Chapter 10

Once they were back in Steve's dressing room, she immediately sat him down and took his face in her hands, staring into his blue eyes, checking to make sure he was alright. "How did you get up from that?" She whispered softly, still in disbelief, and knew he was going to be in some major pain once his adrenaline wore off. The worry in her eyes was unmistakable as she sat next to him, wishing there was something she could do to take it away and make it better.

"Conditioning." He grunted, gingerly leaning back into the couch. "That and it looked like he was going after you. Couldn't have that." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gimme a minute, Jaxine and I'll be fine. It ain't nothin' I'm not used too." Steve frowned, realizing something. "Where the hell is my belt?"

Jaxine's eyes widened when she realized Steve had left it out in the ring with Undertaker, groaning inwardly, and knew that wasn't good.

~!~

'Taker had grabbed it, intending on melting the damn thing down into bricks.

"'Taker! You have two seconds to hand over that belt or you lose your shot at competing for it at the pay-per-view!" Vince shouted through the door of the Undertaker's dressing room, having his security around and everything just incase. He wasn't stupid after all and narrowed his eyes when the door suddenly swung open. "Give me that damn belt right now, it's not yours yet!"

Shane wondered if his father indeed had a death wish, standing beside him, not wanting to be here right now and tried to go to his happy place.

'Taker stared down at Vince, green eyes narrowed to deadly slits. He was fairly certain Vince wouldn't hold to his threat, simply because Austin VS Undertaker always sold seats, but...sometimes Vince sprouted a brass set and followed through. "You want it? Take it." He snarled viciously.

Vince dropped like a sack of potatoes as the belt collided with his head.

Shane groaned when his father collided with him, the security instantly holding Undertaker back when he went to do more damage. "Let's go!" He ordered while Patterson and Brisco carried a knocked out Vince McMahon away from the Phenom's locker room, Shane holding the smoking skull belt.

~!~

A knock at Steve's locker room door caused Jaxine's head to rise as she began standing up to answer it when Steve stopped her, knowing he probably thought it was the Undertaker coming for his revenge. It would make sense as she quickly made her way into the bathroom as instructed by Steve and closed the door behind her, flipping the lock on it and pressed her back against it. She knew she'd angered Undertaker with her stunts, but she was a fighter and wouldn't back down for anything.

Steve started laughing when he opened the door, seeing Vince out cold in Pat and Gerry's arm, the Boy Wonder, looking like he was going to piss himself. "What the hell happened?" He asked amusedly, wanting to hear the story behind this one, taking his prized belt out of Shane's arms.

"Vince got in Taker's face so to speak." Shane said finally, clearing his throat over and over again. "He uh, got your belt back."

"In his face from the looks of it." Steve snorted.

Jaxine heard Shane's voice and immediately walked out, wanting to know why Steve was laughing until she seen the condition Vince was in. "Oh my god..." She covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide, having overheard the conversation because Steve was practically goading. She turned her eyes to Shane, who was scowling at his father, and bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing herself before beginning to pack things up. They were leaving for the hotel in a few minutes once the remaining fans left the arena.

"Go get your old man some ice." Steve suggested, shutting the door on them and burst out in full blown laughter, shaking his head and wiping away a stray tear. "I would've paid damn good money to see Vince dropping a set with the Undertaker...oh dear lord..." He shook his head, tucking his belt into his bag, not about to forget it a second time around. He'd shower and change at the hotel, deciding they didn't need to spend too much time in a building with a pissed off Undertaker. "You about ready, honey?"

She nodded at him with a smile, picking her purse up and hoisted it over her shoulder along with her bag, walking out of his dressing room with him. Steve grabbed her hand and Jaxine didn't mind, knowing he was on alert with the Undertaker lurking around. Once they were in the truck and on the road, Jaxine seen Steve physically relax and simply stared out the window, having changed into a pair of black pants with a long sleeved blue shirt since it was chilly. She couldn't stand wearing a beer stained dress and ran a hand through her damp hair, having taken a shower after making sure Steve was alright.

Steve cracked a window, sighing contentedly as the cool air chilled his still overly hot body, shrugging off the leather vest. He glanced at Jaxine and shook his head slightly, realizing he might have to change a few of his usual habits to make her more comfortable. Like showering and dressing before leaving the arenas, this way she wasn't sitting in a truck with an almost naked, sweaty man. Not to mention he probably smelled like sweat and beer.

"Sorry." He grunted out, feeling awkward.

"For what?" Her head turned to look at him, confusion in her amber eyes, and started laughing when he gestured to how he was. "Don't worry about it, Steve. I don't mind." She honestly meant that and patted his shoulder gently. "You don't have to change your habits or anything because of me. I want you to be yourself, beer and all." She giggled when he cocked an eyebrow at her and shrugged before going back to look out the window, pressing her forehead against the cool glass, wondering what was going to happen now.

There was a relief. He turned on the radio, leaving the volume low but just wanting some background noise. "How long are you stayin'?" He asked, making conversation. Not entirely sure if she was temporary or a permanent fixture in the WWF. He needed something to distract him, wondering what the Undertaker would be throwing their way next. It wasn't like the jackass to just slink off into the background and he knew something major would probably be coming.

"Awhile." Was her simple reply as she closed her eyes, the same worry eating away at her insides. She'd crossed a line and she knew it, but Jaxine couldn't forget that night to save her life. One minute he was sweet and kind and the next he was taunting her about her past, her sick father, saying she liked being abused. He was a sick son of a bitch as she slowly opened her eyes, her lips pursed tightly together. Whatever Undertaker had in store for them next, she would be ready and she would be by Steve's side.

The rest of the ride was nothing, but silence save for the radio. Steve knew she was probably thinking along the lines he was, not that he blamed her. Whatever the Undertaker had put her through was probably still haunting her. If he only knew.

When they reached their hotel -this time trying something more high profile since the dingy motel hadn't worked- he quickly got her inside, eyes peeled just incase, almost breathing a sigh of relief when they entered the room without anything happening. "I'm gettin' paranoid." He muttered, closing the door behind him.

"I am too." She replied softly, turning around to face him, and sighed heavily as she shook her head. "I'm sorry about all of this, Steve. It was never my intention to get you involved in this mess." She felt terrible and sat down on the bed, her hands clasped in front of her, hair draping over her shoulder and closed her eyes. Maybe she should just surrender to Undertaker, but then she'd be losing and that's not why she returned to the WWF. She wanted to make him suffer like he'd made her all those months ago and no matter what she had to do, it was going to happen.

"You really don't pay attention to wrestlin', do ya, honey?" Steve asked curiously, raking a hand over his bald head, looking at her. "You didn't get me into anythin', the Deadman and I have been goin' at it for two months now. You bein' in my corner is a perk. I like you and it pisses him off. So for me it's a win-win situation. I'm more worried about you."

Her head snapped up when he said that, blinking, and felt her pale cheeks turn a crimson red before lowering her head again. "Thanks, I like you too Steve." She murmured softly and kicked her tennis shoes off, wanting to relax. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine." She wasn't used to someone being at her rescue like Steve so this was all very new to her. It felt nice though, not carrying the burden alone as she stretched her arms in the air before walking toward the couch that was in the suite, letting him have the bed.

"Worryin' about you is fun though." He teased, watching her stretch with sparkling blue eyes. He was a man after all, he couldn't help, but admire a beautiful woman, especially when the stretching made her chest jut out just a smidge. He WAS a man. "Besides, it ain't like I got any hair to go gray, right?"

Jaxine giggled as she pulled out some blankets from her bag, getting the couch ready for the night, very tired from the night's events. "Yeah, but your facial hair can go gray." She shot back teasingly, amber eyes glittering before grabbing a nightgown out of her bag. There was no way she could sleep in what she was wearing. "Do you mind if I change in the bathroom really fast?" She asked, knowing he needed a shower, though honestly he smelled good, beer soaked chest and all.

"Go right ahead, take your time." He said, waiting until the door closed behind her before moving her bedding to the actual bed. He took the hotel blanket and a pillow, laying them out on the couch. Like he was going to make a lady sleep on the couch when there was a bed available. He dropped down onto the blanket, draping an arm over his eyes, somehow managing to kick off his boots.

A few minutes later, Jaxine walked out in a pale blue nightgown, frowning when she seen her blankets were on the bed and seen Steve was laying on the couch. She sighed softly, a smile on her face, and walked over to stare down at him with her arms crossed. "What are you doing?" When he made a smartass comeback, she rolled her eyes and moved his arm from his eyes, staring into his blue pools that took her breath away. "This is supposed to be my spot. You're too big for this tiny thing. Come on." She extended her hand to him, an angelic smile on her face.

"No, my momma raised me to know better." Steve yawned, getting up and scratching his bare chest. "I do need a shower though. Don't let me catch ya on that couch when I come out, honey." He winked at her, bending past her to get his bag, straightening up and staring down into her eyes. "It's fine, Jaxine, you take the bed, honey. The couch is fine for me." He caressed her cheek lightly with the back of his knuckles before heading into the bathroom.

She watched him walk into the bathroom and bit her bottom lip. She couldn't let a man his size sleep on the couch, it wasn't right. She took his blanket and pillow, placing it on the bed before sitting down and pulled her notebook out. They would share it that would solve everyone's problems as she leaned back against the headboard, beginning to write her thoughts down. She was shocked when she reread her writing and how much she'd talked about Steve, a slow smile spreading across her face. He was kind, sweet and a complete gentleman that treated her with respect, something she'd never had in her life.

Steve stayed in the shower for awhile, letting the hot water soothe his aching muscles, his mind wandering to the woman outside in the bedroom. He groaned, turning the water to luke-warm. He didn't want a cold shower so he would have to not think about how beautiful she was, or her enchanting eyes, the curvy figure...He groaned again, caving in and blasting the cold water. Much better. He emerged in a pair of pajama bottoms that hugged his upper thighs and ass nicely, pulling a t-shirt on. He froze, the shirt over his arms in the process of going over his head, seeing the bed.

Jaxine looked up when she heard the bathroom door open and swallowed hard. "I figured since we can't agree on who gets the couch, we could just share the bed. I'm not a cover hog or anything and I'll stay on my side." Her amber eyes were pleading with him to just go with it, not wanting him to sleep on the couch, and smiled when he finished pulling his shirt on before going back to her writing.

Steve stared at her reluctantly, tugging his shirt down his chest and finally sighed, knowing he would cave. It was hard to refuse those amber eyes anything. He was learning that one damn fast. "You win, honey." He said, dropping on the other side of the bed, watching her. "But I am a blanket and a bed hog, fair warnin'. You'll probably wake up with me sprawled on ya."

Her black eyebrow rose over at him and Jaxine simply shrugged, closing her notebook and set it on the nightstand, knowing he wasn't nosey unlike Undertaker. "Well if that happens, then it's my fault since I refuse to let my savior sleep on the couch." She winked at him before snuggling further down on the bed, turning to face him, already under the comforter and snuggled into the pillow. Shane had picked out a winner and Jaxine felt herself drawn to Steve in a way that was almost scary.

He frowned uncomfortably. "I'm not your savior, Jaxine. I'm your friend." He said quietly, laying out beside her, making sure to keep a gentlemanly distance between them, knowing she had some sort of horrible past and didn't want to freak her out or anything. Of course he'd like to be more then her friend if she'd let him, even though he hardly knew her. There was just something about her that was pulling him in.

"Good night Steve." She whispered softly as the lights went out, closing her eyes and sighed gently.

Jaxine felt comfortable with him, not tensed and scared to death, which was new for her. Even in Chicago, Jaxine kept her guard up, especially after what Undertaker put her through. With Steve it was different though and she could be comfortable around him, she could be herself, and knew she wouldn't be crucified for it. With that thought in mind, Jaxine drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Steve.

He rolled onto his side, watching her sleep, wondering how the hell she could be so comfortable, knowing there was a strange man only inches from her? He mused thoughtfully that she probably trusted him and was awed by that. Considering she hardly knew him, she trusted him not to hurt her. "G'night, angel." He whispered, his own eyes closing, knowing when the poor woman woke up he would probably be all up in her space. He hadn't been kidding.