Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize.

Spoilers: Ha! A/U baby.

Summary: She was always strictly business, but what happens when her seemingly perfect world is turned upside down?

Notes: See previous chapters for notes and author rambling. My thanks and gratitude as always to those of you that leave me a review.. Even if it's a just a few words, it still means the world to me.

-x-x-x-

The next morning, there was a near meeting of the proverbial minds in the hallway.. Trish and Lilian just exiting their apartment when Lisa, Amy and Dawn were exiting theirs. As it turned out, all five were heading out for brunch and at the same location…just that they happened to be meeting with separate people. In the case of the two blondes, they were meeting with Chris and Jason.. While Amy, Dawn and Lisa were meeting up with John, Kurt and Tyson…those separate revelations only lead to questioning on behalf of both parties.. Until Lisa, Lilian and Amy pointed out that if they just stood their discussing it, they'd miss brunch. That, effectively got the remaining three to move from the hallway.. .the five women splitting in the lobby to take separate vehicles to the designated restaurant. For the sake of their own sanity, Lisa and Amy encouraged Dawn to go gossip with Lilian and Trish.. Full well knowing that the brunette was more than likely intending on doing just that to begin with. It was just the type of person that Dawn was….and that wasn't to say that they didn't like her any less for it, just that it was something that they had come to expect. Especially when some sort of major of event had just occurred.. Day trips to Fire Island being included in that category for Dawn's purposes. Unbeknownst to the five women, or the five men meeting them for that matter, another group would also be in the same restaurant at the same time for brunch. Which, this fluke coincidence, was feasible…given that it was New York City and somehow, there seemed to be some similar tastes amongst them. But, since they didn't know that a few members of Evolution Inc. were heading to Sarabeth's they couldn't turn their vehicles around. But, should the redhead have any inclinations of running….it wasn't like their apartment building was too far away. Granted, it was a good walk, but there was no saying that she couldn't very well make a run for it.

Lisa sent a curious look to the redhead, the car circling the block for the second time already. "Ya know… unless it was Trish and Lil who suggested we go to Sarabeth's…"

Amy snorted softly, twirling a strand of hair around her index finger. "I wouldn't exactly pinpoint any of the guys in T.I.R.A.C to choose a place like Sarabeth's. .. it's just too…"

"Girly?" Lisa offered with a smirk, rolling her eyes when Amy shook her head. "Well, it seems to be the place to go now.. There are no parking spots within three blocks of that place."

The redhead slid her glance to the passing buildings, "there's got to be a parking garage or something around here though.."

"We'll find out in a second.." the raven haired woman frowned slightly, "but if I had known that parking was going to be this bad… we should've walked or--"

"Done the smarter thing and taken a cab?" Amy shrugged, "you live and learn I guess.. I mean, the City isn't exactly known for it's plentiful on-street parking spots to begin with.. We're just used to having a parking garage, plus valet parking …both at work and at the apartment."

Lisa easily nodded her agreement, "point.. But, at least we know now.. Whenever we want to go to Sarabeth's for brunch…we take a cab or walk." Frowning slightly, she veered the vehicle towards the first parking garage in sight. "I guess we'll park here, unless you see anything else.."

Amy shook her head, turning her attention away from the sidewalks. "Nope.. But, I think I saw Lilian's car not far behind us.." the redhead bit her lower lip, "we told them we'd meet them outside Sarabeth's right?"

"Yeah…you gave them directions, remember?" Lisa paused to take the ticket for the car, "Dawn suggested Sarabeth's, you gave them the directions and then they left." She raised an eyebrow as the car went further into the parking garage, "Ames…is everything alright?"

"I'm fine Lise, I just…" Amy toyed with a few loose strands of hair, "I'm really starting to wonder, just how in the world are we going to pull this off? The travel schedule seems unending, when we aren't traveling to scout potential locations, we're traveling for conferences and trade shows…and on top of that, we still have a part of McMahon Corp's schedule to adhere to."

Lisa frowned, waiting until she had found a parking spot on the fourth level before she replied: "If you had this many doubts, why didn't you say something earlier?" Slanting a curious look to her friend, the darker haired woman sighed. "Or is there more to it?"

Amy chewed idly n her lower lip, taking her time to unbuckle her seatbelt. "I'm not so worried about working with Randy, if that's what you're getting at…but.. I'm more worried about when Evolution Inc. and McMahon Corp. have to work together… or when the new company and Evolution Inc. have to work together."

"Well, if it's bothering you that much, bring it up." Lisa half shrugged when Amy shot her a skeptical look, "I know, I know.. It's usually me and Lil who say, no business talk over the weekend but.. The five members of T.I.R.A.C will be there…maybe if you bring it up now, and if something does come up in the future…it won't be so…"

"Weird?" Amy suggested with a tiny smirk, "yeah.. I guess I can do that. I just don't want anything to go wrong with the new company."

Lisa snorted softly, the two women finally exiting the vehicle. "Ames.. with you in charge, plus Dawn and Trish around? I highly doubt this new company is going to fail."

Amy raised an eyebrow, grabbing her purse before shutting the passengers side door. "Don't sell yourself short, Lise.. You and Lilian are just as important to the team."

Dawn huffed, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. "For the time it took us to find a parking spot, we should've taken a cab."

Lilian easily nodded her agreement, "live and learn.. It's a good thing we told the guys we were meeting them at 9:30...since its' already 9:20."

"Well, Lise and Ames should be catching up soon.." Trish nodded down to the two women in question, taking a moment to give her make up the once over. "I still can't believe we all made plans to meet at the same place."

Lilian sent a questioning look to the brunette, "so.. How was Coney Island? We told you all about our day trip.."

Dawn half shrugged, "it was pretty fun.. Of course, originally, I wasn't supposed to go…but, Ames and Lise invited me along. We met up with the Kurt, Tyson and John at Dynasty for brunch and then spent most of the day at Coney doing the whole touristy thing.. And for dinner, we went back to our place for take out."

Trish smiled, "it sounds like you all had fun.. Though, I really don't see the point in going to Coney Island to be a tourist, when we live in the City.."

"That's because, even if you're a resident, Coney Island is still a must see place to go." Amy rolled her eyes as she and Lisa joined their friends. "It's all about having a little fun Trish…no harm in that."

The blonde woman smirked, "I was always under the impression that you didn't know how to have fun." Nudging the redhead good naturedly, she added: "thank you for proving me wrong."

Amy shook her head in response, forgoing any verbal reply as the five made their way to the nearest elevator so they could exit the parking garage.

Lilian sent a look back to Lisa and Amy, "Trish and I were thinking.. One of these days, the five of us should head over to Fire Island or something.. .or maybe head upstate for the weekend."

Lisa raised an eyebrow in question, "Lil.. McMahon Corp. plans a few retreats, to Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, Lake Placid and Vail in the winter.."

"I know that Lise, I was thinking more along the lines of just us girls." The blonde woman shrugged slightly, "like doing a leaf viewing in the fall, heading up to Lake Placid over Labor Day weekend--"

"That won't happen," Dawn spoke up quickly, "according to the schedule for McMahon Corp. there's a trip scheduled already.. I forgot where we're going, but I do remember seeing something penciled in there."

Amy shook her head, "we'll talk about it tomorrow, when we have a schedule in front of us.. Plus, we have to take the new company's schedule in mind. So, for right now, let's drop the subject and worry about the fact that we have to cross this nice busy intersection in front of us."

-x-x-x-

At that, they all fell silent…the remainder of the walk to Sarabeth's in that same companionable silence.. Each woman caught up in their own thoughts. It wasn't until they reached the restaurant that the silence broke; Tyson, Kurt, John, Jason and Chris meeting them with mild surprise on their faces. And it wasn't so much that the women had actually gotten there on time, it was that they had all chosen the same restaurant to have brunch. After a few minutes of catching up, the group made their way inside, encountering a slight wait before they were seated. Once they were seated, Dawn caught sight of another group of familiar people sitting almost directly across from their table. Fortunately, Amy's back was to that group of people…which was a good thing since one person's attention was focused on the redhead. The brunette decided that Amy really didn't need to know that four members of Evolution Inc. and their apparent dates were there…keeping the information tucked away as they placed their orders for beverages and meals. Meanwhile, at Evolution Inc.'s table, Randy hadn't been the only one to take notice of the new arrivals to Sarabeth's. Given the simple fact that they were a group of ten, it was hard to notice them anyway, but since they were also the top rival to the company.. Hunter and Bradshaw had also turned their attention to the table. It wasn't until Trish took some notice of Evolution Inc. that some problems occurred.. Mostly because of the fact that one of the secretaries from McMahon Corp. was seated between Hunter and Bradshaw. And much to the pretty blonde's dismay, it was her secretary that was currently sitting at Evolution Inc.'s table.

Trish growled slightly, "well.. Looks like I'll be searching for a new secretary soon."

Lilian raised an eyebrow, "what are you talking about Trish? Joy has been at work every day, she's helped non stop with getting everything ready for the move and--"

"Now she's sitting with Evolution Inc." Trish set down her mimosa, "I don't want to make any presumptions here, but…I also can't afford to take any risks."

Dawn nodded discreetly towards the table, "if I'm not mistaken, the other woman sitting over there is Hunter's personal secretary… Carmella."

Trish pinched the bridge of her nose, "are there any competent secretaries left in the City?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "I don't mean to sound rude or something like that, but why do all five of you really need your own secretary?"

Dawn motioned between herself, Amy, Trish, Lisa and Lilian, "it's because we're all at the head of the our respective divisions at McMahon Corp. And since we're more or less in charge of what happens in our division, we need to get certain things done on tighter deadlines. Having a personal secretary helps matters greatly."

"But, if it's just going to be a smaller company.." Chris glanced between the five women, "why not bring a few of your personal secretaries over to just handle the front desk? I was under the impression that a great deal of the work would be done by agents."

Lilian hesitated before nodding, "that's part of it.. On the surface, travel and real estate agents will be handling a good deal of day to day work and client contact, either in person, over the phone or electronically through fax or website. But, when it concerns the inner workings of the company…things like speaking with travel companies, suppliers, investors, legal matters.."

"But, Chris does bring up a good point," Amy wiped absently at the rim of the glass she was using. "We won't have as much to do where it concerns inner workings. Certainly, we'll still have our share of meetings, conference calls and the likes, but it won't be as much as we're used to dealing with now."

Trish frowned slightly, "can I still fire her though? I haven't fired anyone since that incompetent, twit who nearly lost all of my accounting records for one quarter."

The redhead raised an eyebrow, "why are you asking me?"

"Duh, you have final say over who stays on for the branch company.. You're in charge, remember?"

Amy waved it off nonchalantly, "fine fine.. You can fire her tomorrow.. And that would leave us with Candice, Maria.." Hazel eyes glanced between Lilian and Dawn, "any thoughts on Michelle and Lauren?"

Dawn smiled slightly, "Michelle requested to stay at the main company.. But, one of the secretaries under Stephanie did show some interest in transferring."

Lisa raised an eyebrow, "and who would that be? Lauren also requested to stay on but.. I don't know of anyone else who might be willing to transfer."

"Stacy Keibler, she's a recent hire.. But, I think she's already gotten on Stephanie's bad side.." The brunette shrugged slightly, "whatever the case though, she's the one who's interested."

Amy nodded slowly, "I'll keep that in mind then.. If I can speak with her though, just do an informal interview and if she's still interested, great. It means that we don't have to deal with hiring outside of the company."

Tyson raised an eyebrow, glancing quizzically between the five women. "I don't want to offend you here, but.. Is there a time that you all don't talk about business? Honestly, the five of you look so stressed you could choke someone."

"Close enough," Amy admitted with a wry smile, the redhead rubbing in vain at her temples. "It's not like the branch company concept is anything new, but for us, it is. We've all been used to working under the McMahon's and now…we're finding ourselves with more responsibilities, more duties, and just more work in general."

John shook his head, "but that's no reason to get yourself all worked up over it…no pun intended." He pried one of her hands away from her face, "the branch company isn't starting for another two or three weeks right? No need to get yourself this stressed out yet."

The redhead half shrugged, "I guess.. It's just between the schedule for the branch company and the schedule for McMahon Corp.. plus, the existing deadlines with McMahon Corp. all of the meetings to get ready for the branch company--"

"Ames, relax.." Lisa interrupted gently. "Otherwise you're going to give yourself another panic attack. Remember last year? You sacred the death out of all of us."

John raised an eyebrow, "you still get those?"

"Not as often as I used to, but once in awhile.." Taking a deep breath, the redhead continued: "I really need a vacation.."

Dawn sent her a pointed look, "then take one.. Lord knows you have the vacation time, I think you've been sitting on that since you started with McMahon Corp."

Amy shook her head, "all the deadlines, meetings--"

"If you leave the notes, we can take of that." Lilian reminded her with a smile, "Ames. you have to take care of yourself. Just take a few days or a long weekend or something…give yourself a break."

"Alright, you win.. I'll take a break this weekend, a nice long weekend. And I won't take my work with me." Rolling her eyes at the man sitting next to her, "at least this time. I don't have to worry about someone accidentally throwing my laptop in the river."

John rolled his eyes right back, "it was an accident.. And it wasn't like you didn't have insurance or something on that laptop.. Sure, I might've tossed your textbooks into the lake on purpose, but I didn't touch the laptop."

Dawn quirked an eyebrow, "and when did this happen?"

"My last year at Stern.." Amy's free hand came up to sweep her hair from her face, "I had this huge project that was due and in the middle of it, this one decides we need to take a camping trip. Long story short, I almost missed the deadline because my laptop was fried, but.. My professor felt merciful and gave me an extension."

After Amy had explained, Trish and Lilian blinked in clear confusion.. The redhead then informing the two about her living arrangements her last year at Stern…and finally explaining the exact connection she had with one Randy Orton. It was after she had finished explaining that their food finally arrived, sparing the redhead from having to explain things any further to her curious friends. And while they all had more than a few questions to ask, they had the decency to leave Amy alone about it for the time being. It was clear enough to all of them that she was stressed about the prospect of the branch company.. And the last thing any of them needed was Amy having another panic attack. The last one, near the Christmas holiday, had landed the redhead in the hospital…her co-workers believing for a moment that she had a heart attack. And while a panic attack wasn't something to take lightly, they were at least relieved somewhat when the attending doctor at the E.R informed them that it was a panic attack. As such, the redhead had been ordered by Mr. McMahon himself to take a vacation, her normal duties then split up between Lisa and Lilian until the redhead was allowed back to work. This year, so far anyway, had been panic attack free but.. If she kept going the way she was, there was really no saying that it couldn't happen again. But, whatever the case where that was concerned.. Lilian, Trish and Dawn were suggesting various places that the redhead could go for her long weekend, while Amy seemed content to just stay in the City, without working. But, wherever she ended up going or not going, the main point was for her to take some necessary time off.