DISCLAIMER: As much as it breaks my heart to admit it, I do not own anyone or anything connected to Vince McMahon and his awesomeness. I can only claim property rights of OC.

The next morning Randy found Claire in the hotel's restaurant. He had been surprised to wake and find Claire's side of the bed empty. They had stayed up most of the night talking. Claire had carefully taken notes while he told her stories of growing up with Cowboy Bob Orton. He revealed parts of his childhood that he had never told another living soul. She hung on every word. He really felt like they had connected on a deeper lever. And after the bomb she'd dropped back at the arena, that certainly wasn't a bad idea. Standing in the doorway, he watched Claire as she twirled the coffee cup around in her hands. She was talking to someone, a slight smile tugging at her lips. Once again, Randy was struck by how incredibly lovely Claire was. Even if he lived to be a hundred, he'd never get enough of her. Randy slid into the booth next to Claire and dropped a kiss on her shoulder. She turned toward him and was quickly rewarded with a kiss. Claire felt the heat all the way to her toes. Randy suddenly had no problem being openly affectionate. The sigh coming from the other side of the table drew Randy's attention. He pinned Hannah with a sharp look that had absolutely no effect on her.

"That is so awesome." Hannah watched in wonder as Randy wrapped an arm protectively around Claire and pulled her against his side.

Claire hid a smile behind her coffee cup as she took a quick sip, "Hannah's got some really good ideas for the book."

Randy arched a brow and silently picked up a piece of bacon from Claire's plate. He chewed thoughtfully as he looked at Hannah with a critical eye. Something about her reminded him of his sister, Becky. Maybe it was the way she was looking at him; like he'd hung the moon. All at once he felt a surge of brotherly protectiveness.

Hannah leaned her elbows on the table as she studied Randy, "You have amazing bone structure. No wonder the camera loves you."

Randy kept his scowl in place. Hannah's dazzling smile as almost contagious. Just like Becky.

Claire set her cup down on the table as she looked between the two. They were definitely sizing each other up. It was almost comical to watch their expressions change. After a long moment, Randy sat back and reached for Claire's coffee, "Tell me about it."

Hannah's smile was bright enough to put the sun to shame. The girl practically radiated an infectious sort of mischief, "I think the most important thing is to protect the Viper image you've got going. What I want to capture is the intensity." Hannah held up her hands as if she were framing him with the camera, her thumbs and forefingers extended to create an L-shaped box that she held in front of Randy. "You are beautiful."

Randy almost spit coffee all over the table. Nobody ever had the nerve to call him beautiful to his face. He frowned at Hannah, which only incited another mega-watt smile, "Claire, tell him he's beautiful."

Claire's laughter drew Randy's gaze away from Hannah. Damn, she's amazing when she laughs like that. He waited the space of a heartbeat to see if she was bold enough to repeat Hannah's sentiment.

"I know we're booked until we get to Ohio but Hannah's knows somebody in Cleveland that will let us use his space for studio shots." Claire forced herself to keep a calm expression.

"Why can't you just call somebody and use something on file?" Randy asked.

Hannah shook her head as she took a long sip of orange juice, "Your file photos suck."

Claire's laughter made Randy glare at her. Once he had her alone, he was going to give her a little reminder in respect. And he was going to enjoy every second of it.

Hannah loved watching the play of emotions flicker on Randy's face. He wasn't nearly as emotionless as he appeared on the Titontron. It was amazing to see a living legend so up close and personal. "Well, most of them suck. I really want to try this on my own."

Claire covered Randy's hand with her own. She really felt for Hannah's situation. She remembered all too well what it was like to be a young woman trying to make her way in a man's world. All Hannah really wanted was a chance to prove herself, "Please, Randy, it's important to her."

How could he ignore the pleading in her voice? Hell, if Claire asked him to cut off his right arm, he gladly would. He would do absolutely anything to make her happy and keep her that way. If making her happy meant he had to let Hannah play shutterbug, it was a small price to pay. "If it's that damned important, I'll let her."

Claire smiled as she squeezed Randy's hand. Leave it to him to try be and be macho. Claire could only smile as Hannah grabbed her bag and tossed a twenty-dollar bill on the table. "I'm going back up to my room. Call me when it's time to leave."

Randy kept his eyes trained on Hannah's retreating form until she'd disappeared around the corner. Once he was sure she was out of sight, he couldn't keep a smile at bay. His deep laugh took Claire by surprise. He'd kept up a poker face until Hannah left, now he was laughing like a fool. He shook his head slowly as he turned to Claire, "That girl is something else."

Claire nodded in agreement, "She's certainly a fireball."

"She reminds me of you." Randy turned his head toward Claire with smile.

She could see the laughter dancing in the depths of his blue eyes. The compliment caught Claire off guard, "No way. I'm not anything like that." Claire motioned with her cup to the direction Hannah had disappeared.

Randy's eyes moved slowly over her, "She's got the same spark."

"Spark?" Claire looked into Randy's eyes.

"The spark that says she's going to cause some poor son of a bitch a helluva lot of trouble."


The sound of someone pounding on her door woke Hannah from her nap. She'd gone back to her room with the intention of packing but the lure of the bed had been too strong. After pulling off her sweatshirt, she'd collapsed on top of the covers. She'd fallen fast asleep and was in the middle of a wonderful dream. All she wanted was the knocking to stop so she could go back to sleep. Pulling herself from the bed, Hannah opened the door with a yawn.

Claire stood in the doorway, Randy close behind her, "We're leaving."

Hannah's eyes widened as she looked at the clock on the nightstand. Shit! She'd seriously overslept. Looking around the room, Hannah bit back a groan. Her room was a certified disaster area, as usual. Grabbing a handful of clothes, Hannah dashed into the bathroom. Claire turned to Randy with a smile, "We'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes."

Claire waited until Randy had gone downstairs before she stepped into the room. How in the name of all that was holy could one person make such a mess in one night? Claire shook her head in a combination of confusion and amusement. She started picking up Hannah's discarded clothes and set them on the bed. The girl really needed to work on her organizational skills if she intended to make a name for herself. Claire smiled as she picked up Hannah's portfolio; which was peeking out from under a pillow. She flipped through several pages. She had to give Hannah her due, she really had a unique eye. Most of the pictures featured a heavy, industrial theme. They were mostly black and white, with a lot of strong lines and sharp curves. But it was the portrait of a hairless, teenage girl that captured her attention. There was something so hauntingly beautiful about the image. The girl staring back at her from the photo had the weight of the world in her eyes. Claire was suddenly moved by the depth of emotions reflected. There was also something so familiar about the girl's face. Claire squinted slightly as she stared at the image. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen that face somewhere.

Claire's thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on the open door. She turned to find Cody standing in the doorway, "Randy said he's going to leave without you if you're not downstairs in five minutes."

Claire shook her head. She knew Randy was bluffing. No way would he leave her stranded. "We're coming. Hannah, shake a leg." Claire raised her voice, hoping Hannah would hear her.

A heartbeat later, the bathroom door opened as Hannah stepped back into the room. Cody's eyes widened as he took in the sight of Hannah. She was partially dressed in torn jeans and a lacy bra. Quickly turning his back, Cody felt a blush staining his cheeks. He sure as hell never expected to find Hannah half-dressed when he'd volunteered to fetch them. Next time, he'd make Randy get them himself! "Has anybody seen my black hoodie?"

Claire bit back a smile as she watched Cody shove his hands deep in his pocket. She turned back to the pile of clothes and pulled out the requested garment. Hannah made a disgusted sound as she shoved the material into her backpack. "Not that one, the one that has the Union Jack on the back."

Hannah disappeared for a moment as she crawled under the bed to look. A moment later Claire heard a muffled "Got it" from under the bed. Hannah stood and quickly pulled on a t-shirt before dragging on the hoodie she'd unearthed. She grabbed the portfolio from Claire's outstretched hand. Shoving it into her backpack, Hannah whirled to look at the room.

"Where's Rocco?"

"What's Rocco?"

"Rocco's not a what. He's a who. A stuffed raccoon, as a matter of fact. I can't leave without him."

Cody turned to face Hannah. What the hell was she babbling about? Glancing at his watch, Cody frowned. They were way past five minutes. And he wouldn't put it past Randy to leave them stranded. He had before. "Forget the squirrel. We gotta go."

Hannah crossed her arms as she glared up at Cody, "He's not a squirrel. He's a raccoon."

"Whatever. Let's go."

Claire took a step toward the door and was stopped by Hannah's sudden squeal of happiness. "Rocco. How did you get up there?" Hannah snatched Rocco from the top shelf of the closet and hugged him to her chest. Hannah grabbed her backpack and smiled at Claire, "Now we can go."

Hannah pushed past Cody and darted down the hall. Claire smiled as she watched the expression on Cody's face change. He looked like he was ready to throttle her. It was the same look Randy got when he was trying to not let Claire get the better of him. Cody glanced back at Claire before leaving the room. Things were really starting to get interesting.

*** A/N --- Okay, just hang in there with me! Hannah has a story of her own that will come out in good time. Please review ***