Chapter 9

Alyssa woke up several hours later after crying herself to sleep. She rolled onto her back and reached into her pants pocket, pulling out the picture of her and Mark. She slowly unfolded it and studied, sniffling, and reaching up to wipe her nose with the back of her hand. Alyssa carefully folded it again before putting it back, sitting up and dangled her legs off the bed. She jumped a little when she heard her mother yelling at someone in the other room and wondered who it was as she went to investigate.

"I don't care what you think or feel, Cena! Just leave me alone!" Nicoya shouted in her cell phone, burying her face in her free hand, and sighed heavily. "Whatever John, I gotta go." She then snapped the lid of her cell phone shut, growling under her breath, and walked over, tapping lightly on Alyssa's bedroom door. "Sweetheart, it's momma. You about ready to head to the arena?"

"No." Alyssa muttered, slowly getting to her feet, and walked over to open the door for her mother. "Who were you yelling at?" She asked curiously, yawning, looking all tousled and adorable again.

"A co-worker about his script." Nicoya lied, flashing a smile, and kissed the top of her head. "Go get ready. We're leaving in a few minutes." She instructed, walking away from her, and proceeded to finish packing, shutting her cell phone off when it began ringing again. She would have to get her number changed to something that John didn't know before she ended up smashing her phone.

Alyssa rolled her eyes and sighed, walking around her room and gathering up her stuff. She dawdled in packing, unpacking then repacking everything. Finally knowing she was done and groaned, Alyssa dragged the bag out to the main room. "I'm ready." She announced, not sounding thrilled. "Where are we going next?"

"We're going to the arena. Tomorrow morning we leave and head to Houston." She informed her daughter, finishing up her packing, wearing a pinstriped skirt suit with a white tank top underneath her cardigan. Her black hair was down, hugging her waist, and she had two inch heels on that were closed toed. "Come on, sweetheart we don't have much time." She extended her hand and smiled when Alyssa took it as they walked out of the hotel room.

Alyssa trailed her hand along the wall, halting when she seen the elevators. "No, not going on it." She balked, dragging her mom towards the stairs, not caring what floor they were on. "Elevators are scary, momma."

Nodding in agreement, Nicoya walked down the back staircase of the hotel, finally walking out of the lobby, and headed outside to their rental car. "So, are you angry at me still?" She asked as they walked through the lobby, her bag over her shoulder while Alyssa had her backpack.

"For what? Keeping me a secret?" Alyssa replied, following Nicoya to the car, still holding her hand. "No…you said he was a meanie so I guess it's alright." She sighed, handing her mother her bag to stick in the car. "How long will the house show take and why do you gotta be there?"

"It's mandatory. All WWE employees are required unless they have a family emergency." Nicoya explained, arriving at her car, and placed her bag in, smiling with relief that her daughter wasn't upset with her. They listened to country music on the ride to the arena, making small chit chat, and finally pulled into the arena parking lot. "We shouldn't be here too long tonight, baby girl."

Alyssa shrugged, looking around the parking lot and sighed. Knowing from how empty it was that they must've been early. This wasn't surprising since Nicoya normally liked to be on top of things. "Ready, Mom?"

Nodding, Nicoya stepped out, grabbing her bag, and then headed inside the arena, holding her daughter's hand tightly in her own, and went straight to her office. She sighed heavily when she opened the door, holding Alyssa close to her, and ignored John's presence as she guided her daughter over to the couch. "Remember what I said." She whispered, smiling when Alyssa nodded, and turned around to face him. "What can I do for you, Mr. Cena?" She asked, her tone purely professional, though her midnight blue eyes were spitting fire.

John was sitting behind her desk, his feet propped up on top of it, hands folded behind his head. He ignored Nicoya at first, his ice blue eyes firmly fastened on Alyssa. "She's got pretty eyes." He commented at last, finally looking at Nicoya, arching an eyebrow.

Leave my daughter alone, John I'm warning you right now." Nicoya stated through gritted teeth, walking over to block his vision from Alyssa, and crossed her arms in front of his chest. "She's none of your damned concern so get to steppin' before I talk to Stephanie and Vince about fining your ass for harassing me and my daughter." She threatened, keeping her voice low and calm, full of hidden rage.

"Oh I'm so scared." John said in a high pitched voice, raising his hands and waving them in exaggerated movements. He smirked, standing up and walking around to stand right in front of her. "I'm here on business, Ms. Harris." He said in a mock polite and professional tone of voice. "It's not my fault you have a vendetta against me and can't remember we're at work."

"What do you want, Mr. Cena?" Nicoya asked through gritted teeth, trying to keep this as professional as possible, and kept her arms firmly crossed in front of her chest. "If you don't like your script, you'll have to go talk to Vince about that one because I only write them out. He approves them prior, so you'll have to take your business up with him if you have a problem with it." She informed him in a deceptively calm tone, her eyes telling a different story though.

"I did." John replied. "I spent the day with him actually, discussing this…slop. He suggested you and I brainstorm together about where my character is heading. Possible lines and all that." He informed her, smiling grimly at the thought.

"Oh well then I suggest you get your ass handed to you any way possible. It'll help 'build your character greatly." She mocked him with a roll of her eyes, smirking when Alyssa stifled a snicker, and raised an eyebrow at John before walking over to her desk. She took out a can of Lysol and began spraying down her chair and desk, disinfecting it from his touch before taking a seat.

John leaned over the desk, knocking the can from her hand so she couldn't spray him, smirking when she stumbled back into her chair and dropped down. "Now really, is that a professional thing to say?" He asked casually, tilting his head to the side, his blue eyes spitting icicles of anger back at her. Alyssa took this moment to slip out of the room, not liking the way this doofus was talking to her mother.

"Fuck you, John." Nicoya spat back at him hatefully, her midnight blue eyes flaming with rage, and had noticed her daughter left the room. She would rather Alyssa get out before watching John push her around, like he always did, but this time, Nicoya would push back. "If you lay a hand on me, I'll report you to Stephanie and Vince. I'm not helping you with your character unless you get mauled in the ring for the rest of your life!" She stated emphatically, crossing her arms in front of her chest, refusing to help her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her.

"You see sweetheart, that's where you're wrong. It's your job to help my character." John replied coldly, growling when she shook her head. He raised his hand as if to slap her, but neither would find out if he'd actually do it because his hand got caught in someone else's.

Alyssa smirked, returning to stand behind the couch, looking smug. "There a problem here?" Came the booming, deceptively dangerous calm voice of Mark as he held John's hand in his gigantic hand.

Nicoya looked back at Mark, who the large hand belonged to that stopped John's hand from striking her, and swallowed hard as she backed up in her chair a little. "Do we have a problem here, Mr. Cena?" She asked, daring him to say something to hear that wasn't nice or professional, and couldn't believe what her daughter had done. She was a smart cookie and would have to remember to hug and kiss her later for bringing Mark when she did.

"No, no problem at all, Ms. Harris." John replied, meeting her eyes for one second before looking up at Mark.

Mark studied him intently, squeezing his hand tightly before letting go. "Good. Now why don't ya hit the pavement, I need to talk to Nico." He said casually, watching for John's reaction.

"I bet you do." John murmured sarcastically, already hightailing it out of her office.

As soon as the door shut, Nicoya finally breathed out, her heart pounding, and rushed over to hug her daughter, tears stinging her eyes. "Thank you so much, Aly." She whispered, kissing her forehead, and began trembling like a leaf as she held her daughter close. She was glad her daughter left when she had, no wanting her to see anything happen to her that was bad, and finally let go before standing up on shaky legs to face Mark. "Thank you." She whispered, her eyes clouding over with tears.

"Definitely not a problem." Mark replied, reaching out to catch her when she swayed dangerously. His hands gently held her up just under her arms. "You need to lie down for a second, darlin'." He said, watching as Alyssa cleaned off the couch before scooping her up into his arms and carrying her over, gently laying her down.

"You look like you're gonna puke, Mom." Alyssa informed her, looking concerned with her forehead scrunched up.

"Aly, go play for a minute, baby girl. I need to talk to Mark alone." She whispered pleadingly, her heart still going a mile a minute. When her daughter was far enough away, Nicoya finally allowed the tears to slip down her cheeks. She already knew what would've happened had Mark not arrived as she sucked in a ragged breath. "Mark, you need to keep her away from him, please." She whispered pleadingly, grabbing his hand, and squeezed it weakly. "He's dangerous…" She had to stop because she was hyperventilating and pressed a hand to her heart. "Please, promise me whenever you have her, you won't let him near her." She stared into his emerald green eyes pleadingly, knowing John was a sneaky son of a bitch and his curiosity was peaked about Alyssa.

Mark frowned, feeling how fast her heart was going and reached out to pull her into a sitting position, taking both her hands in his. "I won't let him or anyone else near her." He promised, his eyes moving to Alyssa before focusing on Nicoya again. "How's he dangerous, darlin'?" He murmured, seeing her hyperventilate and cupped his massive hands around her mouth, forcing her to breathe back in her own air.

Tears spilled down her cheeks as Nicoya gripped his wrists in her own, trying to take deep breaths, and finally felt her heartbeat slow down. She took his hands from her mouth and sucked in another ragged breath, her bottom lip trembling. "Can I trust you to keep a secret?" She quietly asked, staring into his beautiful emerald green gems for eyes, her own midnight blue ones filled with fear and determination.

Mark nodded, not pulling his eyes from hers, seeing the look in them and felt admiration for this woman. Somehow knowing she had been through a lot of pain in her life. "You can trust me with anythin', Nico." He said softly, honestly.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Nicoya released his wrists and cupped his face in her hands, tears spilling down her cheeks like two flowing streams. "John is her father." She whispered in revelation and then buried her face in her hands as she began to cry softly, hunched over, feeling the defeat crash over her. "He doesn't know about her." She added through her sniffles.

That explained a lot. Like Alyssa's cockiness, smugness and arrogance. Traits it was obvious she didn't get from her mother. Mark reached out one large hand to gently stroke her back. "Don't cry, Nico, she's lookin' at ya." He murmured, flashing a reassuring smile at Alyssa. "Come on now, darlin' chin up."

Nicoya knew he was right as she slowly looked up into his eyes and nodded, sniffling a little more, and smiled when he handed her another bandana. "I'm sorry, but Alyssa has taken so well to you, Mark. You take care of her whenever I can't so I wanted you to know incase he tries something. I don't want him anywhere near her. Please don't be angry with me. I'm doing what's best for her." She whispered, not wanting her daughter to overhear, and smiled at Alyssa reassuringly before placing a hand on Mark's.

"It's not my place to be angry, darlin'. It's yer choice, yer business." Mark said seriously. "If he comes near her, I'll handle him." He promised his tone grave though calm at the same time. Inside he already figured that if John approached Alyssa and he was there, he was laying the punk out.

"Thank you, Mark." She truly meant that and caressed his face with her hand, smiling appreciatively, and hugged him around the neck, hoping he didn't mind it. She then pulled back and wiped the rest of her tears away before slowly standing up from the couch. "I think I'm okay now. I'm glad my daughter was smart enough to get out of here because I knew it was coming." She quietly said, walking shakily over to her desk.

Mark smiled, patting Alyssa's head when she walked up to him, and said, "She came burstin' into my dressin' room and hauled my ass outta there right quick."

Alyssa beamed proudly. "Nobody messes with my momma." She declared. "Except me that is."

"That's my girl." Nicoya grinned proudly as she walked over; lifting her up in her arms, and kissed her cheek as she held her close. "For that, you're going to get all the ice cream and anything else you want tonight after we leave." She stroked her hair and looked up at Mark, her midnight blue eyes no longer in tears. "You can join us, Mark if you don't have any other plans. I'm sure Aly would love it if you would." She laughed when Alyssa squirmed out of her arms and went to Mark's side, shaking her head. "I've lost my daughter." She mock cried and smiled widely.

Alyssa shook he head. "Nah…you're stuck with me. Part of the whole mommy deal." She teased adorably. "Besides, ya know ya love me, 'specially when I'm outta yer hair."

Mark blinked, looking down at Alyssa. "Is it just me or is she drawlin'?" He asked curiously, an eyebrow rose.

"What's drawlin' mean?" Alyssa asked, looking genuinely confused while Mark started laughing.

"You've had a profound impact on her, Mark." Nicoya laughed when Alyssa looked at her like she was nuts and shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully. "Honey, drawlin' is when you start talking like Mark. You know how you're supposed to say your, but he says yer?" She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and actually hopped on her desk, staring at them.

"Yeah, what bout it? Is she sayin' it wrong?" Alyssa asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Mark cleared his throat. "It ain't that it's wrong, darlin'. It's my accent comin' through." He explained, sounding downright amused.

"Accent? The way you sound, you mean?" Alyssa questioned, wanting to make sure she understood what Mark and her mother were telling her.

"Yeah that."

"I heard some girls' say you could make a nun wet with yer voice. What's that mean?" Alyssa asked, deciding if they were going to be receptive to her questions she might as well get them out.

Nicoya's midnight blue eyes bulged out of her head and covered her mouth with her hand, not believing what her daughter just asked. "Alyssa Marie Harris!" She exclaimed in shock, blinking rapidly, and couldn't believe what she just asked. "That's NO business of yours, young lady. You're FAR too young!" Nicoya was beside herself as she raked her hands through her hair and gripped it, trying to stop blushing since her cheeks was on fire. Mark had gone red from the tips of his toes to the roots of his hair, not believing what he just heard himself. He coughed, turning away from Nicoya, who seemed to be having a red moment herself. "And you never will until you're older." Nicoya muttered, not believing what her daughter just asked them, and covered her cheeks with her hand as they burned more. She had no doubt in her mind that Mark could make a nun wet, but she wasn't about to admit that in front of her eight year old daughter.

"Mom…you're blushing!" Alyssa shrieked, pointing and laughing at her. "It's something naughty isn't it? Is that why you're blushing?" Mark's shoulders were shaking now, his back still to them and laughing his ass off.

"It's none of your business, Alyssa Marie!" Nicoya stated, truly embarrassed, and raked a hand through her hair, trying to get the heat out of her cheeks. "Oh go ahead and laugh, Mark! " She grumbled, blushing more when he roared with laughter, and pursed her lips tightly together. "At least the crack was made at YOU." She countered with a smirk.

Mark arched an eyebrow, turning to stare at her. "Should I take it as a compliment or somethin' offensive?" He asked slowly. "Since yer a woman, you can tell me, darlin'." Alyssa stuffed her fingers in her ears, not wanting to hear an icky adult conversation.

"Mark, I don't think this is the appropriate time or place to be discussing something like this." Nicoya stated warningly, gesturing toward her daughter, who was plugging her ears with her fingers, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "She's only eight, even though she doesn't act like it sometimes." She reminded him and crossed her leg over the other, seeing Alyssa was singing under her breath, sighing. "Fine, you should take that however you wish now enough." She was still beat red, but it was slowly diminishing.

Alyssa smirked, shaking her head, and teasingly said, "Momma got herself in over her head."

"I think I'm in trouble with yer Mom." Mark pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmmm…flash her some eyes and pout, it seems to work." Alyssa suggested, looking positively adorable and innocent.

"Not with him it doesn't, Miss Know-It-All." Nicoya stated matter-of-factly, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and shook before sliding off the desk. She looked at Mark and blushed again before shaking her head and walked over to sit behind her desk, staring down at the scripts, trying to stop turning into another strawberry.

"I'm goin' to head back to my room." Mark said, shaking his head when Alyssa snickered. "You got a mean streak, don't ya angel?"

"Yes." She replied, looking cocky again, her blue eyes wide. "Why you going? Mom…quit blushing!" Mark cleared his throat, looking amused as he headed for the door.

Nicoya kept her head lowered, her black hair framing her face, and started writing furiously on the paper, biting her bottom lip in concentration. "See ya, Mark." She called back softly and smirked when Alyssa stopped him from going anywhere. "Honey, you have to give the man his space…" Nicoya began to say, sighing when Alyssa began giving him those big puppy dog eyes, and shook her head. "It's up to him, sweetheart. I can't tell him what to do."

Mark shook his head. "Darlin'…I got to go…" He stopped, seeing Alyssa nod and back away, her head lowering. "How bout ya come with me to check the boards?"

"Can I Mom?" Alyssa asked, looking over at Nicoya, wiping away the tears that had started to form.

"He's your babysitter, isn't he?" She shot back with a smirk, her cheeks still inflamed, and raised an eyebrow. "If he says you can go with him, then you have my permission as well." She stated, smiling when she hugged her daughter since Alyssa ran over to her, and kissed the top of her head before rushing back to Mark's side. "Mark…" She stopped him before the door fully closed and gave him a knowing look. "Watch her carefully please."

"Jeez Mom, he always does." Alyssa said, sounding exasperated. She squealed when Mark hoisted her up onto his shoulders. "Bye Mom!" She waved down, grinning broadly.

Mark stared at Nicoya a moment before nodding. "She'll be fine, get yer work done." He grunted, smiling to let her know he was trying to reassure her before heading off down the hall, his long legs quickly covering ground.

Nicoya nodded back at them before starting to get to work. She snorted at John's script, and tossed in her To Do slot, refusing to do it until the absolute last second. If he wanted to get any time in the ring, he was going to have to stop threatening her and leave her and Alyssa alone. She knew she'd done the right thing by telling Mark about John, but now her next obstacle to overcome was her brother, Steve. "God, if its not one it's the other." She grumbled under her breath and began working on the Diva scripts.