Chapter 14
Two inch black open toed heels clicked against the arena floor the following day, causing everyone to look from the heels in which the feet were slipped into, and were shocked by who it was. Chalice Williams was all smiles, her blood red, golden tinted hair pinned up in two black chopsticks, and smoothed out her skirt suit, which went two inches above the knee. It was black and blue pinstriped and she had a white tank top underneath the matching cardigan. She certainly looked like a different person as she walked down the hallways of the Staples Center and finally arrived outside of her brother's dressing room. Taking a deep breath, Chalice knocked three times before entering.
She smirked when she seen her brother's back was to her in nothing, but a towel, and stated casually, "You know, if you keep your door unlocked, ANYONE could walk in here and see you naked, bro."
Steve spun around, the towel secured tightly around his waist, and crossed the room, scooping her up in his arms. "Challie girl!" He kissed her forehead, blue eyes shining as he stared down at her. "Why didn't ya call and let me know ya were comin'?" He demanded, holding her at arm's length, studying her. "And what in God's name did ya do to yer hair?"
"You don't like it?" She asked softly with a pout, her blue eyes twinkling back at him, and crossed her arms in front of her chest as he stared at her in shock. She loved surprising her brother, especially when he didn't even see it coming.
Steve rubbed his hand over his bald head, staring at her new color. "It's different…" He said finally, a smirk crossing his face when he seen the look in her eyes. "It'll take some gettin' used to, darlin'. That's fer sure. Give me a second." He disappeared into the bathroom, coming out a few minutes later in one of his Austin 3:16 t-shirts and a pair of jean shorts. "How long ya here fer? What happened to the rest of yer tour?" He asked curiously, still not believing this was his baby sister standing before him.
"Funniest thing, my book tour actually ended two weeks early. They said three months just to be on the safe side, but I didn't know that until two days ago. I decided what the Hell. I'll come surprise my favorite sibling with my presence." She nonchalantly explained, that smirk still on her lips and finally let her hair down from the chopsticks. The light hit it just right as the gold reflected from it, but the red and black were still clearly visible as it cascaded down to the middle of her back. She laughed when Steve looked at her shocked again. "Yes, I cut my hair. Hell froze over apparently."
Groaning, Steve turned her around and shifted his fingers through her hair. "Just ya wait till mom and dad see this. They won't be so damned borin' after they're done with ya." He chuckled when a groan escaped her lips. "Have ya gone to see Mark yet, Challie?" He asked softly, knowing this was Mark's last night of work for awhile.
"No, not yet." She replied softly, her eyebrows drawing together immediately, and could already feel her stomach clench tightly. "Steve, what's going on?" The fear entered her voice instantly as she took a step back from him, her big blue eyes already filling with dread. She did not like the tone of her brother's voice or the look in his own eyes that mirrored her own.
"Nothin' is wrong, darlin'. Mark's just gettin' ready for some time off." Steve explained gently, guiding her to the couch. "He was plannin' on callin' ya tonight and lettin' ya know. He's been tryin' to get this since ya left. His knee is givin' out on'em so he's hopin' with some rest and physical therapy, he can skip the surgery."
Chalice could literally feel her heart drop in the pit of her stomach and shook her head as she stood up from the couch. Her heart was breaking all over again as she raked a hand through her hair, not believing what she was hearing. Mark was leaving the WWF for some time off just when she returned? "This is just fuckin' great." She mumbled under her breath, sighing heavily, and knew she had to go see Mark. She wasn't sure if she could now. Not after hearing this news from her brother. Were they ever going to be able to be together was the only question that kept flowing through her mind.
Steve stood up, gently pulling her to him, hugging her briefly "Why don't ya go see'em? Maybe when he heads on home, ya can join'em or somethin'. Whatever it is ya couples do." He teased. He would love nothing more then to spend time with his sister, but knew she and Mark needed time together more than ever right now.
"I can't, Steve." She stated, wrapping her arms around herself now, and just stared at the wall. "This was a mistake. This was one big fuckin' huge mistake. I can't believe this is happening." She felt like crawling in a hole and dying at that moment, not believing after two and a half months of not seeing Mark, she was finally back and he leaving her this time. "There's no way I can go home with him, not after what I was just offered a few days ago…" She trailed off and raked another hand through her hair, biting her bottom lip.
Frowning, Steve looked genuinely confused as he softly asked, "What were ya just offered, darlin'?"
"Vince called me a few days ago and offered me the position of being the WWF's newest lead script writer." She revealed, finally turning around to face her brother, and tears were already shimmering in her eyes. She was no longer laughing or joking. Not even when her brother's jaw dropped to the floor below and his blue eyes literally popped out of his skull.
"Oh damn." Steve whispered, not believing how messed up the timing was. It honestly sounded like fate was out to keep them apart. Tossing obstacles every which way at them. "Challie, the only thing I can say is go talk to him, darlin'." He said finally, not knowing what else to say at the moment.
"I can't. I feel so sick right now. Steve, I'm leaving. Can you please just…just don't tell him I'm here yet, okay? I can't face him right now. Not after being away from him for almost three months." Her voice held such heartache and pain, but blinked back her tears, staring at her brother pleadingly. All Chalice wanted to do was go back to the hotel and soak in a hot tub and cry her heart out.
Steve was torn. Chalice was sister and Mark was his best friend. Granted, they'd been out to kill each other up until recently, but their friendship had for the most part been repaired. Finally, he sighed heavily and nodded at her request. "If that's what ya want, darlin', but I am gonna say one thing. Mark misses ya and this ain't fair to'em."
"What the fuck am I supposed to do?" She finally snapped, all the emotion, all the pain, all the heartache, everything finally coming out of her mouth as the tears started streaming down her cheeks. "I've been away from him for almost three months and when Vince called me about this job, I took it in a heartbeat because I thought I'd get to see my brother and the love of my life every fucking day! Then I fuckin' come here and find out Mark is leaving ME this time instead of the other way around! It's not meant to be between us, Steve, not if we're constantly apart for long periods of time like this!"
She'd finally gone off the deep end. Sick of hurting. Sick of the pain she felt deep inside of her. Three months was too long to be away from Mark and now she was supposed to get one night with him and then watch him walk out of her life again. Chalice wasn't doing it. Her heart couldn't take it anymore.
Steve felt his heart break for the both of them. "Darlin', there's other options. Ya could work from home…or Mark could travel with us and do his therapy on the road. He'll just have to keep his ol' ass outta the ring." He said softly, trying to calm her down. "Ya can make it work if ya really love him."
"I do love him or else I wouldn't have taken this job! I would've went on another fucking book tour!" She shouted at him, finally feeling like her entire world was crumbling around her, and dropped to her knees on the floor. "I love him so much, Steve." She whispered softly, her voice filled with longing and needing of Mark as she looked up into his eyes. "I need to go see him. Even if its for the last time, I just need to see him again." She stood up on her feet and wiped her tears away, not having worn any make up, and sighed heavily. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"
Steve just nodded, startled with her sudden temper with him. He didn't blame her though. The past three months had been Hell on Mark and every time they'd spoke about her, he could hear the pain in his best friend's voice. Same went for Chalice whenever they talked about Mark for the past two and a half months. He cleared his throat awkwardly and turned to get in his duffel bag. He dragged out his knee braces and sank down into a chair, fiddling with it, worried about his sister and best friend.
After washing her face and making sure she wasn't crying anymore and there were no traces of her from breaking down just now, Chalice finally walked out of the bathroom and sighed heavily. She knew she'd startled her brother with her temper, but she couldn't help it. A woman could only take so much before she finally snapped and after being away from Mark for this long, only to find out he was leaving her this time, it broke her heart. "I'm sorry for snapping on you, Stevie." She finally whispered out, her eyes adverted to the floor, and leaned against the doorway. This was NOT how her visit was supposed to go.
Steve finished putting on his brace, slowly getting to his feet. He walked over to her, cupped her chin in his hand, and gently made her look at him. "Don't worry bout it, Challie." He said softly, his eyes shining with love for her. "I know this must be hard on you, darlin'."
Smiling softly back at him, Chalice wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly to her, and kissed his cheek as she sighed shakily. "I'm going to go see Mark. I'll be back soon." She whispered softly before walking out of his dressing room and down the hallway. So many emotions and thoughts were swirling through her mind at the moment and before she knew it, Chalice was standing outside of the room marked 'Undertaker'. Her entire body trembled as she slowly brought her hand up and knocked three times, waiting for him to answer.
Mark answered the door, wearing nothing, but a pair of black jeans. His hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail that flowed down his back. His green eyes widened when he seen her and instantly picked her up in his arms, planting a passionate kiss on her mouth, hardly believing she was there. "What-When…" He murmured against her lips, actually speechless for once.
"Can't get a sentence out can you?" She retorted swiftly against his lips, her hands gripping his muscular arms, and couldn't believe how much she'd missed him. He felt so good against her. So strong. Making her feel loved and secure for the first time in almost three months.
Mark smirked devilishly back at her, stepping back into the room, kicking the door shut with his foot. "You shocked me. I thought you weren't going to be done for another two weeks? Not that I'm not glad to see you, believe me, I'm thrilled." He assured her, kissing her softly again, and dropped down on the couch, pulling her onto his lap.
"Well I certainly hope you're happy to see me otherwise, I might have the wrong dressing room." She replied with a wide smile, happy to be back in his arms again as her blue eyes sparkled back at him. She ran a hand up to caress his face with the back of it, pressing her forehead to his, and sighed. He hadn't changed one bit. Still the same, wonderful Mark she loved more than anything or anyone in this world. Her heart twinged though at the thought of him leaving her, but she pushed it aside. She was going to enjoy this reunion with him as if it was the last thing she did in her life.
Mark buried his face in her hair, inhaling that familiar scent that had haunted his dreams for the past two and a half months. He then raised his head up to stare into her eyes, reaching out to caress her face, and finally took in her hair. "How long are you here for or is the tour over?" He asked while running his fingers through her hair, smiling slightly. "This looks gorgeous."
Smiling at his compliment, Chalice kissed his lips softly before whispering in response, "I'm glad someone likes it and yes, the book tour is over, Mark…" Her voice trailed off as she sighed, knowing their happy reunion was about to be destroyed, and could already feel her heart breaking. Along with the tears that were forming in her eyes as she looked down at his lap, not wanting him to see them.
Instantly sensing something was wrong, Mark placed his fingers under her chin, gently lifting her head up so he could see her eyes. He bent down to kiss away the tears that slid down her cheeks. His heart broke at the sight of them, wondering what could be so bad. "What's wrong, Chalice?" He whispered, enfolding her in his strong embrace, trying to comfort her.
"Steve told me about you leaving tomorrow to take some time off for your knee." She whispered softly, not trusting her voice, knowing it was going to crack with emotion if she did. She hastily wiped her tears away, trying to stay strong, but this was the first time they'd seen each other in almost three months and it was really hard for her. Mark was leaving her this time and she couldn't help, but think if they were truly meant to be together.
Mark nodded, wondering what about that was so bad and smiled slightly at her. "Chalice, if your tour is done, you can come with me." He said gently. "Why are you crying?"
"Because that's just it, Mark!" She finally snapped, sliding off of his lap, and started pacing in front of him, her heels clicking rapidly against the floor. "Vince offered me a job to be the lead script writer for the WWF. I took it because I thought that I'd finally be able to see both my brother AND you all the time. That's never going to happen because apparently, fate is trying to ruin us." Her voice had quieted down after snapping, not having much more strength in her body. Exploding in Steve's dressing room earlier had taken a lot out of her and she was physically, mentally and emotionally drained.
Mark stood to his full height, letting her snapping roll off of him, more concerned about her thinking fate was trying to fuck with them. He seen the look in her eyes and it terrified him, not wanting to lose her after all this time. "Chalice, I'll stay on the road then." He said simply, refusing to leave her after being away from her for almost three months. "I can get a physical therapist that'll travel, this isn't a problem."
She didn't hear him. Her mouth was running away with her as she kept pacing back and forth even faster. "I mean I love you so much and this just really fuckin' sucks that you're leaving me now. What, am I supposed to get one night with you and then not see you for God knows how long? Mark, those months away from you were so fuckin' heard and I'm not sure I can do it again. My heart can't handle being away from you anymore than what it has been!" Chalice kept raking a hand through her hair, not caring if she was wearing a hole in the ground. She finally spilling all of her true feelings out to him that she'd kept bottled up for the past almost three months.
Mark knew she wasn't listening to him and decided she needed to be shut up. He snatched her into his arms and kissed her until she was breathless. He then pulled away, peering down at her with solemn green eyes, and repeated himself, "I'm staying on the road with you. I'll get a physical therapist to travel with me alright? I ain't going anywhere, Chalice."
Her blue eyes widened as she stared into his green orbs, finally calming down, and registered in her mind what he just said. "Y-You're not leaving?" She managed to whisper out, swallowing hard, but never tore her eyes from his. She wanted to make sure he wasn't messing with her or she was hearing things, especially since she'd just full out exploded on him. When he nodded, Chalice finally broke down in tears as she sunk to the floor, her knees giving out on her, and buried her face in her hands. Her entire body was trembling from head to toe. The emotions were that intense.
He slowly moved to kneel down in front of her, pulling her trembling form into his arms, his strong hands rubbing her back soothingly, letting her cry on him. The feel of her hot tears on his bare chest hurt him more then words could say. No matter the reason. He hated to see her cry for anything. "It's alright, Chalice. We're going to be fine, darlin'." He whispered soothingly, reassuringly. "I love you, Chalice. Please don't cry anymore…" He sounded like he was going to cry himself as he held onto her tightly.
Chalice knew it killed him to see her cry and knew she was hurting him, but she couldn't stop them from coming. She was feeling so many things at the same time. What overpowered her most was the amount of intense love she felt for this man. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of it, and inhaled, trying to calm herself down. She had to for his sake, knowing he was about ready to break down himself.
"I love you too, Mark. I love you so much." She whispered softly, tightening her hold around his neck as his arms remained wrapped around her tiny frame.
Mark decided now would be as good a time as any since she was already crying and stood up, pulling her with him. He gently pushed her back on the couch and went to his bag. He rifled through it for a few minutes, searching for something. He'd been giving a lot of thought about her over the past few months and knew he wasn't ever going to let her go. Not unless she stopped loving him and even then, he'd still fight for her.
Moving back in front of her, getting down on his knees once more, Mark held out a small jewelry box. Opening it, the box revealed a silver ring inlaid with perfectly spaced minute diamonds all the way around. Not the traditional engagement ring perhaps, but then he'd never been one for tradition anyway. "Will you marry me, Chalice?" He asked in a whisper, his heart stopping, waiting for her answer.