"I thought this was supposed to be an easy match tonight, Mark?" I said sarcastically as we ducked behind the curtains leading to the back.

Using his shirt to wipe some of the blood off his face, Mark looked down at her. "Don't be a smart ass right now, darlin. We've still got to deal with Vince. I've probably got to have stitches on this and where in the hell was Glenn?" he looked around irritably as if just mentioning his name would cause him to appear.

I looked up at him and noticed that his cheek had finally quit bleeding but still looked rough. The cut was deep and ugly. It would probably leave a scar unless the stitches were set soon. I nodded, now was not the time to give him a hard time. "Alright. Let's find Glenn and then we'll get your cheek taken care of. Or do you want to see the medical tech first?" I didn't even mention Vince, knowing he was last on our list.

Mark shook his head, striding down the hall, keeping his hand tightly wrapped around mine. I hurried along behind, almost running to keep up. "I want Glenn first. He should have been out there. He was supposed to be watching for just what happened. He should have been out there," there was irritation, almost a hint of betrayal in his voice as we strode down the hallway.

"I'm sure . . ." my voice trailed off as I couldn't think of what would have kept Glenn from the ring.

We heard the yelling halfway up the hallway from our locker room. Looking at each other for a second we took off running, Mark's longer legs eating up the distance but keeping a slower pace for me. We arrived in front of our locker room to see a crowd of people gathered around. Seeing a familiar blonde head I made my way in that direction with Mark a step behind.

"Hunter, what's going on?"

Hunter turned around and grinned. "Hey you two. You finally decided to vacate the ring? Vince is on a headhunting mission. Guess who's at the top of his list?" He quirked a brow and nodded his head in our direction.

Mark laughed, "I can imagine. We'll deal with him later. What's going on?"

Hunter shrugged, "I'm not sure. I just got here a few minutes ago. From the snatches of conversation I heard Glenn got locked in your alls locker room. They can't get him out."

Mark frowned, "What do you mean—can't get him out?"

Hunter shrugged again, "Just what I said. Something got wedged in the lock, almost like something was broken off in it. The door is one of those old ones—it's about six or seven inches thick. If it wasn't for the inch or so gap at the bottom we wouldn't have been able to hear Glenn yelling for help. Man, he's pissed about something too. I don't know why. He's already had his match." Hunter grinned, "Maybe Grace told him to be home on time and we know how her temper is."

Mark shook his head, "No, his wife is home. She's not on this tour with him. What was he saying?"

Hunter frowned trying to think of what the others had been saying when he'd walked up. "Something about needing to get out there—" flicking a quick look at Dory he shook his head, "just a lot of cussing after that I think."

I leaned against Mark's side, taking comfort from the warmth soaking into me. "How are we going to get him out?" I looked up at Mark as I asked the question.

Mark reached out and wrapped his arm around Dory's shoulders, pulling her in tight against his side. He started to lean down and kiss her when Hunter stuck his hand out catching him against the chest before he could reach her. Mark glared at him.

Hunter grinned, "Hey, you're the one who's got blood all over you man. I didn't think she'd appreciate it . . . but go ahead." Hunter backed away giving them privacy and went looking for Stephanie.

I laughed at the disgruntled look on Mark's face before patting him gently on the chest. "Come on, let's see what's being done to get Glenn out and then get you taken care of."

Mark grunted irritably but took the lead. We slowly made our way through the crowd, with Mark shouldering enough room for me to follow easily in his wake. Finally getting to the door we were just in time to hear Glenn bellowing from inside, a little garbled but understandable.

"Get me out of this damn room! Right now! When I find out who messed with this god damn lock I'm going to break his neck!"

There was a second of silence and then a thump against the door that shook the very frame. I looked up at Mark and raised a brow. "I thought Hunter said the door was six or seven inches thick?"

Mark shrugged, "He also said Glenn was pissed."

There was a series of thumps against the door as we stood there and finally Mark walked up to the door and leaned against it.

"Glenn, hey Glenn," he yelled, trying to make himself heard over the thumping and through the door. He waved his hand impatiently at everyone gathered in the hallway, trying to get them to be quiet.

"Mark, is that you?" Glenn's voice echoed hollowly through the door.

"Yeah, it's me. We're gonna get you out now. Everything's fine. Just quit pounding on the door, you hear me?"

"Where's Dory?"

"She's standing right here next to me. We'll talk in just a few minutes." He felt Dory poke him in the ribs and turned to look down. "What?"

I waved a hand to the two maintenance men who'd walked up while Mark had been talking to Glenn. "They're here to take the hinges off the door. That's how they're going to get him out."

"Glenn, they're here to take the hinges off the door now. Just go sit down and you'll be out in a few minutes." Mark backed away to lean against the opposite wall, folding his arms across his chest while he watched the two men work.

I walked over and leaned against the wall beside him, not touching but standing companionably close.

"You wanna sit down darlin'?"

I looked around and then glanced at him, "Sure, where did you have in mind?"

Sliding down the wall, he sat on the floor and stretched his long legs out before reaching up and grabbing my hand. Giving me a little tug he tumbled me in his lap, settling me draped across his legs and leaning against his chest.

"Comfortable?" he murmured against the side of my neck, careful to keep the bloody side of his face away from her.

Reaching over my head, I ran my hand down the rough scrape of his goatee, careful to rub the cheek that wasn't injured. I leaned against his chest and sighed, "Very." Snuggling a little closer I felt his arms tighten around me. "Mmm, I wasn't aware of how tired I was until I sat down here."

Mark leaned his head back against the wall enjoying the feel of Dory in his arms. The last hour had been tense and it was nice to just sit and relax for a minute even if it was on a hard concrete floor. Tightening his arms around her he sighed in contentment. "How long did they say it would take to get the hinges off the door?"

I didn't bother opening my eyes. Two of the security guards were trying to get everyone out of the hallway, I could hear them clearing the way. "Mmm, I think they said it was going to be about a half hour or so. Why?"

"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to bleed to death while we waited."

Startled I jerked my eyes open, twisting around in his lap to look at his face. He was grinning at me. "You jerk!" Shoving him in the chest, I leaned back so I could see his face. Carefully I used the hem of his shirt to wipe away some of the blood. "I think you might survive until we get some stitches."

"Heads up man. I'd hide if I was you," Hunter whispered as he walked back by with Stephanie by his side.

"What are you talking about?" Mark frowned, but followed the direction Hunter nodded and saw Vince coming down the hall. "Shit. That's just what we need right now." Sliding me off his lap Mark got to his feet. The hallway was deserted now except for me and Mark, Stephanie and Hunter and the two maintenance men. Vince looked in our direction and frowned and then started our way.

Hunter saw the frown and laughed and grabbed Stephanie. "I think that's our cue to exit, baby."

Stephanie smiled sympathetically at us. "Good luck." Reaching out she hugged me and whispered, "Let me know if I can help you."

Surprised but pleased by her offer of friendship I just nodded and smiled back at her. I watched them walk away for a minute before turning to Mark. "They're such a nice couple."

Mark grunted. "Yeah but a couple of what?"

Elbowing him in the side, I said,"Mark, what is your problem?"

He just shook his head. "Never mind. I like Hunter just fine. Stephanie can be bit much sometimes but if you like her. . .that's fine." He shrugged. "I don't think now is the time to talk about it do you?" He nodded to where Vince was making his way down the hall.

Glancing at Vince out of the corner of my eye, I nodded. "No, probably not. But you started it." I ignored how childish that sounded and ignored the grin Mark threw at me letting me know how childish he thought is sounded too. Turning my back to Vince I looked up at Mark, whispering, "Don't you think Vince walks like he's got a stick up his butt?"

Mark's eyes widened, jerking down to meet Dory's innocent blue eyes. "Shit, Dory don't be saying stuff like that." Mark glanced quickly around to make sure no one had overheard her remark. Seeing the two maintenance men still bent over the door and no one else close to them he looked back at Vince and watched him for a minute, his eyes flicking over the stiff way his shoulders twitched back and forth with every step. Meeting her laughing blue eyes he had to grin, "But yeah you're right—he does walk like he's got a stick up his ass."

It was nice to see Mark laughing again. Taking a step closer I leaned against his chest, loving it when his arms automatically closed around my waist. "And you know what I thought when Brock Lesnar first appeared on the ramp tonight?"

Mark groaned but answered, "I probably don't want to know this but go ahead, what did you think?"

I looked up at him and widened my eyes innocently before saying, "I thought—gee, where's his hat? Don't all organ grinder monkeys have to wear those little hats?"

Mark just shook his head.

I reached up and tapped him on the chest. "Oh come on. Admit it. Even you can see the resemblance. The monkey and Brock both dance around. They both have owners or in Brock's case he's got Paul Heyman. Neither are too intelligent, although I think the monkey has Brock beat in that department." Mark snorted, trying not to laugh and encourage me although I could tell from the look on his face that he was enjoying my nonsense. It was taking his mind off the coming confrontation with Vince. I opened my mouth to deliver another one when I was cut off.

"So you two decided to finally vacate my ring?"
Vince's cold tone brought the two of us apart immediately.

Standing close beside Mark I could feel the tension in him, could feel him struggle to control his temper. "We left as soon as the situation was under control."

"You let the situation get out of control. You could have ended it at anytime. I've talked to Earl and I know exactly what you said. I expect you to pay that fine and have it on my desk before you leave the arena tonight. And you too," Vince turned and shook a finger in my direction.

I raised my eyebrow at Vince. "Actually Mr. McMahon the way you phrased your threat was if we did not leave the ring before Earl left we would be fined. If you care to review the tape you will see that Mark and I left the ring before Earl did."

Vince stood there for a minute and just stared at me. Glancing at him, I started to fidget and regretted even opening my mouth. What the hell had I done now? Mark reached over and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, anchoring me to his side, silently supporting me. Finally after what seemed like an hour Vince smiled and looked at Mark. "She's a smart ass little thing isn't she?"

Mark laughed, "She is that. She also appreciates being talked to, instead of about."

"Touché," Vince murmured and nodded in my direction. "You do have a point, my dear. That was the exact wording of my—" Vince hesitated before continuing, "—that was exactly what I said. As long as you both exited the ring before Earl, then no fine can be applied." Looking at me a little closer, he actually grinned, "Of course if I remember the match right, you did cheat didn't you?"

"Cheat?" I squeaked.

"Mmm, wasn't it you who tripped Earl and put him in a submission hold?"

Flicking him a quick look, I asked, "Would you believe it was an accident?"

I felt Mark stiffen beside me and knew he was trying not to laugh. As unobtrusively as possible I slid my foot over and stepped on his toe, trying to get him to straighten up. This was serious business. I'd only met Vince in passing a couple of times and now Mark wants to stand there and laugh at a time like this?

Vince looked at the woman standing in front of him, studying her closely. She wasn't very tall—probably only five three or four. She had intense blue eyes, long brown hair and a charming grin when she was trying to convince you of something—like she was doing right now. And she had nerve. She was standing there in front of him stomping on Mark's foot. He pretended not to notice that part and laughed softly to himself. There weren't too many people who had the nerve to stand up to Mark—and for damn sure not many who had the nerve to stand on him. At first he'd written her off as some ring rat that would be here today and gone tomorrow but evidently not. He'd caught a glimpse of her a couple of times backstage when she'd been with Mark and then when Mark had come to him with his idea of her being his valet. . .then he'd approached Stephanie to check her out. He was a thorough man. He never left anything to chance. Stephanie had reported back that she wasn't the regular ring rat type. She was a fan of wrestling that Mark had met at one of the shows and had been seeing for a while. Maybe somebody they could use with the right training since Mark wanted her around. Vince shook his head, definitely not the ring rat type. He laughed to himself. For one thing she's got too much brains and a smart mouth. Vince laughed to himself. Probably a damn good thing she's got Mark at her back with that smart mouth. Shaking his head he got back to the business at hand and looked over her head and met Mark's eyes, "You know how we do business. This is not it."

Casually Mark changed positions, dropping his arm from around Dory and taking a step closer to Vince. "Business got a little personal out there tonight, don't you think Vince?" Mark gestured vaguely to the blood drying on his face and staining his shirt.

Vince shrugged. "That's just how some nights go. You know that as well as I do. Some nights you bleed. Some nights the other guy does. You've been in this business long enough to know that. Why are you bitching about it now?"

Gritting his teeth, Mark hung onto his temper by a hair. "You think it's the blood that bothers me?" Stepping even closer he leaned down, glaring into Vince's face. "I've bled more for this company than any other wrestler in this locker room."

Vince backed away from the look in Mark's eyes, uneasy with the tone of voice, with the look on his face.

Mark kept pace with Vince, stalking him until his back touched the wall. "I've bled for this company and been glad to do it but when you throw shit at me to get ratings and you jeopardize her—"Mark jerked a thumb in Dory's direction, never taking his burning gaze off Vince's pale face "—then we need to have a serious conversation."

Throwing his hands up Vince said defensively, "Hey, I didn't know anything about tonight. I was just as surprised as you were." Sidestepping Mark he paced a couple of steps away before turning around and facing him again. "Just as soon as we're done here I'm going to talk to Heyman and Lesnar and Big Show. I want to know what in the hell they thought they were doing out there."

Mark snorted. "Bullshit. Nobody goes through that curtain that you don't okay." Mark shook his head. "Don't jerk me around on this Vince. We've always dealt clean together. I'm sure they gave you some nice song and dance about some ratings grabber—and I'm sure this was. It was a nice set up." Mark turned and pinned Vince to the wall with a hard stare. "But it better be the last set up that comes my way." Never taking his eyes off Vince, Mark continued, "You do it again and it will be the last time. I don't care how much money you have or who you are. You don't set me up and walk away. There was nothing scripted about what they did." Gesturing to his face, Mark backed off a little and reached for Dory's hand. "This is real blood, I'm going to have to have real stitches and I'm really pissed. Don't just take my word for it. You say you're going to talk to Big Show and Lesnar and Heyman?" Mark smiled, an evil, satisfied grin. "When Show finally wakes up you ask him if that chair shot was real or not. You ask Lesnar if I really broke his nose." Mark laughed and turned to walk towards the locker room door to see how close they were to having Glenn out, leading Dory by the hand.

Vince called out, "You did that on purpose?"

Mark turned his head but didn't stop walking, "Yep."

Irritation colored Vince's tone. "Dammit you know that's a fine!"

Looking back Mark met his gaze, his steps never faltering, "Yep."

Staring for a minute, Vince turned and swore before stomping off up the hallway yelling back over his shoulder, "Have the check on my desk by Monday!"

Mark just nodded and continued walking. "It's money well-spent Vince!"

Vince continued muttering as he stomped up the hallway. Vince was halfway up the hallway when he heard Mark call his name. Turning back he scowled, "What?"

Mark grinned and wrapped his arm securely around Dory as he faced Vince. "You might want to tell them something else when you talk to them."

Vince frowned. "I'm not a message boy."

Mark shrugged. "Suit yourself. I can tell them just as well. It'll cost you some more TV time I'm sure but hey . . . "

"What's the message?" disgruntlement colored Vince's tone, echoed in the tense set of his shoulders.

Mark smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "You be sure to tell all of them that this is just the beginning."

Vince's face turned red with rage. "If you do one more thing to them that isn't scripted I will fine your ass!"

Mark nodded calmly. "I understand."

Vince nodded, calming down when Mark accepted his ultimatum. He was in charge. Mark simply had to realize that. Turning he started back up the hallway.

Mark watched Vince turn and walk away, knowing by the smug look Vince wore just before he turned what was going through his mind. Squeezing Dory tight, he delivered his parting shot, "I'll keep my check book handy."

Mark laughed silently as Vince froze for a second as the meaning behind his words sank in. Vince had been so sure he'd won that argument. He exchanged grins with Dory as Vince started up the hallway without bothering to turn back around, simply muttering under his breath as he stomped up the hallway.

I looked up at Mark, shaking my in exasperation. "You're gonna get fired one day pulling crap like that."

Throwing an arm casually around her neck, Mark turned back toward the locker room. Shortening his long legged stride to match hers, he teased, "Yeah but I've got you to support me now so I don't have to worry about it."

Giving him a playful shove in the side, I answered, "Well that's true I always did want a love slave."

I saw Mark's eyes widen in surprise, all playfulness disappearing from his expression as desire instantly flamed to life. "Mmm, now you're talking." He stopped walking and moved a little closer, wrapping his arms around my waist pulling me snug against his chest. Dipping his head down he tucked his cheek into the crook of my neck, tickling me with the rough scrape of his goatee.

Reaching up I wrapped my arms tight around his neck, enjoying the feel of him close against me.

Backing away slightly, he cautioned, "Be careful. There's a lot of blood all over me."

"Love slaves don't talk, don't you know that?"

A silky, auburn brow rose in question. "Is that right?"

Tugging on his hair gently I pulled his head towards mine. "That's right."

Nipping her lower lip playfully he kept the kiss casual, conscious of the public place and the two men whose eyes continually strayed in their direction. As much as his body was begging him to back her against the wall and make this kiss count now was not the time or the place. Regretfully ending the kiss he turned back for the locker room, meeting the eyes of one the maintenance men. As soon as Mark looked at him, he immediately dropped his gaze back to his work but not before Mark caught the appreciative gaze aimed at Dory.

"As much as you're killing me, now is not the time or the place," gently pressing a kiss to her hair, he puller her close and kept walking. "I think you do this to me on purpose, just to keep me in line," he teased.

"Of course," I answered without looking up. I could feel the blush on my cheeks. I'd caught the maintenance man looking in our direction and finally realized we'd been making out in the public hallway. And instead of calling a halt to it I'd been eager for more, hungry for the taste of him.

Noticing something in her voice Mark looked down at her, "You okay, darlin'?"

Not wanting to admit what I'd been thinking and knowing he'd bug me if I didn't change the subject, I said, "Yeah I'm fine. Are they done yet with Glenn?"

Giving her a searching glance Mark let the subject drop. "Yeah, it looks like they'll be done in a few minutes. They've got three of the four hinges off. Just one more to go."

We stood silently, waiting impatiently as the final hinge was taken off the door. More men were called in and the door was carefully lifted out of the frame and set over to the side. The maintenance men set about examining the lock, trying to determine how it had gotten jammed in the first place.

Mark and I had started toward the now open door when we heard one of the maintenance men mutter, "What in the hell is that?"

Stopping we looked over to see the maintenance men were examining the inside of the door.

"Shit, will you look at that?"

"Damn, what the hell did that?"

"That's a steel door!" The man leaned down and ran a hand over the dents that ran the length of the door. Not just one or two but more like twenty or thirty. They covered the door, pounded into the door at least an inch. "Son of a bitch," he muttered softly beneath his breath as he traced a finger over a particularly deep indentation on the inside of the door. "What in the hell could have made such an impression?"

A shadow fell across the path his fingers were tracing and he glanced up, startled he lost his balance and fell over on his butt.

Catching Glenn's appearance in the dressing room door out of the corner of my eyes I almost missed the spectacle of the maintenance man landing on his butt, almost. Mark laughed quietly under his breath and tugged on my hand and we started in Glenn's direction. Finally getting a good look at Glenn I could see why the man would have been startled. Glenn had evidently put his mask back on—he'd had no idea who was getting him out and he had to keep his gimmick intact. There was an air of menace about him I'd never seen in Glenn. Standing there in the demolished doorway, he looked as if he'd destroyed it himself. Cutting a quick glance at the door as we passed it I gave him an A for effort. His hair had had time to dry after his match and now was doing some crazy poofy thing around his face, probably from where he'd been running his hands through it. It gave him a crazy look, all fluffed around his face like that. He stood there for a minute, his chest heaving in and out, sweat glistening on his bare arm and part of his chest that his costume revealed. Anger and frustration vibrated off him in waves, you could feel it. The maintenance men lost interest in the door and began backing up. They were employed by the arena and had no idea who this madman was, who they hell could tell what some of these wrestlers would do?

Mark waved a hand at Glenn, motioning him back inside the locker room. "Let's go back inside and talk. We've got things to discuss and this is as good a place as any. At least we won't get locked in."

Without a word Glenn turned and stomped back inside the locker room, leaving the maintenance men to breathe a sigh of relief and begin to make fun of their fellow worker who'd been so scared he'd fell over at his first sight of Kane.

Stepping into the locker room a few steps behind Mark and Glenn I stopped dead in my tracks and stared, fascinated at the destruction. The benches had been tossed across the room, the lockers were over turned, and chairs were tossed on top of the whole mess. I turned a wide, fascinated gaze to Mark.

Mark merely raised an eyebrow and looked at Glenn. As soon as we'd reached the safety of the locker room Glenn had ripped off the mask, tossing it on top of on the bags lying in the corner. Our gear and the TV were the only things that seemed to be intact in the whole room. Glenn had had a regular fit.

"Did you have nice temper tantrum, Glenn?"

With a snarl, Glenn walked over and kicked one of the already overturned lockers then cursed and hobbled for a second when it hurt. "Don't start with me Mark. What the hell was I supposed to do? The damn door wouldn't open, I couldn't get out. All I could do was watch every damn bit of it on TV!" Glenn gestured to the TV in the corner, which explained why it remained untouched. That was the only way he'd known what was going on and even then he'd missed a great deal. "What the hell happened after Vince took you off the air? There's blood all over you, they had Dory." Running an agitated hand through his hair, causing it to stand out even further. "What the hell happened?"

Mark sighed and glanced around, looking for a place to sit. "Did you have to destroy everything?"

Glenn glanced around as if seeing it for the first time. Feeling his face burn he glanced first at Mark then Dory before blurting out defensively, "I was locked in here a long time!"

Mark shook his head, "Glenn it couldn't have been for even an hour."

Trying again, Glenn said, "I'm claustrophobic."

Choking on a laugh, I met Glenn's gaze and just shook my head. Mark's voice cut into my thoughts. "It's a big room Glenn. Just admit it. You had a temper tantrum. I thought Grace had cured you of that."

Snorting Glenn said, "Grace is my wife, not my boss."

This caused Mark to bust out laughing, "Oh, that's a good one. Does she know this?"

Growling in disgust, Glenn took a threatening step closer, "Oh shut up!"

Stepping between the two men I held up a hand, "Ok, ok that's enough. Let's get back to the business at hand, ok?"

Glaring at Mark Glenn backed up and went over the mess he'd created, picking up a chair and checking it's legs before bringing it over and sitting it before Dory. "Here ya go." With a glare at Mark he went to get one for himself and sit close to Dory's. Settling himself comfortably he glared at Mark, "You can get your own."

Snorting, Mark went in search of another chair. Finding one he brought it back and completed their little circle.

"Alright, let's get this over with. What did you see? I don't know when Vince had them go to commercial."

"Too damn soon. All I was able to see was Big Show coming down that goddamn ramp. He climbed in the ring and was going for Dory—''abruptly he stopped and looked at Dory, "I never asked—are you ok, sweetheart?"

I smiled slowly, grateful for Glenn's concern. "I'm fine. Big Show never touched me. He tried but he didn't."

Nodding, Glenn continued, "They went to a commercial break when Big Show got in the ring. No explanation, no nothing. They showed a hundred commercials. When they finally came back all they said was that the Undertaker had been injured and they'd let everyone know later in the broadcast how he was doing. Hell we knew that. I could see blood in the ring." Flicking a look at Mark's cheek and his blood stained shirt, he said, "I'm assuming all the blood staining the canvas was yours?"

Mark leaned back in his chair and smiled. "You'd be wrong, brother."

Glenn laughed. "I knew I could count on you to do at least a little damage." Slapping the arm of the chair he was sitting in in frustration, he added, "I saw Brock coming out instead of the Hardyz and knew something was up. I started out to the ring then but the damn door was locked. I know Brock or Show did it. I know it!"

Mark nodded. "Probably. Them or Heyman."

"That fat, son of a bitch!"

Mark nodded, "Exactly."

"So what exactly happened? TV tells me nothing. I saw just enough to be mad as hell at not being able to be out there to help."

Mark glanced at the demolished room and grinned, "You were mad? Really?"

Stretching I kicked him lightly, "Mark, give him a break. How did you feel out there when you couldn't get to me?"

Mark lost his grin, "You're right, darlin'." Looking back over at Glenn he started on the tale, "I wasn't really too worried when it first started. That was a rookie mistake." Mark shook his head, "I should have known something was up. Heyman has always been a bastard. Anyway the match was fine until the end when Brock cheated. He had a chain that he wrapped around his hand—that's what opened my cheek up." He gestured vaguely to the cut on his cheek. "He had something on the chain, some chemical smell." Glancing speculatively at Glenn, he asked, "Have you ever smelled Ether?"

Glenn shook his head, his eyes wide, disbelieving.

"Hmm, I could be wrong. Never smelled it too often myself. It'll put you out like a light if you get a good whiff of it though. Make you see double, things that aren't there until it puts you out completely. That's what makes me think that was it. Instead of hitting me with the chain, he hit me just that once and then just held the chain there right under my nose. Once I caught a breath of it I couldn't breathe right, everything went fuzzy and I never could get back on track. Everything went down hill from there. That little son of a bitch Brock threatened to break Dory's arm—"

Jerking upright, Glenn interrupted, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Mark nodded grimly, "Oh yeah, while I was laying to the side of the ring out of it—you saw all that part—Big Show climbed into ring and went after Dory. When she went to jerk away from him she hit Brock in the chin with her head—the bastard threatened to break her arm if she moved again." Nodding his head at her he added, "She's got the bruises on her arm to prove how rough he was."

Reaching over Glenn grabbed her arm, carefully, gently pushing the sleeve out of the way. A rough sound came from deep in his chest as he revealed the bruises marring the pale flesh covering the slim bones of her arm and wrist. Softly, without moving, he muttered, "He's dead."

Reaching out I grabbed his hand, "I'm fine, Glenn. Just bruised, that's all." Squeezing his hand gently I let it go and sat back in my chair.

Glancing one more time at the dark bruises already covering her arm, Glenn huffed before sitting back in his chair. Looking at Mark, he demanded, "What did you do about this?"

Mark grinned. "I broke his nose."

Glenn frowned. "And?"

"Damn Glenn there were little kids out there. We were in front of a live crowd. It wasn't like I could beat the shit out of him and have blood going everywhere. Where the hell is your head man?"

Shrugging uncomfortably Glenn shifted in his chair. Mark was right even if he didn't want to admit it. "Alright, alright I get it. So all you did was hit him once?"

"No, damn it, I didn't just hit him. I broke the bastard's nose."

Waving a hand to cut him off, Glenn asked, "What about Big Show?"

"I hit him with a chair," Mark admitted.

"You mean they came out there and threatened you and Dory and that's all you did?" Glenn's voice was filled with disgust.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, my eyes bouncing between the two men like ping pong balls. If you didn't know better you'd swear they really were brothers the way they were sniping at each other. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, both men upset and sure they were in the right.

Gritting his teeth tightly, Mark said, "If you will shut up for two seconds I will tell you exactly what the hell happened. Do you think you can do that?"

Flicking a quick glance at Mark I could see that he was beyond irritation. His eyes were a deep, dark green shooting liquid fire at Glenn across the small space. His fingers were gripping the chair arms so tight his knuckles were white, the tendons in his arms standing out in stark relief.

"I'm waiting," Glenn muttered, irritation still evident in his voice. "I've been stuck in this damn room all night—the least you can do is tell me what the hell happened."

Looking over at Glenn, Mark dropped his head back and consciously relaxed his hands and took a deep breath. He knew Glenn wasn't really mad at him, just the situation. He'd wanted to be out there to help and now he was pissed because he'd been locked in the room. Maybe if he kept that thought in mind he wouldn't break Glenn's nose too. Maybe.

Without opening his eyes, he started, "Like I told you—there was something on the chain Brock hit me with. I told Dory that, I warned her." Flicking her a quick look he continued, "I warned her not to get in the ring. I knew there was something wrong, hell who wouldn't at that point? Anyway by that time it was too late. I was out of it. I was in and out of consciousness then, more out than anything else. When I finally started coming to a little bit Brock and Heyman already had Dory in the ring. Big Show shows up and gets in the ring and all hell starts to break lose. I'm still feeling woozy, everything looks blurry when I can finally get my eyes open." Shaking his head wearily as if still feeling the affects, he finally continued, "I wondered where in the hell you were but knew I couldn't wait any longer. I heard Brock threaten Dory, knew that bastard wouldn't hesitate to do it. I rolled out of the ring and went around the outside. I guess Brock thought his little trick worked better than it did. They never paid a bit of attention to me." Grinning a little sarcastically, he added, "They were more worried about who had to try and restrain Dory than me."

Raising an interested brow, Glenn smiled, "Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah. I think if we'd given her a little more time she'd have beaten the hell out of all of them. As it was I barely made it back in the ring in time to keep that bastard Big Show from getting his hands on her." Reaching over he laced his hand through hers, squeezing gently, reassuring her and himself. Turning his attention back to Glenn, he continued the story, "Like I said, they weren't paying any attention to me. Dory was the only one who knew I was even moving around. I came up right behind Show and just flat laid his ass out with one of the folding chairs from ring side. There was no pulling any punches. By God I let him have it. Son of a bitch almost landed on me thanks to whatever the hell that shit was Brock had on that chain. My reflexes were slow as hell. I'm just now getting back to normal."

I jerked my head to the side and glanced at Glenn when I heard him smother a laugh. When he caught me looking he shrugged and looked a little guilty.

"I know, I know. It's not funny . . .but . . almost fell on him . . ." shrugging again Glenn slumped further down in his chair and motioned for Mark to continue.

Glaring at him Mark continued, "With Big Show out of the way that only left Brock. He said this was nothing personal for him. It was jut a deal between Heyman and Big Show—he was just Heyman's muscle to carry it out." Mark shook his head, absent-mindedly rubbing his thumb over Dory's hand while he thought. "I'd say he was telling the truth about that. Of course it's a little more personal now." Releasing Dory's hand he leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees, "I made a few threats of my own. Brock was so big on threatening to break bones I wanted to make sure he thought twice before he made another threat against Dory. I made damn sure he knew why I broke his nose—and that there's a lot more pain where that came from if he doesn't let this drop here and now, especially if he comes near Dory again."

"Damn straight," Glenn got jerkily to his feet, irritation causing him to be less than smooth in his movements, pacing a few feet in one direction before turning to pace in the other. "Have you talked to Vince? As long as that commercial break was I know he had a fit back stage."

Mark nodded. "We met in the hallway while we were waiting on you. He wasn't happy. He tried to play that card of not knowing what was going on—"

"That's bullshit!" irritation colored Glenn's voice.

I grinned, watching the two go back and forth. They'd forgotten I was even in the room. This was entertainment you don't get to see on TV. I settled back in my chair and crossed my legs, enjoying the banter.

Mark nodded, "Exactly. That's what I told him. No one goes through that curtain that he doesn't ok. He tried that innocent act with me. Bullshit. I know damn good and well that Heyman sold him some story about this being some great ratings grabber. They set me up." Mark's voice turned cold, mean. "I warned Vince if it happens again it'll be the last time."

Glenn sat up a little straighter, his eye wide and searching as he looked at Mark before he flicked a quick look at me. I nodded, agreeing that Mark had said exactly that.

"Shit Mark, Vince can fire you," Glenn's voice held concern but not as much as you'd expect at the prospect of losing a job.

Mark looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Vince did all he's going to do."

"What?"

"Fined me," Mark tossed the answer out carelessly.

Glenn frowned, "He fined you? Big Show and Brock started it. Why in the hell did you get fined?"

Mark grinned. "Because I hit Big Show with a chair for real and on purpose and because I broke Brock's nose for real and on purpose. And it's ok. Hell, it's like I told Vince. It was money well-spent and I'll keep my check book handy in the future."

Glenn sputtered, "Good God man you're begging for it! Can't you control his mouth?" Glenn looked at me, dragging me unceremoniously into their conversation.

Settling back in his chair, Mark reached back over and laced his fingers through Dory's again. He assumed a thoughtful expression, loosing the hard, cold look that he'd worn just seconds ago when talking about his confrontation with Vince.

"She does just fine controlling my mouth, thank you very much. Although that's really none of your business." Mark looked over at Dory and watched the blush work it's way up her neck as he gently caressed her hand with his thumb, reminding her of other caresses, more intimate, more passionate.

Seeing that he was embarrassing her, he quickly changed the subject. "I think we should discuss what we want to do next." Shaking his head, he admitted, "I screwed up. I didn't anticipate Big Show getting a partner."

Sitting back down, Glenn ran his hands through his hair causing it to stand out even more. "Hell, neither did I. The bastard would be admitting he did something illegal—attempted rape. Shit, Brock or Heyman either one could turn on him and testify if any of this went to court."

I sucked in a harsh breath. Going to court. No. That was not going to happen. I did not want to face him in a court of law. There was no way I could prove what had happened. It was my word against his and I hadn't taken any pictures of the bruises and I didn't have any doctor's report of the injuries. There was no way I could prove any of it. There would be no court case. I raised haunted eyes to Mark and found him staring at me, his green eyes dark, waiting for me.

Scooting his chair closer to me, he reached out and grabbed both of my hands, holding them securely in his. "Don't go back there baby. You're here with me, with us. You're safe." He waited until she nodded. "It's not possible to take the case to court. You understand this?"

I nodded quickly, glad he understood without me having to say a word.

Glenn interrupted, "If Brock or Heyman will testify—"

Mark interrupted, "We have no proof, Glenn. It will be her word against his. There were no pictures taken of her after the attack, no doctor's report. The only people who saw her were me, you, her brother, Tony and one of our security guards. No one saw Big Show do it." Wincing with the next words but knowing they had to be said, he continued, "It could just as easily have been me or you that hit her. And that's exactly how they'll paint it if we go to court. They'll put her through the wringer." Looking over at Glenn he shook his head, "I won't have her go through that when you and I know that Show has enough money to buy his way out of it. I'm going to put a hurt on him that money won't cure."

Glenn nodded, "You're right. Bastard would buy his way out of it. Hell Vince would probably support him."

Mark shook his head, "I doubt that. Vince is a bastard sometimes when it comes to business but he's got a daughter too. Stephanie's his baby. I seriously doubt he'd tolerate Big Show running around backstage if he knew what he did. But I want Big Show within reach until we're done with him. So everyone keeps their mouth shut for now."

Glenn nodded but then looked troubled, "What about Brock and Heyman? Things didn't go like they planned tonight. They may try to make trouble for Show by spreading the tale. There isn't always honor among thieves."

I shuddered at the thought of the rumors that would spread like wildfire about me. I hated being talked about. I didn't want to see the pitying looks or see the speculative glances that would be cast my way once everyone started to talk. I looked quickly at Mark to see him still staring at me.

Mark met Dory's wide blue eyes, holding her gaze as he answered Glenn's question. "I doubt Brock and Heyman know the story."

Glenn frowned, "But you said they were partners."

Mark nodded. "Partners, yes, but not full partners. I'd say Show is still pulling the strings even if Heyman thinks he is. Or vice versa. But either way Show is not stupid enough to admit an illegal act to two people who will turn on him in the blink of an eye."

Glenn stared at him thoughtfully for a minute before a smile slowly dawned on his handsome face. "No honor and no trust among thieves."

Mark nodded. "Exactly."

"So they aren't going to talk?" I asked.

Mark shook his head. "I doubt it, darlin'. They've nothing to gain and everything to lose. I doubt Brock and Heyman know anything and if they do and they say anything they'll lose Show and they know I'll kill them." He said this without any inflection, stating it as fact. "And Show has what he wants. Tonight, whether we want to admit it or not, worked perfect for us."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" annoyed Glenn broke in before Mark could finish.

Mark frowned. "Think about it. We were going to have to think of a way to set up a match between Show and me for Wrestle Mania. The writers have yet to come up with the storyline. That's why we were having this match between the Hardy and me—just to keep me on TV. Well, this is it. It gives me a reason and a good story. The bastard was coming for Destiny in the ring and we'll have the writers write you in—" he gestured to Glenn "—as being locked in the dressing room, which is the truth, and have Brock as the one who did it—which is probably the truth. We'll set up a Wrestle Mania match between you and Brock. Interested?"

There was an unholy light that entered Glenn's eyes as they lit on Dory's bruised arm and then flickered back to Mark. "Oh hell yeah. Let's set it up with Vince."

Mark grinned. "Vince is going to love us arranging his biggest pay per view for him."

Glenn chuckled, "Hey, you've got your check book handy right?"

Mark scowled, "Hey, I'm paying fines for me and Dory only. You're on your own!"

Still chuckling, Glenn leaned over and slapped Mark on the knee causing the flimsy chairs they were sitting in to creak ominously. "Hey, we're family, remember?"

Mark jerked his knee out of Glenn's reach but refused to rub the sting. "Only on screen, only on the screen. I'd still like to know which writer came up with the little piece of my 'past.' Every damn one of them acted like they had no idea what I was talking about when I asked . . ." He looked suspiciously at Glenn when he started laughing. Leaning forward, he opened his mouth to question him when a voice from the doorway stopped him cold.