Mickie, The Matchmaking Mouse

Samantha currently searched on her laptop to check up on how operations for the show in Rome were going since Hagen wasted no time in calling to order her to do so and when the man called, it would be done exactly to the point. Everything would be forwarded to him in email before she proceeded to check on the hotels in the itinerary to see the distance from the airport and the event location. She couldn't wait to help behind the scenes during taping since that's what she yearned to see most of all rather than play travel planner. On the other hand, it was nice to travel and be on the road with the wrestlers whom always changed in groups depending on her schedule. Her current group that would head to Rome first would include Nattie, TJ, David, John C., Randy, Ted, Matthew, Stephen, and Mike, along with their teams. Ted was already a handful by himself but hopefully he wouldn't suck in the other men like a black hole to partake in his airplane pranks.

A knock on the door interrupted the clacking of keyboard keys and she called out absentmindedly, "It's unlocked!"

She heard the door click open and shut seconds later as two sets of feet scampered over the maroon carpeting before landing in the bed with a muffled thud where Samantha sat. The Latina woman fell down on the bed to stare up at Mickie and Gail who held uniform grins of happiness and a little mischief in their eyes. She chatted with the two women constantly off the job and gave them a friendly smile from her upside down position, "Hey, ladies."

"We heard you made assistant" Gail tattled playfully and placed her fingers over her nude lipsticked mouth as if she'd revealed a huge secret while Samantha sat up to grab her computer before it fell off the bed. If she broke that, she'd have to buy another at full price quickly and the hassle of transferring everything into another computer wasn't a fun way to spend the day. That, and it would push her behind schedule in work.

She held the computer to her chest protectively but was surprised at how quickly they knew since she'd barely told Mike after their unscheduled spin next to the elevator. Other than that, she'd been mum about it. A little elated that someone cared to pass on the news, she smiled cheerfully, "Wow, news spreads fast."

Mickie laughed at her peppy expression before informing in business mode, "Managers called to keep us up to date so expect calls from them. Seriously, Sam, you ever consider being an agent for a wrestler? You practically do it already and running around to check the set just adds in experience."

"Nah, I'm more liable to be fired or get somebody in trouble" she dismissed offhandedly as she shut her computer off to shove it under her pillow and noticed there was somebody missing from her usual visitors.

"Where's Nattie?"

"Rolling down the highway and cruising for adventure" Gail mimicked the popular car commercial before shaking it off her shoulders after watching too much television last night and having a little too much to drink. Who knows how many subliminal messages got into her brain while she slept. She curled a dark tendril of hair with her index finger and answered with a grin, "Getting her hair done for a date tonight with TJ."

"Speaking of lovers-" Mickie brought up with a Cheshire smile that had Samantha blushing like a tomato in modesty and clearing her throat abruptly to end the subject. Oh, why couldn't Mickie drop it already?

I should've kept my mouth shut, Samantha thought miserably in regards to three weeks ago during a club outing when she'd told the light brunette her secret.

"Did I tell you I got beat by a child today?" she tried to intervene with a nervous chuckle but the two women weren't buying it for a second. They wanted updates and they were going to get them. Clenching her fists, Samantha shook them over her lap to groan in a mix of complaint and embarrassment, "Oh! I never should've said anything."

Samantha pouted at the navy bedcover below as she chastised herself for ever admitting to the two women that she found someone on the roster attractive. Now, Mickie brought it upon herself to put the two together despite continuous refusal as Samantha would scuttle out of the room faster than she could catch her. For someone who was the same height, she really could disappear in a second. Mickie was beginning to think that bringing aboard someone with longer legs to nab the petite woman was a great idea. Probably Maryse or Eve would do.

Mickie turned to Gail and shared her recent gossip on the matter, "I finally saw her talking to him for more than ten minutes without running off to 'work' and almost broke the floorboards with all my happy jumping."

"That was you? I thought people were humping madly against the walls somewhere" Samantha joked to the thumping she'd heard earlier and never would've thought that it was Mickie of all people spying on her. Again. The older brunette smacked her on the shoulder for the jab but it only made her grin in satisfaction as Gail laughed at the idea since certain walls could be paper thin. Nowadays, she carried ear plugs for such unpleasant occurrences.

"I still say go for someone younger" the Asian wrestler added in nonchalantly with an innocent smile and Samantha dug her face into her hands in dismay for all the drama they were putting into this one sided attraction that only they (and Nattie) knew about.

"Oh sure, when it's me, you're all 'oh noes' but when Celine Dion does it, it's okay!" she shot back while fighting the giggles at the comparison and wagged a finger at Gail before she could put in a word edgewise, "He's only seven years older, Gail, it's not like I'm fifteen and he's forty. That would have my dad brandishing a shotgun. . .if he knew where I was, that is."

"Ahem!" Mickie cleared her throat loudly to bring them back to the point at hand and Samantha frowned for almost getting away from a scheme that her friend always came up with. Thankfully, most backfired and her little secret remained hidden. The assistant's cheeks could only redden in bashfulness as the brunette tattled excitedly to the other wrestler, "So the two of them were talking and get this, Gail, he was shirtless."

Gail chuckled excitedly at the news while Mickie poked the silent woman in the ribs to probe eagerly, "So, c'mon, tell me what you did. Was it the come hither look?"

With that, the brunette gave a sultry glance that would make most men melt into pools of water at her feet but switched her act to a damsel in distress type. Holding out her hand for aid, she placed the back of the other over her forehead and declared dramatically like a southern belle, "Or the old 'I lost my purse' routine? Oh, help me, kind Irishman."

Samantha was sure a blood vessel burst at this point from all the heat on her face and grabbed a pillow to stuff her face into to calm her mortified feelings. True, they were in the private solitude of her hotel room but romance always plastered a blush on her face regardless of her age. Mickie got on all fours on the bed to grin wildly at the two, "Or was it the straight out 'come to mama' pounce?"

"I scalded the man because apparently, Cosmo says that boiling your catch alive is the newest way to attract a lover" Samantha stated sarcastically to the awful incident and wouldn't blame the man for avoiding her completely when they met up again at work. Both women gaped at her in disbelief but Gail managed to snap out of the stupor to motion with her hand for her to continue and she mumbled out meekly, "Good thing he isn't my height or I might've splashed it in his face. I brought him here to cool the burn- not that way, you perverts!"

"Then choose your words carefully" Gail admonished in reminder as she watched her friend sulk in embarrassment and hoped that she gained a little more confidence as she continued to be on the road with RAW. True, Samantha could hold her own verbally but she needed a little gumption in the weaker areas of conversational topics. The wrestler nudged Samantha's shoulder to pry slyly, "So you just played nurse? Simple nurse with no 'extra attention'-"

"Gail!"

"Oh c'mon, you've been ogling him for the past two months-"

"I do not ogle" Samantha enforced because she wasn't that type of woman and crossed her arms defiantly at the thought of stooping down like that. Eye raping somebody was not a favorite pastime. She picked at a lint sticking out between the stitching of the bedcover and pointed out matter-of-factly, "I only speak to him when it's absolutely necessary and that's usually during show time only for less than- oh god, I'm the invisible woman!"

"The subtle approach isn't working wonders for you and sadly to say, you're extremely subtle, Sam" Mickie stated with a friendly smile and wrapped her in a comforting bear hug to pull the woman out of her sulking slump. The younger woman needed to be more bold and sassy towards men and Mickie would make sure to put her with Stephen even if it killed both parties. With a smile, she lightened the situation by telling her brightly, "Don't worry, you can just go ask him out on a date since he's in room 203-"

Samantha gaped like a fish at her investigative skills but the brunette remained with that shiny white smile on her face. Honestly, if wrestling didn't continue into old age for her, she'd be a great private investigator. The dark-haired woman finally sputtered in disbelief, "You have his room number?"

She flashed her an impish smile and brought up innocently, "Remember the love note plan I was telling you about-"

"I don't remember a love note plan and I certainly wouldn't approve such a thing" Samantha interrupted with concern at the untold plan of her friend's and hung her head at the possible embarrassment facing her this time. The idea of an angry Stephen phoning the cops on her and possibly her crazy accomplice didn't sit well and she demanded sharply, "Mickie, what in God's name did you do now?"

The brunette brushed it off like it was nothing (which it probably wasn't) and coughed uneasily into her hand to admit with a pout, "Well, he didn't think it was from you exactly."

Mickie slipped a closed note under the door of room 203 and knocked firmly on the door four times before running off to hide at the nearest corner that turned into the next hallway. With an eager grin, she waited for the door to open and her smile widened like a child's on Christmas Day when a pale hand picked it up to read the note outside the room. Her plan was going to be phenomenal and soon, everyone would know her greatness.

Now, if I can only figure out who keeps sending me letters, she thought absentmindedly but shook her head to keep on task.

Stephen, however, wouldn't be praising Mickie's greatness as he raised his eyebrow at the unsigned love poem to read it, 'I want you to know, That you are all I have ever longed for, And crave and yearn, That you are the man of my dreams.'

Unfortunately, his iceberg blue colored eyes landed on a familiar blond wrestler walking by as he whistled a tune and Stephen instantly demanded of them, "Did yah write this?"

Poor Mike could only glance to the sides of the hallway uncomfortably as Stephen waved the paper accusingly at him and nobody in their right mind wanted to piss off the tall Irishman. The confused blond could only defend himself by asking, "What the hell are you talking about, man? I just got off the elevator."

Mickie could only slap her forehead in failure and skedaddled before both men realized she was there in the first place.

"So I figure as long as Mike and Stephen don't become tightly bound lovers, you're in the clear!" Mickie finished cheerfully with a happy grin in not being discovered while Samantha blanched in horror to what she'd done. How did she even come up with this stuff so quickly? It was surprising that Stephen hadn't caught her in the middle of a scheme yet but then again, when you're a lot shorter, you have ample hiding space. Samantha tested that theory once when she managed to switch an old version of a script for a new one while he talked on his cell phone and matched each of his footsteps until she reached a table and sneaked out of the room without being noticed.

Gail poked the silent woman in the ribs for a response and seconds later, they got it.

"You made me sound like a crazy stalker!" she hyperventilated to the possibility of him finding out the whole thing was orchestrated by the crafty but unrelenting mind of Mickie James. Her hands flew everywhere as she tried to gather her mind to a point of sanity and blurted with skepticism, "And how the hell do you know how to write poetry like that?"

Mickie gave her an indignant look as Gail agreed with the question since she was more of a speaker than a writer and the diva pointed out, "I can write like that if I want to. . .but the internet makes it super easy nowadays."

"You're killing me, you know that?" Samantha sighed pitifully as her beige face paled a few shades lighter and hung her head in disbelief to Mickie's dedication. She didn't know whether to be warmed at heart for her friendship or dismayed at the actions. She grabbed one of Mickie's hands into her own and softly asked for consideration, "Could you just let me handle this on my own? I don't want to come off needy or immature-"

Gail quickly cut in to put across the reality of that happening and sighed sympathetically, "Hon, you barely talk to the man, get in there and play the game-"

"Okay, don't quote Hunter's song like that" Samantha chuckled to Gail's ability to word play everything she heard and the last thing she wanted was hearing the wrestlers entry songs turned into sexual innuendos. The other woman rolled her eyes to being rebuffed while Samantha exhaled to let go of the matter and simply assured, "I'll try the direct approach when I'm ready-"

"Oh Sam, he'll be forty by the time you summon the courage" Mickie pouted disappointedly to the promise but let the matter drop. . .for now. Her brain would cook up something soon enough and Samantha and Stephen would be none the wiser. If she could match make for her siblings back home, friends were easy as pie. She grabbed Samantha by the forearm to tug her away from the bed and grinned enthusiastically, "Forget tedious work. Today's a spa day, remember?"

"It is?" she asked unsurely since she'd intentionally tuned out Mickie a few weeks ago as she tried to gather paperwork for Mrs. Wilkins hours before show time because somebody forgot to order one more camera that was needed for a long angle shot of the arena. Samantha's ears had deafened her friendly chatter so who knows what she'd agreed to unknowingly back then as she tried to correct the problem.

The sneaky grin on her friend's face didn't lessen her uncertainty and she withered in posture, hesitating meekly, "Mickie. . ."

"You know, I think I'll stick to pore strips instead of having my face poked and prodded at" Samantha mumbled disagreeably and rubbed at her blotched red face after having a deep cleaning of her pores. Massages were more her thing since they dug deep in the muscles and left you as limp as a noodle whereas facials were easy to do at home nowadays and kept money in your pocket. However, the three were getting a little extra pick me up for their feet since summer was in session and sandals were the essential shoe of the season.

Divas were expected to appear flawless so thankfully, Samantha could slide out of being pampered to the extreme unlike the other two. She idly flipped through a novel she'd brought to read while she waited for the procedure to finish (and avoid feeling tickles on her feet) but Mickie yanked the soft cover book out of her hands to chide with a slight tilt of her head, "Reading is an after dinner and wine kind of thing, you're here to relax and melt like a marshmallow."

"Let's go eat some cream puffs after this" Gail piped up at the mention of treats while she fought off sleep in her comfortable chair and the others agreed with a nod.

The three chatted away like a couple of school pals until a familiar face sat next to Samantha's right and Gail broke off from the conversation as she faced their direction to call out with an amused smile, "Wow, this is the first time I've seen you in a spa. . .ever."

John Hennigan sat beside them in a plush powder blue robe and slippers while his long hair was tied up in a ponytail to keep his appearance refined. He looked like a living and breathing magazine ad to Samantha. John nodded politely to the women in greeting as he placed his feet on a black ottoman that matched all the chairs in the room and chuckled softly to answer, "Well, skin this smooth takes time and effort to maintain, ladies. Body masks, exfoliation, moisturizing, and night serums along with a weekly sauna does the trick."

Samantha reached out with her fingers for curiosity's sake and rubbed his left forearm to feel that it was as smooth as a baby's bum and nodded in satisfaction to the women to confirm it, "Well, what do you know? It is smooth."

"Thanks."

"No, thank you" Samantha joked as she feigned a dreamy gaze most fans would give the man since she tended to banter a lot with both him and Mike. She worked with their teams often behind the scenes and would be on the road with them frequently. Plus, John came from the same hometown so they always had something to chat about. She plastered a huge smile of sheer delight on her lips and breathed airily as she swooned over his arm, "It's undoubtedly intoxicating to the touch. I'm sure fans everywhere will rejoice."

"Okay, stop fondling him" Mickie objected with a small laugh to their humorous behavior and Samantha uttered a disappointed 'oh' before slumping in her chair. On the job, she was reserved and polite to everyone to maintain a professional ambience but off the job, lighthearted humor and chatter perked her days up entirely.

John flipped through a magazine on motorcycles and briefly glanced at Samantha with amusement in his eyes to casually say, "It's a shame we won't get to Rome together but I'm sure Mike and Ted will keep you occupied."

"Oh yeah, seeing Ted flick peanuts at Randy's open mouth while he's asleep is loads of entertainment" she laughed to the common occurrence whenever the two wrestlers traveled together and hoped one wouldn't get lodged in the man's throat this time around. Death by peanuts wasn't a good image for a wrestler.

She tilted her head to the left side as she remembered a recent trip to Washington D.C. that was worth a trip to memory lane and a wide smile hurt her prodded face as she admitted guiltily, "Although, seeing Ted flick one at Cena was funny but Ted's pants full of whip cream when he woke up on arrival was worth the cost of the flight."

Mickie clutched Samantha's left arm as she moaned dramatically in woe, "I guess I'll have to survive until we meet in Florence."

"It's happy times like this that make me love this job" she chuckled warmly to the friendliness she received from each of the wrestlers but groaned when John pulled her into a one armed hug from his spot to squeeze her as well. She pointed her nose towards the ceiling as she was crushed by both of the wrestlers strength and choked out in a weak strangle, "Not a wrestler. . .can't breathe. . .tunnel of light. . .dying. . ."

An hour later had Samantha and the other three (John decided to tag along and join their torment- er, fun for the day) walked the block that was west of their hotel as they chatted about the newest films. Mickie, obviously, was a comedy-romance type while Gail went giggly over horror films and John, well, anything that blew up suited him nicely. Samantha was pretty much trying to play the double role of assistant/bodyguard in case fans decided to fling themselves at the wrestlers. Most asked for a picture and autograph which always delighted her for their mannerisms but some amazed the reserved Samantha herself when they latched onto the superstars to practically tear their limbs off. Fortunately, today was a breeze and most people on the streets kept to themselves.

"Mikey!"

The blond wrestler tilted his head up as he stepped out of a taxi and groaned aloud at the nickname when he saw Samantha standing on the curb with a pleasant smile while the trio snickered behind her. Mike walked onto the sidewalk and wagged a finger at the dark-haired woman to scold lightly, "I told you not to call me that again."

"Well, how else would you notice us?" she piped up innocently and noticed his casual garb of jeans and a black t-shirt so she assumed he didn't venture far in his sightseeing today. He tended to be laidback hours before a flight in which she asked curiously, "Have you packed yet?"

"Yes, Ms. Mora, I'll be ready at 0300 hours" he pledged with a military salute to keep up with her chirpy mood and turned to stare at John with a curious quirk of his brow, "Hmm, why am I not surprised by the flock of women around you?"

"We're just heading to the hotel, Mikey" Gail pointed out with a sly grin to the nickname as she swayed on the balls of her feet and he shot Samantha a small glare in which she simply flashed him a coy smile.

Despite his onscreen persona, Mike tended to be cool and casual in conversation while John became the joker out of the two. Samantha usually humored him with good-humored jokes that didn't jab at the expense of others unlike Ted who took it to the extreme so Mike and she blended nicely when it came to conversation. It also came in handy for not getting mad at the other because Mike was too lazy to hold a grudge while Samantha wasn't a spiteful person.

"Hey, can I get a piggy back ride?" Samantha brought up causing the group to laugh, except Mike, and gave him an innocent sugary grin to coax softly, "I'm sure 110 pounds is nothing for a tough wrestler like you. Remember your slogan? You're AWESOME!"

Mike targeted John with a warning finger instantly and accused with fake dramatics, "You've been teaching her how to charm people again! Shame on you, Hennigan, for turning this little flower into a weed."

"When did you start making analogies?" Mickie popped in since Mike tended to be direct in speech and ushered the group forwards before their antics caused a scene. There had been enough excitement when Ted busted a fire hydrant open with the help of giddy children and soaked the interior of Chris' parked convertible rental car a few months back.

"She's either going to learn from me or one of the ladies" John stated casually with a cocky grin and patted Samantha's head like he would a child's that was about to get a treat. She gave him a flat stare for the treatment and he continued proudly in declaration as the wind flowed his hair back like a movie star's which only served to fuel his cause, "It's better that she gets a man's view-"

"You're a man?" Samantha asked wryly in return for the patting, efficiently stopping his heroic pose on the street along with halting his little speech. The women laughed to the small joke but Mike cackled like a madman to the jest as he agreed to being a willing steed for the woman. Besides, the door of the hotel was only a few meters away in distance anyway.

"That totally earned you carriage rights" the blond man complimented while John posed a stubborn posture with the standard crossed arms, upturned nose, and tight lipped mouth. Samantha almost believed it herself if she didn't know him better but knew he'd be cheerful again within a minute. Mickie and Gail put on faces of pity for the taller man but he waved them away with his hands as they walked forwards, laughter echoing through the air.

Samantha wasted no time in case Mike changed his mind (which he often did) and jumped onto his back with a giddy smile for having her own human horse for a minute. Wrapping her arms around Mike's shoulders, she turned her head back to smile brightly at John to cheer him up, "Don't worry, buddy, you're still my Shaman of Sexy!"

She stabbed a fist into the air to hoot energetically, "Giddy up, my valiant steed!"

"This better not get into the tabloids" Mike muttered under his breath, more to himself, but took off down the street towards the hotel door to get inside as quickly as possible.

A/N: Next chapter will include more wrestlers as they hang at a bar, Randy realizes the boundaries of the English language, Cena plays mother hen, Mickie plans again, and the airport fans maul a wrestler. Thanks for reading and I appreciate every reader for taking their time out to read my chapter! Feedback is appreciated to further analyze what readers do and don't like.