Chapter One
The sun beat down on the quiet Houston neighbourhood. The light glistening against the smooth metallic body of the bike, making it look like it was caught in a thousand limelights. He carefully wiped around the shining chrome of the fuel tank, pausing every few minutes to admire his eflection in the flawless metal.
'Doesn't matter how many times you change the act, you just can't kill vanity.' he thought smiling.
He brushed his hair out of his face and looked around the street which had been his home since childhood. It was a beautiful day and everywhere he looked people where using the glorious weather to their enjoyment. Sunbathes, small children and even the elderly where out in the sunshine. As he looked at each one of them he remembered contently that here he was just himself, not a superstar. Everybody around was a friend, and some of them had known him for years. Ever since he was a child, though, the lewis family where his favourites.
They had done things for him and he had in return done favours for them. They had become best friends and he had helped them anyway he could. That had included looking after their young daughter Rose, who over the years he had come to regard as his little sister. Hardly the kind of life one would expect from a man whose face in the public eye had been a dark priest, then a rogue bad ass.
Mark "Undertaker" Calloway knew that the image the WWE had given him meant nothing to any of his neighbours. That was why he liked them so much. He looked up again to see the sixteen year old Rose walking up to him. Even at a distance, he could see the playful look in her eyes. As she came towards him, she smiled but kept her hands behind her back.
"Hey Mark." she shouted as she walked up to him, "My parents are having a party tonight, they asked me to invite you."
Mark smiled. He had a feeling she was up to something. He lay back in his chair, deciding to play along.
"You'll have to give me a few mintues to get cleaned up." he replied relaxing with his hands behind his head.
"I can help with that." Rose answered playfully. She watched Mark raise a curious eyebrow.
She walked closer to him and sniggered. Mark leaned forward and suddenly in a blink, he was being drenched with water as Rose pulled out a watergun and squirted him relentlessly. Mark choked on his own laughter as he tried to defend himself against the gushing assault. A giggling Rose didn't stop until she ran out of water. Mark couldn't resist a grin.
"My turn." he told her in mock indignation, face full of smiles. Rose tried to dodge out of reach but eventually he caught a hold of her and swung her around in a circle.
It seemed impossible for Rose to stop laughing. She was still giggling after he put her down. Both of them where slightly out of breathe. Mark knelt down and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Go tell your mam and dad i'm on my way." he told her, smiling again as she walked off.
As Mark walked into his neighbours' spacious backyard, the party was in full swing. People everywhere were either admiring the garden, enjoying the music or huddling around the barbeque. The air was thick with happiness as he looked around. He quickly caught sight of Rose's parent's and ambled towards them, picking up a beer as he went. He greeted his friends and thanked them for their invitation, as usual they told him it was nothing and they were glad to have him there. They had talked about what Mark had been up to, both at home and on the road with the WWE.
The hours pasted happily as Mark enjoyed himself with his friends and with Rose. As the night wore on he wended his way back towards his friends and sat down to join them. They could see he had enjoyed himself and as he sat down, they told him how much Rose enjoyed his visits.
"Yeah." Mark sighed, "Shame it won't last"
The Two frowned, wondering what he was talking about.
"I've only got two more day's left before i go back on the road." he explained as he finished his beer, "I'm flying to Connecticut tomorrow."
Ross, Rose's father spoke up "Your right, she loves it when you come around, your're like a brother to her."
Although he hadn't told Mark anything he didn't already know or feel, Mark still felt honored that Ross thought of him like that. He looked at Rose playing around with her friends. He felt almost like he was abandoning her. The feeling was hard to shake off as he packed to leave. He felt like he was breaking up a family. Something special to him, something that made him feel at home. A knock came at the front door as he closed his last suitcase. Mark smiled as he approached the door. It was Rose, come to say her farewell. It was a tearful moment for her, but she managed to keep a happy face.
"I brought you something to remember me when you are away with the WWE." she told him, taking a photograph out of her pocket. It was from the party two nights before. She and all her friends trying to pull him down to the ground. Of course, stubborn as he was, Mark stood his ground, lifting them all clean into the air.
Mark laughed "You know what? I have something for you too." he told Rose. Rose's face brightened up, "stay here."
As she waited Rose reminised. She realised that he would be gone for a long time. She looked up to see him returning with his hands behind his back. Mark blinked, then soaked her with a hosepipe. She was completely off guard, soaked in seconds, drenched from head to toe.
"What was that for?" she asked laughing while cleaning the water off her face.
"Thought you looked a little dehydrated." Mark quipped.
Rose stared, bewildered, at him for a few moments before running at him in a tight hug. Mark held his 'little sister' close for a long time, eventually the two released each other. Mark knew she didnt want him to go. That was one of the only things about his job he hated, seeing the pain in Rose's eyes knowing they wouldnt see each other for a long time.