Angel looked out the window of her house when she heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle pull into her driveway. She pulled the curtain aside and felt herself smile. She saw Mark get off the bike and slowly walk up to the door.
She opened it before he got there. Instantly she gave him a hug, which he returned.
"How are you?" he asked.
"Get in here" she said holding the door.
He walked in and followed her into the kitchen. They sat down at the table. She got two cups and poured coffee before sitting down next to him.
"So you finally came to teach me how to ride huh?" she said hopefully.
He looked at her the way he did every time she asked, he knew she really wanted to learn.
"Not today. Besides, you have to wait to have more balance. That part important to riding. But I will, if I could teach Adam I sure can teach you, even with your thick head" He smiled at her.
"You love picking on
me don't you?" she asked with a smile in return.
"Its my
favorite hobby right now." she just shook her head at him.
"How did you manage to get a day off?" she asked while sipping her coffee.
"I have only been off a couple days. I messed my elbow up again and the doctor wants me to give it some time off. I haven't seen you since the honeymoon and thought I would stop by." Since the honeymoon she was settling into the role of wife and housekeeper. She was planning to go back to work when Adam came back. Adam had gone to Japan for an extended trip. There was a lot of money to be made in Japan and instead of the usual 6-week stay he opted to stay for 8. Neither was happy over the separation so soon after the honeymoon but neither could deny that the money he made would be a nice nest egg. His character was more known over there so she wasn't particularly needed. Fans in Japan were more interested in wrestling than storylines.
"How is Sara, why didn't she come with you?"
"She is visiting her mother in Los Angeles. Her mom is not well right now. She had some surgery, nothing major but Sara wanted to be there. She will be home in a few days" he sipped his coffee.
"I'm sorry I haven't called. I didn't know." she had a guilty look on her face.
"Don't worry about it. We knew you were busy." Mark smiled at her. Angel caught his meaning and gave him a playful slap on the arm.
"Actually I am here to visit and talk business," he added seriously. She gave him an almost angry look.
"I already turned it down. Vince has some angle he wants to use me in until Adam comes back. I don't want to work without Adam," she said plainly.
"Did he tell you the idea?"
"I didn't give him the chance. Adam already told me enough because he called him first. I'm not interested in giving some low card no name wrestler a push. He did that with that kid before he left and not only could the kid not wrestle but we looked like idiots. He was probably 2 weeks out of wrestling school. Vince has been using Adam as a jobber." she shook her head.
"You sound more like Adam every day." he smiled at her. He knew that was probably word for word what Adam said because the kid was really bad. "Not every angle works out. But I think this one would. You would team up with a name and set up an angle for Adam when he gets back. If things work out as Vince hopes it could set up a series of pay per view matches. And some major money. Not to mention the fans are writing complaining that you aren't around. You are still hot. The window doesn't stay open forever. He called Adam back and he said its up to you." she was still shaking her head.
"So who is the loser?" she shot him a sarcastic look, one of her best.
Mark didn't say anything for a second or two. He put his head down. When he raised it up again he had a smile on his face. Realization hit her right away.
"No way." she almost choked on her coffee.
Mark nodded his head.
"How can that work. You are the Undertaker. What in the world would he want with another wrestlers manager?" she almost laughed.
"Well, thank you very much!" he said stoutly. He knew he was playing but she didn't.
"I didn't mean it like that. It just doesn't go with the character." she was becoming interested and he could see it.
"He wants me to turn back to heel for a while and bring back the Taker of the ministry days for this angle, then back after its over." he could see her eyes widen with the possibilities.
"You're kidding. What does he want you to do? Possess me?" she said with a laugh.
Mark didn't say a word. He just gave a shrug of his shoulder, which said yes.
"That would never work. It would look silly. The fans know I am married to Adam for one thing, and that Angel would never leave Adam. They would never buy it." she grew very serious.
"Sure they would. They know it's not real. They watch for the stories. They bought into it before and they would again. If it works out we would end up at main event status for at least 3 pay per views. You know gimmicks have to change. Vince is usually right about his instincts."
"Sure he is, like the kid the last time." she smiled to herself. Inside she thought it would be fun. They would have time together to hang out that she had been missing. "How could they do that with him in Japan. Why would Angel just show up?"
"Vince thinks we can fly Adam in for one show, set it up, leave him injured. I take you and while he is off for his 'injury' he can go back to Japan for the rest of the dates. That gives us 5 weeks to set it up since he has been gone for 2 already. And in between we can do the signings and charity work you like so much. I want to do this. I haven't worked with you yet. And we can have some friend time on the road." he caught her smiling.
"You really want to do this?" she asked. "I just got to the point where I can walk normally. What happens if I make a mistake or trip?"
"That is your self doubt talking. You haven't tripped yet. You almost can't tell anymore" he reassured her.
She thought for minute. In spite of herself she did miss the road. And she missed the boys a lot. She reached up and felt her necklace. Mark couldn't believe she still wore it. He saw her play with it all day on the day of the wedding. After a while she nodded her head. They stood up and hugged.
"Don't worry, it will be a lot of fun. You only have to work part time and we will have a ball. This one will be easy. I will be doing most of the work," he laughed, and again she gave him a playful smack.
By the end of the week she had gotten her itinerary from WWE and was packing her bag. She was excited because today would be the day and she was going to get to see Adam. They had decided to stay in Houston and bought their house there. Vince was kind enough to schedule the event in Houston so she wouldn't have to fly out to meet him and have a little more time with Adam. After she finished packing her bag she looked at the clock. She had a few minutes before Mark was going to pick her up. It was raining and dreary. She went out on the back deck and sat down. Looking around she reached in her bag. She grabbed a cigarette and lit it up. In spite of losing the rest of her demons she still hadn't lost this one. She only had one once in a while but had to do it in secret. Adam hated her smoking and she knew Mark did.
She took a long drag
and inhaled, and then she heard a loud voice behind her.
"What
in the hell are you doing?" the noise startled her so much she
tossed the cigarette and started coughing badly.
Mark was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. He was trying hard not to laugh because of the look on her face when she tossed the still burning stick over the porch railing. She looked like a child who just got caught with a piece of forbidden candy. After half a minute of her coughing and sputtering he walked over and lightly patted her on the back.
"I told you those things would kill you." he started laughing now, which only made her angry.
"You will kill me quicker sneaking up on me like that dammit! Don't you knock?" she still had one or two coughs to go.
"I did but you didn't answer. I figured I would scare you less by coming in the house than sneaking around the porch. Adam and I both know what you do when you are back here." He picked up her bag and held her hand to stand up.
"I only have one once in a while." she said innocently. Even after all this time she felt she needed to explain herself.
" I am proud of you that you have cut that much but you need to quit. That is part of the past." he shook his finger at her.
"I plan on it. I only have one when I am nervous. It's better than a shot of Jack." She smiled. He didn't take the joke kindly and gave her a stern look.
"Not funny. Come on, we have to get to the airport and pick up Adam. If you don't behave I will tell him you were smoking and see what he thinks of your joke."
They walked out to the truck and he helped her get in. He often kidded that he needed to buy a step stool to help her get into it because her legs were so short.
When they got to the airport they sat waiting for the plane to arrive. After half an hour of her fidgeting she got up and started pacing. He watched her go back and forth for a while trying to read his paper until he noticed a wobble in a few of her steps that still happened from time to time especially when she was tired. He finally grabbed her arm and led her back to the seat.
They finally heard the announcement that his plane had landed. She instantly stood up and walked toward the gate. They had only been separated for 2 weeks and to her it felt like a lifetime. She watched each person depart and finally spotted his blond hair turning the corner. Adam ran down and dropped his bag and picked her up with a hug so strong she could barely breathe. They kissed passionately for a moment. He put her down and noticed Mark standing there. They had become almost as good friends as Angel was.
"Hey Mark, long time no see." he reached his hand out and Mark took it.
"Too long. We have to get together when you come back so we can take your hog out."
Mark had taught him how to ride and he had a bike of his own. Mark knew Angel loved riding and had no fear. Adam learned very quickly, he loved the ride but had no craving for the speed, but Angel loved the speed and couldn't get enough.
They noticed several people had started to recognize them. All three had sunglasses on and Mark had his coat on to cover his tattoos but no matter what he did people always picked up on who he was as soon as he stood up.
"Let's get out of here while we can." Adam said grabbing Angel's hand. She held his hand tightly the whole way to the truck.
They drove to the arena. Luckily he had tinted windows so none of the fans saw who was inside. Vince had managed to keep the news a secret so it wasn't even on the Internet that they were coming. They drove inside the arena.
Mark and Adam went over the plans again. When Adam left he was having a feud with Kane. Adam had won the last match between them because when he had hurt Adam in the ring he started chasing Angel. It almost looked like a rematch of the fight that Kane was in with Matt. But this time she grabbed a chair and hit Kane on the head. The crowd erupted and Adam pulled Kane back in the ring with one move and a pin. Kane got angry and hit Adam with a chair, which was to explain his absence when he left for Japan. The fans were very mad at the injury of their latest fan favorite. Kane had recently been fighting with Big Show for a buildup to tonight. The plan was that Kane would be in the ring waiting for Show to come out. Vince would come out and say that Big Show was out due to injury and they had found a replacement. Adams music would start and Kane would be ready with a scary smile on his face.
They went over her role in this. She was to simply stand ringside until Kane beat Adam again. She would enter to help him. Kane would come after her again. She would run around the ring and grab a chair. She would reenter the ring and stand over Adam to protect him, as this was one of her gimmicks. Kane would signal, the lights would go off and on and Mark would show up behind her. He would grab the chair and throw it. The lights would go off again with the screens showing lighting and effects. The ring would fill with smoke, and when the lights came back on Taker and Angel would be gone. Kane would finish stomping on Adam until Rey would make a save and a stretcher would take out Adam to explain the remainder of his absence.
They would do some promos showing Taker doing a ceremony and she would be his 'valet' for lack of a better description until Adam came back and fought Taker to win her back.
Mark came in for some last minute instructions. Angel laughed at him when he checked in before leaving for the ring. This was one of those rare opportunities to give him some ribbing back.
"You look like the
Dutch Boy logo," she said snickering at Mark in his denim overalls
and hat that hid his Undertaker leather pants and top.
"Smart
ass. You wait till we get on the road. You are going to pay for that
one," he said laughing at himself. He could only picture how he
looked. Several of the boys heard the joke and starting laughing.
Mark gave them a frown and a look they often saw in the ring. They
all stopped laughing and he turned back around and had a slight
smile.
"See you in the ring. Just remember to be in the left
top corner. It's going to be dark and I can't always see so I
need to know where you will be."
She nodded to him and he left. She was still chuckling under her breath and could feel Adam shaking with contained laughter himself.
She sat in the back with Adam as long as possible. They had gotten ready together. When it came time to get ready for the entrance they kissed again and headed towards gorilla.
Vince came over and briefly welcomed Adam and Angela back.
"Don't worry, this will work," he said grabbing a mike and getting one last dab of makeup. Angel had her doubts but it was too late now. Kane heard his music and walked out. They waited while he did his gimmicks and watched Vince go out. When he made his announcement the crowd was silent. Then Adams and Angel's music started. The crowd erupted and the noise was almost deafening. They walked out to a welcome they had never imagined. Their popularity had surpassed anything that Matt and Angel had.
The match went as planned.
Mark heard the reaction and smiled to himself as he watched the monitor under the ring waiting for his cue. He saw Kane's signal and rolled out from under the ring and in the dark nearly bumped into Angel. He took his place behind her. When the lights came on the arena again erupted. She turned and looked at him in horror and backed up. The lights went off again and she felt him pick her up and carry her quickly to the back.
The fans had bought it and were clearly riled as the EMT's brought Adam back on the stretcher.
They prerecorded the promos to be shown on the next week's show of her being possessed and waited to leave. The feedback from the fans was immediate. Vince was clearly happy. They would find out later that the very next show that Mark was booked at sold out in record time to see what came next.
The next day Adam had to fly back to Japan. He and Angel had spent the whole day together. Mark picked them up and they sat in the back and never said a word. He saw them holding hands the whole way. He could see Angel wiping tears in his rearview mirror.
They still didn't say anything the whole time waiting at the gate. They heard the boarding announcement for his flight and the tears started in earnest.
"Don't worry. I will be back soon. You have the number to reach me at the hotel. When I come back we will go to dinner and for a ride." Adam stroked her cheek with his hand. She turned and kissed his palm. He grabbed for her and hugged her as long as he could.
"Take care of her
Mark, you know she likes to cause trouble." Adam warned with a
smile.
"I know that, she is in trouble most of the time anyway."
Mark discreetly walked away so they could have the last minute alone.
He kept watching from a distance and saw her face as Adam disappeared
around the corner. She stood at the window until she saw him take
off.
Mark walked up and held her shoulders. He could feel her
sobs and knew exactly how she felt.
"Lets go. He will be back before you know It." she nodded and started walking. He kept his arm around her shoulder. Her head was down the whole way out of the airport and all the way home.
The next day he drove to the house to pick her up. They had to fly out for the first installment of the new storyline. They would be on the road for about a few days then back home for a break before going out again as Vince had promised her a part time schedule until Adam came back.
He pulled into the driveway and knocked. No one answered the door so he knew where she was. Mark didn't want to scare her this time so he walked around the house and saw her sitting on the deck with her bag next to her and her coat in her lap. They were going to be close to her hometown in New York at the end of the tour, where it was almost winter and quite cold compared to the warm comfort Texas had to offer.
She didn't jump when she saw him. It bothered him that she looked so sad. But he also understood why she did. He felt the same way every time he had to leave Sara until they got used to it. Mark stepped up on the deck and sat down.
"You ok?" he eyed her carefully.
"Yeah, I will be once I get busy again. I can't wait for this part to get easier." she started to get up and he stood and reached out his hand like a gentleman. Mark picked up her bag and coat and they quietly left for the airport.
They had been on the plane for an hour with no conversation until he finally decided to start one.
"Are you going to stop by and see family?" he didn't know if that was the right thing to say. He knew how she felt about her family. But they were only going to be 50 miles from her hometown.
"No way. I have as much desire to see them again as I would to see Matt. It's funny. I don't mind the cold when we travel but the idea of going there makes it seem colder." she looked out the window and was silent again.
"We aren't going to have a week like this are we?"
Instantly she knew how she must have looked. That mood had to stop and soon.
She looked at him and smiled. Mark watched her reach into her purse and pull out a deck of cards. That was one of her standbys to pass the time on the flights.
That night was the first appearance of her character associated with Taker. The fans instantly hated him. They became quite vocal when she came out dressed in similar black leather. It was the reaction they wanted and hoped for. Angel wasn't very sure of herself. By association with him, whether by choice or not, had turned her into a partial heel in the fans eyes. They had allowed some play in the taped segments to make it look like she was enjoying herself which made her look like she was going against Adam.
They had made it through the first date and only had to do New York then home again. They had made it in late the night before and managed to get a few hours sleep before the light in the windows told them to get up again. The weather had been colder than she thought it would be for this time of year. She had grown up with snowstorms and squalls and knew it was early for this kind of cold. They were going to fly out to Houston for a few days off and Sara would be home by the next day. Then back on the road again.
She sat alone in her hotel room talking to Adam. There was a knock at the door. She yelled to whomever was there to come in. She saw the door open and Mark walked in.
"Mark is here, call me tomorrow night I will be home by then. I love you." she said quietly and hung up the phone. Mark looked at her funny for a minute. Then she knew she was in trouble.
"What?" she asked wondering what she did this time.
"Don't let anyone in that you don't know. What if it hadn't been me?" he still talked to her sometimes like a kid and she still often deserved it.
"The only other person who would have come in that I would have to defend myself against would be room service with a butter knife." she tried joking but knew that was not going to work. He shook his head at her.
"Want to get away for a while before our flight?" he asked.
"Sure, what do you have in mind?" that kind of question usually meant dinner at a Burger King on the way.
"I was reading a local paper and I found a bike I am thinking about buying and I want to test drive it first. It's new but I want to be sure. I think if I can get my mechanic and detailer on it, it will look cool. Want to go for a ride before our flight? I got directions from the front desk. We will be back in plenty of time for the arena. You can get your mind off Adam for a while." he saw her almost instantly jump up. She loved to ride.
"Lets go!" she grabbed her coat and started for the door. Mark found himself in an empty room staring at where she had been a minute ago. He smiled again. It was so easy to make her happy and she sure needed it right now. He walked out and pulled the door shut behind him.
They drove out of the city for a while. The dealership was about 20 miles away but she knew that they were headed for the country. In this part of the state anything that wasn't in the city was very much country. She hated the country. After spending a lifetime in a boring town she far preferred the city to the hills and winding roads.
They pulled into the dealership and after some small talk with the salesman Mark left him his keys to the rental car and took the keys to the bike. They walked out to it and as the salesman went over the details, they all did up their coats. Angel put on her gloves. It was cold enough they could all see their breath.
"I just want to try
it out for an hour or so and I will be back. If I do get it, we will
have to have it shipped to Houston." Mark said.
The salesman
was beside himself. His kids all knew the Undertaker and he would be
able to go home and tell them he sold a bike to him, he might even be
able to ask for an autograph. Most of all the man was amazed at how
tall he really was. It was all the more funny because he was standing
with a petite woman that came to his stomach.
"Of course, no
problem, we can do whatever you want." the salesman stammered. Mark
got on the bike and she came up behind him and grabbed his shoulder
for support to get ready to get on the bike. She started to lift her
leg up but he stopped her.
"Hold it. Don't get on this side."
she thought he was ribbing her, but could tell by his look he wasn't.
"When the bike is hot that side has the exhaust. If you step on it or get your leg too close to it, it will burn. I thought you came from family of bikers," he teased.
"You got on that side! They are bikers; I just left before they taught me to ride. And I won't ride with a drunk so I never got to." she was very embarrassed as she went around. She noticed the salesman stifling a chuckle.
"I am tall enough I can get on without having to stand on something to get there." he said in a serious tone to try and stop the embarrassment he saw on her face.
"Do you have a helmet sir?" Mark asked.
"Yes we do. I will be right back." the salesman walked quickly to the building and returned with a black helmet. He handed it to Mark who handed it back to Angel.
"I don't want to wear that. Who knows who's head has been in it?" she whined.
Mark got off the bike
when she didn't take it and gave the salesman a look that told him
to walk away for a second.
"You had a skull fracture a year ago.
You had a serious brain injury. Either wear the helmet or you don't
ride." he gave her his usual parent tone.
"You have to wear one too." she shot back with triumph in her voice. He put the helmet on her head carefully and did up the strap.
"I have been riding for years and I don't have a brain injury," he said calmly.
"I don't know about that one." she shot back.
Mark walked over to the
salesman and shook his hand.
"New York has a helmet law sir, I
can get you one too if you like." the salesman offered.
"We
aren't going that far. Besides, it looks so empty out here do you
even have police?" This town reminded Mark of the endless redneck
jokes.
"We do but they are in the next county" the salesman laughed in spite of himself. He even knew how desolate the town looked to an outsider.
Mark got on the bike and started it up. Angel grabbed his shoulders. Mark made a mental note to talk to Adam about that. If he let her get in the habit of holding on that way it had to be broken soon. He knew she had only ridden with him a few times.
"Grab my waist, and lean with me on the turns." he said. She grabbed his waist and he let go of the brake. He could see her smile in his side mirror.
They had ridden about half an hour. Mark was wishing he had worn regular gloves. All he had on was riding gloves with no covering on his fingers. It was getting chilly. They passed down endless roads that had nothing but a farm about every 5 to 10 miles. It has started to rain slightly. He made a mental note to turn around in a few minutes.
"How could you hate living like this?" he yelled over the motor and exhaust.
"Its very boring when you have nothing else and have to drive as far as we have gone to see a movie or a store." she yelled back.
He negotiated a few turns. Mark felt her grip leave his waist and turned his head to see her arms stretched almost like she was flying. He knew that feeling. Often he wished he could do the same thing.
"Go faster!" she yelled to him. He looked down at the speedometer. They were going about 60. He added about 5 more and decided no matter what she asked he wouldn't go faster. It was different when he was alone but he wasn't this time. He felt her grip return to his waist. He started to slow down to turn around. The bike was starting to slide a bit. He stepped on the brake harder and he felt a slip of the back wheel. He was slowing down but it was getting harder to control the bike. It was almost they were on a glaze of ice. He looked down at the speedometer he saw it said 35. The last thing Angel heard was "Oh shit!"