DISCLAIMER: As much as it breaks my heart to admit it, I do not own anyone or anything connected to Vince McMahon and his awesomeness. I can only claim property rights of OC.

The next morning Bailey was up well before sunrise. After a quick breakfast of fresh fruit salad she'd taken Louis for a walk. Following a quick shower she got dressed and headed to the French Quarter. She had an 8 o'clock appointment with Councilman Walters. She was hoping this meeting would go much smoother than their last. The last thing she wanted was another run in with the man. As much as it killed her to admit it, she needed his support. Councilman Walters was a man with connections that Bailey needed access to. As long as they remained on friendly terms, she stood a better chance of getting what she wanted.

To ensure his willingness to sign her latest batch of forms, she stopped by Croissant D'or Patisserie and picked up a dozen chocolate filled croissants. A little good will gesture never hurt anyone. Bailey was rather surprised to find Councilman Walters in a jovial mood. Although she was a few minutes early, he ushered her inside his plush office and offered her a seat. Since there last meeting he'd done quite a bit of thinking. He apologized for their last encounter when he'd unexpectedly broadsided her. He admitted that he had been unduly swayed by Councilman's Andrew's silver tongue. After much careful reflection, he realized that Bailey was only doing her job. She was trying to bring multimillion dollar companies to their fair city. Each day the film crew was in New Orleans, a great deal of money was being pumped into the city. And if he called a spade by its rightful name, they needed every single penny they could get. He'd willingly signed her application to film in Lafayette Cemetery. Although this is one of her minor applications, it still brought a smile of happiness that he signed it without so much as batting an eyelash.

Bailey left Councilman Walters' office and stepped into the bright sunshine. She wasn't due to meet with Renny until 10 A.M. She had a little time to stroll along Jackson Square. She wanted to stop by Eye on the Square, a funky little store that specialized in handmade jewelry. There were few times she'd been in the store and not found something she couldn't live without. Selena was happy to see her as she stepped into the cool interior. She gave a quick wave as she turned back to unpacking a box. Immediately Bailey was drawn to the jewelry counter. The latest shipment of Fleur de Lis pendants were in the case. Frowning slightly, Bailey skipped over them. She already had four pendants and really didn't want to add another to the collection. On the second shelf something caught her eye. It was a set of stainless steel dog tags that were engraved with a Fleur de Lis. A small smile tugged her lips as she leaned down to get a better look. Bailey wasn't sure why but it made her think of Randy.

"See anything you like over there?" Selena called as she placed the now empty box aside.

Bailey waited for Selena to make her way across the store.

"Can I get a look at these?" Bailey tapped the glass case with a manicured nail. Selena unlocked the case and handed her the quested item.

"We just got these in. They're going like hotcakes." Selena smiled as Bailey picked up one of the dog tags and turned it over. She wasn't sure why but she knew she wasn't leaving the store without them.

"I'll take 'em." Bailey smiled as she handed them back to Selena.

"Would you like them engraved?" Selena asked as she settled the necklace back into the cotton lined box.

Bailey shook her head as she reached for her wallet. It was probably a good idea not to, just in case she had to bring them back.

Selena pulled out a brown bag with the store's logo and grabbed a few sheets of tissue paper. She deftly placed everything into the bag and placed it on the counter. She took Bailey's credit card with a smile.

"So how have things been going for you?" Selena asked as she swiped the card. She handed it back to Bailey and leaned against the counter.

"Pretty good." Bailey replied as she leaned against the counter. "I'm going out to visit Daddy this weekend."

Selena smiled as she studied Bailey. It had only been a week or so since she'd seen her but she noticed the lines of tension bracketing her eyes. It wasn't unusual to see Bailey worked up over something but today she just looked tired.

"That's a good idea. Some sunshine and fresh air will do you good." Selena said as she tore off the receipt and handed it over. Bailey grabbed a pen from the cup next to the cash register and signed her name with a flourish.

Selena took the receipt and tucked it into the cash register. She studied Bailey a moment before speaking. "So how is Beau?"

Bailey heaved a sigh as she picked up her purchase. "Better than I expected. The work on the house is almost done and he's been keeping busy volunteering with the sheriff's office."

Selena made a soft sound under her breath as she pulled herself away from the counter. The way Beau White mourned his beloved wife was the stuff of legends. Beau and Belle were high school sweethearts. There had been little wonder when they'd married less than a month after they graduated high school. Exactly nine months later the first of three children had been born. Over the years they'd made a life together that most people in New Orleans envied. In 2005 when Hurricane Katrina struck, Belle's family home had practically been destroyed. Belle had been beside herself with grief at the amount of destruction. Beau promised then and there he'd restore the property to its rightful glory. Nearly six years later, he was making good on his promise. Too bad Belle wasn't here to see it. She'd passed away a few years ago. The entire city turned out to share in Beau's grief as he laid his wife to rest. To this day, Beau still grieved for that woman. God, how incredible it must be to be loved like that.

"Tell him I said hello." Selena said softly.

Bailey smiled as she pulled on her sunglasses. "No problem. Call me when you get the new purses in."

Selena laughed as Bailey disappeared into the sunshine. Leaning against the counter, Selena let out a heavy sigh. There were times she forgot how much like her mama she was. Bailey was not only the spitting image of her mother, she often times acted exactly like her. And it was times like this Selena missed her friend with an intensity that hadn't lessened a bit. But at least she new Belle wasn't suffering anymore. That woman had suffered more than anyone thought possible. Although many people didn't believe her, she knew for a fact Belle had died of a broken heart.

Bailey took her time walking to the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. The weather was unbelievably moderate for this time of year. The temperature was almost perfect and the humidity was much less than usual. By the time she made it to the hotel, she was barely breathing hard. Going around to the side entrance, she stepped into the building. She moved along the silent hallways to the conference rooms. At this time of the morning she expected everyone to be on set. Seeing two of the production hands leaning against the wall outside the conference room made her steps falter slightly. A quick glance around showed the conference room was closed. Pausing outside the door, she heard the low rumble of masculine voices. Turning on her heel, she looked at Pete and Teddy as they tried to look inconspicuous.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Bailey asked as she came to stand in front of the guys. Pete pulled his ball cap lower and he tried not to make eye contact.

Pete however looked her in the eyes. "Seems like Renny got a phone call from Vince." Bailey looked into his brown eyes and knew he was being blatantly honest. His usually smiling face was pulled into a tight frown.

Bailey felt all of the blood drain out of her face. God, she was praying they'd have a while longer before Vince got involved.

"What's the problem?" Bailey kept her voice low as a young woman passed by them.

"Vince saw the first takes of Randy's scenes." Pete said without looking away.

Shit. This was not the news she wanted to hear. She knew Vince was never far from any project his company was involved in but usually he didn't get personally involved until much later in the process. There was no way this way going to be good news. Nervously, she leaned against the wall and stared at the closed door. She strained to make out anything coming from the room but all she heard was the steady rumble of voices. After what seemed like an eternity the door opened and a severely pissed off Randy strode from the room. Bailey was hot on his heels as he made his way toward the closest exit. Bailey stepped into the bright glare of the day and had to shield her eyes.

"Randy, wait up." Bailey was gasping for breath by time she caught up to him at the corner.

She expected him to ignore her but he pulled to an abrupt halt and whirled to face her. His gray eyes were narrowed slightly and his full lips were pulled into a frown.

"What happened back there?" Bailey asked as she tried to calm her breathing.

Randy shrugged a broad shoulder but didn't look at her. Her green eyes studied his face as she waited for him to respond. However, no response was forth coming.

"What did Vince say?" Bailey kept her tone as neutral as possible.

Randy shook his head but didn't answer. God, he was being stubbornly silent.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Bailey stared up at him. "Come on, Randy, you can talk to me."

Bailey's teeth gnawed on her bottom lip as she waited for his answer. After what seemed like an eternity, Randy sighed deeply and looked at her. Part of her expected him to give her an angry "fuck off". She was relieved when he shook his head and looked at the worn concrete between their feet.

"He said he wants to scrap the scenes we've done."

Bailey let go of a pent up breath. Okay, this news was bad but it wasn't the worst. If the scenes were being scrapped, they possibly had another chance of a re-shoot. That small possibility was infinitely better than Vince giving Renny an order to send Randy packing. Which truth be told, Bailey secretly feared that would be the case.

"Ouch." Bailey muttered under her breath. Randy's response was to nod in agreement. He shoved his hands deep in his pocket as he continued looking at the ground. "So what's Renny's plan?"

Once again, Randy shrugged a shoulder in response. "He told Vince he'd figure something out."

Bailey heaved a frustrated sigh. What was she supposed to do now? Their schedule had zero room for error. And yet here they were, with five days of filming that was going into the garbage. Shit, this was almost as bad as it could be. Unsure of what her next move would be, Bailey chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. What they needed was a miracle.

No, scratch that. What they needed was for Randy to redo the scenes and make them work. But from the look on his face, Bailey wasn't entirely sure he was up to that. He looked like he'd been kicked in the gut. As she studied his rugged features, she saw a trace of vulnerability. His expression was similar to the one he had at lunch yesterday. He was adrift in unfamiliar territory and wasn't sure if he had an anchor. An unfamiliar tightness centered in her chest as she looked up at him.

"How much time do we have?" Bailey asked. She wasn't aware that she'd taken a step closer to him. Finally, he forced his gaze to meet hers.

"Vince said he's going to be here by the end of next week." Randy's voice held a note of disappointment.

Damn. This was not good at all. So they had less than a week to get Randy's head back in the game. She had to get him to understand what they were trying to do. She had to show him that he was more than capable of knocking this out of the park. She just had to build up his confidence. With a rueful smile Bailey looked at Randy. Who would have thought Randy would need help with something like that. All she had to do was get Randy in touch with his inner Jake Walker. Instantly, she knew what she had to do.

"Go get packed, Randy. We're taking a road trip." The words surprised Bailey as they left her lips.

Surprised, Randy looked at her. "What?"

Bailey's green eyes met Randy's as the idea fully formed. "I'll pick you up in an hour. Pack enough for the weekend."

Randy looked at her as if she'd sprouted a second head. "What are you ..."

Bailey held up a silencing hand. "Do you trust me?"

For a moment Randy simply studied her.

"Do you trust me?" Bailey repeated.

Slowly Randy nodded, just a single bob of his head. The smile Bailey gave him was as bright as the sunshine. "We better hurry. I'll meet you in front of the hotel."

Before Randy could argue, Bailey turned on her heel and quickly walked away. Randy stood rooted in place, watching her until she disappeared from sight. Staring up at the building he didn't know what to think. The moment Renny dropped the bomb, Randy had been instantly pissed. He hadn't allowed himself to even consider that Bailey was right. But once Vince's conference call had been patched through, there was absolutely no doubt about it. Bailey was 100% right. He'd failed miserably and the everybody knew it. Now what was he supposed to do? As much as he hated to admit it, the only thing he could do was trust Bailey. God, that scared the hell out of him. He had a hard time trusting anyone other than himself. It was just a part of, much like breathing. But at this point, he couldn't afford not to trust her. With a sigh he strode back into the building. He had less than an hour and time was wasting.