Part 1 of 2


She already had a feeling about the outcome, but she wanted to be fair and make sure so she had called him and asked if she could visit. She knew his schedule was packed for the next few weeks. The lab had said the sooner the better, ensuring they had plenty of time to complete the tests without trying to hurry. They had months, but everyone wanted it done.

His answer was familiar and immediate, “Of course, Baby.” Once she told him exactly why, he was even more insistent. She knew what he hoped. He hadn’t made any secret of it to her or anyone else, including Mike. She grimaced as she replayed some of his interactions with Mike recently.

They both were trying to ‘one up’ the other in taking care of her and it was driving her fucking insane. If one did one thing, the other would try and do it one better. She had finally lost her temper with both of them and had scolded them both and warned them that if they didn’t stop, she was going to move to Bora Bora and live in a grass hut and collect cats. That had stopped it for now, but she wasn’t sure for how long. They were both so competitive, but she hadn’t been able to get through to them that it wasn’t a contest. There were no winners and losers except her and her unborn babies if they kept it up.

She remembered sharing her irritation with Kris recently. As usual, Kris helped her see it in a different light.

“Sweetie, all kids should be so lucky. At least half of the kids in school don’t have a dad. Yours will have two, regardless of the outcome of that test and you know it.”

She knew Kris was right, it was just hard to deal with both of them right now. John had stopped by once on his way through town and had stayed the night, at Mike’s invitation. Since then, he had been stopping by at least once a week, also at Mike’s invitation. All this togetherness was driving her nuts. She really did want to run away some times, but knew it would worry both of them.

Once she got the okay from her doctor, she was going to go back on the road with David, just for some peace. She shook her head as she remembered some of the recent shit.

“Babe, what is that,” Mike asked her as he looked at her steaming mug suspiciously one morning. She frowned at him and chose to ignore him instead. She had a shitty night and didn’t want to talk to anyone.

John walked into the kitchen in a pair of shorts from the spare bedroom and saw her with the mug also. “Baby, tell me that ain’t coffee,” he nagged. She looked at both of them, set her mug of hot, non caffeinated green tea down on her counter before she said anything.

“No, it’s tea. Green fucking tea, damn it. You bastards won’t let me have any coffee. In fact, you bastards have taken away my coffee maker,” she finished as she glared at both of them.

“No shit,” John asked Mike. He shrugged before he answered.

“Yeah, I wanted to get it out of the house and away from temptation,” he admitted to the other man.

“Good idea,” John said, admiringly.

“Get out. Get out of here, both of you. Get out and go enjoy your coffee, damn it. Just go,” she waved her hands at both of them.

“Baby, I’m,” was all John got out before she interrupted him.

“I don’t care. Go. Just leave, please. I’m right on the verge of a melt down and I want to do it all by myself,” she told both of them. Mike’s brows rose, and John shook his head and walked away. He appeared less than thirty seconds later with a shirt and shoes on, ready to go for some coffee. She hadn’t said a word to either of them and didn’t plan on it.

Mike looked at the other man and said, “C’mon, I’ll drive. I don’t know about you, but I need some coffee.” John laughed as they walked out the door and left her in peace. The sooner she could back on the road, the better she thought.

Today she was flying out to meet John before a house show. She decided to fly out in part to see how she did and she wanted to get away from the house for a bit. She was going stir crazy.

She had all the little weird supplies that the lab said they needed. She didn’t really see what the big deal was, but she’d do as they asked. As long as they were able to finally answer her question, once the babies were born, she didn’t care what they asked her to do. Mike had already been to the lab and provided his samples. Now it was John’s turn and he was happy to oblige. She knew he was hoping he was the father of her children, just like Mike. She had her doubts some days. Then other days, she was certain he was. It was driving her crazy, not knowing. She knew that either of them would be great dad’s. Kris had insisted that both of them would still want to be in her babies’ lives regardless and she knew Kris was probably right.

John left her a cell message that she received once she was back on the ground telling her that he was running late and asked to meet her at the arena. He had arraigned for a pass for her and he’d catch up with her there. She silently cursed his schedule, knowing it wasn’t his fault. She had hoped to fly in and out without her extended family being any the wiser.

She called for a room on her way to the hotel, hoping there was a vacancy. Luckily, there was. She knew she could room with John or even Ric if she had to, but thankfully she didn’t have to. Once she checked in, grabbed a bite to eat and drank half a bucket of water, then she was ready to go see the RAW bunch. She seemed to be drinking loads more water recently. The doctors said it was normal and good for her, better than being dehydrated they reminded her.

As she rode in the taxi to the arena, she thought about the ultrasound in four weeks. In four weeks they would know a little more and she could get her mind fully wrapped around it. Plus then her family and friends could shop their hearts out. She knew they were all poised and ready, just waiting to find out the gender. It took some finagling, but she had managed to get it set up to where both of the boys could be present. The doctor had started to protest, but she silenced her by telling her that they both wanted to be there. Just thinking about it was starting to give her headache. Not a good thing to have going into tonight she knew.

She thanked the driver and paid for the taxi as she stepped out into what looked suspiciously like wet snow in Calgary. She had hoped to sneak in and sneak out with out too many seeing her. Her hopes were dashed as she walked up to the security gate for her pass and ran right into Ric.

“Little Girl! I know I must be dreaming now. Last I knew you were home and following doctors orders,” he said as he hugged her. He stepped away from her and looked her over quickly to make sure she looked well enough to be out. “You sure you should be here,” he asked her and pulled her back in for another hug.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. She kissed his cheek with a smile. She slipped her pass over her head so it was visible to the security assholes.

“Did Hunter know you were coming tonight,” he asked her as they walked right past the security gorillas.

“No. I wasn’t planning on coming to the arena at all today. I’m here to see John,” she told him. He stopped and looked at her seriously.

“What’s happened? Do I need to have a discussion with him,” he asked as his protective instincts kicked in. She sighed and squeezed his arm. She knew what type of discussion he was referring to, one that had very little talking.

“No, nothing like that. Just need some stuff for the lab back home.” She knew he would understand her meaning instantly. He did, he just nodded at her and let it drop.

“I haven’t seen him yet. Was he supposed to meet you here, Little Girl,” he asked as they continued on their walk. She noticed some folks recognize her and waved at them as she held on to Ric’s arm, ensuring that no one would interrupt her.

“Yeah. He’s running behind. At least that’s what his last message said,” she said. She knew Ric was taking her back to Hunter and his room, for her safety and his sanity. She kept quiet, but didn’t really think it was necessary. She asked him about his family and he told her a funny story about a prank his wife pulled on him recently. He chuckled as he told her, she could tell he was proud of his wife and loved that she could still surprise him. She shook her head at him and asked him what their schedule was for the night. She hadn’t checked because she hadn’t planned on visiting tonight.

“Oh, Little Girl. It’s going to be fun. You know we got some old friends joining us tonight,” he asked the small woman on his arm. She smiled and nodded. She knew. It was one of the reasons she was hoping to stay away. Too crazy and busy for her, put all the boys together, young and old, and they all got wild. He almost let out one of his “Wooh’s” but stopped himself as they got closer to their room, she guessed. She also guessed he was looking forward to surprising Hunter with bringing her. Men, do they ever grow up?

The closer they got closer to the locker room area, the more distinct the raised voices became. Some very colorful words were being used. She recognized at least one of them as Hunter. She looked at Ric and shook her head. He winked at her in response. Yeah, she guessed right. He was looking forward to surprising him. She took a deep breath, knowing how overwhelming Hunter could be, particularly when he was wound up. She saw Ric smirk to himself and assume his strut just before they opened the door to the shouting match. There were several other wrestlers hanging around outside, doing nothing other than listening to the argument within. She smiled at a few faces she recognized and followed Ric in. She knew that she was supposed to stay behind him, out of sight to let his surprise play out. He was so easy to read sometimes.

“What the hell are you two bitchin’ about now,” Ric asked Hunter. Hunter was flushed with his temper and barely controlled rage at one of the other men inside the room. He shook his head at his friend and mentor before he calmed himself enough to say anything.

“This stupid fucker…..this stupid fuck head thinks it would be good,” he paused and took a deep breath and let it out before he continued. Just as he was about to open his mouth Ric interrupted him.

“Champ, it doesn’t matter what that fuck head wants, you know that. He’s full of shit, always has been, always will be.” The other man in the room nodded his agreement at Ric’s assessment of the stupid fucker. “I got a surprise for you tonight anyway.” At Hunter’s glare he continued on undeterred. “You’re gonna love it.”

Hunter said, “I fuckin’ doubt it.” But he thought he’d humor the older man, since he had stepped in and stopped him from doing anything stupid tonight. He owed him that, at least tonight. Lil' Sis peeked from behind Ric and smiled at Hunter’s shocked expression.

“Surprise,” she said quietly. Hunter completely forgot about his argument and stepped up and wrapped his arms around her.

“Lil’ Sis, you didn’t tell us you were coming. You okay? Do I need to beat that asshole man of yours,” he asked in a rush. She hugged him back and let herself soak up his strength and energy for a moment before she replied. She knew he didn’t give a shit about anyone else in the room, but she did. She pulled herself away enough to talk to him.

“I’m fine, Hunter. Mike’s fine, mostly,” she said. Then she twisted her mouth up in a grimace as she said, “Other than being a huge fuckin’ mother hen, he’s fine, I mean.” He grinned at her and hugged her again, ignoring the stares of the others in the locker room.

“It’s great to see you Lil’ Sis, when are you going start gaining some of that weight we talked about,” he teased.

“Bastard,” she said with a smile into his brown eyes. She winked at him and turned away to speak to one of the two other men in the room.

“Sum’ bitch! I thought I was seeing things, but damn. Good to see you, Carrie,” Steve said as he kissed her cheek and grinned at her.

“How ya been, you sorry assed window licking, cattle-groping, shit-licking, tit-sucking, pimple-popping, cock-faced jizzmopper,” she asked the Texas Rattlesnake with a grin.

Hunter exchanged a surprised look with Ric. He'd never heard Lil' Sis swear quite like that before and he didn’t know Austin knew his Lil’ Sis. It was obvious that they knew each other very well. Steve howled with laughter as he hugged and released the small woman quickly. He'd seen how Triple H reacted, he may be dumb but he wasn’t stupid, he reminded himself. Triple H directed a look at the man he had been arguing with, indicating he should leave if he knew what was good for him. He did, so he turned and left without a word.

“Thank God that bastard left,” Steve said with a grin to Hunter. “What the hell was his problem anyway,” he asked Hunter. Hunter shrugged in response, he didn’t care or give a shit, as long as Bishoff went away.

“You look like this whole Hollywood thing seems to agree with you, Steve,” she said to Stone Cold. He nodded and threw in a hell yeah, just for her. She shook her head at him and looked for somewhere to sit down. Hunter and Ric noticed and cleared off one of the chairs for her without a word.

“Thanks,” she said to her ‘family’ as she sat down and grabbed a bottle of water.

“Carrie, why are you here tonight? Why didn’t you tell us,” Hunter asked her quietly.

She crinkled her nose at him, knowing he wouldn’t like her answer, “I wasn’t planning on being here, Hunter. I’m trying to meet up with John.”

She saw him clench his jaw and flair his nostrils at her answer, but he kept quiet. Steve watched the exchange with interest.

“He’s running late, so he said to meet him here instead. You think I wanted to be here with all you boys tonight? No way, not tonight,” she added with a wink for Steve.

“How do you know Lil’ Sis,” Hunter saw the wink and asked his friend. Steve paused for a moment, knowing that Hunter still had some energy to burn off from Bishoff and didn’t want to be the target of it.

“I’ve known this little lady for years. She used to be a nice lady, but you seemed to have screwed that up,” he grinned at the other man.

Carrie shook her head at him. She knew that Steve was stepping near dangerous ground with Hunter in his current mood.

“I met him through ‘Taker, years ago. He hasn’t changed much, still dumb as a fucking post,” she said with a straight face.

“Wooh,” was Ric’s contribution to her comment as he grinned at her. He missed her traveling with them. She was great at reminding them just how arrogant they could be with just a few words.

“Shit, you haven’t changed at all. You haven’t grown up yet either. I’m still waiting on that, young lady,” Steve reminded her. Hunter’s brow quirked up at Steve’s comments.

“I’ve heard some stories about her and what she used to be like. Maybe you could tell me some more so I can see what we missed,” he chuckled.

“You guys are all bastards, you know that,” she asked them with a gentle smile.

She was glad to see Ric and Hunter. She missed them and their “don’t fuck with me” attitudes. Seeing Steve was an unexpected pleasant surprise. She hoped he had his shit together. Last she talked to him, he was going through some tough times. As she thought about him and his struggles, it occurred to her that he was another one of those big softies, but he had bigger than normal demons to deal with. She understood that all too well.

“Carrie, who’s this John you’re trying to meet up with? Do I need open a can of whoop ass for you,” Steve grinned at her.

Hunter tapped him on the shoulder and said a few words to him quietly. He kept his face blank as he looked at her and listened. She glared at both of them, but drank her water in silence.

“Where’s Nan, Hunter? I thought she’d be here tonight,” she asked because she was genuinely looking forward to seeing her friend.

“She said she had some shopping to take care of and she’d be here after. She looked serious, so I don’t expect her for another hour or so,” Hunter explained.

She nodded at his news. She was glad Nan would be here later, she hadn’t talked to her in a few weeks and hoped things were going well for her again.

“Little Girl, do I need to get you something to eat? You look kind of pale,” Ric asked her quietly.

“I guess so. I ate a few hours ago, but I’m sure I should probably eat again. What’s catering like tonight,” she asked him.

“I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet. Steve, why don’t you come with me so you can bring her plate back? I’m going to get something to eat anyway and she should probably eat too, but if I let her get her food, she won’t get anything at all,” Ric explained.

“Yeah, I remember that,” Steve admitted. They left on their mission, leaving Carrie alone with Hunter. He sat next to her on one of the other chairs. He stayed quiet for a few minutes, letting her get her bearings again and because he wanted to choose his words carefully.

“Lil’ Sis, you know I’m happy to see you, but you look like you should’ve stayed home. You look tired. Plus you aren’t putting on any weight, like we talked about,” he said quietly.

“Damn it, I am too. I’m getting as big as a house. Shit, soon I won’t be able to wear my normal clothes and that will piss me off. I eat everything under the damn sun, everything Mike’s shoves at me because he nags me worse than even you,” she said.

Hunter smiled at the comparison. He was pleased to hear Mike was taking care of her, even if she still looked too thin to him.

“Why Cena? Why tonight,” he asked without any preamble.

“Samples for the lab back home,” she said simply. She knew he’d be pissed at her reason and he was. He clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils again but managed to stay quiet and keep his words to himself.

“I have to be fair, Hunter. There is an outside chance. I know it and so does he.”

“Does Mike,” he asked her seriously.

“Yes,” she said simply.

“Lil’ Sis, when you do something, you don’t do it half way, do you,” he asked as he quirked his brow up at her.

“What? When I fuck up, I fuck up royally? Is that what you mean,” she demanded.

He stayed quiet but looked at her and watched her temper start. This was new, he thought to himself. Must be the pregnant lady thing kicking in.

“I have told myself thousands of times in the last weeks the same thing, so go right ahead. It won’t be anything I haven’t heard or said to myself before,” she said as she looked into his eyes, seeing the serious expression.

“Have you been taking lessons from Nan,” he asked artfully.

“Bastard,” was all she said as she smiled into his injured expression.

“Any ideas on what to do if, God forbid, Cena is the one,” Hunter asked her.

He was concerned for her and knew how Mike felt about her, but wasn’t sure how far the other man was willing to go. Her next words gave him his answer.

“Mike says he doesn’t care. He told me that in the hospital and has told me several times since. He still asks me every day. John? Well, he knows I don’t want to get married, no matter what the tests say. He also knows Mike isn’t going anywhere, so it’s kind of up to him and what he wants to do, I guess. I don’t plan on shutting him out. Shit, right now he stays at my place once a week or so as a stop over.”

“And Mike’s okay with that,” Hunter asked, incredulous.

“He’s the asshole who invited him,” she said in a tone that told him she didn’t understand Mike either.

“You’re okay with that,” Hunter asked her. She nodded and shrugged.

“He’s still my friend, no matter what you think of him,” she said. She knew Hunter wouldn’t have chosen John for her, thinking she deserved someone outside of wrestling, someone more stable.

There was a knock at the door. Hunter glanced at it and back to her before he said, “Yeah.”

“It’s Cena. I heard Carrie might be tucked away in there,” John said through the closed door.

“She is,” was all he said. Carrie punched Hunter on the shoulder, waiting for him to say more. He feigned like she’d done him serious harm before he said, “Come in. Come in and take her away before she beats the shit out of me some more.” The door opened and John stepped in as he looked around.

“You expecting someone,” Hunter teased the younger man.

“Nah, not really. It’s just that was too easy. You usually give me more shit than that,” John said with a grin for Carrie. Hunter shrugged, admitting the truth in the other’s words.

“She’s got some dinner coming, so she’s not going anywhere until she eats something,” Hunter told the other man. John looked at her and realized she looked tired, tired and pale.

“Baby, you said you’d take care of yourself. You’re not doing a very good job today,” he informed her.

“You can stop that shit right now. Both of you. I get enough of that at home, thank you. I get it from everyone, including my oldest niece and nephew. So you two can knock that shit off,” she said with a glare for both of them.

“Did you piss her off,” John asked the other man, over her head. Hunter shook his head.

“I just figured it was hormonal or crazy pregnant lady shit,” Hunter said as he leaned out of range of her play punch. She glared at both of them and drank her water in silence.

The two men talked to each other about the evening’s plans and what they needed to do to make it go smoothly while they waited for her dinner to arrive.

She was thinking back to a couple of weeks ago when John was staying over night. She had gotten up early as usual. That still hadn’t changed, but she did sometimes manage a nap in the day now. She was reading on the couch and heard a noise. She thought it might be the neighbor cats again so she got up to investigate the rustling. She walked past the guest room that John was staying in and saw him awake in bed, naked and barely covered by the sheet. He saw her and grinned.

“Baby, why do you look at me like that? You know I always sleep this way. You said you like my body and the way I look. Why are you turning away now,” he said in a deep and dangerous morning voice. She shook her head at him and sighed before she answered.

“I’m sorry to intrude, John. I didn’t know you were awake,” she said as she kept her eyes locked on his. She could see he was awake, in more ways than one.

“I love you, baby. Talk to me, Carrie. How can I make you understand,” he asked her. “You know I love you and wouldn’t turn away from you,” he told her quietly, since she hadn’t moved from the doorway. She knew he was telling the truth, she felt her face flush in embarrassment and something else she didn’t want to admit to.

“John, no. You’ve known my answer for a long time. I don’t love you the same way. I wish I could, but I don’t. Remember those damn ground rules. They were supposed to stop this shit from happening.”

“They didn’t work very well, did they,” he said as he reached under the sheet that barely covered him and stroked himself so she could see. She closed her eyes again and sighed. “Baby,” he asked in his quiet morning voice as he continued tormenting both of them.

The sheet slid down, letting her see exactly what he was doing. She shook her head and walked away from the door. The noise was some branches scraping on the entryway window she eventually discovered. She turned to walk back to the couch and hesitated. She wasn’t sure she’d have the strength to refuse him again if he asked and she knew she had to, for everyone’s sake.

He met her at his door in a pair of shorts and smiled at her. She was relieved he was partially clothed and stopped since he looked like he wanted to say something.

“I…you…shit Carrie. I don’t know what to do, Baby,” he said quietly. She hugged his ribs and pulled away.

“What are you doing up so early anyway, John. You’re not usually a morning kind of guy,” she asked.

“You have to ask me that? I couldn’t sleep any more, Baby. You got any food in this place? I’m hungry,” he asked her.

“That hasn’t changed either, I see. Yeah, Mike’s got tons of food, I just don’t know what you want. You’re free to scavenge and cook whatever you want. I don’t think he’ll mind. Just try to clean up after yourself.” He grabbed a shirt and followed her out to the kitchen.

Carrie looked up as Ric and Steve returned with plates of food and it looked like a couple bottles of flavored water stuffed in their pockets too.

"I don't know, Carrie. Ric said you eat this shit," Steve grinned at the other man protestations. He walked toward her on the couch, grinning. She shook her head at him. He was still the same old Steve she remembered, full of something all the time.

Hunter glanced at the plate Steve had and quirked his brow at Lil' Sis. He wasn't too sure of their choices, but she was a big girl and knew what she could eat. John excused himself as the food was brought in and went into the bathroom. Steve watched him escape with a grin. Oh yeah, he was gonna mess with that boy. Just thinking about it almost made him laugh out loud. Hunter saw the look on Steve's face and returned his grin. He knew exactly why he was smirking.

"Thanks, I think," Lil' Sis said as she accepted the offered plate. She smiled at the Texas Rattlesnake and couldn't miss his shit eatin' grin. She glanced at her plate to see if there was something on it that had him grinning, but nothing appeared obviously hilarious, so she was unsure of his reaction. He shook his head at her and walked away to return to his earlier conversation with Hunter.

"I don't think there's anything on there that's bad for you, Little Girl," Ric said quietly. Carrie nodded and smiled her thanks as she looked at some strange green vegetable concoction along with familiar pineapple pieces and kiwi. Ric knew she loved tropical fruit and bless him if he didn't bring her some, she thought with a smile. She took the offered utensils and proceeded to eat quietly. She knew that Ric would give her hell if she didn't, plus she knew she was due to eat and didn't want to cause the boys any extra worry.

"What's up with Cena," Steve asked Hunter quietly. Hunter took a deep breath and let it out as he chose his words carefully.

"They had a thing, she's pregnant and it might be his," Hunter said succinctly.

"No shit? Is she happy about that?" Steve asked quietly, with his blonde brows raised. He remembered from years ago her trying to have a baby and after a few false alarms she had stopped even getting excited or telling anyone about it. At least that was what he thought he remembered. Maybe he'd give his old road partner a call and ask. He hadn’t talked to that big bastard in a few months and he needed to give him some serious shit anyway.

Hunter shrugged in response to Steve's question. He didn't know, even after talking to her a little while ago if she was happy that their current WWE champion possibly being the father of her babies. He wasn’t sure if she considered the possibility a good thing or not. She was as confusing as ever to him, but that didn’t change the fact that she was still family.

Steve bit back the next question from escaping his mouth as he saw Hunter's frown form, thinking about Cena being the father. He could tell that Hunter wasn't thrilled with the idea, at all. Ric had filled him in on some stuff, but he didn't know much of her current life. They didn't usually talk about her much, he realized. She was always asking him about him and his situation. I'll be damned, he thought to himself. She's still running from shadows, he realized.

Both men were startled as she set her plate down with a loud clang on the table and bolted from her seat.

"Little Girl," Ric asked to her retreating back. She shoved open the door to the only restroom and disappeared inside. All three men looked at one another sadly.

"I see that hasn't changed," Steve said quietly. Hunter shook his head in response. He glared at Ric as the responsible party for making her throw up.

"What did you bring her, Ric," Hunter asked. Ric was still reeling from the thought that he'd made her sick. He blinked and brought his attention back to the younger man.

"What," Ric asked.

"I said, what the fuck did you bring her? You know we're trying to fatten her up. Mike said he wasn't having any luck," Hunter said in reference to one of his many calls to Lil' Sis's current boyfriend or whatever she called him.

"I, I just brought some veggies," Ric said as he threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

"Whoa, who's this Mike," Steve asked. Hunter grinned at him as he shook his head.

"This is where it gets real interesting. Lil' Sis does not do anything half way," Hunter said quietly and chewed his gum slowly.

"No shit," Steve said through his own grin. He remembered some damn funny times with her and 'Taker on the road years ago. Steve waited for enlightenment impatiently.

"Mike is her boyfriend or her live in or her significant other or whatever," Hunter said with a barely concealed smirk at Steve's continued confusion. Steve frowned at Hunter’s words.

“But she’s pregnant and it might be Cena’s,” the self proclaimed orneriest son of a bitch asked. Hunter nodded and dragged his fingers through his hair. “God damn, and I thought maybe she’d changed,” Steve chuckled as he opened a water bottle.

“What? She’s always been like this,” Hunter asked incredulously.

Steve grinned, “Oh hell yeah!” He tipped the water bottle into his mouth and downed it in one fluid motion, similar to his in ring actions with beer, but he actually aimed for his mouth. Steve tossed the empty bottle in the general direction of the garbage and ignored the fact that he missed.

“Tot used to make us fuckin’ crazy, Big Bastard especially,” Steve said. Hunter and Ric were quiet as they absorbed the detail about an earlier version of the same woman they knew. “You say she used to travel with you guys and fix shit, right?” At their answering nods, he laughed.

***

“Carrie, you okay,” John asked as he dried his hands. He could see her black boots, but he couldn’t hear anything.

“Yeah,” she mumbled quietly.

“You don’t sound it,” John informed her. She sounded tired and sick, exactly what she didn’t need.

“I just ate something bad, that’s all,” she said. Her voice was a little louder and stronger, John was relieved to note. Her tiny boots hadn't moved, he noticed.

“Ah, Baby, I’m sorry. I’ll find you something safe,” he promised her feet. Her feet shifted as he continued to stare at the inoffensive footwear. The metal latch slid over and he smiled at her as she opened the door and stepped back out. He turned the sink back on for her, knowing she liked to wash up after barfing, even if he’d never been such a close witness to it before. She nodded her thanks at his thoughtfulness and cupped the water in her hands.

John’s thoughts drifted as he watched her rinse her mouth and splash water on her face. He realized he wasn’t grossed out or disgusted by the fact that she’d just puked her guts out in the stall next to him. He wasn’t sickened by the thought of her barfing at all. Damn, so this is what love is like, he mused. He’d seen others barf many times before, particularly in college. Some of them were even pretty women, but it almost always caused him to gag and puke in response to it. Not with Carrie. Instead he felt concern and worry. It finally happened, he realized. In spite of his dad’s assertions that hell would have to freeze over before his oldest son would ever grow up enough to care more about someone else than himself.

Another thought struck him. “Carrie, are you always so quiet when you puke,” he asked. He wasn’t sure what she was doing at first in the next stall, since she wasn’t retching loudly or groaning or any of the other things he associated with puking. She pulled the paper towel away from her mostly dry face and winked at him. He chuckled in spite of the recent puking in his vicinity.

“Always. At first it was because I didn’t want to wake anybody up when I was at home.” She remembered many times hiding the fact that some meal had caused her to vomit again from her mother. If she was on a tirade that was the last kind of ammunition Carrie wanted to give her mother. John nodded at her explanation; it was just a strange train of thought that prompted him to ask her.

“Hey, did I tell you my cousin’s gonna be here tonight,” he asked, shifting gears on her.

“No,” Carrie said cautiously. Carrie knew exactly which cousin he was referring to. She hadn’t met Trademarc yet and wasn’t sure he would be too thrilled to meet her either. The few words they’d exchanged on the phone had been polite from her, but he hadn’t bothered. She got the feeling that Trademarc didn’t think she was who or what John said she was. Protecting family was something she understood very well so she wasn’t sure she was up to sparring with an over protective cousin tonight. “Did he know I was going to be here,” she asked.

Her hand rested on the adjoining door, but she wasn’t ready to leave and join the rest of the world. Her quick foray out into the world was rapidly shaping up to be a bad idea from her perspective. First she had to come to the arena since John was late. Then she ran into Ric, who in turn hustled her off to Hunter, who just happened to be having a conversation with Stone Cold. She knew there were a couple of others she wanted to avoid tonight. Plus now adding John’s mildly hostile cousin and she felt the beginnings of a headache start. And she still needed to get something to eat.

“Baby, are you sure you’re okay,” John asked since he watched her color fade as she stood at the door. She smiled up into his eyes and nodded, trying to reassure him. She knew he didn’t need her distracting him tonight. He needed to be sharp and safe. John reached for her free hand and pulled her into his arms. She took a deep breath as she tried to get her shit together while soaking up his strength and support.

Still in his arms, she said, “I’m okay. It’s just that…I wasn’t planning on being here today, then topping it off with bad food.” She left the rest of her reasons unsaid. John tightened his embrace and kissed the top of her head. He was worried about her, as always.

“Let’s get you some food, then we’ll deal with the rest,” John said as he felt her pull away. He watched as she took a few deep breaths and slipped behind one of her many facades. He was getting better at recognizing them. The one she had on now looked like her calm and competent one. The ‘Lil Sis facade, as he thought of it. She had many, but this one was easy to spot. She’d be great in front of the camera, he thought to himself again.

She reached for the door and pulled it open so she could step back into chaos. Hunter, Ric and Steve were laughing their asses off for some reasons, she saw. They all turned to look at her as she came back in. Hunter managed to stop laughing long enough to quirk a brow at her, asking if she was okay. She nodded in return at his concern. His lips twitched in response as he turned back to Stone Cold.

John was hovering near, in case she needed him in some way or she felt ill or something. He didn’t know, but his worry quotient went up several notches since her color had faded again. Hunter turned back to her and saw John near and his anger spiked. Ric watched Hunter’s face flush and his jaw clench and turned to see what he was glaring at. Seeing Cena near Little Girl answered his question, but it didn’t give him any idea how to diffuse it.

Stone Cold had also watched the split second change and knew exactly why Hunter was glaring a hole in Cena. He thought he’d try and see if he could get a rise out of her, just like old times.

“Hey Tater, ya gonna get something to eat this time,” Steve teased the small woman.

Her head snapped around at his words and a smile curled her lips before she could stop herself. Fuck head, she thought to herself fondly. Trust Steve to remember his nickname for her, she mused. John blinked at the other man’s words, but stayed quiet. He knew he was an outsider with this group of people, even though he knew all of them.

“I don’t know, you candy-assed, stray dog-humping, fuck-brained moron,” her grin answered his. “I’ve seen enough of the restrooms in this place to know I’d rather eat some food than worship more porcelain tonight.” Hunter’s brows were still raised from Steve’s name for her, but her answering one was just as outrageous.

“Fuck brained moron,” Hunter asked her. She nodded and winked at him. His smile grew as he turned to Steve to ask. He had a horrible feeling he already knew, but he had to ask. He had to know for sure. “Tater?” Hunter managed not to snort as he said it, he was proud to note.

Steve’s grin got wider, as he looked at the faces in the room. Hunter’s was great, but Ric’s was priceless. Steve thought he looked shocked and angry that he’d call his Little Girl, Tater. Just wait until he hears all of it.

“Oh yeah. Tater Tot,” Steve chuckled. “She’s been Tater for years. I think it was because of food or something, wasn’t it, Tot,” he teased her. She shook her head.

“What ever you say. Although anyone that takes the word of a lamentably execrable barbarian and a revolting, snake-eyed mediocrity afflicted with mental retardation, is just as bad,” she said sweetly.

“Ah now Carrie, that’s cheating. I’m gonna have to look some of that shit up,” Steve griped to her with a grin. He turned to the other men in the room and said with a smile, “See? See what happens when we let women learn to read?” Hunter grinned at their words. It was obvious that Steve knew Lil’ Sis bery well. John was silent in response to Steve’s question, but he was also still shocked that the tiny woman he knew, the same woman he knew that rarely had a bad word to say about anybody, knew how to curse like a sailor off the top of her head.

“All right you uneducated spawn of a mad scientist and a disastrous test tube experiment. I’ll dumb it down for ya,” Carrie said with a grin for him. They’d been trading inventive insults for years. It was a way to pass the time on the road. She grinned as her eyes roamed around the room at her protectors. They were getting an education tonight, and the night had barely started. “Steve have I ever told you that I think you’re a skanky-assed, grandma-raping, gym sock-smelling, cum-munching, puss-nibbling, fuck-brained red neck?”! Steve threw back his head and laughed at the last of her words died.

“Now that is more like it, Tater,” he said as he wiped a fictitious tear from his eye. “Makes me proud to know ya.” The three other men were still too shocked to do anything but grin.

Any of the talent that was listening at the door would have been shocked to see everyone in the room was smiling, not yelling. With Steve’s comment, she turned from them and opened the door. John followed her out quietly. Before the door closed and muted the noise, Steve could be heard telling both remaining men about Tater and something about the trunk of a car.

Carrie walked away, shaking her head. She knew it was one of the reasons she had tried to stay away tonight. Not because of Steve, but because of the fact that since there were some old friends visiting, the boys were likely to get rowdy and loud and they probably wouldn’t wait until they were all back at the hotel.

“Tater,” John asked quietly.

“Yeah,” she said as she grinned at him. “That bastard’s been teasing me for years. He wasn’t happy unless he was either teasing me or telling me some bullshit story to cover up for one of his fuck ups,” Carrie said. John listened in disbelief, realizing he had no idea she knew some of the guys on the roster that weren’t related to Evolution. Another surprise from her, as usual he thought to himself. She was never boring, that’s for sure.

She slowed and leaned against a crate, prompting him to ask, “Carrie, you sure you’re up to this? You sure you’re okay?” She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. As she opened her eyes, she smiled into his worried baby blues.

“Yeah, it’s just been a while since I ate and these little monsters seem to be pretty demanding tonight, that’s all.” Carrie reached for his arm and pulled herself back up and squeezed his arm to let him know she was ready to follow him again.

“I looked at the food tonight sweetheart, and it doesn’t look too promising,” he said quietly. She stayed quiet at his endearment. They had never spoken about any public display of affection, but she was still a little amazed that his feelings seemed to be unchanged, even now. That thought was followed closely by her next one as she realized he was such a kind caring man and he shouldn’t be wasted on her. Particularly when she wasn’t able to return all of his love like he deserved. Her reverie was broken as she heard John speak up beside her.

“Hey Killer. Randy. Wait up, man,” John said as he strode up to Randy with Carrie on his arm. Randy almost snarled at John until he saw Big Sis. His demeanor changed instantly.

“Yeah, John. What can I do for you,” he said as he reached for Big Sis so he could wrap his arms around her in welcome.

“I didn’t know you were here tonight,” he said as he released her, ignoring the current champ standing less than two feet away.

“Yeah well, I like to surprise people sometimes. You know how I am,” she said quietly but with a wink. Randy nodded as he considered his big sis. She looked pale and tired he noticed. His eyes immediately accused Cena of perpetrating whatever it was. John blinked at the angry glare and held up his hands.

“Whoa, I’m hoping you can help a brother out,” he grinned. “A big sister really,” John teased. Randy frowned at the other man’s words. What the hell was he talking about, he worried.

”Little Thing here needs to eat and the food is shit tonight,” John explained. Randy’s expression cleared in understanding as he nodded. “Don’t you usually carry some of your nasty ass protein bars with you? You used to all the time.” John remembered that Randy had a constant struggle with trying to keep weight on, so he was constantly stuffing his face a few years ago. A lot like his baby, he realized.

Yeah,” Randy nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got some. You don’t look like you feel good, Big Sis.” He looked at her again and realized she was almost swaying. “Peanut butter chocolate, right?” She nodded slightly as she tried hard not to lean on John too much. Randy looked around quickly and found what he needed. “Cena, let her sit here. She needs to sit, man. Carrie, I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere,” Randy said as he turned on his heel and walked quickly away. Carrie found herself pushed down on to a folding chair and nodding at Slim’s rapidly retreating backside.

“What’s up with you two,” she asked John. John grimaced in response, not sure how to explain he and Orton’s complicated history. Orton was like a brother to him, but like a brother, they had their ups and downs and a hell of a lot of history.

“It’s hard to explain, Baby,” he shrugged. She raised a brow at his lack of enlightenment. He sighed. “Randy and me…we’ve been in the trenches together, side by side, watching each others back. Just a lot of shit, Baby,” John said in frustration. It was almost impossible to put into words something so intangible. His response was enough of an answer for her. It told her more than he knew. She sighed, thinking about all the connections and extended families that were formed in the business.

“Little Thing,” she asked with a glare. He shrugged in response and grinned.

“I figure if you answer to Tater, you’ll pretty much answer to anything,” he chuckled. She punched his arm playfully.

“Bastard,” was all she said in response. She was surprised that someone hadn’t already been hunting John down. His time was usually limited before a show. “When’s your cousin supposed to meet you,” she asked as her brain reminded her of some of her stress. John glanced at his watch and grinned.

“Said he’d be here about now. I left him a pass, if he needs it, so he should be buzzing me anytime,” John said. She could tell he was excited that Trademarc was going to be arriving shortly. She understood all too well how tough the schedule was on families and friends.

“I don’t think he likes me,” she said quietly. John clamped his lips shut on his automatic denial. He had hoped she hadn’t picked up on Trademarc’s obvious dislike and distrust of her, but damn her and her woman’s intuition anyway.

“He doesn’t know you, Baby. That’s all,” John whispered as he leaned in. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. He knew he shouldn’t or couldn’t and he was pissed about that.

“You’re full of shit, but thanks for trying,” she said as she tipped her head up to look at him. His thoughts were easy to see. She needed to snag a bite to eat and get the hell out and meet up with him tomorrow at the hotel. She wanted him to be able to relax and enjoy tonight and he was too preoccupied with his worries about her. Her and their babies, she corrected herself, almost automatically.

“John, when Slim returns? I’m gonna eat and then go back to the hotel,” she said quietly. He frowned at her as he reached to tilt her chin up. She pulled away from his caressing thumb and shook her head. “Honey, you need to be able to focus and be safe tonight, and I’m a liability to you here.” She saw a retort forming. “Don’t. Don’t try to apologize, honey. It’s true and we both know it.” At his sigh, she continued, “Trademarc’ll be here soon too and you should have that time with him. Family time is too important to ignore.”

He swallowed and looked away. He wanted to spend family time with her, but he couldn’t and the pain that he felt as her words wrapped themselves around his heart was almost unbearable. He wasn’t sure how long he stared at the blank wall above her head but he took a step back from her before he said anything. He needed to be able to concentrate and he got distracted if she was in touching range. He didn’t want to contemplate how much worse it was going to get when he had his babies waiting at home for him.

“Okay, I get it,” he said quietly even though it hurt him to say it.

“John, you need to be safe. That’s all,” she said as he looked at her. Any other words that she might have said were stopped by Randy’s arrival.

“Here Carrie. I got you a couple, in case the first one is nasty or something. Maybe you should eat both of them,” he shrugged as he gave her the small wrapped bars.

“Thanks, Slim. You’re a good kid, no matter what anybody says,” she chuckled.

“Hey,” he said in mock protest. He watched as she ate the first bar in silence and was happy to see she tore open the second one quickly. Randy’s attention was brought back to Cena as the other man shifted.

“Carrie, take my keys. Take the damn rental. You’re right,” he said. She started to say something around the last of her snack but he waved her quiet. “I’ll catch a ride with somebody, Trademarc or Randy or even Tripe H. Don’t worry about it. You need to go back to the hotel.” John watched her features subtly shift as she realized what he was really telling her. He loved her no matter what and if she didn’t want to stay with him tonight, that was okay.

“John,” Randy heard Big Sis start to say something.

“Carrie, he can catch a ride back with me,” Randy said quickly. “Don’t worry about it.” Randy realized Cena was right. She should go back to the hotel. They could catch up with her later tonight or tomorrow. He knew she was always up early and stayed up late so they’re be plenty of time later.

“Okay, you guys win,” she said with a wink. “Big bullies,” she teased them. She saw John flinch as he glanced down at his pocket. His cell must have buzzed him, she realized. All the more reasons she needed to get the hell out of there before the interrogations started from the cousin. John was already reaching into his pocket for his keys so he pulled the phone out too. He handed her the keys with a smile as he flipped open his phone and stepped back.

“Yo,” was all he said into the phone. His grin told the other two he knew whoever it was.

“You okay now,” Randy asked the small woman. She smiled and nodded up at him. Damn, did he grow some more she thought as she looked up at him, all the way up. She stood up and he gave her his arm in a manner fitting his semi formal attire of slacks and a dress shirt. She placed her hand on his offered arm and waved at John as they walked away. He nodded in acknowledgement and tried to listen to the voice on the phone.

“You bring anything,” Randy asked since he didn’t see her small bag that she used to carry when she was traveling with Dave. She shook her head as she let Mister Slim Shady walk her to the area that all the cars were parked.

“What’s with the suit tonight? And why the hell are you here anyway,” she asked quietly as they continued on, oblivious to anyone else.

They walked past many people, some were with the company and worked behind the cameras. Some of them were long time or previous employees that had been asked to attend tonight by the chairman of the board himself. Most of them knew it was about some policy that the stockholders were bitching to put into place, but didn’t really know more than that. Some were just old friends stopping by and the open invite was a good excuse.

Two long time friends passed the couple that was laughing and joking with each other. One of the men stopped after they had walked past the younger couple and frowned. What the hell, he thought. She looked awfully familiar or reminded him of someone. He turned back to watch them walk away and shook his head at himself. No, he never forgot a walk and he knew that walk. He just didn’t know from where or when.

Shawn paused when he realized his buddy wasn’t alongside him. He frowned when he saw that he’d turned around and was looking at something.

“Kev,” Shawn asked as he walked back to his old friend. He received a grunt in acknowledgement. He tried again. “Kev,” Shawn said a little louder. Kevin’s head snapped back to Shawn and he grinned.

“What buddy? I’m just admiring the scenery. You can’t deny me that, can you,” Kevin teased his long time friend. His lips were twitching trying to hold back his ever present grin. Shawn looked past him to see what had captured his buddy’s attention. All he saw was Orton and Carrie.

“Carrie? Don’t even think about it buddy. She’s Hunter’s Lil Sis,” Shawn managed to say before Kevin cut him off.

“Give me some credit, will ya," Kevin rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I know her. I know her from somewhere,” he said quietly. He knew he hadn’t slept with her since he had tended to keep his horizontal liaisons confined to the Barbie doll variety , but after that he didn’t remember how or where he knew her from. Shawn shook his head at his friend’s faulty memory.

“I don’t see how. Unless you’ve become a computer whiz, she’s not likely to know you. She’s Big Dave’s sister in law,” Shawn supplied.

“No. That’s not it. That’s not her name,” Kevin said quietly and shrugged. Shawn smiled at his friend and they both mutually agreed to ignore that little side distraction of Kevin’s and continue on. Kevin knew it would come to him, it always did. Sometimes at the most inopportune times, but he’d remember eventually.

Carrie breathed a sigh of relief as Slim gave her a hug at John’s rental. “Thanks, Randy. Thanks for your help tonight.” He cracked his lopsided grin for her and shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll catch up with you later. Go back and relax and we’ll shoot the shit later,” Randy said as she was moving the seat forward so she could actually touch the steering wheel. Slim smiled at her actions but kept his comments to himself.

“Thanks, Slim,” Carrie said with a wink, signaling to him that she could finally reach the pedals enough to drive.

He waved her out of the parking lot and watched her disappear. He turned back and realized he’d promised Big Sis he’d give Cena a ride back. Shit, now what, he worried again.

top

end

Part 2 of 2


John gripped his cousin's hand as he slapped him on the back and pulled him in for a quick hug.

"Glad you could make it. You look good," John said as he smirked at his cousin’s bald head.

"What? You giving me shit," Trademarc asked. John shook his head and continued to grin. Trademarc shifted his shoulders as he glanced around. "Where is she," the recent arrival asked as he continued to look around. His disdain was obvious. John took a deep breath before he answered his best buddy and cousin.

"She's not here. You can relax," John said quietly.

"Good," Trademarc said ungraciously. Inside he was thinking, thank god he didn't have to play nice with her tonight. He still thought she was after his cousin, after his fame and fortune and he wasn't going to stand by and let her get her hooks into him without a fight. John shook his head at his buddy's attitude. No wonder Carrie couldn't miss it, he thought.

"She's in town, but went back to the hotel," John said. At Trademarc's smirk, John continued, "She thought I should concentrate on family time with you and not be distracted by her."

"Good," Trademarc said bluntly. "At least she knows her place," he said almost under his breath. John heard him and reached for the front of his shirt.

With his cousin's shirt wrapped in his fist, John growled, "No, no she doesn't. I asked her to stay because I wanted to spend family time with her too, but she said you were more important." John released the shirt violently and shut his mouth before he said anything that he'd regret.

"At least she didn't make you choose," Trademarc said quietly as he smoothed his shirt back into place. He ignored the glare directed at him from his cousin. He didn't trust her, that's all there was to it. He didn't know how to make Johnny see or understand.

John shook his head and forced himself to ignore his cousin’s attitude about Carrie tonight. She’d purposely left so he could, he realized. John motioned to his cousin to fall into step with him as he worked his way toward the locker room.

“Tell me about that bad ass car you just bought,” John said with a smirk. He knew Trademarc wouldn’t be able to not brag about his newest toy.

John was rewarded by a laugh and Marc proceeded to tell him in detail all about his newest acquisition, right down to the split times in the quarter mile.

“You didn’t race it, did ya,” John asked him.

“Oh yeah, buddy. She is sweet,” Trademarc said.

John’s grin couldn’t be held back as he asked, “But isn’t that illegal?”

His cousin’s answer was immediate and profane, as usual. John laughed with him. He noted he needed to get into the locker room soon since the back was starting to fill with fans. Almost as soon as the thought was formed, he was politely asked if he could sign something from a young pretty girl. Since others fans had seen him stop and sign something, they all descended on him with requests. He was happy to oblige and went out of his way to accommodate them, even a few of the crazier requests.

Trademarc’s brows were raised as John was signing a young woman’s left breast. He was thinking to himself, this is what Johnny needs to do. This is what he should be concentrating on…these beautiful women. John looked over at his cousin and could guess his thoughts. He thought he throw him some attention so he mentioned to the young lady that asked if he’d sign her cd that the guy in the backwards ball cap was none other than Trademarc. Instantly, his cousin was surrounded by women, all clamoring for his attention, all telling him how much they loved him. John guessed that a few of them might be legal, so his buddy was in luck. Trademarc looked over at his buddy, over the heads of at least a dozen women and nodded his thanks. John smiled back at him and walked away. He needed to get changed and he’d successfully diverted the fans and his cousin in one go. He was pretty damn proud of himself, he had to admit.

Randy waved him over as he entered the locker room.

“What’s up, Killer,” John asked with a smile for his old road buddy.

Randy scrunched up his face as he tried to think of how to say what he wanted without sounding like an asshole, as usual.

“I promised Big Sis I’d give you a ride. Do you need one,” Randy asked. John thought about how he’d left his cousin and knew he probably would need some way to get back to the hotel, thinking that his ride had just become unavailable. John nodded slowly, sensing that Randy had more to say. Here it comes, he thought. It’s taken him a while to get around to it, but he finally did.

“How do you know Carrie? I didn’t know she knew you,” Randy said as his temper started to get the better of him. He knew through Dave that her and her boyfriend were expecting a baby sometime in the spring. He'd asked Dave a couple of weeks ago when he'd shown up without her again. He didn’t want Cena screwing that up for her. He knew Cena’s reputation from their OVW days and didn’t think he’d changed much in the last few years. He always said he was single, available & easy whenever anyone asked. He just hoped Cena wasn’t aiming for Big Sis, or he’d have to get pissed about it.

“Relax, Killer. I met her last summer when I changed shows, before D B switched. She was working her magic on his schedule and I was blown away at how easy she made everything for Triple H & D B,” John said quickly. He recognized the signs of Randy’s temper climbing. Randy blinked at John’s words. John continued, ”I asked how she did it and if she’d help me. She laughed at me, Buddy. She told me how she did what she did and said it was really easy.” At Randy’s smile, John continued. “Easy for me? No way. Easy for her? Yeah, but then I think she’s probably a lot smarter than me and you combined.” John laughed as Randy nodded in agreement.

“You’re right, Proto. She used to juggle all four of us and we never knew how good we had it until they split us up,” Randy admitted. John knew he was actually talking about himself. He knew that Hunter and Ric were aware of her talents and how she smoothed their lives out since they’d traveled without her before and since. John kept quiet about the fact that Randy had called him Proto, something he hadn’t done in the last few years, since their relationship became more strained than usual.

***

Carrie closed her phone after replying to David's voice mail. His call was a direct response from a call from Hunter telling him of her unexpected arrival. David had tried to sound casual, but she knew better. He’d asked for a few minor tweaks for tomorrow that he could easily have asked her in the morning. But he’d chosen to call her tonight, thanks to Hunter she was sure.

She glanced at the time as she reached for her portable, kept her cell in reach and dialed room service on the room phone. She saw that they had boca burgers on the menu so she ordered one of the disgusting things along with some fruit that she could snack on later. As she was placing her order, she was reworking David’s schedule. Once she hung up the room phone she saved the changes to the schedule and tx’d David back, telling him it was done. It never occurred to her to wait until morning. She liked to get things done and out of the way so she could concentrate on the next task, whatever it was. She sent a quick message to Nan, explaining why she was bailing on tonight and that she’d catch up with her at breakfast tomorrow. She knew she wouldn’t have long to wait for some kind of response from David, he wouldn’t be able to help himself.

Her cell rang after just a few minutes. She flipped it over to see who and grinned at herself. She knew he wouldn’t be able to not call back.

“Hi, David,” she smiled into the phone as she flipped it open.

“Hey,” he said in response. “Thanks for making the changes. It just makes shit smoother tomorrow,” he said as his excuse. She grunted slightly in acknowledgement and waited. He wanted to ask her what the hell she was doing at RAW, but Kris had warned him to tread lightly. He thought he’d try it her way first.

“You’ll never guess who called me tonight,” he said quietly. She sighed, she knew what he was leading up to so she thought she’d put both of them out of their misery and skip right to it.

“Hunter called. Hunter called to tell on me and the fact that I’m in Calgary, right,” she asked as she opened the door to the room service. She directed the placement of the tray so she missed David’s quiet response. “What? I was getting my food. What did you say,” she asked.

“I said,” he sighed, “that Hunter wasn’t telling on you. He was just surprised to see you and called to let me know you’d made it there safe.” That was true, he thought. But that wasn’t all that Hunter had said. Hunter had chewed him a new ass about the fact that she looked tired and still too thin. What could he do about it, he’d whined. Hunter proceeded to tell him exactly what he should do about it. He realized she was quiet on the other end, possibly waiting for more from him, he wasn’t sure.

“I’m just surprised that you’re there at all, Lil’ Sis. I thought next week with me was going to be your first trial run,” David said.

“I got stir crazy and had a wild hair up my ass, so I thought why not fly out and get the stuff from John for the lab. His next few weeks are shit. He goes to India, Europe and has a couple of concerts thrown in just for fun.” Carrie shook her head at his schedule. It was going to kick his ass one of these days. It was better now that his brother was managing it for him, but the office had so much shit lined up for him that they obviously thought sleep was not necessary.

David listened to her reasons and knew Mike must be pissed as hell at home. He was surprised that he’d even let her out the door. He’d watched his buddy treat Lil’ Sis like she was made of glass since she can home from the hospital. He was both surprised and pleased to see that his buddy was capable of tenderness since it was the first he’d ever noticed it. But, the more he thought about it, that was probably the exact reason Lil’ Sis was in Calgary. She hated to be fussed over and she definitely didn’t like being told what to do. Hunter was aware of it, so he made sure to call and bitch at David so he’d get that chore.

“I’m surprised Mike let you,” David said the words before he’d even realized it. He heard her angry growl over the phone before she answered.

“Mike does not tell me what I can and can not do,” she shot back. Her hand dragged through her hair as she started to pace. “He does not fuckin’ own me, no matter what he thinks.” David started to say something, but she plowed on. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and knowing when I need to take it easy. I’ve been taking care of myself since before you were out of school,” she finished as she ripped an unappetizing piece of her boca veggie burger off and stuffed it in her mouth to shut herself up. David shook his head at the phone and held it away from his ear for a second or two as he thought about what to say in response to her little rant. It was rare for her to even get cranky or at least verbalize it, so for her to bitch at him over the phone was uncharted territory.

“That’s not what I meant. I don’t think that and I’m sure Mike doesn’t either,” David said as he tried to placate her.

“Bullshit,” she said. “He thinks…he fuckin’ thinks I need a babysitter,” she growled as she eyed her dinner with disgust. Just thinking about her leave taking that morning spiked her temper. David sighed since he knew he wasn’t going to be able to say anything right tonight.

“How’s Cena? Did you meet his cousin yet,” he asked, trying to change subject. She stopped in mid mental tirade and shifted to her next irritation.

“No. He’s here tonight, but I left before he arrived, before I could pollute the air, as he said,” she said quietly. David frowned at her words, he didn’t know Marc had said that to her. He felt his temper climb as he realized that little shit didn’t think Lil’ Sis was good enough for Cena? For John fucking Cena?

“You should’ve stayed, just to fuck with him.” It was David’s turn to growl.

“I’ll fuck with him, don’t worry. Just not tonight. If you must know, I was tired. Are you happy?” she asked in reference to her admittance that she was tired.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing he was going to have some serious words with several members of the Cena clan. Pronto. Total major fucking bullshit, he thought as he listened to her eat her dinner and wait, in case he had more to say. “Have you talked to Mike,” he asked without thought. As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he’d blundered again. What was his problem tonight? He just kept putting his foot in his mouth.

“No,” she sighed. All of her anger had dissipated, thanks to some deep breathing and calming images. “I’m sure Hunter’s called him too, by now.” She was aware of Hunter’s calls to Mike, even though she suspected they were supposed to be private and possibly secret.

“You’re probably right,” David agreed. He knew Hunter had planned on chewing Mike a new ass after he’d hung up with him.

“I’m gonna let you go so I can concentrate on this nasty dinner. Call me if you need to, don’t worry about the time. You now how I am,” she said in preparation to hanging up.

“Okay. Thanks. Thanks for your help tonight and thanks for everything,” David said just before they hung up. He could hear how tired or worn out she was by her voice. That thought pissed him off and reminded him of his need to call and bitch at Cena. He scrolled through his cell, looking for the number and hit it as he clenched his jaw in anger.

“Yeah, Dave. What’s up,” John asked as he recognized the number.

“You care to tell me why your fucking cousin thinks Lil’ Sis is a piece of shit,” David growled. John gasped at his friend’s words and anger. He tried to laugh it off since he was still in the locker room.

“Nah, he doesn’t think that. He doesn’t know her,"` John said as he escaped the locker room and many pairs of big ears.

“Damn right he doesn’t know her. And if I have anything to say about it, he never will,” David shouted.

“Calm down. Just chill, man. What’s got you fired up,” John asked.

“That little fucker thinks that Carrie is a waste of space, a pollutant,” David snarled. He looked around the lobby he was in, waiting for his car. He was glad to note that no one had heard or noticed his tirade. Not the kind of thing the office wanted to hear about.

“Nah, he didn’t say that. Where’d you hear that shit from,” John asked, but he knew the answer already. One of Trademarc’s favorite put downs was about polluting someone’s space. David couldn’t have heard of it any other way than through Carrie.

“Lil’ Sis. I talked to her a little while ago because she was helping me with some shit. Then she told me that she had bailed on meeting Marc and why,” David explained as he unclenched his jaw with some effort.

“Damn it!” John said. “No wonder…no wonder she went back to the hotel,” John said more to himself than David. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. I’ll take care of him,” John clarified.

“You better. Hunter’s been looking for a reason to beat your ass about Lil’ Sis. He protects her like he family. You don’t want to go there,” David warned his friend seriously.

“I got the point. I’ll take care of it, I said. Let me go so I can. See ya later buddy,” John said and hung up without waiting for a reply. John had no idea how to tackle Marc without inflaming his cousin even more about Carrie. He walked around the back stage area, looking for his cousin. He stayed out of the public places because of the possibilities of meeting up with fans. He needed to make his point with Trademarc first.

He heard some giggling behind some equipment as he walked by and he slowed. He waked over to the stage boxes and listened for voices, in case his hunch was right. He heard more female giggles followed by some quiet male murmuring. The male voice he knew, too well. He ignored the whispered endearments and the giggles as he turned the corner and found his cousin and a pretty lady in a very compromising position. The pretty lady was topless and if he guess was right, pantyless under her short skirt. Marc was minus his pants for the obvious reason, but he was also missing his shoes. John was surprised that he noticed Trademarc’s lack of shoes.

“Oh, hey buddy,” Marc said nonchalantly as he saw John. The mostly naked woman squealed and tried to cover herself by leaning into Marc’s chest.

John kept his temper as he said quietly, “We need to talk tomorrow morning.” Without waiting for any response he spun around and walked away. He knew Marc would be busy for most of the evening so morning would be better anyway. Plus, John was hoping he’d have a chance to talk to Carrie before then.

***

Mike tried to ignore the ache behind his eyes after he hung up from Hunter. Hunter had told him he was doing a shitty job of looking after his Lil’ Sis and did he want him to have come down there. Hell no, he didn’t want that. He’s be just as happy if Hunter never came into their condo ever again, but knew he was dreaming on that score.

The worry and the pain of her leaving today added to the ache. He replayed their argument over and over, worrying over his words and how stupid and hateful shit just flowed out of his mouth…

“What if I say I don’t want you to go,” he asked as he drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself. She set her small case by the door and turned back to him.

“I say sorry, but I want to go. I need to go. Don’t you get that,” she asked quietly. All of his thoughts zeroed in on the fact that she was leaving him and going to see Cena. She was running away from him again and going to Cena, again.

“What I don’t get is the fact that you don’t seem to give a shit about how I feel,” he said as his voice started to climb to match his temper. She narrowed her gaze at him in a gesture he was starting to recognize as her way of showing irritation.

“Does it ever fuckin occur to you how I feel? What I want? What I need,” she said quietly as she opened the closet for her coat. His temper ratcheted up several more notches as she reached for her coat, not giving him any time to explain himself.

“What you want? Ha,” he barked. “That’s what got us in to this damn mess in the first place,” he shouted.

She whiled around to face him at his words. “No one is making you stay here. You can leave any damn time you like,” she said quietly. He blinked as her words penetrated his anger. No, he didn’t want to leave, he didn’t want to ever leave her. He just didn’t know how he could get his point across about her leaving and him worrying about her.

“I didn’t invite you here, if you recall,” she continued on quietly. “You moved your damn self in. You can move your damn self out, as far as I’m concerned.” She bent down to retrieve her bag in preparation for leaving. He needed to stop her, make her understand, somehow.

“Carrie, I don’t want to leave. I love you, honey. I’m just worried about you, about our babies. I just want to protect you,” he said as he advanced on her slowly. She shook her head at his tactics, she knew what he was doing. He was trying to stop her from leaving because he didn’t trust her.

“Bull shit. You just don’t trust me. You don’t think I can make decisions regarding myself or my uterus,” she said through a snarl. His tenuous control snapped and he blew.

“God damn it, that’s not it! I know Cena’s waiting for you, probably keeping his sheets warm for you,” he shouted. “And I’m supposed to let that shit go? Yeah, okay. How many times? Huh? If you want to sleep with him, I’m supposed to let that go? Is that it? Just tell me so I know the damned rules I’m playing with here. Is this gonna be a weekly thing, a monthly thing or what,” he continued to shout. She closed the door on his words as she left, not hearing or caring what he was going to say next. As he heard her car drive away he stood in the center of the kitchen, shaking with rage and shouted, “FUCK!” He walked into the laundry and grabbed his gym bag. He needed to go beat the shit out of something.

That was hours ago and he still hadn’t heard from her. He heard from Hunter, he’d even heard from Kris that Dave had called, because Hunter had called and bitched at him too. But he hadn’t heard a peep from her. He rubbed his hands over his face as he recalled her words to him weeks ago in the hospital. She had warned him she wasn’t used to living with anybody, she wasn’t used to having someone at home to worry and she definitely wasn’t used to having someone try to help her or run her life, as she saw it. He’d just have to wait her out and hope she wasn’t pissed that he was still ensconced when she returned.

***

Carrie had closed her portable ages ago, knowing that she needed to shut her brain off for a while. She had found the local hockey station and set the volume low and laid her head down on the bed for a nap. She was just stirring from her nap when her cell buzzed on the table. She raked her fingers through her hair as she reached for it. She saw there was still a little time in the game so her nap wasn’t extensive.

“Yeah, Slim. What can I do for you," she said she flipped open her phone. She recognized his cell number.

“Um, I’m calling to apologize, Big Sis,” Randy said sheepishly. A feminine giggle cut through their conversation.

“No need, honey. We’ll catch up tomorrow. I have a breakfast date, but my flight doesn’t leave until afternoon. You call when you’re ready,” she laughed at some of the other noises that were trying to be suppressed, unsuccessfully.

“Okay, cool,” he said. A thought occurred to her.

“Randy? Did John make it back to the hotel,” she asked.

“Oh yeah. He grabbed a ride with us,” Randy mumbled. She could hear his mind was clearly on other, more enticing things so she’d let him go.

“Okay, thanks Slim. Have a good night,” she said and hung up. The cell was still in her hand as it buzzed again. She saw it was a text. It couldn’t be from David again, could it, she worried. She chuckled as she read, ‘bt says knock knock’. Silly bastard, she thought as she stepped to her door. She peeked out the spy hole and saw John walking towards her door. She opened the door silently and he stepped through. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to his chest. He’d worried about her, even though she was safe back at the hotel, he’d still worried. He kissed the top of her head as she started to pull away.

“What’s that for,” she asked in reference to his wordless hug.

“You. You were right. I worried,” he admitted with a shrug.

“You okay? Everything go okay tonight,” she asked. He nodded and slipped his shoes off. He planned on staying and talking to her about a lot of things. His worries being low on the long list. “Where’s Marc? He arrive okay,” she asked. She thought they’d want to spend their evening together, shooting the shit and hanging out.

“Trademarc is fine. He has other entertainments this evening,” John said with a wink. He was pleased to see her food tray and what looked like a mostly finished dinner of something indescribable. He watched her lips form an O of understanding. He gave himself a mental slap that his thoughts strayed to her lips. That wasn’t why he was with her tonight. He sat down on the bed and patted the place next to him for her. She chuckled at the gesture, but obeyed.

“Baby, we’ve got some shit to talk about. I don’t know where to start, but first let me apologize for my cousin. He and I will be having a meeting of the minds tomorrow. Don’t worry about that.” She nodded at his words, but didn’t know how he’d convince his stubborn cousin that she wasn’t out to scam John.

“Carrie, my mom is dying to meet you,” he started. She nodded, she knew it was coming. She just didn’t know how his mother would feel about her, giving birth to her grandchildren out of wedlock and no intention of entering into that state with her oldest son. She knew John’s family were church going people and that it was an important part of who he was. It was one of the things she loved about him and thought it shaped him in more ways than even he was aware. As their discussion continued, ironing out meeting his folks and family, he saw she was starting to blink slowly, like she was trying hard to stay awake.

“Baby, we can do this in the morning. You’re tired and you need to sleep.” At her protest, he said, “I know you feel better, but you still have some catching up to do.” She shrugged and nodded.

As she started to scoot to the pillows so she could lie down she asked, “Stay with me until I fall asleep?”

“Of course,” he said as he reached for the remote to shut the tv off. He waited for her to lay down on her side, fully clothed before he snuggled up behind her. He put his arm up and around her and heard her sigh. Damn sucks to be me, flashed through is brain. Her breathing shifted and in less than five minutes she was asleep in his arms. “I love you, Carrie,” he whispered, confident that she was asleep. He kissed the back of her hair and smiled. He couldn’t help it. He had the mother of his children sound asleep in his arms, fully clothed and he was more that okay with that.

He woke up later, flat on his back with Carrie draped over his chest. He was confused for a moment, not sure of his surroundings or if he was still asleep somehow. He stretched and she rolled off of him as she mumbled in her sleep. John realized they were both still clothed. They’d never get decent sleep like that, at least he knew he wouldn’t. He rolled off the bed and pulled the covers back. He reached under her slowly and hooked his fingers into the waist of her warm up pants, thanking God that they had elastic and she hadn’t cinched them tight. He slid them off her slumbering form easily. He pulled his shirt and pants off quickly and eased her under the covers. As she settled in and before he pulled the covers up, he saw she was wearing a lacey blue thong. Damn it, he cursed his luck for noticing. He slipped in behind her and pulled the covers back over both of them. The feel of her ass against his hips distracted him from sleep. When she backed into him and snuggled in tighter, he counted to ten silently as he searched for his self control. Sleep was a long time coming for him.

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