Kind of a filler/sleeper chapter… enjoy

He watched as she paced nervously, shaking his head at his wife's nervous mumblings. It was now four months after she gave birth to Sophia, and tonight was the night Lilian was returning to her duties as ring announcer for Raw.

"Lilian…"

"She probably thinks I've abandoned her."

"Lily…"

"I must be the worst mother in the world!"

"Lil…"

"I mean, seriously. She's gonna think that I'm not coming back. What type of mother leaves her four-month old daughter anyways?"

"Lil!"

"Oh, man. I can't do this. I'm gonna go find Vince and tell him I have to leave."

"Lilian Anne Batista!"

With the use of her full name, she jumped, turning her attention to Dave, who was watching her with an amused look. "Lil… relax."

She took a deep breath, crossing her arms over her chest and dropping her head. "Dave… I just feel so guilty. I mean, your Mom is awesome and Sophia knows her, but… I miss her. And I don't want her to feel like I'm abandoning her."

"It's gonna be okay, Lil," Dave said, standing up and hugging Lilian to his chest. "She'll be fine."

"I know… I just didn't realize leaving her for two days was going to hurt this much," Lilian said softly, burying her face in his chest, her next words muffled. "How do you do it?"

He sighed, resting his chin on the top of Lilian's head. "It's hard, Lily. It's hard being away from you and Sophia during the week. But you know what?"

"What?"

"I just take the time that I have with you and Sophie and treasure it as much as possible."

"But Dave… I want to be there. I want to be there to see her crawl and take her first step. I want to see her cut her teeth and I want to hear her say her first word and I want to watch as she's learning how to ride a bike and comfort her when she loses her first tooth. I mean… is it selfish to want to see all this?"

"Of course not, baby."

"Then why does it hurt so badly? I'm freaking out and this in only the first time I've been away."

Dave sighed, settling down on the couch the locker room provided, opening his arms. Without a sound, Lilian dropped down in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and curling against his chest, drawing her legs up so she was curled into a ball in his lap. She was so little, Dave realized… and fragile. Especially when it came to the welfare of their daughter.

"I don't know, Lil. I always miss Sophia and you when I'm on the road."

"Does it ever get easier?"

Dave sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly?"

"Yeah?"

"No."

Lilian sighed, managing a small smile for her husband. "That's not helping."

"I know, baby," Dave whispered into her ear. "But just think… tomorrow morning you'll be on a plane back to Washington and the little one will be back in your arms."

"You're right, Dave," Lilian replied, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm sorry for freaking out on you… I just didn't realize how hard it would be to be away from her until it actually happened."

"It's okay, baby. In the meantime," he whispered naughtily, "We're here in this cozy, locked locker room with a fluffy couch and no baby… what do you think we should do?" He accented his words with a kiss to her neck that he knew made her weak in the knees.

Lilian playfully laughed, feigning shock as she stated, "Why, Mr. Batista! Do you realize that we could easily be caught by one of our peers?"

"But see, baby," he whispered against her throat, "That's half the fun in it."

Lilian took a deep breath as her music hit, and she stepped from behind the curtain. She was shocked by the roar of approval from the Oklahoma City crowd, one that she hadn't heard since she went on maternity leave.

Lilian walked down the aisle, waving to the audience and making her way to her seat. "Well, good evening, Oklahoma City!" she greeted once she set her binder down and climbed into the ring. "Does it feel good to be back on Monday Night Raw!"

The crowd roared their approval, quickly beginning a "Welcome Back!" chant. Lilian blushed slightly, laughing.

"Alright, enough of this mini-homecoming for me! Save that for Good Ol' JR!" she joked, earning a cheer from the crowd at the mention of their hometown boy before moving into her pre-Raw spiel.

Half an hour later, she glanced at her cell phone to see the time. She couldn't wait to get to the back and call Dave's mom to see how Sophia was doing. However, she was surprised to see a text message from Dave's mom.

Fearing the worst, she used her binder to shield her cell phone as she flipped it open. It wasn't a text message; rather it was a picture message. Lilian's heart nearly melted as she saw her daughter curled up in her crib, sleeping soundly. Accompanying the picture was a message: 'She's fine. Enjoy the show. I'll talk to you in a few hours.'

"Aw," Lilian breathed, her eyes watering slightly at the picture. She glanced up to the ring, just in time to see the finish of the match. Jumping to her feet, she announced the winner, sounding a little too jovial about the fact that La Resistance had just beaten The Dudley Boyz. However, she didn't really care.

All that mattered was that Dave's mom had been thoughtful enough to let her know somehow that Sophia was fine.

And for that she was grateful.

Lilian stepped off the plane eagerly, pulling her baseball cap over her face. Usually she loved when people recognized her and wanted her autograph… however, that was a factor standing between her getting home to Sophia.

She went to the baggage claim area, quickly finding her bag and grabbing it. 'Man, I must have the best luck in the world,' she thought as she made her way to the area where she could hail a taxi. No one was recognizing her and she was getting out of the airport quickly… something had to be up. Surely there would be no taxis available or something.

"Lilian!"

She winced when she heard her name called, and she turned slightly, her eyes widening when she saw Dave's mom walking toward her quickly, a tiny bundle in her arms.

"Oh, my God!" Lilian gasped, running to meet up with the pair. "Mom!" she exclaimed, accepting Sophia when the elder Batista handed her to her mother. "What are you doing here? You didn't have to meet me! Oh, my baby girl," she said in a rush, kissing her mother-in-law before showering her daughter with kisses.

"I figured you would want to see her as soon as possible," Dave's mom explained, picking up Lilian's bag from where she had dropped it on the ground.

"Mom, you didn't have to do this!" Lilian gushed, holding Sophia closely. "There's my baby girl! I missed you so much!" she cooed, nuzzling her daughter's cheek with her own and laughing when a wide smile spread over Sophia's face. "Aren't you just adorable? Yes you are!"

She shifted Sophia to her hip, holding her daughter protectively. "Mom, you are the best. You really didn't have to meet me here. I think I could have held out for another hour!"

"I know, I know," her mother replied. "But Dave said you were really missing Sophia, so we took a little trip. Just don't expect this type of greeting every week!"

"Oh, I won't," Lilian replied happily. "These first two days were hard, but I think if I made it through this first time, I'll be fine," she admitted.

"Well, that's good to know. Now let's get out of here before someone recognizes you! I want to tell you all the cute things Sophia did yesterday!"

End Part 5.3... now review, please!