As she approached 3MB's dressing room door, Hope wasn't expecting anything special.
Boy, how wrong she was.
The door opened, and she immediately got a taste of how into the rockstar gimmick Heath and his friends really were.
Guitars and other instruments were strewn about the floor, seemingly smashed in fits of post-match rage. Torn posters of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Guns 'N Roses covered the walls (Hope only knew who they were because Heath had the courtesy to point them out to her). Glass bottles were tipped over, and red liquid had spilled out onto the dresser.
She was about to lecture her brother on how irresponsible it was to be consuming alcohol when he had shows to be putting on, before she managed to properly focus on the writing on the front.
Thankfully, and rather humorously, she found that the bottles hadn't originally contained alcohol at all. Instead, the bottle declared it had been filled with what was essentially glorified fruit juice.
Well, at least they tried, Hope thought with a smile.
As she scanned the room for more interesting knick-knacks, just next to the comically oversized mirror, she saw something that clashed with the carefree attitude that the rest of the room held.
Screwed up into a loose ball and partly covered by an assortment of guyliners, were two pictures.
The first contained two faces. One was Drew's; the other was of an older lady, with short, brown hair which was a slightly duller shade than Drew's. They were grinning at the camera, and their brown, eerily alike eyes were filled with joy.
Intrigued, Hope looked around to make sure no one was looking, before moving onto the next photograph.
Again, there were two faces. Drew was there, this time with a younger woman. She was attractive, slim, and had blonde hair, tied in a high ponytail, and brown eyes. She was wearing what looked like a purple tank top, and was posed as if she was preparing to kiss Drew's cheek. She had her arms wrapped around his shoulders.
Just as she was about to examine her findings more, a shout drew her away.
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
Before Hope knew what was happening, Drew had lunged at her.
Immediately, Heath and Jinder pulled him away. The fury in his eyes was still visible.
"C'mon man," Heath pleaded. "What's gotten into you? Calm down!"
"Guys, I think I'd prefer it right now if you left me alone."
That was all it took for two thirds of 3MB to disperse. "Be careful, sis." Heath warned as he left.
As soon as they had gone, Drew silently walked over and sat down near the dresser, unfolding the photos and gazing over them.
There was an almost distant look to him, as if he was casting his mind back to times gone by. His eyelids dropped for a moment, before he sighed and re-opened them.
Hope saw that he had calmed down, and that it was okay to talk to him, however, it was Drew who had the first word.
"So, you wanna know who these people are, huh?"
"W-well, I-I just sorta c-came across these pictures…" Hope stuttered. "I-I h-had n-no intention of-"
"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU PUT THEM DOWN?!" Drew suddenly yelled.
Realising how he'd just raised his voice, Drew sank down into his seat, looking around in an almost nervous manner.
"That first picture is of me and my Mum." he explained, pointing to the picture with the older woman.
That explains the eyes.
"It was taken at a house show a couple of years ago…I was performing in Scotland, you won't believe how much I was cheered. It was a really nice feeling, but just a few days after this I got the news that…"
He paused, sighing.
"She'd been diagnosed with cancer." he finished solemnly.
Hope gasped.
"She…she died about a month ago…" His voice trailed off, and he tilted his head upwards, wiping his eyes.
Hope sat in silence, not wanting to say anything in case it aggravated Drew more.
After a few minutes, he spoke again. "That other one is of me and my ex-wife, Tiff-"
He paused, inhaling, before continuing.
"Taryn. Her ring name was Tiffany."
Hope nodded knowingly. "So, she was a wrestler, then?"
"Oh god no." Drew replied. "She was much more than that. She was ECW's General Manager for a time…and, of course, she was my wife."
In just a brief sentence, Hope got a pretty good idea of how much Taryn had meant to him.
"So, what caused the break-up?" she asked cautiously.
"Where do I start?" Drew replied. "I mean, I don't think any of us ever really knew the one true cause- she said it was because I was cheating, I said it was because she had cheated…in reality, though I never told her, I may have strayed one or two times during the tours."
He put his head in his hands, the guilt flooding back to him.
"It's been almost a year, you know, but I've never quite gotten over her." he stated emotionlessly.
"But, being in 3MB…It's helping, right?"
"Oh yeah, of course." The Scot's mood seemed to briefly pick up. "Your brother and Jinder are two of the closest friends I've ever had…and then there's you."
Hope sat up instinctively.
"I mean, how long ago did we meet? 20 minutes or so, and here I am, pouring my heart out in front of you…I bet you don't think I'm much of a man."
"Don't be daft! For doing all this, you're more of a man than anyone else here. In terms of first impressions, yours is probably the best one I've seen."
When he looked to her in a slight state of confusion, she only raised her eyebrows in a mischievous manner, causing him to smile, and eventually, have to cup his hand over his mouth to hold back laughter.
She didn't know why, but for some reason, Drew's laugh, smile, and almost everything about the man were intriguing. This little confessional had uncovered some of his hidden past, but Hope had a feeling there was still more to find.
But, of course, fate had to bring their bonding to a halt, as a familiar knock sounded.
"That's probably Heath." Drew murmured. "Come on, we better go."
Hope nodded, standing up and walking outside the dressing room.
Standing outside, as well as Heath and Jinder, were Vince, a few guys holding cameras, and a tall, imposing man with a buzz cut and a beard.
"Ah, there she is!" Vince announced with a smile. "Hunter, I'd like to introduce you to Hope Slater. Hope, this is my son-in-law, and WWE's Chief Operating Officer, Hunter Hearst Helmsley."
She took his hand, shaking it in almost the same way she had done to Vince earlier. She was an average size girl, but next to these men, she was utterly dwarfed.
"Look," Hunter said, bending over slightly. "I know everyone else has probably already said this, but-"
"You didn't know Heath had a sister?" Hope interrupted, blushing a bit afterwards at the thought that what she just said could make or break whatever they had her here for.
"Exactly." Hunter replied with a smile. Though he still had an intense, no-nonsense air about him, the humour in his voice was clear. This was a man she could trust.
"Now," Vince declared, "onto business. Hope, I'd like you to meet our photography team. They're in charge of taking photos of the Superstars and Divas, action in the ring, that sort of stuff. From what I saw earlier, you'd make an excellent addition to the team, which brings me onto, Hunter?"
Vince's son-in-law produced a stack of papers from behind his back, and Hope couldn't stop her eyes from lighting up.
She took the pen that was also provided, and signed her name.
"Alright! From this moment forward, I proudly say, Hope Slater, welcome to the WWE photography team!"
She cupped her hand over her mouth in astonishment.
This was it.
Her biggest break yet.
Like every other opportunity in her life, it was not going to be wasted.