Summer was sat high up in the arena watching the ring crew set up all of the equipment, it was a thing she loved doing before a show as it helped her relax. Sitting high up in the stands made her feel calm and it just gave her some time alone without Steve being around. She loved that he'd been so attentive but it was getting to the point where he was trying to prevent her from doing absolutely everything. She really didn't want to tell him about the plans for the upcoming weeks and the TLC 2 match at Backlash because she knew that he'd go completely crazy and cancel the plans. He worried sick about her but she was a grown woman and could do whatever she damn well pleased without having to consent to him.

It frustrated her so much she just had to get away from him, and now everything with Jeannie was beginning to really bug her, what would she do if Steve went back to her? She'd be completely devastated!

"What am I gonna do?" Summer asked herself as she ran a hand through her hair; she always found herself in difficult situations and never knew how to handle them.

"You can talk to me" Summer jumped when she heard that voice but smiled when she saw Shawn sitting next to her, "Hey you" Summer said as she bumped shoulders with him, he smiled and said "How you feeling sweetheart?"

"I guess I'm okay"

"Doesn't sound convincing" Shawn said gently making Summer sigh once more and say "Things are complicated Shawn"

"Enlighten me then"

"I've just got an uneasy feeling about Steve and Jeannie that's all"

"Like what?"

"She's done nothing but call Steve at stupid times of the day and night ever since we've got engaged and now she happens to just show up at Wrestlemania with his daughters? Something's not right and I just have a funny feeling Steve still loves her" Summer finished and looked down at her hands and saw her engagement ring and twirled it around her finger, Shawn just looked at Summer and felt bad for her.

He took her hand and said "Sweetheart I know it's difficult for you and I'm not gonna lie about it because Steve still does care about Jeannie but it's not love" Summer tightened her grip on Shawn's hand and just didn't know what to say so Shawn continued, "What he feels for you is unconditional love and that won't ever go away, I know he's been married 3 times but I know deep down that this one is the real deal. But he will always have a soft spot for Jeannie because she's the mother to his children and that won't change"

"What if he goes back to her Shawn? I don't think I could stand it"

"He won't leave you sweetheart, he loves you too much"

"Then why won't this uneasy feeling go away?"

"Do you trust Steve?" Shawn asked and he felt Summer tense a little bit, he knew she had trust issues but he thought that she trusted Steve fully and without any doubts.

"I do trust him Shawn; it's just her I don't trust"

"She won't be an issue"

"But you don't know that Shawn, you know as well as I do how reckless Steve can be and you know his history with women, there might be a small part of him that wants to go back to her"

"Sweetheart" Shawn started as he reached across and took her other hand so she was facing him directly now, she looked into his eyes and waited for what he was going to say, "Ever since I've known Steve he's been through it all, he's been to hell and back and was going down a very bad road until he met you. I'll never forget the day he met you because he was so excited, we sat in the canteen and he just wouldn't shut up about you and the situation you had with Mark. He hated it, he didn't know what to do to help but he was pretty angry with Mark and they used to be close friends until this happened"

"That's not helping me Shawn; all you've told me is that I destroyed a friendship"

"Keep listening" Shawn said as he squeezed her hands making her stare up at him again, Shawn cleared his throat and said "Anyway, he never imagined that he'd form such a strong friendship bond with you, he honestly just couldn't get over it because he was so happy and believe me when I tell you this Summer, I have never ever seen him this happy before" Summer just looked at him with tear filled eyes, was Shawn being serious right now?

"Yes Summer I'm being serious" Shawn said with the strange ability to read her mind, "I know he was the happiest man alive when his children were born but then things went sour with that and he was back on the road to destruction. Things with Debra didn't improve his situation either, I honestly thought it was just a rebound because he got together with her so quickly and I was right because things went sour again. He took some time out for himself because of his neck surgery and then when he came back to the company not long after you debuted he was different, happier and relaxed with himself. And then he met you and he changed again and everybody noticed it for the better, you'll never know how many times myself and Hunter have sat with him in locker rooms talking about you and how happy and different his life has become, he still can't believe that somebody as incredible as you can want to be with somebody as washed up as him"

"Age doesn't bother me" Summer managed to squeak out, trying her hardest not to cry her eyes out. Shawn smiled a little bit and said "You're the one sweetie, the one he wants to spend his life with and have children with, the amount of times I've spoken to him about being a father again has even got me considering becoming a father again"

"Really" Summer said through a small giggle snort and then quickly wiped her eyes, Shawn then took her hands again and said "Yes Summer I'm being serious, yes he might be 45 but he wants a family with you and that ring on your finger is a huge sign that it'll be forever" Summer looked down at her finger and smiled at her engagement ring, she sniffed as more tears slipped down her cheeks and then she said "I'm sorry Shawn I'm just being silly"

"No you're not, you're just going through a difficult phase and need a friend to help and support you" Shawn replied as he leant over and kissed her forehead, "I love you sweetie and have ever since I met you because you're just so different and sweet and kind, I can see why Steve wants to be with you forever and just believe me when I say this, he wants to be with you for the rest of his life, not Jeannie, just you" Shawn finished and looked directly into Summer's eyes and she was looking back and believed every word he said, she sighed and said "Okay, I believe you"

"Good girl" Shawn said and then kissed her forehead once more making her smile, she felt a lot better than she did before and the doubts were slowly slipping away.

"Thank you Shawn"

"You're welcome sweetie, now, are you going to stay up here or are you gonna come down and have some fun with the guys before the show?"

"Well... It'll be better for me to cheer up before the show otherwise I'll screw up"

"Good because Road Dogg and Billy Gunn won't shut up about you and you've won over Rob as well"

"Yeah I really liked them"

"They're good buddies of mine and they'll take care of you if you ever need them"

"That's good to know" Summer said reassuringly and smiled once more, feeling a lot happier now than she did before... maybe this situation wasn't as bad as she thought?

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Steve shouted as loud as he could making everybody around him jump, including Jeannie who stared at him in surprise, she didn't know he'd take the news that badly, "Steve I-"

"Don't you dare!" Steve shouted again, "I can't believe this! I can't believe you've done this!"

"I did it for you!"

"For me?!" Steve said outraged, "You did this for me?!"

"Yes I knew that this would be a good thing for us!"

"How is this a good thing?!"

"If you stop shouting I'll explain!"

"I don't want to hear any of your shit!" Steve said as he ran his hands over his bald head, he was absolutely furious and he just didn't know what to do, all he could see was red. He couldn't believe what she had done, and the fact that Vince had agreed to it! She was going to be a part of the business now? What the hell was Vince thinking?!

"I just wanted to be around you Steve" Jeannie tried to argue her case but Steve just glared at her with so much venom and anger she fell silent and just looked at him helplessly. She'd definitely gone too far this time, to the point where he just couldn't be around her. Now she was going to be his manager at ringside? He'd have to see her nearly every day and he couldn't do that, he couldn't go down that road again!

"Just let me explain Steve" Jeannie said softly again as she looked at Steve who was that angry he was shaking, she'd never seen him this angry before and it did scare her a little bit.

"Why did you do this to me? How could you do this to me?" Steve said softly, he was trying to reign in his temper before things got out of hand and he did something he'd regret later.

"I told you that I wanted to be around you, and now you can see the girls nearly every day"

"This is not the way I wanted to see the girls, why go down this road? Why drag them around with you? They should be in school not travelling the road!" Steve couldn't help but get angry again and he could see that Jeannie was mulling that over, had she thought of the girls before she made this decision?

"The girls will be fine" is all Jeannie could say and Steve just rolled his eyes, "Jeannie they need to be in school and that's that" he crossed his arms and then glared at Jeannie who was about to say something but she shut her mouth and couldn't think of what to do.

"It's difficult for me to say but they need to go back home and go back to school, not be dragged around on the road because it's not the right thing to do" Steve said softly again and he could see that Jeannie was getting upset, which made him angry again "Oh will ya stop it with the tears already! You're only cryin' because you know I'm telling the truth!"

"But the girls want to see you!"

"Stop using them against me! They're not even here so stop using them to your advantage!" Steve was getting very angry now, they'd been here for 2 days now and he had barely spent any time with them and it hurt like hell.

"If they were on the road with you then you'd see them every day!" Jeannie argued back but Steve wasn't having any of it,

"As hard as it is for me to say, they are going back to England to go back to school"

"How about they go to school in Texas?" Jeannie suggested making Steve just stare at her confused,

"Beg pardon?"

"I can be on the road with you and the girls can be in Texas at school, they won't miss out on their education and then they'll be able to see you on your days off" Jeannie said with a smile on her face, there, she'd sorted it, "I'll go and make some arrangements" then she walked past Steve with a smile on her face leaving him completely stunned once again. He sighed in frustration and just couldn't think of what to do, Jeannie had obviously lost it completely and she just couldn't see how messed up this was.

"Did I hear that correctly?" Steve heard a quiet voice behind him, he turned around and saw Summer standing there looking up at him, "Now she's a part of the business and she's living in Texas with us?" Steve still couldn't believe she was standing there, she'd heard all that?

"How long have you been standing there?" is all he asked making Summer frown at him,

"What does that matter? Answer my questions"

"She went to speak to Vince and he assigned her as my manager at ringside"

"He agreed to that?"

"Apparently so" Steve said extremely frustrated as he ran a hand over his head again, he was extremely pissed off and Summer could see that, but hearing that, Summer felt her heart ripping in two. Jeannie would be around Steve even more now if she was his manager, he'd see his girls nearly every day and he'd want to spend time with them on their days off, Summer wouldn't be able to see him at all.

"What are you gonna do?" is all Summer could say as she tried to keep her voice steady but she could feel tears forming and knew Steve wouldn't like it, so she took a few deep breaths and then waited for Steve's answer. "I don't know" is all he said as he looked down at the floor, he'd barely looked her in the eyes since and Summer was feeling even worse, "I've gotta go" is all Steve said and then walked straight past Summer to head down the corridor to go and cool off.

Summer watched him go and couldn't help but let a sob escape, but she covered her mouth and tried to stay calm but she just couldn't do it. She just couldn't believe this was happening; Jeannie was now Steve's ringside manager? She knew he was turning heel but to bring Jeannie into the mix was a step too far in the wrong direction. Vince never thought of feelings when it came to business, he just looked at figures and TV ratings and of course, money. And he obviously saw potential for bringing Jeannie to the business, the fans would disapprove and maybe start to hate Steve as he turned heel. But he just couldn't see how wrong this was! It made Summer angry and upset at the same time, to the point where she just didn't know what to do, so she walked down the corridor in a daze not heading in any particular direction.

Mark hadn't been at the arena long but he soon got into the swing of things and turned into the deadman that everybody feared yet respected. He greeted everybody who passed him though, he learnt to appreciate everybody after everything that had happened before and after the whole wrestlers court mayhem. So he was in a pretty good mood as he headed towards his dressing room, but he looked up and then saw through his shades a young woman looking completely lost. He took his shades off and saw Summer, she was in her own world and was just walking without a purpose, to the point where she walked straight into him. She stumbled back a few steps and winced as her ribs protested against the sudden contact, she looked up at the thing she'd walked into and was surprised to see Mark smirking down at her,

"Hey kiddo, that's a pretty strange way to greet people" Summer just looked at him and just couldn't help the tears forming in her eyes. Mark could see that her eyes had turned shiny and he said "Hell kiddo I'm sorry, I didn't mean it in a bad way" Summer let the tears fall and just couldn't stop it, Mark felt a little uncomfortable and said "Summer come on" then he put his arm around her and led her towards his dressing room.

Once they got there, Mark opened the door and led Summer through the room to sit down on one of the couches and she did so quietly, he dumped his bags on the other couch and then walked into the bathroom to get some tissue. He walked back out and handed them to Summer who smiled weakly and said "Thank you"

"Not a problem kiddo, but I'd like to know what brought this on" Mark replied and then sat on the couch opposite her and waited for her response.

Summer wiped her eyes gently and then said "I'm just having a few problems with Steve"

"I know about that kiddo"

"I know you do"

"How?" Mark asked, a little confused

"I heard you when I was in and out of consciousness last night after Wrestlemania"

"Oh"

"Yeah I heard Steve talking about Jeannie" Summer said trying not to cry again, "I know she's back in his life and has been for a while with these stupid phone calls"

"But what's happened today to bring this on?"

"Vince has given her a job" Summer said as she played with the tissue in her hands,

Mark took his shades off and said "Come again?"

"Yeah she's been assigned as Steve's manager while he's playing heel"

"What-" Is all Mark said but just couldn't get any words out, he was stunned into silence... a thing he never thought would happen.

"That's how I felt" Summer said as she noticed Mark hadn't said anything in a while, "And she's going to live in Texas and send the girls to school there while she's on the road with Steve"

"That's just crazy"

"Ya think" is all Summer said a little irritated but then felt bad for getting angry at Mark, he was only trying to help.

"Don't feel bad for being angry kiddo" Mark said, another person with an uncanny ability to read her mind, "Hell I'd be pissed too if I was in this situation"

"I can feel him slipping away Mark; I just don't know what to do to handle this situation"

"Unfortunately I don't have the answers either kiddo, but I can say that he's been different since he's been around you"

"Shawn said the same thing earlier"

"Then it must be true"

"It doesn't seem like it anymore" Summer said and then looked down at her pink and white vans, she hadn't changed into her ring gear yet so she was still in her baggy 3 quarter length jeans and pink t-shirt, her hair was tied up in a messy bun and she just felt like a complete train wreck. But Mark thought she looked beautiful, but he knew it wasn't the time to say anything so he said "Besides all of this crap, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm a lot better than yesterday, my head is a little sore and I keep forgetting I've got stitches in my head so brushing my hair is difficult" Summer replied making Mark smirk a little bit, "But other than that I'm not feeling too bad"

"And your ribs?"

"They let me know that they're still there once in a while, especially walking into a brick wall earlier" Summer said making Mark laugh, it was a rare sound and Summer loved to hear it, "It ain't my fault if you don't look where you're going kiddo" Mark replied still chuckling making Summer smile properly for the first time all day. She always felt better when she smiled, but then she thought about everything and it made her frown again, "Things will work out kiddo, these things usually just blow over"

"Not when an ex-wife is hanging around a potential new wife, well... that's if it lasts" Summer said as she looked down at her engagement ring, Mark noticed it and frowned himself... it always panged a little bit of jealously whenever he thought about them being engaged, and seeing the ring on her finger made it a reality. But he shook those thoughts off immediately, he knew Summer needed a friend and that's what he was going to be.

"Kiddo, everything will be okay I'm sure of it, Steve's never been able to handle difficult situations but he always figures it out in the end and he makes the right decision"

"You reckon he will?"

"I know he will" Mark replied as he reached over and took Summer's hand, he squeezed it and smiled at her making her smile back. Everybody seemed to think Steve would make the right decision and it was making her feel a bit more positive about things.

"Thank you Mark" Summer said as she squeezed Mark's hand tightly and he smiled at how small it looked in his, "You're welcome kiddo, you know you can talk to me about anything at anytime, whether it's the middle of the day or the middle of the night it don't bother me"

"That's nice to hear"

"I mean it, anytime, anywhere you can talk to me, Steve is a pain in the ass at times and I know a few things and have some tricks up my sleeve to shut him up"

Summer laughed a little bit at that and said "I'll keep that in mind"

"Good" Mark replied and smiled at Summer again who said "I guess I better get my ass moving to get ready for tonight"

"Are you wrestling?" Mark asked pretty concerned

"No they changed it at the last minute and said that the women were just running down to 'make the save' of their teams"

"At least you'll be safer rather than being thrown around the ring"

"You never know what'll happen once we get down there"

"Don't you plan it?"

"Not really we just improvise and see where it goes from there"

"That's a bit risky"

"It normally works out" Summer said with a shrug making Mark smile at her attitude, she was definitely different, he could see why Steve was so swept away with her.

"How are things going to turn out with your feud with Steve?" Summer asked, feeling a sharp pain in her heart when she mentioned Steve's name.

Mark cleared his throat and said "It's going to get ugly I think"

"In what way?"

"Well for Steve and Triple H it'll get ugly but it'll turn me and Glen face while we 'save people'" Summer smiled at the way he said that but then said "Do you know what they've got planned for Steve?"

"It'll take a while to turn Steve heel so he's going to have to beat up some of his on screen and real friends in the ring and backstage"

"Oh"

"So there might be a chance that our teams may mingle"

"Meaning?"

"The last meeting I was in, Vince and the writer's agreed that Steve and Hunter may attack you and your brothers to get the fans to really boo him"

"Why us?" Summer asked completely surprised

"Because you're one of the most popular teams in the business today, the fans go crazy and they'll be outraged that Steve and Hunter would want to harm you"

"How come Vince didn't mention this is our meeting earlier?" Summer asked quizzically but Mark shrugged and said "I don't know kiddo the plans might have changed since then, but that was the last I heard in the meeting 3 weeks ago"

"Did Steve agree to it?"

"He didn't exactly fall in love with the idea of beating his future wife and brother in law's up, but it's business and he'll do anything for this business" Mark replied and Summer nodded, she was a little surprised but she didn't take it to heart because the plans could have changed since then. They had to focus on their TLC 2 match at Backlash so a lot of planning had to go into that, so it went out of her head.

"That'll be a strange thing if it does happen" Summer said thoughtfully, "The fact that it would have to lead to that is pretty extreme if they want Steve to turn heel"

"He's had his fun being General Manager with Eric, but the writers took that away from him"

"I don't know why, that was fun to be around"

"I know, it was pretty damn funny seeing that side of Steve on TV"

"That's the man I fell in love with" Summer said smiling at how silly Steve could be, he didn't take himself seriously at all and just loved to have fun. When he was working with Eric Bischoff it was extremely fun to be a part of, the things he used to come up with were completely insane, especially getting Eric drunk and throwing up on live TV!

"That man is still there Summer" Mark said softly, "You've just gotta stay strong through it all"

"I'll try" is all Summer said and then looked at Mark, she'd never really actually looked at him properly before... partly because she'd always been afraid to and then at one point she did hate him. But looking at him now he was pretty damn handsome with his short spiky hair and goatee, it was nice that he was letting his natural red hair come through rather than dying it black all the time, it really brought out his green eyes.

"I don't like being stared at kiddo" Mark said as he'd noticed Summer was making it obvious she was staring at him, "Sorry" she said and then felt herself blushing, she felt silly making it so obvious she was ogling him. But she shouldn't be doing that anyway, as much as Steve was a pain in the ass she'd never leave him so she felt bad for checking Mark out.

"It's not a problem darlin, but next time don't make it so obvious" Mark said and Summer laughed and looked down at her jeans and said "I don't know what came over me"

"Summer it's okay to be attracted to me, most women are" Mark joked making Summer laugh again and say "Egomaniac" making Mark laugh with her, he couldn't deny it, he did have a bit of an ego but he never took it too far.

"I might be a tiny bit attracted to you" Summer admitted feeling a little bit embarrassed about it, she peaked up at Mark who was just staring at her with a small smile on his face, "Now who's staring" Summer mumbled making Mark laugh again and say "Sorry that was my bad this time" then he scooted foreword in his chair and stood up making Summer stare up at him. Then he held out his hands for her to take and then he gently pulled her up and out of her seat, she stood looking up at him pretty confused at what he was doing. But then she was surprised that he pulled her into a gentle hug, making sure he didn't touch her ribs. Summer had to stand on her tiptoes as she wrapped her arms around him; she smiled though as it felt nice to be held when she felt like crap. Mark gently rested his head on hers and smelt her hair and smiled because she smelt so good, she always had.

"You okay?" Summer asked because she was still confused as to why he was doing this, she didn't mind but she was still confused. "I'm okay kiddo, you just looked like you needed a hug" Mark replied as he gently released her, Summer felt disappointed at the loss which made her feel even more confused. Mark saw this and tilted her chin up to look at him; he ran his hand gently down her cheek making her shiver at the contact. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her right in this moment so he began to lower his head, but Summer pulled away and panicked, "I can't" is all she said as she backed away towards the door,

"Summer" Mark started but Summer said "Mark- I- I gotta go" and then she bolted out of the room to get some space between them.

"Shit" Mark said as he ran a hand through his hair, he didn't mean for this to happen but he couldn't help how he felt about her, she'd got under his skin in so many ways he just couldn't help himself.

"Now I'm in trouble" Mark said to himself as he flopped back down onto the couch, he had a lot to think about now that was for sure!