book 6:Crying Soul

Getting through the next six days is difficult, with Mark ignoring me or leaving when I enter the same room he's in. Even harsher is how he completely forbids Luke from talking to me; looking toward me seems like a sin now. I am forced to cry myself to sleep every night.

On Friday, our last night before we go back, Paddy comes to my room as I am crying. "Ah, wee one, don't cry ye eyes out over `im," he says soothingly as he sits on the bed and gathers me up into his arms. "He's not the last one on earth, ye know."

I smile through my tears, and reply, "Paddy, I let him into my heart, the first one in a lot of years, and, as I saw it, everything was going great." I sniffle as I sit up, rubbing my eyes. "I think I'm most upset over the way he's forbidding Luke to talk or even look at me. I'm Luke's friend, and it's almost like taking away his right to have any."

Paddy rubs my back, and adds, "That, and ye just lost your mother, chile. This man was the one to console ye during this time. Now, ye feel betrayed and wish you'd never loved him in the first place. Am I right?"

"Because," I answer slowly, "because I still love him, and probably never will stop loving him. How am I gonna continue on without him, Paddy?" I smile again. "To think, I started off last year dead set against the opposite sex, and this year, I start off with a broken heart, and a need to have his arms around me again." I lay down on the bed, and Paddy stands to tuck me in. "You've got a hopeless niece, Paddy."

He leans down, and kisses my forehead. "Not hopeless, Ally," he responds. "Just confused, hurt, and in love." He goes to the door, and turns the lights off. "Goodnight, wee one."

Nothing changes when we arrive home late Saturday night; that is, after we made a pit stop at my mother's house to pick up Slayer for Luke. Mark stills gives me the silent treatment, refusing to let Luke near me. The next two days are just as tough. Glenn sides with me, telling me that Mark is blinded by his anger. "He's not seeing what it's doing to you," he says as we sit in the hotel room Monday morning, discussing what would happen at tonight's RAW, a pot of coffee that was brought up by room service in front of us. "If he could just see how much pain he's causing you, he'd be asking you back in an instant."

"Thanks, Glenn," I reply with a sad smile. "I'm glad I've still got you." I sigh wearily. "I mean, I understand why he got angry and everything, but it's not like I forced Luke to come with me. It was his idea to begin with." I look at Glenn again with that sad smile. "I guess I just lucked out when he didn't all out pound me."

Glenn quickly walks over, glances at the number, and replies, "Oh shit." He starts toward the door. "Pick up the phone. I've got to get Mark up." He walks out the door quickly as I turn back to the phone.

Before too long, we hear the door bang open, then watch as Mark walks toward us with an angry scowl on his face. "What was all that arguing for?" I ask him somewhat timidly as he pours himself a cup of coffee, wondering whether or not Glenn said he could grab some coffee.

Hurt, I stare down into my own cup of coffee. "Hey, Ally," Glenn softly calls toward me. I look up into his concerned eyes. "I'll go find out what happened for you, all right?" I nod, and he stands to leave. "We don't want him drowning himself in coffee." I have to give him a little smile for the joke. He leaves, and goes out the door.

Glenn is gone for quite a while before he walks back into the room. He sits, and takes a sip of his coffee before saying, "She wants to give up custody of Luke because she says she doesn't have the time. He tried to tell her that as his mother, she's got to make time for him, but it doesn't do any good. She's already sent papers to his lawyer."

"I'm sure once everything's settled, he'll be happier," Glenn responds. "I think he's just angry that she suddenly wanted to abandon Luke like that." He looks down into his cup. "He also said that he's concerned about Luke growing up without a mother figure."

I look up at Glenn. I know that it'd happen soon, but didn't think it was that big of a deal; he was a veteran, and I thought he'd be used to it. "He doesn't want to give it up, does he?" I ask.

Glenn shakes his head, and responds, "I think he's making a bigger deal of it than he would, considering the recent events that have come to pass." I nod, and we are silent for a few moments. "It's gonna make working a lot more difficult."

When we arrive at the arena later, many of the people give their condolences of my mother's death, and welcome me back. I thank them for their concern, and continue with what's ahead of me. Before I can do much, Vince calls Mark, Glenn, and I into his office. "I just wanted to tell you of what the writers came up while you guys were gone," he tells us as we sit down. "After you lose the belt, Mark, they want Taker and Kane to feud with Hunter and Rikishi. Over what, we'll figure out before too long." He turns to look at me. "But tonight, Ally, we're setting up a match for the Rumble. A bikini match between you and Jackie. She won one back at Fully Loaded in 1998."

I shake my head, and reply, "Vince, I can't do that. I just got back, and frankly, I don't think I want to get too deeply involved in matches right away. After the Rumble, yeah, I can do that, but not right now."

Vince nods slowly, glances over at the other two, and back to me. "Okay, you're right," Vince sighs. "I know that your mother's passing has been hard on you. We'll wait till after the Rumble to start that feud." He points at Glenn and Mark. "I want you two to stay a little longer to go over tonight. Ally, you're excused."

"Yeah," Hunter says as he hugs me next. "It was kinda boring around here without you three." He looks around expectantly. "Speaking of which, where is the resident Deadman? He's usually on my ass if I touch you."

"That's a stupid thing he did," Hunter replies after I finish the story. "He's lucky that nothing seriously bad happened." Just as he finishes, the door to Vince's office opens, and Mark and Glenn step out. Mark glares at me for a second, then goes down the opposite hall.

"Wishing isn't going to do you much good, Little One," Hunter replies softly. They both hug me one last time, offering me to join them later for some food afterward. I refuse, but wish them a good night. I head down to the locker room, ready to face the challenge ahead of me.

I enter the locker room, and find only Mark sitting inside, his eyes closed as he leans his head on the wall behind him. "I know what's going on with your ex-wife," I softly say as I close the door. "You should be more happier about it. You told me how you hated the joint custody agreement."

He opens his eyes, and stands up slowly. He glares down at me. "Listen real good, girl," he states calmly, but with anger. "I don't need a meddling woman in my business. I have enough to deal with, with the custody thing, the shows, losing the belt. I don't need you to add to it."

Mark interrupts with a shout, "I don't need your help! You've caused enough problems already." He points toward the door. "Now get out of here before I have to make an example of you." I don't budge. "I said GO!" He steps toward me with his fist raised, but I still don't move; my body somehow reasons with my mind that he wouldn't have the nerve to hit me. "You're askin' for it."

I can see the fist come toward me, and I close my eyes, not flinching, waiting for the impact, and I curse myself for not leaving when I had the chance. When nothing happens, I look to see Glenn's hand tightly clenched around Mark's fist. "Don't do it, Mark," he tells him. "You'll have the whole roster on your ass, starting with me."

Mark twists his fist out of Glenn's grasp. He glares once more at me, then storms out the door. I fall back into Glenn's body, and he wraps his arms around me. "That was close," I say, patting his arms.

"But the war is just beginning," Glenn comments. "You shouldn't get him so angry; one of these times, nobody's gonna be around to stop him." I nod, disentangle myself from him, and head into the bathroom to shower and change.

After changing, I head to the hairdressers' station. A new woman greets me. "Hi, my name's Sharon," she tells me, holding out her hand to shake mine. She seats me in a chair, and scrutinizes over my hair. "Well, it looks great down, but it could get in the way."

Sharon smiles, and responds, "But I'm sure we want something different today, right?" I shrug, telling her that she's the artist. She nods, and begins her work. Before too long, she has my hair in a French braid, with some tendrils hanging down along both sides of my face.

"I've been here," I tell him, then glance toward Sharon. I can tell she's interested. I motion toward her. "Glenn, this is Sharon. She's a new hairdresser here." Turning to Sharon, I point toward Glenn. "This is Glenn, our Big Red Machine known as Kane."

Glenn takes Sharon's hand, and brings it to his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he tells her with a smile. I see this as a time to leave the two alone, and trek back to the locker room.

"Don't apologize about that," I tell him, then softly elbow him in the side. "I can usually see a relationship between people when they meet. Except my own, of course. Aren't you kinda glad now that you and Shell aren't together anymore?" Glenn chuckles as we walk together to the curtain, where Mark is already waiting on his Titan. He shakes his head and mumbles to himself before our entrance theme hits. He rides out ahead of us, and Glenn and I are at the bottom of the ramp by the time he parks his bike. Glenn climbs in the ring after Mark, and we wait as the Acolytes and Jackie walk out.

During the tag match, I keep seeing Mark glare at me so hatefully while Glenn's inside the ring. I try my best to ignore it, but I can't. As predetermined, Jackie and I get into a fight, which allows Hunter to interfere, hitting Mark over the head with a steel chair. Farooq gets the pin, but the Acolytes and Jackie make the mistake of staying in the ring. Both Mark and Glenn attack Bradshaw and Farooq, and I get some shots in on Jackie before she gets out of the ring, grabbing a mic as she passes the announcer's table. I watch with curiosity as she and the other two run up the ramp.

They turn around at the top, and Jackie brings the mic to her mouth. "Listen here, scank," she says. "This is my ring, and you don't go attacking me whenever you damn well please."

I grab a mic from the ring announcer, then lean on the ropes between Mark and Glenn. "Is that so?" I reply, then grin evilly. "What did you have in mind to solve that problem? A hardcore match? A cage match? What?"

"She accepts the challenge," he tells Jackie, and the crowd erupts into cheers. Once the cheers die down, he brings the mic back up to his mouth. "At the Rumble, the WWF will see who is more woman."

Jackie nods in acceptance, and the three walk backstage. I punch Mark hard on the arm. "What the hell are you doing?!" I shout at him. "You damn bastard! I am not lowering myself to that!" Mark just smirks at me with a humorous look, then leaves the ring. Glenn and I follow not long after.

As soon as I come through the curtain, I spot Vince, smiling victoriously as he speaks with Mark. "Vince!" I shout, and storm up to him. He just smiles the same smile at me. "You lied to me, damn you! You know damn well I didn't want to do it yet!"

"What's wrong, Ally?" Vince asks with mock concern. "Ashamed of your body?" The smile falls off of his face. "I am the owner, and what I say here goes, okay? I didn't think waiting would work, considering the match tonight. I recruited Mark and Glenn to make sure the challenge would go down, and that it would be accepted." He looks up at Mark. "Good work." Mark nods, and walks off with devilish grin.

During the next week, Mark and I either argue constantly, or don't speak to each other at all. After each fight, I usually cry on Glenn's shoulder, seeking his and Sharon's comfort, and keep thinking of how we used to be so close. Nightly, I remember many happy and wonderful events during our relationship through my dreams. When I awaken in the morning, the yearning for his embrace is always present.

When I arrive at the arena the next Monday, I am extremely pissed. Mark and I had just had another encounter and argument. I can barely contain my anger as I enter the arena, find my locker room, and mingle with my friends. Bri, Joanie, Hunter, Paul, and Glenn seem to know what to do every time I show up in a bad mood; they usually joke around about Mark's habits or body parts, a certain lower one in particular. Today, though, their joking helps only a little bit before we all have to go our separate ways to change and practice matches. As I change, I can only think of somehow making Mark jealous.

A few hours later, I'm leaning against the brick wall of the main hallway. From all the way at the other end of the hall, Mark turns the corner, and walks down toward my way. I look down the other direction, hoping to find a guy walking by. As my eyes look down the hall, I see Dean Malenko walking toward me. He licks his lips when he notices me staring. I look back to see that Mark is within watching distance.

Dean smiles at me as he comes closer. I smile back, and reach out, grabbing his arm. I bring him closer to me, turn him so his back is facing Mark, and bring his mouth to mine forcefully. For what seems like an eternity and a half, I feel his tongue struggle with mine before he pulls back. Dean smiles, and says, "About time you get some senses." He begins to chatter on, but I don't pay too much attention as I look over his shoulder to see Mark's reaction.

He seems shocked at what he just saw, and a bit upset, as well as angry. Immediately, he turns on his heels, and storms back down to the hall he came from, hollering at people who are in his way. My attention turns back to Dean, whom asks, "So, dinner tonight?"

As I'm about to turn the corner, Terri Runnels intercepts me. The short blonde smiles at me with a fake smile. "Oh, hello," she says. "I was just coming to get you. There's something you might be interested in seeing."

"Oh really," I reply, and she nods. I decide to follow Terri to humor her. When we stop, she points toward the curtain area. I look, and slightly gasp. Mark is standing there, talking and smiling down at Trish Stratus. He gently strokes her face his forefinger, and she grins back, continuing to - book 6:Crying Soulchatter on.

She frowns in a fake way, and replies, "You had your chance. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though. He's in good hands now." Terri smiles evilly as she walks away.

On the 21st, I arrive with Glenn and Sharon at the arena in New Orleans, dreading the event that I have to face. To top it off, the bikini Vince wants me to wear is barely there. "Glenn, I don't think I want to go through with the contest," I tell him as we sit in the locker room.

I sigh heavily, and reply, "The fact that Mark will be out there as well scares me. The bikini, I'll admit, is quite a bit on the skimpy side, and barely covers anything. Adding Mark to the mix just makes it that much harder to walk out there."

"Sit down, Ally," Vince says with a bit of sadness in his tone. I do as he says, and cast a worried look toward him. He sits down in his chair. "Now, I know this is a very bad time for you." I nod. "This is gonna hurt me as much as it will you, I know it" He sighs heavily. "I have to send you to the Camp to help you better your skills. That, and maybe get over some problems."

"No, no," Vince says, smiling with reassurance. "Not fired. You'll still be under contract. You just spend a considerable amount of time at the Camp we have to better improve yourself." He pauses as I try to understand what I did wrong. "I've been told by a few people that while you were on leave, things turned bad for you." As I'm about to protest, he holds up his hand to stop me. "I can see it in your performance. Maybe this time away from here will help you get over these problems of your's."

"We've already got the angle all set up for your departure," Vince continues. "At the next pay-per-view, Taker and Kane will battle Triple H and Rikishi in a `Loser Leaves Town' match. If your team wins, Steph has to leave. But your team will lose, making you have to leave." He looks up to see the sadness in my face. "It'll only be for a little while, Ally. Until things cool off for you."

I stand up, and try my best to smile. "Thanks, Vince," I say to him. "You've always known what's best for me. Don't tell anyone, okay? I want to be the one to tell them about this." He smiles back and nods in agreement as I leave the room. As soon as I leave, the smile falls off my face, and I close my eyes as I lean against the door. "I bet Mark might have had something to do with this." I begin my way back to the locker room to change for the contest.

I look at myself in the full-length mirror after I've changed into the bikini that Vince had someone pick out for me. The bottom is just a low-cut, black and deep purple thong thing. The top is of the same colors. It cups the lower half of my breasts, barely covering the nipples. The strings are on each corner, and wraps around the back to tie, leaving my shoulders bare. "You couldn't look more like a whore even if you just went out there, stark naked," I mumble to myself. I stare at the purplish scar on my thigh for the longest time. "It's too bad that I haven't got anything to cover that up, except for the T-shirt. That scar's gonna lose it for me." I put on calf-high, high-heeled boots, which are made of soft leather, and pull a knee-length T-shirt over my head. Putting my hair into a tight braid completes the ensemble.

A knock comes to the door. "Ally?" I hear Glenn call from the other side. I go over, and let him in. He smiles as he sees me. "I hope that's not all that you're wearing."

I smile back a small smile, and reply, "No, this is just covering it." I take a last glance in the mirror, saddened at what I see: No one but me staring back at myself. "I-I guess I'm ready."

For once, when we reach the curtain, Mark isn't on his Titan, and he's even wearing that long trenchcoat. `I guess he's actually gonna lower off his pedestal, and walk with us,' I think harshly, then feel guilty for thinking so angrily toward him. `Why should you feel guilty?' my mind asks. `He deserves those words.'

We walk up just as the monitor beside the entrance is playing a video package for the contest. It shows Jackie in the last two bikini contests. It also shows how the match was set up, and some of the fights and such between us two. The package stops, and the cameras go to ringside, showing the two trophies; one is ten times bigger than the other. The Acolytes' theme hits, and I watch as the three of them approach the ring, Jackie smiling with confidence, and the two men backing her up.

Our theme hits, and we walk through the curtain. I pause with Glenn and Mark at the top of the ramp, and look around the crowd. As we continue down the ramp, a feeling of uncertainty enters my mind. I was told beforehand that the crowd determines the winner. `Will I even rank?' I think as we finally enter the ring.

It's no surprise to me that Jerry Lawler would be `reffing' this contest. He stands in the middle of the ring, his eyes as wide as saucers in anticipation for the bare bodies to be shown. "Well, now that we've got both contestants in the ring, let's begin." He motions to Jackie. "Challengers first, Jackie. Show it!" Jackie strips off the short, black, satin bedroom robe to show that she is wearing the same style bikini that she wore at the first Bikini Contest, only this one is silver instead of pink. She dances around the ring, with the Acolytes giving her compliments on her bikini. I even hear Mark say something to Kane about the bikini as well. I glare at him hard, then turn my attention to Jerry as he makes Jackie stand in one of the corners with the Acolytes.

He turns to me. "Now, for the other competitor," he says into the mic, then points at me. "Show it, DC!" I stand with my arms crossed. Jerry gets this discouraged look on his face, and the crowd begins to show their dislike. "Come on, DC. You're supposed to show us what you're wearing…" He trails off as he smiles. "Or what you're not wearing!"

I uncross my arms, and hold them out at my sides. "How hard is it to see that I don't want to-" I start, but am stopped when Mark rips the shirt off of my back, exposing my scanky bikini. The crowd grows from boos to wild cheers just as Jerry's eyes widen, and he begins to jump up and down in excitement. I turn around slowly, wishing that I hadn't just quit after that whole fiasco a few weeks ago. Bradshaw and Farooq are staring, wide-eyed, as if I had sprung another head. When I turn to face Glenn and Mark, I can see their surprise. Glenn's eyes are wide, and his head is tilted to the right. Mark's eyes are wide, too, and his mouth hangs open a little in surprise, the shirt dropping from his hands to the canvas. "What are you staring at?!" I shout, slitting my eyes in anger. Neither can move their mouths to speak.

I turn back to face the main camera again. Jackie is standing opposite Jerry, who stands between us, and she has a smug look to her smile. Jerry is grinning up to his eyes, looking excitedly from Jackie to me and back, like a little boy who can't decide which toy to play with first. "Now," Jerry says with enthusiasm and excitement in his voice, "it's time for the judging. WOOHOO! Let's give it up for Jackie!" He holds his hand over her head. Cheers come from all parts of the crowd, but seem to be a weak count. He then holds his hand over my head. "How about for DC?" I'm astonished at the amount and force of the cheers that come from the crowd; the cheers are louder than they were for Jackie, the pro at this type of thing.

A small smile crosses my lips, for appearance's sake to look like I'm kinda glad I won. Something catches my eye, and I turn to my right to see Vince, Patterson, and Brisco walking down the ramp; neither of them look pleased. `This is part of the `line, right?' I ask myself. They enter the ring, but are cut off from going very far by Mark and Glenn stepping into their way. Vince points to Mark and Glenn. "Now, you two gentlemen should move," he warns them sternly. "DC needs to be covered up; she's way beyond the agreement we've made in the contract."

Vince gives them his `Oh really?' look, then turns stern again. "You either let me cover that out-of-control woman, or I will make it even worse for you two in this company than it has been the last few months since you've let her take over the managerial duties."

Mark glares at Vince, and slips the trenchcoat down his arms. He turns toward me, and tosses it to me. Immediately, I place it over my arms, and hold the front closed by clenching it in my hand. Mark turns back to Vince. "There," he simply states. "She's covered." Vince nods, somewhat intimidated, and exits the ring with his buddies. Mark glances over his shoulder at me, then exits the ring as well. Glenn and I look at each other, then watch as Mark walks up the ramp. Together, we leave the ring, and walk backstage.

We reach the backstage area just in time to hear some commentary on the contest. As Glenn walks on toward the locker rooms, I watch the monitor as they show when Mark ripped the shirt from my body, then zoom in on Mark and Glenn's reactions. "By those two reactions, I've got to say that the Undertaker and Kane were quite surprised to see that a woman did indeed exist beneath that tough exterior of DC," JR says.

I have to laugh lightly. It did seem that they were in awe of the fact that I do have a woman's body. "I told you Little One had one helluva body!" I hear Bri say loudly to Sean Waltman. I turn to see them walking up with smiles on their faces.

I smile a little, and reply, "Thanks you guys. At least I know some guys that appreciate me." The smugness returns to my lips for a second before I look down at my body; I'm still clutching the trenchcoat around me. "I guess I better go return this to him before he makes the backstage look like a category six hurricane hit it." We say our goodnights, and I head to the locker room areas.

When I reach my locker room and walk in, I notice that Glenn has left; he even took his stuff. "For the better, I guess," I mumble to myself as I reluctantly peel Mark's trenchcoat from my body, and place it on a bench. "Nothing left to wait for, `cept to see Glenn lose the Rumble, and to see Mark lose, and that's not gonna be pretty." I quickly change into my basic jeans and T-shirt outfit, pick up my bag and the coat, and head out the door.

Glenn takes the coat, and Mark comes up to take it from him, not even looking at me or nodding a `thank you'. Glenn turns his attention back to me. "You're not staying to accompany Mark or me to the ring for our matches?" he asks.

I shake my head. "No," I reply, "I feel that I shouldn't be out there, not after what just happened. Besides, I think I'm ready to turn in for the night." I nod toward Mark, then grab Glenn in a hug. "'Night, you guys."

After I arrive at the hotel, I immediately go up to my room, dropping my bag beside my suitcases. I quickly take a steaming hot shower, and change into my regular two-piece pajama set. Exhausted, I flop down on the bed, crawl under the covers, and rest on my head on the soft pillow. I close my eyes, wondering why Glenn was in Mark's locker room. "You're just making a bigger deal of it than it really is, Ally," I tell myself as I yawn, and begin to fall asleep.

The next few weeks are torture. The attorney handling my mother's will finally confirms that I have inherited the house. By phone, he tells me this, and with tears in my eyes, I tell him that'd I'd be moving in within a month or so. We agree to meet in a month to go over deeds and such at the house before we hang up.

I haven't been able to get the courage to tell my friends that I'm leaving after the 26th of February, the night after No Way Out. I just want a quiet leave, letting them think what they want. I walk into the arena on February 12th, knowing that tonight would be the night the match for No Way Out would be set up. As I change into my wrestling attire, my mind is speeding through everything that has and could have happened during my year and two months in the WWF. "I wonder if we hadn't broken up if I'd still be sent away," I say to myself through the mirror.

I nod, pulling my hair into a tail; I didn't want to bother Sharon with it earlier, as I know that's where Glenn had come from, and I usually know what they're doing. "I don't see why not," I reply, turning to face him, and smiling. "It might actually be fun."

Glenn sits down with a laugh, then takes a breath to calm down. "I wonder why Vince decided on a `Loser Leaves Town' match," he says aloud. "I mean, you're not going anywhere."

I look down at the floor as he says this. `Now's as good a time as any,' I convince myself, and turn to face Glenn. "Well, I am. Going somewhere, that is." I tell him. Glenn looks at me with confusion. "The whole point of the match is to give me an exit to leave."

I shake my head, and reply, "Vince was gonna send me to the Camp to condition myself, but when he found out that I'm planning on moving into my mother's house, he decided to get me into the ACW Indy Fed there." Glenn leans back against the wall, as if knocked senseless. "Vince said it would give me space to work through my problems, and get myself into a better condition."

"So you're leaving because Vince wants you to get away from Mark," Glenn states, then shakes his head. "Vince never did know when to quit being so protectful of our private lives. He seems to want to fix things himself. We're all adults, and we can fix them ourselves, but he just keeps on trying to fix them."

"Don't tell anyone, all right, Glenn?" I ask of him. "I just want to leave without much of a hassle, and let people think what they want. Promise me you won't tell anybody."

Glenn smiles, pulls his mask down from the top of his head and over his face, and opens the door. I walk through, and lead Glenn toward the curtain. Bri stops us before we're too far into our trek. "Hey, Little One, Big Red," he greets, walking up to us with a somewhat serious look under his Road Dogg bucket hat.

Bri smiles at the comment, but that smile fades fast. "It's about Mark," he replies. I am able control the desire to roll my eyes at the mention of his name, and listen to Bri. "Word around is, he's been coming in the hotels late, and even arriving at the arenas late." He looks up to Glenn. "You know how totally unlike Mark that is. Something's up, Glenn."

"Good luck, man," Bri warns. "He's in a pissed-off mood, and won't even calm down for Vince." Glenn assures Bri that he'd be able to get to Mark, and we go our separate ways after saying goodbye.

The match set up is Mark and Glenn against Hunter and Rikishi, with Stephanie and I accompanying our teams. The bout is intense, with an arsenal of weapons used on each of the four men inside and outside the ring. Even Steph and I get into a little scuffle as she tries to distract the ref when Glenn goes for a pin. I club her over the head with a forearm shot, which sends her to the floor. As I turn my attention back to the ring, Hunter hits Glenn on the back with a pipe. He then rolls Glenn to his back, and drags Rikishi's arm over Glenn's chest. The ref turns around, and counts Rikishi to the win.

Outraged, Mark begins to beat on Hunter, but he, along with Rikishi and Steph, make it up to the top of the ramp, and turn to face the ring. Mark has helped Glenn to his feet, and I enter the ring as Hunter brings a mic to his mouth. "You know, you should be beating on your little whore there," he says. "She's the one that distracted the ref, not me!" He turns to Steph and Rikishi with a smile. "And if I'm not mistaken, it was because she wasn't at the title match at the Royal Rumble that he lost the title to me, right?" The other two nod their heads, grinning as well.

Mark walks across the ring to grab a mic from the ring announcer, then walks back to face the three on the ramp. "And the point to this nagging of your's would be what?" he growls out.

"Oh, nothing really," Hunter replies, "except I've got a match proposition for you." He elbows Rikishi in the arm. "At No Way Out, we have a `Loser Leaves Town' match between us and you and Kane. If you win, Steph will have to leave the WWF." Steph gets upset, and starts to argue with Hunter, but he is able to quiet her down, and smiles connivingly back at us. "But when we win," He points toward me. "Little DC there has to leave."

Hunter looks down at the title in his hand, then back at Mark. "Looks like we'll be seeing you at No Way Out then," he responds, then follows Steph and Rikishi to the back as our theme hits. We follow a few seconds afterward.

The next couple of weeks are filled with hype for the main event match. Between the two teams, everything and anything happens as each week continues to show the feud between them. As February 25th rolls into our lives, all rules have been thrown out. The match is now a no-DQ and no holds barred brawl.

Walking into the Las Vegas arena, my nerves are again jumbled within my emotions. I don't want to leave, but to go on with my life, I have to. No one besides Vince, Glenn, Sharon, and I seem to know what the match is really for, which I am glad for. I want to give the fans one last treat, and decide to wear a long, dark dress instead of my usual wrestling attire. As I glance at myself in the mirror, I nod my approval at my dress. It is an ankle-length, deep blood red, strapless with slits up to the lower thigh region on both sides, and ties up in the bodice. It gives my slender figure more defining.

Glenn shakes his head, and sits down on an open folding chair. "Naw, there's still an hour and half left. Mark and I just finished an interview that they'll air in a few minutes." he tells me, and turns the monitor on.

Just as he said, the interview comes up after the current match. "Undertaker, Kane, this match has got to be weighing heavily on your minds," Kevin Kelly says. "Should you lose tonight, DC will be forced to leave the WWF for good."

Mark somewhat nonchalantly glares at Kevin. "Who says we'll lose, Kevin?" he says without much emotion. "Do you think, with the title on the line, we will be satisfied with losing?" Mark shakes his head. "No, Kevin, I think we'll be on the winning end." He pauses before he adds, "Even if we do lose."

Kevin brings the mic up to Glenn. "She'll be here," he tells him. "Don't ever count her out unless she tells you herself, and even then, she's not always out of the picture." He walks off, following Mark's direction.

Glenn leans back in the chair, propping his feet up on the counter where the monitor sits. "Yeah, I guess," he replies, seeming distant. He looks up at me sternly. "Mark's not all together right now."

"I just don't care about the situation anymore," I lie. "As far as I'm concerned, there's no reason left to even try to talk to him anymore." A tear silently escapes my eye before I can stop it as I say these lies.

Glenn notices the tear. "I thought you said you didn't care anymore," he softly says. I quickly wipe the tear off my cheek. "I think you do, and you just don't want to admit it."

"Glenn, look how long this has been going on!" I suddenly exclaim, standing up. "It's been obvious to all except me that it's positively over, and there's no way of repairing it." I walk over to the water cooler to get myself a cup of water. After I greedily finish the drink, I refill it. "Do you even think that it's worth it anymore?"

Glenn shakes his head at me. "Sure you can; I have no doubt about that," he says, then stands up. "But I also know that you won't, because your love for Mark will make any other guy seem too low for your standards." He walks to the door. "I'll be back to get you when it's time for the match." Glenn walks out, closing the door behind him.

I hurl my cup at the door, watching as water flies everywhere. "Damn you, Glenn!" I mutter to myself. "Why do you gotta know me like that?" I grab a towel from the bathroom, and clean up the spill.

Almost an hour later, Glenn comes back to get me. We walk together to the curtain, my nerves on the fritz. As I walk up with Glenn, we see that Mark is there, waiting on his Titan. He looks toward us, and he even lowers his sunglasses to get a better look at me. `Well, here goes nothing,' I think just as our theme hits. Mark rides out in front, with Glenn and me trailing behind as always. The crowd seems to react well to the dress, and I smile appreciatively as they do.

Hunter, Rikishi, and Steph come down after we've entered the ring. As they step through the ropes, I get right in Steph's face, spewing forth obscenities. Steph returns in the like. The ref separates us, and forces us out of the ring. I stand in our corner as Mark and Rikishi tangle up to begin the match. Rikishi powers Mark into a corner, then steps back to take a swing. Mark moves out of the corner, and Rikishi hits the turnbuckle. Mark turns him around and starts in with the body shots.

With Rikishi woozy in the corner, he goes to the outside of the ring, grabbing a steel chair. As he rolls back in and stands up, Rikishi jabs him in the stomach with a fist, forcing Mark to drop the chair. Rikishi slams Mark's head into the turnbuckle of his corner, and tags in Hunter. Hunter resumes the slamming before Mark holds his arms out to stop it, and elbows Hunter in the ribs.

Mark takes Hunter's arm, and twists it, then pulls down hard. He does this a few times before tagging in Glenn. Glenn takes Hunter's twisted arm from Mark, pulls down on it once, then short clotheslines him down. Glenn goes for the pin, but only gets to two when Hunter kicks out. Glenn picks Hunter up by the hair, then throws him over the ropes. He slides out after him. He again grabs Hunter's hair, and bangs his head against the post. He goes for it again, but Hunter blocks, and elbows Glenn. Hunter then grabs Glenn, and whips him into the post. Hunter rolls Glenn into the ring, and follows him in.

The match seems to continue this way for another forty minutes, each man using some sort of weapon against one of the opposite team. Each man looks like he'll need stitches afterward. Soon, it is time to end the match. Hunter uses a Russian leg sweep on Mark, and goes over to the side where Steph waits. She hands him brass knuckles, and he places them on his hand. I storm over to her, and beat her to the ground. While the ref is distracted by us, Mark has regained his vertical base, but Hunter hits him in the cut on his forehead with the knucks, which sends Mark to the canvas again.

The ref turns back to match just as Rikishi hands Hunter a steel pipe. Hunter hoists it in the air, then brings it down on Mark's shoulder and chest areas. He tosses the pipe aside as he covers Mark. When the ref goes down to his knees, I crawl through the bottom rope in attempt to stop the count, but Steph grabs my ankle, keeping me from going anywhere. Glenn tries to interfere, but is quickly thwarted by Rikishi's slamming into him. The ref counts Hunter to the win.

Steph lets go of my ankle as she runs to the other side to join Hunter and Rikishi as they look back toward us. I glare at the three as Glenn helps Mark to his feet. When I turn to look at the two, they are in each other's face, arguing about the match. `So this is what is to become of them after I leave,' I state to myself. `They're gonna break them up.' I squeeze between them, shouting for them to stop. They back off, but Mark glares once at me before he hops out of the ring, gets on his bike, and rides to the backstage area. Glenn and I stare as he leaves, then walk backstage ourselves.

We go toward our separate locker rooms. I am about to enter my locker room when I hear someone call out, "DC!" I turn to see Michael Cole walking toward me, with a cameraman behind him. When they reach me, they get everything set up, then when the camera begins to record, Michael turns toward me. "DC, you've got to be disappointed," he starts. "Your team, the Undertaker and Kane, lost, therefore making you have to leave the WWF."

"I know what it means!" I snarl out, then grab the mic from him, turning to stare angrily into the camera. "Let me just say this: a Devil's Child never forgives, and she'll never forget. I warn you all that you better beware, because I'm lurking wherever and whenever you least suspect, and will attack when I desire." I slam the mic into Michael's chest. "Now scram." He and the cameraman leave as I enter my locker room.

A few hours later, I'm boarding a late flight to Houston with many of the others. I'm in the window seat, with Mark sitting beside me, and Glenn beside him, Sharon across the aisle. I want to switch seats with someone, but just as I'm about to get back up, the seat belt light goes on, so I'm stuck for the flight. Throughout the flight, Mark doesn't say a word to me; he doesn't even look at me. `That's just fine with me,' I think as I place my headphones over my ears, and plug them into the arm of the chair, turning the dial to find a good station. Every now and again, when I look up, I see Glenn and Mark glaring at each other. They'll talk to each other, considering they know I can't hear them anyway. For most of the flight, I'm staring out the window, wishing this to be over soon; I really didn't like the situation at all.

When we arrive in Houston, we deplane quickly. I grab a cab with Joanie and Hunter as quite a few of the wrestlers head to the house for the two-night stay in Houston. When we reach the house, a good many of us head up the stairs to head for bed, me being one of them. I stop beside Luke's open door, glancing inside to see Luke hugging Mark in greeting. Quickly, I continue down the hall to my room, closing the door, and dropping my luggage. I don't even bother to turn on the light as I go to sit at the foot of my bed, staring at the light coming from beneath my door.

Someone stops in front of my door, causing a shadow to replace the light. They hesitate for a second, but continue down the hall without knocking. I crawl up to my pillow, and sigh heavily; that shadow, I know, belonged to Mark. "There's no hope left," I say to myself, then glance around the room. I am taking an early flight out to Wisconsin Tuesday morning, and none of my things have been packed. "Task for tomorrow, Ally: pack your things up." I snuggle my face down into the soft pillow, hoping to muffle the sound of my cry.