The night before had been nothing short of bizarre. What had started out as the perfect ending to another great day had ended up becoming a nightmare…literally. Memphis had awakened wanting to be nestled in her boyfriend's arms and instead had found him in the midst of what appeared to be a bad dream. When she went to comfort him, she had been surprised with the ninja like speed it had taken for him to put her in a choke hold and aim a loaded gun at her head. The nightmare had clearly spooked him and though he refused to talk about it, she had a feeling it wasn't the first time he'd had it. He had fled to the shower, asking her to bring him some whiskey, which he had quickly downed. He had sat there on the shower floor for almost an hour, Memphis right beside him. She had sat quietly, finally asking if he wanted to return to bed. He had nodded and they had dried off and wordlessly returned to his bedroom. Randy lay on his back staring up at the ceiling, Memphis on her side facing him. Finally she had crawled towards him and rested her head on his chest. Restless slumber had ensued somehow for both.

When Memphis opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the fact that the spot next to her was empty. The second thing she noticed was the bedside clock that reported that it was a few minutes until noon. She frowned and then saw a piece of paper on Randy's pillow. There was a note scrawled in his handwriting: M- Went out for a run. You were sleeping so good I didn't want to wake you but don't worry I'll help you catch up on your cardio when I get back. –R

She smiled at his joke and sexual innuendo but was slightly disturbed that after what had just happened a few hours before, he could act so normal. Yawning, she shook it off and stretched her arms. She had slept too long and she was hungry. Besides she was looking forward to seeing Randy when he got back. Chances are, he would act like nothing had happened and they would end up having sex. They seemed to be making a lot of progress in their relationship but she wished he would open up to her more.

She slipped on his extra-large Apex Predator tee shirt, sans bra and panties. It was one he had worn to the ring before and it still smelled of his expensive cologne. Wearing his clothes and staying in his home made her feel closer to him. She was starting to feel more comfortable as his girlfriend but in those times she had to remind herself of Randy's past and some of the things he had done, especially to her. She was falling hard but she wanted to be smart about it at the same time and not allow herself to get caught up just in case something bad happened. Letting her hair fall messily upon her shoulders, she walked barefoot down the stairs and into the kitchen. There wasn't an abundance of edibles in the cupboards or fridge but she managed to find suitable ingredients for oatmeal and eggs and veggies for an omelet. As Memphis began to prepare everything, she made sure she made enough for Randy in case he was hungry when he returned home. A smile crept to her face as she heard rumbling at the front door a few minutes later.

He had probably forgotten his house keys. Though the dark cloud of drama loomed over them from the night before, Memphis decided it was best to just put it behind them for the time being. They had another day and a half of r and r and there was no use ruining it with senseless arguing. Feeling devilish, she sauntered over to the door and opened it. Licking her lips, the late breakfast would just have to wait.

"Welcome home, baby. Guess who doesn't have any panties on?" she purred with a seductive grin.

Memphis opened the door wide and was horrified to see that it was not Randy standing on the other side. Even worse, she was more horrified that she did recognize the person at the door. His last name was Orton. It was Cowboy Bob Orton, Randy's father.

"Well, darling, I'd have to say it wouldn't be me. The wife did laundry last night," the older man didn't miss a beat.

Memphis' mouth fell open. She was horrified. There she was, half naked, standing provocatively in front of her boyfriend's father. What a way to make a first impression.

"Oh my God…"

"I take it my son isn't home."

"No. He, he, he's um…he went out for a bit…" she managed to stammer.

"I see."

"Bob, dear, did you remember to put the tomatoes in the bag?" a matronly female voice asked, approaching the door. "I don't see them."

Great. Memphis had never seen her before except in the few family pictures that adorned Randy's home but there was no doubt about it that the woman next to Bob Orton was Elaine, his wife, Randy's mother. The mortification only continued.

"They're in there but Randy's not home, Elaine," Bob cleared his throat.

Elaine's eyes met Memphis' for the first time.

"Oh. Hello. I, uh…take it you're a friend of our son."

Memphis cleared her throat and extended her hand.

"Yes ma'am. Memphis Kramer. Randy and I work together and we're…"

She stopped short of finishing the sentence. What were they? Sure they had established that they were a couple and it was public knowledge but it was one thing declaring that in front of his parents.

"Well, we knew Randy was home from the road and I went to the Farmer's Market yesterday and picked up some fresh fruit and veggies for him."

Elaine spoke with a skeptical look in her eye and an uncomfortable tone in her voice. Who could blame her with the strange young woman in her oldest son's home wearing an oversized tee shirt and not much more.

"Mr. and Mrs. Orton, um, please come in. Randy should be back any minute now. Uh, have a seat, make yourself comfortable and I'll be right back."

Memphis forced a meek smile and scurried upstairs to the bedroom. She closed her eyes and collapsed on the bed, groaning out loud. She hadn't even thought about meeting Randy's family but that was certainly not the way she had envisioned the first encounter. Cursing herself and fighting back tears, she pulled on a tank top, a fitted pair of yoga pants and a matching hoodie. Pulling her hair back, she summoned her courage to go back downstairs and somehow face Randy's folks, silently praying they were already gone. But her prayers went unanswered as she heard voices coming from the kitchen. Bob and Elaine were still there and they had been joined by someone else.

"Memphis, hey," Randy looked up with a smile.

"Hi," she walked slowly into the kitchen where everyone had gathered.

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing much."

"I turned the stove off, didn't want you to burn your omelet."

"Thanks."

Randy reached into the bag his mother had brought and pulled out a fresh red apple and proceeded to take a large bite.

"So you met my parents, huh?"

She blushed deeply.

"Yeah. Um, we met…"

"It's always a pleasure to meet one of your…friends," Elaine phrased her words carefully, even as a hint of disdain dripped from her voice.

"Memphis is my girlfriend," Randy added nonchalantly as he kept munching on his snack.

"Oh?" Elaine questioned. "When did this happen? It's just that a few weeks ago at dinner you didn't mention…"

Randy shrugged.

"We work together. It's kind of new. Long story. Things got off to a rocky start but we became friends and we decided to see where things go."

Bob leaned back in his chair.

"I've seen you referee, Memphis. That's a pretty tough job out there. It's a man's world. How you holding up?"

"I know it's different," Memphis began. "People expect me to wrestle or valet but I have always loved pro wrestling and I always wanted to be a part of it somehow. I never envisioned myself as being anything but a referee. So after law school, I decided to pursue it and an Indy promotion gave me a chance and it just took off from there. It wasn't easy. The money situation was pretty bad. People didn't always give me respect or take me seriously. There were times when I was legitimately hurt inside the ring. Promoters didn't always want to book me but I stuck with what I loved and after a long time and a lot of hard work, it finally paid off."

Bob nodded as he studied the young woman.

"Anything worth having in life is worth working and waiting for…that's what my Old Man used to say. Good for you for sticking to your guns. You do a good job."

Memphis smiled a genuine smile.

"Really? Wow…um, thank you, sir. That, that means a lot coming from someone like you. You're a legend in the business."

"Well, I appreciate the kind words and respect, young lady. So you say you grew up a fan?"

"Since I was a little girl."

"Who were your favorites?"

"Gosh, there were so many. Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Junkyard Dog, Ravishing Rick Rude, Brutus the Barber Beefcake, Ultimate Warrior, Koko B. Ware…the list goes on and on."

"All fine workers, even finer men. Boy, hearing those names brings back lots of memories. I have all kinds of stories from the road and the locker room."

"I'm sure."

"Back in those days we used to live by the airport. Whenever the shows came to St. Louis, I'd invite the roster over and Elaine would whip up a home cooked meal and we'd just shoot the shit. Randy ever tell you those stories?"

"No, um, not really…"

"I can't believe you, son. You never told Memphis about meeting Andre the Giant for the first time?"

Randy shrugged casually, still devouring his apple.

"I can't wait to hear those stories sometime. Randy will have to tell me."

"Nonsense. He can't tell a story like the Old Man can. I'll tell you what, if you two are in town tonight, you should come over to the house later on for dinner. I'll show you some pictures and tell you some of my favorite tales about the good old days. It'll be a grand time. Elaine is making meat loaf tonight. You do like meat loaf, don't you, darlin'?" he turned to Memphis.

Memphis shot Randy a nervous smile before looking at his father.

"I, I love meat loaf. It sounds like a plan, Mr. Orton."

Though still somewhat skeptical, even Elaine's expression had softened somewhat. Maybe this wasn't just another one of her oldest son's random tramps after all.

"We'll see you then. And cut the formalities. You can call me Bob. Now Randy, son, you know dinner always starts at six on the dot. Don't be late."

"Yes sir."

He kissed and hugged his parents good bye and within a few minutes, they were gone and Memphis could breathe again.

"Oh my God…"

"What? They seem to like you."

"Your dad maybe but not your mom. And not that I could blame her. I was prancing around half naked in her son's house. She probably thinks I'm a slut."

"Probably," Randy agreed as he walked over to her and held her.

"Randy! God! You're not exactly helping here…"

He chuckled.

"She's a protective mom. Any chick Nate and me bring home is a slut in her eyes until she proves herself otherwise."

"That's real comforting," she rolled her eyes before giving him a quick kiss on the mouth.

"Don't sweat it. I've told them about dropping by unannounced and stuff. Anyway, we'll hang out with the fam for a few hours tonight, my mom is a great cook, we'll eat awesome food, listen to my dad's stories, look at embarrassing photos of me as a kid and then we'll come back here. Just be yourself and my family will love you. It's not a big deal."

Memphis exhaled, trying to relax a bit.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"But what about….you know, I'm not exactly the all American blonde haired, blue eyed pageant queen. Do you think that bothers them?"

"No and if it does, that's their problem. I'm a grown man, Memphis, I make my own decisions. Besides, I have never been attracted to that type. I've always liked brunettes. Dark hair, nice tits, exotic looking…"

He began to nuzzle her neck and she moaned.

"Thank God I wasn't born a blonde then," she half joked, pulling him closer to her body.

Randy picked her up and placed her on the counter top, spreading her legs as he stood between them.

"Your ass looks sexy in yoga pants."

Memphis giggled.

"Is that your subtle way of telling me you're going to take me upstairs and ravage me?"

"Nope," he shook his head, to her surprise. "I'm gonna do it right here."

Her laughter was silenced by his kisses. It had started out an unusual day. Spending time with her new boyfriend in Missouri, Memphis had never dreamed it would mean meeting the parents so soon. But apparently it did. Besides the incident with Randy's nightmare the evening before, their time off together had been filled with highs. Knowing a relationship with him meant unpredictability, four days away from the pressures of work and drama from the love she had left behind had turned out to be bliss. Things were looking up for the new couple and Memphis dared to dream that the feeling would last.