Really short chapter but there wasn't a whole lot more I'd planned before getting to the big show so it's basically just a lil fluff. A couple little clues to where Wade might have taken Callie but not too sure it's enough to figure it out. We'll see. Enjoy and can't wait to start writing on the Wrestlemania chapter tonight!

Chapter 17

The next day dawned bright and humid, as was the usual for this time of year. All reports of rain later in the day seemed a thing of fiction as Jeff walked out of the hotel and looked up at the cloudless sky, once again wondering what it was that made the skies of Texas seem so much bigger. After receiving a call from John last night that their mystery man from Axxess had yielded no information about Callie's whereabouts he hadn't been able to get back to sleep, staying up all night roaming the internet and watching B-rated movies until just before sun up. He'd showered and shaved for later that night before deciding to take a walk down to Lincoln Square to roam around. It was far too early for any of the stores ther to be open but the scenery was relaxing with all of Arlington's main attractions clearly visible in the distance and the interspersed statues and fountains in the large shopping center. As he didn't have a match scheduled for the show that night, his plans for the day were pretty much open. Most of the other guys would be preparing for last minute press conferences, rehearsals, promos and what-not so he really didn't expect to be bothered at all which suited him just fine because he wasn't always the crazy, outspoken guy fans always thought he was. That was the man that they saw on camera. In reality, Jeff was more introverted than anything, choosing to seek out quiet, thoughtful moments in his own head rather than live up to his reputation. Everyone needed to be alone with their thoughts at some point or another but he more than most and right now there was a lot to think about. Taking a right after crossing the main street behind the stadium, Jeff came up on the large fountain that seemed to be the focal point of the shopping center. It was easily fifteen feet wide with three stone horses in the center, each reared up on it's hind legs as if trying to escape the sprays of water coming from the bottom and shooting up at them. When they'd first arrived in Arlington, Callie and he had gone shopping over here and she'd explained to him that in the winter time they didn't turn the water on but there were always large red, Christmas-style ribbons around the horses necks and in the thirty degree weather people could still be seen sitting along the wooden benches surrounding it. He did this now, the Texas heat already making him yearn to take a dip in the clear water and play among the sprays. Instead, he pulled a travel sized notebook out of his pocket and began to jot down a few song lyrics as they came to mind, another one of his passions that his fans knew almost nothing about. At the top of the page, he titled it "Roads".

...

"So, apparently it IS possible to have the world's easiest diagram and STILL screw up the set."

"What?" Stephanie looked up as the lighting tech, Steven, walked through her office door and, seeing that she was alone, immediately began talking. He was one of the few crew guys who could get away with just blaring out whatever was on his mind around her, throwing all sense of business etiquette to the side. She had known him since she was sixteen years old and had accompanied her father during her summer vacation to many of their live shows. Back then, Steven had only been working for the company for a few weeks but had hit it off with the teenager, showing her around backstage and introducing her to all of the employees. Now, he was almost like her second father when she was out on the road with them and when she started working for the company, especially after becoming head of the creative team, he became her go-to guy. Good ol' Steve always knew what was going right and what was going horribly wrong backstage, all of the latest locker room gossip and, probably most importantly to everyone's curiosity, who was rumered to be sleeping with who.

"Yeah, see, Callie and I been workin together the past few months on these designs. She was usin some certain materials in specific places. Said when the lights would hit at certain areas they would help create different effects, textures or reflections or...somethin. Took me forever and I still don't fully understand but she been great up til now so it's easy to trust her judgement." Stephanie nodded in agreement. Callie's way of mixing certain props with lighting or spacial relations had a way of making even the people watching at home feel like they were right in the room with the wrestlers. "Been lookin at these diagrams she drew me out and they're the same ones that got handed off to that Andrew fella. I know he's done work for us in the past but he ain't so sharp when it comes to followin someone else's direction unless they're right there on his ass...pardon the language."

"Adding his own spin on things, is he?"

"Just ain't so good at followin direction is all. Lotsa the sets just ain't on their mark. I was wonderin..."

"If I'd give you permission to go fix it all and deal with him when he comes to me later to complain about it?" Stephanie finished for him with a grin.

Steven smirked. "You know me too well."

"Go for it. Wouldn't want Callie to kick all our asses when they find her and she sees the tapes of this."

"Hopefully that'll be sooner rather than later. Thanks Steph. I'll check in with you later and let you know when it's all done."

Stephanie smiled as the older man left the room. Leave it to him to be the one to notice if something was an inch away from where a diagram said it should be. It was one of the reasons he'd stayed at this job for so long though, his attention to detail was impeccable and when you're running a live show every week of the year that quality was in high demand.

...

It's amazing how sometimes it's the big decisions that are the easiest to make and the small ones that leave you second guessing yourself at the last minute. Last night, laying in bed with sleep eluding him once again, it had been easy to finally tell himself that he wasn't going to stay away from the arena any longer, that he was going to be backstage at the show whether Vince wanted him there or not. But now, he'd been sitting there for the last hour trying to figure out what to wear. I know, silly for a guy right? But after beginning to pack his gear for the show he'd realized just how crucial of a decision it could be. Backstage at shows it was usually always business casual when you weren't shootin promos or performing but this was a pay-per-view that always tended to be more relaxed about dress codes considering everyone was so busy anyway. Dave had figured he would take his ring gear with him but suddenly, at the last minute, thought against it. If he was dressed out then Vince might take it as a sign that he was expecting to start trouble, possibly get into a few fights and make an unscheduled appearance ringside. That wouldn't go over well if he was planning on defying the big boss anyway by being backstage. The suits he'd brought with him were too dressy to hang around in for five hours and always made him feel like a performance monkey anyway. Jeans too casual? Ugh.

Finally, Dave shook his head and nearly laughed at himself. Isn't this something that girls are supposed to do? He's a guy right? Shouldn't he be the one who could just throw anything on and head out the door in ten minutes still looking like a million bucks? Should, but isn't. So, what would Callie have chosen for him to wear? The answer was easy. Dark blue jeans, black boots, black tank top and sleeveless leather vest over it all. Her favorite outfit on him that she tried to get him to wear whenever she could, usually ending up helping him out of it at the end of the night. He remembered the first time he'd ever worn it out to the ring to have a little chat with Orton for the fans. After he'd gottan backstage she'd dragged him back to her makeshift office, locked the door and...well...let's just say they'd gotten quite a few funny looked when they'd finally emerged. There would be no grand finale like that tonight though. Remembering that thought he sighed to himself and proceeded to put the outfit on anyway.

...

It was noisy. That was pretty much all she knew at this point. Sometime during the night Wade had moved her, but where? It was definitely dark, darker than it had been in that other room and, this time, she had a sense of being in a very confined space. She couldn't have opened her eyes even if there had been any light for her to see by. The drugs that he had pumped into her system were still working and she was conscious of a flurry of activity going on around her it was just too much effort to even attempt to get anyone's attention. Somehow she had a sense that no one would notice her anyway. She could hear people talking and things clanging around but it all seemed muffled, like it was coming from behind heavy curtains or closed doors. Eventually, she had tired herself out once again just thinking about it and fell back into the darkness that had become her only friend.

...

Hours later, chaos finally ensued. Fans lined up outside the arena hours before the show was even set to begin. Final preparations were made by everyone backstage, crew, management and wrestlers alike. Ticket stubs were torn, beer was bought, t-shirts and souvenirs were sold and finally, finally it was showtime. The national anthem was sung, opening animations cued up on monitors all around the control room, pyrotechnics lit from afar and those three words were announced that millions of people the world over had been waiting all year to hear. "THIS is WRESTLE...MANIAAAAAAAA!"