Hey everyone. New chapter. I hope you enjoy. And in case you didn't know Jim Hellwig is the ultimate Warrior, someone Sting really did start his wrestling career out with. If you feel like talking I have a new forum, Wrestling news and notes. Check it out and happy reading.

Present

John cursed as the knock on the door caused him to foul out on his game. Setting down the controller he stalked to the door and yanked it open. "You could of at least waited until I won the game before coming back." He growled before recognizing the person standing in front of him.

"Oh hi. Sorry, I thought you were someone else." He said motioning the young lady to come in.

"That's okay. Were you expecting someone else?" Ashley asked as she walked across the room.

"What? No, my brother was here earlier and he was kind of upset. I though he might be coming back but its unlikely." He answered her as he picked up some clothes and threw them in the closet.

"I didn't know you had a brother." She said smiling as she watched his antics.

"Yea, I actually have four, and three sisters." He answered grinning.

She gaped at him. "You're kidding right?"

"No." John said sprawling over the bed. "I'm the oldest."

"Your poor mother. I could't imagine delivering that many kids." She said sitting down on the bed next to him.

"Will it get me some sympathy if I tell you I was adopted."" He asked hopefully.

Ashley grinned at his puppy dog look. "Maybe." She answered bending down to kiss him.

One week after ball game

"Man, why can't I go outside?" John grumbled as he tossed his ball form hand to hand.

Laura looked up from where she was doing paperwork. "Because it's raining cats and dogs." She responded.

"But how am I supposed to play baseball?" He whined.

"You'll survive one day without playing." She said dryly.

"Please mom." He pleaded sweetly, causing her to look up in surprise. "Steve said it would be okay if I called you that." He said looking uncertain.

Laura got up and walked around the desk. Bending down she gave him a fierce hug. "I would like that very much."

John shuffled his feet in embarrassment before he looked up with a gleam in his eyes. "So can I go out and play all?" He asked hopefully.

Laura laughed as she pushed his hat down over his eyes. "No but for that you can go clean your room."

She waited until he had slumped out of the room before she called out. "You can come in. I know you're there." She crossed her arms as her husband rounded with corner with an innocent expression on his face.

"And I suppose you set him up to that?" She accused, a small smile on her face.

Steve shrugged. "He'd been thinking about it, just didn't know how to approach you."

"Well thank you." She said leaning over and giving him a small kiss. "Now what about you?"

"What do you mean?" Steve asked as he settled into a chair.

Laura spared him a look as she walked around the desk and sat down. "You've had something on your mind all week so spill it."

Steve shifted in his seat. "It's just that the company I currently work for is gong down the toilet and will probably be closing soon."

"Are you all really that bad?" She asked without thinking. Shocked she covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Actually." He said leaning forward and glaring at her. "A group of us superior" he placed emphasis on the word. " wrestlers have been contacted by a talent scout for one of the big companies."

Laura was relieved to see the twinkle in is eyes. "That's great honey."

"Yea, it's the whole group too. Page, Piper, Jim Hellwig."

"Why do I feel like there's a but coming on?" She asked quietly.

"Well." He winced. "The new company's based on the east coast."

"Oh." She sat back as she thought about it. "And we live on the west coast. That's a lot of travel time."

"Which cuts down on the amount of time I get to spend at home." He finished for her.

"Well honey, it's a wonderful opportunity for you. You know John and I will give you all the support you need." She said coming over to sit in his lap.

"I could give up wrestling and become a business manager or investor. I have the degrees for it."

"That's very sweet of you honey, but no." She kissed him on the forehead. "You would be miserable and you would make us miserable."

"Very true." He sighed. "Second option would be to relocate. Your Santa Anita stables are self sufficient and you could hire a good manager."

She frowned. "I wouldn't be very happy without my horses."

"What about Sarasota, Florida. They have a big racetrack there. You could start up a second stable." Steve suggested hopefully.

Laura winced. "I would never raise my horses or my children in Florida. It's a very nasty, dirty place."

They lapsed into silence unsure how to fix the problem they faced.

"How about Kentucky?" She asked after several minutes. "Lexington. My family has the big horse ranch there and it's a great place to raise kids. My father would love to have John around."

Steve smiled in relief. "Perfect."

"We couldn't move for a little while. I would have to find a manager and train them. We would have to find a house, unless you want to live with my father. He has the room but I think we need our own place."

"Laura honey, slow down. We don't have to do this all in one day." He gathered her into his arms. "Thank you." He whispered.

"We'll always work things out." She assured him, kissing him back. "Now you better get back to your other job. Parenting. Your son is outside playing in the rain after I told him repeatedly not too."

One month later May 1985

"Hey guys." Steve said as he joined them at the bar after the show. "Last night here."

"And we made it count didn't we?" Jim Hellwig shouted as he raised his beer.

"You guys still planning to head to Kentucky?" Page asked as he poured his friend a beer.

"Yea, but not for another couple of months. Laura's still got of bunch of stuff she's got to do." He informed them. "What about the rest of you? Any plans yet?"

"Kimberly's staying with her mom until the baby comes. We're going to wait until the monster's a little older before moving." Page said laughing when they ragged on him for calling the baby a monster.

"They don't reach that status until they get older." Steve told him, relating the most recent incident with John.

"What about you Roddy? Any plans?" Page asked once they had all stopped laughing.

He shrugged. "I've got a lot of friends in the St. Louis area. I'd thought I'd stop there for a while. See if I like it."

"Come on guys. This is our last night in this dump before we hit the big time. Lets celebrate." Jim howled as he began dancing to the music.

Steve laughed as he watched the antics. Lifting his beer he saluted his friend. Turning he looked over at the other two. "I think he's a little drunk."

"And we're running behind." Page said as he dug his phone out of his pocket. 'Hello?' He answered shouting to be heard over the crowd. "What?"

Unable to hear he walked outside to the quiet. "What?" He asked again.

Five minutes later he came running back inside, his face white and his eyes wide. "I'm having a baby!" He shouted.

"Now?" Steve asked jumping up.

"Now." Page answered laughing hysterically. "I have to get to the hospital. I need to pick up some roses. Where do I get roses this time of night?" He asked looking around wildly.

Steve grabbed his friend's arm. "Calm down. I'll drive you."

Later that night.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" Steve asked as the three friends gathered in front of the nursery windows.

"Small" Jim said as he read off the information. "Alexis Page. Five pounds three ounces."

"Yea, but you can already tell she's going to be a sweetheart." Piper pointed out as the newborn in question gazed serenely at them while the five other infants in the nursery screamed their lungs out.

"Kind of makes you want to have one." He mused.

"Not a newborn. I'd be afraid of dropping it. But another kid?" Steve said thinking of John. "Yea I think I can get into that.

July 1985

"Any more boxes upstairs?" Steve asked as he carried his load out to the moving truck.

"No, that should be the last of them." Laura replied as she yelled out across the yard. "John, get your bags. We're almost ready."

The little boy kicked his soccer ball against the side of the house. "I'm not going." He yelled back.

Laura sighed as she walked over to him. "So I guess you're going to really miss us aren't you?"

"Why do we have to move?" He asked sulking.

"Because we're mean and we like to torture you." She said in a fake pirate's voice, eliciting a small smile out of the boy.

"But I have baseball and soccer here." He whined kicking the ball harder.

"My goodness, what horrible parents we are, taking you to a place where there's no soccer." She teased.

"It's not the same." He pouted.

"Nope, it's going to be even better. You know by the time we get settled it'll be time to sign up for football. But if you don't want to play that's okay." She said watching him out of the corner of her eye. She smiled when he began picking up his balls.

"Now you have two options. You can get in the truck and pout or you can be a man and help your father move the big stuff." Laura said as she turned to see Steve lounging against the house watching them. "It looks like he's having trouble."

"I'm big enough to help him." John yelled, shoving his bag of toys at her and running for the front of the house.

Steve narrowed his eyes at his wife. "Are you saying you think I'm weak?"

"Well maybe you need to prove to me that you're not." She murmured sliding he body up against him.

"Steve I'm ready to help." John called from the front, causing both adults to groan.

Steve waited until they were settled into a hotel for the night before he described the house he had found. "It's a couple blocks form your father's house. The man who owns it is retiring and moving to Florida."

"What's the address?" She asked thinking of the neighborhood she had grown up in.

"It's called Mallard Manor." He informed her, rattling off the street address.

"What's a mallard?" John asked sitting up in bed.

"It's a duck." Laura informed him. "The place used to have a large pond full of them that the driveway curved around. But Mr. Minnosa's let a lot of things slide in the last ten years. The house needs a lot of work."

"We can work at it and make it our own." Steve said earnestly. "The place has seven bedrooms and a room we can turn into an office. It even has a stable and ten acres of land so you can have a few of your own horses."

"More horses." John groaned, flopping back onto the bed.

"That's a lot of room for just the three of us." Laura pointed out.

"Well, I was kind of hoping that once we got settled it wouldn't just be the three of us anymore." He kissed her fingers, watching her eyes light up with love.