Chapter 24

"Grace, do you want me to give you a ride back to the hotel?" Larry offered as they cleaned up, seeing how listless she was.

'Taker cleared his throat, fresh out of his imposed 'lock up' in an empty dressing room, looking much calmer.

"You have a lot of nerve, 'Taker. You put him in the hospital."

"He needed downtime anyway."

"No thanks Larry, I have a ride." She wasn't going to tell him from who, sighing heavily, and finished up before bidding him good night, walking out of the trainer's room. She cracked her neck and stretched her arm while she walked, feeling him fall into step beside her. "Is Paul riding back with us?" She asked bluntly, keeping her eyes straight ahead, knowing she needed some A&D ointment when she got back to the hotel. She'd gotten her own room and also decided a bath was in order, no shower.

"Yes, but after tonight he'll be making his own arrangements." He answered curtly.

He and Paul had gotten into it after his beat down on Austin, both in and out of the ring. Something about how his temper was eventually going to cause him to snap on Grace and hurt her, like just everyone else. Then Paul had thrown Kane in his face.

Paul was already in the backseat, sporting one hell of a black eye.

Grace nodded and slid inside the passenger seat, wondering if Steve was alright. She wanted to go visit him, deciding she would call a cab after saying good night to Mark. He didn't need to know where she was going and blinked tears away as he drove them back to the hotel. Everyone was silent, each in their own thoughts. When Mark pulled into the underground parking lot, Grace hopped out and closed the door, her father already gone, and headed in that direction. She was going to shower really fast and call a cab, needing to make sure Steve was alright.

His hand caught her by the elbow in a steel grip, turning her to face him, his green eyes narrowed. "I don't even get a good night?" He asked softly, the undercurrent in his tone suggesting anger. If she was mad with him he didn't understand why. That moron was spouting off about fucking her in front of people and deserved everything he had gotten and a whole hell of a lot worse.

She sighed gently, staring back into his green eyes. "He didn't know what he was saying, Mark." She softly said, reaching up to caress his face with her hand. "You overreacted tonight." She sighed when he pulled her further against him, placing her hand against his chest. "I love you and you're the only man I want." She assured him, seeing the acid in his eyes slowly diminish. "Come here." She murmured, pulling his face down to hers, softly kissing his lips, letting him know she wasn't angry with him. She understood why he did it, though Steve wasn't going to remember what happened.

Austin was just damn lucky he hadn't gotten his skull bashed in because 'Taker still honestly felt like going to the hospital and finishing the job. However...that would have upset Grace so...maybe he'd do it on her next day off. "I suppose you'd like to go see him." He said quietly, grinning when her eyes narrowed. "I knew you wanted away from me for a reason. Go make sure your friend is alright."

She smiled at him and kissed him again before nodding, shocked that he was letting her take his rental, and rushed off. When Grace got to the hospital, she wasn't happy to find out visiting hours were over and went back to the hotel. Walking into her room, Grace closed the door and tossed her wallet with her keycard on the table, kicking her shoes off, and walked over to stare out the window. The nurse had told her Steve would be fine, he'd stayed awake even through the first sedative they gave him and that was fine with her. Shaking her head, she took the clip from her hair and ran her fingers through her hair, hissing when it brushed her tattoo and quickly moved it over her left shoulder.

"Did you go see Steve?" Glen asked softly, smiling and holding up his hands when she whirled around, though she couldn't see the smile. "Sorry, you didn't leave the door completely closed." He explained, not meaning to have startled her. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't freaking out." He had heard what 'Taker had done and knew Grace hated the older brother act from him, but he couldn't help it.

"Jesus you scared me." She gasped, nodding back at him with a smile, feeling him close the door. "Yeah, visiting hours were over, but the nurse said he was fine." She sighed, trying to slow her heart rate down again, and winced when her tattoo began to burn again. "Glen, I know it's a lot to ask, but can you rub some ointment on my new tattoo?" She asked softly, walking over and grabbing the A&D before handing it to him. "Don't worry, just peel the wrapping off." She felt him do so and hissed when he began rubbing the ointment in, grunting. She remembered how painful her first tattoo had been and this wasn't disappointing her either. "Thank you." She said when he finished, sitting down on the bed. "I'm alright."

Glen nodded, dropping down in the chair, staring at her intently. He impatiently pushed his hair out of his face, cocking his head to the side. "What do they mean?" He asked finally. "Your tattoos." He had seen them both, realizing the one with the rose wasn't new, obviously.

"You sure you want to know?" She asked softly, staring back at him through the darkness, knowing he was a very observant man and seen him nod. "The first dragon I got represents me and the black rose was..." She swallowed hard. "It's the symbol of death and it was meant for your family, you and Mark specifically." She stood up, wiping tears away that came to her eyes. "The one I got today represents Mark and the black heart you can pretty much guess for yourself. He has a black heart, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Today was amazing Glen. He went shopping with me and even held my hand while I got the tattoo done. He was kind and sweet, completely different from who he normally is. It was wonderful, though I know it won't always be like that. I love him though. The dragons are entwined, my heart belongs to him and I can't change that."

Now that he hadn't expected to hear. She loved him? And not in the brother-sister way? Was she mental? Though he didn't voice those thoughts, just nodded, offering her another hidden smile then inwardly sighed. She couldn't see it damn it. He was going to have to switch to the mask with the mouth uncovered.

"I'm happy for you." He finally said.

She slowly turned around to face him, smiling sadly. "You don't mean that." When his head lowered, Grace sighed and walked over, forcing his eyes to meet hers. "He came to my room that night you were with Ryan. She was the distraction." When he tensed, Grace calmed him down immediately. "Wait, I'm not finished. He could've taken me, Glen. He could've done what he wished, but he told me he wanted to prove to me that it wasn't just about sex, that he loves me truly. He said he's loved me since we were kids and I've loved him too. I know we were young back then, but you can't help who you fall in love with. I've been in love with your brother for over twenty years and it's only growing stronger now that I know he's not dead and he's really alive."

"Somehow that makes sense in a very twisted way Grace." Glen sighed, standing up and pulling her in a tight embrace. Sighing again, he released her, staring down at her. "If he makes you happy, then I will TRY to be happy for you. That is all I can promise. If he hurts you though-" And there was no doubt in Glen's mind that his brother would. "Then I will hurt him."

She nodded back at him and caressed his masked cheek with her hand, tears in her eyes at the disappointment in his own. "I'm not going to stop hanging out with you and I will never stop loving you Glen." She assured him, her love for him was strictly platonic and family related, unlike Mark's. Grace sniffled softly as he kissed the top of her head, knowing she was hurting him by doing this, but the heart wanted what the heart wanted.

As soon as he was out the door, Grace dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands, praying to the stars above she was doing the right thing. If Mark hurt her, that would ultimately break her and Grace was scared to death of it happening.

He had seen Glen coming out of Grace's room and retreated to his own, slamming the door shut so hard it rattled the walls. The jealously was irrational and he knew it, but he had never been one to share his possessions, ever. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, 'Taker sat down on the bed, staring straight ahead.

Grace actually jumped when she heard that bang, wondering what it was and sighed heavily as she got to her knees, peeling her top off. She needed a bath, but right now, all that was calling to her was the bed. Laying down on her stomach, Grace stared out the window at the moon that was a half crest, her jeans off along with her halter top. She needed to put as much air on the tattoo as possible and keep that A&D ointment on it until it stopped trying to scab up. Sighing, her eyes closed and soon Grace was sleeping.

'Taker didn't fall asleep until early morning, rolling over when his alarm went off and smashed it with a closed fist. Fuck them, the show would go on. He had stayed up all night thinking about Grace, what else? The woman haunted him, those damn eyes of hers were all he saw when he closed his eyes. He was going back to bed.

~!~

Two weeks had passed and Grace's tattoo was nearly healed. Though she loved showing it off and started wearing halter tops with jeans, her new look, with her hair up in some form. She wasn't ashamed of her ink and smiled every time she was complimented. She was currently walking down the hallways of the arena, taking a break, her thoughts on Mark. He'd been sweet to her for the past two weeks, not showing her his darker side unless they were around people. That would pose as a problem eventually, she knew it, but right now, all Grace was concerned about was being with him. They had fought only once and that was over Glen.

"You requested a match against Kane?"

"Request?" One black eyebrow shot up.

"Demanded. And...an inferno match?" Paul asked hesitantly.

"Mmmhmm."

When Grace found that out, she actually left the arena early, telling Larry she was sick to her stomach. She ran out to her rental car, having gotten her own, and slid the key in the ignition before going back to the hotel. She wasn't going to think about it, though that didn't stop the tears from flowing. Grace went up to her room and slammed the door shut, pacing back and forth, and pressed her hand against her forehead. How could Mark request a match like THAT? Glen was terrified of fire and he knew it! What was wrong with him? She was in love with a monster. Falling on the bed, Grace could only cry out to the emptiness of the hotel room, praying Glen was alright.

Larry had wished Grace had remained behind because he was going to need every hand on deck, but he also understood. He didn't like it, but he understood. He wondered if maybe this wasn't the job for her, especially considering she had personal interest in the Superstars, not a good thing in this profession. As it was proving. But she was good, so he could tolerate it, for now. Sighing, he started passing out the fire extinguishers.

She was making a decision and hated herself for it, but knew this was the best way to go. She couldn't stand by and watch this happen, watch as Mark destroyed Glen. It was killing her. She loved him, but he would never change, like he had warned before. Taking a deep breath, Grace dialed a number on her cell phone, tears streaming down her cheeks when Vince McMahon answered.

"Vince, it's Grace Bearer. No, I'm not alright." She stated when he asked her if everything was alright. "Listen, I appreciate the offer you've given me, but I don't think I can do the job anymore. I'm sorry."

Vince inhaled sharply, drumming his fingers on his desk as he watched the inferno match, wincing when he seen 'Taker trying to literally barbecue Kane's head right off. "Does this have anything to do with Mark and Glen?" He asked softly, already knowing it did. Gossip. Nothing was sacred in his company. Sadly.

"Yes." She wasn't going to lie to him, raking a hand through her hair. "It's a really long story that I'm sure you've probably heard variations of, Vince. I know this is very unprofessional and I apologize wholeheartedly, but I also have a personal interest with them. That's not good for your company, especially when it distracts me from doing my job."

Grace hated the words that were coming out of her mouth, but she knew she was right. She couldn't put anyone at risk with her distractions. In her field of work, she couldn't afford to be occupied by something other than what she was doing.

Sighing heavily, Vince was silent for a moment, apparently considering her words. When he finally spoke again, his tone was soft, but firm. "Grace, Larry tells me you have potential. He's looking to retire in a few years, especially considering he's been with the company for two decades now and has earned his retirement, he was recommending you as his successor. You really want to pass this up?"

"H-He does?" She had no idea Larry was going to be stepping down, or that he wanted her to take his place. Grace had to sit down, suddenly not feeling her legs, swallowing hard. "I really don't want to pass this opportunity up, Vince." She finally spoke after a full minute, getting over the initial shock of his words. "I love what I do, I love working with Larry. I love working for the WWF...to an extent. I've tried not being distracted, I've tried not becoming personally involved, but it's kind of hard to do that with everything that's happened." She was going to be brutally honest with him, refusing to say she could do the job when she wasn't one hundred percent sure if she really could.

"Grace, I'm going to tell you something every boss you ever have will tell you." Vince said in a kind tone. "You can't mix your professional life with your personal, you have to draw the line and keep them separate no matter how much it hurts. Especially in your profession. You will see countless people hurt and even some die."

Death was apart of her job and Grace knew that. She also knew Vince was right and took a deep breath, still not believing Glen was forced into an inferno match with his brother. Talk about adding more fuel to the fire. Sighing heavily, Grace stood up and walked over to stare out the window, swallowing hard.

'I've worked too long and too hard to give this up now.' She thought, remembering all those years of medical school. "I'll stay, Vince. I will find a way to separate my personal life from my professional. I've went to school for this profession and I refuse to let all that hard work go down the drain."

Vince sounded like he was smiling when he spoke again. "That's great Grace, once you manage that, you'll do just fine. I know it'll be hard at first but we all have faith in you." He arched an eyebrow at the monitor. "I have to go...Bye, Grace, see you tomorrow." He hung up, sighing and headed to see the extent of damage on the 'brothers', the match had been a tie because they'd both been set on fire at the same time. "Damn..."

Closing the lid of her cell phone, Grace dropped down on the bed and put her head in her hands. Was she doing the right thing? Could she separate her job from the personal issues that were surrounding her?

"I have to do this. I can't give up my dream." Grace loved working in the medical field, always had. It was just something that fascinated her and drew her in. She was good at what she did, though she knew Larry could teach her so much more. Eight years of medical schooling was not going to be flushed down the toilet, Grace would find a way to make this work. Nodding, she stood up and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. She could only hope Larry gave her another chance.