June 21, 0700 Hours
Steve woke up slowly seeing sunlight coming into the bedroom. He felt Trina snuggled against him and pulled her tighter against him. She grunted softly but didn't wake up.
He chuckled. "Baby, time to wake up."
"I don't want to get up yet." Trina mumbled.
"You got spoiled to sleeping in while we were on our honeymoon." He kissed her forehead.
"Well that was partly because someone kept me up so much at night." She giggled.
"Are you complaining?"
"Hell no, it was wonderful." She finally opened her eyes. "Good morning husband."
"Good morning wife." Steve kissed her. Jack put his paws up on the bed and looked at them. "I think Jack wants out."
"I better let him out and get breakfast started." She yawned.
"I'm gonna grab a shower and then I will be down." He said.
Trina climbed out of bed and pulled her robe around her before walking out of the bedroom and downstairs. She let Jack out the back door and saw the outdoor cats sitting on the porch waiting to be fed.
"Feed you in a few minutes." She told them.
She closed the door and walked back into the kitchen. Wonder was meowing looking for Jack. She talked softly to him so he wouldn't feel alone while she dug in the fridge to get out the breakfast food. She could hear the shower running as she began cracking the eggs for breakfast.
She heard the phone ring and she hurried to answer it. "Hello?"
"Trina, glad I caught you before you left for work." Naomi was on the other end of the line.
"Hey Nae, what's going on?" Trina smiled as she went back to fixing breakfast.
"In honor of you and Steve being back we are having a cookout this weekend. Okay actually the guys are looking for any excuse to have steaks, play with fire and drink a few too many." Naomi laughed.
"Oh that sounds fun, but I might end up on call. The Angle wedding is this weekend and you know that Karen is bound to cause problems." Trina said.
"That woman is gonna give the whole county a drinking problem." Naomi sighed. "But if you have to leave we will understand. I think the guys really missed Steve while you guys were gone."
"Oh those twins, they are like honorary brother-in-laws or something." She laughed. "Guess that means we're sister-in-laws now."
"Don't say that, usually in-laws hate each other." Naomi laughed.
"Oh did you hear the good news. Joe cut a plea deal after he found out Dave Batista was going to testify against him." Trina said.
"Yeah, I think Damien got evil glee out of handling that case. Minimum of three years in jail and when he is released he is not allowed to contact you." Naomi said.
"That could be my favorite wedding gift." Trina agreed. "But despite it all, I still feel bad for his son. That little guy is the innocent one."
"Between that lying whore mother and that insane father of his, he's gonna have it rough." Naomi said. "I will let you get ready for work. Say hello to Steve for me."
Trina hung up the phone and flipped the eggs. Steve walked in, dressed for work.
"Who was on the phone?" he wrapped his arms around her.
"Naomi, apparently we are invited to a cookout at their place this weekend." Trina leaned back against him.
"You have got to start wearing something under that robe in the mornings." He chuckled.
"Nah, teasing is more fun." She giggled.
"You are gonna be the death of me."
0830 Hours
Trina was seated at her desk going over some paperwork listening to the radio. The chief was in his office but otherwise the station was empty. She looked up when she heard the door open and saw Damien walk in carrying several folders.
"Damien, what brings you by this morning?" she smiled at him.
"Look at you, nice tan. The honeymoon must've suited you well." Damien chuckled. "Paul Heyman continues to be a thorn in my side."
"What now? I thought his trial in Texas was set to start this fall." Trina frowned.
"It is, but the families in Tennessee and Washington are bringing civil lawsuits." Damien sat down.
"And they want to use the West Virginia cases to show a pattern." Trina finished his thought.
"More than that. The attorney out of Washington that I spoke to…a Dennis Condrey…he is apparently going all out and is hoping to get a bigger settlement by bringing out every gruesome detail he can." Damien explained.
"That is going to be hell on the families. And what is the point of big settlements? Heyman's money will be depleted by legal fees." Trina rolled her eyes.
"I guess he wants to make a statement. And you know how many times big settlements are just that…a statement because nothing ever gets paid." Damien agreed.
"Have you tried talking him out if it? The gory details I mean." She said.
"Until I was blue in the face. Between you and me, I think he is a bit of an Otunga. Hoping to make a big name for himself off this case." Damien said.
"Oh terrific, another jackass wanting to make a fortune off the suffering of others." Trina groaned.
"Sadly it is the times we live in. By the way, the prosecutor…."
"I hate that woman!" John stormed in the station with Seth behind him chuckling.
"Karen Angle strike already this morning?" Trina raised an eyebrow.
"I am ready to pay Kurt money if he will elope." John went for the coffee pot.
"The wedding is in three days." Trina said.
"I love coming here. What is going on with Karen now?" Damien smirked.
"More attempts at sabotaging the wedding, or at least making everyone miserable." John sat down at his desk.
"She showed up at the bakery this morning when it opened. She started claiming that she was helping with the Angle wedding and the couple had sent her to make some last minute changes. Well Miss Majors got suspicious so she called the bride who immediately told her that Karen was in no way helping out with the wedding and was not authorized to make any changes." Seth explained.
"Good for Selina. Glad she caught on before Karen ordered them a black cake covered in spiders with laxative filling." Trina laughed.
"Well when Miss Majors informed Karen that she had double-checked with the bride and would be unable to make changes, Karen exploded. Selina then ordered her out of the bakery. She refused to go so Selina called us." Seth chuckled. "When we got there Karen began insisting she wanted to change the cake to something the kids would like."
"This woman is a new kind of psycho." John mumbled.
"I did call the bride and suggest that she call all her vendors and wedding related people and instruct them that no changes were to be made unless it was by her or Kurt. Maybe that will cut down on some of this insanity." Seth chuckled.
"You know, we might want to patrol that wedding and reception to keep her from ruining anything." Trina said. "I know it about the marriage and not the one-day party. But as much as I love Steve, I would've been devastated if someone had interrupted our ceremony or made a scene at the reception. It is like a black mark on such a special occasion."
"I have heard of bridezilla but never ex-wife-zilla." John groaned.
"Well I need to get to the office. Let me know if anything comes up?" Damien stood up.
"Can you have Karen executed?" John asked.
"West Virginia doesn't have the death penalty. You know this." Damien chuckled.
"So charge her with a federal crime. Lisa Montgomery, Timothy McVeigh, the Rosenburg's." John said.
"Hey, Ethel was innocent." Trina piped up.
"We know; we know you believe that." Seth sighed.
"Do I need to go over the evidence again?" Trina asked.
"I need to go, but I am sorry to leave. I love the shows these two put on." Damien laughed as he walked out.
"I am convinced Karen is pulling these stunts as much for attention as to disrupt the wedding." Trina said.
"Why would she care about attention?" Seth asked as he grabbed some coffee.
"All this puts attention on her, takes away attention from the bride and groom." Trina said. "Some people can't stand it when others are the center of attention."
"Speaking of bridezillas, I am just so thankful that you didn't turn into one." John said.
"Yeah, I missed a great chance to drive Seth crazy." She giggled. "But in all honesty when planning the wedding, I read some bride horror stories online. I vowed I would never do anything so horrible."
"Like what?" Seth sat down.
"Like that one bride whose grandmother died the morning of the wedding. Instead of grieving for her grandma, the bride had a tantrum that the seating arrangements would be messed up." She shrugged.
"That is nuts." John agreed.
"Or another bride that upon returning from her honeymoon, emailed one of the guests saying that they had spent eighty dollars on the guest's dinner and the guest had only given them fifty dollars as a gift therefore she owed them another thirty dollars." Trina laughed.
"Oh that is beyond petty." John said.
"The story that took the cake was actually a horrible mother of the bride story. As the couple were leaving the church, the groom caught two fingers in the door and broke them. So they sent everyone on to the reception and the bride and groom hurried to the ER. The ER staff understanding what a big day it was, hurried and got them in and out in 90 minutes. So the couple rushes to the reception thinking all they missed was dinner and can still have a nice reception. Only when they get there they find out that the mother of the bride has already cut the cake, tossed the bouquet, and did the first dances. Apparently ol mom got on the microphone and said she had paid for this big reception and was gonna get the most for her money." Trina cringed.
"I would punch her, I don't care if she is a woman and my new mother-in-law." Seth said.
"You and me both." Trina agreed.
"Well I am off to get some sleep. I am going to need my rest for Karen's next stunt." Seth laughed.
"See you later. I am getting the honeymoon pictures printed today." She called after him.
1800 Hours
"And this is me and Steve at the USS Arizona memorial." Trina handed Seth the picture.
"Such a sad place." Seth frowned.
"Actually, it is a very peaceful place. When I went I was thinking I would be emotional and it'd be sad. But once I got there, I found it was very peaceful. These are soldiers that will never be forgotten and millions of people will forever visit paying respects. But I don't think I would want to be there at night. There has to be some ghosts around because of so many violent deaths." Trina said.
"And what is that?" Seth pointed at the next picture.
"That is Steve on the deck of the USS Missouri which is nearby." Trina smiled.
"Leave it to you to go on a honeymoon and still make it educational." Seth laughed.
"Hey, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. How many chances will I ever get to stand in the spot where WWII ended?" she said.
"You have a point. You sure took a lot of pictures." He agreed as he looked at the dozens of pictures covering her desk.
"Well I am going to make up a honeymoon album." She said. "Look, here I am on the USS Bowfin."
"What is that? Never heard of it." Seth frowned.
"It is a submarine that served in the Pacific during WWII." She explained. "That submarine sunk or damaged 51 Japanese controlled ships during the war."
"Why do you look so sad in this photo?" Seth picked one up.
"Oh…. I was reading about all the missing submarines and the searches for them. It is very sad to think of soldiers lost, not knowing where they are…just missing somewhere under the ocean." Trina said.
"Who took all these pictures of you and Steve at the beach?" John looked over her shoulder.
"Those were taken at Waikiki. Some sweet lady got to talking to us, realized we were newlyweds and offered to take some candids of us. Robin Smith was her name. She was visiting Hawaii from Louisiana." Trina said.
"Why is Steve carrying you on his back into the water?" John asked.
"So he could protect me from sharks." She giggled.
"This newlywed stuff is gonna give me cavities." Seth groaned.
"Oh then you are going to love this one of us kissing at the Haleakala National Park." Trina held up a picture.
"Did you see any active volcanos?" Seth asked.
"Sure, at the Volcanos National Park." She said. "Here is one of Steve on the boat, and behind him is lava flowing from the Kilauea Volcano."
"Where is this waterfall?" John picked up a picture of her and Steve standing in the water kissing in front of a waterfall.
"That is Waimea Falls on the island of Oahu. Cute lady took that picture for us…she was Japanese. Itzuki something was her name." Trina said.
"Must be talking about the honeymoon." Steve walked in.
"Yes and if I see one more picture of you two kissing, I am gonna be sick." Seth rolled his eyes.
"Jealous Rollins." Steve chuckled. "It was our honeymoon, what did you expect?"
"Here, how about this one of us dancing on the cruise ship?" Trina held up the picture.
Seth looked at the picture of Trina in a turquoise cocktail dress dancing with Steve. Both smiling at the camera.
"That one isn't so bad." Seth said.
"Ready to head home? I wanna call Lowes and put in an order for the lumber for the barn so I can just pick it up tomorrow." Steve said.
"Sure thing. Just let me gather all my stuff." She said as the phone rang.
"By the way, Summer is now throwing her attention at Jey." Steve chuckled.
"Remind me to stop over there and sit on his lap." Trina said as she gathered her pictures.
"What good will that do? She knows you're Steve's wife." John asked.
"Maybe she'll think we're having a threesome." Trina shrugged.
"Just what I need." Steve shook his head at his wife's antics.
"Or maybe me and Nae will both sit on his lap and she can think Jey's having a threesome and keeping it all in the family." Trina winked making Steve laugh out loud.
Seth hung up the phone. "John, we better get out to Karen Angle's house."
"What? No, I can't stand the sight of her." Seth sighed.
"You just dealt with her this morning. What is going on now?" Trina asked.
"That was Kurt's attorney on the phone, Robert Ross. Kurt called him upset so he is going to meet us there and has also called Judge Zbyszko." Seth stood up.
"What the hell is going on out there?" John asked.
"From what I was told on the phone, Karen is trying to take the kids out of state on a 'vacation' which means they will miss the wedding. Kurt went over to her house to talk with her and try to stop her and when he couldn't he called his attorney who called us and the judge trying to see what can be done." Seth said.
"That's it, I am filing for combat pay." John insisted.
"Need our help?" Trina offered.
"No you guys go on home and enjoy the evening. We'll handle the Jerry Springer Show." John assured them.
"Besides, Karen see another happy bride and she might spontaneously combust." Seth snickered.
2030 Hours
Trina was sitting in the living room working on the album of their honeymoon while Steve sat nearby reading the newspaper. Jack and Wonder were asleep by the couch.
"Honey, when did you take this picture?" Trina held up a picture of her lounging by the pool on the ship.
Steve looked over at her. "One day when we were lounging by the pool and you weren't paying attention."
The phone rang and she leaned over to pick it up. "Hello?"
"Trina, how is my favorite former pet?" Seth snickered.
"Seth, everything okay?" she asked.
"Oh fine, just wanted to let you know we got everything settled with Karen for now." Seth snickered. "John is up at Almost Heaven having a few drinks after dealing with her."
"So what happened?"
"Well, the judge wasn't able to stop her since they have shared custody and nothing in their custodial agreement about vacations. So Kurt and his attorney informed Karen that if she took the kids out of state forcing them to miss the wedding that Kurt was going to sue for sole custody of the children. When Karen scoffed at that, the attorney told her that Kurt would have a very good case because of all the problems they have had with her the past year, plenty of witnesses willing to testify to those incidents and her arson charges back in December. John jumped in that he would personally be in court to testify on Kurt's behalf. At that point Karen backed down and agreed to let the kids attend the wedding." Seth said.
"Did Kurt mention if they have hired any security for this wedding?" Trina asked once again.
"John asked him privately and Kurt said that some of his cousins will be standing guard at all doors. The cousins were willing to miss the ceremony in order to insure that everything goes smoothly. Also their reception site over in Grant County has their own security…some golf course." Seth answered.
"Well as long as they are prepared for disaster. What are you doing on nightshift?"
"Watching the Cubs leading this game." He gloated.
"They'll blow it. It might take until October but they will blow it!" she insisted.
"Must be watching a Cubs game." Steve said behind the newspaper.
"I am hanging up. I have a gorgeous sexy man that I just happen to be married to here with me. Why should I waste time talking to a hamburger when I have a steak a home?" she giggled.
"I've heard of being ogled and made to feel like a piece of meat but that is a new one even for you." Steve chuckled as she hung up.
"Seth was catching me up on the Karen Angle mini-series." Trina giggled. "So what's good in the news?"
"That Lesner guy had a meeting with Vince McMahon about his MMA venture. He wants McMahon's broadcast company on board for advertising." Steve said.
"Hope he realizes what a snake McMahon is. He'd be better off dealing with Shane McMahon. He is the only one that makes any sense in that family." Trina went back to her pictures.
"Says they found an unidentified body in the Kanawha River outside of Charleston. Badly mutilated, no prints or teeth available to help identify it." Steve read.
"Could be a drug deal gone bad or a hooker pissed off the wrong pimp." Trina sighed.
"And a young man has gone missing in Huntington…. says his name is Johnny Curtis. Family reported him missing last weekend after he missed their annual family reunion." He told her more news.
"Missing person's cases are so sad. John Doe cases are sad." She said.
Steve folded up the newspaper. "So how goes the album?"
"We took a ton of pictures." She smiled.
"It was a special trip, our honeymoon, the first time either of us have been to Hawaii, only the second time you have been on a plane." Steve began looking through a few of the pictures.
"It was a great trip. Who took this picture of us in the hot tub by the pool after the casino night?" Trina asked.
"Don't you remember? We were hanging out in the hot tub and that guy with the drunk girlfriend came by." Steve said.
"Oh yeah, that blonde with way too much make up and dressed way too young for her age. I guess Debra was her name, that's what he called her. He was nice enough to snap a few pictures for us. What did he say his name was?"
"Todd I think." Steve laughed. "I thought she was gonna climb in the tub with us, clothes and all."
"Come on, let's go for a walk." She stood up.
"This late?"
"Sure, just around the farm. We'll take Jack. It's a nice evening." She tugged on his hand.
"Can't say no to an offer like that. But I am taking my service weapon. Too many critters around here. Not that you would let me shoot anything." He chuckled as he followed her.
Author's Note- First I want to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter and added this story to your favorites/following. I was overwhelmed and excited by all the support from everyone and it got me to writing even more. You guys are so awesome! Paisley2 (LOL I just realized when reading your comments that Punk is another Heyman guy…and he is now in MMA too.) Jcott3 (I have been pleasantly surprised at how well everyone has taken to the Angle angle (pun intended). And I could just picture Enzo as one of those crazy genius artsy types.) reikat (Yes I can completely understand how Sting can demand attention when it comes to stories. And you aren't alone. I love Roman, two of my friends love Roman and we are all frustrated that the fan hate seems to be derailing pushes.) Batistasprincess (Seth is fun to write. He is an awesome muse.) Debwood-1999 (I am interested as this story progresses to see who figures what out first. I will say that a few important things were mentioned in this chapter.) theDarkRyder (Everyone is already blaming Brock! This could get interesting.)
