ate before attending a show. At least, that’s what Mark said, and Alice took his word to heart, especially when it came to food.

Walking into the arena, Alice was stopped by Stacy and instructed to head to Eric’s office. He had a surprise waiting for her. Mark decided to tag along, keeping his arm firmly wrapped around her shoulders and Alice was thankful for the comfort. The moment she opened the door to Eric’s office, Alice felt her stomach tighten and her body fill with insurmountable rage at the sight of her foster mother staring back at her.

“Hello again, Alice…”

Eric smiled warmly at Margaret, sitting behind his desk with his feet propped up on it. “I do believe you remember who this woman is, Alice…”

“Yeah I do…unfortunately.” What the HELL was Eric up to?

It did not take a rocket scientist to sort this puzzle together. Mark took in the foster parent, his upper lip curling into a sneer. He could FEEL how tense and pissed Alice was, tightening his hold on her just in case she decided to try killing this bitch. Not that he blamed Alice one bit, but he wasn’t about to see his wife go to prison.

“What the fuck are you playin’ at, boy?”

“Temper, temper… you really won’t be able to afford a second offense, Mark. Fees plus suspension…” Eric whistled, shaking his head.

He was the goddamn Undertaker and this little pissant was threatening to shelve him?

“What the fuck are you doing here, Margaret?”

“Eric thought it was high time we spoke again after all this time.” Margaret smiled over at her long lost friend, feeling him take her hand after walking around his desk. “I came to tell you about Trevor…your fa-”

“He wasn’t my father. My father died when I was a baby. Let me guess – he finally kicked the bucket? Good fucking riddance.” Alice snorted, not feeling the least bit guilty for what she just said and received a slap across the face from Margaret for her troubles. “Just like old times, old bitch…”

“You will respect me, or you-” Margaret had raised her hand to slap Alice a second time and immediately stepped back at the sight of the giant with her foster daughter. “Who is this, Eric?” She asked timidly.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you? Allow me to introduce you to MY husband then, Margaret. Most people know him in this company as the Undertaker, but I simply call him the Deadman or Mr. Calaway.”

“Oh sweet Jesus, you m-married…” Margaret fanned herself, frowning deeply at all the tattoos this giant sported and shook her head sadly. “He’s a Satanist!! You married a Satanist, Alice!!”

“No, that would be you and your dead husband.”

Eric frowned at how upset Margaret became and pulled her into his arms, stroking her back. “You WILL apologize to her or else what I did to you last time will be MILD compared to what I do to you tonight, MRS. CALAWAY.”

Alice gritted her teeth, flat out refusing to apologize for anything she said to this old hag and shook her head, tears burning her eyes. “She shouldn’t even be here!! She’s not in my life anymore and I don’t care about her dead husband!! Go back home where you belong, old hag!”

“You, or any one of your fuckin’ flunkies touch my wife, and I’ll show you and that old crone just how down with the devil I can be, Bitchoff.” Mark warned, eyes flashing with venom as he moved Alice to stand behind him. His lip curved wickedly as the woman, Margaret, began crying at his words. “You want to know Satan, sweetheart, because I can introduce you.”

“You’re going to push my buttons, you’re not unique. I can make another one of you.” Eric retorted swiftly with a snort. “Nobody is untouchable, not on MY show.”

“Try me. We were offered to go to Smackdown! and I think we’re gonna take that invitation from Stephanie McMahon.”

Alice shivered at the low dark baritone of her husband’s voice and didn’t dare touch him or try to step in front of him. He was angry and proved it by telling Bischoff they were going to Smackdown!.

Eric gaped, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. “WHAT?!”

Mark didn’t want to play this card, but now he had no choice, not when Bischoff was making this extremely personal with his wife. “You heard me. We were offered to go to Smackdown! and, if you keep screwing with us, we’re goin’. And if you think for a second fans won’t jump ship because of me, think again. There’s a reason I’m the cornerstone of this company and have been on top for the past decade and a half, you little piss ant. They call it a Decade of Destruction for a reason.”

If Alice wasn’t already in love with this man, she would’ve fallen head over heels by now and clutched his hand with a tentative smile. “And wherever my husband goes, I go and vice versa.”

Eric did NOT expect this, recalling how much Stephanie loathed Alice and had planned on using that to his advantage. Apparently, the McMahon Princess had other plans up her sleeve.

“Now Alice,” Margaret interjected, her tone both wavering and attempting to be reasonable, though she pointblank refused to look at or otherwise acknowledge this demon Alice claimed to be married to. Obviously, they hadn’t been hard enough on the girl, if she had run off to not only be a whore, but take up with cultists. “All you had to do was listen to me, darling.”

“Exactly. And instead, you did what I was warned about.” Eric nodded his head in agreement, running a hand through his hair. “Everyone warned me about you and your mouth. You just can’t help yourself, can you? Got to jump the gun, got to have the last say, got to threaten people with your… husband.” Eric was smart enough to back up when Mark got in his personal space. “Deny it, Calaway, go on. Tell me she doesn’t overrun that pretty little mouth of hers. You’re the locker room joke, not the leader. Everyone knows the second your wife puts her foot in her mouth, you’re right there to make sure everyone pretends it never happened.”

“No, I don’t put my foot in my mouth when I’m standing up for myself against assholes like you!” Alice refused to keep quiet, shaking from how much rage flowed through her currently and narrowed her eyes at Margaret. “I NEVER asked for you to interfere in my personal life, old hag. I never ONCE asked for your help or your wretched husband’s! There’s a reason why I was granted emancipation at age 16 and there’s a reason I fucking ran from your douchebags and became a stripper! Because I’d rather be a stripper and show everyone my body than under your goddamn bible thumping thumb! Fuck you and fuck you!” She pointed at each of them while saying those phrases, blinking as tears slid down her cheeks. “You have NO idea what you’ve done to me, what you caused me to feel and endure, because of your damn interference in my life!! I was happy where I was at and you had to send this jagoff into my life and ruin everything!! FUCK YOU, OLD HAG!” She shoved Margaret and then socked her in the mouth before Eric could push her back. “We’re going to Smackdown!, Bitchoff, bank on it! Good luck with the ratings now that the Undertaker and Alice are no longer on your show!”

“Get them out of here!! Escort them off the property!! This is my fucking building!! I don’t need them!! I-I don’t need the Underfaker!” Eric blinked when he was socked in the mouth next by the Phenom.

“You two are kinda stupid.” Glenn commented about… 15 minutes later, watching in the hallway as both Alice and Mark were handcuffed and then read their Miranda rights. They had punched an older woman and Eric, who had decided to be a total cocksucker and press charges, along with… the woman. Who the fuck was she? “Why would you punch people? Outside a ring?”

“You gonna bail us- OUCH- out or not?”

“…yes.”

“Mm, no, you’re not. You’re opening the show, so go get ready to do your job.”

“Eventually, I’ll bail you out eventually.” Glenn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Good rule of thumb though, let them hit first.”

“Noted.”

“Actually, Mr. Bischoff, these are my employees as of about an hour ago.”

Stephanie smiled serenely, walking up, and nodded at the officers, who removed the handcuffs from her employees. Mark and Alice had called her to talk about the deal, making a few changes to their contracts, which she agreed to, and the deal was done. They had a feeling Eric Bischoff would try something funky tonight and low and behold, they were correct.

“You can release MY employees. They acted out of defense and I have video footage to prove it.”

“WHAT?!”

“I told you we were going to Smackdown!. Didn’t believe us, did you?” Alice snorted, the cuffs removed from her wrists and smiled wickedly at her foster mother. “So I suggest you take yourself and that old hag and fuck with other people.”

So THIS was Margaret…and it looked as though she was rather cozy with Eric. How…interesting. “Come on now, I have a limousine waiting along with your luggage and everything to go to Smackdown!. Mark, you’ll be put in a triple threat match for the #1 Contendership for the Undisputed championship.” It was Smackdown!’s turn to go for the gold against her ex-husband and Stephanie knew Mark was itching to get back into title contingency.

“YOU CAN’T DO THIS!! ARREST THEM!! THEY ASSAULTED US!!”

“Now officer, I’m not an expert, but didn’t he put his hands on you just now?” Stephanie pointed out, watching Eric fist the police officer’s uniform with Margaret spouting off at the mouth under her breath. “I do believe she’s disrespecting you as well.”

“THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!! YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS, PRINCESS!!” Eric and Margaret were dragged off in handcuffs, instead of Mark and Alice, thanks to Stephanie McMahon! “GODDAMN IT NOT SO HARD!”

Waving three fingers at them, Alice blew a kiss at them before slipping inside the limousine with her husband and couldn’t help laughing. She had no idea what kind of footage Stephanie had on Eric and didn’t want to know. All she DID know was they were out of cuffs and Eric, along with the old hag, were on their way to the slammer.

Glenn had watched all that go down and said not a single word. He shifted, rotating on the spot as that limousine with Stephanie McMahon and the Calaway’s pulled out, cocking an eyebrow. Mark and Alice were being arrested by police officers, not security… and Stephanie had come waltzing in and managed to turn everything around with insinuations and ‘alleged’ footage. Now… he was no lawyer, no law expert, but even he knew actual, verifiable assault like his friends had committed versus what Stephanie had said would never hold up in a court of law. Stroking his chin, he ambled back inside, wondering what the game here was. He really hoped his friends knew what they were doing, getting into bed with that hell bitch.

Chapter 112

Money talked, and Stephanie was a McMahon, who had plenty of it to throw around in her favor. It was both an intimidating and amusing experience. They weren’t hopping into bed with the whore, but Alice also refused to let Eric get the best of her and ruin her career, everything she’d worked hard for would not go up in smoke because of him and her wretched foster mother. It was obvious they were sleeping together, and she had to wonder how long THAT had been going on. So much for being a faithful Catholic wife, Alice thought bitterly with a snort, rolling her eyes.

Margaret was no better than her and had proven it by showing up in Alice’s life again. Granted, not every single problem in the world revolved around her, but when it came to certain people, they gravitated towards her. Alice knew Margaret would try everything in her power to get her away from Mark, her Satanist husband, and the thought was laughable. The old hag could try, but it would be very difficult now that they were on Smackdown!, not Raw.

“I’m not saying thank you.”

Stephanie smirked, sitting on the opposite side of the limousine with a shrug. “Didn’t expect you to. Just continue doing what you’ve been doing, and all will be fine. I know there’s no current Women’s champion on the roster, but I’m hoping to change that soon.” Not likely, her father could be a stubborn old goat and only wanted the Women’s champion on Raw.

“Will do.”

After mulling things over with Mark in the hotel room, even after they agreed not to jump into bed with Stephanie, Alice pointed out the possibility of Eric using her past against her. Stephanie was their backup in case everything went awry, and Eric tried throwing his weight around with them. Mark had agreed…with a few stipulations put into place to ensure Stephanie could not screw with them if they moved to Smackdown!. and the Princess agreed amicably. Anything to stick it to Bischoff; apparently, her hatred for Eric overrode what she felt for Alice and that boded well in their favor.

Mark didn’t say a word. He let them chat and just stared out the window, letting his own temper simmer down. Being in this limousine, with that cunt, was making his skin crawl. She hadn’t even glanced his way, not once, but he still felt gross. The fact that Stephanie was backing them, giving them leeway in their contracts; he had to wonder if she really did hate Eric Bischoff that much or if this was just another really elaborate game of hers. There was way too much malarkey in this business anymore. Sighing, he wrapped his arm around Alice and pulled her into him.

Parting ways with Stephanie, Alice and Mark headed up to their room in a different hotel from the Smackdown! stars. Stephanie wanted this to be a complete surprise and instructed them not to leave the room until it was time to head to the arena. A limousine would be pulled outback of the hotel waiting for them to take them to the arena. She was pulling out all the stops, wanting the fans to be completely blown away at the sight of the Undertaker on her show.

Alice knew Stephanie didn’t give a flying fig about her, but since she was the Undertaker’s wife, she came with the package. So much for their ride under the stars after the show…Alice flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, heaving a sigh. Mark wasn’t happy about this situation, she could tell and decided to leave him alone until he was ready to talk about it. She hadn’t forced him into this decision, it was mutual, but she wasn’t happy about it either.

The one person who WAS happy with this situation was Stephanie McMahon. That had played out so much better than she had thought. She had sat back after that locker room incident, bided her time, worked out her game plan, and secured both allies and assets. Stephanie wouldn’t wind up the loser of another round with that stripper whore. Not happening. She would play this out; the one thing she had learned from this past year was patience. Stephanie had that aplenty and knew exactly how Mark and Alice both thought, how they worked and how codependent they were on each other. She wrinkled her nose at that, finding it disgusting. All it took was one of them to make a lifechanging decision and the other would fall in line, just like dominos.

~!~

“Fuck!” Alice cursed, wringing her hands nervously in front of her and looked at the door before the clock, frowning.

This was the longest 5 minutes of her life! How could this happen? Alice had no idea what to do about this and could only hope for a positive outcome. It’d been 2 months since she moved to Smackdown! with Mark from Raw and things had gone relatively smoothly. Mark cautioned her not to let her guard down, never when it came to Stephanie. The woman could never be trusted, even though she had been a great boss and General Manager. Maybe she valued her career and job more than getting in bed with Mark, which would be a blessing. Or perhaps the whore was biding her time to wait for the perfect moment to strike. Glancing at the clock, Alice took a deep shaky breath and pushed open the door, lifting the object in her hands.

It was a positive pregnancy test.

Alice was pregnant.

~!~

While his wife was back at the hotel, probably enjoying a hot bubble bath or one of those flicks she liked, Mark was stuck in a talent meeting down in the hotel’s conference room. Stephanie McMahon sat at the head of the long conference table, he and other stars parked with her. He hated these things and the fact she had started doing them again. Of course, it wasn’t a bad thing, not really, it was useful on most occasions and a great way for talent to be able to bounce ideas around, get feedback, be a part of processes, etc. He just didn’t like being anywhere near this bitch. He kept his sunglasses on, even inside, head tipped back against the head rest of the chair and closed his eyes, letting them drone on and on. Alice had been acting weird lately and he had asked her about it, but she had said ‘nothing’. They were both aware it was something, however, but what was it?

Stephanie could tell Mark was distracted and narrowed her eyes, not appreciating his silence. He was supposed to be a locker room leader and, yet, that whore wife of his always distracted him. Stephanie had tried on a few occasions to get Mark alone to ‘talk’ and work her magic, but something always stood in her way. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Alice so much as other Superstars, Divas, and the fact he NEVER wound up in a room alone with her. That was about to change, however.

“Everyone is dismissed except Taker.” She instructed, watching the talent file out the door one by one until they were alone. It was the first time since she’d brought him over to Smackdown! and Stephanie wasn’t about to squander her opportunity. “Alright Deadman, out with it. What’s got you so wrapped you can’t focus on these meetings and contribute, hmm?”

Mark wasn’t amused as he tipped back forward, eyeballing her through the shades and didn’t bother hiding the fact he wasn’t overly pleased to be here. “I contribute plenty, or haven’t you noticed the steady stream of people up my ass askin’ for advice?” He shot back scathingly. As a matter of fact, Mark had been doing his whole locker room leader role at arenas. A lot of these Superstars were confused about him coming to Smackdown! when RAW was, and would always be, the main show. “Contemplatin’ retirement, Miss McMahon.”

Let her stew on that. He was also using her last name because, as far as he was concerned, they were nothing but coworkers. Mark hadn’t thought twice about their history together in quite some time, not outside of it being a reference for when she got batshit crazy. He was just waiting on that shoe to drop.

“You just wantin’ to ask personal questions or did you actually need somethin’?”

Stephanie ignored the disdain in his voice, expecting it and sat on the table staring down at him, splaying her hands out to lean back on them. “You’re my biggest asset to Smackdown!, Mark. So, if something’s bothering you, be it personally or professionally, I’m here to lend an ear. I know you don’t trust me…and I don’t blame you after everything I’ve done.” Her eyes lowered sheepishly from him, hoping he saw the innocent 19-year-old girl he’d done that line with back in 1999 instead of the slut that let multiple men bang her from the Alliance days. “I just want to make sure there’s no…trouble in paradise. I don’t need the drama in my locker room or on my show, that’s all.”

Mark saw absolutely nothing except the flea ridden whore, who had made his wife’s life a living hell. The bitch who had let his wife get raped brutally, filmed it, and then blackmailed her with it. He seen nothing except the gaping slut, who had been filmed herself, bent over a desk as one guy after another deposited a load into her already tainted, STD infested pussy. He saw NOTHING of the Stephanie McMahon he had once known.

“Trust me, there’s never trouble in paradise, Princess.” He avowed flatly, standing up and put space between them.

No, Mark would not be falling for those big blue, innocent eyes or her suggestive yet chaste posture. It just wasn’t happening. He traced a finger along his neck tattoo, the same finger that bore his C, watching as she followed with her stare. He was spoken for. Now. Always. Forever. However many times he had to state and insinuate it, he would, because this bitch wasn’t catching on.

“We done?”

The way he caressed that RED tattoo on his neck with the very finger that made him a marked, married man, did not set well with Stephanie at all. He was purposely baiting her, pushing her buttons and she would not fall into his trap. She merely smiled, sliding off the table and nodded, clasping her hands behind her back. If Mark didn’t want to see just what a whore his wife was, Stephanie would have to give him solid, concrete proof.

“Give Alice my best.” Her tone was sweet and a tad condescending as Stephanie watched the man she loved walk out the door to go to his wife. “You will open your eyes soon enough, Mark. It’s only a matter of time.” She murmured, watching him from the doorway and slid her tongue along her top lip. “Mmm…”

In the privacy of the elevator, Mark did a full body shudder and began wiping himself off like he was covered in bugs. That woman made everything on him itch, feel nasty, and he hadn’t even touched the whore. Disgusting. He headed straight for the room his wife was waiting in, letting himself in and began shedding clothes.

“I feel fuckin’ dirty.” He announced to the room. “And those clothes need burnt.” Mark realized he was talking to an empty room and sighed, looking at the shut bathroom door. “Alice?”

Alice hadn’t moved. The moment she picked up the pregnancy test and read the results, her backside planted on the toilet. She hadn’t moved an inch or taken her eyes off the test, the two lines staring back at her. Mark’s voice registered, cutting through the silence of the bathroom and Alice slowly looked up at the door separating them. Tears continuously slid down her cheeks as Alice snapped out of the daze she was in and could hear Mark cussing and muttering in the other room. They had a long talk ahead of them…and a very big decision to make going forward. Pushing herself up from the toilet, Alice slowly made her way toward the door and turned the knob, standing in the doorway watching him. The second Mark turned around to face her, Alice felt her entire body tense and more tears fell down her cheeks, not looking away from him.

“I’m…pregnant.” She said in barely above a whisper before Mark could open his mouth to demand what was wrong and extended the pregnancy test to him as proof.

“I’m sorry, what?” Mark asked dumbly, standing there in just the boxer briefs he had started wearing whenever he knew he would be in Stephanie’s immediate vicinity.

He wasn’t risking jack. Alice repeated herself, held out that little stick in her hand and he frowned. She was crying. Eyebrows creasing, Mark walked over to take the stick, gingerly because it had been peed on and read it. Honestly, he kind of wanted to jump for joy, but… she didn’t look very pleased, so he was going to tread lightly.

“And… this isn’t a good thing?” He asked hesitantly, his eyes raking down to her stomach.

“No, no this is not a good thing! This is a very – very BAD thing!! I mean…not the pregnancy part, but the timing!”

Alice and Mark had talked about children, both deciding after she retired they would start trying. Apparently, fate wanted to be a bitch to them, throw them a curveball and nail them right where the sun didn’t shine. Sighing, Alice sank down on the bed and clasped her hands tightly in front of her, bringing them up to rest against her nose. She still had years left on her WWE contract, how would that go over with Vince?

“The shot should’ve worked along with my diaphragm. I don’t understand how this could’ve happened…”

“Darlin’…”

He really didn’t know what to say, finally dropping down on the edge of the bed with his hands hanging off his knees as he stared at her, unsure of what to think now. Mark knew he wanted kids with her, any time, though they had agreed to wait. He was fine with waiting, but obviously fate said the time was now, even with her Fort Knox like birth control. Apparently, he had super sperm or something.

“You don’t have to… to keep it, Alice.” He said finally, quietly. “I know how much you want to focus on your career.”

“What?” Alice stared into his eyes, seeing how serious he was and felt her heart break all over again for a different reason. “An abortion…” She caressed her flat stomach, trembling from head to toe and shook her head slowly, tears flowing. “No. I can’t do that. This happened despite all the protection we had and…I’ll never get rid of something we created together. Even if it was accidental.” He was close enough to where she could reach out to caress his face with her hand. “My career does mean a lot to me, but you mean more to me than anything, including my career. Maybe it is time to hang up my boots and Vince will have to understand that. I’m having this baby.”

Oh thank god! Mark stood up and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. “Red, a baby doesn’t mean you have to retire.” He whispered into her ear, caressing her back and hair soothingly. “This doesn’t have to be the end all, be all for your career.” Or, he could hang up his boots with her since he had just said something about retiring to the slut.

“I know.” Alice clung to him, needing his support and strength right now, his comfort. “I’ve already been the Women’s champion, which was a goal of mine and it really doesn’t get any higher than that for women in this sport. I did what I ultimately wanted…in a very short amount of time. More title reigns would be nice, but…” Her hand once again pressed against her tummy, feeling his lips brush against her forehead. “I also want our kid to have a normal childhood and that means being off the road with consistency. I can travel with you until around 7 months, 8 at the most, and then I’ll have to spend the duration at home until the baby is born.”

Mark did not see that working out very well at all and contemplated it, already knowing he was going to retire. He and Alice had barely been able to make it those 6 weeks with her broken rib. It was highly doubtful they’d manage if he were on the road all the time and she was at home with a baby, even with his reduced schedule.

“I’ll retire.” He nodded his head decisively. “When you go off road, I’ll go with you, darlin’. This ain’t a one man show, on either end, and we’re doing this together, Red.”

Mark had always said he didn’t want to be a part time Daddy and wasn’t about to go back on that now. As wonderful as that sounded, Alice did not want to be the sole reason Mark gave up wrestling, something he loved. She knew he loved her and the baby unconditionally and trusted him, but hanging his boots up when he was in the prime of his career wasn’t in his best interest.

“We’ll talk about it. Maybe you can take some time off with me, we can have the baby and then, after I’m used to being with the baby by myself, you can go back on the road. I don’t want you giving up your career just because our lives are changing. We can adapt and make things work. I don’t want you to retire and go stir crazy from boredom and grow to resent me and the baby, which can very well happen.” She brushed her lips against his, smiling shakily. “Glenn and Teresa are going to freak out.”

“Fuck them.” Mark was more focused on the retirement bit, his eyes dead serious. “Alice, we have enough issues whenever we’re apart, why the fuck would I want to attempt doin’ this without you? Or let you raise that baby without me being there 100%?”

Chapter 113

He knew firsthand married couples with one on the road and one at home usually did not work out very well. Glenn and Teresa were one of the few exceptions, but they had only been married 5 years or so. Anything could change and happen now that they had a baby.

“Darlin’.” He brushed his fingers against her lips when she opened her mouth. “Enough. Shit may change, but I doubt it. It’s my career, my choice. I’m not givin’ anythin’ up or tradin’ shit off.” Mark had been doing this for a long time and his body wouldn’t hold up or out forever; he wanted to be able to play with this kid and not freak-out over busted knees and hips. “Just… one day at a time for now.”

“Okay.” Alice agreed, seeing the determination in his eyes and knew now wasn’t the time to try dissuading him from retiring. Maybe after the baby was born and being at home for a while began weighing on him, Mark would return. “You still have time, so if you want to take time off or retire, I’d do it at next year’s Survivor Series.”

She could handle being without him for a few months while he finished things up with his career in order to be with her. At his nod, she smiled and kissed him, immediately pulling back before rushing to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. Morning sickness was a bitch! Ginger ale and crackers were in her future. Mark had no kids of his own, but he was old enough and had seen plenty of his friends settle down, to know morning sickness was probably going to kick Alice’s ass. Sighing, he got up and walked into the bathroom behind her, bending down to rub her back soothingly.

“Want me to go get you some crackers and Vernors?” He asked quietly, and then made a mental note to add prenatals to that. Mark was pretty sure Teresa had gone on and on about how folic acid was vital to early development…yes, he was getting dressed and going out for some.

“Canada Dry – it’s the only ginger ale I’ll drink.” Alice mumbled, pulling back from the toilet when she felt it was safe and took the washcloth Mark handed her, wiping her mouth off. “I don’t wanna take anything until we talk to the doctor. I’ve already made an OBGYN appointment for Wednesday morning. We’ll get off the plane and head straight there.” It was Monday night, a house show, tomorrow was the Smackdown! taping and then Wednesday they would be off for 2 days like clockwork. “Survivor Series is coming up…fuck, I won’t be able to be on it now.” That made her throw up all over again.

“I’ll be back.”

There was a drugstore on the corner, they’d sell the ginger ale she wanted. Mark would also be picking up some prenatals; a doctor didn’t need to tell her that was a good idea. That was just common sense for a pregnant woman. He quickly dressed, grabbed his wallet, cell and stepped out into the hallway, taking a very deep breath. Christ, Alice was pregnant.

“For fuck’s sake…” He rumbled, shaking his head as he strolled off.

It sure looked like trouble in paradise, contrary to what he had said. Stephanie shook her head, letting herself into her room at the opposite end of the hall, wondering what that had been about.

~!~

Their first argument was over stupid prenatal vitamins. Alice did not want to take anything without confirming with her OBGYN first. She also wanted to make sure the pregnancy was legitimate and not a false positive due to how much birth control she used while they had sex. Wednesday came with a lot of tension, but it all melted away the moment they were in the OBGYN’s office and heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. The bloodwork had been done by Larry, discreetly, on the road and sent over to the OBGYN since Alice didn’t have time to get it done prior to Wednesday. Mark and Larry were good friends, so the old man did them a huge favor.

Alice was 7 weeks along, which pinpointed the moment they had conceived. It was right after their 6 week drought due to her injury. They had made love for hours and Alice cursed, suddenly remembering the one thing she forgot to slip in prior to having sex. Her diaphragm. It had slipped her mind and she hadn’t worn it because Mark refused to have sex with her until she was 100% better and injury free. After the doctor gave them the prenatal vitamins and information regarding the pregnancy, Alice felt as if she was on a tilt-a-whirl, her head spinning with all the newfound information and the fact she was indeed pregnant. They decided to wait until Survivor Series night to announce the news to their friends because it was one of the main four.

Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Summerslam and Survivor Series were pay-per-views that featured both shows at the same time. So Glenn, Torrie, Stacy, Lita, and Trish would be there where they could announce the news all at once. It would also put Alice right around 10 weeks along, which was close enough to her first trimester being over with. It would be hard to keep this secret until then, but they thought this was the best way to go about telling everyone.

“Darlin’, how are we going to do this?” Mark asked after that visit, frowning. Three weeks wasn’t much time at all, but it sure as hell felt like it right now. “You can’t just stop wrestlin’ without tellin’ higherups why.”

Larry would keep his mouth shut, but Mark was actually a bit concerned with the McMahons finding out, or Bitchoff, or anyone who hated Alice. That was a bit of a list and she hadn’t had a very long wrestling career. She had made herself some lifelong enemies in a very short amount of time. If any of those bastards did anything to cause her and their baby any problems, he’d kill them.

“Vince is the only one who needs to know right now.” Alice decided, already having worked it out in her mind and rubbed her hands together nervously. “I’ll simply ask Vince to tell Stephanie I have a stomach virus going on and it’s keeping me out of the ring. Doctor’s orders.”

Vince was on her side and had convinced her to pursue a wrestling career, even when she felt her lowest. He was the reason she had gotten the OVERCOME tattoo. To remind her of all the obstacles she had gone through and overcome since being in the wrestling industry.

“It’ll be alright. I’ll call him once we get home.” They were currently grocery shopping since Mark was adamant about Alice eating healthy for her and the baby.

Mark was adamant about himself eating healthy for her and the baby. He had been on a sort of diet and workout thing for a while, knowing he was not in the best shape of his career. Now he was doubly determined. He wasn’t going to be laggy, bad knees and hips, or hopped up on Vicodin throughout his kid’s childhood. Hell no, Mark had seen way too many good men have kids in this business and it was usually the same. They were too broken, or too addicted, to actually be the father they wanted to be. Or unable to walk away from the ring. He was hoping that was not in his future.

“You feelin’ any better about this, darlin’?”

“I should be asking you that.”

Alice chuckled softly, rubbing his arm to try to calm him down. Mark was on edge, had been since the OBGYN appointment and she knew why. They were going back on the road on Monday, skipping house shows for the weekend due to a family emergency. Alice plucked a bag of salad from the rack and tossed it in the cart, along with baby carrots and a few other vegetables, fruit, and meats. She also grabbed a bag of potatoes and crossed it off the list they had made.

“I think you’re more worried about this than I am.”

Mark had every intention of adding a six pack. He would even made it a Bud Light, not that he would ever tell Glenn that. He’d never hear the end of it. “I’m peachy, Red.” He winked down at her, then groaned, eyeing all the rabbit food in the cart. “We’re doing this now and in like, 5 months, you’re gonna have my ass runnin’ around for crazy shit.” As long as she didn’t have PICA, he’d get her whatever she wanted, however. PICA was something that happened where non-edible foods were craved by pregnant women, like dirt, for example.

Alice laughed, not doubting it, and hoped she didn’t crave something disgusting like pickles and ice cream. That was the only craving she’d ever heard of besides being addicted to certain foods like syrup or carrots. Teresa was addicted to carrot cake, specifically. Any type of cake, but carrots were her main craving. After loading the cart with a few more things and checking out, Alice walked out of the supermarket with Mark to head home. A couple of kids walked up to them, two girls and one boy, all around the age of 5 or 6.

They couldn’t have been younger or older than that age group. It was so adorable how Mark squatted down to be eyelevel with them and signed the pictures they were holding. They were Undertaker and Alice fans, so she signed their pictures as well, thanking them for watching and cheering them on. That was one part of the business she would miss for sure was the fans and how loyal they were. Pulling up to the ranch, Mark slowed to a stop and put the truck in park, seeing a couple of police standing outside of their home. What the hell? Alice carefully got out with Mark’s help and frowned at the officers approaching them, folding her arms in front of her chest.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen, something we can help you with?”

“Yes ma’am, we got an anonymous call that there was a domestic disturbance and came to check to make sure everything was fine.” The officer explained, eyeballing the giant and small woman. “Your husband has been accused of spousal abuse and we’re investigating.”

“WHAT?!”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, didn’t I JUST settle with Houston’s finest not that long ago?” Mark demanded, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew he had, those fuckers were making payments to him now for the next few years.

“That matter has been settled, sir.” They knew better than to arrest him without anything concrete. “I’m sorry, but we have to do the welfare check and make sure.”

“We just got home, you can see for yourself my wife is just fine.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Calaway. Mrs. Calaway, if we could just speak with her alone and then we’ll be on our way.” This was embarrassing, for all of them.

Alice could not believe this was happening to them again – AGAIN! This time, she was pregnant and had an attitude, which was NOT a good combination.

“Have you ever been sexually assaulted by this man?”

“If you mean fucked until I can’t see straight – then yeah, I have, and I ENJOY it.”

The cop cleared his throat, shaking his head. “In a NON-consensual way, ma’am?”

“Oh…does roleplay count or…?”

The cop sighed exasperatedly. “Moving on. Have you ever felt uncomfortable or in danger with your husband?”

“He’s put me in some uncomfortable positions, but…”

“Mrs. Calaway, please take this seriously.”

“I’m taking this as seriously as a fucking joke, officer…Hobbs.” What kind of name was that anyway? “This is a joke. I’ve never been assaulted or hurt by my husband and whoever made this report is full of shit. Satisfied?”

On one hand, talking to the police that way was a surefire recipe for disaster, especially since Hobbs already looked embarrassed enough by having to do this, when it was clearly a phony checkup. On the other… it was hilarious. Mark was way off to the side, but he had excellent hearing and his wife wasn’t exactly keeping her voice down. He hoped she reigned it in; there was usually only so much an already stressed person could take and he was pretty sure, if he had to go to the precinct, there’d be trouble.

“Mrs. Calaway,” Officer Hobbs rubbed his eyes tiredly, letting out a sigh. “I realize this is… stupid, okay? But I have a job to do and the fact of the matter is, ma’am, we have to play by the book with you and your husband due to the way things were handled the last time.” The arresting officer from THAT had been fired.

“How many times do I have to say my husband has not assaulted or hurt me in any way that I haven’t approved of? I have told you, point blank, he hasn’t done anything to me and yet, you’re still questioning me, asking ridiculous questions.” Alice took a deep breath, placing a hand on her belly and knew she had to reign her temper in for the baby’s sake, not just her own or Mark’s. “I understand you have a job to do, officer, and I’ve answered your questions. Maybe not the way you want, but I have told you, again, my husband has NEVER harmed one hair on my head. I really wish you could tell us who did this report, so I can go to them and stick my foot up their ass.” She grumbled that last part, getting a small chuckle out of the officer and smirked.

“Well now, ma’am, I can’t tell you who called us.” Officer Hobbs had known from the moment he seen the pair they weren’t getting physical with each other in a violent manner. He had seen the way Mr. Calaway handled his wife, they were in love and affectionate. “I can say, however, if this person does call again, we can charge them with filing false reports and wasting police resources.”

At this point, Mark had rejoined them. “Can you now?”

“Yes, sir. And at that point, if it were to happen again, we would also be able to give you a name and you could decide whether or not you wanted to pursue harassment charges.”

“Good, we’ll be doing that because something tells me this person won’t stop.” Alice stated matter-of-factly, joining her husband’s side and felt his arm wrap around her waist, snuggling into his side.

She was tempted to tell the police officer about her pregnancy, but decided against it, just in case they opened their mouths to the person reporting spousal abuse. That was laughable – Mark would never hurt her physically. Hell, he’d saved her from being abused and she fell in love with him.

“If we’re finished, my husband and I were just about to go inside our beautiful, warm, LOVING home and start dinner.”

“I’ll keep you posted, Mr. and Mrs. Calaway. Thank you for your time.” Tilting his hat, Hobbs made his way back to his car and shook his head, already deciding he would be reporting this to his chief. Whoever was trying to put Mr. Calaway behind bars for supposed spousal abuse would be tagged the next time they reported it, if there was a next time.

“Un-fucking-believable.”

“Now darlin’,” Mark watched Hobbs leaving. “Considering all the other police we’ve had to deal with, he was downright nice.” Which meant if they had to deal with him again, they should keep in mind he wasn’t a total prick. “Be nice. If this person does it again, they’ll give us a name.” If this dipshit did pull this crap again, he was going to hunt them down and break every bone in their body, just because spiteful people deserved pain. “Come on.” He guided his wife inside. “I’ll get the groceries, you take a minute, Red.”

The sad part was she knew who was behind this. It was too coincidental, and it pissed her off to no end. STILL, that old hag was meddling in her life and Alice didn’t know how to stop it. She didn’t want anything to do with Margaret or anyone associated with her or her bible thumping family. Touching her stomach, Alice felt tears fill her eyes, fearing for her baby’s safety now that Margaret was back in the picture and wouldn’t leave her alone.

Chapter 114

Alice took more than a minute and wound up falling asleep with her hand protectively on her stomach, having gone to the bedroom to lay down for a few. She didn’t mean to fall asleep, so when Mark woke her up a few hours later, telling her dinner was ready, she felt terrible for forcing the responsibility on him. “Shit…” She muttered, glancing at the clock and rubbed her eyes, slowly sitting up. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Sorry…”

“What the hell are you sorry for?” He retorted curiously, sitting down on the edge of the bed, and reached out to push her hair back from her face, taking in the weariness that still haunted her grey eyes. “Darlin’, Alice, don’t be sorry for sleepin’.” They had been told today her being tired was natural, her body was busy at work creating that baby, altering itself. Women’s bodies were both amazing and terrifying. “I can cook, it’s good that you slept.” He had cooked something nutritious… and even followed a recipe Teresa had texted him.

Her smile was tentative as Alice slowly woke up more, stretching her arms in the air. “Thank you, Deadman.”

She leaned over and softly brushed her lips against his, lingering longer than necessary, but his lips felt wonderful against hers. Alice had a somewhat crazy dream that resulted in the baby being a healthy girl. What if Mark didn’t want a girl though? What if he wanted a boy and she couldn’t give it to him because they had all girls? Hormones were a bitch and had already made her crazy and frazzled.

“Alright, come on, I’m hungry.” Standing from the bed, they headed downstairs to have a quiet meal together followed by snuggling on the couch. Alice wasn’t in the mood for sex like usual, which felt strange to her…foreign. She just really hoped – HOPED – the pregnancy didn’t destroy her sex drive.

Given how Teresa’s hormones had caused her sex drive to dive until the last trimester and Glenn had CONSTANTLY bitched about not getting any when he was, Mark was well prepared -resigned might be a better word- to go on bread, butter, and his hand with a lot of Vaseline for a while. Especially since Alice had no intentions of getting pregnant anytime soon and now had to hang up her boots. Along with her foster mother showing back up and all these other issues that seemed to be gearing up to hit them, he would mind his mouth and make sure this pregnancy went as smooth as he could make it.

“Tada!” He sang, gesturing to the prepared table. It smelled good… he hoped it didn’t taste like ass.

“Damn it…”

Alice rushed off to the bathroom to empty her stomach, hating how spontaneous her morning sickness could be. She came out 10 minutes later and finally sat down to eat, acting like she hadn’t just tossed her cookies. Mark asked if she was alright and she just nodded, pointing a thumb down at her stomach. Enough said. Dinner was grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, cut up potatoes with some rosemary and garlic, and rolls. Alice brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth out with mouthwash before sitting down to dinner, not wanting the taste of vomit in her mouth.

“This looks delicious, hubs.” Mark would never fail to amaze her. Halfway through dinner, Alice took a small breather and sipped her ice water. “So, I had a dream earlier that we’re having a baby girl. What are your thoughts on that?”

“Dream up a name for her?” Mark asked jokingly, helping himself to seconds.

Considering he had never bothered to try something like this, he thought it had come out pretty good. He was more of a fry and grill kind of guy, good to know he could expand his cooking skillset without killing his own taste buds. When Alice didn’t say anything, Mark looked up at her, frowning as he took in her facial expression. She was genuinely concerned he was upset or would be upset, if they had a girl first.

“Darlin’, healthy baby is all I’m askin’ for. Boys or girls, I don’t care either way.” He didn’t need a son first, a daughter was just as welcomed. “Why? You have a preference?”

“No, a healthy baby is all I care about too. But…” Alice bit her bottom lip nervously, pushing her food around on her plate. She ate half of it and suddenly didn’t have an appetite. “I know this won’t be our only child, but…what if all we can have is girls? What if I can’t give you a boy?” Granted, it was the male who decided what the sex of the baby was, but Alice still felt at fault. “I mean, we can keep trying until we get a boy. I’d personally love one of each, but I just want to make sure you’re okay with the possibility of us having all girls. I’m good if it’s all boys.” Mark would probably be in 7^th heaven with that one. A house full of testosterone didn’t sound bad to Alice, honestly. “Sorry, it’s stupid to be worrying over shit that’s out of our control. I’m blaming it on the hormones.” And eating resumed.

“Whoa, woman…”

Mark was very glad his loaded fork had never left its place hovering over his plate or else he might’ve started choking as he studied her, his green eyes a bit wide and alarmed. Where the fuck had all that come from? Hormones, it was hormones, he reminded himself, forcing his mind to stop racing in panic. Men were obviously not mentally equipped to deal with this.

“Let’s just focus on the first one and start worryin’ about more later on.” A houseful of women… he could think of worse things and smirked. A bunch of girls to tend to Daddy in his old age, he could dig it.

He didn’t seem to mind the idea of having all girls, which was a load off Alice’s mind. Her problem was she wanted to make Mark happy, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness in the process. It had been that way and Cindy had pointed it out to her several times in their sessions. Alice had gotten a lot better with it, but habits instilled like hers were very hard to break completely. Whenever she got too out of hand, Mark reeled her back in and stabilized her mentally and emotionally. Now that she was pregnant, it would be even worse because all emotions were heightened while growing a baby inside of her.

“I love you.” She stood up, dropping a kiss on his lips and refilled her glass with more ice and water.

“I love you too, darlin’.”

Mark watched her thoughtfully as he resumed eating, small bites though. Just in case she said anything else totally out of the blue or somewhat insane sounding. He had known for months Alice had issues. Control issues. They both had dependency issues. He was seeing this pregnancy being a pain in both their asses and wondered if maybe they should both start Prozac or something.

“Your stomach settlin’?”

“Yeah, sorry for my insanity. Hopefully, it’ll get better.”

Alice smiled apologetically, downing half her glass, filled it again and then sat back down to finish eating. She cleared her plate, knowing that’s what Mark wanted and he’d given her small servings because of her morning sickness. After dinner, she insisted on cleaning up and sent Mark to sit on the couch to watch some television. She rolled her eyes playfully, hearing ESPN and wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Damn man and his sports, she thought happily, putting the rest of the leftovers away and wiped the table down. She joined him 20 minutes later, snuggling against his side and it wasn’t a surprise when she fell asleep again.

Gently moving her to the end of the couch, Mark pulled the throw that had been tossed on the back of said couch over her, bending down to kiss her forehead before letting his palm skim her still flat belly. Mark then moved to the opposite end, procuring his cell phone. He had a best friend to seek advice from; that and he wasn’t getting punched again for holding out on yet another lifechanging, major event. Mostly, he needed advice.

Glenn read the text and began laughing his ass off, wiping the beer that had trickled from his lips away with the back of his hand. That was hilarious. Teresa looked over at her chuckling husband while feeding their hungry son, pretty sure she wouldn’t have any boobs left after breastfeeding finished. Maybe that was a good thing, she didn’t know.

“What’s going on?” Her eyes widened at the text message Glenn showed her and Teresa began to cry, which made the baby start crying, which in turn made Glenn groan out loud. “That’s so amazing they’re having a baby! Oh my god, they were holding out on us again! I’m gonna kill Mark and you tell him I said that!” Her hormones were still haywire after the birth due to breastfeeding and her body still trying to readjust to being non-pregnant.

Mark promptly texted back to inform Glenn that Teresa could go kindly fuck herself. They had JUST gotten the official confirmation today and, after the day they had, those two fucks were lucky he had even texted at all.

“Mark says to go fuck yourself.”

“Why?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Because you’re an assuming bitch… don’t hit me, I’m just repeating.” Glenn texted back that language and comments like during and after pregnancy were not a smart move.

“Like I was supposed to know they JUST found out today?”

Teresa snorted, rolling her eyes and continued breastfeeding, stroking the top of her baby boy’s head gently. Jacob. They had named him after Glenn’s middle name and his grandfather. They didn’t want to make the baby a junior, even though Glenn hadn’t been opposed to it. Teresa at first wanted to do it, but then changed her mind as all pregnant women usually did.

“Tell him congratulations and thanks for telling us right away this time, unlike last time for their wedding. I’m going to put Jake down.”

Standing, she walked out of the room and snuggled him, smiling at her now sleeping, satisfied baby boy. Shaking his head, Glenn did as his wife said, then deleted the message he got in return. He wasn’t getting killed because Mark had a potty mouth and a distinct lack of manners.

All Mark had said was Teresa didn’t have ‘fucking’ exclusive rights to their private life. He ended the conversation and shut off his cell phone, stretching out to finish the ESPN special he had been watching, smiling down at his sleeping wife.

When Alice woke up and had received 10 text messages from Teresa, she eyeballed Mark somewhat shrewdly. They were supposed to wait to tell Glenn at Survivor Series, but he’d jumped the gun on her. Now Teresa knew, and she could only hope Glenn kept his mouth shut until after the pay-per-view. The last thing they needed was someone like Stephanie or Margaret, even Eric, finding out about this before they were ready for everyone to know. Walking out of the room, she called Teresa to talk to her and smiled at the motherly tone the woman had.

“I’m fine, Mom…”

“How are you feeling? Morning sickness? Crackers and ginger ale were my best friends the first trimester. How far along are you? Do you need anything? Are you feeling more tired than usual because that’s normal?” Teresa ran off at the mouth, worry and concern filling her voice. “Oh…and make you sure you get the book ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’. It was my bible throughout my pregnancy and helped me a great deal, stopped me from freaking out about certain changes my body made…”

“Yes, I ordered a copy of it already. I’m feeling fine, tired, but fine and I’ve been having morning sickness at sporadic times. I’m about 7 weeks along and you need to tell Glenn to keep his mouth shut because nobody else is supposed to know about this until Survivor Series.”

“Will do. I’ll cut his tongue out if he utters a word.”

~!~

Sure enough, a week later, Mark and Alice received a phone call from the Houston police department regarding the false spousal abuse charges. The name was Margaret Tolliver and Alice’s blood boiled, wanting to ring that old hag’s neck. They filed charges against her for false charges, as the police promised, and Margaret was also fined heavily for wasting the police station’s time. She was distraught over it, but understood and had to fly to Houston in order to apologize to the Calaway’s in person. It was in her best interest from her lawyer – Eric’s lawyer. Eric, naturally, came with her and Alice had to roll her eyes at the fact her bible thumping foster mother was shacking up with her dead husband’s friend.

“Stay out of my life, Margaret. Both of you, stay the fuck out of our lives. We don’t want you anywhere near us, which is why we transferred to Smackdown!, just to get away from you. You can both take your apologies and shove them up your ass. Apology NOT accepted. I’ll let my husband decide if he wants to take this to court or not.”

They had the option to take Margaret to court to sue her for defamation, false charges of spousal abuse and blatant lying to the authorities. Alice stormed out of the police station and threw up in the nearby trashcan outside, not caring who saw her. Damn morning sickness had struck again!

“Now, you’re not really going to take this poor widow to court.” Eric said confidently, staring at Mark, his beady eyes glittering. Beside him, Margaret was staring out the glass doors, watching Alice hurl into that trashcan. “She’s just concerned for her daughter.”

“You gave her AIDS!” Alice was losing weight, vomiting, looked like death. This beast was killing her.

Mark promptly gestured over Hobbs. “I’m pressing charges.” Fuck these people.

“Very well, Mr. Calaway. Mrs. Tolliver, you are under arrest for falsifying reports and lying to the Houston police department.”

Officer Hobbs turned her around, ignoring her outrageous screaming and crying while Eric was held back by other officers. They warned him if he did not comply and allow this to happen, he would be arrested as well. She was read her Miranda rights and Hobbs had to do it twice before she complied before being hauled out of the police station to be taken to another facility that would hold her until the court hearing.

“He’s killing her!! He’s killing my daughter!!”

“I’m NOT your daughter!! I have no ties to you whatsoever, you old hag!!” Alice growled, wiping her mouth off and placed a hand on her stomach as Mark joined her side, eyes narrowing at her foster monster. “I hope you rot in jail, and they fine you to the point where you lose everything. Maybe next time you won’t report my husband and accuse him falsely!”

“THE LORD WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN! THE LORD WILL-” Her screaming was voided by the car door being slammed shut in her face.

Eric was already on the phone with his lawyer, hoping he could get Margaret out of this predicament, sighing.

“Hmm, probably a good thing I’m Agnostic.” Mark remarked thoughtfully, arm wrapped firmly around his wife.

He wanted to place his hand over hers, had even gone to do it, but he didn’t need Eric noticing that. Then he’d sell the information to Stephanie for a Kit Kat bar. Mark was hoping the LORD served Margaret with a reality check soon or he might actually kill the old broad for all the pain she had inflicted on Alice over the years. He knew he didn’t either and was tempted to break a few laws by committing manslaughter.

“Let’s go home, darlin’. You don’t need to be here.”

Chapter 115

Margaret was bailed out by Eric, naturally, after promising to leave the Calaway’s alone. Mark had gotten an order of protection against the old broad and Eric Bischoff before having a copy of it faxed over to Vince for safekeeping. They didn’t trust Stephanie with it for all the obvious reasons. For the next several weeks, Alice flourished with her pregnancy and the morning sickness thankfully tapered off right before Survivor Series. Mark was nervous about revealing the truth about her pregnancy, wanting to keep it under wraps as long as possible. Alice assured him everything would be fine; Torrie and Stacy had the right to know since Glenn and Teresa already did. Not to mention Lita and Trish, they were also her friends and like family. She felt wrong keeping this from them this long and hoped they understood once the cat was let out of the bag.

Given the nature of their work and the fact that the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy were usually at the highest risk for a miscarriage, Mark did not feel bad one whit for keeping the cat inside the bag. Well, not with anyone outside his best friend and said friend’s harpy wife. It’d be their luck, they’d tell about the pregnancy and something would happen, at work, and Alice and the baby would both wind up in danger. Her being pregnant, along with everything that had happened, and was now happening, had caused Mark to seriously start reflecting and thinking about everything. About their lives, professionally, in general. They had too many enemies. Too many people who wanted to see them hurt, under their thumb, or in their disgusting STD filled beds. Retirement was definitely an option. He wasn’t risking his family, not for wrestling.

After leaving the hotel to head to the arena for Survivor Series, the nerves began setting in for Alice. She had on a pair of black dress pants that were comfortable and a red long sleeved buttoned up top with a black camisole beneath. Her blackish red hair was down; she’d recently cut several inches off, but it was still long enough to where it didn’t feel weird. Something told her before the baby was born she would end up chopping it incredibly short. It’s something women did before they had babies for some reason. Mark asked if she were alright and all she could do was nod, tearing apart a napkin in her lap.

He grabbed her hand and her worried greys locked on emerald while stopped at a red light. She unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted over to snuggle against him since they were in a rented Silverado. She looked up once they pulled up to Madison Square Garden, parking in the designated lot for the Superstars and Divas and Alice could feel her stomach twisting violently. Mark helped her out and they walked inside together, hand-in-hand, each nervous for different reasons. The weird thing was he didn’t have a match that night, but they were still required to show up because it was one of the major 4 shows of the year. It was also Mark’s 12^th anniversary in the company.

Survivor Series always held a special place in his heart, but tonight felt different. He was dreading it. Mark was not one for superstition and usually went with what was logical, what his gut and head were telling him. Right now, however, he could feel nothing except sheer dread, an ominous feeling was looming over them and he inwardly groaned. Her pregnancy was either messing him up or he was just that paranoid. He didn’t have a match, being here seemed kind of stupid outside of their announcement, but now that they were here, he was thinking they could have picked a better spot and time. One where they weren’t surrounded by asshats with agendas.

“You ready for this, Red?” He asked, halting just inside the doors, and glanced down at her.

“No. No, I’m not.”

Alice was having second thoughts as well, but there was no turning back. She’d already texted the girls and asked them to meet her in the women’s dressing room. There was no way she was announcing the pregnancy in front of everyone in catering or in the hallway.

“I’ll come to your dressing room after I tell them.” Parting ways with him was never easy, especially now, but Alice had a mission and would fulfill it. “I love you.” She accepted a soft kiss from him, deepening it a little and reluctantly pulled away to head down the hallway to the women’s locker room.

“Alright, what the hell is this about? What news do you have?” Stacy demanded as soon as Alice came into the room, all four pairs of eyes staring at her.

Lita and Trish had cleared out the women’s locker room, outside of the four present, plus Alice when she joined them. Nobody could be trusted half the time as the women had to scrap and play the political backstabbing game to earn favors or a spot on television. Whatever Alice wanted to tell them would stay in this room, hopefully.

“You look… scared.” Lita remarked, studying the other woman thoughtfully. She hadn’t seen Alice looked scared since she had come back after her assault, when they had been training together.

“Oh no, what happened?” Stacy asked, biting her thumbnail anxiously. Whenever Alice looked scared, that meant something had happened or was about to happen.

“Chill out, you drama mama’s.” Trish ordered, rolling her brown eyes and flashed their friend a smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine…mostly.” Alice had to take a deep breath, chewing her bottom lip and placed a hand on her stomach, tears forming in her eyes. “What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room.”

What they didn’t know was Stephanie had a camera set up in the women’s locker room along with Mark’s locker room and catering…three places she was sure Alice would be.

“Alright, you can trust us, Allie.” Torrie encouraged, placing a hand on her friend’s arm, and smiled warmly, having noticed what she’d done with her hand.

“I know. I wouldn’t tell you this if I didn’t trust all of you.” Alice sniffled, her emotions getting the better of her and sighed softly, hating how strong her hormones were. “Lita, we can’t train anymore.”

Lita frowned, not liking the sound of that. “Why not?”

“My condition…doesn’t allow it.” Alice looked up at her trainer and friend, smiling tentatively. “I don’t know how it happened or why, but…I’m pregnant. I’m 10 weeks along as of tomorrow…”

“WHAT?!”

“WHAT?!”

“OH MY GOD, YOU’RE PREGNANT?!”

Lita grinned, hugging her friend close and understood why their training would have to stop. “Congratulations, Alice. I’m sure Mark is beside himself with joy.”

“He’s…paranoid and worried more than anything, not that I blame him. I am too.”

Stacy was smiling, but out of the three, she was also the silent one as she took in Alice. Out of the other women, she was probably the best equipped to understand both Alice and Mark’s fears. To a lesser extent, she had been in Alice’s shoes as far as being on the receiving end of Stephanie, Shane, and the Alliance’s wrath back during those very dark days. Fortunately for her, her issues had stopped with the disbanding of the Alliance and thanks majorly to Glenn taking her under his wing and sheltering her. Alice, however,… well, she had never managed to fully come out from under the McMahon cloud.

“We won’t leave you alone, if you want.” She offered with an encouraging smile. Safety in numbers. “And congratulations.” She then added, stepping forward to bestow a quick hug. “All this drama aside, how do you feel about this? Excited?”

“Nervous and scared out of my mind. I know I want kids, but…I didn’t think it would be this soon. My career just started and…I don’t know, I don’t regret it and I don’t want to get rid of it, but I just wish the timing were better.” Mark felt the same way she did. They had talked about it a lot at home and he understood where she came from, but was also excited to be a father. Scared and excited. “I’m also excited too, though. This is a being we created together, and I just hope the baby is healthy. That’s all I really care about.”

Nobody in that room realized they were being watched at that moment by a very IRATE Stephanie McMahon.

“I’m leaving the road after tonight. Mark insists on it, especially with everything going on and he doesn’t want anything happening to me and the baby.”

A sly, sinister smile crossed her face as Stephanie rubbed her hands together, fire erupting in her blue eyes. Time was running out – it was time to act and it would be tonight.

The fact that that skanky, stripping, pole dancing whore thought she was going to pull Stephanie’s Mark off the road, by tying him down with what would probably be a retarded baby, probably not even his at that, was not happening. Alice was pulling every trick in the book to lock Mark down. No, just not happening. There was just no way Stephanie would allow him to have children with any other woman. He belonged to HER, not that redheaded whore.

“So what is Mark going to do? Is he going to keep on working while you’re at home?” Stacy asked, sounding doubtful. She didn’t see that one panning out too well. Mark and Alice didn’t do so good away from each other and Mark was enough of a bear, without adding stressing out over his pregnant wife.

“He said he wants to retire.” Alice lowered her eyes to the floor, once again wringing her hands nervously and frowned, blinking as tears slid down her cheeks. “I feel so guilty…I don’t want him to retire because of me and the baby. I just want him to be happy, to make him happy and I seem to be fucking it up every which way.” Another session with Cindy was in order. “I love him so much and I know he’s going to go stir crazy being stuck at home.”

“Oh honey, that’s not true at all.” Lita shook her head, wrapping an arm around Alice’s shoulders and hugged her. “Listen, Mark loves you. That man is so in love with you, it’s sickening to witness.” She joked, winking at the girls as they all chuckled. “He probably wants to be at home with you and baby because he’s not getting any younger. Even the guys have noticed he’s slowed down a lot and adapted his craft in the ring. He doesn’t do the same moves he used to. Maybe some time off will give him perspective and also gives him a chance to heal up. If he wants to come back, Vince will always have the door open for him.”

“Something tells me he’s going to enjoy being at home and settled down with you and that bundle of joy though.”

“Agreed, and we’ll also visit. That kid has four Aunts, after all.”

Alice smiled, feeling better about the situation. “Thanks girls, I needed to hear this.”

“And, there’s always those really reduced schedules the higherups have been tossing around, you know? Mark would probably be the first to get it, but only do certain shows at certain times of the year.” Trish added thoughtfully. “It’ll all work out, Alice. Now… about this baby shower we’re going to throw…”

“Oh, a Diva baby shower… that’ll be awesome.” Lita’s eyes began sparkling. “Stacy, what do you think?”

“We could do one of those really cute cakes…”

“Baby shower?” Alice blinked at them all, seeing how excited they all were and tilted her head. “If you wanna throw me one, you better come to Texas. Mark won’t let me go anywhere else.” That much she was certain.

“Of course sweetie, we’d never make you come on the road for your baby shower. Besides, we won’t throw it for you until your third trimester. Usually.”

“Right…and you won’t see it coming either.” Lita rubbed her hands together, grinning. “One day, we’re gonna show up at Casa Calaway unexpected and drag you out for a day you’ll never forget. If you want Mark to come, that’s fine, but only AFTER the games and shit are played.”

“Games?” Alice was REALLY confused now. She’d never been to a baby shower before and eyeballed Lita. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”

Lita nodded. “My sister – I threw her one and she absolutely loved it.”

“And my cousins back home, they pop out kids like crazy, so baby showers all the time. Canadians don’t do it any different than Americans.” Trish laughed softly. “A reveal cake…”

“Oh those melted candies in the diapers, guess the poop?”

Torrie wrinkled her nose. “That one sounds gross.”

“We got time girls, chill.” Lita was laughing, taking in the look on Alice’s face. They were overwhelming her and hopefully distracting her from all the bad things she had probably been concerned with. “We got this.”

Lita and Torrie insisted on escorting Alice back to Mark’s dressing room, refusing to let her go anywhere alone. They had spent the past hour talking about the upcoming baby shower and surprisingly, the girls had been very enlightening about what she was about to experience. How her body was about to change with the pregnancy. Smiling, she hugged both Torrie and Lita, promising to keep in touch since she would be going off road after tonight and pushed open the door, frowning when she didn’t see Mark anywhere.

That was due to the fact Mark had been called into an emergency meeting…Stephanie wanted him on the show and had found a way to fit him in perfectly. Currently, he was stuck in the writer’s office discussing the angle and what would happen. Before Mark could leave, Stephanie stopped him and tried to keep the evil gleam out of her eyes while the writers team filed out.

“By the way, congratulations on your news.” She murmured, squeezing his arm to the point of digging her nails into his skin and walked out, pure malicious intentions on her mind that night.

Congratulations on his news. Mark hadn’t told anyone besides Glenn and Teresa. Teresa was at home and did not associate with anyone from this company, outside of a few of the women. Glenn was someone he trusted with his life. Mark only had one big chunk of ‘news’ and his brow furrowed as he headed back to his dressing room. He could be totally oblivious and assume she meant this storyline of hers, but this was Stephanie McMahon. So how had she found out? He halted at the sight of Alice in the room, frowning. Mark didn’t want to stress her out… more.

“Hey darlin’.” He greeted, deciding to hold off and not panic, not assume, and definitely not let his wife out of his sight if he could help it.

Smiling with relief at the sight of her husband, Alice fought the urge to go to him and instead waved her fingers, checking something on her phone. “You ready to go?”

She frowned at his headshake and set her phone down, seeing the troubled look in his eyes. Alice knew that look well…it was never a good thing and she could feel her stomach twisted violently. Mark sat her down on the couch, something he had requested just in case she wanted to lay down due to the baby. The pregnancy exhausted Alice very easily these days, which was normal.

“They want you on the show…” She reiterated, furrowing her brows together and shrugged, not thinking anything of it. “This IS where you started your career, Deadman. That’s not surprising and it’s actually smart since you’re such a big draw.” Her stomach rumbled, and Alice bolted into the attached bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. Stupid morning sickness! “Sorry!”

Shaking his head in both amusement and bemusement, Mark followed, getting quite used to this morning sickness bit. He was doing everything he could to not suffer sympathy pregnancy, remembering how that had messed Glenn up. No thanks.

“Darlin’, you don’t have to apologize.” He reminded her, yet again, knowing this wasn’t her fault nor something she could really control. Mark was the one who was sorry because he hadn’t been expecting to have to work tonight, tempted to go throttle Stephanie because it would feel good. When Alice finally pulled away from the toilet, he was waiting with damp paper towels from the dispenser off the wall, gently wiping her mouth and face. “Need your toothbrush?” He asked softly, not surprised when she nodded and went to retrieve the bag of ‘supplies’ she had with her.

Chapter 116

After brushing her teeth and getting the taste of vomit out of her mouth, Alice felt a lot better and less gross. She walked up to Mark and crooked her finger, beckoning him to bend down, kissing him softly. “Minty fresh.” She joked, winking, and put her toothbrush back in the supplies bag.

Alice wasn’t angry that Mark had to work. In fact, she had expected it because he was the Undertaker and Survivor Series was where it all began. She was looking forward to seeing the segment he would be involved in tonight. Then, they could leave and go back to the hotel for some much needed R&R before catching a flight back to Houston. Sitting on the couch, Alice let out a yawn and glanced at the clock, knowing the event would start in a matter of minutes.

Except Mark highly doubted they, or at least him, would be allowed to return home tonight, not if he were doing a segment. He had a feeling Stephanie would keep his ass on the road a bit longer and pinched the bridge of his nose, turning away from Alice and inwardly sighed. Why couldn’t that harpy bitch just get the hint and leave them alone? He glanced down at the arm she had touched, scowling, and wondered how many years in prison he would get for tombstoning her in the center of the ring without shielding her head from the impact.

Mark would’ve been right on the money with his assumption, Stephanie was a devious bitch with a million plans.

If Alice had any indication what was about to happen that night, she would’ve ran for the hills along with Mark. As it was, neither had a clue and she was too tired to care, yawning again while Mark began getting around for his segment. She informed him of the upcoming baby shower with the girls all coming to Houston to do the party. Mark seemed distracted and just nodded, trying not to wave his wife off, but it was obvious something was bothering him. Ever since they’d come to Smackdown! and gotten away from Eric Bischoff and her psychotic foster monster, he’d been on edge. Not at home, that was the only place he was completely relaxed and more himself.

Halfway through the show, a technician knocked on Taker’s door. “Five minutes, Taker!”

Alice had dozed off a little and slowly opened her eyes upon hearing that, standing up from the couch. “Mark, wait.” She grabbed his arm, the same arm Stephanie had earlier that night, and looked up into his eyes before reaching up to softly kiss him. “I love you. Go kick some ass, Deadman.”

“I love you too, darlin’.” He murmured, feathering his lips along hers and then pressed his forehead to hers, inhaling deeply. “Stay put, got me, Red?” That ominous feeling Mark had gotten, when they had walked in tonight, hadn’t gone away at all, it had only intensified. When she gave him a confused look, he offered what he hoped was a casual smile. “Just… stay here.” Another kiss and then he was walking out the door, taking another deep breath. His boots dragged on the walk down the hallway, everything in him telling him to turn around, grab his wife and bail.

Something big was going down with this segment. Mark hadn’t told her about it because he’d been sworn to secrecy, even from his wife. She understood, there were times she had to keep things from him regarding her lines as well. Not often, but sometimes, such as when she won the Women’s championship. NOBODY outside of a select few, including Vince, knew about it and she’d been sworn to secrecy. Vince wanted it to be a complete surprise and blindside the fans. Mark had punished her in a delicious way later that night, which followed up with some mind-blowing celebratory sex. How she missed sex with her husband…Alice would have to rectify that once they were home again as long as she could get her morning sickness under control. Walking over, she sat on the couch and turned the volume up on the television to watch her husband’s segment.

Stephanie was watching as well, prepared to 100% go out there -not that he knew about it- and interrupt with some delightful information. Her blue eyes glittered wickedly as she flipped off her monitor and sashayed out of her office. She could hear him on the microphone, hear the fans responding and sighed contentedly. Mark would remain on the road; he wouldn’t have a choice and she also knew, what she was about to say… well, it would easily be written off as a storyline and Stephanie had taken steps to ensure that it remained that way. She wanted no part of the FBI or Homeland Security, who had stepped in once that plane going down had been deemed as a ‘terrorist attack’.

Mark halted, green eyes narrowing to acid slits when Stephanie McMahon’s music hit followed by Queen Slut stepping out onto the stage.

Since when did Mark agree to do a line with Stephanie? Every part of Alice’s body was tense, her eyes not leaving the monitor. She didn’t hear the knock on the door or hear Lita and Torrie step inside. Trish had a match that night on the card and Stacy was doing something for Eric Bischoff, who was also in the building. She felt the couch dip and Torrie took her hand, but they didn’t leave the screen for a second. Stephanie stepped through the ropes and clapped slowly for Mark on her way over to one of the ringside people, grabbing a microphone from them.

“What the fuck does she have to say to him?”

Torrie wondered the same thing, squeezing Alice’s hand and shared a concerned look with Lita, both not liking where this was headed.

Mark was wondering that as well. She was NOT who was supposed to be coming out, he wasn’t amused. This bitch… he had known not to trust her. Now, unless she was preparing to introduce the other party or something to that effect… he had a feeling Stephanie was playing him like a fiddle.

“What the fuck do you want?” He demanded, venom lacing his tone, not caring if his less than polite words were picked up by the microphones.

“What do I want?” Stephanie echoed, her own microphone up to her painted lips, smiling at him sweetly. “Why, to help you of course, I think we have some things to discuss.”

Publicly, this couldn’t be good.

It was such a joy to see the perplexity in Mark’s eyes as she proceeded to saunter around the ring, soaking in the moment for all it was worth. “First of all, I know the REAL reason why your…wife…wanted to leave Raw and was eager to come to Smackdown!...and it’s not for the reason you’re thinking. Alice has been hiding something from you for a while…ever since you two met, actually. She lied to you, Undertaker.”

Confusion and anger immediately filled Alice’s eyes. “The hell I did!!” She erupted, unable to contain her emotions and remembered Mark’s warning to stay in the room.

Did he know about this? Was this the company’s way of getting her off television to stay at home? Vince hadn’t decided what to do with her yet, only that she couldn’t get in the ring under ANY circumstances.

“That redhead is nothing more than a whore, just like I’ve said from the beginning. She lied to you, to me, to the entire company, even Page, about who she truly is. Or more importantly, who she’s related TO.”

No, this wasn’t scripted, and Alice could feel the goosebumps explode all over her body, her bottom lip quivering. “W-What is she talking about?” She whispered, trying to rack her brain, and sincerely hoped Mark wasn’t buying into this.

Torrie and Lita were just as perplexed, staring at the monitor in shock with the next set of words that came out of Stephanie’s mouth.

“You see, Taker, your wife you’ve deemed as innocent is none other than the offspring of that wretched man on Raw – Eric Bischoff. That’s right, you’re hearing it from me and all around the world – Alice is Eric Bischoff’s daughter!”

Lita’s mouth dropped open and both she and Torrie looked at Alice, their eyes wide. All Mark could do was stare at Stephanie, wondering just where the hell Vince and Linda had gone wrong with her. Shane had slinked off into the shadows, like the good little bitch boy that he was, after everything that had happened. Stephanie, on the other hand… shit just seemed to drive her even further into her own personal madness.

“Are you high?” He demanded, staring down at her angrily.

That wasn’t exactly the response she had been expecting, a brief flash of annoyance crossing her face. “No, I’m not, and I have PROOF.”

“Let’s see it then and make it good, Princess,” His tone was darkening, his entire body language informing her death was on its way. “Your life may depend on it.”

He looked like he may actually kill Stephanie in front of all those people.

“THAT LITTLE BITCH!!” Eric roared from his office, pretty sure the entire arena heard it and knew he’d have to do damage control, hanging up abruptly with Margaret.

Due to the order of protection Alice had against her, she couldn’t travel on the road with the company. Vince was insistent on it. Eric hurried out to the ring, barely waiting for his music to hit, and stepped through the ropes, seeing the smug smirk on Stephanie’s face.

“Just what the hell are you spouting off at the mouth about now, Princess? Just because Raw is kicking your ass right now doesn’t mean you have to spew lies.”

Alice wanted to feel relieved Eric had gone out there to do damage control, to put Stephanie in her place, but…something nagged inside of her.

“Oh really? That’s how you want to play this game, Eric? Fine.”

Stephanie shrugged, pointing to the Titan Tron as the arena was blanketed in darkness. It was footage of her and Eric from over a year ago, back when Stephanie and Shane had the Alliance, talking about Alice. It was the night all of her secrets were revealed.

~!~

“I’m only going to warn you once, Stephanie, leave my daughter alone.”

“Oh I will, as long as she falls in line and does as she’s told. Mark belongs to ME, not her, and now that I have definitive proof of her background, I have no doubt in my mind he’ll see the error of his ways soon enough.” Her voice was low and full of deadly intentions. “If I were you, I wouldn’t get in my way either, Bischoff.”

“Yes well…our business is concluded here, and you’ve gotten your information.” In his hand was a black briefcase full of money, not that the cameras picked that up. It was obvious he’d been paid well. “She’s not to know about this, ever. That’s our deal, got it?”

“Whatever you say, Eric.” Stephanie tapped his nose with the tip of her finger and sauntered out of the room, the footage going black.

~!~

Stephanie was jumping for joy at the look on both Mark and Eric’s faces, both of them staring at each other. “I told you! She lied to you! Don’t tell me you don’t believe for a second she didn’t know Eric was her father?! He’s the one who got her in this business to begin with! It’s all been a lie, your marriage and everything, Undertaker.”

Eric opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to form words and all he could do was drop his head. “I’m sorry, Alice.” He dropped the microphone, shaking his head almost sadly. Never did he want Alice finding out the truth about them being connected by blood.

“Oh my…”

“God…”

He was saying ‘sorry Alice’ on television, on pay-per-view, but Stephanie knew better, this was Eric trying to save face and not look like the total scumbag he was. She, at least, was honest about what she was. She sneered at him, her attention shifting back to the man of her dreams, the man who constantly refused to see the truth she was presenting him in the sea of lives he had surrounded himself with.

“Think about it,” She said softly, her tone gentle but pressing. “She was a stripper, an exotic dancer, and Eric is the one who scouted her. He recruited her, he put her on this path, and he’s always been behind the scenes, guiding her along. Do you really, HONESTLY, think that Alice knew absolutely NOTHING? Is she that oblivious? Her entire life has been dictated to her, for her, and do you really believe she was in the dark about it?”

Maybe. Maybe not. This wasn’t something he would process out here in front of all these people. This wasn’t something Mark would let this bitch get the satisfaction of seeing. His answer was to be in both her and Eric’s face, moving faster than anyone could have anticipated. A second later, he had double chokeslammed them to the mat.

Even through the pain exploding in her back and head, Stephanie managed to crawl over to grab the microphone, having one last piece of news to deliver to the world and Mark. “Even through the lies, you still love that whore…I should’ve made sure she ended along with the rest of those people on that plane! Then you’d be without your stripper whore!” Stephanie dropped the microphone and let the darkness overtake her body, a sinister smile on her face even while unconscious.

Alice had gone pale white, bolting to the bathroom to empty whatever was left on her stomach and cried, curling up in a tight ball. Eric Bischoff was her father…no, that was impossible!! Her parents died when she was a baby! How the hell could Eric be her father?! It all made sense…how she’d been shown the world of professional wrestling and taken out of her stripper job because of him. He’d brought her into WCW and given her this life in wrestling…even though most of it had been terrible. And then there was Stephanie with that plane comment again…what did she mean she should’ve made sure she ended Alice in the plane?! Did Stephanie have the plane sabotaged?? Was Alice right all along in her assumptions and paranoia?! This was too much to take, the stress and emotional despair overwhelming her. Alice held herself tighter, clutching her stomach and passed out, not feeling the life her and Mark created dying inside of her.

Unaware of what was happening with his wife backstage, Mark had remained in the ring. He was now on his knees, staring down at Stephanie, hands dangling on the canvas before him. Her words would not stop replaying themselves in his head and he was vaguely aware of EMTs coming down, his gaze drifting to Eric. He could not see any physical similarities between him and Alice, at all, and he knew personality wise they were as different as night and day. Mark looked back to Stephanie, wishing he could smack the bitch awake. Had she done something to that plane? Had Alice been right? He didn’t know anymore.

The scene Mark was met with upon arriving at his dressing room was EMTs rushing Alice out, a trail of blood following. It was horrific, the bathroom in the dressing room had a huge pool of blood on the floor. Torrie and Lita were crying, not knowing what to do for their friend and Alice was still passed out. They had found her and immediately called for security and help. They could only watch as their friend was carted out of the arena in an ambulance with Mark jumping in the back to hold his unconscious wife’s hand. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened to Alice. A few hours later, it was confirmed by a doctor at the local hospital Alice had indeed suffered a miscarriage. The baby was gone. She was put on heavy sedatives to help her body heal a little faster and they would keep her for the next few days for observation before sending her home to recover.

For the first time since her teen years, Alice truly felt like dying.

Chapter 117

Mark had been glad that she had been kept sedated… he had heard the term D&C before, but never given it any thought. Now he knew what it meant: dilation and curettage, it was something they had to do because of how far along she was. Not far along enough for the pregnancy to be considered anywhere near viable, but far enough where they had to ensure that all the ‘pieces’ were removed, so there was no lingering damage. He had been given a prescription for antibiotics to prevent infection for her, which Glenn, who had arrived on his own quietly, had taken and gone to have filled. Not that it mattered, she was being kept for a few days.

While Alice lay there, he got the rundown of what to expect the next few days and weeks. Light bleeding and cramping, normal. No tampons for two weeks. No douching for two weeks and he wondered what the hell that was. No sex. Two weeks. It was stress. She had experienced a severe shock and her body had gone into some sort of protective emergency overdrive… he was so lost right now and simply nodded, waiting until the doctor left before burying his face on the sheets, near her now depressingly empty stomach.

When Alice was finally released, she didn’t speak a word to anyone and simply signed the papers needed for her discharge. Mark stayed beside her the entire time, but honestly, she wanted to be alone. Never had she felt such pain in her life, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Stephanie had been the one who had the plane sabotaged…and passed it off as a storyline since the plane crash had been all over the news. Homeland security and the FBI didn’t bat an eyelash toward her because of the storyline aspect.

That evil cunt had gotten away with killing all those people…all because of her. Alice was responsible for all those lives lost in the plane crash, including the death of their unborn child. She was a murderer as far as she was concerned. Then there was the matter of Eric Bischoff being her father. Was it true? How long had Stephanie known? Why hadn’t anyone told her she had a living, breathing relative? Had Eric sent her to live with those despicable people?? There were so many questions and not enough answers…Alice felt more lost than ever and didn’t know where to go from here, knowing she could continue with her wrestling career now that there was no baby.

All the way back to Houston, which included driving and a flight, Alice didn’t say a word and neither did he. Honestly, what could they say right now? Eric Bischoff potentially being her Dad? Stephanie’s words about that plane crash? All of that had taken a backseat the moment Mark had returned to the locker room to find his wife having a miscarriage, losing their baby… that was all that he could think about. When she had been getting that procedure, when she had been in recovery, he had been praying for her health and safety, hoping there hadn’t been an underlying condition. Now that he knew she would be physically fine… his mind had gone back to the baby.

Three days later, Alice woke up screaming from a nightmare and finally broke completely down to Mark, who held her tightly. “I-I didn’t know…I swear I didn’t…”

The miscarriage didn’t bother her nearly as much as finding out she had a cocksucker for a father. She’d been lied to her entire life…and played like a fiddle. Then finding out Stephanie had indeed sabotaged the plane she’d been on…it was a lot to take in all at once. No wonder she had lost their child. That was also guilt she didn’t know how to overcome.

“I-I’m sorry…I-I’m so sorry, Mark…I wasn’t strong enough…I’m not good for anything or anyone…” Her confidence and self-esteem had been completely destroyed.

Honestly, Mark had been waiting for a breakdown. She had been silent ever since the night everything went down, and he knew it was coming. Or at least, he had hoped it was coming. Nobody could go through what Alice had and not have a breakdown, not anyone sane at least. Mark sat upright in the bed, pulling her out from under her sweat soaked sheets and into his lap, stroking her back and hair soothingly. She was soaked in her sweat and crying her heart out, great rasping sobs that wrenched at his own heart painfully.

“Darlin’, I know, I know… I know you didn’t know.” He whispered, against her head, beginning to rock her back and forth. “I’m here, Alice, I love you. I’m not going anywhere.” Not good for anyone or anything, he was going to kill Stephanie, Eric, Margaret… all of them, for doing this to his wife.

“I-I’ve never lied to you…not since I was blackmailed with the rape tape…”

Stephanie was still after Mark, even after all this time and after they’d gotten married. How were they supposed to stop her? Could Stephanie McMahon be stopped? Alice’s tears soaked into Mark’s bare chest as he held her tighter, his sweet words registering. How did she ever get this lucky to find a man who stuck beside her through thick and thin? Mark should’ve ran for the hills long ago and, yet, here he was comforting her and reassuring her how much he loved her. Alice winced, still sore from the D&C procedure and wiped her tears away after calming down, feeling exhausted in every way.

“I love you too, Mark, so much. I just need you in my life – nothing else matters to me except having you. And we’ll have a baby…after Stephanie and Eric are dealt with.” Her voice had changed, darkened a little and her greys steeled over. They were both going down, no matter what she had to do.

Little did they know, at that moment, Stephanie was being hounded by the FBI and Homeland Security, especially since she was about to be outed by the person she paid to sabotage the plane.

~!~

Stephanie had known she would face repercussions for what she had said, in front of that massive audience and live to the people who had bought the Survivor Series. That was part of the brilliance of her plan. Who in their right mind would confess to something like THAT the way she had? She had been prepared, she was a McMahon after all, conniving, brilliant, and very insane. She had scripts prepared, dated, the computer program with its memory stamp attributing these ‘lines’ to weeks ago, leading up to Survivor Series. Stephanie felt reasonably confident when she was asked to come in for a meeting with those agents, though she also knew to play her role as ‘contrite’, as that had been ‘tasteless and a poor idea’, all on her part. Alice could rot in hell, eventually Stephanie WOULD send her there; it was just going to take more time than she had anticipated.

However, those stamped ‘scripts’ Stephanie had conjured up did not go along with Mark Calaway’s story at all. He made it clear what Stephanie told him would happen versus what actually happened was completely different. He even had the script to prove it, which didn’t make sense since it was a completely different one than Stephanie’s. Agent Bartlow of the FBI couldn’t figure out who was lying and who was telling the truth. However, Mark Calaway’s story seemed to add up far more than Stephanie McMahon’s. He had one more interrogation to do with one of the technicians that had worked on the plane prior to takeoff in a few days. Something told him this case was about to bust wide open with that interrogation, especially after what Stephanie McMahon announced on national television.

Two weeks passed by in a flash and Alice was completely healed from her procedure and back to working out. She had called Vince, who sent his deepest sympathies and condolences for the loss of their unborn child. He also informed Alice and Mark big changes were coming to Smackdown! in 2003 and gave them the option to switch back over to Raw if they wanted. Alice declined, along with Mark, deciding she could play this game with Stephanie for as long as it took. The whore would not win – she had Mark and they were more in love than ever.

The miscarriage only drew them closer together instead of driving them apart. As far as Eric went, Alice hadn’t confronted from him yet and decided she would do so at the next big pay-per-view event where both shows would be on the same program. The Royal Rumble. Until then, she would continue training and get back into the swing of things the best she could, already deciding she would not be going back on her birth control and tossed her diaphragm away. Mark wanted to knock her up again and Alice had no qualms about it, also wanting to have his child and become a mother.

Stephanie, Margaret, Eric, all those people who seemed to line up to try destroying their lives… it wasn’t happening. Everything that got tossed their way, they faced together, and they’d overcome it together. Alice’s OVERCOME tattoo was still ringing true. If those agents wanted to talk to him 100 times over and over and he had to say the same thing over and over, he’d never tire or get frustrated with it. In the end, it just meant Stephanie was one step closer to spending life in a federal prison. Let’s see the McMahon money buy her ass out of that one, he thought viciously, though once everything came to light, he had no doubts that Vince and Linda would distance themselves from Stephanie as fast and as much as possible.

What had she done wrong? Where had her plan fizzled out at? Mark actually believed that stripper whore over HER?! Stephanie gritted her teeth, watching them frolicking in the pool area of the hotel and her blood began to boil. They looked happier than ever…after Alice’s miscarriage and finding out Eric Bischoff was her father. This made NO sense to Stephanie…Alice should’ve been a crumpled emotional mess, not happy!!

Stephanie’s eyes narrowed, her foot tapping on the carpeted floor and knew she would have to tread carefully. The FBI and Homeland Security weren’t done with her since Mark refused to go along with her scripts, insisting he had a completely different one the night of Survivor Series. That put a kink in her plan, she hadn’t expected him to actually save the script from that particular night. Mark Calaway was a lot smarter than she gave him credit for…and Stephanie would have to find a way to outsmart him along with the government or she would possibly face life in prison.

“Mark, no…not in here, not when someone can…mmm…”

Alice melted against him, her back pressed against the wall with the jets hitting her lower extremities. How could she deny her husband anything? They had been going at it constantly since she’d been cleared to have sex and Alice could only wrap her legs around his waist, not minding a pool romp with her Deadman.

DISGUSTING!! They were…Stephanie had to stalk away from the door before she tried drowning the redheaded whore.

“Mr. and Mrs. Calaway? I’m… um… the pool area is not….” The poor pool manager… he was three shades of red and trying not to look at the couple, or the fact that the giant was very obviously ball’s deep in his wife. He stared up at the sky, two giant freshly laundered towels in his outstretched arms. “I’m going to have to ask you to do this elsewhere.” People and sex in the pools… didn’t they realize how much work that meant for him? Emptying, cleaning, refilling, the whole shot.

Well fuck… Mark groaned, pressing his head against Alice’s for a moment before pulling away from her, tucking himself back into his swim shorts. At least he wasn’t going to jail this time. At least Stephanie could stop them from fornicating, so that was a small win in her book.

Alice laughed, used to their bad luck by now and shook her head, smacking Mark’s arm playfully. “I TOLD you not to do it.” His reciprocating growl made her laugh harder as she took the towel from the manager, her bottoms already adjusted and luckily, Mark hadn’t removed her bikini top. “Come on, hubs, I’ll dance for you and we can pick this up where we left off.” Winking, she wrapped the towel around her body and squealed out when Mark lifted her over his shoulder, smacking her wet towel covered backside.

The pool manager breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head at the couple before getting started on decontaminating the pool, chuckling.

They trailed droplets of water on the trek back to their room and Mark made sure Alice was giggling and laughing the entire time. Anyone who seen them could tell they were still madly, insanely in love and their marriage, their relationship in general, was still just fine. They had pulled through a lot of crap already and would keep on doing it. And he was going to make sure his wife delivered on that dance.

“All right, wench.” He growled once they were in their room, setting her down. Mark had made that walk with a raging hard-on and people could be in awe for all he cared.

Alice did more than deliver on that dance promise, showing Mark a few moves she hadn’t yet, and they blew his mind, to say the least. She’d barely finished up before he had her on the bed, pinned down and burrowed himself inside of her all over again. No protection – they were letting nature take its course and whatever happened, happened. The doctor at the hospital assured her kids were in their future and no harm had come to her lady bits. The session was rough and fast, an hour, which both were content with. They lay in bed together, wrapped in each other’s arms and sharing small kisses while cooling their heated bodies down.

“We really do have the worse luck in the world, you know. Every time we try to have sex outside of a room, we get caught. Have you noticed that?” She sounded amused, rolling on her side to prop herself up on his chest and softly kissed his lips.

“Noticed.” Mark grunted, smirking up into her face before folding his hands under his head.

They had done the nudity thing back at the old ranch. That was what got him into being nude to begin with, but ever since the place had been burnt down, sex outside was something that never seemed to happen. Not without witnesses at least.

“We haven’t tried yet at home.” He wiggled his eyebrows up at her.

“Well, it’s been somewhat cold outside, but once it warms up, we’re definitely going to lay outside naked under the stars.” Hopefully, she wouldn’t be pregnant before then, but if so, there would always be afterwards. Mark truly was her perfect match, he enjoyed being naked as jaybird as her. “Until then, there’s always the fireplace and the bearskin rug.” Rubbing her nose against his, Alice slid her hand up and down on his chest, caressing him lovingly. “Or the jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom with the fireplace…”

That had been entirely his idea; Alice never experienced quite a soothing bath and never realized how calming a fireplace while bathing could be. The logistics of that one had been interesting, a fireplace in the bathroom, but it was doable. Mark had sorted out the insurance issues. In his opinion, totally worth it, regardless of the contractor informing him he had been batshit crazy.

Chapter 118

“Mmm, keep talkin’ like that, darlin’.” He rumbled, a hint of laughter in his tone. Mark reached up to brush the back of his hand against her cheek, watching her eyelashes flutter before her eyes closed. “I love you, Red.”

“I know you do.” Her eyes opened again and reached over to caress his face with the back of her hand. “I love you too, Deadman.” Alice kissed his chest, nuzzling it and felt her body completely relax on top of him. “I forgot to tell you that Agent Bartlow contacted me again and…he said he’s close to the case being solved with the plane crash. I asked him if they were still interrogating Stephanie and he didn’t answer me directly, but…he didn’t deny it either. Do you think she’d be capable of setting up a plane to be sabotaged all to get to me? Or do you think that’s a crazy idea?”

“‘Course he can’t tell you one way or another, darlin’, that’s kind of murky legal wise, if he’s building a case.” Mark frowned, groaning. “You know I hate when you ask me questions like that, Alice.” He did too, and she knew it. Mark hated it because, on one hand, it sounded insane, it did, but on the other… he now knew better. When Alice simply waited patiently, he cursed and rolled, so he was laying on top of her. “Yes, to both. It is a fucking crazy idea, Red. It’s…. it’s so insane, it’s hard to wrap my head around it. But it’s Stephanie, and we now know just how fucked up she really is. Well, now I know, you always did.”

“It is, and I don’t blame you for taking the logical, realistic approach. I thought I was going insane for a while there.” Alice heaved a sigh, sliding her fingers through his short hair and snuggled back against the pillow with him kissing along her collarbone, jaw, and chin. “I just hope, if she did do it, they catch her and lock her up. She needs help, she’s completely obsessed with you and has been since 1999.” Stephanie would probably be able to plead insanity, but then again, all those lives had been lost in that plane crash. Alice was supposed to die in it and she hadn’t, which did make her feel a lot guiltier. “Maybe she really does love you in her own twisted, psychotic way…” Not that Alice blamed her – Mark was one of a kind and there weren’t very many good guys in the world these days.

“No.” Mark said flatly, firmly, shaking his head. “Stephanie doesn’t love me. She WANTS me. She thinks I’m a possession. She’s chasing something she never had and the shit she’s done to…. to get to me, that ain’t love.” Love was not letting people be raped, mass murder, or anything else Stephanie had done. Love stepped back and just let people be happy. “Her ass is going to wind up in a maximum security, federal prison. She’ll be branded a terrorist.”

“People do crazy, despicable things when they love someone, especially when the feelings are only from one of the two recipients. Only those who have a conscience and brain channel their feelings in a positive way. Stephanie hasn’t. I…I don’t know what Stephanie is, honestly. I do think she needs help though. There’s something wrong with her and locking her up isn’t the solution. I mean it IS, but…she needs psychological help as well. If and when they put her in prison, they also need to make sure she gets help in the mental department as well.” There would be nothing stopping people from branding Stephanie as a terrorist, and no doubt Vince would fire her to show he was against terrorists. Vince was just waiting for that time to come, especially after discovering what his daughter had done. “Agent Bartlow asked if we would both testify in court against whoever they arrest for the crime and I told him I would, but I couldn’t speak for you. So he’ll be calling you soon.”

“Darlin’, I think you need to realize that, so far, Stephanie is a textbook psychopath.” He pointed out, not agreeing with what his wife said at all. “There ain’t no amount of help that’s going to help her because she DOESN’T CARE. She doesn’t feel for other people. She has no conscience. She… she murdered people, Alice, to get to you. To kill you, get you out of her way. She didn’t think twice about doing it. And look at what she did to you with Page.” Stephanie had not shown a single bit of remorse. “You can’t help people like her. You lock their asses up and keep them away from others.”

“Maybe you’re right…I don’t know anymore.”

Stephanie had murdered hundreds of innocent people to get to her, even if she hadn’t sabotaged the plane herself. She had someone else do it for her, that had been Agent Bartlow’s belief from the beginning as well as Homeland Security. That was why they had taken so long with the investigation and left absolutely no stone unturned.

“I’m sorry. You’re right, I don’t know why I’m defending her after everything she’s done to me. She does deserve to be locked up with the key thrown away. Something tells me they’ll give her the death penalty if she is convicted and that’ll be an easy way out for her, as far as I’m concerned. I believe convicts should serve their time instead of getting the easy way out with the fucking death penalty.”

“You defend her because you’re a good person, Red.” He avowed with a slight smile, kissing her again. “But don’t waste anythin’ on that bitch because she wouldn’t blink twice over anythin’ happenin’ to you.” Stephanie would probably have a celebration. “And don’t be sorry.” That habit was going to resurface with a vengeance, he hoped Stephanie spent a very short time in that federal prison on death row. “I love you, this is being handled, and I will very gladly testify.”

“Good.” Alice already knew his answer about testifying and smiled, bringing his mouth down on hers, feeling him rising to the occasion already. “Mmm time to make a baby…” His growl was all she needed to hear, the approval rumbling from deep in his chest as Mark slid home inside of her again.

~!~

The Royal Rumble.

It’d been roughly 2 months since everything happened at Survivor Series and Alice had gotten back to business, delving into a routine. Of course, Mark interrupted said routine every chance he got to sex her up. He was determined to impregnate her, which Alice wanted more than anything. The doctor did say it would take time, so Alice chalked it up to delicious practice. Christmas was spent at home, naked in front of the fireplace and they spent New Year’s Eve and Day the same way. Maybe it was weird to prance around the house naked, but Alice and Mark enjoyed it. They wouldn’t be able to do it once they had a baby to take care of. Tonight, she was in a fatal four way match for the Women’s championship against Trish, Lita, and Torrie. They were all looking forward to it since Trish was the current champion and there was a very good chance Alice could bring the Women’s championship to Smackdown!, if she won.

Vince was sick to his stomach, but this was the Royal Rumble, the show had to go on and would, regardless of the fact that his world was crumbling around him. As he went about the night’s business, his body was on autopilot while his mind was replaying Stephanie’s life, trying to pinpoint where everything had gone wrong. Nothing to be done for it now, he supposed. His daughter, his baby girl, had allowed a woman to be raped. That had been the hardest pill to swallow, until now. Now…. now he knew for a fact that she had been instrumental in the mass murder of all those people, just to get to Alice.

Alice, Torrie, Stacy, Lita, and Trish were all in catering, grabbing a quick bite to eat after their match. They were second on the card and the women’s championship was draped over Alice’s shoulder. The company decided to go with it for now, wanting to give her one final run with the belt before she had to call it quits to leave and be a mother. After what happened to her at Survivor Series, Vince felt he owed her one and, besides that, she did deserve it. Alice had busted her backside off for the company ever since she signed her WWF contract, with a few hiccups that wasn’t her fault.

“You know I’m coming for that title again, right?” Trish teased, popping a strawberry in her mouth.

Alice grinned, nodding. “I know…and I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep it.”

“Don’t forget about me and the blondes being contenders.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Stephanie was laughing at something one of the technicians were telling her when her name was called out from the doorway. “Yes…”

At least 10 FBI agents immediately swarmed catering, ushering everyone out with Agent Bartlow at the front.

“What the HELL is the meaning of this?!” Stephanie shrieked, letting out an indignant squeal when she was not so nicely pushed face first into the nearest wall, feeling her hands being pulled behind her back. Her blue eyes widened when she felt metal around her wrists.

Trish, Lita, Torrie, Stacy, and Alice were all guided out of the room, though nobody even bothered trying to clear the hallway as Superstars and Divas alike began swarming around those double doors to see what the hell was going on. Mark made his way through the crowd and hoisted Alice up onto his hip, giving her a clear view. His emerald eyes narrowed in on the agent now reading the charges.

Stephanie McMahon was officially going down.

“I-I don’t understand this!! I-” Stephanie caught a glimpse of her father while she was guided out of catering, her blue eyes pleading. “Daddy!! Daddy, stop them, please!!”

All Vince could do was lower his head, shame coursing through him at his daughter’s actions.

“I didn’t do it!! I DIDN’T KILL THOSE PEOPLE!!”

Alice rolled her eyes at the dramatics, holding onto Mark and rested her head against his, wondering what kind of evidence made Agent Bartlow finally pull the trigger against Stephanie.

“You’ve been outed, Miss McMahon.” Agent Bartlow informed her, having already read the Miranda rights and nodded at the other agents. “Rick Holsom, ring any bells? He was one of the technicians working on the plane that went down in Oklahoma City…the same crash you boasted about on national television about being involved. He came clean and told us everything.” At her wide eyes, Agent Bartlow snorted and could see Mark and Alice standing amongst the crowd. “You’ll never be able to terrorize another living soul again. Take her away, boys.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Calaway?” Agent Bartlow made his way over to them, ignoring the crowd that parted to let him through and also ignoring the fact that everyone was blatantly listening in. “May I speak with you, privately?” He gestured at Vince, waiting until the older man had joined them. “You as well, Mr. McMahon.”

“Of course.” Vince nodded, blinking rapidly, and gestured down the hallway. “My office is right this way.”

Mark set Alice down and laced his fingers through hers, following as Vince led the way. He actually felt a bit sorry for the McMahon patriarch; he was walking normally, head high and shoulders back, but… his father’s heart was broken, shattered.

Swallowing hard, Alice could feel Mark squeezing her hand to assure her everything would be fine. Was this really happening? Was Stephanie completely out of their lives? Who would be the new Smackdown! General Manager since Stephanie was obviously out? So many questions rolled through her mind as they stepped inside Vince’s office, the old man looking pale under the self-tanner he had going on. The door closed, and Alice took a seat with Mark remaining on his feet, his hands planted on her shoulders. In her lap was the WWE Women’s championship. That victory was mild compared to what was currently going on, what they were about to face and hear.

Agent Bartlow took his own sweet time, eyeing the setup Vince had going on in his office of the night. It was very… wrestling, nothing personal at all in it. Finally, he cleared his throat and took the chair Vince offered, right behind the desk and folded his hands over the desktop.

“Obviously, we have enough evidence and testimony to make the arrest. There will be a trial, but at this point, it’s more of a formality. We have a key witness, who will remain in custody for his own safety, with… quite a bit. Stephanie was quite slick with covering her tracks, but we were able to uncover most, if not all, of the false paper trails she laid. We will need witnesses and Mrs. Calaway, sad to say, that you were the intended target.”

Stephanie was a psychopath.

“In the overall scheme of things, that won’t matter, you being the target. The US government is looking at this as an act of domestic terrorism, which will ultimately lead to the death penalty.”

Vince dropped down harshly into the other available chair. He could only imagine what he was going to tell Linda.

“Mrs. Calaway, what we want from you and your husband, and you Mr. McMahon, is testimony regarding Stephanie’s behavior, her character.”

Mark snorted. “I can write you a book.” Probably a few of them, if he were honest and he could feel Alice tensing under his palms. “You okay, darlin’?”

“No.” Alice answered honestly, tears swelling in her eyes and clutched the championship in her lap, shaking her head sadly. “All those people…she…she killed all those people…because of me, to get rid of me…” Her stomach churned, and her heart ached for all the victims and their families. So much destruction…it was no wonder Stephanie would more than likely be given the death penalty.

“Mrs. Calaway…Alice…I know this is a lot to digest and take in, but the important thing is we’re finally getting justice for all those families. She was targeting you, yes, but you’re not responsible for what happened. You had no idea you were being targeted.”

“I will make sure the WWE gives restitution to those families that lost loved ones and those who survived.” Which hadn’t been very many – Alice had been one of the extremely lucky ones.

“Good. Also, Mr. McMahon, I would highly advise you to cut all ties with your daughter, as well as her ties to the company. This is already going to look bad once the arrest goes public, but your restitution, as well as firing Stephanie, will help your company, hopefully.”

Vince nodded, already planning on doing it.

“Just let us know when and where you want us to testify and we’ll be there, Mr. Bartlow.”

Alice could only nod.

“I will be in touch, Mrs. Calaway, you have my card.” He looked at her, frowning slightly. The poor woman had been through so much and now she was going to be asked, well… demanded technically, since this was now a national matter, to testify.

Vince watched as the agent vacated the room and buried his face in his hands, shaking his head sadly.

Sighing, Mark bent down to pull his wife out of that chair and picked her up, feeling her arms going around his neck and buried his face in her hair. After all this time and all the hell Stephanie had inflicted upon her, there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

The following day, every newspaper in the country had the news of Stephanie McMahon’s arrest and connection to the plane crash. The FBI and Homeland Security had tried keeping it under wraps, but it was hard when the arrest had been done at a huge event like The Royal Rumble. The newspaper had a fabricated story of what happened, though some of it wasn’t true, naturally. Stephanie was branded as a national terrorist and the WWE received backlash, as predicted by Agent Bartlow. The trial was set for March, right before WrestleMania, and Alice both looked forward to it and dreaded it all at the same time.

Mark had apologized profusely for not believing his wife and all Alice did was kiss him, assuring him she wasn’t angry. She understood why he hadn’t since it’d been so far-fetched, the idea of someone sabotaging a plane and killing hundreds of people all for the sake of one person. As if her world hadn’t been turned upside down enough, a knock on their hotel room at 9 AM, and it being Eric Bischoff, was the cherry on top of the upside down cake.

“What do you want?” Alice asked resignedly, wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top since their flight didn’t leave for several hours. Mark was currently in the shower.

Chapter 119

“To have a loving chat with my daughter.” Eric answered sarcastically, stepping into the room when she pushed the door open, hearing the shower going and gathered that her Neanderthal husband was in there. He wasn’t here to put his hands on Alice, or any such nonsense, he liked breathing. When Alice shot him a tired but annoyed look, he held up his hands. “I had absolutely no intention of all this happening to you when I pulled you out of that strip club, Alice.” He informed her, which was the honest truth.

“Which part? Being raped and having it videotaped? Or you divulging my secret PERSONAL information to a psycho, who was hell-bent on killing me to get to my husband?” Alice remarked, knowing if Mark walked out of that bathroom and spotted Eric, he would lose his mind. They had gotten rid of one nuisance in their lives and didn’t need any more to deal with. “I want a paternity test. I don’t believe you’re my father.” Greys narrowed on the man who had singlehandedly made her life a living, miserable hell. “I’ll only believe you’re my father when I have definitive proof and a blood test is the only way to do that.”

“I already have all that.” Eric snorted, shaking his head at her. “You really think when I pulled you into WCW, knowing who you were, and then when you had that health workup, I didn’t have everything tested and sorted out?” He had because he was Eric Bischoff and not a complete fool. “And yes, the part with the rape, and everything else. That was not what I wanted for you.” The three minute warning thing, well… daughter or not, he wasn’t about to be spoken to off the bat the way she had to him. Tough love.

“You had us paternity tested when I was a baby?” Eric pulled out some papers and she took them from him, having learned a couple lessons throughout the past few years in the wrestling business. “These could’ve been easily forged and made up.” She pointed out, looking at him and didn’t put it past this scumbag to do something like that. “I want a new paternity test now that I’m an adult.” Even if he was her father, she wanted nothing to do with him. They would not be sharing holidays or anything like that. “So, did you know what religious psychos Margaret and Trevor were? Or did you not care where you left your so-called infant daughter?”

“When you joined WCW, can’t you read?” He shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Or don’t you remember the physical and workups we made you do?” Not always standard, but when he had been informed that she was his daughter, he had wanted proof outside of Margaret and Trevor’s word. Trevor had been his best friend, sure, but with something like that… no, he needed verifiable proof. “And I don’t want holidays and family time with you. I didn’t want you to know about me, period.” It was easier for both of them really. “And if you really must know, Alice, I never knew about you until after you were in the system. Your mother and I were not together, we were just fuck buddies and she had a drug problem. I didn’t even realize she could get pregnant.” Alice was lucky she hadn’t been born retarded or something.

“A crack baby, in other words, fantastic.” Alice snorted, rolling her eyes, and thrust the papers back at him, folding her arms in front of her chest. “So why are you here then? You don’t want holidays with me or anything and I clearly don’t want you in my life. I’m happily married and, when I get pregnant again, I don’t want you involved in your grandchild’s life at all. You can keep fucking the old hag all you want, but I want BOTH of you to stay the fuck out of my life. I’m staying on Smackdown! and so is my husband, so we have no ties to you at all. I think that clears up any confusion on how I feel about you, Bischoff. So why are you really here?”

“To clear shit up, obviously.” He said bluntly and then winced, hearing the bathroom door open. “Keep your pet leashed, Alice.” He actually stepped behind her, putting her in between him and Mark. “I’m not here to fight, Calaway. Oh dear god, PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!”

Mark was tempted to punch Eric, while naked, just because he probably could. “Why is he here?”

“To make it clear I had nothing to do with Stephanie’s bullshit.” The last thing he needed or wanted was himself to come under public scrutiny.

“Oh, so you’re covering your ass, then?” Agent Bartlow had already tracked Eric down to grill him about his relationship with Stephanie. No doubt in her mind they had fornicated since Stephanie screwed anything that moved, it seemed. “Don’t you think you should be telling the FBI and Homeland Security this instead of me?” Of course not because that would mean getting involved with the authorities, which Eric steered clear of as much as possible. “Since you are here, if I were you, I’d tell the old hag to stay out of my life and business before she ends up behind bars next. I’m not being abused by my husband, as you can clearly see, so deliver that message for me, won’t you, Daddy? You can see yourself out.” Alice couldn’t look or talk to him a second longer, leaving Mark standing there in all his naked glory to deal with her father.

“I can’t take you seriously when your dick is hanging out, Calaway.”

“I can’t take you seriously at all, Bitchoff. You made her life a living hell, you let other people make her life a living hell and all you want from her now is to make sure your ass doesn’t wind up being investigated or somehow tied to Stephanie.” Mark shook his head, walking over, slowly because he was in no hurry at all, to get his clothes.

“Not wholly unreasonable, I’m not the one who murdered a bunch of people.”

“You’re a scumbag.” How the hell his Red was related to this… slime… was beyond him.

“There is one more thing I wanna know, that I’ve been dying to ask you since you came into the company.”

Why Vince hired him was beyond her understanding, but Alice wasn’t thinking about that right now. She had come out of the bathroom to make sure Mark didn’t maim this prick and stood in front of him, hiding her husband’s body. In her mind, she was doing Eric a favor since he’d probably never get the image of naked Undertaker out of his head.

“Why did you sell me out to Stephanie? What did she do for you? You promised me nobody else would find out where I came from and how I got into WCW and broke your promise. I wanna know why. I DESERVE to know why, DAD.” Her tone dripped with condescension as soon as that word, that term of endearment, left her mouth.

“Oh god, don’t call me that…” He groaned, the word not sitting well with him anymore than it was with her. “Ever. Again.”

Eric had demanded that Stephanie leave his daughter alone, yes, but that was because Stephanie had figured out the relationship. He also had learned, by that time, Stephanie was somewhat psycho. More so than he dared to dream being on his wildest, most stressful day.

“And I did it, Alice, because she paid me a lot of money for information on you.” Which, she had. “And…” He grunted, clearing his throat. “At the time, I didn’t know how fucking crazy she was, she had told me about…. Calaway and shown me some personal things… when they were together, or whatever it was. I figured I’d be saving you some grief is all.” Nope, that hadn’t worked out and he regretted it, briefly. But also, lots of money.

Oh Jesus… Mark rolled his eyes.

“Something tells me she gave you MORE than just money, Bischoff.” Alice narrowed her eyes, seeing the sheepish look on his face and got her answer, which in turn made her stomach twist violently. “Money and sex, typical. Hope it was worth it because, that information is what made Stephanie go to Page and ultimately lead to my rape.” Eric paled visibly at that revelation and Alice could feel tears brimming her eyes. “You got your daughter raped instead of keeping your mouth shut. I hope you’re happy. Now leave. Get the hell out of here and do NOT contact me again.” When Eric didn’t move, Mark took matters into his own hands and shoved the man out the door, making him land on his backside before slamming the door in his face. “Stupid mother fucker…”

Eric stared up at the door, tempted to start banging on it and, as soon as he calmed down, after being unceremoniously thrown out, thought better of it. He had nothing to do with Stephanie and her airplane fiasco, which was all he cared about, not being dragged into that circus. Eric wasn’t about to get any more involved and, at this point, there was no reason to. He didn’t want a relationship with Alice and he didn’t need the Undertaker beating his ass again. However, he would strongly advise Margaret to back the hell off.

“Yeah, I want to go kill him.” Mark had shucked on jeans and was eyeballing that door.

“You and me both, but he’s not worth it, Deadman.” Alice murmured, sliding her hand up his tattooed sleeved arm and accepted a soft kiss from him. “Thank you for throwing him out. He was getting on my nerves.”

All the answers to her questions, including her dead mother, had been answered and she never wanted to talk to Eric Bischoff again. Granted, she would have to deal with him whenever it came to defending the Women’s championship. Other than that, nothing personal would be exchanged between them.

“I can’t believe he only came here to cover his own ass regarding Stephanie. What a fucking cumquat.”

“Cumquat?” Mark echoed, the side of his mouth curving upwards into a half smirk and shook his head. He’d have to store that one away for later… maybe use it on Glenn. “Darlin’… honestly, what were you…” He stopped, considering it. Mark had been about to say ‘expecting’, but that didn’t seem right. “Hoping for? With Eric?”

Her own foster family had screwed her over repeatedly and brutally throughout the years. Finding out what she had about her birth mother probably hadn’t made her feel all that great nor having Eric Bischoff as a sperm donor. Mark crouched down before her when she dropped backwards onto the edge of the bed.

“I don’t know, honestly. I didn’t think he’d come to see me, that’s for damn sure.” Alice turned her head to look at her husband, feeling his fingers stroking her flat stomach and smiled in spite of what just happened. “I never knew the truth about my mother, so that’s closure I have now. I had a feeling Stephanie paid him off. I wasn’t expecting anything…and I still don’t buy the paperwork he had on him. WCW wasn’t that…good with the testing and physicals, even though he tries to make it sound like they were. It was a dump compared to WWF, to put it mildly.” Hell, Mark knew that better than her since he’d worked for them BEFORE they’d gotten their brief push on television for a year before completely floundering due to egos.

“Darlin’, not to sound like I’m defending Bitchoff, because I’m not, but if he was told you were his kid, offered you a job and says he had the paternity thing done with that health workup… I’d bank on it that he did. Having a kid pop up out of the blue doesn’t seem like something he’s going to want coming back to bite him in the ass.”

Groaning, Alice covered her face with her hands and knew Mark was right, hating the thought of being connected by blood to that scumbag. “I’m nothing like him. How the hell can I be related to someone I have NOTHING in common with?”

Did she take after her mother? Surely not – her mother was a drug addict and had died with them. Mark pulled her hands away from her face, kissing her wrists and fingers, comforting her the only way he knew how.

“I didn’t know about being related to Bitchoff, Mark. You sure you still wanna be married to me, knowing he’s my biological father?”

That was a stupid question. Mark had married her knowing what baggage she came with, her fucked up history, all the crazy situations and problems she seemed to attract… and she was asking him, again, because of this? “I didn’t marry your Dad, foster family, or any of them fucks, Red. I married you.” He pulled her palms to rest against either side of his face. Eric and a junkie… Alice really was his diamond in the rough, he thought, smiling at the thought.

How’d she get so lucky to find a man like Mark? He truly was one of a kind and nothing had scared him away. Mark had stuck by her through thick and thin, all the crap thrown at them had been reflected and their relationship had surprisingly grown stronger because of it.

“I love you, Mark.”

Codependent she was, and Alice didn’t want it any other way, refusing to leave her husband’s side unless she absolutely had to. Stephanie was gone, and Eric was out of her life as well…could they honestly have a peaceful stretch of time in their marriage with no stress and no shenanigans? It was almost too good to be true.

2 months later, Stephanie was convicted on 282 counts of murder and several counts of terrorism, amongst other crimes, such as Alice’s rape. She had been directly involved with the video recorder, the tape saved by none other than Stephanie’s mother, Linda. Alice was shocked the older woman had kept a copy of it and so was Mark, but they were very grateful. It sealed her fate and Stephanie was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. The judge didn’t think she deserved the easy way out with the death penalty and neither did the jury. They wanted her to serve every second of every minute in prison, locked up with no chance of ever escaping to ruin other lives.

WrestleMania came with Mark kicking the showoff in a tag team match against the Big Show and A-Train with Nathan Jones as his partner. The higher ups and officials thought Nathan Jones was nowhere near ready for the ring, so they told Mark he’d have to do the majority of the match by himself in a handicapped match and Nathan would come out to save the day. Alice wasn’t thrilled with it, but she understood why the company did that. Mark ended up winning, the save from Nathan Jones receiving a huge pop from the crowd and the rest of the show went on without a hitch.

Trish Stratus ended up winning the women’s championship from Alice halfway through the night. There was a reason she had dropped the title and Trish had taken care of her in the ring to ensure no real harm came to her. Alice had dropped the title because she was 6 weeks pregnant and vowed not to let anything to happen to this baby. The match was quick with Trish delivering a few moves that made her fall on the mat lightly and Alice allowed the easy victory. She hugged Trish afterwards, raised her arm and then left the ring to let Trish soak up the victory. Mark had been worried to death over the match, but Alice assured him everything would be fine, and she trusted Trish wholeheartedly.

9 months later, a beautiful healthy baby boy was brought into the world by the name of Mason Lucas Calaway. 9 pounds, 3 ounces and 21 inches long. He was a big boy, just like his Daddy and had wisps of bright red hair along with dark eyes. They couldn’t tell if they would be gray or green, maybe a mixture of both. It was too soon to tell since the eye color on an infant changed within the first few months of life. As Alice held their bundle of joy in her arms, she couldn’t help crying with Mark standing right beside her. He had decided to cut back drastically on his schedule and began the task of growing his hair back out again. He was returning at WrestleMania XX to face off against Glenn, both were looking forward to it. Mark was returning to the Original Deadman persona, the one that started it all and Alice was honestly excited for him. She would be watching him from home – it was January and she still had several months with him before he’d go back on the road to resume his career on a limited schedule.

The night of WrestleMania XX sent chills up Alice’s spine. Mark had insisted bringing her and Mason on the road with him for the event, wanting them to see it up-close and personal. Granted, they couldn’t be out in the crowd, but they were backstage in a comfortable dressing room with a nice sized television to watch the event on. Mark looked to be in his element once again. Big Evil never really suited him and the happiness shimmering in his clear green orbs sent her heart racing. No matter how many times she watched him go to the ring, it was always the same reaction. No matter how many kisses he gave her, how many times they made love, it always felt like the first time, full of passion and ecstasy.

Vince had told her to do it when she’d been raped. When she became a wrestler and established a legacy, despite what Diamond Dallas Page, Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon tried taking away from her. When she’d been in a plane crash that was sabotaged, all to get rid of her, at the hands of Stephanie, who was now waiting on death row to be executed for mass murder. Alice had overcome every single obstacle thrown her way, even when she was at her lowest, even when she wanted to give up hope that her life would finally balance out, even when she questioned if marrying Mark in a small chapel was the right thing to do, or when she was up late at night crying her eyes out because of the hormones from her pregnancy drove her crazy. Through it all, she had overcome the odds and now her life was finally content, happy, with the man of her dreams, her knight in shining leather and their beautiful growing family.

The End.