Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the WWE. I also don't own the few lyrics from "Love Game" used. That would be Lady Gaga.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the support of my first challenge fic, guys! That really means a lot! I'm glad you're liking the story so far! I hope you continue to read and like it. Thank you to XxDanielleNicolexX, FormerlyKnownasJackie, lizzy-beth-lizzy, HappyasHell, Hailey Egan, KityKat-1, devin, QueenofQueens, Kennedy2006, stephiexo95, and xxmindyloverxx for your reviews! I really appreciate them. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter too!

Chapter 2

Mickie took the cup of water the man poured for her and took a small sip, the cool liquid feeling wonderful on her dry, scratchy throat. "Thanks," she muttered with a small smile.

"Sure," the man replied, returning it. "You look like you needed it."

"That I did," Mickie agreed, setting the small plastic cup on the table beside the bed. Then, she sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "That night started everything..."

The man sighed as he nodded. "It did," he agreed with a sigh of his own. "As did the next."

Mickie slowly opened her eyes when the morning sunlight hit them, taking a deep breath as she looked around the hotel room. John was sitting at the foot of the bed with his laptop, wearing only a pair of dark jeans with his wet hair tied behind his head, and she smiled to herself as she sat up.

"Good morning," she said.

John glanced over his shoulder at her, a smile appearing on his face. "Hey, babe," he replied before turning back to his laptop.

Mickie moved forward to sit behind her boyfriend, resting her chin on his shoulder as she looked at the screen as well. "What are you doing?" she asked, kissing the back of his neck.

"Just checking my email," John answered with a quiet sigh as he logged out before shutting the laptop. Then, he looked at his girlfriend. "Do you want to get changed and join me for breakfast?"

"I think I'm going to take a shower first," Mickie told him. "If you want, you can head down and I'll join ya'."

John looked back at her. "Are you sure?"

Mickie nodded, catching his lips in a quick kiss. "Yeah, it won't take me long," she replied with a smile.

"All right, if you're sure," John muttered. When she nodded, he got to his feet and took a fresh shirt out of his bag and pulled it over his head. "See you in a little bit, Mickie. Love you."

"Okay. Love you too." Mickie smiled at her boyfriend as she left the room before reaching into her own bag and pulling out a towel and new change of clothes. She went into the bathroom and took off her tank top and shorts before she climbed into the shower, closing her eyes as the hot water rained down on her. She ran her fingers through her hair, starting to hum quietly to herself. But she paused when she realized it was the same song she had sang with Chris at the bar the night before.

Mickie stepped out of the shower a few minutes later after quickly washing up, drying herself off before changing into her fresh clothes. She then ran a brush through her hair so it wasn't a tangled mess, leaving the towel in the bathroom to dry, and walked back into the main part of the room. She folded her pajamas and put them back in her bag before she left to join her boyfriend for breakfast.

When she got down to catering, Mickie saw John sitting with Mike at a table near the back. She got in line behind Melina and grabbed a plate, beginning to scoop some scrambled eggs onto it.

Melina glanced behind her when she heard the sound, and she smiled at the other diva. "Hi, Mickie," she greeted.

"Hey, Melina," Mickie said with a small smile of her own. "Congratulations on retaining your Diva's Championship last night."

"Why, thank you," Melina replied, her eyes gleaming as she grabbed her silverware. "Maybe soon you'll get a shot at this, huh?"

Mickie struggled to keep the friendly smile on her face, noting the slight condescending tone. "Oh, I'm planning on it," she told her.

Melina only shrugged and walked away to find a table. Sighing, Mickie picked up her silverware and walked across the room toward where John and Mike were sitting. On her way there, she passed by the table where Chris was sitting with Adam and their other close friend, Jay Reso, otherwise known as Christian. Chris' gaze met hers as she kept walking, and Mickie smiled at him before sitting down in the chair next to John.

"There's Mickie J!" Mike said with a smile. "We were just talking about you."

"Sorry if you were concerned," Mickie replied with a slight laugh, taking a bite of her eggs.

"Well, we knew you wouldn't be too much longer," John muttered, leaning closer to his girlfriend and kissing her cheek. "Glad you joined us."

Mickie smiled at him as she took a bite, sighing when John went back to whatever he had been talking about with Mike before she had joined them. Feeling left out of the conversation, she looked over her shoulder at Chris, seeing that he was laughing along with Adam and Jay about something. But she turned back to her plate when John took her hand in his, and she focused on finishing her breakfast. It was going to be a long morning.

"Let's play a love game, play a love game

Do you want love or you want fame?

Are you in the game? Doin' the love game..."

Mickie closed the door of her and John's hotel room behind her as she stepped out into the hall, gym bag over her shoulder and iPod playing as she headed toward the stairs. Getting her afternoon workout in would be good for her focus, she knew, so she was greatly looking forward to it. She needed some time to just not worry about anything.

When she turned the corner, Mickie smiled when she saw Maria Kanellis, a fellow diva and usual workout partner, waiting at the top of the stairs. "Hey, Maria!" she said, taking out one of her earphones so she could talk to her.

"Hey!" Maria smiled back as she gave her a quick hug before they both began to walk down the stairs. "I meant to tell you, but you left before I could. Great job at karaoke with Chris at the bar last night. I thought you would have done something with John."

"Thanks, Maria," Mickie muttered, her smile waning. "I asked John to go up with me, but he didn't want to. So Chris volunteered."

"Oh, well, you two sounded awesome!" Maria told her.

Mickie only nodded as they crossed the lobby to the door. But as soon as they stepped outside, she sighed to herself when she saw Shane McMahon standing not too far away, talking on his cell phone.

"Ugh, what is he doing here?" Maria asked quietly, disgust clear on her face. "I hate when he comes to shows... Has he been bothering you?"

Mickie didn't answer. Maria was the only one she had told about her past affair with Shane since she had often gone to her when she felt guilty when she had started developing feelings for John before they officially dated, and she was the one who had ultimately helped her get out of it.

"Let's just keep walking," she finally suggested. "Maybe he won't notice us. He seems busy on his cell like usual..."

"Good idea." Maria took the keys to her rental car out of her pocket and led the way to the parking lot, but they were stopped by a sudden voice behind them.

"Hey, Mickie! Wait up!"

"Think he'll follow us if we keep walking and ignore him?" Maria wondered, not even slowing down.

"Unfortunately..." Mickie muttered as she stopped and turned around with Maria next to her. She sighed as Shane jogged over and stopped in front of them.

"Glad I caught you, Mickie," he said with a smile as he lifted his sunglasses to rest on his head, glancing at Maria. "Mind if we talk?"

"Anything you want to say to me can be said in front of her," Mickie told him firmly. "What is it, Shane?"

Though he looked a little disappointed, Shane cleared his throat. "Uh, okay," he muttered. "Creative is in the process of figuring out a new challenger for Melina's championship. If you were interested... I could put your name in for consideration."

Mickie laughed a little and shook her head while Maria rolled her eyes. She recognized the look in the younger McMahon's eyes. "I would love to challenge Melina," she replied, "but not if I have to sleep with you to do it. I'll earn my spot, thank you. Come on, Maria."

Shane watched as the two divas walked away from him, his jaw set tightly. They put their bags in the backseat before Maria climbed in behind the wheel and Mickie got in the passenger seat next to her. Then, he growled quietly with frustration when Mickie waved at him and laughed before Maria started the car and drove out of the parking lot, leaving all thoughts of him behind.

Chris picked up his soda and sandwich and sat down at the table across from John. "Thanks for lunch, Man," he said, taking a sip of the drink.

"Sure, thanks for joining me," John replied with a smile. "Mickie went to work out with Maria. I'm sure they'll eat too. They usually do."

"Probably," Chris agreed. "So, you're moving to Smackdown soon, huh?"

John nodded, taking a quick bite of his sandwich before continuing. "Yeah. Since Mike is going to be moved to Raw during the draft to break up our tag team, they thought it'd be a good idea to move me too sometime after that."

Chris smiled slightly. "Well, that should be a good change for you, though," he said. "Fresh start."

John returned it. "Should be."

Then, they both looked up when two people entered the hotel's cafe, watching as Melina sat at a table near the door. Close behind her was Shane McMahon.

"Look like he's been bugging all the divas lately," Chris muttered, taking a sip of his soda.

"What do you mean?" John wondered, noticing the slightly annoyed look on Melina's face.

"He was talking to Mickie last night as she was leaving the arena when I ran into her," Chris told him. "Also saw him sitting close to the karaoke stage at the bar when we were up there." He paused. "She didn't tell you?"

John slowly turned to look back at Chris. "No, she didn't mention it," he replied. "Must not have been too important."

Chris didn't say anything for a minute, watching Shane and Melina carefully. He remembered how uneasy Mickie had looked when he had found her talking to the younger McMahon at the arena and how distracted she had been when he showed up at the bar. He didn't know what Shane had been talking to her about, but he felt it was more important than she was letting on.

But, he forced a small smile on his face as he looked back at his friend. "No, must not have been."

Mickie pushed open the door of her and John's hotel room after the workout and lunch with Maria, smiling when she saw John lying on the bed with his nose buried in a book. "Hey, hun," she said, walking further into the room and setting her bag on the floor before lying next to him on the bed.

John glanced at her before marking the page in his book and shutting it. "Hey," he replied, wrapping an arm around her. "Have fun with Maria?"

"Yeah, we had a good time," Mickie muttered, closing her eyes as she rested her head on John's chest. "It'll be nice to have a night off, though."

"For you, anyway. I've still got that house show." John smiled down at his girlfriend, but then it wavered. "Hey, Mickie. While Chris and I were having lunch today, we noticed Shane McMahon talking to Melina. I guess he's been doing that with a lot of the divas... Has he talked to you at all?"

Mickie felt her body tense slightly. "Um... I've bumped into him a couple times," she told him. "Why? Does it matter?"

John was a bit surprised by her sudden colder tone. "No, I guess it doesn't..." he said quietly. "I was just wondering since Chris mentioned-!"

"What did he say?" Mickie asked, propping herself up on one arm to look at John better.

"He said Shane was talking to you last night at the arena and was there at the bar," John answered, starting to get a bit frustrated as he sat up. "Mickie, I don't know what the hell is going on, but I wish you would just talk to me! That's what I'm here for. What's going on with Shane?"

"It's not a big deal, John," Mickie told him. "Nothing I can't take care of."

John looked at her for a long moment, trying to think of what he could say to her, but then he glanced behind him at the glowing green numbers of the electric clock. "I've got to head to the arena," he muttered, getting off the bed and grabbing his bag. "I'll see you after the show."

Mickie watched John as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall before shutting the door behind him with a little more force than necessary. She sighed, sitting up on the bed and running her hand through her hair. A year after the affair she had with Shane, she still found herself in a steady relationship she finally felt happy with in John.

Why did he have to come back into her life and threaten what she had?

Chris sighed as he entered the hotel after the house show, stifling a yawn as he walked across the lobby. John had invited him to go out with him, Mike, and some others, but he wasn't feeling up to it. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the muscles were tightening a bit under his fingers. Some loosening up would do him good, but being in the loud, busy atmosphere of the club the rest of the guys were going to didn't appeal to him.

But as he passed the hotel's bar, Chris paused when he saw Mickie sitting at the counter, a beer in front of her. Her expression was downcast, her eyes lightly red-rimmed as she took another sip of the nearly empty mug. Sighing, he slowly entered the bar, coughing a little as he brushed aside the lingering thin smoke from a couple cigarettes and made his way past a few tables before sitting in the stool next to his best friend.

"Everything okay, Mick?" Chris asked, raising his voice a little to be heard over the laughing drunk men around them and the music playing in the background.

Mickie slowly looked over at him, a small smile appearing on her face. "Hey, Chris," she answered, leaning over and giving him a quick hug. "Nice of you to join me. Here. I'll get you a drink."

Chris bit his bottom lip, able to tell Mickie had already had a couple drinks. "Uh, Mick, I don't know if I-!"

"Nonsense!" Mickie interrupted, signaling to the bartender. "Hey, can I have another one for my friend here?"

"What are you doing here, Mick?" Chris pressed, placing his hand on her arm when she turned her attention back to him. "You usually don't drink like this..."

Mickie laughed a little. "Why does something have to be wrong?" she wondered. "I can't just have a little fun sometimes?"

Chris sighed as the bartender set a beer in front of him. "No, you can," he muttered, taking a sip. "But usually, this wouldn't be a fun activity for you. "What's gotten into you, girl?"

"Well..." Mickie's face darkened a little as she thought about what had happened between her and John before he had left for the house show. She wouldn't have called it an argument since they hadn't raised their voices and he was just concerned, so that's not what she was dreading. It was the younger McMahon who was at the center of all her worries.

But Mickie forced a smile on her face instead as she met Chris' gaze. "Why focus on the negative?"

"Because I'm willing to bet that negative is why you're here," Chris said quietly, taking another long sip of his beer when the muscles in his neck started to hurt a little again. "Look Mick. If this has anything to do with Shane McMahon of if he's said anything to you..."

His sentence trailed off when Mickie leaned a little closer to him. "Chris, you're my best friend, and you know I love you," she replied. "I appreciate your concern and wanting to look after me, but don't worry about Shane. I can handle him. So what if he's been talking to me? John said he's been talking to a lot of divas! So what?"

Chris couldn't think of anything to say in response, so he took another long drink of his beer. Mickie clearly wasn't in the mood to talk, so he saw no point in trying to make her. "I'm just a bit worried about you, Mick," he whispered.

But his words went unheard as Mickie gave him a broad smile. "Let's just have a little fun, huh?" she asked, raising her beer mug. Sighing, Chris raised his own and clinked it against hers.

As time and drinks wore on, Chris and Mickie found themselves laughing a lot more as they shared stories from when she had first joined the WWE and how their friendship had developed over the years.

"It seems like such a long time ago that you joined the company," Chris muttered, finishing off his drink. Like Mickie, he had now had a few of his own.

"Yeah, but it's been a great time," Mickie told him. Then, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You know... It's really nice that you've always been there for me... Tonight too. Thanks, Chris."

Chris smiled. "Of course. That's what best friends are for, right?"

"True." Then, Mickie sighed as she started to push herself to her feet. "I think I'm going to head back to my room... Wait for John..."

"Here, let me help." Chris got to his feet when she wavered a little bit and put one arm behind her back, using his other to pull her arm around his neck. "Just to make sure you get to your room safely."

Mickie smiled at him. "You've had quiet a bit yourself, don't forget," she replied, her words slurring slightly.

Chris shrugged. "I think I can do this," he told her.

"Well, all right then!" Mickie laughed a little as they both began to walk out of the bar. "Thanks for the hand!"

"Anytime."

The pair then crossed the lobby and made their way up the stairs, Mickie leaning on Chris until they got up to their floor. They stopped in front of her and John's room, Mickie fumbling with the key for a moment before unlocking the door. Chris then helped her into the room, and they both laughed when they collapsed on the bed.

"Tonight was fun," Chris said, propping himself up on his arms. "Glad I came back here instead of going out with the guys."

"And I'm glad you joined me. I needed some best friend time," Mickie added. "Oh, speaking of which..." She sat up a little as she reached over and picked up her phone from the small table beside the bed, seeing she had a text message. "John... He won't be back until late. Don't wait up..."

"Does he do that a lot?" Chris asked.

"No." Mickie shook her head as she set the phone back down. "Usually I'm with him... but I had the night off and he didn't. Oh, well. Had a blast with you tonight, Chris!" She smiled as she leaned forward, kissing his cheek.

Chris watched as she started to pull away, but then, she stopped. He looked into her eyes for a long moment, starting to wonder if having as many drinks as they did had been a good idea. "Mickie..."

But his sentence was cut off when Mickie slowly leaned toward him and caught his lips in a soft kiss, pulling him closer.

Shane McMahon watched from a chair by the door of the lobby as Chris helped Mickie out of the bar, both appearing as though they had been drinking, as he waited for them to get a good way up the stairs before getting to his feet and casually walking after them. He made it up to the next floor, sneaking a glance around the corner as the pair entered Mickie's room. His eyes narrowed slightly as they shut the door behind them, and he looked down as he started to make his way back down the stairs.

What she and Chris were doing together, he wasn't sure. But what he did know was it couldn't have been a good thing.

Author's Note: That's it for that one! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!