Ryland sighed as she tried to get comfortable on the couch. She tucked her bare feet underneath her, cradling the remote control in her hand. She glanced at her watch and noticed it was a few minutes until nine. It was her second week in Tampa and she was still adjusting to all the changes the new move had brought about. Though it had only been ten days or so, for Ryland already it wasn't what she thought it would be. She loved the beach and it was an added plus to be so close to the water but so far the extremely muggy days had only led to torrential rain storms every day. Shopping had gotten old very quickly and Ryland had found herself bored. Melanie had been under the weather with the flu and Ryland hadn't gotten the chance to make any other friends. And the FCW schedule kept Josh extremely busy. He was gone more often than not, usually leaving early in the mornings and returning late at night. He was enthused about the job and the fact that it was all working out so well made Ryland happy but something was missing.

After a series of shows in surrounding Florida cities, the FCW had taped its Thursday night episode for local TV in the heart of Tampa. Josh had promised to be home early, even make it for dinner but as the hours grew later, he still hadn't returned. The homemade pot roast and apple pie she had worked so carefully to prepare had long grown cold on top of the oven. Trained as a classical musician, Ryland had even taken a few minutes to play around on the gorgeous Baby Grand piano Ted Sr. had made sure was included in the waterfront property but even that had not been able to capture her attention for long. When nine o' clock rolled around, she had remembered to watch the FCW programming. Ryland hadn't watched wrestling in years. Seeing matches again brought back fond memories. She remembered the days when The Million Dollar Man ruled the sports entertainment universe. Now he was the mastermind behind it all, carefully pupeteering behind the scenes. She sat through the whole card trying to get familiar with this new sea of talented faces. The storylines were still filled with drama pitting babyfaces against the heels. It was interesting enough but the main event was what really got her attention.

He sauntered to the ring with the swag that had embodied his father. Ted DiBiase Jr. was a true bad guy. He smirked at and taunted the audience. As lost as she had seen him in real life, in character he seemed to be in his element. He was a natural as wrestling was in his blood. The facial scruff had been manicured and the bags had disappeared from underneath his eyes. His tan was smooth and even, accentuating every muscle in his ripped body. And just as The Million Dollar Man had had his sideckick in the trusty man servant, Virgil, Ted Jr. had his own accomplice. She was leggy and tan and blonde, marching to the ring with an undeniable air of confidence that oozed off her svelte body. Female valets went hand in hand with professional wrestling but there was something about the woman the ring annoucer introduced as Maryse. She was gorgeous and she and Ted seemed to have a strong almost tangible chemistry between them.

Ryland couldn't take her eyes off of Ted's match. He was facing Wes Brisco, the son of legend and Hall of Famer, Gerry Brisco, one half of The Brisco Brothers. The two men worked well together, matching each other spot for spot. The fans were into it, cheering for the good guy Brisco and jeering his dastardly foe, the heel DiBiase. In the end, after some help from Maryse distracting referee Tony Smith, Ted had devastated his opponent with his classic finisher Dream Street. Adding insult to injury, he had kicked and spit at Brisco, taunting his loss. Ryland couldn't help but cringe. Part of being the heel was to play the role of the mean guy but she couldn't help but wonder if he had taken it too far, especially with the spitting. The show went off the air and still there had been no text or call from Josh. Sighing, Ryland stood with the intention to head upstairs to the bedroom but before she knew it, she was sliding her feet inside her sandals. Grabbing the keys on the counter, she walked out to the garage and climbed inside the luxury Lexus sedan.

She wasn't very familiar with her new surroundings but that was the beauty of having a built in GPS. Within 20 minutes, she found herself pulling into the small arena. Front parking was reserved for the fans and the lot was dark and empty. Remembering that staff parked in the back, she pulled the car around and sure enough more than a few vehicles occupied many of the spaces. She searched in vain for the Range Rover driven by her husband or the sporty new Cadillac coupe that Ted Sr. tooled around in. She saw neither but noticed lights in the back portion of the building and what sounded like loud music. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, Ryland parked and climbed out, walking to the nearest entrance. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. She stopped and turned and saw a man, thin but muscular with a full head of dark hair and mesmerizing blue eyes.

"Hi," she said.

"Sorry, no fans allowed. How did you get over here?"

Ryland smiled.

"That's my car. I was looking for someone and I heard noises…"

She continued walking to the door.

"You should really go," he said nervously.

"What's going on in there?" Ryland ignored him.

The man's eyes narrowed.

"I know you. You're that new doctor's wife, Dr. Crafton. You're staying with the DiBiase's."

"I'm Ryland," she extended her hand.

He reluctantly shook it.

"Well, if you're looking for your husband, he's not here. He and the boss left hours ago. My dad is with them."

"Your dad?"

He rolled his eyes.

"I'm a wrestler, too. I take it you don't watch much."

"Sorry."

"Cody Runnels. I wrestle under the name of Cody Rhodes…like my dad."

"Dusty Rhodes is your father?"

Cody nodded.

"Real name Virgil Runnels but yeah, the one and only. He helps out on the Creative team here. He and Ted Sr. are good friends. They go way back."

"I remember watching them but that was a long time ago."

"It's nice to meet you, Ryland."

She nodded.

"If the show is over, what is everyone still doing here? What's going on?"

"Nothing."

Ryland raised one eyebrow.

"Doesn't sound like nothing."

Cody nervously eyed the door.

"Can you keep your mouth shut?" he asked.

"Depends," she folded her arms.

"My dad will kill me if he finds out."

"Finds out what?"

"It gets stressful around here but all the guys and girls…we're pretty tight. Ted Sr. has been working us hard and as you know, a lot of us were recycled back from Smackdown or RAW. We've been working our asses off and sometimes after shows here, after the cleanup and all, well we get together and kick back. You know, play a little musc, have some beers to wind down. It's no big deal."

"So bascially while you're supposed to be responsible and take down the ring and tidy up the arena, you all throw parties behind your father and Ted's backs?"

Cody was speechless as Ryland opened up the door and walked in. She stopped dead in her tracks. A full out fiesta was going on. There were people everywhere and the music was deafening with the liquor flowing plentifully.

"It's not as bad as it looks. This is the only place where we can let loose and blow off some steam. Some of the guys got caught with their pants down, literally so Dad and Ted Sr. don't really like it when we go out to clubs in town. This is supposed to be a secret but yeah it's where the they guys can get messed up, hook up with ring rats, anything they want…in private."

"Wow."

"Look, we're not hurting anybody and I'd really, really appreciate it if you just left right now and didn't mention a word of what you saw to anyone."

Before Ryland could answer, she saw Ted Jr. and Maryse walk through the crowd hand in hand, smiles on their faces, drinks in their hands.

"That's Teddy," she whispered, thinking aloud.

"Yeah, he's one of my best friends and that's Maryse. She used to be a model back in Canada where she's from before she got involved with the WWE. She mostly does valet stuff but she has really been working hard to improve her ring skills."

"I saw them on the TV earlier tonight," Ryland looked intrigued. "They look great together in the ring."

"Yeah. A lot of fans think they're together in real life."

"They're not?" she watched them.

Ted and Maryse stood close, touching and whispering as they laughed. The room was full but it was as if they only had eyes for each other.

"No way. He's married to Kristen."

"Yeah, um, I met her."

Kristen. Ryland had witnessed herself the turmoil of that relationship. Captivated, she couldn't take her eyes off of the beautiful Maryse and the man she had grown up with. Cody relaxed a little bit.

"I hope I don't end up regretting this later but something tells me you're cool and you're not gonna dime me out on this one."

Ryland's social scene was the country club or the women she played tennis with on Wednedays. Even in her college years, the prim and proper brunette had never dared to set foot in such a wild scene. It scared her and enthralled her all at the same time. It was something interesting about its forbidden nature. And the wrestlers with their perfectly tanned and oiled bodies and handsome faces. It was a room of beautiful people doing wild things. Sticking close to Cody,she maneuvered to the front of the action. Cutting them off at the pass, was Ted. He frowned, then scowled at his friend, giving Ryland the once over.

"Man, what is this? What the hell is she doing here?"

"She's cool," Cody shrugged it off. "This is Ryland."

"I know who she is, I just want to know why she is here."

Cody didn't respond and a red faced Ryland looked like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Ted walked away, heading back over to Maryse who was the center of attention.

"Sorry about that, he gets moody sometimes," Cody yelled over the music.

"It's fine."

"Want a drink? We've got Vodka and Jack and beer…what do you like? You probably drink those frozen fruity things with the little straws in them. Sorry, we don't have those."

"I'm fine. I don't really drink but I'm driving tonight and I guess I should go soon…"

Cody nodded.

"That's cool. Want me to walk you out?"

"No thank you. I'll be okay."

"Look…" he began.

"It's okay. Like you said earlier, it's not like anybody is getting hurt. This is none of my business and I really shoudn't be here. Your father would kill you if he found out, well my husband would be none too pleased either. So this is our little secret, Cody. I give you my word that I won't say anything."

"Thanks," he smiled touching her arm. "Well, I have to go. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah…see you."

He disappeared into the crowd and she turned to leave. A fast upbeat song with questionable lyrics blasted inside the room and everyone went crazy. Ryland frowned as there began a mass bump and grind as she was hit in every direction. Hands were up, beer was sloshed and sweaty bodies were rubbing against her. It was like a pornographic hip hop mosh fest and she could see no way out. The physical contact was getting rough and Ryland yelped when she felt a pair of strong hands grab her by the waist. She was guided to safety to a corner away from the madness closest to the exit. Putting her hand over her heart, she let out a deep breath before looking up to see who the knight in shining armor was. To her surprise, it was her childhood friend. Swallowing hard and smoothing a stray piece of dark hair back, Ryland opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. His stare was blank and emotionless and in a flash he was gone. Opening the door, Ryland stumbled out gasping for her air and a taste of reality. Her heart raced and pounded all the way to her car. As she collected herself in the driver's seat, she jumped as she heard her phone ring. It was Josh.

"Everything okay, sweetheart? I had a late meeting with Ted and Virgil that ran over. I was worried when I got here and you weren't home."

"I, I, I needed to go to the market. Um, everything is fine."

"At this late hour?" he questioned.

"I needed…personal items," she closed her eyes, hating that she was lying.

"Oh. Okay. Well hurry home. I miss you and I'm sorry I missed dinner."

"It's okay. I, I'm on my way."

She hung up the phone and closed her eyes before cranking the car. It had been a wild night and for Ryland Crafton, more than enough excitement.