***not sure where i'm going with this. Just wanted to do a story with a non-major player from my other fic "When Venom comes to Town". I don't own any WWE members. Everyone else I own.***

Phil Brooks aka CM Punk, pulled the leather jacket on over his sweatshirt and then pulled the hood up over his straight black hair. Another frosty Chicago morning. He had a few days to hang around before the circus, his pet name for the WWE, rolled into town for Monday Night Raw. It was Friday and he's was enjoying the few days at home in his own bed doing what he felt like. He locked the front door behind him and left the upmarket apartment block. He was headed down the street to a little local cafe for coffee. He didn't do the bar thing like some of the others. He couldn't stand alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, none of it. He supposed caffeine was his biggest vice. Coffee or Pepsi, whichever came first.

He dawdled along, vaguely aware of the noise the hem of his jeans made as they lightly grazed the pavement beneath him. He bought the paper and latest issue of the WWE magazine from a near by stand. The cover had his friend Jeff Hardy and his new bride Logan Venom, metal princess. He laughed to himself when he remembered asking her if they grew any more like her back in Australia.

He continued his journey. His ipod blaring Killswitch Engage straight into his eardrums loudly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to warm them up. He had strolled along maybe two city blocks until he came to the little cafe. It wasn't some fancy chain place. It was aptly called 'Caffeine Addicts'. He saw the middle aged owner, Louis, behind the register. Phil pulled his hood back and shook out his hair. He wandered over to Louis.

"Ah the elusive Mr Brooks. How are you Phil?"

Phil smiled and shook the older man's hand.

"I'm good Louis."

"In town for a few days this time."

"Yeah the circus arrives Sunday so I get a few days to kill here at home."

"Nothing like home turf son, always good." Louis began preparing Phil's usual. Double black espresso.

Phil leaned on the counter with his backside and looked around the neat little cafe. He glanced around. Louis's wife Gloria was pottering around serving people the cakes, biscuits, pastries and such that they ordered. Gloria made the most killer caramel slice on this planet. Then he saw something he hadn't seen before.

She stood about five foot ten with bright red hair, the color of a cola can, that had been spiked and teased in every direction and standing about five inches off her head. She wore a leather vest laced up tight and a pair of tight blue jeans slung low on her hips. She was taking someone's order and was laughing. She was a new waitress.

"Ah yes, that's our new girl. She calls herself Syn. She's been an absolute angel around here." came Louis from behind Phil when he noticed what the younger man had been looking at.

Phil turned to Louis and mouthed 'wow'. The older man laughed and called her over, much to Phil's embarressment. Phil tried very hard to ignore Louis's nudging and suggestive tone. She and her lithe athletic form skipped over and jumped up onto the counter landing with her shapely rear and crossed her legs. She leaned back and gave Louis a peck on the cheek and then looked Phil up and down with a smile.

"Who's your good looking friend Papa?" she said with an odd accent. Phil couldn't pick it.

"Syn, this is a long time friend and customer of ours, Phil." Louis gestured to Syn. "Phil meet Syn."

They shook hands and she looked at him with a look that almost made him feel like she was cat ready to spring on a mouse toy. Phil could feel his cheeks burning a little. Thank christ for the beard, he thought.

"Papa?" he said out loud. Louis laughed.

"Since she came here we've practically adopted her. So she started calling me and Gloria, Papa and Mama."

Syn winked and reached forward with her tattooed forearm and pulled out Phil's remaining earpiece and pushed it in her own ear. She tapped her foot in time and looked about the ceiling. She handed it back with a shrug.

"Not bad" she said finally.

Phil shot Louis a look that said what the hell? Louis only laughed and passed Phil his coffee and one Gloria's caramel slice. Phil, still in disbelief took them and shook his head and went and found a seat. He placed the coffee and slice down and laid out the paper and magazine. He took off his leather jacket and hung it on the hook on the wall nearby. Louis and Gloria kept the cafe heated so it was always a nice toasty place to come and relax. That explained why she could run around in that top. Phil mentally slapped himself. Don't even think about it, he thought.

He read through Jeff and Logan's article. He laughed at some of Logan's quick wit comments. She was good at those and glanced at the photos. Some of them were random shots of Jeff in the ring or her singing on stage. Another one was a particularly intimate portrait of them topless together and facing each other, Jeff's arms hiding her chest as their foreheads were pressed together. It had been taken by Venom member Jackson. The last three shots were from the wedding. One had the entire wedding party including himself. It was a cool article.

He was vaguely aware of hand setting down another coffee cup. He looked up and Syn had sat herself down in the seat opposite him and was looking around nonchalantly as she sipped from the warm cup. He closed the magazine and watched her. She looked back and smiled. She only wore heavy black around the eyes and a clear shiny gloss on her pink lips.

"I'm on a break and you look interesting." she stated finally and very matter-of-factly. Phil leaned forward on his elbows trying to work her out.

"Where are you from?" he asked and gestured to his throat as if in reference to her voice.

"Finland. Although I did some schooling in London as well, so now I have this bizarre Finnish English sound." she shrugged with a smile and took another sip. Her r's rolled a little and her vowels had that british pronounce to them. Although words with too many syllables often came out a little broken up.

"You're one of those wrestlers." she stated and pointed to a photo on the wall of Phil and Louis pulling silly faces. Near that Louis had put up some promo shots of Phil and a group photo of Phil, Jeff and Matt last time they were in Chicago and came into the cafe with him.

"Ah yeah," he said with a laugh. "We're doing the show here on Monday so I got to come home for a few days."

"That's cool. Home is where the heart is."

Phil nodded. He did miss Ol' Chicago town, as he called it, every now and then.

She seemed to be doodling on a napkin. She spun it around and pushed it in Phil's direction across the table. He took it. As he did so she stood up and put her apron back around her waist and waved goodbye. He waved and read the napkin.

'If you ever get bored here at home, or you want company, you call me. SYN.' A cell number was written underneath her curved handwriting.

Phil stared at it and smiled. He tucked the napkin into his wallet. It was one number he wasn't going to lose.