Chapter 3
Taking a few deep breaths to calm down, Nicoya squared her shoulders and turned around, her lips pursed tightly together, and cleared her throat loudly. "Alyssa Marie Harris, come out here right now." She called out, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and when the door to the bedroom opened, she pointed to the couch. "Sit down."
Alyssa kept her head down, not daring to look at her mom just yet, knowing she was in BIG trouble. She perched on the edge of the couch, hands twisting together nervously with her shoulders slumped, and quietly asked, "Yes Mom?"
"Alyssa, what am I going to do with you? Seriously, I told you to stay away from him and what did you do? You defied me like you always do!" Nicoya scolded her daughter, her eyes filled with anger, though she knew she could never punish her daughter. She loved her too much and she was the most important person in the world to her. "Why can't you ever once just listen to what I say? I am your mother and if you can't start listening to me, Alyssa, I'm going to have to do something I really don't want to do…" When Alyssa looked up at her with terrified blue eyes, Nicoya raised an eyebrow back at her. "I'll hire a babysitter for you if you can't learn to obey my wishes and listen to me. Now I want to know, why did you invite Mr. Calaway to join you and Matthew for breakfast this morning?"
"Because he looked lonely!" Alyssa said, sounding upset. "Everyone else kinda avoids him and sometimes he looks lonely." She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest in an all too adult gesture and hung her head. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I'll listen to you from now on, just please don't get a babysitter."
Sighing deeply, knowing her daughter was just following her heart, like Nicoya did a lot, she smiled and walked over to her. She sat down on the couch and pulled her into her arms, setting her on her lap, and kissed the top of her head. "I know you like interacting with the others, Aly. I know that, baby girl, but you also need to realize that you can't trust anyone on the roster except for Matthew, Ashley, Jeffy, and Ky. They are the ONLY ones that won't hurt you. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Her tone was gentle and soft, running her fingers through her daughter's black hair, sighing deeply. She knew she couldn't hide her daughter forever, but for the time being, she would try her damnest to continue to do so.
Alyssa stared at her mom out of puzzled blue eyes, wondering why she was being treated like some sort of secret, but nodded. "I understand Mom." She sighed, wrapping her arms around Nicoya's neck. "So…does this mean I'm NOT in trouble?" She asked hopefully.
"No, you're not in trouble anymore." Nicoya soothed, stroking her back as they embraced, and sighed heavily. She knew Alyssa liked Mark, there was a connection between them. That's why Nicoya was being so stern with her daughter about staying away from him because she didn't want her daughter to get hurt. She refused to let it happen and she wasn't about to get involved with another wrestler. "Tell ya what? Why don't you go put your shoes on and we'll head to the arena, okay? Momma has a lot to work to catch up from last night and you can hang out with Ashley if you want." She smiled when her daughter rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile.
Alyssa didn't say another word after rolling her eyes, knowing her mom had skipped some work last night to return them to the hotel. She obediently headed to her bedroom and slipped on her tennis shoes, taking her time in lacing them up. Finally, Alyssa came out, her backpack of stuff to do over her shoulders. "I'm ready, Mom." She announced softly.
Nicoya smiled over at her daughter and nodded, taking her hand, and lead her out of the hotel room, carrying her black bag over her shoulder. It held her laptop and documents she'd need to write out the next script for that following week's show. Sometimes, the job got stressful, but Nicoya loved it, even after all the shit happened with her ex-boyfriend. She looked down at her daughter as they arrived at the elevator and let her press the button, shaking her head as she laughed quietly. Alyssa was already a bundle of energy. A trait she no doubt inherited from her father. Sometimes, Nicoya wondered what he would think if he could see this beautiful angel and know that she was apart of him. Then she thought about what she'd seen him doing with Torrie Wilson on the RAW brand and immediately squashed that thought, refusing to subject her daughter to the same hurt and betrayal as she felt. Her thoughts were broken as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside, pressing the lobby floor.
Alyssa sighed, moving to lean back against the wall only to find her bump into something that wasn't the elevator panel. She tilted her head back, eyes widening when she seen Mark, and stepped away, looking at the doors. Remembering she wasn't supposed to talk to him anymore. Mark arched a curious eyebrow, wondering where the little chatterbox from earlier was, and cleared his throat. "Mom said I'm not supposed to talk to you anymore." Alyssa explained, peeking over her shoulder to find him about to speak.
Nicoya groaned when she heard that, sighing heavily, and dropped her head forward, knowing exactly who was behind them. She bit her bottom lip, keeping her back to him, flat out refusing to turn around, and felt like dying. She wished the floor beneath would open up and swallow her whole, but knew it wouldn't happen. This was just her luck as she held her daughter's hand tightly in her grasp, but not to the point of hurting her, wishing this elevator would go faster. She felt her cheeks inflaming with embarrassment. Leave it to her daughter to dig her grave for her.
"MOM!" Alyssa shrieked when the elevator lurched. "WHAT WAS THAT?" She clung to Nicoya, freaking out royally.
Mark cursed, looking up, wondering that himself. "It's just a little glitch, angel." He said down to Alyssa, his tone soft and reassuring. He grunted when the elevator lurched again before staring back up, heading towards the top floor.
"We're going the wrong way! We're gonna die!" Alyssa shrieked, tears pooling in her blue eyes, overreacting like any normal eight year old would.
Nicoya's midnight blue eyes widened and immediately bent down to pull her daughter in her arms, holding her tightly to her, and squeezed her eyes shut. "Shhh it's okay, Alyssa. Calm down, baby girl." She whispered soothingly, groaning when the elevator gave another lurch, and ended up falling back, hitting the wall with Alyssa curled up on her lap as she sighed. 'Damn it, what's going on?!' She thought angrily, raking a hand through her hair, and tried remaining calm for her daughter's sake.
Mark took quick inventory of the two girls. Nicoya looked pale, but determined, apparently hiding whatever she was thinking. Alyssa was on the verge of hysterics. He walked over to the control panel, pressing the CALL button. Only to wind up with a bunch of static. He looked up when he heard a groaning sound, green eyes narrowing.
Nicoya was rocking her daughter in her arms, soothing her the best she could, and looked up at Mark, wondering what could be wrong with the elevator. "What is it?" She quietly asked, not wanting to startle her daughter, who was still trembling and crying harshly. "Calm down, Aly. Nothing is going to happen to us, baby girl I promise." She cooed to her, but never took her eyes from Mark.
Mark shrugged. "Don't know. Gears might not be oiled up, or the riggin' is…" He trailed off, sighing heavily, and pressed the emergency button on the control panel before looking up. He easily removed one of the panels that compromised the compartments ceiling and gripped the edges.
"Mom…what is he doing?" Alyssa demanded when all she could see was Mark's legs dangling. "Ain't he a little big to be doing that?"
"Oh my god! Mr. Calaway, get down here now before you hurt yourself!" Nicoya shouted in surprise, holding her daughter tighter to her, and sighed when Alyssa tried getting up to follow him. "No Aly, stay here." She ordered, pulling her back down to sit with her, and couldn't believe what Mark was doing. The man was going to get himself killed!
"Tell ya what, stop callin' me that and I'll think on it." Mark replied, his legs disappearing from view.
"MOM! Where'd he go?" Alyssa shrieked, feeling the elevator sway followed by the obvious thuds of Mark's heavy boots then another creaking sound. "MOMMY!"
Nicoya cringed when she heard that and sighed, hearing Alyssa's worried tone for this man, and shook her head. "Mark, get down here before you cause Alyssa to have a heart attack!" She called up to him, seeing her daughter's eyes widened, and held her tighter to her. "He's on top of the elevator, baby girl. Just stay put." She soothed Alyssa and groaned when her daughter became hysterical again.
Mark's head and arms appeared in the elevator, dangling. "Come here, angel." He ordered, not caring about what her mother thought at the moment.
"Nuh-uh!" Alyssa whimpered, shaking her head furiously.
"You want out of here, don'tcha?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
Alyssa stared into his eyes for a minute before jumping into the air, letting him catch her and pull her up as she shouted, "Whoa, this is cool!"
"MARK CALAWAY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Nicoya shrieked in fear, not believing Alyssa bounded out of her arms, and was on her feet instantly. She was shaking from head to toe, worried sick about her baby girl, and began to feel tears burn her eyes. "Alyssa, get down here NOW!" She shouted, raking a hand through her black hair, and felt the elevator lurch again. "ALYSSA!"
Mark's arms appeared in the carriage again, grabbing Nicoya by the arms, and slowly pulled her struggling form up. He stood up, looping an arm around her waist to steady her and gestured to where Alyssa was standing. "Mom, look!" Alyssa pointed up about four feet above them to where the sixth floor elevator doors had been pried open. "See what Mark did?"
"You ready to get out of here?" Mark asked, still holding onto Nicoya with one arm, reaching out for Alyssa's hand. "Careful angel, mind yer step now."
Nicoya swallowed hard, the tears brimming her eyelids, and watched as her daughter watched her step before grabbing her hand. She immediately pulled her into her arms and stroked her black hair as she looked up a the open doors. "How did you-" Her words died in her throat when Mark thrusted her and Alyssa up with ease through the door, causing them to back away, and Nicoya immediately got on her knees, examining her daughter. "Are you hurt, baby girl? Did anything hit you?" She was trying to calm down and started crying when she seen Alyssa was perfectly safe, wrapping her arms around her, and hugged her tightly, squeezing her.
"I'm fine!" Alyssa said impatiently, trying to wiggle free. "MOM! I can't breathe!" She whined. "Where's Mark?"
"Right here angel." Mark replied, hoisting himself up through the cap in the now closing doors. "Christ…now it's workin'." He grunted, using one massive arm to push open the doors again, barely getting through without getting clipped.
Alyssa tossed herself into his arms, letting him pick her up, burying her face in his neck, and asked, "How'd you DO that?"
Nicoya watched her daughter run into Mark's arms and slowly rose to her feet, wiping her tears away, and walked over, running her fingers through her soft black hair. "You scared me to death, Alyssa Marie! Don't you EVER do that again!" She had to walk away to catch her breath, pressing a hand to her stomach, and allowed her daughter to have a moment alone with her savior. Her savior. Nicoya had to smile at that as she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. Alyssa literally scared her to death. "Christ, I'm gonna have a head full of gray at this rate." She whispered to herself.
"Give her a minute." Mark whispered when he seen Alyssa was about to call out to her mother. "She's a bit scared."
"Why? That was so cool!" Alyssa exclaimed, looking confused, her previous terror forgotten. "I thought it was fun."
"Bit of a daredevil aren't ya, angel?" Mark asked, looking amused as he moved her so she was riding piggyback on him.
"Uh huh." Alyssa agreed, her arms wrapped around his neck.
"Are you quite finished scaring your mother to death?" Nicoya finally asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and sighed heavily when her daughter just stuck her tongue out at her. She then turned her attention to Mark and cleared her throat. "Thanks for…doing that for us…Mr-Mark." She caught herself this time and raked a hand through her hair.
Mark shrugged, grinning when Alyssa squealed. "Not a problem, Ms. Harris." He replied nonchalantly.
"Her name is Nicoya." Alyssa whispered in his ear.
"I think she might prefer Ms. Harris, angel." Mark whispered back, trying not to smile.
"Good point."
"You can call me Coya or Nico if you want, Mark." She said, smiling up at her daughter, though her heart felt like it was lodged in her throat. "I hate being called Nicoya." She informed him, shaking her head when Alyssa just smirked back down at her, and sighed resignedly. "Alright fine, you can talk to him, Aly, but no one else." Her voice got stern and narrowed her eyes a bit at her daughter. "Got it?"
Alyssa nodded eagerly, looking like Christmas had just come early. She wrapped her arms even tighter around Mark's throat, not even realizing she'd just cut off his circulation. "You hear that?" She asked excitedly.
Mark gently loosened her hold on him and nodded, "I heard little one, mind lettin' me breathe some?"
"Oops!" Alyssa laughed happily. "Hey Mom, can he be my new babysitter when you gotta do something? PLEASE?"
"Honey, he's very busy…" Nicoya hesitated, biting her bottom lip, seeing the pleading look in her daughter's eyes, and sighed heavily. "Only if he approves." She finally said, cringing when she began to squeal, and couldn't stop laughing if she tried at the look on Mark's face. "I do believe you have a new crush, Mark." She pointed out, staring pointedly at her daughter, who just grinned proudly. "She's smitten with you."
"I noticed." Mark replied, not seeming too bothered with it. "She's a cutie." He grinned broadly when Alyssa enthusiastically agreed and fell into step with Nicoya. "I think it might be a good idea to take the stairs this time."
"Hey…ya gonna watch me or not?" Alyssa demanded, tugging on his hair to get his attention back.
"If yer momma don't mind, I'd love too." Mark replied, meaning what he said, having become completely entranced with this little girl.
"I already told you I don't mind as long as he approves." Nicoya replied, sighing when her daughter started jumping up and down. She groaned, wondering what she just got herself into with this situation, and felt like slapping herself for even agreeing to this. The man did save them after all so in a way, he felt in debt to him, even though he'd scared the Hell out of her. "I hope you can handle her." She commented and smirked down at her daughter, who was lit up like stars. "She's a handful. One big ball of energy." She sighed as they finally arrived in the hotel lobby, her black bag still slung over her shoulder.
"Hey! You can show me more of the punching thing! Can you show me how to do the tombstone? Does it hurt? Do you really drop people on their head?" Alyssa demanded eagerly, shooting questions off left and right out of her mouth.
"No, yes and sometimes." Mark answered, not missing a beat. He followed them out to the back parking lot. "Well kiddo, this is where we part ways."
"Oh Mom…" Alyssa groaned, not wanting to leave him yet. "He has a MOTORCYCLE, can I ride it? Pretty, pretty please?"
"No, absolutely not, Alyssa." Nicoya shook her head emphatically, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and groaned when she started throwing a fit. "I said NO!" She shouted, her voice stern, and furrowed her eyebrows together. "Bikes kill, Alyssa Marie! Now come on, we're already running late enough as it is." She extended her hand to her and dropped it when Alyssa refused to take it. "If you don't get your little ass over there, I'm not letting mark watch you." She threatened, raising an eyebrow.
"Mark, do bikes really kill?" Alyssa asked curiously, completely ignoring her mother.
"Depends on the driver, angel, but stop arguin' with yer momma. She doesn't want ya ridin' and I can't blame her. She has every right to be scared." Mark said, staring down at Alyssa firmly.
Alyssa nodded, appearing to take his word as gospel, and trotted over to her mother. "We're gonna go to the arena now?" She asked her mother sweetly.
Sighing heavily, Nicoya already looked exhausted as she nodded, watching her daughter scamper off toward the car. "Thanks, Mark." She said softly, smiling at him, and raked a hand through her hair before venturing off to join her daughter.