Another update, sorry it's so late in the day...Keep adding and reviewing, enjoy :)
Ginger enjoyed her Chinese and Wade enjoyed seeing her happy, but then they both remembered they had separate flights to catch in two days and needed to pack.
Wade gathered up the luggage from the guest room. He used a large leather duffle bag while Ginger needed not one, but two pieces of rolling luggage. Wade put the luggage on their bed and started to sort through his own stuff while Ginger rummaged through her closet.
"Ging, are you sure you're up to this?"
"Yeah, it's a great opportunity and it'll be a lot of fun being with Liz."
"That's not what I asked, are you physically sure you're up to this?"
"Wade I'm carrying a baby, it's not like I have a life threatening disease. It'll be fine, Liz herself told you if she senses that I'm getting tired and I can't handle it she's sending me back on the first flight to Portland. Besides I'm only doing this for a month and a half and then I'll be home for the remainder of the pregnancy. How difficult can it really be? I'm just dressing Liz for appearances, nothing I don't already do on a regular basis. God knows she has no fashion sense!" Wade put his clothes on the bed and walked over to her wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head.
"It's quite ironic all these years I've tried to convince you not to worry about me and here I am worrying about you. I finally get why you're always so concerned."
"Well it's nice to know you care so much, but really I'll be in good hands. Liz is already trying to plan a baby shower and I've had to remind her several times that there's no rush, we have five months until he or she even arrives." Ginger kissed Wade's hand and wondered back into her closet grabbing an armful of things.
"Love, you know I don't think you're going to need all of that. Would you like some help?"
"That might not be such a bad idea. I don't know what to pack and I've never been away from home for two months, so I don't even know how much to pack."
"Well dear there are places to do your laundry where you're going, so there's no need to take all this. I recommend splitting this pile you have in half and going from there." Ginger nodded and started sorting through everything. This process was a lot more overwhelming then she thought it would be and she just hoped working alongside Liz wouldn't be the same way. Even though she had just started, she plopped down on the bed and got on twitter. Wade shook his head when he looked at her and smirked.
"You're giving up already?"
"No I'll get back to it, eventually. I need a social media break, see what's going on in the world."
"I love that you look to twitter to see what the worldly news is." Ginger ignored what he said and flipped through her timeline. Things were pretty boring until she came across a tweet from TMZ that read "WWE Champ, author, just friends?" Ginger took a breath and clicked on the link hoping for Liz and Punk's sake that their privacy wasn't compromised. Sure enough there was an article complete with photos of the two getting cozy at the Blackhawks game.
"Shit!"
"What, is Snooki having twins?"
"Is everything a joke to you? I need to call Liz and let her know about this before she finds out from someone else."
"What's going on? Punk isn't cheating on her is he?"
"No, but that privacy they both wanted has just been thrown out the window because they're idiots." She handed the phone to Wade and he saw Punk and Liz looking cozy and dreamy eyed. He was surprised that Punk looked so genuine with Liz, but he still hated him.
"What's the big deal? Our relationship is out in the open and no one bothers us."
"Wade, I love you, but women worship Punk in a different way then they worship you. I personally would never go for a guy like Punk, but some girls can't resist the bad boy persona. What doesn't help is that Liz isn't just a normal person anymore. She's gradually coming into the spotlight with her book coming out. This book tour is going to be hell for her. Between his ring rat fans and the media buzz, she'll never want to write another book again."
"Punk's fans surely aren't that crazy, are they?"
"I wouldn't put it past one of them to do something rash."
"Well while you're telling Elizabeth about her privacy ending, you can add that you're not working for her because I will not have you put in danger."
"I'll make my own decisions thank you and I'm going with her. Pregnant or not, I've always been better at defending myself then she is. She needs me now more then ever, so get over yourself." Wade opened his mouth to protest, but Ginger stormed out of the room with her phone in hand.
Despite the fact that Liz was exhausted when they got home from the game, she hadn't objected to the foreplay that was currently in progress. Things were just starting to heat up and move to the next phase when her phone rang. She knew by the ring tone that is was Ginger. Punk also knew it was Ginger and protested Liz answering the phone, especially now.
"Let it go to voicemail, you can call her later."
"What if something happened? I hate that she's calling right now too, but I need to answer or she'll keep calling!" Punk let out a sigh and rolled off of her.
"Make it quick please!" Liz shook her head and grabbed the phone.
"Hey Ging, it's kind of late, can this wait until tomorrow?"
"No it can't. Have you checked your twitter?"
"I've been kind of busy, in the middle of something, I don't have time for twitter right now."
"Well I suggest you take a minute from your teenage make-out session and look at it, specifically TMZ."
"Why do I need to check TMZ? What is Snooki having twins?"
"What the hell? You and Wade both are so wrapped up in Snooki, stop watching Jersey Shore! Listen, I suggest you look at it and get a hold of your publisher because you'll need extra security on this tour."
"Okay now you're just freaking me out. Was there a death threat sent to me that I haven't heard about? Why can't you just tell me?"
"I'll tell you, but you can see the photographic proof as well. Your romance with Punk is out in the open. There's an article on TMZ complete with photos of you two at the Blackhawks game looking quite cozy. You need to prepare yourself for the crazy fans and the media buzz. I hope you're ready to get a dozen questions thrown your way about your relationship rather then your book." Liz pinched the bridge of her nose not sure how to think or feel about the possible turmoil that was about to come her way. She hung up the phone without even saying goodbye and let out a deep breath. Punk didn't know what the phone call was about and for the time being he didn't care. He slipped his arms around her waist and attempted to pull her close to him, but she pushed him aside and got up off the bed with her phone still in her hand.
"What was that about? A minute ago you were ready and willing and now you're just going to push me aside. What's going on?" Liz ran a hand through her hair and felt tears forming in her eyes. She tossed her phone on the bed beside him.
"That's what's going on. I apologize that I'm not in the mood anymore, but my privacy is no more, so I'm slightly upset and humiliated about it." Liz threw on a T-shirt and walked out of the bedroom. Punk looked at the phone and saw the article and rolled his eyes before throwing on his shorts and going after her. Liz was standing in the kitchen with a bottle of water on the counter and her arms were crossed over her chest. She quickly wiped away the stray tears that had escaped her eyes when she noticed Punk had followed her into the kitchen.
"What is the big deal about this?"
"You're seriously asking me that? You of all people, who knows what it's like to have to deal with people 24/7 regardless if you want to, are asking me what the big deal is that my private life has been put on display for everyone to see."
"It takes some getting used to, but you'll be fine. You've already been asked about us on national television and we've been all over Chicago together, it was only a matter of time until people realized we weren't just buddies."
"I realize that it was only a matter of time before our relationship came out, but now is not the right time for that to happen."
"Well regardless if it's the right time or not, it happened. You can't stop the dirt sheets from publishing their findings."
"Do you realize how bad this is going to suck for me? I just started a book tour and for the next month and a half people are going to be asking me questions about you rather then my book. This might be something normal for you, but it's horrible for me. I've worked my entire life to get to where I am now and the past two years I had to kick and scream until I got a book deal. It's finally happening, but no one will give a damn because you pulled that stunt at the game." Liz regretted saying the words as soon as she said them and she could see the hurt and angry expression on Punk's face. He was trying his damndest to make her feel better about this situation and she was too upset to listen.
"Wow, I thought you were different then all the other women I've dated, but no you're exactly the same. I understand what you're going through, you're forgetting that a month ago some very private family details were put on display for the world to know and I may not have handled it the right way in the beginning, but I turned to you to help me through it. I hoped you'd do the same thing, but obviously you'd rather blame me for this then realize it was my relationship that was exposed as well." Liz didn't know what to say as she hopped off the counter and headed back towards the bedroom. She was even angrier now, but this time at herself. Punk was only trying to help and she was destroying everything, something she did on a regular basis. The crying, anger and exhaustion hit her all at once and she sat on the floor pulling her knees to her chest as she tried her best to calm down and steady her breathing. Liz had just started to calm down when she noticed Punk sitting on the floor beside her. He handed her a box of tissues and she took them as she wiped her tear streaked face.
"I'm sorry I blamed all of this on you. You're just trying to help and I'm doing what I do best, pushing people away and shutting down."
"It's partly my fault, I should've controlled myself at the game, but I couldn't resist. I'm in love with you Liz and I don't care who knows about it." Liz turned to meet his eyes and couldn't resist smiling a little.
"I love you too, but I'm the one who has to deal with your crazy fans!"
"They're not that bad, are they?"
"Umm, yeah when Ging and I went to Raw, there were some crazies and that was just in one city. Oh well, nothing some extra security won't fix and what the hell it'll make me feel like I'm an important person." Punk let out a laugh and took her hand.
"You are an important person, to me at least."
"You're so cheesy it's adorable!"
"I'm trying to be genuine here, but you're right it did sound cheesy. Why don't we get some sleep, you look exhausted."
"I'm beyond that point, so yes, sleep sounds fantastic." Punk got up and pulled Liz to her feet pressing a kiss to her lips before laying down in bed beside her. Liz loved the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms and hated that tomorrow was the last night she'd sleep beside him for almost two months. Forgetting the thought of their pending distance, she noticed Punk's steady breathing knowing that for once he had fallen asleep before her. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep herself.