*Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated thank you.

*You know who I own.

"Alex, I'm fine," said Dave as he lay on the ground.

"But you're bleeding," she said.

"I'm fine. It's nothing. It's just a little blood. Those assholes will get theirs eventually," he said as he sat up. He touched his head and felt the blood. He looked at his hand and wiped it off on his jeans.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I don't want to go, Alex. I'll get that asshole Dr. Ciccone and then I'll want to rip his face off. I'll be fine. It's just a little cut. Let's go back to the apartment," he said trying to stand up. He stumbled a little bit. His eye was swollen because Tony got a couple hits in and hit his eye. He also had a bloody lip. His injuries were nothing compared to Tony's. Tony still laid motionless on the ground before Chris and Brian picked him up and took him to his father for medical treatment. Dave finally got up off the ground with Alex's help. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they walked back to the apartment.

When they got inside the apartment Alex said, "Dave, sit down. Let me take care of the cuts for you."

"Okay," he said sitting down at the table. Alex walked into the bathroom and got peroxide, Neosporin, gauze, Q-tips and band-aides. She came back out with the supplies. "What are you going to do?" asked Dave.

"I'm going to clean your cuts up."

"Don't hurt me please," said Dave.

"Don't tell me you're scared of a little girl cleaning out your cuts," she responded.

"I'm not. I just don't want it to hurt."

"Don't you get cuts all the time in ring?"

"Yeah," said Dave.

"This is nothing different. Just sit still you have so much blood coming out of that cut on your head." She got a wash cloth from the bathroom and wet it with water. She took it to his forehead. The blood was still pouring out of his head and it was getting all over Alex. She held the wash cloth on his head for about 5 minutes hoping that it would slow down the bleeding.

"I'm sorry, Alex. You have my blood all over you," said Dave.

"It's fine. I'm not scared of a little blood," she said still holding the wash cloth on his cut. When she took it off there was a lot less blood because it had helped slow down the bleeding. She took the peroxide and poured some on the gauze. She took the piece of gauze and put it on his cut. "It might burn a little bit okay?"

"It burns," said Dave.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Just sit still," she said as she blew on his cut. "Better?"

"Yes, Baby," he said. She dried up the cut and put Neosporin on it. Then she took a band-aide and put it on his forehead. "Thank-you," he said.

"You're welcome. Now let me look at your lip," she said. She took the wash cloth to his lip to clear up some of the blood. When she was finished she took a Q-tip and put some peroxide on it. She took the Q-tip and put it to his lip. When she was finished she walked over to the freezer and got out a couple ice cubes and put them in a bag. She wrapped a paper towel over the bag and handed it to Dave and said, "Put this on your lip. It will help the swelling."

Dave put the ice on his lip while Alex got some more ice cubes out of the freezer and put them in a bigger bag. She wrapped that bag in a dish towel and gave it to Dave to put on his eye. He had ice on his eye and on his lip. "Thank-you," he said, "Where did you learn to do this medical stuff?"

"I used to watch my mom fix my brothers up all the time and not to mention all the injuries I had. She taught me a thing or two about taking care of cuts, scrapes and bruises."

"I see," he said looking at her jeans that had his blood on them. "Again, I am sorry for getting blood on you."

"It's all right, Dave. It's not a big deal. I'm just really sorry," she said sitting down at the table across from him.

"For what?"

"Everything. This is all my fault. You wouldn't have those cuts or bruises if it wasn't for me. I'm poison. You should probably get away from me before you get hurt worse," she said.

"Alex, you are not poison. I'm not going to leave you because a couple assholes beat me up. They were cowards. They jumped me from behind. None of this is your fault. I chose to go fight Tony so it was my choice. Do not blame yourself," he said.

"It's still my fault. I am the reason you fought Tony," she said.

"Alex, seriously stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. Just because I got jumped and have a few cuts and a few bruises doesn't mean I love you any less. I told you I wasn't going anywhere and I meant it. I love you, Alex. I don't care what I have to go through to keep you in my life but I'm going to do it," he said.

"I love you too, Dave," she said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he answered.

"You told me you were married twice but they didn't work out. You told me about your second marriage but what happened with your first marriage?"

"That marriage was a sham to begin with. I only married her because she got pregnant. I don't know it seemed like a good idea at the time but the more I have thought about it makes it look like a bad idea. I've learned that if you knock someone up marriage isn't the answer. She's just a really hateful person and likes to hurt people. I don't know why I stuck around so long but I did. She's just a negative person and I couldn't be around the negativity all the time. She's the mother of my children and those kids are the only good thing that came out of that marriage. Other than that it was a piece of crap marriage and a relationship. I only keep contact with her so I can see my girls."

"I see. How are your girls doing?" asked Alex.

"They're doing good. I talked to my mom today. She's keeping them while I'm up here but I'm going back down tomorrow to see them. They're going to have tons of questions as to why I have cuts and bruises."

"Are you going to have them for Christmas?"

"I won't have them Christmas morning but I will have them Christmas night until New Year's Eve Day."

"Do they know about me yet?"

"Not yet. I was going to tell them about you today but I'm here so I'll tell them when I go back down there. They're good kids though. You'll like them when you meet them."

"I'm scared they're going to hate me," said Alex.

"Hey, they're not going to hate you. Trust me I don't just let any woman meet my kids. I have to be serious about her before she meets them. So it's not like they meet a lot of different women. They're very sweet kids. I think the only other woman besides you that I've let them meet is Angie and we ended up getting married."

"Oh," said Alex.

"So are you ready for the semester to end and ready to travel with me?"

"I can't wait! I'm excited to have that whole month with you. Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes. A lot of other guys bring their girlfriends, fiancées or wives with them on the road. So it is fine that you go on the road with me. Plus it gives me companionship and I don't have to miss you so much because you'll be with me."

"I hate being away from you. It really sucks. I never knew it would be so hard missing someone. It literally hurts me every time you're away. I just feel like a piece of me is missing."

"I feel the same way every time I'm on the road. I miss you like hell when I'm gone and I always feel like a piece of me is missing," he said.

"What is it like traveling on the road?"

"It's all right. It gets kind of boring sometimes. We go to one city one day and the next day we leave for the next. I'm glad they have the brand extension now because it cuts my travel down. I only have to travel Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It's a busy 4 days. Sometimes after one show we have to drive right away to the next city before we even sleep. It's tough. Then we have our fun nights when we go out after shows. No matter where we are we take time to work out. Sometimes we have to speed through a work out to get everything that needs to be done in a day. I do have to warn you though since I just won the championship on Sunday my schedule is going to be busier. I have appearances and autograph signings most of the time you're traveling with me. You're more than welcome to come with me to the signings and appearances but they last a while. My signings are about 2 hours long so it's up to you. The best part of traveling though is riding in the car. I always ride with Randy and John. It's just us three we have a pretty good time. A lot of funny shit goes down especially when we let Randy drive. We have fun but it's a busy time," he said.

"Wow. It sounds interesting," she said.

"You'll have fun. I'm going to try my hardest to have a few dates in between appearances, shows and signings. I don't want you to feel neglected. And I feel bad because you don't get to go to Iraq with us because you'll still be in school. Now that is a fun trip. It always is. I love going there and putting a smile on the men and women fighting for our country. It's just a really fun show."

"So how often are we going to see each other while we're traveling?"

"I don't know. Hopefully enough. It all depends on my schedule."

"Oh," she said. She didn't want to travel with him and end up in the hotel by herself while he was out doing promotions, appearances and signings. She had a feeling that since he was the champion they were going to see each other less and less. She wasn't sure if she could handle that or not. She was going to try to make it work but she had no idea what she was getting herself into getting involved with a wrestler.

"Alex, don't worry. I will make enough time to be with you and we're going to a lot of fun together. Okay?" He said putting his ice down and taking her hand.

"Okay," she said.

A couple days later Dave left to go back to D.C. to spend time with Keilani and Athena. When he arrived home he walked into the house and put his stuff down. "I'm home," he said.

"DAD!" said Athena as she hugged her dad. "Where were you?"

"I was at a friend's house. She was having some trouble so I helped her out."

"Is it a girlfriend?" she asked.

"Yes. She's my girlfriend," he said.

"Oh. What's her name?"

"Alexandra but everyone calls her Alex. She's a very nice person. Where's Keilani?"

"In her room," answered Athena.

"Can you go get her? I want to talk to both of you about something," he said.

"Okay, Dad," she said as she went upstairs to get her sister.

Dave walked into the living room and saw his mom reading a book. "Hey, Mom."

"Hey, Dave. How was your trip?"

"It was good."

"How's Alex?" she asked with concern.

"She was pretty banged up. Mom, I have never seen so many bruises in my life. He did a number on her. Her entire back was covered in welts and bruises. It was horrible. Her face was swollen and purple. I never thought a man could put his hands on a woman like that but I guess I was wrong. You should have seen her. It was tough," he said.

"Did she call the police?"

"She's not going to. She doesn't want them involved. She said things will get worse if she does and if he did that to her without police involvement I don't even want to know what he would do to her if she called the police on him. You do know she thought she was pregnant right?"

"You might have mentioned that," she said. "So is she pregnant?"

"No. It was just a scare. She's relieved. She doesn't want to have kids. She did tell me that the doctor which is this asshole's dad told her that if she was pregnant he hoped his son killed the little bastard. That's another person that's always f**king with her. He threatened to kill her. I got into a little fight with her ex. I beat him up but then his friends jumped me from behind. Coward asses."

"Dave, let me ask you this. Is Alex really worth all the trouble that you're going to go through to be with her?"

"Mom, she's worth it. I love her. I will fight every day of my life for her if I need to."

"Okay, Dave. She sounds like a wonderful girl and I can't wait to meet her but have you thought about her being around Keilani and Athena?"

"Mom, she knows I have kids and she knows she's going to meet them over Christmas."

"And how does she feel about that?"

"I think she's kind of nervous to tell you the truth. She's scared they're going to hate her."

"Keilani maybe. Athena I don't think so."

"I know. I'm going to have a talk with the girls tonight to tell them about her."

"Just remember your kids are 9 and 11 they're very impressionable. And if you're not serious about her don't bring her here to meet them," said his mom.

"Mom, if I wasn't serious about her I wouldn't let her meet you or the girls. I'm telling you mom. I am going to marry her someday."

"Okay, Dave," she said as the girls walked into the room.

"What did you want to talk about, Dad?" asked Athena.

"Have a seat," he said, "I have to tell you about someone very special in my life."

"Okay, Dad," they said as they took a seat.

"The last two and a half months I have been in a relationship with a woman named Alex. She is a very sweet and caring person."

"Why are you telling us about her dad?" asked Keilani.

"Because when you're here for Christmas she's going to be staying here too. I want you guys to meet her."

"What if we don't want to?" asked Keilani.

"You don't really have much a choice, Lani. She's a big part of my life now just like you two are. If I didn't care about her she wouldn't even be invited to meet you. So I want you to be nice to her when you meet her. Okay?"

"Dad, do I have to?" asked Keilani.

"Yes, you do. You'll like her. She's a great person."

"What if I don't like her?" asked Athena.

"Then you're still going to be nice to her. And when she's here I don't want you playing your tricks on her. Keilani? Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Dad," she said rolling her eyes.

"I mean it."

"Okay, Dad," said Keilani with an attitude.

"Keilani, watch your attitude. That's the stuff I'm talking about right there."

"What stuff?" asked Athena.

"Your attitudes. You guys have an attitude about her already and you haven't even met her."

"I don't have an attitude," said Athena. "I just don't know if I'm going to like her."

"Athena, you'll like her. You two have a lot in common."

"We do?"

"Yes. I think you two are going to get along great."

"Okay, Dad," said Athena.

"And don't do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. She's already nervous enough about meeting you guys. Please don't make it harder on her than it already is. Okay?"

"Okay, Dad," said Athena

"Okay," said Keilani.

"Do you promise?"

"We promise," they said in unison.

"Thank-you," he said.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Athena?"

"What happened to your lip and your head?"

"Nothing. I was just taking care of a little problem Alex was having."

"Oh. Is Alex pretty?" asked Athena.

"She's very pretty. At least I think she's pretty. In fact she's beautiful."

"Cool," said Athena. "Is she going to be our step mom someday?"

"Possibly. Most likely," said Dave.

"Dad, are we done?"

"Yes, Lani, we're done. But remember what I said."

"I know. I know. Be nice to Alex. And don't make her feel uncomfortable. I get it Dad. Now can I go back up to my room?"

"Go ahead but I am telling you to lose that attitude or you're going to be punished."

"Okay, Dad," she said getting up and going upstairs.

"Athena, what's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. She's upset. She wants to go back to Mom's"

"Dave, she's heading for her teenage years. She's going to be like this for a while."

"Great," said Dave. "I'm looking forward to that."

"Those are the fun years. The baby days are fun too but nothing tops the teenage years. When they're babies they can't talk they're just temperamental but when they're teenagers they have attitudes and tons of emotions. You're going to have so much fun with two teenage girls," said Donna.

"I bet but maybe they won't be as bad as you're predicting," said Dave.

"Just wait," she said.

The next couple weeks went pretty fast. Dave went to Iraq for the annual Tribute to the Troops tour. While he was over there Alex was studying hardcore for her finals. She was determined to end the semester on a good note. She had no doubt in her mind that she would but she was working her ass off to get A's on all of her finals. Even though Alex loved Dave and loved him being around she was glad he was touring overseas the week of finals because she didn't want to be distracted. She took all four of her finals before Dave came back and finished out the semester. She had to admit she did pretty well after dealing with some of the stuff she was going through. She was excited because she only had one more semester to finish before she graduated to go to law school She registered for all her new classes for Spring and paid the tuition in full. She couldn't wait for it to come and be over with.

A few days after finals Dave came back from Iraq and was helping Alex pack for their month of travel and for Alex to stay in D.C. "So how did you do on your finals?"

"I did pretty well. Psych was the hardest but I'm pretty sure I passed. Speech was so simple. There wasn't even that much to it so I don't know why the professor even wasted his time giving us a final. How was Iraq?"

"It was wonderful. It was better than the last few times I've been there. I wish you could have been there. You would have loved it."

"I bet. I wish I could have been there too but I was dealing with school stuff which I'm almost done with. Only one more semester of this undergraduate stuff and then I get into the real stuff."

"I know. I wanted to ask you something though," he said as he was helping her put clothes in a suitcase.

"Okay."

"I know that when I'm not traveling I'm always here and we're pretty much always together when I'm off the road but I was wondering if after you graduated from school this May if you would like to make this a little more permanent? I don't know what law schools you have been looking at but D.C. has a few good law schools and you could come live in D.C. with me. You could go to school down there. I don't know how you feel about that but I've been thinking I want to make this a little more permanent. I'm not talking marriage yet. Just living together in D.C. would you like to do that?"

"Howard is down there isn't it?"

"That's one of them," said Dave.

"I actually have been looking at Howard but my number one school is Harvard-Law but if you want me to move to D.C. I will look more toward Howard than at Harvard. I wouldn't mind living down in D.C."

"So you'll move in with me?"

"Why not? I love you."

"I love you too," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "We can live at my house but later on we'll look toward moving down south to Florida or something. How about that?"

"I like that," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned down and kissed her. When they pulled away she said, "And I like that."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile.

"You know what I like?"

"What?"

"This," he said as he picked her up and laid her on the bed.

"That's all you ever think about," she said.

"I guess you could say I have a one track mind," he said as he kissed her and soon they were making love.

When they were finished they put their clothes back on and finished packing. When they were done packing Dave took Alex's bags and put them in his car because they were catching an early flight to Texas the next day. Later that night Dave made them dinner. He made chicken parmesan. "Wow, I had no idea you knew how to cook," said Alex.

"Yeah, my mom taught me to cook. It's actually a secret passion that I have. I love to cook."

"Well, this is really good," she said.

"Thank-you. And don't tell any of the guys about my cooking passion. I don't need them ribbing me about it. Can you imagine what they would say about a big guy that's supposed to be some type of animal but he likes to cook. I'm actually a very sensitive guy that's very in touch with his feminine side. A lot of people have speculated I am gay because of the way I dress. I am far from gay. I just prefer to dress well. I know how to dress and I'm not afraid to show it."

"Well, we all know you're not gay. I mean especially me. I don't understand why people worry so much about your personal life."

"I don't know either. I guess it just interests them. It's fun when I hear rumors about myself that couldn't be any further from the truth."

"I bet."

"It just seems a lot of people have stuff to say about me whether it's true or not. Sometimes I just have that attitude where if people are going to talk about me I mines well give them something to talk about but most of the time I just don't give a shit. People are going to think what they want to think about you and there's nothing you can do to change their minds. So it's not worth making a big deal over it. Steroids are a big controversy with me. A lot of people say I do them or have done them. That couldn't be farther from the truth. I have never touched steroids yet if I tell someone that they don't want to believe it. That does piss me off though because steroids are some dangerous shit. If I did steroids I highly doubt I would still be with WWE because I would have failed numerous drug tests and been against the wellness policy but then that takes us back to people are going to believe what they want to believe so there's no point in making an issue about it. They just see me as this big guy so they automatically think I did steroids when I actually worked my ass off to get this size by working out and lifting weights. Just wait until we're farther in our relationship. People will start making up lies about us just to get some type of sick satisfaction. It's really pathetic when you think about it."

"It is pathetic."

"And I am going to warn you now a lot of women out there are going to hate you. They're going to be so jealous that you're with me that they're going to hate you whether they know you or not. A lot of people are going to call you a slut, a whore, ugly and all that stuff because they're pissed I fell for you and not for them."

"I don't care. Bitches can call me what they want. If they're that upset that I'm with you they clearly have no lives so it's not a big deal to me. Jealousy is ugly."

"See this is why I love you. You can be so sweet but you don't let people walk all over you and you tell it like it is. You're awesome."

"Thank-you," she said with a smile.

The next day Dave's phone went off at 4:00 in the morning to wake them up. Alex groaned and didn't want to get up. Alex was one of those people that loved to sleep in when she didn't have to be at school. If she could she would sleep until 12 in the afternoon. She wasn't a morning person that was for sure. "Alex, come on. You have to get up. We have to go to Texas for the house show tonight."

"I don't want to get up. It's so early."

"Come on. You can sleep on the plane."

"Fine," she said throwing the covers off of her and getting out of bed. She went into the bathroom to wash her face and hands. She walked out to the kitchen to get a quick drink and then went to get dressed. Dave was already dressed and ready to go. "What the hell, Dave? You're like speedy Gonzales. I haven't even gotten dressed yet."

"I'm used to this. I get early flights all the time."

"Oh," she said getting out a t-shirt and a hoodie. She pulled out a sweatpants and put them on. If she was going to fly on a plane she was going to be comfortable. She threw her hair in messy bun and went to brush her teeth. When she was finished she and Dave headed to the airport and caught their plane and headed to Texas for the next 4 days.

*A/N: Not a very eventful chapter just more sweetness and focus on Dave's and Alex's relationship. So tell me what you think. Please review. And as always thank you for taking the time to read.