Maddy smiled up at Lyssa as the other women breezed into the hotel room. "So, your night went well."
"Guuuurrrrrl," Lyssa rolled her head and jutted out her hip dramatically before dissolving into giggles beside Maddy on the bed. "If that's what my mate is like now, I'm a little scared of what's going to happen once I go into heat!"
Maddy pressed a kiss to the other woman's dark waves, taking in her new scent which was a lovely mix of her friend and the Irishman. "I'm so happy for you!"
"How was your night? Everything okay?"
Maddy couldn't help the blush that crept over her cheeks. "It went pretty well."
"Oh, ho! What's with the blush?!" Lyssa gripped her hands and wiggled her brows. "Did someone get a taste of all that ink?"
"Oh my gods!" Maddy snorted a laugh. "You are so not right."
"Um, I think we knew that already. So . . . What happened?!"
Maddy shrugged. "He kissed me."
"Was it nice? He a good kisser?"
"It was, and he is." Maddy shrugged and smiled softly.
Lyssa grinned. "Good. Now, let's get dressed and go shopping!"
Maddy agreed, and the two women spent the next hour taking turns in the shower and getting ready for their day of fun before Raw.
A few hours later, while their mates were sharing knowing giggles and conversation around trying on clothes, the men were just finishing their workouts at the local gym. The other men nudged each other knowingly when Finn walked in smelling of his new mate and grinning wildly. A few confused looks were shot at Baron when he continued to give off his usual scent, but no one wanted to question an Alpha about his newly discovered Omega mate.
"Finn! Baron!" Hunter waved them over to where he was preparing a bar for the bench press. "So, I hear congratulations are in order."
Both men nodded and shook his offered hand before he continued.
"I know you're both supposed to be on the show rotation, but I'm going to pull you after tonight until next week's Raw." Seeing their matching frowns, Hunter gave a low chuckle and shook his head. "You're not in trouble. Hell, boys, just because you're made for each other doesn't mean you don't need to get to know them!"
"Um, yeah," Baron nodded. "That sounds great. Thanks!"
"As mates of Superstars, both are absolutely allowed backstage. However, we would appreciate it if, as Omegas, they would not accompany you while in heat." Hunter smiled and sat on the bench before he looked up at both men. "Wouldn't want the others getting too friendly and you two ripping them apart."
After agreeing once again and thanking their boss, Finn returned to spot Sami and Baron went back to his original room to collect his luggage and sort out a rental car. He wanted to take Maddy to her house long enough to collect her most important things and then travel back to Florida. He knew the lay of the land there, was more at ease in his own apartment in the city than most other places, and understood that none of his friends or acquaintances would make advances on his little mate.
Maddy and Lyssa were sharing a late lunch when Maddy's phone began playing an unfamiliar tune and a picture of Baron appeared along with his name. Showing Lyssa, they both rolled their eyes before she pressed the green button to accept the call.
"Hey," Maddy smiled and speared some of the chicken in her salad. "Did you seriously put a song on my phone just for your number?"
Baron grinned, completely unrepentant. "Hell yeah, I did! No way my ringtone is going to be the same as everyone else's."
Resolving to pay him back in kind, Maddy let the subject drop for the moment. "Having a good day so far?"
Baron rumbled a pleased growl at the sound of her voice. "So far. What are you up to?"
"Shopping with Lyssa," Maddy slapped the other woman's hand when she tried to steal a fry. "We're just grabbing lunch now."
"I need to grab a shower and a nap, but do you want to join us for dinner before the show?"
Agreeing, the girls finished lunch and then hit a few more shops before ending up at a boutique where Lyssa found an adorably hot off-the-shoulder dress which she paid for before wearing it for the evening. Maddy selected a red and black tartan patterned dress with thin straps and handkerchief hem. Both women were sporting black boots, though Lyssa's featured a thin, high heel while Maddy's were motorcycle boots with lots of buckles.
Lyssa followed Finn's directions in order to park in the special parking garage attached to Consol Energy Center. Neither woman had ever been privileged enough to park in the covered, multi-layered area – normally reserved for members of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, their staff, and visiting entertainers – and were both excited to see how all the backstage stuff worked. A security guard checked their IDs against a list on a clipboard and handed them lanyards that had been left for them before directing them where to park.
"So, I like the whole not paying to park thing." Lyssa smirked and pressed the button on her keys to lock the car. "I almost feel like locking up is redundant."
Maddy shook her head at her friend and then gestured to the guard standing next to a closed metal door. "After you, your highness."
Lyssa linked her arm with Maddy's and the two women showed their badges. With a nod, they were sent through the door. Soon after, an assistant of some sort wearing a headset and a harried expression rushed up to them with instructions to bring them to catering as soon as they arrived.
It quickly became apparent that their presence was causing a stir. The first indication was when one of the techs dropped a heavy equipment case on his foot as the trio drew near. The sound guy's exclamation of 'holy shit, two Omegas?!' echoed around the arena and had everyone laughing in response. A group of female wrestlers, their hair perfect but their faces clear of any makeup, waved as they passed them on the journey to get dinner before the show later that evening.
Baron nodded to the assistant as he slipped his arm around Maddy's shoulders. "I got it from here."
"Yes sir," the woman nodded and took off like a shot.
Maddy frowned after her, but felt herself smiling as her tall mate pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Do they always move like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like their heads are on fire, and their asses are catchin'." Maddy gave a bit of a start at Baron's eruption of laughter, though she noticed how everyone seemed to jump and stare.
Finn appeared before Baron could answer, however, and slipped his hand around Lyssa's as they walked. The conversation was soon taken over by discussions on the girls' favorite wrestlers. The men were both glad to hear their names included on the lists, though Maddy freely admitted that she hadn't watched wrestling since she was in school, and so felt that her pool of options was somewhat limited.
The quartet soon made it to the area that had been set up with folding tables and rows of plastic chairs. Baron gestured Maddy to a chair, sighing in relief as Finn did the same to Lyssa, before traveling to the buffet tables to fill some plates. It wasn't the wilds, and he was walking on two legs instead of four, but the drive to bring his mate food was the same regardless.
Using the metal tongs, he quickly scooped two chicken breasts and a couple large spoons of steamed vegetables onto his own plate before moving on to preparing one for his mate. Each bit of meat was scanned for imperfections or insufficient seasoning coverage. The salad mix was likewise picked through until the small bowl was filled. Bypassing anything too heavy, he took three different types of dressing so that she might pick her favorite among them. When he placed his findings down in front of her, the smile he received inflated him enough that his chest swelled noticeably.
The lights playing off Maddy's dark curls had him frowning and leaning closer for a better look. What he had thought upon their first meeting to be black curls were in fact drastically different. Oh, there were black locks there, but so much more as well. Deep hunter green and soft emeralds were mixed in with deep midnight blue and different shades of brown. The bits he had thought to be white also contained strands of silver and matte grey. The whole effect was one of a foggy forest at night, and it was stunning.
"Thank you," Maddy unwittingly interrupted his musing.
Shrugging, Baron began cutting his own food. "No problem. Pack's got to eat, right?"
"Yeah," Maddy fought back the memories of her half siblings and father devouring nearly every scrap of food she had prepared until she was left to scrape up the burned or greasy bits stuck to the pans. "So, who do I talk to in order to get one of your shirts?"
"Turns out, I know a guy." Baron chuckled at her giggle, watching as Finn and Lyssa spoke quietly over their own meals. "You look really nice, by the way."
Maddy blushed as she admitted, "I kind of hoped you would like it."
"Well, I definitely do."
"So, how does this work?" Motioning between them with her fork, she continued. "You finish your show, I go home, and then . . . what? We talk on the phone? Skype? Send homing pigeons? Morse Code?"
"Smoke signals, mostly." Baron shook his head. "Actually, I've been given the week off so we can have some time together."
"Is this you inviting yourself to my house?"
"It's me inviting you to hang out with me as much as possible over the next six days before Raw in Bridgeport."
Maddy nodded and nibbled at her salad before smiling once again. "Okay."
"Okay?"
Choosing to ignore her rattling nerves, Maddy instead let the swarm of butterflies in her stomach lead her. "I have waited too long for my mate to half-ass anything right now. I may be scared, but I do want this to work."
"It's okay to be scared, you know." Baron sipped his water and nodded at her half-finished food. "Finish eating, and we'll go get you a shirt. Then, after the show, I'll drive us back to the hotel or to your house. Whichever works for you."
After dinner, the men went to go get ready for their matches and the women posted up in the common viewing area where monitors had been set up for the wrestlers to watch the show. Lyssa was sporting a "Bulletproof Balor Club" shirt, which she had selected in a size that fit her snugly and then had Maddy cut the neck so it followed the line of her dress. Maddy had simply stolen Baron's shirt before he could stop her, smiling at his playfully annoyed growl. Cutting it so that it slid off one shoulder, she stole one of his bootlaces to cinch it in at the waist.
Both women were just enjoying all the pre-show preparations when a tall brunette walked by. She stopped mid step, her hair sweeping over her shoulder as she turned to look at the friends. Her eyes flicked over Maddy's shirt before meeting her eyes with a small, self-satisfied smirk. Without a word, she scoffed and strode away.
"Wow," Lyssa frowned. "Rude."
Maddy shrugged and went back to watching as one of the women in charge of makeup applied eyeshadow to Sasha Bank's flawless skin. "Guess she doesn't want to be friends?"
"Brandy isn't goin' ta be friends. Have ta be human, first." Becky Lynch plopped down beside the two women and held her hand out with a smile. "Becky."
"Lyssa," she shook the Irishwoman's hand and motioned to Maddy. "This is Maddy."
"Aye, I know who ya are! Finn couldn' stop gushin' about ya this mornin'."
Lyssa nodded, "and he's told me so much about you already!"
Maddy and Lyssa sat backstage talking with the various wrestlers until it was time for them to get to their seats, thanking the security member who escorted them after they assured their mates that they would be perfectly fine watching from club level and absolutely did not need to sit backstage waiting for them. Maddy got a kick out of seeing so many little kids with their wrestling t-shirts and signs. There were quite a few creative ones that she pointed out to Lyssa. All the people in the seats around their own were very nice, and no one batted an eye at the two Omegas in their midst. Halfway through the show, Lyssa informed her that she and Finn would be leaving directly after, so Maddy decided she and Baron would wait for the next day since the hotel room wouldn't be refundable at this point.
The show went well, with Finn winning his match and Baron laying waste to everyone in the ring when he lost his, and the two couples returned to the hotel long enough to gather Lyssa's things. Baron had rented a large SUV for the week, claiming that he hated trying to fold his long legs into a sedan. Maddy simply shrugged – being just five feet tall, she didn't share that particular problem – and hugged her friend goodbye.
"So," Baron grinned when he felt her pinky wrap around his own once again. "Ready to call it a night?"
Maddy wrinkled her nose. "I'm kind of hungry, actually."
"Anywhere for eating clean this time of night?" Seeing her disbelieving gaze, Baron raised a brow. "Best place for pancakes, then?"
"Ritter's!" Fully clasping his hand, Maddy attempted to drag him to the garage only to have him stay perfectly still. "Oh, come on!"
The feel of her cool hand tucked securely within his much larger one sent his heart racing. He watched as Maddy attempted to move him again and again. When it looked like she was about to give up in frustration, he bent his elbow just as he stooped down, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Chuckling at her pout, he slowly began to walk down the sidewalk, mindful of Maddy's need to take two steps for each one of his own. Stretching her fingers, she clasped his hand tightly. Bringing their joined hands to his lips, he brushed her knuckles with a chaste kiss.
