Disclaimer: I do not own any of the WWE talent, of their training
facilities, etc, etc... I only own the characters that I have created solely
for the use of this story.
Distribution: Ask first.
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Alyssa took a long, slow swig from her water bottle before setting it down on the ground and looking over at Mark. "Can I ask you a question?" She spoke slowly, sitting down on the ground, beginning to stretch before they were to have their match.
"Go ahead." Mark nodded slowly, looking down at the young girl; at his daughter.
"Why did you deny that you were my father, even though you knew you were. After I mentioned her name, after I mentioned all the details... about my mom, about the abortion... you still denied it. Why?"
Mark slowly exhaled at her question, joining her on the blue matted floor, watching her as she stopped stretching to watch him intently. "I was scared, Alyssa. I mean..." His forehead creased slowly in thought, trying to get his head around it all. "For nineteen years I've lived my life as normal, and I've had a daughter out there the whole time. There's so much I've missed out on, and I know that you hate that. But I hate that I wasn't there for you so many of the times. When you've been hurt by people, when your mom got sick. Even if there wasn't a future with your mother and I, I would have wanted to be there for you. And there's nobody to blame but me for that, and I didn't want to face up to the fact that I screwed up. I was afraid of what people finding out that I had a child so long ago... I was afraid of that they would think about me; about what might happen."
Alyssa nodded slowly at his explanation, her eyes never leaving his. "It's weird. To think... that you were actually afraid of something." She whispered, her eyes moving down to look at her hands.
"I was afraid of you." He admitted, gently touching her hands, noting how she'd quieted.
"I'm a scary girl, what can I say?" She forced a laugh before looking over at him. "I was scared coming into this." Alyssa spoke quietly, averting her eyes at the quiet confession.
"What were you afraid of?" Mark inquired gently, resting his palm against her cheek, turning her face to look at him.
Alyssa's eyes closed for a short moment as she exhaled. "I was afraid—I was afraid of you. Of what having a father might mean. I've never had anyone that was like a father to me." She barely shrugged her shoulders, exhaling. "I was afraid that I might... I might actually want that. It's stupid."
"No. It's not." Mark spoke softly, his eyes resting firmly on hers. "It's human. We were both scared, doing everything we could to hide that fear. Maybe it's just the stubbornness." He laughed shortly. "In all honesty..." He whispered, his eyes averting from hers as he heard a few people enter the room, within listening distance.
"In all honesty... what?"
Mark took a deep breath, pushing his insecurities aside. "In all honesty, I might actually want that, too." He whispered. "A daughter."
Alyssa's eyes closed instantly. He'd done it. He'd done... something. He'd stepped up. He'd verbalized himself, and wasn't only saying it in private. He'd said it in such a way, that anyone who was in the room might hear it. She was proud of him. She was proud of her father.
"Thank you." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and embracing him in a hug. She exhaled slowly as she pulled back. "Now, you ready to get your butt kicked by a nineteen year old girl?" She grinned at him.
"We'll see about that." Mark laughed, simply shaking his head.
*******************
Alyssa rolled her eyes slowly, laughing into the phone. "You know, I didn't realize until now how absolutely crazy you are."
"You should've known that by now." Adam grinned into the receiver. He leaned back in the recliner, closing his eyes. "So, after the training is over, what're you gonna do?"
"I don't know. Go back to New York until the results are revealed in two months." Alyssa shrugged her shoulders minimally.
"Alone?" Adam's forehead creased slowly at the thought. He knew she didn't want to be alone. In New York she had nobody. Her mother was dead, and that had been her entire family. Well, besides Mark, that is.
"Yeah, alone." Alyssa let out a short laugh. "I'll be fine."
"Come to Canada. Stay with me." Adam offered.
"Adam, I don't know. That's not my style. Living with a guy I've only been dating for a couple of weeks?" Alyssa shook her head slowly at the thought. "No, but thank you for the offer, baby, it's sweet."
Adam sighed softly into the phone. "I just don't like the thought of you being so alone all the time."
"Look, Adam, I'm a big girl. I can handle it." She spoke slowly. "It's sweet that you're concerned, but I'm fine. And if I get lonely, there is such thing as a phone." Alyssa offered.
Adam nodded. She was right. She'd be fine. She was a tough girl.
"Alyssa?" She heard a loud voice call throughout the house.
"Hey babe, I've gotta go. My dinner date's here." Alyssa grinned widely.
"Your dinner date?" Adam laughed into the phone, his eyebrows raising at her words. "And who would you be going to dinner with?"
"My dad." Alyssa whispered into the phone, a grin set across her face. "I'll call you later, sweets. Bye."
"Bye, hun." Adam laughed, placing the phone on the receiver. When had this happened? When had things gone alright with Alyssa and Mark?
"I'm coming, Mark!" Alyssa called, rising to her feet and grabbing her purse. She emerged from the bedroom, and walked to where Mark stood in the hallway.
"Are you ready to go?"
And she was. She was ready to talk to her father. She was ready to start this new part of her life, the part where she was no longer alone. The part where she wasn't ashamed. She was ready to grab her future by the horns, and make things happen. She'd made the decision that she, and she alone, would declare where her future would lead. And she was pretty sure, she had an amazing group of people to be with her for the ride.
"Yeah. I'm ready." Alyssa nodded, smiling slowly. "As ready as I've been in a long time."
Distribution: Ask first.
--------------------------
Alyssa took a long, slow swig from her water bottle before setting it down on the ground and looking over at Mark. "Can I ask you a question?" She spoke slowly, sitting down on the ground, beginning to stretch before they were to have their match.
"Go ahead." Mark nodded slowly, looking down at the young girl; at his daughter.
"Why did you deny that you were my father, even though you knew you were. After I mentioned her name, after I mentioned all the details... about my mom, about the abortion... you still denied it. Why?"
Mark slowly exhaled at her question, joining her on the blue matted floor, watching her as she stopped stretching to watch him intently. "I was scared, Alyssa. I mean..." His forehead creased slowly in thought, trying to get his head around it all. "For nineteen years I've lived my life as normal, and I've had a daughter out there the whole time. There's so much I've missed out on, and I know that you hate that. But I hate that I wasn't there for you so many of the times. When you've been hurt by people, when your mom got sick. Even if there wasn't a future with your mother and I, I would have wanted to be there for you. And there's nobody to blame but me for that, and I didn't want to face up to the fact that I screwed up. I was afraid of what people finding out that I had a child so long ago... I was afraid of that they would think about me; about what might happen."
Alyssa nodded slowly at his explanation, her eyes never leaving his. "It's weird. To think... that you were actually afraid of something." She whispered, her eyes moving down to look at her hands.
"I was afraid of you." He admitted, gently touching her hands, noting how she'd quieted.
"I'm a scary girl, what can I say?" She forced a laugh before looking over at him. "I was scared coming into this." Alyssa spoke quietly, averting her eyes at the quiet confession.
"What were you afraid of?" Mark inquired gently, resting his palm against her cheek, turning her face to look at him.
Alyssa's eyes closed for a short moment as she exhaled. "I was afraid—I was afraid of you. Of what having a father might mean. I've never had anyone that was like a father to me." She barely shrugged her shoulders, exhaling. "I was afraid that I might... I might actually want that. It's stupid."
"No. It's not." Mark spoke softly, his eyes resting firmly on hers. "It's human. We were both scared, doing everything we could to hide that fear. Maybe it's just the stubbornness." He laughed shortly. "In all honesty..." He whispered, his eyes averting from hers as he heard a few people enter the room, within listening distance.
"In all honesty... what?"
Mark took a deep breath, pushing his insecurities aside. "In all honesty, I might actually want that, too." He whispered. "A daughter."
Alyssa's eyes closed instantly. He'd done it. He'd done... something. He'd stepped up. He'd verbalized himself, and wasn't only saying it in private. He'd said it in such a way, that anyone who was in the room might hear it. She was proud of him. She was proud of her father.
"Thank you." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and embracing him in a hug. She exhaled slowly as she pulled back. "Now, you ready to get your butt kicked by a nineteen year old girl?" She grinned at him.
"We'll see about that." Mark laughed, simply shaking his head.
*******************
Alyssa rolled her eyes slowly, laughing into the phone. "You know, I didn't realize until now how absolutely crazy you are."
"You should've known that by now." Adam grinned into the receiver. He leaned back in the recliner, closing his eyes. "So, after the training is over, what're you gonna do?"
"I don't know. Go back to New York until the results are revealed in two months." Alyssa shrugged her shoulders minimally.
"Alone?" Adam's forehead creased slowly at the thought. He knew she didn't want to be alone. In New York she had nobody. Her mother was dead, and that had been her entire family. Well, besides Mark, that is.
"Yeah, alone." Alyssa let out a short laugh. "I'll be fine."
"Come to Canada. Stay with me." Adam offered.
"Adam, I don't know. That's not my style. Living with a guy I've only been dating for a couple of weeks?" Alyssa shook her head slowly at the thought. "No, but thank you for the offer, baby, it's sweet."
Adam sighed softly into the phone. "I just don't like the thought of you being so alone all the time."
"Look, Adam, I'm a big girl. I can handle it." She spoke slowly. "It's sweet that you're concerned, but I'm fine. And if I get lonely, there is such thing as a phone." Alyssa offered.
Adam nodded. She was right. She'd be fine. She was a tough girl.
"Alyssa?" She heard a loud voice call throughout the house.
"Hey babe, I've gotta go. My dinner date's here." Alyssa grinned widely.
"Your dinner date?" Adam laughed into the phone, his eyebrows raising at her words. "And who would you be going to dinner with?"
"My dad." Alyssa whispered into the phone, a grin set across her face. "I'll call you later, sweets. Bye."
"Bye, hun." Adam laughed, placing the phone on the receiver. When had this happened? When had things gone alright with Alyssa and Mark?
"I'm coming, Mark!" Alyssa called, rising to her feet and grabbing her purse. She emerged from the bedroom, and walked to where Mark stood in the hallway.
"Are you ready to go?"
And she was. She was ready to talk to her father. She was ready to start this new part of her life, the part where she was no longer alone. The part where she wasn't ashamed. She was ready to grab her future by the horns, and make things happen. She'd made the decision that she, and she alone, would declare where her future would lead. And she was pretty sure, she had an amazing group of people to be with her for the ride.
"Yeah. I'm ready." Alyssa nodded, smiling slowly. "As ready as I've been in a long time."
