Disclaimer: I only own Serenity and the other original characters mentions.
"Serenity!" Serenity McMahon stopped on her way towards her personal dressing and turned around in her brown suede boots to see her older sister coming towards her. Smiling softly, she adjusted the bottom of her black jean blouse, "What's up, Stephanie?" Stephanie smiled in the same manner, looking drop dead gorgeous in her moderately covering red dress, the tightness of it filling out her body quite nicely.
Serenity always thought her sister dressed nicely and it was the same vice versa. "I'm glad you stopped by tonight," her sister started, still grinning lightly. "I just got off the phone with some important people from the Board of Directors and I know you're didn't come to Smackdown last month just to sit in the cheap seats." Serenity nodded lightly, brushing some of her long brown hair over her shoulder.
"It's not a problem with me being here, is it? I know you've had some problems with Bischoff but trust me, I was trying to get away from him for the longest." Stephanie nodded her head in agreement and crossed her arms. "No no, it's not a problem that you're here because I've been wanting you to be on Smackdown since I became the general manager. I know things are tough with Sofia right now but I need you on my brand. It's imperative that you're here."
For some reason, Serenity had a small feeling of nervousness in her belly but ignored it when her sister began talking again, hoping it was just normal anxiety. "And since I need you here, I wanted to let you know that you'll be out in the ring for the first time in a few months tonight." Serenity's ocean eyes widened at the news and she nervously glanced around, rubbing her left arm out of habit. She hoped no one overheard them, she was that paranoid.
"I - I don't think that's such a good idea Steph - I mean, I'm not fully healed since I had my appendix surgery and -" But Stephanie cut her to the quick and rested a hand on her smaller shoulder. "I don't need you out there competing. My wording came out wrong and I'm sorry but I meant that I need you out by the ring for tonight's main event." Now Serenity looked perplexed, her eyes narrowing slightly and her mouth curling into a frown.
Me? Outside the ring for the main event? Feeling a cold chill run through her chest, Serenity looked around her surroundings again before sighing. "I... well, I guess it couldn't be too bad to get some air time." Seeing Stephanie smile brightly made her smile as well but she still felt so nervous and had to get some weight off of her chest.
"Look, I appreciate this opportunity to make me a Smackdown Diva but I - I'm not like Torrie Wilson, Brittaney Cole or Dawn Marie. I'm not what these people want to see, they want something sexy and - " Stephanie just rolled her blue eyes as she cut her sister off with an annoyed scowl.
Same old Serenity, always so nervous and bashful about her appearance even though she had a natural beauty that made her stand out. All of the McMahon women had it going for them but her younger sister just didn't want to believe it yet.
Stephanie raised one hand, "I get what you're saying but there's nothing wrong with what you're wearing, in fact, it's pretty sexy and I think the crowd will love it. Another thing, haven't you learned by now that the McMahon women are the most desired women in Sports Entertainment?" Stephanie's ice blue eyes narrowed then and she smirked, knowing that line was going to get a great pop from the viewing audience. "And even if you do walk out to the ring with your current outfit, the crowd will go nuts because you're a McMahon."
Serenity's cheeks flushed a little pink at the statement but she nodded. "Now the triple threat match with Angle and Benoit is about to start up in a couple of minutes and I'll need you to outside the ring before that. What I want you to be is the special guest bell ringer - I know it's not anything big but it'll definitely get you some good backing from the crowd once they know you're officially apart of Smackdown as of right now. How does that sound?"
Serenity nodded again, feeling a little more confident about the situation now. Maybe if she got a decent enough reaction, she might stick around for a little while longer. She hadn't run into any of her enemies yet and she was a bit thankful that she hadn't spotted Undertaker yet either - the two of them had a bad falling out once he began acting like a nasty, malicious villain and she didn't want to be around him at all. He shouted at her backstage and called her a few unsettling names, ones that she hadn't forgotten yet. It was a painful memory and as long as she did the job right tonight, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
"Good! Now head out and do your thing, I know you can do it, Serenity." Stephanie offered her an encouraging smile, one that Serenity couldn't refuse. "I will, thank you again, Steph." She spoke before turning and headed down the long stretch of a hallway.
As she neared the gorilla position, Serenity took in a deep breath and hoped that this would go well enough for her to be on Smackdown permanently. Her blue eyes caught the large flat screen monitor that was hanging on the wall near her, getting a clear vision of Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle already in the ring. "You can do this, Serenity." When her music began playing following a chorus of a loud ovation, she pushed through the parted curtains.
"And introducing the special guest bell ringer for this match, from Greenwhich, Connecticut and making her return to Smackdown, Serenity McMahon!" The loud cheers the audience were giving her and the sound of Tony Chimel's voice echoing around the large arena sent a warm feeling flooding through Serenity's heart as she appeared on the stage. She smiled friendly and waved as she made her way down the brightly lit ramp, noticing how Stephanie had been right about the male fans loving her outfit. Her black jean button up top and faded blue jeans looked great on her and to the crowd.
Serenity waved a bit more as she noticed the confused looks on the competitive faces of Benoit and Kurt but she just ignored them and headed around the ring. "It's great to have Serenity out here, we haven't seen her in awhile!" She blushed lightly at the words coming from Michael Cole as she sat down in a folding chair near the time keeper's bell.
Crossing one leg over the other, she smiled again when she heard Tazz speak up. "That's for sure and what a tamata she is! Is she smoking or what, Cole?"
Serenity brushed her long hair back and was waiting for the match to start before Stephanie suddenly appeared on the entrance way. The rush of cheers at the sight of her older sister was loud but Serenity just furred her brows together at seeing her. What was Stephanie doing out here? Didn't she just tell her that she needed her out by the ring? Serenity continued to think as she finally noticed what Stephanie was holding in her hand.
A contract? Serenity was thoroughly confused now, beginning to run her manicured finger nails over her pants due to her sudden nervousness. What was going on here?
Stephanie looked pleased, holding the signed contract up in the air as she smirked into the microphone. "Allow me to introduce to you the next competitor. A legendary superstar that I JUST signed to Smackdown!" Serenity looked around at hearing this, the crowd lively and responsive tonight.
Stephanie's smile couldn't get any wider, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Phenom! The Undertaker!"
The audience instantly responded to this by shouting and screaming loudly, many of them jumping up from their seats. Serenity's eyes nearly popped out of her head as the familiar gong sounded throughout the arena before the same familiar beat of his music echoed around the rompous arena. Michael Cole and Tazz could barely contain their excitement but everything seemed to drown out around Serenity at that moment. Her eyes were wide and frantic as she watched The Undertaker come down the ramp on his custom made chopper.
His hair was still cut short and was mostly hidden by a dark blue bandana. His sunglasses were pushed up on his forehead, revealing his strong, piercing eyes. He wasn't smiling but that wasn't abnormal considering who he was. Serenity looked around for a better place to sit but when she noticed there was no where else to go, she quickly scooted back in her chair when he rode past her. For a moment, his green eyes caught her ocean ones before Undertaker pulled around the ring and parked his motorcycle.
Even though that glare was only for a split second, it was enough to send Serenity into a panic and as soon as she had noticed Undertaker stepping into the ring, she quickly got up from her chair and sped-walked around the ring. "Hey, where's Serenity going?" Michael Cole said in a perplexed voice, looking at his broadcast partner who shrugged. "I don't know princess but let's focus on the match! We've got The Undertaker out here!"
Undertaker tugged off the Big Evil shirt he had on and glanced at the ramp to see Serenity making her way up it in a rush. He couldn't stay too focused on her retreating form for too long because soon the bell rang for the match to start and he had his full attention on Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle.
It was too much for her to be out there and with her heart still beating frantically against her rib cage, Serenity made it backstage safely while almost running and headed towards the parking lot. She was lucky enough to avoid anybody of importance, mostly Stephanie, and made a quick call for a cab.
Serenity had made it back to the hotel under no suspicion and she was thankful that nobody had witnessed her leaving the show so early. She hadn't heard anything from Stephanie since she arrived back into her room and honestly, she was thankful for it. It was nice and quiet since most of the other wrestlers were sleeping and others were out at a bar. Sighing heavily, Serenity brushed her long hair back and began pulling out sleep clothes from her travel bag.
"Maybe a shower will calm me down..." Serenity spoke to no one in particular before she stepped into the bathroom.
After washing her body and hair for a few minutes, she stepped into the warm air of the room in a pair of white sleeping shorts and a wine sleeping tee that had small butterflies designed on the front. She tossed her dirty clothes into the laundry bin and was about to get into bed before she heard knocking on her door.
Serenity paused in her movement, heart racing a little at the sound. The knocking continued for a few seconds and she bit down on her bottom lip and sighed. She came closer to the door and grabbed the doorknob, thinking about who it could be. She already had a gut feeling on who it was and from a previous interaction with said person, it wasn't Stephanie or any other member of her family seeing as they had a strict sleeping schedule.
When the knocking started up again, Serenity opened the door slowly and her eyes widened when she seen who was there. The Undertaker stood in the doorway, one hand still raised to the door and his eyes shielded by sunglasses before he lowered his hand. For a moment, he lost his train of thought once he got a good look at what she was wearing. Serenity blushed a small amount when she noticed him staring at her legs, so she spoke first.
"I... Mark, what are you doing here?" She sounded small compared to him and she mentally cursed herself for it. He always had this ability to intimidate her without doing anything at all and it was frightening. Undertaker, however, didn't pay attention to her chilly voice and instead pushed his sunglasses up to his forehead. "I stopped by because of what happened earlier on." She listened closely, one hand still on the door in case she needed to shut it.
"I know things haven't been good between us for some time and I blame myself but I had no idea that you were going to be at Smackdown. Your sister pulled me aside last week and told me some things and when she mentioned the WWE Championship, I knew it was something I had to do." He spoke, tucking his large hands into the pockets of his black jeans. Serenity didn't say anything and looked at her bare feet instead, toes manicured nicely.
"Mark... I - I don't know what to say to you. You were really horrible to me the last time I saw you and I don't know if I can handle being around you right now... " She trailed off lightly, still looking at the floor in fear of him seeing the tears in her eyes. She heard him make a small grunt and noticed his hand laying flat against the door. "Stephanie didn't tell me you were going to be there. I know you must hate me but I needed to let you know that I had no clue you were supposed to be out by the ring."
Serenity sighed again and shuffled her feet, catching his eyes staring at her legs again. That made her feel a little better but she was still nervous. "I don't hate you... and I believe you because Stephanie pulled me aside minutes before the match and told me she needed me out there."
Mark looked down at her and ran a hand down his goatee, sighing heavily. "If you don't hate me, then why did you run from ringside when the match started?" Serenity took a breath and just let everything out right then.
"Because I couldn't handle seeing you. I didn't do it because I hated you, I did it because the last time we saw each other you called me 'the little virgin uptight princess' and I got really scared like I always do. I didn't want you to call me names anymore, I didn't want you to hate me anymore and I just..." She trailed off and looked up into his eyes. Mark looked down at her, seeing the tears starting to form in her ocean eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a little girl and I'm not a woman like you want. -"
"Hey, hey, hey, stop all that." He said in a much lower but calm voice, stepping a bit closer so he could see her face better. Serenity listened and just sniffled lightly, using her knuckles to wipe at some trailing tears.
Mark sighed and removed his hand from the door only for Serenity to open further and when she slowly stepped back, he came inside.
Closing the door lightly, Mark looked back down at her. "Why are so you paranoid about how I see you or what you choose to do with your body? I know you get a lot of slack for being a virgin but who cares what those sluts in the back say? How can they talk when they have their legs open for anyone? Just look at Sable."He sighed then, "I was an asshole to you months ago in June and I do regret it because of how it made you feel but you need to realize that what I say about you shouldn't matter." She shook her head then and took a few steps closer to the bathroom door.
"But it does matter to me. It matters to me a lot, Mark." Serenity showed him her bright blue eyes, still shining with building tears. "What the girls say don't really matter but I've always held onto you. It means a lot to me because part of me, no matter how much I try to deny it or shove it away, part of me still really cares about you and still loves everything you did for me a few years back when my dad decided to go on a lunatic rampage and exploited me and Stephanie for his own greed." Mark listened closely, watching her frown at the mention of the kidnapping incident.
He stayed silent for a few moments before he ran a hand over his goatee. "I won't argue about how you feel because I wouldn't want someone to do the same to me but Flower..." Mark suddenly started lowly with the familiar nickname, watching how her cheeks turned a little pink and her eyes widened a bit. It has been while since he said that to her, considering how he spoke to her previously but he hoped she didn't mind it. Clearly she didn't from the shy but curious look on her face.
Mark came a little closer to her, watching her not back away this time. "Everyone has to grow up sometime and everyone has to learn how to get over what people say about them, even if it hurts sometime. Now I would never say anything like I did to you before ever again because I know it hurt you a lot but I can't expect you to forgive me, so I also need to learn how to get over the fact that maybe you don't want anything to do with me." It hurt coming out but Mark always had the grasp over his emotions and he still stayed in control.
Serenity listened closely and even though most of what he said made a lot of sense to her, the last part felt like he dug a cold ice pick into her chest.
Brushing her long hair back, she felt a little courage building in her belly before she stepped in front of him and hesitantly wrapped her arms around his middle. A little surprised, Mark quickly wrapped his massive arms around around her as well, feeling how warm and smooth her bare arms were. He missed hugging her, he missed feeling her in his arms.
"I could never imagine that, Mark. I can't imagine not having you in my life, even if we're just friends or if we develop into more or if we just continue on as fellow wrestlers. I know this sounds really stupid but you mean a lot to me and I don't want you to think I'll stop wanting to have anything to do with you." Serenity spoke into his warm chest, eyes closed as she hugged him tightly.
Mark ran one of his hands through her long hair and sighed somewhat. He was a little relieved on the inside that the two of them finally got to talk about this but there was still one question that needed to be answered.
"Serenity," Mark said as he pulled back a little bit, one hand coming up to caress her chin when she looked up into his green eyes with her ocean blue ones. "I don't know what this means between us but if I have to guess, it means we're friends again. Is that okay with you? Do you want to be around the Deadman again like before? Will you accept my sorry ass apology?" She couldn't help but smile somewhat, cheeks tinted with a rosy glow at his attempt to make amends. She stepped a little bit just so she could reach up on her toes.
Mark caught what she was trying to do and leaned down to meet her half way and blinked when she gently kissed the side of his scruffy cheek. Serenity stepped back again, "That's my peace offering for you, I hope you don't mind..." She stopped when she heard the phone near her bed ringing and looked back at Mark.
"You should answer that, I have a feeling it's Steph and she's not gonna be happy." He said as he tucked his hands into his jeans, watching her sigh and frown a little bit. It was probably Stephanie trying to get some answers out of her right but she had just gotten back on even ground with the man she trusted the most and she really didn't want to hear her sister bark at her through the phone about where she ran off too. It was her fault anyways, setting both of them up for some unknown reason.
Serenity shrugged then, "I should answer it but I won't. She can hear my explanation next Thursday because right now I'm really tired and I don't want to deal with her." He nodded again before heading towards the door. She followed him from behind and held the door open once he stepped outside into the night, nothing but a slight breeze and the sound of an owl off in the distance.
"I'll see you next week, Serenity." Mark said, tucking the hands into his black jeans before finally walking off into the night. She watched him go, hands still holding onto the open door as she waved slowly, sighing when he started the engine on his motorcycle. His back was to her as he drove into the darkened street and disappeared, Serenity still watching with ocean eyes before she closed and locked the door.
Sleep was what she needed right about now.