Book 7-When You Say Nothing At All

I awake with a start. I blink my eyes, trying to focus, and wonder what woke me. "Ally!" comes Glenn's voice from the other side of the door before it opens, and he walks in. I squint up at him, still trying to focus. "Ally, you could've answered the door so that I knew you were awake. I've been knocking for a few minutes now."

Glenn nods, and says, "Well, breakfast will be ready soon. You might want to clean up; you're a mess." I nod in return, and he closes the door as he walks out. I gather myself together, as well as some clean clothes, and head into the bathroom for a hot, relaxing shower. As the water runs over my body, I scrub my skin until it is completely red to get rid of the feeling that I wake with every morning; the yearning I have for Mark to hold me like he used to gets stronger every day, and I can't seem to stop it. I step out of the shower, drying and dressing, and brushing my hair and teeth quickly. I glance in the mirror, see the forlorn look in my eyes, in my whole demeanor, and rush away from the image.

I enter the kitchen to see everyone already up and eating. "Morning, Ally," Joanie calls with a smile, and hands me a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast on it. "You better eat. We've got tons of stuff to do before we go to the arena."

After breakfast, everyone heads out to the gym, leaving me alone in the house; I am glad that no one suggested the gym down the hall. As soon as everyone's gone, I head into the walk-in closet, and pull out a few cardboard boxes. I head up the stairs to my room, and begin to put a box together. Slayer walks in yipping as I begin to place some clothes into the box. "Hey, you," I say to him, kneeling to scratch his head. "It looks like you've adapted well here." His response is licking my hand. I sigh as I continue to scratch him. "I'm gonna miss you when I leave." I pull the wolf into my embrace, then get myself back to work.

By the time I finish, I've filled three of the large boxes, and look to the bedside table clock. "Jeeze, it's only noon?" I say to myself. I turn to look at Slayer, who is lying at the foot of my bed. Patting my thigh to get him to follow, we leave the room, grab a snack from the fridge, then head into the gym. For a solid three hours, I work my ass off in that gym, wanting to burn away all those memories. I know it is quite stupid to think that it takes a workout to erase memories, but those things that I remember from our times in many gyms blind me, and I just wanted to be rid of them.

After working up quite a sweat, I decide that I'm done, and follow Slayer toward the backyard doors, toweling the sweat off of my face, neck, and arms. I watch as he goes through the large dog door I had installed when he first was brought here, and he runs around the large area, purely content in doing just that. I go on down the hall, turn left, and head into the library. I run my hand over a shelf of books, and look around at the room. It's not as bright as it had been every other time I was in it. With a heavily sigh, I leave the library, and keep going until I reach the study.

Upon entering, armies of memories invade my mind's eye, and it takes all the strength that I have to not cry over them. "I'm done crying," I tell myself as I sit on the sofa, staring into the unlit fireplace, trying to make myself believe it, but I know it's a lie. "There's nothing left to cry about." For a few minutes, I sit there, staring into that fireplace, and begin to think of the ashes of my life. "Oh great, now I feel suicidal."

I get myself off the sofa, and head into the living room. "Hey, Luke," I call back, trying to smile. He beams back, and races toward me. I kneel in time to meet his hug, and I hold him tightly. For some unknown reason, I feel that I need to tell him of my leaving. "Luke, I've got something to tell you." He pulls back a little to look at me. "I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm going to live in my mother's old place, and I'm going to be working for an Indy fed up there."

Luke shakes his head violently. "No, you can't!" he tells me, tears beginning to come to his eyes quickly. "I don't want you to leave! You don't have to, you know."

I shake my head, and gather him back in my arms. Luke clings to me tightly. "I have to, Luke," I tell him, barely able to contain my own tears. "I can't stay here, with everything that's been happening. Besides, Vince thinks it'd be better for me to go." I hold him an arm's length away. "You've got to promise me that you won't tell anyone, all right?"

"Of course!" I reply. "All the time, Luke." Luke and I hug again before I stand upright. "I have to call Ms. Potter, then take a shower before the others come for me." I head to the phone. "Start on your homework, okay?"

After I call Ms. Potter to come watch Luke for the night, I head into my room again, grab a pair of shorts and a tight, black top, and start my shower. I watch the water stream down my body, and begin to wonder why I felt Luke needed to know, and everyone else didn't. "It's just right," I tell myself as I begin to wash. "That's just the way things are to be played out."

I step out of the shower, dry myself off, and dress in the tight, black top and the short denim shorts, leaving the top two buttons undone, and roll the top of the shorts under. Quickly, I blow-dry my hair and brush it out, then look at myself in the mirror. "Why can't I ever dress decently anymore?" I ask my image, then shake my head and head downstairs.

Just as I reach the bottom step, Ms. Potter comes in. "Ah, Miss O'Malley," she greets as she walks toward the living room, and scrutinizes over what I'm wearing. "I see that you're…ready for the evening."

I shake off her tone. She and I never liked each other, for some odd reason, and she seems to think that I'm only around to bug off any potential wives for Mark and Glenn. "Look, Ms. Potter," I state, "I'm not in any mood right now to put up with anymore crap from anyone. I just want this night over with already."

"It's none of your concern," I reply as I step toward the sofa to retrieve my denim jacket. I slip it over my arms, and sit beside Luke, beginning to help him with his homework.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I call back, then kiss Luke on his cheek. "I'll try to stop in tonight to say goodnight, all right?" He nods as I stand up, and follow Joanie out the door.

"What are you saying?" Joanie asks as we walk toward the backstage entrance. "You sound like you're leaving. You sound like you're leaving for good, at that."

For most of the time before the show, I watch a few people practice their matches, and talk with Sharon as she begins to work with some wrestlers' hair. It is at the hairdressers' station that Vince finds me during one of his excursions backstage. "Ally," he says as he walks up, "we're having cameras follow you around tonight as you say your goodbyes to people."

"Well, sort of, yeah," Vince answers with a nod. "Some people are gonna walk up to you as you are in various places around the backstage area, and you'll say your goodbyes. Tonight's last shot will be when you leave from saying goodbye to Taker and Kane."

"If that," I add, then slightly smile at her. "I'll see you later. I'm sure Vince will have the cameras on me at any minute." She nods, and I walk down the hall.

As I so rightly predicted, a cameraman walks up to me a few minutes later, set to begin the goodbyes. I look at my watch, noticing that is time for the show to begin. `I'm sure Vince told someone to begin this,' I think to myself as the cameraman turns his camera on, and I am answered when I see Dean Malenko walking toward me with a sly grin. "Well, it looks like it's your last night," he smugly tells me.

"Look, I know we've never gotten along," he says, then his smile widens, "and I was wondering if you'd like to join me later in my hotel room." My look turns to horror, and he realizes his mistake. "Er, dinner! I mean dinner!"

I cross my arms, and respond, "I wouldn't join you for dinner, or anything else, if you were the last moving thing on Earth, besides myself, and even then, Dean, I'd rather talk to a pile of rumble." With that, I spit at him, and storm on down the hall.

For most of the night, my friends and those that I hadn't gotten to know very well come up to me, wishing me luck on whatever I plan to do. Now, as I wait in the locker room with Glenn and Mark for our last segment, I begin to feel somewhat anxious. I look toward Mark, who watches the monitor, and I want to say something to him, but can't. It's like my mouth is glued shut or something. `You don't need him, girl,' my mind begins to preach again. `He's just like all the other losers in this world. Get over him, and move on already, will you?!.'

"Hey, Ally," Glenn says, interrupting my thoughts. I look toward him. "Stay afterwards, all right? I feel like dancing tonight. It might do you good to get some energy out." I nod in acceptance as the cameraman walks in.

I stand up with Glenn, and wait for the signal from the cameraman. When he gives it, I look up at Glenn, then to Mark and back. "I'm really gonna miss you guys," I tell them, trying my best to keep my real emotions from getting the best of me.

"Hey, it's okay," I reply. "I don't blame you for my leaving." I shrug my shoulders. "I guess it was meant to happen, you know?" I hug Glenn tightly. "Some `monster' you turned out to be," I tease. "You're a big softy." He scoffs as he lets me go, and I head toward the door. "Unkie Paul will be back soon, I think. You shouldn't be too bad off by yourselves." I sigh as I look from Glenn to Mark again; he is looking away. He doesn't even say goodbye, like he regrets anything, not even for the show. "I guess this is goodbye." I open the door, and walk out. I lean against the wall beside the door, a few tears finally slipping from my eyes. Inside, I can hear the two arguing for the end of the show, and hope that things will improve once I'm gone.

About half an hour later, Glenn and I catch a cab to the dance club across town. As we step in the door, I can see about the entire roster there, waiting for us. "Glenn, I thought I told you not to tell anyone!" I shout with a smile.

"I only told a few people," he returns. "They, in turn, told others." We walk up to the group. "We decided to have a `Farewell' party in your honor." Glenn leans down toward my ear. "We even got Mark to come." He points toward where Mark sits, somewhat impassive as to whether he wanted to come or not. Immediately, Bri grabs one of my hands, Jeff takes the other, and they take me to the floor, forcing me to join in on the fun. Forcing me to stop thinking about Mark's motives for being here.

We spend hours there, just dancing away the night. The guys, being guys, want to slow dance with me, and I accept their invitations. As I sway with them, all I can think of is how it's not like dancing with Mark. `Oh, stop that!' my mind screams. `He's just a worthless man! My God, woman, get a life already! If you're so hung up on having a man, find one and get the screwing over with!' My mind is against me more and more these days, I've noticed.

I sit down after a fast dance beat to rest, and look at my watch. 1:13 it says. "Shit!" I exclaim, and stand up. I guess I stand up too fast because I get dizzy.

I nod, and reply, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just stood up too fast." I look at my watch again, still not believing that it is that late. "I've got to go. It's late, and I've got an early flight to catch."

"You don't have to go yet, do you?" Glenn whines, taking my arm. "C'mon, just one more dance. Dance this one last song, and then I'll take you home personally."

I roll my eyes as he manages to drag me to the dance floor. Waiting for the next song to start, I tap my foot. Suddenly, the current song cuts, making me turn to the DJ area, and the DJ starts his gig into the mic. "All right, ladies and gents, it's that time where you grab a partner, and crush yourselves together like you people love to do," he says, then pauses as he flips around with his station. "Ronan Keating's got this theory of `When You Say Nothing At All'."

Throughout the song, Mark and I just stare at each other, not moving any closer to the other, and probably neither of us thinking of the dancing. I can't help but listen to the lyrics, since I'm not doing anything else, which gets me even more emotional. Before the end of the last hook, a tear slides down my face, and I bolt off the dance floor, running out the door. I hail a cab quickly, and jump in just as it stops beside me. "A bar, any bar," I tell the driver, and he takes off just as some of my friends come through the door.

As instructed, the driver takes me to a bar that's not too far from home. I pay him, thinking, `Good. If I get too drunk, I'll walk.' I step inside the stale establishment, walk up to the counter, and immediately order hard liquor. I down what he brings me quick, then ask for another. When I swallow that one without stopping, I instruct him to just keep the stuff coming.

An hour later, I'm playing pool by myself, and I know that I'm drunk. The tender brings me another glass of the hard liquor I'd been drinking. "Thanks, man," I tell him, and set the glass down on the table.

I look up after I hit a scratch, and watch as Glenn walks through the door. He spots me, and comes over. "Hey, I thought I was gonna take you home," he starts, trying to lighten the mood. "You bolted before I could say anything."

Glenn sits down on a chair beside the table, picks up my glass, and sniffs it. "Because I don't want you to go do something stupid because you're intoxicated."

I grab the glass out of his hand, and down it quickly. "What, like kill myself?" I ask, a smile playing on my lips as I set the glass back down. "That doesn't sound so bad right now."

I shake my head. "What is there left for me, huh?" I ask as I place my pool cue on the table, then saunter over to him. I sit on his lap, wrapping my hands around his neck, and bring my cheek to his. "Glenn, I want you so bad."

"What?!" Glenn replies with shock. Before he can say another word, I bring my mouth violently to his, forcing my tongue between his uncooperative lips. As I do this, I urge my body to grind against his, wanting him to put his arms around me, wanting him to crush me to him.

A long half of a minute passes before Glenn succeeds in pushing me off of him. I land hard on my butt on the hard-tiled floor. As I stand up and wipe the dirt off of myself, I glare angrily at Glenn, and state, "What, now I'm not good enough for you? Don't wanna fuck me now, do you?"

"Ally, there's multiple reasons why I don't want to take advantage of your drunken state," Glenn replies as I grab the pool cue again. "One, you won't remember in the morning, and if you do, you'll be pissed at me for I dunno how long. Two, I'm not about to mess up my relationship with Sharon just because you want to get back at Mark."

Glenn stands, and takes the pool cue from me. "Yes, it was, Ally," he sternly argues. "You're pissed off at this whole situation, and you want to get back at Mark in the worst way before you have to leave." I grab the pool cue back, and he sighs. "Ally, don't torture yourself like this!"

"Why not?!" I hiss back. "There's nothing left." I lean against the pool table, looking up toward the ceiling. "You know, this guy was in here, giving out little, round pills. He told me it'd make me happy, make me forget my troubles." Laughter escapes my throat. "God, I don't feel happy at all."

I tuck in a corner of my mouth as I try to remember. "They were grayish-pink, pinkish-gray, or one of those two colors, something like that," I tell him slowly, rubbing my chin in thought. "Yeah, and he said it was called something…something to do with sex or something."

Glenn grabs my arms harshly, and says sternly, "Ally, do you know what you did? You took a drug! The down you're feeling right now is the aftereffects of that drug, mixed with the alcohol." I violently push myself away from him, and lean over the table, setting up for my next shot. "Girl, do you know how dangerous that can be for you?! Do you know what Vince will do to you when he finds out?! And what about the ACW? What will they think of this?!"

"Hey, Glenn," I return with anger, "this girl is a big girl, and can take care of herself!" I lift my glass toward the tender's counter. "Hey! Another, please!" When he nods, I turn back to Glenn, slitting my eyes in anger. "How'd you find me, anyway?"

"Simple," Glenn replies with a sigh, realizing he was getting nowhere. "The cab driver came back to tell us where he dropped you off at. He brought me here."

"Damn drivers," I grumble to myself as the tender hands me the glass. "Thanks." I take a sip. "Those good-for-notin' drivers. Always squealing. I ought to do something about them."

Glenn looks somewhat confused as to what to do, but sighs, and begins to walk toward the door. "You know, Mark was right," he says as he pauses beside the table. "You're a worse drunk than you are a woman, and that's pretty damn low on the scale, Ally." He walks himself out the door of the tavern.

"Shut up," I say under my breath to nothing in particular. "I don't need that right now." After downing a few more glasses of the hard liquor I'd been drinking all night and finishing my game of pool, I pay my tab, and head out the door. I stumble the entire couple of miles to reach the house, and flail around for my keys when I discover the door is locked.

I fumble around in the dark, hitting the bottom step with my toe, which makes me swear under my breath. As soon as I reach the top of the steps, I veer off into Luke's room, and kneel beside his bed, shaking him awake. "Hey, you," I say quietly.

"No, you've still got a few hours," I tell him. "I just came in to say goodbye, and that I'll miss you when I leave, since I won't see you before you go to school."

"You know what I was thinking?" Luke calls out, stopping me. I turn to face him again. "I was thinking, what if you and Daddy hadn't broken up, and had gotten married? Would I have to call you Mom or something, or what?"

I smile, and reply, "If that had been the case, Luke, I wouldn't force you to call me anything you weren't comfortable with. I know you've got yourself a mother, and I wouldn't make you call me Mom or anything like that. Ally would've been good enough."

I don't know why I even pursue into this conversation; must be the liquor. Luke smiles back, and closes his eyes as I leave the room, closing the door behind me. I cross the hallway to my room, and close the door tightly as I head toward the bathroom, picking up a few clothes on the way. For some odd reason, as soon as I enter the bathroom, the sudden urging to vomit hits. Needless to say, I have my head stuck over the toilet for a longer time than I anticipated, releasing the bile that I hadn't felt earlier, like I should have. "I don't think I want to drink ever again," I say to myself as I flush the bile away, and begin to undress.

Turning on the warm water, I step into the spray of the shower, welcoming the feeling it brings over me. For the short period I'm in the shower, I scrub my body as hard as I can stand, trying to get rid of the drunken smell that I loathe so much. After I towel myself dry, I dress in a tight, white wife-beater-like shirt and black shorts, and brush my teeth. I then crawl under my blankets, falling asleep fast…

"Git over `ere!" I hear him shout. I turn, and gasp in horror as I see Greg coming toward me with a broken glass. "I's gonna teach you's from running around!" He grabs my arm harshly, and throws me across the room. I land on a bed, and look down at where he had me; a bruise immediately pops up. I look up again to see Greg with that broken glass, and I realize suddenly that I can't move anything. "This outta teach you's!" He jams the glass into my stomach, making me scream out in pain. When I look down at where he attacked, I see blood coming from the wound, and tears begin to shift down my face, burning as they do.

He completely ignores me as he turns to Greg. "That's not the way to teach her," he tells him. I watch in shock as they smile evilly at each other, and Mark crawls up the bed to hover over me. "This is how you do it." He brings his mouth over mine, violently thrusting his tongue between my lips. I try to struggle away from him, but he bites my lips in response.

When he does pull back, it is to rip my shirt off of my body, then hungrily begin to squeeze my breasts hard. "Mark, why?" I cry out softly, wincing in pain. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because I know you hate it," Mark answers with venom. "You should never let anyone know your weaknesses; they come back to haunt you…always." He and Greg erupt into evil laughter.

I manage to find the use of my hands again, and begin to beat on his chest. "Let me go!" I demand through my tears. "Mark, please, let me go!" In response, one of his hands moves from my breasts to between my thighs, rubbing violently…

While screaming, I thrash around under the covers, wanting to escape the nightmare. I hear someone enter the room, turn on the lamp on the bedside table, then begin to shake me. "Ally, wake up. Come on, wake up."

I open my eyes, and look up into Mark's face. "Oh, Mark," I utter, and, before I think, I throw my arms around his neck, clinging on tightly. The tears I had been crying in the dream resurface, and slide down my cheeks.

"Shh…it's all right now," Mark says quietly, gently stroking my back as he does. "It's okay, Ally." Despite his words, I have to finish my cry before I pull back from his warm body, realizing for the first time that he's only in his boxers. "What happened?"

I wipe my eyes and face before answering, "I was having this-this nightmare, where Greg attacked me with a broken glass, and you…you were with Greg, wanting to hurt me with my weaknesses." I sniffle, still trying to get that drunken feeling off of my body. "I-I'm sorry I screamed. I didn't mean to wake you."

For the longest time, I stare down at my hands sitting in my lap. `Here's what I've been waiting for,' I think to myself. `Just Mark and me, alone. I can tell him everything I've been feeling, and what happens, happens.'

When Mark suddenly stands up, I'm drawn back into reality. "You okay now?" he asks, and I nod. "All right then." He doesn't seem to know what to say; I can tell by the way his eyes seem to not be able to settle on anything in particular. "I-I-I guess I'll see you in the morning." He heads to the door.

I smirk, and reply, "Mark, it is morning." He sort of smirks back, and flails around to find the doorknob as he looks at me, starting to leave my room. A sudden thought hits me. "Mark?" He steps back into the room. "Will you…I mean, if you feel like…will you stay with me?" I don't know why, but it's the only thing that comes to my mind as I watched him begin to leave. "I'm kinda scared to go back to sleep right away."

A moment of silence passes before he sighs. "Sure, Ally," Mark says as he steps back into the room, closing the door. He walks toward the bed, and I scoot over, turning over the covers for him to crawl underneath.

Mark smiles slightly as I lean against him, and he places his arm around my shoulders. The action somewhat surprises me, but I welcome it warmly. "Welcome," he replies. "So, tell me about this `nightmare'."

I describe everything to him. "It just sort of freaked me out, you know?" I tell him after telling him about the nightmare. "I guess it was because I was living in easy access to you, if you ever had the urge to hurt me or something. That, and Greg began to pop up in my dreams more and more since…my mother died." I omit in saying `since we broke up' because it's still a harsh phrase for me to say.

A tear brims on my eye as I look up at Mark's face, and return, "You have been, Mark. The entire time we've been apart." Mark looks down at his lap, as if regretful. "It hurt so much when you just stopped all that we had. Even worse, when you wouldn't let Luke even look at me." I look away as that tear, and a few more, begin their decent. "You couldn't even say goodbye for the show, and then, at the dance club. I knew you wouldn't dance with me, but with the song and everything, I couldn't hold myself together anymore." A deep, silent sigh escapes me as I rub a tear off of my cheek. "It hurts when you know the one person you can't live without wishes that you aren't there at all, doesn't love you anymore."

"Oh man…" Mark softly groans out. His finger comes across my chin, and it forces me to look back at him. "Ally, I never stopped loving you, and I never meant to hurt you. My anger got the best of me, and I didn't know what to think. I was so concerned about how I could've lost Luke, and I wasn't even thinking about anything else." He takes a deep breath. "Then, after my anger subsided, I couldn't just walk up and say something like `Want to get back together?' That wouldn't do any good for you and your pain. I don't know why I could never bring myself to apologize or anything."

Mark places a finger on my lips to silence me. "Then I saw you with Dean Malenko, and I knew you had to be pretty pissed off at me to even think of that," he continues. "I don't know how, but I ended up sending Terri to get you so I could show you that I could be just as ruthless. I knew how much you hated those other women, and I just used that to make you even more angry." He closes his eyes, and leans his head back on the board. "I can't believe I actually stayed in one place while Trish flirted…and I touched her." He shudders.

I laugh lightly as he did so. "I still can't believe I kissed Dean voluntarily," I respond, and he smiles. I stop laughing as I remember the Rumble. "And then there was the Bikini Contest."

He notices my tone, and says, "I don't know what I was thinking then. I just…I guess I was so angry, and your stalling was something that was purely you, and I couldn't stand it." Mark smiles at the memory. "I've got to hand it to you, that stalling made the outfit that much more enticing."

"You, Glenn, and everyone were shocked," I say, then laugh. "What was really funny was what Jerry said after we got backstage. `It looks like the Deadman isn't `dead' after all!' It was quite a trip, getting all those comments from the guys."

I catch Mark as he finally smiles a real smile, the first I've seen in weeks. "Do you know how hard it is to think straight when that night comes into my mind?" he states, then brushes a few strands of hair away from my face. "You have this incredible body, and you refuse to show it to anybody, for anything. It's a hell of a difference from the others; they wear those skimpy, little pieces of thread that eventually come off anyway, and they wear those everyday, so there's practically no difference in what they put on."

I smirk, and reply, "You better get your eyes checked. It seems all I wear these days makes me look like a whore. It makes me sick that I can't dress decently anymore."

He stares at me with disbelief. "Bunny man?" he restates, and I nod. He rolls his head in frustrated concern. "You didn't go out drinking again, did you?" I nod again. "Dammit, Ally! Why do you do that to yourself?"

I shrug again, and reply, "Because I was so angry, and I needed an outlet. Drowning sorrows is what everyone does, and I didn't know what else to do." I don't want to tell him of what Glenn said, afraid of what he'd say to that.

He sighs heavily, then says, "I miss the way things were between us, Ally. We weren't scared to tell each other what we thought, when we had problems, or anything. I miss you especially."

"To start off, I miss your smart-ass comments," Mark replies with a laugh. "I miss the feel of you beside me, your laugh, the way you are with Luke, your eyes. I miss you so much." He smiles down at me. "Did you miss me?"

"You won't ever know how much, Mark," I tell him, then look down at my hands. "I miss your smiles, your comfort, the way your arms felt around me…" I trail off as I look back up at him. "I miss the way you kissed me. It was special to me."

Mark strokes my cheek as his lips come to mine, so gently and soft, as they had numerous times before. Slowly, his tongue brushes against my lips, and I part them to allow him access to my mouth. As he explores my mouth like anew, his weight makes me roll onto my back, and I wrap my arms around his neck in the surprise of it, bringing a soft moan from his throat. When his tongue exits my mouth, I place mine in his, probing places to discover it as if it is new, and tangle my fingers in his soft hair.

We break the kiss soon after, our breathing somewhat ragged, and I smile. "I'm still not gonna give into your male fantasies," I remark, which brings a laugh from Mark as he lays on his side.

"One of these times, you'll give," Mark returns. I place my hand over my mouth to cover the yawn that escapes. "Tired?" I nod, and he glances at the clock on the table, then turns the lamp off. "It's pretty late." He places his arms around my body, bringing me closer to him, exactly what I've yearned for since the break-up. "Do you know how much Luke misses you?" he asks as he places his head beside mine.

Light finally breaks through into my consciousness, and my eyes flutter open. The first thing I see is Mark, staring at me intently. "Whoa," I say, backing my head up slightly. "That was weird. How long have you been awake?"

"A few hours now, I think," Mark answers, then smiles. "You look so peaceful when you sleep, and so tempting in that shirt." I have to smile back. His smile dims a bit. "I'm sorry if I've ever pushed you into something you didn't want to do, just because it'd satisfy my being male. Have I ever pushed you?"

I shake my head, and reply, "No, and Mark, it's okay. A man wants certain things to make him feel like a man. I'll understand if you want to hold me and stuff, all right?"

Leaning over, I place my lips gently over his for a long, lingering minute, then climb out of the bed. "I've got a few calls to make," I tell him as I gather some clothes to change into.

Quickly, I dress in a pair of those `huggy' jeans, as some of the guys have gotten to call them, and my black wanna-be halter-top, the one that looks knitted or crocheted. As I'm brushing my hair and teeth, I realize that I'm wearing the same outfit I wore back in November, when Mark and I shared that kiss in the garage. "Fitting," I say to myself through the mirror, and notice the glow about me. "They're gonna know something's up as soon as I walk down those stairs." I look down at my watch, and see that it's almost ten.

I exit my room, then slow myself down as I hear the voices of my friends coming from the kitchen. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, I manage to somewhat slowly walk down the stairs, and enter the kitchen. "Morning," they call out.

I smile, nod, then pick up the phone. I first call the airport, asking for a refund on my ticket. As I hang up and dial another number, I can hear the buzz of confusion of the others behind me. On the second ring, the attorney picks up, cheerfully saying, "Brett Coldmier."

"No, I'm not," I tell him. "I just called to inform you to get a realtor to rent out my mother's house for me, as I won't be needing it, and I don't want it demolished or collecting dust and cobwebs."

"I'll be coming up to retrieve some of my mother's things some time soon," I reply. After a few more details are discussed, we say our goodbyes, and hang up.

"Ally, what the hell are you doin'?" Glenn demands to know. I just look at my friends as I dial another number, this one to the ACW headquarters. When the receptionist picks up, I tell her that I wouldn't be joining their ranks after all, and she patches me through to the owner of the company. We have a short discussion, and say our good luck's on a positive note.

I smile coolly at the group, and reply, "I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm staying!" Immediately, smiles break onto their faces. Some laugh, while the others ask me questions that I can't answer, like what I'll do to get back on TV.

"Mark," everyone replies in unison. "Yeah, I can just see it now," Bri comments, then pretends to pull at his head and starts screaming like a lunatic.

While the others are watching Bri's impression and laughing, Mark comes down the stairs. When he steps toward the kitchen and sees Bri, he gives me a questioning look. "Is he okay?" he whispers.

"You're not?" he comments quietly, and smiles when I nod. "Well, that's good, because it would kinda make it hard for us to have a relationship when you're so far away."

His lips come to mine with desire too great to hide, and I return the passion. As we engage into this kiss, I hear the laughing suddenly stop. A few people clear their throats, but we don't hear them. When they do it again, we finally break apart. "What?" we ask simultaneously with mock irritation.

I have to laugh. Mark brings his forehead to mine as the rest make comments and such. A pain strikes my head, and I wince. "What's wrong?" Mark asks softly.

On the car trip to Austin, Mark, Glenn, and I decide to be daring, not inform Vince of the change in plans, and give them a little of our own creativity again. When we reach the destination city, we head into the gym for a little workout, then depart from our friends. After leaving the gym, we rent a pickup truck for the night, and head out for a bite to eat. Once we finish dinner, it's about time for the show to start; I can see Vince going crazy already.

When we arrive just outside the lot, we stop, and I hop into the bed of the truck. As I lie in the back, I just hope they don't break too hard when they get into the garage. The truck takes off, and speeds into the garage of the arena. I take a deep breath, and close my eyes, trying to appear unconscious as I hear the doors slam shut. The back is opened, and I am rolled to the edge of the bed before I'm hoisted to Mark's shoulder. "Kane, get the door," he calls out to Glenn. Before too long, we're inside the arena, and reach a locker room, were I'm unceremoniously dropped onto a sofa.

I open my eyes a crack, and don't see a camera, so I open them all the way. Glenn is being the look-out for a cameraman, who we know will be sent by Vince to find out what's going on, and Mark sits in an armchair across the room. "Was there a camera in the garage?" I ask, and both Mark and Glenn nod with smiles.

"There he is," Glenn announces quietly as he closes the door. "The camera will be here in a few seconds." Glenn pulls his mask over his face as I lay back down, closing my eyes again.

A few minutes later, the show begins, and the two begin the start of our little plan. "Taker, you've gone off the deep end again," Glenn tells Mark. "And they wanted to put me in the mental hospital."

"You could've tie her up, let her stay awake, but no…" Glenn returns. "You just had to knock her out, and toss her into the back of the truck." There is silence between the two for a few seconds. "So what are you gonna do with her now? She obviously can't do much while unconscious."

"Then we're just gonna have to wait until she wakes up again, won't we?" Mark replies, then stands. "I'll be right back. Kane, watch her." I next hear the door close, and feel Glenn sit beside me.

Keeping my eyes closed for so long starts to make me go crazy, as I want to see what's going on. Glenn's voice interrupts my thoughts as he says, "Man, he just doesn't know what's going to the extreme." I feel his hand on my head. "I'm sorry for whatever he's got in his mind right now, DC, and to tell you the truth, I'm afraid of what he might do."

There is silence, then I hear a little struggle. "You're gonna have to leave," I hear Mark tell the cameraman, then the door closes. "Okay, Ally, you can move now."

Instantly, my eyes are open, and I'm standing on my feet. My legs begin to tingle with stiffness. "Shit, my legs fell asleep," I tell them as I rub my muscles, and sit back down.

"Oh, no you don't!" I reply, taking my legs off of his lap, and laughing. "Before I know it, you'll have me in the jaws of passion, and won't let me go!"

Mark sticks his bottom lip out in a pout, so much like Luke does, and I have to sigh, rolling my eyes. "All right," I relent, and he smiles again as I place my legs back on his lap. "But if you start something, you're getting a swift kick in the mouth."

A few minutes later, I'm back into my `lying unconscious' act, and a knock comes to the door. "Taker, Kane, open this damn door!" I hear Vince's angry voice shout.

"Do you know what crimes you've committed?!" Vince returns with annoyance and anger. "You kidnapped a person, who shouldn't even be here, and now you're holding her hostage or something!"

"Just what the hell are you thinking?" Vince asks, ignoring the statement. "Or aren't you thinking anymore?" A pause occurs. "Let me in there right now."

I hear a little bit of a shoving match before Vince yells, "Dammit! Let me in there before I call in some authorities to physically remove you from the room."

I sneak a peek by opening my eyes a crack, and see the cameraman leaving as Mark glares at him. I laugh after the door closes. "He's getting to know your looks now," I tell him.

"Which isn't for another forty, forty-five minutes," he informs me, and sits beside me on the sofa after turning on the monitor. As his arm surrounds my shoulders, I lean against his warm body, inhaling his sweet cologne; how I've missed this kind of stuff.

For the next fifty minutes, we watch a few matches go down, one involving Glenn beating the snotty blood out of all four of the Radicals. Segments also appear of Vince trying to get a few policemen to force themselves through the door of our locker room; he is unsuccessful at recruiting any. A few other segments appear where Shane, Steph, and Hunter try to reason with Vince on barging into the locker room, alone, with no one and nothing to help him should Taker go ballistic. Vince plays the hero, saying he can handle himself, and things like that.

Mark and I reluctantly part as he goes to sit in the chair across from the sofa, and I lay back down into the `unconscious' position. "Yeah, come in," Mark calls back after I've closed my eyes. I hear the door open and close.

I hear Mark stand up from the chair, and I open my eyes slowly, moaning in pain, and bringing my hand to the back of my head. My eyes widen in fear as they adjust on Mark. "You bastard!" I shout out, sitting up suddenly. "You rotten, cheating, little bastard!"

I stand quickly, and shout, "So, what am I doing here, huh?!" I point toward him. "I was supposed to be on my way to the unemployment office, and you had to knock me unconscious, dragging me here!"

"Isn't that were I should be?" I retort with anger. "Isn't that the whole point of a `Loser Leaves Town' match? Look, you lost, and that means I'm out of here, fired, ca-put!" I begin to head for the door.

Mark grabs my arm, and turns me back around. "You know, you've been a huge thorn in my side since day one," he tells me. "Ever since you came down that ramp, and told your little, pathetic life story, you've constantly gotten in my way. Not once did you ever think of anyone but yourself."

"Yeah?" I say again, a slight bit of fear entering my voice at that point, and I take another step back. He continues to step toward me, and I take another few steps back.

Soon, my back is against the wall directly beside the door, and he leans his weight on his arms that are placed on either side of me. "Yeah," he responds in a less-than-threatening tone.

"This," he answers, and brings his lips to mine softly. My lips respond in the like with encouragement, and I hope that the camera has switched to the outside.

As if in an answer, I hear someone banging on the door. "Open this damn door!" Vince shouts from the other side. Again, a banging sound occurs. "I'm coming in there!"

Mark steps back from me, and opens the door just as Vince runs right into it. Vince falls to the floor, and the door quickly closes as he lands. He turns onto his back, and looks up at us, startled. "What's been going on here?" he asks, bewildered.

"Go with it, and we'll explain later" I tell him quietly as we pull him to his feet, then slam him into the door a few times. When the cameraman tells us that it's time to close the show, Vince lays on the floor, acting unconscious, as we stand beside him.

I swallow hard, then reply, "Uh, you see, Mark and I were able to solve our problems, and I didn't feel the need to leave anymore. I called up the attorney, the airport, and the ACW offices, informing them of my change of mind."

"We didn't want to leave her out of anything, Vince," Mark picks up the explanation. "Glenn and I felt that a kidnapping-type storyline would be a good way to bring her back in." I see Vince start to get this `you should have informed me' look in his eyes. "You know she brings in some pretty good ratings, Vince. With a cliffhanger like this, RAW will gain a big score."

The look lessens as he looks back at me. "All right," he says slowly, running his hand through his hair. "We'll think of something over the week. For now, I want you to just stay in the back." Vince looks up at Mark. "You still should have informed me. I thought you and Glenn really had kidnapped Ally!"

As the door closes, a smile creeps onto my lips, and I bust out laughing with Mark. "I thought we were busted big time for a minute there," I say through my laughter.

The door opens again, and Glenn and Sharon walk in. "So, what happened?" Glenn asks. That only gets us to laugh even harder. Glenn looks around, confused. "What? What's so funny?"

I look around quickly; I think I heard something. "You ungrateful bitch!" comes a voice, slurred by drinking. I whip around, but no one is behind me. I turn back forward, and there he stands, directly in front of me. His clothes are tattered, and I can smell the alcohol from where I stand. "You's was never good enough!"

He comes toward me, a broken glass bottle in one of his hands, and a rope in the other. "G-G-Greg, don't do that," I stammer out, holding my palms out toward him, and backing away. "Please, please stop!"

"I don't stop, bitch!" he shouts, and laughs evilly as I trip backwards, and land on my back. "This is gonna be's easier than I thought!" He walks up to my fallen body, and laughs again.

"You wanna bet?" he burps out, and kneels beside me. He jams the broken glass into my stomach, making me scream out in pain and terror, then wraps the rough rope around my wrists, tying the end of a post nearby. He comes back to me, and tears off my T-shirt, exposing my bare breasts. Immediately, his grubby, little hands are digging into them, making my cry out in more pain. The next thing I know, I'm completely naked, and Greg is spreading my legs apart. "Doesn't this feel so natural, darlin'?" He grins wickedly as he places his member inside me with a hard, painful thrust. I scream out loudly as he continues to thrust, harder, faster, and more painfully…

I sit straight up in bed with a scream, breathing hard. Mark bolts up as well. "Ally, what's wrong?" he asks, and I turn to look into his eyes for comfort, fear projecting in mine. He gathers me into his arms, hugging me tightly. "What happened?"

I swallow hard before answering, "I-I-I had this terrible nightmare. Greg was in it. He was coming after me with a broken glass and a rope, and I fell onto my back. He jammed the glass into my stomach, then tied my wrists up. He ripped off my shirt, then the next thing I know, he's thrusting himself into me hard and painfully." By the end of the explanation, tears are slipping down my face, and onto Mark's bare chest. "I was so scared, and it hurt so much, Mark."

Mark strokes my back gently, whispering, "It's all right, Ally. I'm here." He kisses the top of my head, then manages to pry my arms from around his back, holding my upper arms tightly. I look into his eyes again. "Ally, is there any way that Greg can find you and hurt you?"

Mark blinks in relief. "Okay, then there's nothing really to be afraid of," he replies, pulling me down with him as he lies back down. I lay my head on his chest, afraid to let go of him.

For a few minutes, we lay in silence; Mark stroking my back with gentle motions, and I with my head below his chin, enjoying the closeness. A thought suddenly pulls into my mind. "Mark, was it partly your idea to send me away?" I ask him.

I take his hand in mine, and kiss his palm. "It's all right, Mark," I tell him. "I was just wondering." His hold on me grows tighter as I close my eyes again.

Mark and I sit in the hotel room Thursday night, waiting as Smackdown begins to start on TV. "I've got an idea," Mark says suddenly, then takes his cellphone out of his bag. He dials a number, puts the phone up to his ear, and waits. After a few moments, I hear someone pick up on the other end. "Hello, Ms. Potter? Yeah, this is Mark. I'm good, and you? That's good. Can you put Luke on? All right." Mark winks at me as he waits.

"Hi, Luke," Mark says into the phone, then is quiet for a while. "Wow, that's really cool. Hey Luke, watch Smackdown tonight, all right? Yeah, and I'll call you afterwards, before you go to bed. Give the phone back to Ms. Potter, and I'll talk to you later, all right?" He pauses again. "Ms. Potter, hi. Yeah, I told Luke he could watch Smackdown tonight; I hope that's all right." He smiles as he pauses this time. "Right, I'll call back later tonight. `Bye." He brings the phone down, and turns it off.

Mark pulls me beside him on the bed. "I just want to see how Luke reacts to what happened," he smugly replies, and kisses my lips. "I want him to see for himself the first thing I've done right in a long time."

After the show, Mark calls Luke again. When Luke picks up on the other end, I can hear his joyful screams from across the room. "I take it he's happy?" I ask, and Mark nods while holding the phone away from his head.

Luke laughs, and says, "I'm more than happy, Ally. I-I don't know the word for it, but I'm so much more than happy." After a few more minutes of talking to Luke, we hang up, and I turn off the phone.