A/N: The guys and girls of TNA are out on the road wrestling and working to improve relationships between Impact and the smaller promotions.
Disclaimer : I do not own any of the past or present TNA Wrestlers . I also do not own the Bullet Club. I do own my OCs and the story , Andy Jr. and Dakota and the name Dynamic Duo is also owned by me .
Chapter 21 : Dry Heat
Days Later - Houston , Texas
After a few more matches on the road , several of the Extended Family and Inheritors arrived in Houston for a big wrestling event , Grace was in the locker room trying her best to stay cool in the hot , Texas heat .
" Grace , " Jessie said looking at her laying across one of the tables in the locker room .
" Yes , ma ' am , " Grace said spraying herself with a portable water bottle that was attached to a handheld fan cooling off .
" You look miserable , " Jessie said .
" Kentucky girl doesn ' t know hot heat , only heel heat , I prefer heel heat , " Grace declared as knock came at the door .
" Just wait until after the meeting and then we can go to the hotel or something . " Jessie said getting the door seeing Eddie standing there .
" Hey , where ' s Grace ? " Eddie asked .
" Over there , " Jessie pointed at the table with Grace on it .
" What ' s wrong ? " Eddie asked Grace .
" I ' m about to melt , " Grace said .
" From ? " Eddie asked .
" Heat , " Grace said .
" Hmm , come on , " Eddie said picking her up over his shoulders .
" Whoa , Eddie , where are we going ? " Grace asked .
" To cool you off , " Eddie said .
" Behave yourselves , " Jessie said .
" We will , " Grace said as Eddie carried her out of the locker room to the guy ' s locker room .
" Are you guys decent ? " Eddie called into the locker room .
" Yeah , Eddie , " Davey poked his head out the door seeing his partner carrying Grace .
" What are you two doing ? " Chris asked as Eddie walked in carrying his oldest daughter .
" Bringing her to the cool air , here , Grace . " Eddie said sitting her in front of the fan letting it blow on her .
" Ah , that ' s better , this little thing wasn ' t cutting it , " Grace holding up the handheld fan .
" Texas isn ' t your thing is it ? " Davey asked .
" No , I was born in Kentucky , so , this Texas heat is making my body freak out . " Grace answered .
" Its not that bad , " Chris said .
" Considering that you are married to a Texas gal , I think you would be use to it as well , dad . " Grace said .
" Maybe a little , " Chris said as Jessie walked in .
" You feeling better , Grace ? " Jessie asked seeing her sitting in front of the fan .
" Much better , my Wolfman came to my rescue , " Grace said .
" I ' ll take care of you , " Eddie said .
Jessie looked carefully at Chris wondering if he would freak out or be upset because it had always been the Wildcat in the past who protected Grace , but Chris was very calm making her wonder if he was finally realizing that Eddie was good for Grace .
" There ' s a pool at the hotel , so , wait until the meeting is over Grace and then we can really cool off . " Eddie said .
" Yeah , the meeting , " Grace said .
" I think they are breaking a record with the heat wave , " Davey said looking at the weather on his phone .
" Florida isn ' t this hot , " Sabin said walking in with Shelley and the Naturals .
" Texas has dry heat not humdity and in Florida if you ' re near the ocean it ' s much cooler as well . " Jessie said .
" Aw , " Shelley groaned .
" You guys moaning and groaning about it isn ' t helping , " AJ said from over in the corner of the room with Daniels and Kazarian .
" I talked to the manager and they think the AC maybe having trouble keeping up with how hot it is . " Chase said .
" And a metal building with body heat in it isn ' t helping much . " Andy added .
" At least we wrestle at night , meaning it should cool of a little , " Grace said .
" Yeah , that ' s true , " Davey said .
" You look surprisingly calm , " Makayla said looking at TJ .
" It ' s not that bad , Mexico is worse , " TJ said .
" Good point , " Makayla said .
After the meeting was over the crew happily went back to the hotels where Grace and Eddie decided to take a dip in the pool .
" This feels much better , " Grace said .
" Yeah , it does , " Eddie agreed .
" Are you happy that we don ' t have to deal with the problems at Impact right now seeing as none of Dixieland or the BDC is here ? " Grace asked .
" It does give us some peace and quiet for a little while , but don ' t forget after this we have to go back to the Impact Zone meaning we will have to deal with them again . " Eddie reminded her .
" Hey , don ' t spoil my moment of tranquility before the headaches start all over again , Eddie , " Grace lightly smacked him on the arm .
" Alright now , don ' t start what you can ' t finish , dear . " Eddie said pulling Grace to him before tickling her .
" Ah , Eddie , stop that tickles , " Grace laughed as Eddie continued to tickle her until she was just about out of breath .
" Wow , I think I just found out how ticklish you are , " Eddie chuckled at her .
" Meaning ? " Grace asked .
" Tickling is a very useful tool sweetheart , " Eddie said .
" Don ' t think you can get out of trouble by tickling me mister , " Grace warned .
" Nah , never , " Eddie said before kissing Grace
Grace wrapped her arms around him even though she had enjoyed her time wrestling on the road , she had really missed Eddie . She hugged him for awhile wanting to be close knowing they would be busy again once they returned to the Impact Zone as Grace kissed Eddie this time .
" If that what happens after we are apart for any length of time then I ' m a lucky man to have found a love like you , Grace . " Eddie said happy that she was his to love .
Chris and Jessie ' s Hotel Room
" I ' m so proud of you , " Jessie said hugging her Wildcat .
" Why ? " Chris asked her .
" You seem to be calming down about the idea of Grace dating Eddie . " Jessie said .
" I am baby , " Chris said .
" What caused the change ? " Jessie asked .
" I see Grace happy with Eddie , he ' s taking care of her , I saw how much fun she had when Grace came home from their first date , and I hear her laugh and see her smile when she with him , so , who am I to complain and take that happiness away from Grace after everything she ' s been through . All I can hope is that she , they will make the right decisions for the both of them , Jessie . " Chris said .
" See how letting go of what you are worried about takes some of the stress off of your shoulders ? " Jessie asked .
" I do , " Chris kissed her .
" I love you , Chris , " Jessie said .
" I love you , too , Jess , " Chris said .
Later the Night
Later on the same night everyone went out to grab a bite to eat before turning in at the hotel .
" At least it ' s cool now , " James said .
" True , " Sabin said .
" Someone got some sun today , " Chase looked at Grace a little darker than earlier .
" Yeah , Eddie and I hung out in the pool today after the meeting . " Grace said .
" So , that ' s where you two snuck off to , " Davey said .
" Yep , " Eddie said .
" I needed to cool off , " Grace said .
" Are you going to be okay tomorrow in your match if you got sunburned today ? " TJ asked Grace .
" I don ' t get sunburned , TJ , I will have a new tan by tomorrow . " Grace said .
" You sound like Makayla , " TJ said .
" I get it from my dad , " Makayla said making James whistle .
" I get it from my mother , " Grace said .
" Very true , " Chris agreed .
" They are already starting the whose going to be the darkest by the end of the summer competition in the family . " Chase said .
" Unfortunately for you , cheating doesn ' t count Chase , so , you are already out of the competition . " Grace declared .
" Cheating ? How do you cheat at getting a tan ? " Chase asked .
" By using a tanning bed instead of , pardon the pun , natural means to get a tan as in using the sun . " Grace said .
" But , " Chase said .
" No buts , Chase , " Makayla said .
" Hey no double teaming the Naturals , " Chase said to the girls getting a look from Andy .
" The Naturals , dude they were talking about you not the both of us . " Andy said .
" Whose side are you on , Andy ? " Chase asked .
" Uhm , well they weren ' t talking about me , so , I wasn ' t going to get involved . " Andy said smiled innocently .
" Guilty traitor , " Chase said .
" Hey , don ' t make me throw out a red flag for gimmick infringement . " Chris said .
Chase looked around at the other guys for some kind of help or to figure out why he was being ganged up on .
" It ' s okay , Chase , they like to pick at me to , but I figured out that eventually you just have to let them go with it for a little while , because it makes life less boring . " James said making Chase look at him shaking his head .
" Just drink your beer and hush , Cowboy , " Chase said sitting a cold bottle of beer in front of Storm that the waitress just sat down .
" Thanks , " James said .
" Chase , you know we are just messing right ? " Grace asked .
" Oh I know , just remember that I am the master when it comes to the practical joke . " Chase said .
" Yeah , " Makayla said .
Grace looked at Eddie and Davey now deep in conversation about something as food was brought to them .
" Can I get you anything else ? " The waitress asked .
" More beer , " Grace and Makayla both said .
" Girls , whose driving you two back to the hotel ? " Jessie asked .
" TJ is the designated driver tonight , " Makayla said .
" Yeah , what a gentlemen I am . " TJ said .
" Very thoughtful of you man , " James said .
" I appreciate TJ making the sacrifice while I get to be the designated drinker tonight . " Grace said making the Wolves , James , and Chase laugh .
" Oh , " Eddie said .
" Sanada , how do I get myself into these things ? " TJ asked .
" You volunteered . " Sanada shrugged making them all laugh .
" Southern Comfort is on a roll with the jokes tonight . " Daniels said .
" Yeah , what ' s going on with the girls ? " Kazarian said .
" What happens in the tag team stays in the tag team , " Makayla said .
AJ did something of a chuckle as AMW and the Naturals looked at Makayla .
" We don ' t tag and tell in our tag team , " Grace added .
" Tag and tell ? " Andy asked as the Wolves laughed again .
" Look if the rest of you tag teams want to kiss and tell who are we to argue , but that ' s not mine and Makayla ' s style . " Grace said .
" Ew , " James and Chase both said .
" I don ' t kiss my partner . " Chris said cringing .
" I wouldn ' t put my mouth anywhere around Chase ' s as I don ' t know where it has been or what has been in it . " Andy said making all of them laugh as Chase turned three different shades of red before he could laugh himself .
Hotel Room
After dinner everyone went back to the hotel to sleep before the event in Houston the next day happy about the temporary peace and quiet with Dixieland and BDC not being there to bug them . Southern Comfort was in their hotel room talking when TJ decided to knock on the door , Makayla letting him in the room .
" Oh no , please tell me , you two are not planning on doing this tonight ? " Grace asked realizing that they were wanting time alone .
" Sound like the perfect trade off for being the designated driver tonight , " TJ said .
" But where am I going to sleep ? " Grace asked .
" Why not go and snuggle with Eddie ? " TJ asked .
" Because a certain Wildcat may kill him , " Grace said .
" Yeah , we don ' t know if Uncle Chris is okay with that yet , TJ . " Makayla said .
" You know what , you guys have fun , I will find something . " Grace said grabbing her shoes and going to find somewhere else to sleep .
" Thanks Grace , " Makayla and TJ said .
" Yeah , yeah , just stay off of my bed and stay out of my stuff , " Grace said with a warning look .
" We will , " TJ said .
" Of course , " Makayla agreed .
Grace shook her head and walked out the door seeing her dad standing out on the balcony with Storm , Andy and Eddie .
" What ' s wrong ? " Chris asked looking at her face .
" Makayla and TJ are getting cozy in the room , " Grace said as Eddie who looked at James who shrugged .
" It happens , " James said .
" Wait , so , it ' s normal for tag partners to kick each other out of the room when they want to get frisky with their lovers ? " Grace asked as Davey walked out hearing them .
" It ' s very normal , sometimes when family is out on the road with we room separate as well . " Andy said .
" Let me guess , Makayla and TJ kicked you out of the room again ? " Davey asked Grace .
" Yeah , " Grace said .
" Why not room with Eddie and let me room with Sanada ? " Davey asked .
" Uhm , " Grace said looking at her dad as Eddie gave Davey a look and then looked at the Wildcat himself .
" I would let Grace room with me , but that would mean AJ would be without a room . " Storm said .
" Damn , " Grace said .
" Hmm , would you be nice to her and keep your hands to yourself without permission ? " Chris asked Eddie .
" I wouldn ' t go there unless it was okay , plus its to soon for that in our relationship anyways . " Eddie said .
" Then go ahead and room with Eddie , " Chris said to Grace .
" Really ? " Grace asked surprised that her dad had said it was okay as easily as he did .
" Consider it a test to see if I can trust him to be a gentleman to you , but trust me what I am about to say Eddie . If I find you have done anything to her without permission then trust me when I will hang you with the leash I am letting you off of right now . " Chris warned him with a stern look .
" No problem , I won ' t do anything to her without permission . " Eddie said .
" I guess I will go and inform Sanada that I will be rooming with him . " Davey said walking off to Sanada ' s room .
Eddie looked at Grace who knew she wanted to speak with her dad alone and decided it was best to take his leave .
" I will go ahead and make sure the room is cool for you since you don ' t like the Houston heat . " Eddie said .
" Okay , " Grace said before Eddie walked into his and Davey ' s room .
" Come on , Andy , let ' s go see what Chase and AJ are doing ? " James said realizing why Eddie walked off .
" Sure , " Andy walking away with the Cowboy .
Once they were alone , Grace looked at Chris trying to figure out what her dad was thinking or if he was upset , but like always he was hard for her to read .
" Dad are you okay ? " Grace asked knowing they hadn ' t talked since before leaving for the road at the beginning of the week .
" I ' m fine , Grace , " Chris said as she saw he was actually relaxed .
" You don ' t seem as concerned about me dating Eddie as you did before we left home . " Grace said .
" I ' m still concerned about Eddie treating you right that ' s the reason I warned him about tonight , but maybe I ' m starting to see the smile on your face and the fact that you really are happy with Eddie . " Chris said .
" Meaning ? " Grace asked .
" I ' m okay with him being apart of your life , Grace , but promise me one thing . " Chris said .
" What is it ? " Grace asked .
" You two won ' t do anything until after Slammiversary , " Chris said .
" That ' s what the first weekend in June ? " Grace asked .
" Exactly , " Chris said .
" I promise we won ' t do anything before Slammiversary , dad . " Grace promised him .
" Good , " Chris hugged her as she put her head against his shoulder happy that she still had a great connection with her dad despite having another guy in her life and despite being so busy and away from him with wrestling .
" I love you , dad . " Grace said .
" I love you , too , Grace , " Chris kissed the top of her head happy that she still said the words that she use to say when she was little with that crooked grin that could make his heart melt .
" Night dad , " Grace said .
" Night , little one , " Chris said as he watched her go into the room with Eddie a little concerned , but letting it go .