[Chapter 9] The new job

~~~~ 4 weeks later~~~~

Dakota packed all her belongings in two suitcases, called a cab and arrived at the airport at 8am sharp. Two hours left until her flight should go. So Dakota checked in and got breakfast. At 11.30am she arrived in New York, picked up her rental car and drove to the hotel.

~~~~Dakota… POV~~~~

As I arrived at my hotel in New York, I could only hope that Shawn wasn't there. He should not see me already. I had made a reservation for a room with a kitchenette; I wanted to be able to fix some meals by myself. I unpacked my belongings and made a shopping tour for some groceries. Back at the hotel room, I took out my DVDs again, smiling.

Yeah, sexy boy. Now it's my time to keep a secret. I entered the bathroom to take a shower. I dressed with my beloved cargo and a matching narrow strap shirt and my converse, took my purse and made my way to my new working place. I had to talk to Mr. McMahon before my plan was going up in smoke.

Dakota made her way to the building across the street and as she approached it she asked her way through to Vince's office. Once on her way, she passed catering and gym, greeted some guy's and bumped straight into Hunter.

Hunter: "Hi, Sweety, didn't know that you are here, Shawn said nothing."

"Hi Hunter, long time no see, Shawn couldn't tell you, he doesn't know."

Hunter: "What?"

"I know, but that's kind of surprise and revenge in one, so please keep quiet."

Hunter: "Will not be easy, but we will manage."

"What do you mean with 'we'?"

Hunter:" Oh, I need to let the others know too, otherwise one of them is definitely talking."

"Thanks for helping."

Hunter:" Just go through, Vince is in there."

"Thanks, see you around."

Dakota knocked on the door and waited for Vince to call her in.

"Good morning, ."

"Good morning, Ms. Callaway."

"Thanks for giving me this opportunity."

"Oh, maybe we can benefit both. Now let's show you your office."

They went out and down the same hallway.

Dakota started her work by creating a database of the complete roster. Every Wrestler got its own file, containing all information she needed to work, nutrition, workout and training. She created interviews for everyone and put up a schedule to meet them, and yeah Shawn would be not the first, no he would be the last one to call into her office. Dakota's planned schedule should be 4 wrestlers every other day over the next three weeks. So she could update the files the next day before starting with the next 4 wrestlers. Working on a schedule that made as much sense as possible and she would start with Hunter, Kevin, X-Pac and Scott, just to make sure that they won't gossip around and Shawn got to know that she is here too early. With 40 Wrestlers on the roster, she would be done with basic info in a month's time.

She laid out the following schedule:

Day 1: Hunter and Kevin in the morning, Scott and X-Pac in the afternoon. And getting the info out not to gossip

Day 2: Working on their files.

Day 3: Randy and Dave in the morning, Adam and Jeff in the afternoon.

Day 4: Working on their files.

.

.

Last Day, Day 20: John and Matt in the morning, Mark and Shawn in the afternoon.

And this was the way it was supposed to go, hopefully. Hopefully, my plan works out.

~~~ Day 1… ~~~

Dakota prepared her desk for the day and took a cup of fresh hot coffee and waited for Hunter to show up.

"Hi, Hunter, nice to see you."

Hunter:" I am scheduled."

"I need to talk to you. I know you and Shawn are a tag team, but I really want you to stay absolutely quiet about me."

Hunter: "Why? Shawn still doesn't know? Jeez, Dakota, he is already on edge for two weeks? And you really want him to wait 4 more weeks? Oh, my… holy cow, that's a revenge.

"Yes, he has to wait. He will be the last to interview."

Hunter:" Why are you doing this, Dakota."

"Hunter, I just want him to feel how it is, if you cannot see the one human being you love with all your heart."

Hunter: "Oh, that's huge. Mark will not be pleased."

"Mark, just should shut up. It's my life. If it is a mistake, it's mine to make."

Hunter:" Ok, I am giving the info out, so no one will talk. But fix this as soon as possible. Otherwise, Shawn is drinking again and if he does this, the pills are not far away"

"What? What do you mean?"

Hunter:" He was that bad. After you left, he started again. He just stopped because we blackmailed him, we wouldn't help."

"Oh, my god."

Hunter: " Dakota, he is crazy for you! Don't you even see it?"

"If this works out, everything will be more than fine, but it has no worth if it happens too fast. He has to suffer at least a little. I make him pay for not telling me. But I can't do it all on my own."

Hunter:" Ok let's fix those interviews and I will see how much the guy's and I can help in this."

"He is not supposed to know I am here, at least not for the next 3 weeks."

Hunter:" That's a long time, sweetheart."

"I will not be out much the next three weeks to avoid unnecessary meetings."

Hunter:" I get it."

~~~~Shawn … POV~~~~

Just 4 weeks and it's driving me crazy already. How shall that year go, just calls… not touch, no see? I have to manage somehow. I promised I will wait. I really need to talk to Hunter and the guys, I'm sure I don't fix this by myself.

Hunter:" Hi Shawn. Everything alright?"

"Are you kidding me, Hunter? Everything alright? You can't be serious?"

Hunter:" But I am. Should have gotten used to this by now, right?"

"Used to this? To what? That I can not see my girl… for one year?"

Hunter:" Hey, Shawn, there are enough ring rats out there and I think each and everyone would be more than willing to help you out."

"You really don't get it, right? I don't want someone else! There is only one! And I am going manic because I'm just able to talk, on the phone."

Hunter: " Should have talked to her, as I told you more than once."

"Oh fuck Hunter, I know, and this year is the price I have to pay for the shit that was going down."

Hunter:" I could say I told you so, but I will not."

Kevin:" Damn, what is this shit. Interview, with whom and what is this shit about."

"When do you have your appointment"

Kevin:" Tomorrow."

"Fuck, why it's just me, who has to wait fucking three weeks, all of you guys are done by tomorrow but me."

Kevin:" Go, and call your chick and get the fuck off, on the phone or whatever, but stop whining about something you caused all on your own."

Hunter:" Where are you going, Shawn?"

" I am going to call my girl or I am going to go insane."

Hunter:" Have fun, Shawn."

Hunter waited until Shawn had left the locker room.

Hunter:" Kevin, help me get the guys together, everyone. Except for Mark."

Kevin:" Why that?"

Hunter" I explain as soon as all the guys are in the arena."

Kevin:" OK, buddy, whatever you want."

About 45 minutes later, the complete RAW roster was sitting around the ring. Hunter was in the middle of the ring, a microphone in his hand.

"Ok guys, I know you all are wondering why I called you here."

Adam:" Yeah would be nice to know what this is all about."

"Our help is needed, from each and everyone here."

Randy:" For what, Hunter?"

"You all remember Dakota, Mark's little sister."

Dave:" Oh, that sweet little chick, good to know."

"It's Dakota, who does those interviews. She is working on her essay. But whether Shawn nor Mark know something. Mark because he would have intervened and Shawn because she did this to see him more often, but she wanted it to be a surprise. And Dave, she is Shawn's girl, so hands off."

Dave lifted his arms up in defense.

Kevin:" How can we help, Hunter."

"Dakota will do interviews for the next three weeks and Shawn will be the last one to do it. But until the moment he is entering her office, he is not supposed to know who is doing the interviews. He is first to know when he is standing in front of her. Until then he has to stay by the information that he is just able to call her, for one year."

X-Pac:" Oh Jesus, that's heavy stuff."

Adam:" Then let's keep a big secret."

~~~~Shawn … POV~~~~

I really need to hear her voice. Let's have a phone call with my sweetheart.

"Callaway."

"Hi, sweetheart."

"Oh, hi honey. How are you?"

"I am going insane. I miss you."

"Already? Miss you too."

"What do you believe? There is only one for me and that's you and I can not see you, not touch you, nothing, just hear your voice from a distance. Through a phone."

"That happens if you're 300 days on the road. That's our life now."

"Yeah, you couldn't have tried to get a job here?"

"What with Mark as my bodyguard? Nice idea. Do you really want to deal with him on a regular basis?"

"You are right, stupid idea, I have to dispense on my girl just because her big brother doesn't fix that she is a woman and not a little girl anymore. Thanks for remembering me, sweetheart."

"Sorry honey, but am I wrong?"

"No, you are not as always."

"Shawn, can you promise something?"

"Everything, sweety."

"Stay away from this shit alcohol as long as I am not there yes, can you do this for me?"

"But it's the only thing that puts me to sleep when you're not here…. so, but yeah, I will try."

"No Shawn, don't try, just do it. For us?"

"Ok, Sweetheart, no drinks."

Three long weeks have gone by just as slowly as possible, for Dakota and Shawn. Every night Shawn would call her. Talking at least one hour, before ending the call as frustrated as always. Thanks to the kitchenette Dakota wasn't forced to leave her room in order to get something to eat, besides her phone calls with Shawn she would cook dinner and watch her man on the DVDs she had taken with her. It was the morning of the last interviews, today it would happen, today she would see her man again after a long seven weeks. This afternoon everything would change forever. She was more than nervous, made her way to work, entered the office and prepared herself for the day. Because before she could enjoy seeing Shawn again, she had to deal with her big brother first. The interviews with John Cena and Matt Hardy had gone smoothly, now the big brother was to deal with.

"Come in."

"Hi, I have an appointment."

"Yes, I know I made it."
"What the hell, Dakota. What are you doing here?"

"Hi big bro, I am working."

"What the hell is this, Dakota."

"This is my work for my essay, big bro, and a necessary talk between siblings."

"A talk about what?"

"A talk about the man I love, and the fact that you will stay away and let me live my life."

"Dakota, he is way too old for you. As long as you stay with him, you don't need to come and see me."

"You really want to make me choose between my love and my brother?"

"I don't want to make you choose, you have to otherwise I am not willing to see you."

"Ok, Mark, you want a decision from me. I'm choosing Shawn."

"Ok, but don't come to me when he breaks your heart. Goodbye and good luck Dakota."

"Mark? I love you."

As Mark had left, Dakota tried her tears in the hope Shawn would see that she had cried. At the same time outside her office in the hallway.

"Hi Shawn, good luck and congratulations."

Shawn just watched Mark leaving in direction to the gym, but he couldn't understand what Mark was talking about.

"Come in."

"Hi, I am Shawn and I have an appointment."

"I know, honey."