Tuesday was like a homecoming, and none of my "brothers" or "sisters" were happier to see me than big Paulie. "Hey, Show. How about a hug over here," I yelled from behind him. "Hey, Jade. Where the hell have you been?" "Out having a baby." "Oh, yeah? Where's the little one now?" "Priscilla is with her daddy. Kevin took her and his son on a trip. How've you been, Paulie?" "Pretty good. What brings you to Smackdown?" "Vinnie Mac is bringing me back. I'm the newest diva on the roster." "Great! When do you start?" "I report to OVW after I sign the contract Vince has for me. We'll see what happens from there."

"A few things have changed around here, little one." "Like what?" "Our general manager is Paul Heyman." "ECW Paul Heyman?" "That's the one." "That guy is sleazy with a capital S." "And Sable is back." "Bimbo brigade. Why did they hire that dumb bitch back?" "Big boobs sell." "Has she wrestled?" "Not much." "Figures. Who's around that's worth my time?" "Nidia isn't bad. She'd be your best female competition. She's a little green though." "That's it?" "Dawn Marie is damn good, but she doesn't do those high risk matches anymore." "I'll have to introduce myself to them. Thanks for giving me the low down, bro. I have to visit a few others before I meet Vince." "I'll see you around, Jade." "Alright."

As I walked down the hall, I was stopped by a big man with his face covered by his hair. "Hello, Jade. I haven't seen you for awhile." "I'm sorry. I don't recognize you. What's your name?" "It's the hair. I let it grow since I joined the company." He brushed his hair back with his hand. At first sight of those beautiful eyes, I remembered his name. "Sean O'Haire. Damn, you're looking good." "I was just thinking the same about you." "Why, thank you. Have they been treating you well?" "They let me on t.v. every now and then." "Uh-huh. Why do I get this feeling your talent is being wasted on dark matches?" "For now, it's not. I've been put with a mentor on the show." "Who?"

"Hey, Sean, Vince wants to see us in his office," came a voice from behind me. I turned around to look, and saw one of my idols. "Mr. Piper. It's such an honor to meet you, I don't know if I should hug you, or bow down and say I'm not worthy." He smiled at me. "I'll take a hug from a pretty lady any day. And, you may call me Roddy." He opened his arms wide, and we shared a hug. "So, what's your name?" "Oh. Sorry. My name is Jade Callaway. I was the Dominatress until a year and a half ago." "Your name sounds familiar. Was your daddy a wrestler?" I laughed. "No, but my ex is."

I was slapped on the ass by a huge hand. I turned ready to fight, but I found Mark. "Damn it, Mark! That hurts!" "After all these years, you should be used to it." He looked up at the men I was talking to. "O'Haire. Piper." "Taker." "Well, now that we all know each other, what did you want, Mark?" "Vince wants you. Something about putting you with one of the young guys while you work off the ring rust." I looked up at Sean, and he smiled. "Maybe it's me." "Maybe you need to stay away from my wife." "What does Sara have to do with this?" I grabbed Mark's elbow. "I think you mean ex-wife. And don't you screw up my come back."

He looked down at me for a moment, then smiled. He pushed my hair out of my face. "You're right. I remember now. 'Stay out of your business at work'." "Right. Now, go take your chill pill, while we go see Vince." "We?" "He had asked Roddy to bring Sean in." "This week just keeps getting better," he sighed."You want me back on the road, right?" "Yeah." "So, I'll take what he gives me." "Alright, babe." He kissed my forehead, then walked past us.

I smiled at Sean and Roddy. "Over-protective. Shall we?" "Listen, Jade, if this is going to cause problems between you and Taker, we can turn it down," Sean said. "First of all, we don't know if it's you or one of the others. Second, he flips like this over nothing. It's cool." Sean, being a gentleman, offered me his elbow. I took it, and let him and Roddy lead me to Vince's office. "I sure as hell wouldn't want Taker breathing down my neck," Roddy said. "He went off the wall while I was working with Test, and Kane, and he wasn't too happy about me hanging out with the nWo. He just watches out for me." "That's one hell of a body gaurd." "Yeah. He keeps me out of trouble."

As we stood in front of Vince, listening to his plan, I realized I hadn't let go of Sean's arm. It didn't seem to bother him at all. He looked at me and smiled as I moved my hand. "Jade, are you paying attention?" Vince asked. "Yes, sir. I will be Sean's valet. If I may ask, why put me with Sean while he's working with Roddy?" "Roddy can't make it to all of the house shows and promotional events. Besides, a good-looking young guy deserves to have a beautiful woman by his side." "Will I be the Dominatress, or just Jade?" "I beleive you applied for the position of Dominatress." I grinned from ear to ear. "Yes, I did." "Can you fit into the old catsuit?" "The Ministry suit? I think I can shimmy into it." "Good. I have to finish up with these two. Linda is down the hall with your contract." "All right. Thanks, Vince."

With one last look at Sean, I walked out of the office, and down the hall to see Linda. I knocked on the door. "Come in." I opened the door, and said, "did you miss me?" Then, I saw Jim Ross. Linda smiled up at me. "Yes, I did. You are one of few divas I've never had a problem with. But, I seem to be the only one. Before we go over your contract, J.R. wants to talk to you." "I kinda figured when I saw him in here. Long time no see, J.R."

"It's good to see you again, Jade." "I'd say the same, but by the look on your face, I'd say I'm in trouble already." "I just want to make sure we're not going to have the same backstage drama that we had with your last run." "Having a baby calmed me down a lot. I'm not into going out and drinking with the boys. I'm getting back with one of my ex's. I'm trying to get my life together." "Which ex? Kevin?" "No. We are sharing custody of our daughter, but we know we're not getting back together." "Well, which one, then?" Linda asked. "I'd rather not say until he is ready. There's something standing in the way of our reunion, and until that's taken care of, I don't want it to get out." "About six foot ten, green eyes, and black hair?" Linda guessed. "Please, I am begging you, don't let it leave this room." "I won't even bring it up with him."

"I just wanted to be sure we had this clear. It seems you've dated every guy you have been paired with. I know Vince just put you with Sean O'Haire, and the ladies seem to love him." I looked at Linda and smiled. "Linda, can you honestly say that man isn't good-looking?" "A bit young, but he is. He has a lot of talent, too." "Very talented." I looked back at J.R. "But I believe Mark is the love of my life, and neither one of us want to screw up this second chance." "Third," Linda said. "Whatever. I don't care who you're seeing now. I just don't want any problems," J.R. said. "I'll be a good girl." He turned to Linda. "I have to see the others. I'll come back in awhile." "All right."

After J.R. closed the door behind himself, I said, "what has his unders in a bunch?" She laughed. "You have to admit you kept him pretty busy with your last run." "Yeah, but most of those guys are on Raw now, or gone all together. I don't want to be a problem. I just want my job back." "Well, you have it, if you sign the contract. Everything is the same as the last one, except there was an addition made about your conduct. Through the duration of this contract, you are to stay out of the personal lives of all but two Smackdown superstars. Vince had it added, because of the way you went through the roster before." "Let me guess. Kevin is one I can." "It doesn't name them. Besides, Kevin is on Raw. I guess Mark is one." "That's all I need." "Then go ahead, and sign on the line." I signed the contract, and handed it back to her. "I'm going to find Mark. If I stay with him, I'll stay out of trouble." "Good idea."

Once I found Mark's dressing room, I walked in without knocking. The man I found was not Mark. He smiled as he gave me the once over. "Hello, love." "Who the hell are you, and where is Mark?" The door swung open to the bathroom. "Calm down, Jade. This is my partner, Nathan Jones." "This is the one you were telling me about?" Nathan asked. "Yep." "Your ex?" "Yep." "Think I got a shot with her?" "Uh, hello. I'm standing right here," I said. "Not if you value your life," Mark said as his arms went around me. "And I know you're here, babe. See this smile? It's only for you." "There you go getting soft again." "Yeah, but another part is getting hard."

I pushed him away from me, and he laughed. "So, how did it go?" "Well, I don't like the special conditions on my contract, but your Ministry mistress is back." "What kind of conditions?" "If I'm caught dating more than two of the guys throughout my contract, they can fire me." He looked over his shoulder at Nathan. "There goes my idea to share her." "Linda said Vince added it because of my last run." "Baby, you went through three guys in less than a month. I can see why he added it on. Besides, you only need one, remember?" I smiled. "Yeah. You." "That's my girl." "I think I'm going to be sick," Nathan said. "Haven't you ever been in love?" I asked. "Yeah, until he said you were his," he laughed. "I don't know where Vince found you, but he should send you back." "You're not that cruel, are you?"

Mark laughed. "Nathan's from Australia. He did a stretch in their maximum security prison before coming in." I looked at Nathan. "No. I'll just break out the whip if you get out of line. You can ask him about the whip." "Which one?" "The one I had the night you proposed." He cringed. "The bull whip. You still have it?" "In a box with that leather outfit." He looked over his shoulder at Nathan. "If she wears the outfit, you're in for a real treat." I laughed. "Enough goofing around. It's nice to meet you, Nathan. Sorry about when I came in. I wasn't expecting anyone else to be in here." "That's all right, love. It's nice to meet you, too." I looked up at Mark. "When is you guys' match?" "Middle of the show." "Well, I'm going to get in my new partner's head. Try to get used to him." "Is it O'Haire?" "Yeah. I'm his valet when Roddy can't make it." "Well, it's better than them sending you to OVW." "True. I'll see you guys later."

As I walked down the hall, Sean came up behind me. "Hey." "Hey. I was just looking for you." "Here I am." He offered me his arm again, and I laid my hand on his bicep. "Call me old fashioned, but I don't like to rush into a storyline without getting to know my partner." "Ask me anything you want to know." "Well, it's nothing in particular that I want to know. I just need to get used to the way you are." "I'm easy to get along with, especially for women." "So I've heard." "I guess J.R. is the one that told you." "Yeah, but it's no big deal. He's on my ass for being a bit of a run around." "He hasn't gotten on to me about it." "Probably because you go for the fans. I went for the wrestlers. It wound up disrupting a few shows. In my own defense, not all of it was my fault."

We stopped outside one of the dressing rooms. "Can we continue this later? Maybe after the show? I have to get ready." "I'm leaving with Mark and Nathan after the show. Maybe some other time." He smiled at me. "I'll catch you again tonight." He laid his hand on my right cheek, and softly kissed my left. "I'll see you." "Later, Sean." My voice sounded squeaky, even to me. He just smiled, and walked into the dressing room. Once the door was closed, I closed my eyes, and hit my head against the brick wall. "I should have stayed with Mark and Nathan."

I went back to Mark's dressing room, and found it empty. I kicked back on the couch, and waited for him and Nathan to get back. After awhile there was a knock on the door. I got up, and opened the door. "Uh... Hello again, Sean." "I'm done for the night. I just wanted to see if you wanted to continue from earlier." "Sure. Come on in. But when Mark and Nathan get back, you have to go." "Alright." "Have a seat." He sat on the couch, and I took a seat next to him. "What do you think so far?" "You've changed since we met before. Before you were shy and kinda sweet. Now, you're charming, outgoing, and a gentleman. You're trouble." He laughed. "What?" "Long story. I think we'll make great partners."

He leaned over toward me. I put my hands up to stop him. "Hold on. I meant in wrestling." "I know." He moved closer. "You're taking your life in your hands. If Mark sees you like this, he'll beat the hell out of you." "I'll take my chances." He came a little closer, and I pulled my arm back to punch him. Just then, he was lifted off of me. "This guy bugging you, love?" "Nathan! Thank gawd. Yes, he is." He pushed Sean into the door. "Oops... Forgot to open it first." He opened the door, and tossed him out.

"Are you alright, Jade?" "Yes. Thank you." "Do you want me to get Taker?" "No. Please don't. If he decides to start something with Sean, I'll be the one in trouble." "Alright, love. Lock yourself in. Taker and I will be back before long. Our match is coming up." "Thank you, Nathan." I stood on my toes, and kissed his cheek. His cheeks lightly turned pink. "You're welcome." He left the room, and I locked the door behind him. I went over to the phone, and dialed Vince's office. "Yeah." "Vince, is there anyone else you can put me with?" "Jade?" "Yeah." "What's wrong with Sean?" "Nathan Jones just had to pull him off of me." "Mmm hmm." "I swear it wasn't my fault." "I believe you. It was a test to see if you could hold out for your contract's sake. I put you with him, because he thinks he's God's gift to women." "I'm already involved with a Smackdown man." "I know. Mark told me. Congrats." "Thanks. What I was getting to is I'm not going to mess up my career or my second chance with Mark." "Third." "Whatever." Vince laughed at me. "My original plan was to put you with Nidia for training. You two can help each other." "Thank you."

Twenty minutes later, Mark and Nathan returned. "Hey, babe." "Hey. I have some good news. I'm not being paired with Sean." "Really?" I relayed the conversation to him. Nathan said, "uh-oh." "Evidently, Vince isn't worried about what you did." "I'm lost." "Nathan pulled Sean off of me." He looked at Nathan. "Were you planning on telling me?" "I asked him not to, in case you wanted to go postal on Sean." I wrapped my arms around Mark's waist. "Vince put me with Nidia; a girl. I'm much happier with this. No strain on our reunion. No premature end to my contract. And, as long as I'm not put with Sable, I'll be a good girl." "What do you have against her?" "She put her hands on my husband, remember?" "Ah... That. Terri did, too." "Yeah, but Terri was supposed to. Sable wasn't." I sighed. "The troubles that come with having such a hot man..." He kissed me. "I'm gonna take a shower. Will you go get Annie from the girls?" "Sure, babe."

I went down the hall to the ladies' locker room. When I went in I saw a woman holding Annie that stuck out like a sore thumb. She wasn't skinny like the others, or exceptionally beautiful. "Hi. Taker asked me to come get Annie." I put my hands out to Annie. "You wanna come with Auntie Jade?" She put her arms up, and I picked her up from the girl's lap. "You're Jade?" "Yeah. What's your name?" "Nidia." "Oh! You're my new training partner. It's nice to meet you. I've heard some good things about you." Her eyes went wide. "Really?" "Show said you would be my best competition around here, but that you're a little green." "Green?" "You still have the rookie mistakes. We can work on that. When would you like to start?" "I have a few days off after tonight." "I have a guest room, and the gym I go to has a boxing ring." "Leaving in the morning?" "Ten o'clock." "Alright." "Annie and Taker are coming with us." "Huh?" "Long story. We're off to a good start. You trust me enough to come home with me."

In the morning, Mark told me he was going to his house. "If I can catch them again, great. If not I can confront her about it. Then get the divorce in the works." "You have all of my support, hun." He laid me back on the bed. "Only because you want me between your legs again." "Every chance we get." "I'd do you right now, if we had the time." "I can wait if you can." He looked down at me, but not in the eyes. "What is it, Mark?" "I was wondering... I'm not asking you now, but do you think you could ever marry me again?" "Yeah."

"I hate to leave you, baby, but me and Annie need to go." "Alright, hun. You know where I am when you're ready to come back." He laid his hand on my hip, and kissed me. "I'll call you tonight, and let you know what's going on." "Ok. I love you, Mark." "I love you, too, Jade." He got up, grabbed his bag, and grabbed Annie, who was in her car seat. "By the way, I traded in mine and Annie's tickets over the phone, for tickets to Houston, and got Nidia a ticket next to you." "Thank you. I'll pay you back later." He gave me his wicked half-grin. "We'll work out something." I got up, and went over to him to kiss him goodbye. "Bye, hun." "Bye, babe." I kneeled down to see Annie. "Bye-bye, sweetie. Priscilla will be home when you come to visit." I stood up, and looked up at Mark. "Do me one favor." "What's that?" "Promise me that you will take Annie to your mom's before you go home, in case things get ugly." He nodded. "My mom's or one of my brothers'." "Thank you. I'd hate to see her come to harm." "Bye, Jade." "Bye, Mark."

After they left, I packed my bag, and got ready to meet Nidia down stairs. I grabbed my bag, and went to the lobby to check out. The first person I ran into was Sean. "What was the deal yesterday?" "A few things. One, I'm seeing someone. Two, you were a test from Vince. I wasn't going to be your valet. It's nothing personal." "And Nathan?" "He was an unexpected interruption, but I'm glad he came in. I didn't think he'd throw you into the door, though. Is your head ok?" "It's fine." I looked up behind Sean. "Um, Sean..." "What?" I pointed behind him. Towering over him was the monster from Boggo Road. "Hello, love. Is he bothering you again?" "No, Nathan. I think Mr. O'Haire was just leaving." "Uh... Yeah. Later."

I laughed, and took Nathan's arm. "I should keep you around for a body gaurd. He may not be afraid of Taker, but he's scared of you." He laughed. "The way I see it, if I help you out, Taker may let off my arse." "Arse?" "My back side." "Oh. Ass." "Yeah." "Well somethings never change." "What do you mean?" "I used to train with him. It was years ago when I was in a stable with him." "The Ministry?" "Yeah. He made sure I got the moves right," I laughed. "It helped me win the women's title a couple times." "You don't train like he does, do you?" came a voice from behind us. I turned to look. "Nidia. No, not quite as intense. By the way, it's just the two of us now. Taker got you a seat on the plane." "Alright. What are we going to start with today?" "Today? Girl, today, we party. Tomorrow we fine tune the skills. There's a bar near my house called O'Shanessy's..." "Bar and Grill," Nathan finished. "How did you know?" "It's not far from me either." "You live in Orlando?" "For now." "Well... We have a body gaurd for tonight. I'll buy you a few drinks. But we need to get going, or we'll miss the plane."

Once the plane landed, Nathan went to his apartment, while Nidia and I went to my house. We freshened up, and got dressed to go out, even though it was only four o'clock, and we agreed to meet at seven. "Let's get our supplies, and get it out of the way. I have a feeling we'll both need some Bengay before our time is up." She laughed. "I could use a few things, too." "Well, let's go so we can get done before Nathan gets here."

Time must have flown by while we were gone, because when we got back to the house, Nathan was sitting in the driveway. "Are you early, or are we late?" "I'm early, love. About thirty minutes early. I allowed time for getting lost." "Well, come on in while we get this stuff put away. Then we can leave." "Here. Let me help." "Thank you." He grabbed the rest of the bags out of the van, and followed us inside. "Set them on the floor, and step out. It won't take me long." Nidia took her bags into the guest room, and Nathan wandered around the living room.

While I was on the last bag, Nathan found the picture of Kevin, Priscilla and myself while we were in the hospital. "He's her daddy?" I sighed, trying to be patient, even though I had answered the question several times before. "Yeah, he is." "Is his ego as big as they say?" I had to laugh. "He's more Cassanova than Narsisus. He's a sweet guy, we just couldn't make each other happy." I thought for a moment. "Shit. I need to call him real quick."

I went in my room to use the phone. I dialed in Kevin's cell phone number, and he answered on the second ring. "Hello." "Hey, Kev. How is Priscilla?" "She's just fine." "How's the trip going?" "Pretty good. We're ready to come home, though." "When were you planning on bringing Priscilla home?" "Tomorrow. Why?" "I have a girl here with me that I'm training. We were supposed to start tomorrow." "I can keep her until Sunday if you need me to." "Would you?" "Sure, but I'm supposed to make an appearance on Raw Monday." "Ok. I won't be on t.v. for awhile, and I can take her while we're training after this week, so we shouldn't have this problem again for awhile." "Jade, really... It's ok. You worry too much." "She is my first child, and I'm entitled to worry." "Well, stop it. Go get drunk. Go get laid. Go do something to make yourself relax." I laughed. "Give my girl a hug and kiss." "I will." "Bye, Kev." "Bye, Jade."

After I hung up, we left for O'Shanessy's. After we got there, and placed our orders, Nathan asked me to dance. I let him lead me to the small dance floor. "You don't mind me being around, do you?" "You saved me from Sean twice. I atleast owe you a dance and some beer." He smiled. "As long as I'm not interrupting a 'girls' night out'..." "If you were, I would have said something. Try relaxing, and having fun with the idea that you're out on the town with two ladies." "It's not as much fun when I'm not sleeping with either of you." "But nobody else knows that but the three of us. You never know. One of these ladies might wonder how you got two women, and come over to ask if she can be the third." "I doubt that, love." "Well, don't. You're a big man with blue eyes and an accent. Most women like that about a guy. Atleast I do."

As we walked back to the table my cell phone rang. "Hello." "Hey, babe. How are things going?" "Pretty good. Nidia, Nathan and I are at the local bar and grill, trying to have a little fun before we get to work tomorrow. How are things going out there?" "Well, he was here. The little bastard slipped out the window before I got to him. Sara just left to go stay with him." "I'm sorry to hear that, hun." "Are you?" he laughed. "Yes. I know how bad that hurts." "Well, I spoke to my lawyer earlier, and he's working on the divorce papers. I'm supposed to meet with him tomorrow to sign my line." "Is there anything I can do to help?" "Tell me you love me." I smiled. "You know I love you, Mark." "I love you, too, babe. I'll see you this weekend. Have you heard from Kevin on when he's bringing your girl back?" "Sunday." "I'll bring Annie with me." "Ok, hun. I'll see you then. Bye." "Bye."

I closed the phone, and put it back on my hip. "He's going to be one upset man for a month or two." "Taker?" Nathan asked. "Yeah. He's getting a divorce. Just to warn you two, stay out of his way as much as possible." "Damn. And I'm his partner." "Nidia won't have it any easier. He's going to be here this weekend." "Shit." "Let's just enjoy tonight, and worry about Mark when he's around us. We have a pitcher of beer here, and no one has touched it yet. Drink up." We drank one pitcher while we were waiting for our food, one with dinner, and two more after dinner.

When I woke up in the morning, my head was pounding, so I rolled over to wait out the pain. When I did, I rolled into a warm, solid wall. 'Dear God, I'll know you love me if this is Mark laying next to me,' was my silent prayer. I opened my eyes, and saw the back of Nathan's bald head. I burried my face in my pillow, and screamed at the top of my lungs. "Damn it! Not again!" Nathan jumped, and rolled toward me. "Oh shit." I looked up at him. "Damn right, oh shit." "Jade, I..." "Not a word. Not to me, not to Mark... Nobody." "We can't really pretend..." "Yes, we can! I don't remember what happened. Do you?" "Well, no, but..." He lifted up the covers and looked at both of our bodies. I put my arm on the covers, and pulled them back down. "Neither one of us have anything on, so I have an idea what happened." I threw the covers off of me, and stormed to the bathroom for some aspirin. "Damn it," I said before punching a hole in the wall on my way in.

I took a few aspirin, and splashed some water on my face. When I went back in the bedroom, Nathan was getting dressed. "Look, I'm sorry I got snippy with you. It's not that I slept with you. It's that I slept with someone besides Mark. Besides cheating on him, it could screw up my contract, because of you being a Smackdown wrestler. Do you understand?" "Yeah. Um... Do you have a robe or something you can put on?" "You've already seen me naked. What's the point?" "We were drunk then. We're sober now, and it's not helping." I went to my dresser, and started pulling out my clothes. "Look, if this would have happened a year or two ago, I wouldn't be this way about it. Hell, two years ago, I would have done you again to see what I missed. But I have too much going on now."

I turned to look at him. His eyes were big blue pools of regret that made my chest tighten. I walked over to him, and leaned down to look him straight in the eyes. Then, I don't know why, but I softly kissed him. "I'm sorry, Nathan. I probably started it last night." "No. I did." "I'd beleive you if it hadn't happened to me before." "Oh. What about Nidia?" "What about her?" "What if she heard us?" "Uh... I'll find out if she did, before I say anything about it." "Ok. I don't want you to get in trouble over this." I smiled at him. "You are very sweet."

I damned myself when I kissed him again. "If you're so worried about this, why did you kiss me twice?" "The first was an apology. The second was because your lips are so soft. That's unusual for a man." This time, he grabbed me, and kissed me. He laid back on the bed, bringing my naked body to lay on his bare chest. When it ended, I stared into his eyes. "We're not making things any better." "I know, love." "Maybe you should go home." "Yeah. I should." We met in the middle for one final kiss. Then, I got off of him, and started getting dressed. "I'll see you at the show, love." "Alright. Bye, Nathan."

Once he left, I punched a few more holes in the wall. I stopped when I noticed my hand was bleeding. I cleaned it out, and wrapped my knuckles up. There was a knock on my bedroom door. "Are you ok, Jade?" "Yeah. Just punching a few holes for a knick knack shelf in the wall." "Can I come in?" "Yeah. I'm dressed." She came in, and sat at the foot of the bed. "I wasn't talking about you punching the wall. I heard you yelling at Nathan last night." "I was? What was I yelling?" "For him to go home. That you were too drunk to have a man over." "Anything else?" "You were telling him to stop, but I couldn't tell if you were teasing him, or really wanting him to." "I can assure you that I wanted him to stop, even though I don't even remember leaving the bar." "You don't think he slipped you a mickey, do you?" I thought about it for a minute. "I doubt he had a chance." "When you went to the bathroom, I went to dance with a guy. You had a full beer." "Tell you what. I'm going to drop you off at the gym. You can do some weight lifting, or whatever. I'm gonna run to get checked out." "Good idea."

After sitting at the hospital for hours, I found out Nidia was right. Nathan had slipped the "date rape" drug into my drink. I went back to the gym, and found Nidia. "You were right." "About Nathan and your drink?" "Yeah." "Are you gonna call the cops?" "No. I handle things like this on my own." "Even against someone as big as he is?" I leaned down next to her. "Don't let it get out, but if I can kick Taker's ass, I can take on Nathan Jones." "You've taken on the big guys before?" "Sure. You just have to know how to move around them. Taker is the hardest, 'cause he's so fast. Kane's not easy, either, but you don't have to worry about him. Guys like Show, Nathan and Bradshaw have a hard time keeping up with us little ones. Let's go see if the ring is empty, and I'll show you."

After a few hours of showing her how to chop the big guys down to size, and how to show up the other divas, we decided to take a lunch break. While she was eatting, I called Mark. "Hey, hun. How are things in Houston?" "Couldn't be better. I just left the lawyer's office. I've done my part, now I'm going back to the ranch to pack some stuff for me and Annie. How are things in Orlando?" "I've seen better days." "Is it Nidia?" "No. She's doing great. She's fast at picking up my little tricks. But when you get into town, we need to have a pow-wow with Mr. Jones." "What did he do?" "I'll tell you when you get here. I don't want you going to see him without me when you get into town. By the way, if he has a black eye when you see him, it's because I saw him first." "Baby, tell me what he did. I may fly out today." "The son of a bitch slipped me a mickey last night." "I'll call you back in an hour. Annie and I will be there today, come hell or high water." "Alright. Nidia and I are going back to the house. I'm done slamming her around for today." I stopped to stick my tongue out at her. "We're going to work on some holds in the backyard." "Alright. I'll call you in a little bit."

I was showing Nidia the true way to do a sleeper hold when my phone rang. I was out of breath when I answered it. "Hello." "What's wrong, babe?" "Sleeper. She almost had me out. What's hapening?" "I'll land at six twenty at gate 12." "We'll be there." "What are you planning on doing to Nathan?" "I'm inviting him to help me show Nidia some moves tonight at eight." "He has no idea that you know?" "Nope." "Good. Do you have his number?" "No. Do you?" "Get a pen." I went inside and wrote down the number as he called it out. "I have to get back to Nidia. I'll see you when you land, hun." "Bye, babe."

After hanging up with Mark, I called Nathan. "Hey, Nathan. I was wondering if you could help me teach Nidia a few moves." "Sure, love. When do you want me?" "Say... eight o'clock? We should be done with our dinner break by then." "Alright. I'll be there." "See you then." I hung up the phone and said, "you prick." I went back outside to finish up with Nidia. "We have two hours before we clean up, and go get Taker and Annie." "Alright. Are we getting back to the real sleeper hold?" "No! I think you have that mastered."

After going over some of the submission moves, we hit the showers. While we were on our way to the airport she asked the question I knew she had been wanting to ask. "What's the deal with you and Taker?" I smiled. "I know you two are seeing each other now, but I saw some of the old pictures of you two together." "Did you watch wrestling around the time of the Ministry of Darkness?" "Yeah. A little." "I was the Dominatress. The night I started we went out, got drunk, and spent the night together. A few months later, he asked me to marry him. I said yes. We were married for five years."

"What happened?" "He was out with an injury, and I was still on the road. When I came home, I caught him in bed with one of my friends. Now Sara's cheating on him, so he knows what I went through. And, with the couple years since we split, I guess we realized what we had was special." "That doesn't sound like anything Taker would admit to." I laughed. "He didn't. You'd have to really know him to see his meanings in what he does. It took me awhile to understand him. Mark's just a normal guy, though." "If you say so..."

On the way back to the house, I went over the plan with Nidia and Mark. "By the time we get to the house, it will be close to eight, so we need to get in our positions right away. I don't want him to know you're there, Mark, until it's time." "You've thought this thing through, haven't you?" "Every step of it." "Let's just hope he plays his part." "Yeah."

I looked in the rear view mirror at Nidia who was playing with Annie in the back row of seats. I kept my voice low when I asked, "you didn't mention why you were in Florida to Sara, did you?" "I told her I came to see you. You should have seen the look on her face," he chuckled. "You didn't tell her everything, right?" "I told her I had the best sex in years while I was here." "You really are evil, aren't you?" "I had to rub it in. Hell, she hasn't touched me since before Annie was born." "Oh, hun..." "Yeah. It makes me wonder how long it's been going on." "You know I'd never intentionally cheat on you." His head snapped up at me. "It made it that far last night?" "I think so. He was next to me this morning, and naked." "I'm gonna..." "You're gonna calm down for now. We're almost there, and it's seven thirty. Wait until I'm done with him. You can have the left overs." He chuckled. "That's my little evil." "You know, I kinda missed that nick name."

Once we got to the house, Mark hid out in the nursery with Annie. Nidia and I went into the backyard, and started practicing. It wasn't long before the doorbell rang. I ran to answer it. "Hey, Nathan. We're working in the back. Come on in." "I can't stay for too long. I have a flight early in the morning." "That's ok. It won't take long." I went over a few moves I used in the one match I had against Mark. Nothing really special, but they were ones that amazed him that I could use them against him. "Hey, Nidia. Are you getting thirsty?" "Yeah." "Why don't you get a few water bottles out of the fridge." "Alright." That was the cue. She went inside to get Mark.

"I talked to Nidia this morning after you left. Turns out she heard everything." "Everything?" "Yeah. Either it was really good, or I had enough sense to try to stop you." "Wanna find out, love?" I gestured for him to lean down as I smiled at him. "I'm sure I was trying to stop you," I whispered. I punched him in the eye. "But with the fucking drugs in me, I guess I had no choice!" Mark came up behind him, and wrapped his big arm around Nathan's throat. "A bit of advice; don't struggle. The man behind you is very pissed off, and would gladly break your neck." "You touched what's mine, boy. I don't like that." "Taker, I..." Mark squeezed his arm around Nathan's throat, cutting him off midsentence. "Like I said, I had a talk with Nidia, and she brought up the idea that you might have slipped me a mickey. I went and got checked out. The doctor found evidence of the date rape drug in my system." I kicked him square in the nuts. "I bet your cock isn't enjoying me now." "Jade, I..." Mark squeezed a little harder. "That's Mrs. Callaway to you." "And don't you fucking forget it," I added.

Nidia came out with the kendo stick I kept over the fireplace from a match years ago with Lita. She handed it to me. "Thank you, Nidia. Now, a lesson in weapons. Mark, if you will..." He let go of Nathan, who could barely stand, as he doubled over, holding his jewels. I hit him in the back of the knees with the kendo stick. "On big guys, always start with the back of their knees." Nathan dropped to his knees. "That's why. They drop. Then, you go for the back of their head." "Mrs. Callaway, please stop!" "Why should I? You didn't last night when I told you to stop." "I did. I couldn't go through with it. But, when I stopped, I passed out. That's why I cursed this morning. I meant to get out of bed, and leave." "Knowing you'd have to face me, why did you even try?" Nathan couldn't answer. Mark wrapped his hand around Nathan's throat. "She may be my ex-wife for now, but she will be my wife again. If you touch her again, I won't think twice about killing you." "Y-y-y-yes, s-s-s-sir." "Go home, and never come back to this house." "Yeah. I'm going." Nathan practically ran out the back gate to his car.

Mark came up behind me, and wrapped his arms around me. He reached down and grabbed my hand. That's when he saw the bandage on my hand. "What happened?" "That's from this morning. When I woke up next to him, instead of you, I punched a few holes in the wall." He kissed my hand. "Is it feeling ok since you punched him?" "Oh, yeah." He kissed my hand, and then my neck. "That's my girl." He kissed my neck again. "I'm gonna go check on Annie." "Ok, hun." He walked inside, leaving me and Nidia alone. "Are you sure that's the same Undertaker?" "The Lord of Darkness? The American Badass? Nah. That's his alter-ego. Mark usually doesn't act like Taker when he's not working." "Usually?" "He... uh... saves the Lord of Darkness bit for me." "I don't need to know any more." She laughed and went inside.

The next day, Mark helped me show Nidia some moves. He also did a practice match with me, to get me set for a return. Sometime in the afternoon my cell phone rang. "Hello." "Care to explain why Nathan Jones has a black eye?" "Uh... Hi, Vince." "What happened, Jade?" I explained the whole story to him. "Do you have any paperwork from the hospital to back this up?" "Yeah. How soon do you want it?" "Fax it to me as soon as possible." "Alright. I'll get it to you in about thirty minutes. We're at the gym. You just interrupted a good match." "You and Nidia?" "Me and Mark." "You're supposed to be working with Nidia." "I know, and I have been. This time she was observing. She should be prepared for any kind of match you throw at her, so I'm showing her how to fight the guys." "Very well. Send those papers to me, then I want you to have a match with her, and let Taker critique it." "You got it."

I walked over to where Mark stood in the corner of the ring. "I have to run to the house real quick. When I get back, me and Nidia have to have a match, and Vince wants you to tell us what we're doing wrong." "Alright, babe. I'll work with her while you're gone." "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're too tough on the girls." "I'll be her punching bag. I won't do anything to her." I climbed up on the ring apron, and grabbed his goatee. "Play nice, big dog, and your bitch will be nice later on," I whispered. He let out a low groan. "Lady's in heat." "Only when my Tramp is around." I kissed him, then left.

I hurried back to the house, faxed the paperwork to Vince, then hurried back to the gym. When I reached the ring, Mark was in the fetal position in the middle, and Nidia was laid out in the corner. "What the hell happened here?" Mark looked up at me. "She needs to work on the nut shots." I tried not to laugh. "Are you going to be okay?" "Yeah." "What happened to her?" "I pushed her into the corner." I went over to her, got in the ring, and helped her sit up. "Are you okay, Nidia?" She slowly rubbed the back of her neck. "Whiplash!" She started laughing. "I'll be okay. How is Taker?" We both looked at him. "I think you put a crimp in our sex life, but he'll be okay. Next time, angle your arm more towards his ass, so you don't really hit his nuts."

"Hey, how about some love over here." I crawled over to him. "I'll kiss them and make them feel better later, hun. We're supposed to be working." "We can take a break." "You can, but Nidia and I have to do our match before we can." He pulled me down, and kissed me before rolling out of the ring. He took a seat in the chair next to the play pin I set up for Annie. I shook my head as I got to my feet. "Are you ready for this, Nidia?" "For what?" "We have to fight before we can stop. Boss' orders." She groaned as she got up. "Screw Ben Gay. I'm going to need a massuese."

As we circled the ring, I was choosing my first strike. She beat me to the punch-- literally. She caught me in the jaw with a shot that was a bit too stiff. "Hey, Nidia, if your shots are too stiff, she's going to kick your ass." While her attention was drawn to Mark, I picked her up and slammed her hard on the mat. She groaned as she held her back. "I'll remember that, Taker." He sat back and laughed, as I picked her up, and tossed her into the ropes. I jumped up, and kicked her in the knees. I went to pick her up again, but she knocked me down. She got up, and went for a leg drop, but I moved before she made contact. I picked her up, and performed a swinging neck breaker. I yelled at Mark, and he stepped over to the ring. I rolled Nidia up, and Mark counted to three.

"I'm guessing that you're tired, so we will try this again in the morning. I think the big meanie over there wore you out before I got back." She laughed. "Yeah. First thing in the morning. No Taker this time, please." "He's helping. You won't fight him, but he'll be here." "It's hard to get rid of me," he said as he handed Annie into the ring to me. Nidia and I played with her while Mark broke down the play pin. "We're going to go grab a bottle of water, Mark. We'll be right back." "Alright, babe. I'm almost done."

While Nidia, Annie and I were standing in the short line for our drinks, someone tapped on my shoulder. "Hola, mija." I didn't even turn around. "Hello, Scott." "Is that Priscilla?" "No. This is Annie." "Her daughter?" "No. Mark's." The cashier handed us the bottles. I turned around, and Scott wasn't six inches away. "You look great." "And you haven't changed. I hope this was a chance meeting." "Scout's honor," he said with a smile. "Look, we were just getting ready to leave..." "Yeah. I gotta get to my routine. Maybe I'll see you around." "Not if you want to keep your juevos." He tried to keep from laughing. "I mean around the club. I just started my membership." "Jade, Nidia, are you ready?" Mark said from behind Scott. "Yeah, hun." "Bye, Jade." "Bye, Scott."

As I stepped around him, Mark put his empty arm around me almost protectively. Once we were outside, Mark asked, "did I just save you, or interrupt something?" "Deffinately saved me. I still wish I had shot him. Be glad we didn't have a gun in the house when I caught you." He laughed as we loaded up in the van.