Guess who isn't dead! Jesus, I'm really sorry about that. Last week was finals, but even that shouldn't have been an excuse because this whole semester was just one big brain fart. Like I didn't give to shits about how well I did in my classes, thats how terrible it was. The last bigger fanfiction I did (I took it down so y'all won't find it) got around fourteen chapters too before it bit the dust so I don't know if that has something to do with it. It probably hasn't helped that there's been a widespread dry spell that I've seen in my favorites as far as Taker fanfics, so maybe it isn't just me.

I blame it on the fact that Wrestlemania already happened, and now that Mark has disappeared off the face of the earth again there's nothing to motivate us as far as the character goes. Every now and again I like to check the news on Taker and recently I've been hearing the rumors that 32 was the last for him. I hope to god that isn't true. I mean yes he's more than welcome to give it a rest but he needs a better send off than that.

Just so you guys know I keep a little bit of a live update on my profile page so if I have another month long dry spell like this you'll know where to look to know whats going on.

Enjoy!

Cassie never really liked green olives. They smelled odd and they tasted weird and you couldn't get her started on the texture of them. They were gross.

But by god did she love the color of them. Never was there a more wonderful color. She was staring absentmindedly into a jar of green olives sitting on the bar counter, thinking about a beautiful pair of eyes that shared their hue. She loved the way they sparkled with amusement when they stared at her. She seemed to make them do that a lot, she thought with a smile. Not that she could help it, being the goof she was sometimes.

In her mind she could see Mark's olive green eyes stare at her, dark with desire. Just the look in his eyes could spark a fire in her stomach.

"Where do you go, little one?" His southern drawl called out to her quietly.

Her eyes drifted up to his. A small smile fell on her lips. "What?"

Mark crooked his head to the side, his eyes never leaving hers. "I've never met a woman whose mind wanders as much as yours. I'm curious darlin, where does it go?"

Cassie stared softly at him, eyes filled to the brim with adoration. "Wherever it wants to. Today, it can't stop thinking about your eyes."

He laughed, quirking an eyebrow at her. "My eyes, huh?"

With a smile she walked over to him, leaning on the counter. It was nearing noon now, and a sizable crowd had gathered in. "Mhm. They're beautiful."

A long smile pulled at his lips. "Why thank ya, darlin." Her eyes weighed on him heavily as he consumed his food.

"Whatchya got going on today?"

Mark's gaze drew to the ceiling in thought. "Not sure. I was toying with the idea of workin today, but I don't wanna leave you here all by your lonesome with all these men. After what happened with Bill…" he trailed off as his face contorted into a grimace.

Her smile grew big. "Bill isn't coming back, Mark. Besides, I've got Trevor here. I don't plan on going outside and neither does he. Which is great cause smoking doesn't do the body any good."

Mark was silent but by the look in his eyes she could tell he was considering her words.

"I swear. I'll be in here the whole time. You can drive me home when I'm done. Everything will be fine, alright?"

His fist rapped on the bar with a soft thud. "You behave yourself, alright?"

Cassie rolled her eyes. "I will."

With one large crooked finger he gestured her over. "Now get over here so I can give ya a hug." His girl complied happily, quickly taking a his hand in hers.

"What happened to your finger?" Cassie brought his hand to eye level, head tilted to the side to inspect the slight abnormal bend in his digit.

"Torn tendon a few years back." Mark mumbled, ignoring the hardness in his groin from her touch. Her hands were impeccably soft today. "C'mere." He wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked up, scanning the crowd of large biker type men. "Now listen here ya big bastards, none of ya will lay a finger on my girl here, alright?" One look down at Cassie and he could tell she was blushing fiercely. A smirk pulled at his lips at the sight. "You'll have me to answer to, and I'm only a few blocks away so don't think I won't be here on foot in the blink of an eye. And I won't be afraid to kill ya."

Steve the guitar player was sitting at a table nearby took a swig of his coffee and rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, Cassie's your woman. We get it."

With his large hands at Cassie's waist Mark turned her around to face him, her beet red face tilted down towards the floor. "Now that we've settled that…" Lifting her chin up he captured her lips in a hungry kiss. "I'll be seeing ya later, darlin."

He was on his way out when Trevor stopped him. "You coming back here tonight big guy?"

Mark nodded. "I'm giving her a lift home so yeah."

His dark-haired friend let out a low chuckle. "I mean earlier in the evening. I'm thinking of having Cass sing again tonight and figured you'd might like to stop by and hear it."

He felt a grin pull at his lips. "Wouldn't miss my little girl's beautiful voice for the world."

Trevor laughed again and clapped his friend on the back. "Come back around six, alright?"

With a nod Mark was on his way.

Cassie's half lidded eyes watched his broad back as he waltzed his way out the door. A large goofy smile crossed her face. That man didn't have to do anything and she knew she loved him more than life itself. She was lost in him. Making her way around the counter she started wiping it down. Thinking about it she wasn't too sure if she was going to be able to deal with his absence once he went back on the road.

"Jesus Christ!" Jamie shouted at the television screen. Cassie sat beside her tossing popcorn into her mouth. "You think Vince would know how to do a proper blade job after all these years! The man looks like a damn hemophiliac!"

Cassie laughed quietly. She was invited over to Jamie's new apartment in Minneapolis to watch Survivor Series. Her friend had just started school again to work on her masters in creative writing and Cassie hadn't seen her in a while, so a visit was in order. "You have to admit, big beautiful can sure pack a punch." Undertaker and Vince McMahon were competing in a buried alive match, and after one punch by the big evil Vince was spouting blood like a lawn sprinkler.

Jamie rolled her eyes. Her best friend was still head over heels for the Undertaker. She on the other hand had given up hope for Kane and moved on with her life. Meanwhile she still had to listen to her friend gush over the big biker. "More like big beautiful bastard."

It was Cassie's turn to roll her eyes. Ever since Undertaker turned biker Jamie had been rooting against him. She shared the same sentiments as her old love, that his brother had become too human just like the rest of roster. Cassie had to agree somewhat. The biker was definitely a drastic change, but it put a more realistic, human spin on the character. She couldn't help but wonder if maybe this was how the real man, Mark Calaway was on the inside. A big burly badass who commanded respect. Well, the big evil character physically and verbally demanded it. In reality though she wouldn't be surprised if Mark's mere presence got that respect. He seemed like a fair man. When Cassie looked into his olive eyes she saw a kind heart behind the permanent scowl.

There was something sexy about that tall frame of his, his darkened hair that was growing out again, long muscular legs cased in those tight leather pants.

"Girl you're licking your chops again." Jamie muttered casting a sidelong glance at her friend.

Cassie let out a huff. "Does it look like I can help it? He looks goddamn sexy!"

"Oh come on Cass! Like you'd ever stand a chance with him. You need to grow up." Jamie exhaled loudly. She was getting tired of listening to her friend gush over a man all the time that she couldn't have. "I'm not getting Kane, and you're not getting Taker. We're just two midwestern city chicks that have no chance in hell of leaving this state. The chances that we'd ever cross paths with the likes of those guys are nonexistent."

Her mossy green eyes studied her friend quietly. Red curly locks fell around the girl's face, framing her from view. Cassie could tell she was distraught though. She must have spent a good while mulling this topic over when left alone. "Thought about this a lot, huh?"

Jamie nodded, not saying a word as she returned her gaze to the television.

"Well I guess I'll just have to believe for the both of us." she whispered, making Jamie almost break her neck turning to look at her. They stared each other down for a moment before she spoke again. "I told you already, Jaim. I'm not sticking around here anymore. Someday I'm gonna get out of Minnesota. You'll see."

Jamie sighed. "Yeah, you keep saying that." The slight sarcasm in her voice was difficult to miss.

After a beat of silence both girls resumed watching the match just in time to see Kane shove Taker into the grave. Not a moment later did Vince clamber into the seat of the backhoe and drop a load of dirt into the grave on top of Taker.

"Well shit." Jamie muttered. Cassie's heart stopped as the show faded to black. What in the world just happened?

"Cassie." her head snapped up to see Trevor staring at her. "You alright?"

Slowly she nodded. "Reminiscing I guess." She paused a moment. Apparently she had heard his comment to Mark. "Are you really gonna make me sing?" her voice was more amused than nervous. Trevor smiled. Maybe she was growing a little more confident about herself.

"Cass you've got a beautiful voice and the world deserves to hear it." He watched as her gaze fell to the counter.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "You know that's a damn lie, Trev."

Trevor laughed. "Girl, my momma was a blues musician. That's why we moved to New York when I was a kid. Because of her I can tell you I sure as hell ain't tone deaf. Ya have a wonderful voice."

Their gazes were locked, hers still clouded with disbelief. "What did she play?"

A smirk pulled at Trevor's lips. "She sang, actually. You sound just like her when ya sing."

After a few minutes of mulling over his words, she smiled. "Alright. I'll sing for ya."

Mark walked back into Trev's around five thirty, deciding he would close up early for the night. If Cassie was singing tonight then he wouldn't miss it for anything. Her voice had done a number on him the first night they met.

Business was pretty damn slow anyway. He was grumbling as he thumped his back trying to work out the kinks. Spending hours hunched over bikes wasn't doing his body any favors. Most of the day he was thinking about how he needed to call Vince. It was a few hours into the shift when he realized he had forgotten all about the phone call with Shawn. Vince was going to need to hear from him soon or else Mark would have goons chasing him down for the next couple of months. That was the last thing he needed, especially when he wanted to be desperately spending that time with Cassie.

He was also a little put out about not getting to cuddle with her like he wanted earlier in the morning. She'd have to sleep over again tonight maybe.

The stress was kind of wearing on him. He might have to go fishing the coming weekend to relieve some of the pressure of the past few days. There was a lot to think about.

Cassie had unknowingly passed him hauling a large cardboard box on her shoulder. Its contents he was unsure of, but it looked heavy for her. "You need help with that?"

"I got it." She mumbled emotionlessly, still unaware of Mark's presence as she carried the box with little effort behind the bar. Observing her, he wondered why he never noticed her muscles before. Maybe because it was all hiding under the flannel shirts she wore. From the breasts down she had wonderful curves, thick strong legs. Her shoulders on the other hand were broad and rigid, her arms thick and hard looking. She seemed like a hard working girl from the looks of her. A part of him wondered how badly a deck to the jaw from her could hurt. The thought made him smile.

They still hadn't locked gazes, but it gave him a chance to study her a little closer. He was starting to wonder if someone had snubbed her in the past that made her grimace so much that her relaxed face looked about ready to kill someone. Mark made a note that just maybe she wasn't lost in the clouds all the time, she just looked generally angry. He wondered why.

Slowly he made his way over to the counter and planted himself on a barstool. This one creaked particularly loudly much to his surprise, making Cassie's gaze snap directly to him. "Oh hey. What are you doing here so early?"

A smile pulled at his lips. "I wanted to hear my baby sing."

Cassie frowned. "Mark I'm pretty sure your business is more important than my horrid singing skills."

Mark frowned in turn. "Girl you sing like a goddamn angel, and you're not allowed to say otherwise. Its my business and I'll run it the way I want so if I want to cut out early to hear my girl sing then so be it."

"You should probably cool it on the bikes soon though, hm?" Trevor interjected. He had a tendency to eavesdrop into most conversations around the bar. It was a mere habit, and the customers didn't seem to mind because he tended to give level-headed advice if it was necessary. "I saw you beating the shit out of your back trying to stand upright when ya walked in here."

At that comment she cast a worried glance at him. "Maybe you should take a few days off. Stay at home and relax."

Mark stared at her, knowing damn well if he was going to be spending his time at home and relaxing, she was going to be right there with him. He looked over at Trevor. "Actually I'm going fishing this weekend. My kind of relaxation."

Cassie seemed pretty discrete but Mark saw how her eyes lit up when he mentioned fishing. He watched her with a quirked eyebrow.

"You like fishing, little one?" His question was laced with amusement. Most women he came across wouldn't touch the subject with a ten foot pole. He recalled one girlfriend that he believed had gone fishing with him simply to impress him. But she complained about how bored she was the entire time, baking in the sun. She even went so far as to stand up in the boat. Lets just say the relationship was pretty much done when she marched out of the lake looking like a wet dog.

Cassie's mossy green eyes cast downward as her shoulders shrugged. She seemed like she wanted to go, but was afraid to ask. "I've only gone a few times as a kid…but that was for sunfish in the lake at my hometown. A friend of my dad's took me trolling for northern pike once. I thought it was pretty neat."

Mark scratched the stubble on his jaw. He had also gone fishing for northern pike once, when him and Shawn traveled together for a short while and the tour made it to Minnesota. Shawn convinced the big guy to go fishing for his days off, instead of going home to listen to Jodi nag. They had a pretty good time actually. But looking at Cassie he was almost hesitant to ask himself, still thinking about past experiences with women and fishing. "I'm more just about the bass down here. You wanna come with me on Sunday?"

It was like her whole body lit up with life at the offer. "Really?" She was practically bouncing on her toes and Mark had to hold back a laugh at the sight.

"Of course." He said with a smile. "You sure as hell seem eager."

She had a big goofy grin on her face but said nothing. Truth was she was ecstatic. Being raised around so many males in her life, their influences and hobbies just rubbed off on her. She loved doing things with guys. She loved the idea of motorcycles, going to her grandparent's farm with her dad so she could stand in the bed of the mule truck they had and ride around the fields with the wind in her hair, and fishing. She loved being "one of the guys" Nerves would just get the better of her and she would be too afraid to ask anyone to take her to do anything. The fact that Mark wanted her to come with him made her more than happy.

Trevor nudged her in the side. "Well girl, you ready?"

Cassie's eyes went wide and her heart started to pound. "Do I have to?"

Her employer threw his head back with a laugh and clapped her on the shoulder. "You do now." Mark joined in the laughter but his eyes silently told her that it would be okay, sensing her apprehension. He was starting to learn just how anxious she could be.

"Wonderful." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Uh…what do you guys want to hear? Can't say I know that many country songs."

Trevor laughed. "Girl this might be Texas but not all of us live under that stereotype. Do what ever you feel would be good."

Cassie's gaze drew to Mark, and their gazes locked for a moment. She then looked at Trevor. "…Aerosmith?"

Another laugh drew from his lips as he nodded. "Sure thing. Might sound a little funky if only Steve is backing you up though. Let me see if I still have the karaoke system in the back.

If it was possible her eyes grew bigger. "W-what?!"

"Yeah," He yelled as he went into the back office. "I had a karaoke system when I first opened up the place. It didn't catch on very well, but I still like to have a little karaoke night once a month. You'd be surprised how funny it is to watch a bunch of drunk bikers try to sing. Isn't that right Mark?"

Amusement glistened in her eyes as she looked at her companion. He gave her a small smile in return. "Ya'd be surprised to know what I'll do when I'm drunk enough."

Cassie giggled. About twenty minutes later Trevor had the system out and hooked up to the speakers. "Alright Cassie c'mere."

Her face burned a crimson red. Slowly she made her way to the stage again, prompted onward by the hoots and calls from the patrons.

Mark watched as Trevor explained how to navigate the menu and choose a song. About five more minutes passed of her staring at the screen curiously, trying to figure out a good song.

Trevor clapped his hands and raised his voice. "Alright y'all, you wanna hear Cassie sing?" The response from the crowd was surprisingly loud.

Her gaze was still fixed on the screen as she raised the mic to her lips. "Yeah, well if I sing then y'all gotta come and do a song right after me. I'm naming this the official karaoke night of the month." She was met with another pop from the audience. Suddenly a large grin pulled at her lips as she picked a song. She knew the words by heart, so hopefully she wouldn't clam up trying to figure them out.

The music started to play, generating a roar from the guys as she straightened up and looked at all of them. God was she nervous, she thought. Mark was watching so intently too.

Rag Doll livin' in a movie
Hot tramp, Daddy's little cutie
You're so fine they'll never see ya leavin' by the back door, mam,

Mark had a sympathetic smile on his face. Her voice was shaky, just like the first time he heard her sang. She looked really stiff too. Nerves were taking over her. He could hear the encouraging roars from the other guys. They could probably see how bad she was shaking as well.

Ah…what the hell, Mark thought as he threw back the shot of jack Trevor had poured him. He rose from his bar stool and walked up to the stage.

Cassie watched him curiously but continued to sing. Trevor watched as well with a curious raised eyebrow.

Hot time get it while it's easy
Don't mind come on up and see me
Rag Doll baby won't you do me like you done before

Mark hopped on stage and walked behind her. He took her hips in his big hands and started swaying her to the music. The heat exuding from her blush was hard to miss. With a smile he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Ya need to loosen up little one. Ya look a little nervous." After a quick moment the goofy grin came back to her face.

I'm feeling' like a bad boy
Mm just like a bad boy
I'm rippin' up a Rag Doll
Like throwin' away an old toy

He could feel her start to relax in his hands. The boys were starting to whistle in approval of the two of them.

Some babe's talkin' real loud
Talkin' all about the new crowd
Try and tell of an old dream
A new version of the old scene
Speak easy on the grape vine
Keep shufflin' in a shoe shine
Old tin lizzy do it till you're dizzy
Give it all ya got until you're put out of your misery

A smile pulled at Mark's lips as he could feel her start to bob and sway on her own, she was definitely starting to relax. He felt her pull away from him and he loosened his grip on her hips.

Rag Doll livin' in a movie
Hot tramp Daddy's little cutie
You're so fine they'll never see ya leaving by the back door, mam

Cassie was starting to stomp out the beat and sway her hips seductively. The sight was making Mark subconsciously lick his lips as he watched her cute rump wiggle in front of him.

Hot time get it while it's easy
Don't mind come on up and see me.
Rag Doll baby won't you do me like you done before…

She spun around to face Mark, bringing her free hand up to his tall shoulder. She started to walk backwards and he felt her pull him with. He boot stomped in time with her as one big hand cupped the small of her waist.

Yes I'm movin'
Yes I'm movin'

Getting the gist of the move he changed directions, walking backwards and pulling her with him.

Get ready for the big time
Tap dancing on a land mine

He made a grab for her free hand and spun her out, making her laugh.

Yes I'm movin'
Yes I'm movin'

He spun her back in.

Old tin lizzy do it till you're dizzy
Give it all ya got until you're put out of your miserrrryyyy~

He caught her a little off guard when he dipped her, making her squeak a bit. It was followed by a fit of loud bubbly giggles. All the guys watching were cheering the two on.

Trevor watched with a big grin on his face as he filled the bowls on the counter with pretzels. Those two never looked more perfect for each other. He knew Cassie had a tendency to be a bit clumsy on her feet but the way the two of them danced made it seem so natural, like her body was made to match his perfectly.

Cassie seemed to notice this too. Weird thing was that she loved to dance, but she was fucking terrible at dancing with another person. But the way she moved so easily with Mark's movements surprised her. She tried not to think too hard about it though, in fear that she just might stumble.

Their gazes were locked again, their attention only invested in one another as they continued through the song. Trevor smiled. He already knew Cassie loved Mark. But he knew right there, looking in the big man's eyes, that Mark too was sunk.

Song is Ragdoll by Aerosmith