Chapter 25

WrestleMania XIII

March 23, 1997

Chicago, IL

It would be a date etched in Andalyn's memory for the rest of her days on this earth. Mark had not lied to her when he said the battle with Sid would be physical and brutal. They really had gone to war with each other, leaving absolutely everything in the ring and not holding back. Vince would've had their backsides in a sling if neither had given their absolute all in the main event of their super bowl. It wasn't a disappointment; every fan was out of their seat watching, hoping a change of the championship would happen. As great of a champion as Psycho Sid was, Mark hadn't held the belt in 6 long years.

He'd won his first championship one year after his debut in 1991 against Hulk Hogan and lost it in the rematch. Ric Flair had a hand in Mark's victory against Hogan, but still Mark had gotten a taste of what it was like to be the WWF World Heavyweight champion. Every giant who stepped up to him, he demolished and took out, putting his body through sheer utter hell in the process. There were times he simply had to disappear for a few weeks to heal physically as well as mentally, to get back on track to where he wanted to go in the company. Mark, more than anyone, had paid his dues and it was finally his turn to hold the most prestigious belt in the business once again.

"YES!" Andalyn hollered the moment Mark pinned Sid for the victory, the crowd erupting throughout the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. One of Mark's favorite cities to perform in and it was the perfect place to finally give him what he'd fought so hard for. "He did it!"

"That's my Dad!" Rebel shouted in triumph, proud of his father and grinned up at his mother, feeling her arms wrap around him tightly, not pushing her away like he normally would have. "Come on, we gotta go greet 'em!"

Andalyn laughed, holding onto Rebel's hand as they both rushed to gorilla position to wait for Mark to walk through the black curtain. She watched him on the monitor, seeing him kneel in the middle of the ring as the purple lighting engulfed him while holding the championship in the air. It was his offering to all of his supporters, his Creatures of the Night, as Mark liked to refer his fans. Those who had stuck beside him through everything, the long journey that brought him to this shining moment in time. Andalyn would've given anything to freeze this moment in time, wanting Mark to enjoy and soak it in as long as possible.

The WWF championship had finally come to the Dark Side and the Era of the Undertaker had begun.

The moment Mark stepped through the curtain with the belt over his shoulder; he was clobbered by his family. Even though Andalyn wasn't his wife yet, he looked to rectify that, especially since they were trying to have a baby to add to the mix. He chuckled, sweating from head to toe and pulled them tightly against him, breathing Andalyn in. All he wanted to do was go back to the hotel and spend the night making love to her until he passed out. Glen and Krystal already agreed to watch over Rebel for them, which both were incredibly thankful for. Mark had told Glen he was trying to impregnate Andalyn since they wanted another baby and he wasn't surprised to discover Glen was doing the same thing to Krystal. So they both agreed to take turns watching each other's boys while Krystal and Macon were on the road. It was only fair after all, but tonight with Mark's title win, Glen offered to take Rebel off their hands so they could celebrate.

Unfortunately, being the WWF champion required Mark to make an appearance at the post-WrestleMania party. So they would go, shake hands and eat something quickly before making an escape back to their hotel room. Andalyn was already dressed to the nines, as required by the company, in a beautiful emerald green gown. Strapless, shimmery, skintight and it had a sweetheart neckline. Her hair was piled up on top of her head, thanks to the hair stylist insisting on doing it. There were little emerald pins throughout her hair to keep it place, leaving her shoulders completely bare.

Andalyn had changed after Mark left the dressing room to go out for his match, not wanting to bother him while he readied for the most important match of his career. Mark pulled out of the embrace to devour his woman whole, eyes darkening to a deep forest green and contemplated skipping the party, not caring what the boss ordered. She looked good enough to eat, his tongue sliding out to glide over his top lip hungrily and made sure she watched him do it. Of course she caught it and did a full body shiver, goose bumps forming on her skin and chewed her bottom lip, flushing from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.

"We have to go to the party. Behave, champ." Andalyn murmured, guiding him down the hallway and smiled every time they were stopped by one of their coworkers to congratulate Mark on a job well done.

"Good job, Dad." Rebel hadn't even realized what he called Mark, hugging the man around the waist and sat back down on the couch in the dressing room to resume his Game Boy.

Mark blinked, looking back at the boy and then down at Andalyn, seeing tears glistening in her eyes. "Did he just…?" Rebel hadn't called him Dad since the first day he'd taken them to the ranch.

She nodded, placing a hand on his chest over his heart and leaned up to brush her mouth against his. "He's been wantin' to start callin' ya Dad for a while. Don't say anythin' or else he'll get shy. Now go get yerself dolled up so I can show you off."

"I'm startin' to wonder if the only reason yer with me is to have a champion on yer arm." Mark drawled teasingly, arching a dark brow when she smacked his backside. "Woman…"

Andalyn shoved him into the bathroom before he could make a grab for her, refusing to let him ruin her outfit until AFTER the party.

It wasn't a surprise to discover Vince had hired a limousine for Mark, his new WWF champion, to take him and his family to the party. The boss was adamant about the head honcho making an appearance and Mark adjusted to the tie uncomfortably around his neck. Of course, he was in all black, the tie having just a dab of purple and grey in it. His colors. For his WrestleMania XIII gear, Mark had resorted back to his old outfit from back in the day, before he transferred to the black and dark purple and then pure black leather. His look had drastically changed, but one thing hadn't was the man behind the gear. Sporting grey leather gloves and grey shin covers that wrapped around the bottom of his boots, Mark wanted to show his fans he would never forget his roots and who he truly was. The Phenom – The Undertaker.

Andalyn could tell Mark was exhausted and felt terrible he was being dragged to this party, wishing they could've just gone back to the hotel to relax. However, Vince hadn't said how long they had to stick around, so she was in the same mindset Mark was. They would do a dance or two, eat and then make an exit to spend the rest of the night celebrating their way. The company had gotten him a suite with all the fixings, including a bubbly Jacuzzi tub. Andalyn doubted they'd be using it, but it was nice to have the choice, nonetheless. She couldn't have been prouder of Mark, watching how he carried himself and held the world title over his shoulder with pride. She could feel it flowing from him in waves and was even prouder to be the woman on his arm. Rebel paid no attention, as any normal pre-teen, and played his Game Boy along with Macon, both of them talking about the current game they were addicted to.

"I was wonderin' if Sid would have your number. Glad to see I was wrong." Glen joked, shaking hands with his longtime friend and both embraced in a brotherly way. They'd known each other for a few years now and both were looking forward to being able to work closely with each other once Glen's new character came to light. "You deserve it, man. I mean that."

"Hell, maybe you'll be the one to take it off me." Mark smiled, not minding Glen taking the strap off of him as long as it was best for the company. "Have they figured out what yer doin' yet and how you'll be brought on?"

Glen took a sip of his gin and ginger ale. "Not yet, but supposedly I have a meetin' with Vince next week to finalize everythin'." He was from Tennessee, so his accent was almost like Mark's, with just a slight twang. "From what I was told though, the character's name is gonna be Kane. Don't know much more than that though."

"Is this the Undertaker's little brother?"

Both Mark and Glen turned to look down at their boss, each arching simultaneous brows. Mark recalled his phone call from Vince when his own character had come to life. And now here Vince was doing the same thing to Glen, calling him Undertaker's little brother…what the hell?

"Little brother?" Mark questioned, sharing bewildered looks with Glen and could tell the man had no idea what their boss was talking about. "Care to fill us in, Vince?"

"Surely." Vince beamed, proud of his new champion and guided both men over to a table to discuss the biggest angle in the WWF be in quite some time.

"Well, I guess dancin' is out of the question." Krystal chuckled, shaking her head alongside Andalyn, both of them admiring their men from where they stood.

"Why is that? Hell, I'd love to dance with ya, honey."

Andalyn groaned, not bothering to hide it and took a long swig of her champagne, shaking her head firmly. "Get bent, Austin. And don't bother askin' her either. She's a happily married woman." She pulled Krystal to stand on her other side away from Steve, looking disgusted at the sight of him.

Krystal had no idea what the history between these two was and kept her mouth shut, feeling uncomfortable being stared at by those Texas blue eyes of Steve Austin's. "I'm gonna go check on the boys." She excused herself easily enough, knowing Andalyn could handle herself and hoped Mark noticed what was going on.

"Now that wasn't very nice, Andy." Steve chastised, knowing better than to lay his hands on her, but that didn't mean he couldn't verbally rip her a new backside. "Kinda sad how Taker is more worried 'bout his upcomin' angle with Jacobs instead of bein' with you. Trouble in paradise?"

"You wish there was." Andalyn sneered, trying not to let his words eat through her and folded her arms in front of her chest. "His job means a great deal to him and I respect that. You'll never understand the type of passion he has since all ya care 'bout is yer fortune. Mark actually cares about this business and company as a whole."

Steve snorted, not bothering to fall for her baiting and took a long swig of his beer. "Is it a crime to wanna be champion? To be the man who leads the company away from poverty?" WCW was currently kicking their backsides in the ratings and he knew Vince was desperate, which was why Mark had gotten the title in the first place. Not because he deserved it. "If given half the chance, I'll make sure we kick the shit outta WCW and keep our damn jobs. I don't think Taker has what it takes to carry this company into the future."

"Then yer wrong in that assumption 'cause he does." Andalyn stated confidently, keeping her voice down and smiled coldly as Rena Mero sauntered past her in a barely covered black gown that clearly showed her nipples. If the whore wasn't careful, she would have another broken nose that night. "Vince doesn't have confidence in you and that's why yer baitin' me 'cause yer jealous of Mark's success. Stop bein' another Bret Hart and cryin' 'bout how people are screwin' you over. Start doin' somethin' 'bout it instead. Actions speak louder than words."

Steve thought about that, deciding she was absolutely right and smirked, knowing this would no doubt anger Taker. "Couldn't agree more, honey." Whipping Andalyn around by the upper arm, Steve didn't waste a second and plundered her mouth with his, tasting her for the first time in quite a while.

Ripping her mouth from his, which took a bit of strength to do, a loud SMACK echoed throughout the venue the party was being held in. Andalyn stumbled back, satisfied with the glowing red handprint on the side of Steve's face and scowled darkly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand hastily. "PRICK!" She hissed angrily, not believing he just pulled that stunt in front of EVERYONE, including the man she loved, tears swelling in her grey eyes.

Mark had witnessed that spectacle along with everyone, arriving at Andalyn's side in seconds and had his hand wrapped around Steve's throat in another. "What the FUCK do ya think yer doing?!" He demanded irately, ignoring Vince shouting at him to drop the bald dick. "I'll snap yer ass in half, Austin!"

"TAKER!" Vince growled warningly, having also noticed what happened between Andalyn and Steve, but nothing could be done about it now. "You'll get him in the ring, but not here – NOT HERE." He gripped the giant's arm firmly, brown eyes ordering Mark to release his rising star in Steve Austin.

"Come near her again and I'll finish the fuckin' job, Austin." Mark hissed in a deadly promise before dropping him like a sack of potatoes on the hard marble floor. "We're outta here. Come on, Andalyn." He extended his hand to her and felt it slip into his before pulling her out of the venue quickly.

If he didn't leave now, Austin would be a smear on the wall and his blood would be on Mark's hands.

Andalyn didn't dare speak a word the entire ride back to the hotel, knowing Mark was livid after what happened. She couldn't believe this night had been ruined because of that snake, scowling darkly. This was supposed to be the happiest and most fulfilling night of Mark's life and wrestling career. Somehow, it didn't surprise her Steve would choose tonight to ruin it, especially after their brief encounter earlier at the arena in catering. The second they were inside their hotel room, Mark didn't waste a second and demanded if Andalyn was alright. She nodded and nothing more was said as Mark pulled her into his arms, kissing her the way she DESERVED to be kissed instead of manhandled.

He would never do anything to hurt her, feeling her trembling against him and knew it was from desire, not fear like it had been with Steve. That cue ball had balls of steel to pull what he did tonight, but that was alright. Mark would get his revenge sooner or later, deciding to let the prick stew on it for a while. One thing about Mark was he was exceptionally patient and, when he finally did strike, Steve would not see it coming for a second. Right now, in this moment, all Mark wanted to do was screw his woman until they both passed out, his perfect celebratory way of becoming the WWF champion again.