Credits to Kendra151!


The next day in the afternoon, Mark glanced at his watch, then up to the windows of Jade´s apartment as if he could find out that way what was taking her so long. She had told him that she would be ready and waiting for him to pick her up before.

He fumbled his cell out of his pocket and called her but she didn´t answer the call. More startled than disgruntled, he got off the bike to have a look.

The moment he entered the hallway to her apartment, he noticed loud voices arguing. He had made it just halfway down the hall to her door when the door suddenly opened.

„Jus´ get the hell out of here!" Jade barked at someone.

„Why are you so tense ?" a male voice asked. „Is your new boy not doing a proper job on you ?"

„I said get out!"

Her former boyfriend walked over to her and unexpectedly wrenched her cell out of her hand. He flipped it open, evading her when she tried to get it back.

„Why don´t we send him a little message ? Will be fun, come on! What did you say is his name ?"

„Gavin, stop! Gimme the cell back!"

„Wow, now you´re gettin´ all upset, huh ? Let me see, why don´t we tell him that you don´t wanna see him tonight ? You could spend the evening with me instead..."

„Gimme the damn cell back!" she flipped.

Mark put one hand against the door and shoved it open, stepping into the room.

„Won´t be necessary to send the boy a message", he commented drily.

Jade turned to him, obviously upset, while her ex-boyfriend stood stunned for a moment.

„You´re alright ?" Mark addressed Jade.

She took advantage of Gavin´s temporary bafflement and wrenched her cell out of his hand.

„Yeah", she answered Mark belatedly, taking a step backwards to bring some room between Gavin and herself.

She noticed Gavin staring at Mark while Mark himself had kept his eyes on her. Satisfied to see that she seemed unharmed, he turned to face Gavin.

„´s there a problem here ?" he asked, eyeing up the younger man. The punk was taller than he had expected him to be, lanky, with a very pale boyish face and greasy light hair. Besides the chill air inside the apartment, he was sweating. It was obvious that he hadn´t expected Jade´s boyfriend to be of that particular height and built.

„At which truckstop dragged you this ugly specimen up ?" Gavin asked Jade. „Can he even spell his name ?"

Jade paled at Gavin´s words. In all the years, she had only once witnessed an outbreak of temper on Mark´s side and things had very quickly become scary enough for all the people present back then. To her relief, Mark looked quite indifferent for the moment.

„Go", she only demanded.

„Now you´re feeling pretty strong, huh ?" Gavin shot back angrily.

Mark kept his nerves, waiting for Gavin to take action. If the guy was only half as smart as Jade believed him to be, than there was no need to point out to him that he was on the losing side here.

„You heard her, didn´t you ?" Mark only finally said when Gavin didn´t move.

Gavin glared at him, but didn´t answer. He walked past Jade and grabbed his backpack and jacket. Mark took a step aside to let him pass on his way out, but then something caught his eye.

„Wait a second!" he demanded, putting a large hand to Gavin´s shoulder.

„What ?!" the younger one snarled, jumping slightly.

Mark reached with his free hand for the laptop that was half-hidden under Gavin´s jacket, recognizing the WWE sticker on the case.

„Ain´t that yours ?" he asked Jade whose jaw dropped at the sight of her laptop.

She nodded.

Mark dropped the hand he had held Gavin up with, never taking his eyes from him. He waited until the guy had made it around the corner and, from the sounds, down the stairs. Then he slammed the apartment´s door shut. Where it hadn´t been a problem with the freak around, he had now a hard time to keep his temper down.

„Say what you wanna say, Mark", Jade demanded quietly. „I can take it."

He was again surprised how easy it obviously was for her to read him.

„What the hell was he doing here again ?" he asked, clearly disgruntled.

„He asked me for money", Jade answered quietly. „Like usual."

„Did you give him money ?"

She smiled tiredly.

„No."

„Why the hell would he want to steal your laptop ?"

He handed it back to her. The thing had seen better times and Mark wondered how desperate that guy had to be to try and steal it if he wasn´t after any data stored on it.

„I have no idea", Jade muttered.

Still annoyed, he pulled her closer to kiss her.

„I would really prefer if you wouldn´t let this guy into your apartment", he told her afterwards.

Jade smiled weakly at his carefully chosen words, appreciating his efforts not to shout bloody murder at her at once. But Mark didn´t make it the whole way anyway.

„How the hell did he even get in here ?" he asked angrily. „Don´t tell me you invited him in!"

Jade frowned.

„Believe it or not, he knocked and I opened the door."

Mark raised one hand to stop her from giving him any further explanations before she could go on.

Why ?"

She shook her head.

„Cause I thought it was you !"

Mark scratched his bearded jaw in a gesture of annoyance she had seen many times before. It was obviously a gesture not only reserved for the Undertaker.

„Come on", she mumbled, trying her best to hide her own anxiety about Gavin´s visit. „I don´t wanna let this ruin our day, alright ? Just let´s get going!"

„I wasn´t done!" Mark said, putting his hands to his sides.

Jade pressed her lips together for a moment.

„Well, tell me then!" she encouraged him after a moment. He could tell that she wasn´t fazed in any way. He couldn´t deny that a part of him liked that fact, even if he was slightly mad at her right now.

„You know, I hate the idea of you living at this place!" he said. „I told you that before!"

„Yeah, like about a dozen times", she retorted.

„Are you aware that if this guy is ever going to freak out or bring some freaky friends, that you´ll be damn alone out here ?"

Jade raised her hands, waving his words aside.

„Alright - that´s enough!" she stated firmly. „I am as save here as anywhere else and he´s no threat to me, alright ? What do you want me to do ? Move in with you after three weeks ? Besides, I have just moved three months ago! I am tired of it!"

„Well, you should think about moving nevertheless, you know, not only because of your freaky ex-boyfriend, but because this is no place for you to live! Regarding him, moving

to get rid of him doesn´t seem to work anyway - you´ll have to think of something else, I guess!"

„Like what ?" she asked angrily.

„Like calling the police, for example."

„What for ? That´s pointless! He hasn´t threatened me and I cleaned up the mess he left the last time!"

„Why is he in such a need for your money ?" Mark inquired.

Jade sighed.

„I told you, he´s lost his job in New York and it seems that he hasn´t found another one so far."

„What is he on ?" Mark asked.

Jade frowned, hesitating, while Mark waited for her to answer the question.

„Don´t even think of playing dumb, girl, I´m not buying it. What is he on ? Meth ?"

Jade averted her eyes for a moment, sighing.

„I don´t know. Honestly, I have no idea."

So she had realized it.

„Darlin´, I don´t wanna scare you, but that guy could lose control any time, especially if he can´t afford the drugs. If he needs a fix, he´s not gonna give a damn about how long you two have been knowing each other. You know that, don´t you ?"

„You don´t wanna scare me, huh ?" she asked.

He reached out to brush a strand of dark hair out of her face.

„I take it that he already is acting quite irrational, ain´t he ? Even if he won´t probably do something to you, what if he decides one day not only to come here to steal your money, but to bring some friends ? You´re seriously underestimating this situation !"

„And what makes you an expert ?" she inquired, getting unnerved.

„I lost two friends thanks to some shit they had gotten addicted two and I watched some more slowly getting wrecked by all kinds of shit they were taking!"

„What do you want me to do ?" she asked, despair ringing through her voice. „I can´t rat him out to the cops, Mark! I´ve known this guy from the cradle!"

Mark put his head back for a moment, sighing heavily, cursing her privately for her loyalty to that freak, even more as he could understand her reasoning at least partly.

„Have you ever done that ?" she demanded to know.

„No", he answered honestly.

„Didn´t think so!" she muttered.

„Well, you have to admit that your situation here is slightly different, no !?" he argued. „Did you tried to talk to him about the drug thing ?"

She nodded.

„Yeah. He only shouted at me."

„Surprise! But it´s what he needs the money for, ain´t it ?"

She nodded again, looking suddenly very tired.

„I think so."

Jade sighed.

„Look, I´ll think of something, okay ? I´m gonna do something. But the last thing I want right now is getting into a fight with you! I´d just like to go to this gig and have some fun, alright ? It has been a damn long week and we have a damn long week to come and I just want some to spend some time with you now and forget about this for some hours."

Mark grunted lowly. He was not contented with the outcome of their discussion, but was as unwilling as she was to let it ruin the rest of their time off. And at that point, it seemed fruitless to discuss the matter any further.

„So, you´re ready to go then ?" he asked somewhat abruptly.

She nodded.

„Yeah."

He took his time to eye her up for a moment. She was wearing baggy blue camo trousers to heavy boots and a dark tight-fitting shirt with the classic Metallica logo across her chest. With the mass of long dark hair falling for once unrestrained over her shoulders and the light make-up she had put on, she looked amazing. Still, he couldn´t withstand the temptation.

„You´re sure ?"

„Yeah", she answered uncomfortably. „Why ?"

„Well, you might still have to change or getting your make-up done or somethin´... „

Jade frowned.

„You said we were going to take the bike ", she said, looking down at herself. „And that it´s an open air thing, so..."

He could literally see the wheels spinning inside her head by now and regretted that he had teased her right in this moment.

„It´s alright", he interrupted her, smirking. „I´m sorry."

She looked everything else than convinced.

His smirk changed into an open grin.

„J., it´s alright! I shouldn´t have teased you. You look great, baby."

She still looked doubtful.

„Come on! I was just joking, okay ?"

„You have a weird sense of humor, you know", she complained lowly.

„And you shouldn´t let it get to you that easily if someone´s talking crap."

He bent forward to kiss her.

You look amazing", he mumbled, letting his forehead resting against hers for a moment, emphasizing his words with another kiss.

„Couldn´t find another rocker girl looking any hotter than you in the whole damn city", he added.

Jade took a step backwards, glancing doubtfully at him.

„Good Lord!" she muttered.

„What ?" he asked innocently.

„I´m just gonna take that as a compliment, even if it´s been a backhanded one!"

He grinned.

„It wasn´t meant to be backhanded", he argued, keeping a straight face.

„Oh really !?" she inquired, making him contentedly find that her defiance was back.

„If it was such a bad compliment", he contered,"then why are you blushing ?"

To his amuse, her blush only deepened while she was staring up to him. But she wasn´t willing to give up that easily.

„I guess I see now why they never made Taker get involved with a diva or something", she said. „You´re better off with the badass thing, so much´s clear!"

She grabbed her jacket.

„Now, are we going or what ?"

„Do you always have to have the last word ?" he asked.

She only smiled.

„Someone should really put you in your place, girl!"

„And that someone´s you ?" she asked, trying to slip past him, only to end up with her feet her back pinned against the doorframe.

„Problem with that ?" he inquired.

She put a rueful expression on, glancing coyly up to him. He had to admit that she played the role very well. Then she put her head back, clearly begging for a kiss. He didn´t lose much time to oblige her.

„Not at all", she answered his question after that.

He raised one eyebrow, wondering if that tame answer had been everything she had had ready for him.

„That´s all ?" he inquired.

Her smile broadened.

„Can´t await to see you trying", she whispered with a shrug.