"Mama.. We gon be late! The movie start at 3!" Stella paced the parking lot nervously as Mariah bent over the open hood of her 67 Camaro, swearing as smoke billowed from beneath. "Mama! Just lemme go get somebody to helps ya!" Stella explained impatiently as Mariah laughed a little and bending to her daughters level said with a smirk, "Naw, baby girl.. Just go pop the trunk, mama's got this. We might have to go to a later movie though."
"Darn it, mama! Why don't ya just buy a NEW car?"
"Shhh. We don't talk like that in front of beast, baby girl, you hear me?" Mariah giggled as Stella groaned and muttered grumpily, "More likes piece of poo on toast, not beast.."
She shuffled around the car and grabbed her mommy's few tools, and the blanket and walked back around, then said again, "Mama.. Aunt Nattie and Unca T are right there. Please lemme go get 'em?"
"Sugar bean, mama's been workin on cars since she was your age.. Now, just sit back, play angry birds and prepare to be amazed." Mariah said as she stretched out the blanket, slid beneath the car, tools in hand.
It just so happened that Wade Barrett happened to be walking out of the hotel with Zack Ryder, Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, Sheamus and Drew McIntyre.
"This for you own good, mama." Stella murmured as she looked around the parking lot. Satisfied that there were no other cars around, she ran over, tugged the first set of cargo shorts wearing legs she saw. They just happened to belong to those of Wade Barrett, naturally.
"My mama sir.. She bein stubborn, she say she can fixes her car and... It broke down and I wanna go see planes and can ya helps us please?" Stella asked, flashing a bright pleading smile at the British male.
"Whoa, slow down, doll.. Now begin again, calmer." Wade said as he bent to the little girls level, wondering what woman would just let her child run freely around the parking lot, there were cars that flew in and out. It never once occured to him that Mariah was completely unaware of her daughter's having come over to ask for help because she'd firmly told her to stay , Stella listened fairly well to her mother, because like Undertaker had been a commanding and firm parent, so was Mariah with her own child.
But then again, normally, there wasn't a movie out that Stella had talked about nonstop, either.
"Where's your mum at, doll?"
Stella pointed to the 67 Camaro where Mariah stood looking for Stella, swearing when she saw Stella talking to the men on the roster, jogging over.
"Do you let your daughter run round the bloody lot like this all the time?" Wade asked, hiding a smirk as Mariah's entire body stiffened and a stormy angry look filled her eyes as she said calmly, "For your information, Barrett.. I told her to set her behind in the car. So no, I do not do this, all the time. And if I were to say I did, what's it your business?"
Wade laughed and then muttered, "Simmer down, doll.. Just trying to get a rise out of you. Just like old times, remember?"
"It's 100 plus degrees out here, Wade, so I wouldn't advise it.. Or do you need a reminder of how that chair felt in your ribs, buddy?"
Wade chuckled and leaning in, smirked as he said calmly, "Let a man handle this." as he took the tools from her oil stained hands.
He walked towards the car as he shook his head, smirking to himself. He knew Tyson and Natalya were keeping an eye on Stella now, of course, because as he got closer to the car, he saw Tyson and Natalya standing there, chuckling as Natalya apologized, "Tyson said she could, he walked her up to the flowerbed and watched her cross, for your information." with a smirk.
Zack smiled as the little girl looked up at him and gestured to be picked up as she said quietly, "My mama kinda stubborn. She say that where I gets it, but.. I'd have buyed a new car by now. She keep fixin that one."
Zack picked up the little girl as he said, "So.. Mommy's gonna take you to see Planes, huh?"
"Mhmm.. I likes them movies. I loved Cars, Mater was my favorite!"
Zack chuckled as he watched Wade and Stella in a bit of a staredown, both giving each other completely different looks.
"He like my mama, don't he?" Stella asked in curiousity as Zack nodded and muttered quietly, "He's not the only one, lil broskette."
"Really? Who else?" Stella asked in a hurry so she could remember the names for later, because after all, she was trying to find herself a daddy.
Jed had been the wrong man for her mommy, so Stella figured if SHE picked the person this time, it might go a little better for both of them, as opposed to her mother NOT picking anyone.
Her real daddy was dead, and her mommy still hurt about it, all the time, even if she said she didn't. But Stella figured that whoever he was, he'd want her mommy to be happy again, not just pretending to be.
Wade looked at the antique workings beneath the hood and said "Looks like a headgasket. But I'm not a bloody mechanic."
"Really?" Mariah asked with a smirk as she groaned and muttered, "Figures it'd be a damn headgasket.. Maybe Stel's right, I need to park this one, get a new one."
"She is a smart little girl." Wade pointed out as he chuckled, then said "Last time we talked, I was an arse."
"If that's you apologizing, yeah, you kinda were.. But hey, like always, I was a bitch, so.. It's all good, I guess." Mariah shrugged casually, as she shut the hood and then said calmly, "Truce?"
"Truce." Wade said as he shook her hand, winked and walked away.
Mariah stood there a moment, her hand in her long black hair, biting her lower lip, as she glared at the car a few moments longer. "Okay, Stel, you win."
A few moments later, she walked over to the group of guys Stella was currently being passed around by, having the time of her life as Natalya and Tyson watched like hawks, Tyson smirking as he told Natalya, "And look at these so called hardasses. Hand 'em a kid, they go soft."
"Hey.. You're the one who fed her animal crackers earlier, just because she pouted, Ty, so do not even go there."
"What? No.. She was hungry, Nattie, her stomach was growling."
"Right, Tyson."
"Okay, guys, gimme Volt." Mariah said casually as she reached out to Heath, her longtime guy friend, to take Stella, who giggled and said "Mama.. 3MB gonna sing me a bedtime song!"
"Oh no.. They're not."
"And why the hell not, Ri?"
"Because Heath, you are NOT singing SEX to my kid."
"I was gonna sing her another song, Ms. Smarty Pants." Heath joked as Mariah groaned and then said "Sorry if she bugged you guys."
"It wasn't like we were going ta do anythin bloody important, lass." Drew stated as Jinder nodded in agreement, then laughing said "Taking it Stella's been bugging you to buy a new car?"
"She has, yes."
"She's bossy.. Kinda like somebody else we know, right guys?" Heath joked as Mariah gave him a dirty look and then muttered something.
"Mama, Zack gaved me sunshades. See?" Stella asked as she flipped the orange shades down, smiled.
"Aww, did you thank him, hon?"
"Mhmm.. I tryna get 'em to all go sees planes wif us!"
"Baby girl, they're probably all busy." Mariah started, groaning inwardly. Apparently, Eve, Kaitlyn and Natalya were playing matchmaker, and Stella was now helping them.
Mariah just didn't know if she were really ready.. She'd never gotten over losing Abel, Stella's real dad, the guy she'd been about to marry before she ever became a Diva, one of the reasons, actually, she had become a Diva.. He'd always been after her to make her dream happen.
Their daughter never really even got to meet them.
"Actually, we really don't have a whole lot to do, lass." Sheamus said in amusement as Stella clapped excitedly, and then said "And we canna takes you car, mama, cause it broke down again and.. Please? They all say they wanta go wif us."
"Oh really.. They did, huh?"
"Even Ziggly."
Mariah looked at Dolph who shrugged and muttered, "Oh really.. Even Ziggler, huh?"
Dolph shrugged and then said with a smirk, "Yeah.. AJ will really flip her shit, I figure."
"Oh she will." Mariah said as she looked at the guys, then at Eve, Kaitlyn and Natalya, Tyson, who were all going with her already anyway.
"Okay, why not... Hey, Stella?"
"Yeah, mama?"
"There's an amusement park in this mall.."
"Really?"
"Really. What do you say we get on the coasters? It takes you through the whole mall!"
"Ooh, mama, can we?"
"We can. Let's go then, guys."
The group set off for the mall, Mariah and Stella found themselves stuck in an SUV with Wade, Sheamus, Zack, Heath, Drew, Jinder.
"There's also a giant fish tank in this mall." Wade pointed out with a smirk as he watched Stella's face light up.
From across the parking lot, Dean muttered to himself, "Well then.. Guess it looks like I'ma go to the mall." as he stubbed out a cigarette, got into his own rental car.
Somehow, he was going to prove that several things people thought about him, while true, weren't necessarily ALWAYS the whole truth.
Stella looked at Wade and said "I wanna see it."
"Okay, good. I didn't want to bloody walk by myself to see it, Stella." Wade chuckled as Stella clapped and let herself be strapped into her booster seat without fighting the straps for once.
Maybe today could sort of help her narrow down the field, see who she might want for a daddy, who her mommy went well with also.
A/N: Holy crap on a cracker! I'm so happy, so many reviews already, and I've only really just started this one! I love you guys soooooo freakin much, you're all amazing! I'm so glad you like this, I was worried it'd be a little too out there or something, but..
That said, I need to ask you guys something.. Who do you see with Mariah/Stella? I'm not even sure who she'd go with, I only have basic bare things figured out about her personality, actually.. I do know she's kinda like a country/biker/tomboy type and she doesn't take anyone's crap.. So yeah, that's all I do know for now.
Suggestions, ladies?
The chapter above.. I got inspired while watching Miz Tv for tonight. And yeah, while I'm not eve's biggest fan, judging by what the line up is as of late? I'd take her back over this crap with AJ and the Bellas. I realize that it all probably would never go down this way, but what the hell, right? It's my imagination, lol. Blame my overactive imagination..
Roman's not up for a pairing in this one, btw, just in case I actually pick up writing my roman x oc story later. But yeah, That's about it.
Thanks so much for all the reviews, I hope you guys are liking the story so far.