Chapter 15

Pulling up to a weird shaped building, Emery grinned and stepped out of the car with Mark, taking his hand. "Come on Deadman it won't be that bad and nothing will bite you. I don't think." She giggled at his incredulous look and guided him inside beaming at the wall to wall comic books strewn through the store. "This is the best comic book store ever."

"As I live and breathe...Emery Collins… where have you been all my life?"

Not releasing Mark's hand, Emery grinned at the older gentleman and gave him a one-armed hug. "Frank, love of my life. How the hell are you?"

"Getting by, beautiful."

She had brought him to a comic book store and it was… who the fuck was Frank? Mark let go of her hand, walking away to start eyeballing the stuff on the wall. When he was a kid, he remembered reading the Sunday paper, just to read that particular section. Comics had sold by dimes and quarters. These items were expensive these days. Mark noticed HIS comic and began smirking. That had been years ago when it was made.

"So who is the guy?" Frank nudged his head in the giant's direction, wondering if Emery had lost her mind to hang out with someone like that.

"You don't recognize him?" When Frank kept eyeballing Mark for a few more seconds, his eyes widened and she started laughing, nodding. "Pick your jaw back up, Frankie. Yes, that's exactly who you think it is."

"How the hell did you manage to bring HIM here, of all places?"

"Well this is the best damn comic book store on planet earth. Why wouldn't I visit my favorite guy?" Emery winked, looking over at Mark who was admiring his own comic book. It was a mint condition copy, as was everything else in the store. "We were in town, figured I'd stop by and see if you have anything new for me."

Frank chuckled, nodding and gestured her over behind the counter while her…friend browsed the sections.

"OH MY GOD, seriously?!" Emery was afraid to touch the comic book he'd pulled out, sky blues wide and hesitantly took it with the utmost care. "This is a first edition…Frank, how?"

"I saw that and immediately put it up for you. That's the first Green Arrow comic book ever made. Mint condition, not a scratch or flaw. It's worth a pretty penny and I knew nobody would appreciate it more than you."

"How much?" Emery was already digging out her wallet, shaking a little and pulled her credit card out. "Frankie, no…"

"Consider it a belated birthday gift." He kissed her cheek in a purely platonic way and chuckled when she tossed her arms around his neck. "You're welcome, Ems."

"My Dad is going to freak out when he sees this."

She was geeking out over a comic book and he was not surprised at all. Mark returned the comics he had been browsing back to their shelves. He already had his serial, all signed by the artists, and in a vault somewhere along with a lot of memorabilia. If she had been a wrestling fanatic, he could have probably shown her his collection and made her cream her panties.

"Mark." He held out his hand when he got close, the guy, Frank, staring at him.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

Frank shook his hand firmly with a friendly smile, not believing Emery had brought the Undertaker into his store. They began conversing while Emery continued gawking over her newest acquisition. When Taker asked how he knew her, he decided to fill the big man in.

"Em is a good girl. Known her since she was a little girl. Her Dad used to bring her in here at least once a week shortly after I opened. They lived in Scottsdale and would make a father/daughter trip up here every weekend to see me. I've known her and her family a long time. She's like a daughter to me or something. Anyway, find anything you like?"

"Yeah, your surrogate daughter… I'm thinking about taking her home with me."

"What?" He was joking, right? Frank didn't know the man other than what he had seen on television.

Mark smiled, green eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'm just teasing, sir." Not really, he just wanted to see Frank's reaction. "I'd take her out to dinner first."

Emery never picked out normal people, did she? He sighed wearily. "We need to have the talk, son?"

"Sure." This could be amusing.

"What kind of talk would that be, Frankie dear?"

Frank smirked, groaning when she hopped on his back in a piggyback ride and shook his head, looking over his shoulder at her. "Aren't you a little old to be doin' this to me?"

"Nope. Never too old to have fun, you should know that." Kissing his cheek, she hopped back down and finally moved to stand beside Mark again, her comic book in the plastic store bag she held at her side.

"He said he was gonna take you home and I wanna make sure he's got good intentions."

Not missing a beat, Emery shrugged with a smile. "He's already been to my house, so I wouldn't mind seeing his."

"WHAT?!"

Emery started rolling with laughter at Frank's face.

"I followed her home." Mark declaimed with a shrug, resting his arm on the top of her head just because she was the perfect height for it. "And then taught her how to handle a joystick right."

"What the-"

"Video game, man. We were racing, had to teach her how to thumb it right." He even gestured, looking a little too innocent.

"You take him to meet your folks yet?"

"No, why would I?" Emery tilted her head, looking confused and then felt her eyes widen, cottoning onto what Frank was insinuating. "Wait – wait, no Frankie, no we're not – no. No, it's not like that. We're…friends." That was the right term to use, right? "We're not bumping uglies or anything like that."

Frank sputtered. "B-Bumping uglies?! Emery Collins!"

"Well you know, we're not doing the horizontal salsa…"

"Oh dear Jesus…"

"I'm not whacking the salami…" Emery couldn't resist continuing.

"ENOUGH! I got it. You two, not together. Got it." Frank was going to have a heart attack hearing her talk like this. "Just…keep it that way and if you do end up…together, you should introduce him to your folks."

There was no way Mark saw her as desirable in any capacity.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Mark held up his hands, a bit confused. "In order to fuck her, I have to meet her folks? And just what the hell, Queenie, is wrong with bumping uglies with me? I'll have you know, there isn't anything ugly with my-"

"Jesus Christ, you are nothing like your character!" Frank interjected, a bit bemused and somewhat freaked out. "You're nothing, but a foulmouthed bas-"

"What was that?" Mark's hand was firmly around Frank's throat, not hurting him, but… not letting him move either. His voice had dropped to pure venom, darkness lacing each word. "Foulmouthed what? Hmm?"

"Bastard."

"Fair enough." He let the other man go, grinning again. "Not fazed a bit, are you?"

"I own a comic book store, you are the LEAST scary person I've seen in here."

Emery was startled when he throttled Frank, having every intention of saving her old friend and father figure, but when Mark let him go joking, she immediately calmed down. "I don't think he was implying you HAVE to meet my parents to have sex with me. He was just saying IF we did end up together, then you should meet them."

Why would he even want to? Didn't he think of her as a dork chick? Yes, yes he did. This was a pointless conversation. Mark was making a point, in his own volatile way and it somewhat turned her on. Maybe she really was 'fucked up' as he so eloquently put it earlier.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Sounds pretty damn sure to me." Did Emery have any idea what kind of man she was currently hanging out with? "No, I'm fine."

"Good."

"For the record, if I had hurt him, what were you going to do, Queenie?" His tone was drenched in amusement as he stared down at her. She had looked ready to spring on him; did Emery even know how to defend herself? Life wasn't like a video game. "Hitting the X and triangle button won't take me down, you know that, right?"

"Oh for the love of…"

"There's always a way to drive a big man to his knees, Mark. And don't you forget it. Frankie has known me since I was little and I protect my family." Emery didn't appreciate being challenged, folding her arms in front of her chest and smiled sweetly at Frank. "He calls me Queenie because of my video game expertise."

"Son, you have no idea just how great she is." Meaning that on all accounts, not just the video gaming. "And I can hold my own, Ems. Don't need you fighting my battles for me."

"When it comes to him, yes you do. He's not an ordinary man, if you haven't noticed."

Frank cleared his throat. "Sure did." He really hoped the Undertaker didn't hurt Emery or he would find a way to hurt the big man.

"So… let me get this straight," He drawled, green eyes flashing acid for a moment as he measured her thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "You cook, you're a video game whiz, you're an obviously skilled writer, and now you're apparently capable of taking down a man my size. You don't really have much of a personal life, do you?"

"I didn't say I knew how to do it, now did I? I just said there are ways to get it done." Emery snorted, rolling her eyes at him and could tell Frank was trying not to laugh. "Traveling with the WWE all the time, don't really have time for a personal life."

"Hell no you don't, when's the last time you visited your folks anyway?"

"It's been a while."

Emery didn't tell them about her suspension, not until she knew whether she was completely gone from WWE or not. Thankfully, she hadn't jumped the gun and told them. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint her parents after working so hard to get to where she was today.

"I'll go see them soon-ish."

"You'd better."

"Yes Dad."

"You don't see them much, do you?" Miss Had No Personal Life, he snorted at the look she gave him and rolled his eyes. She was perfect for the traveling gig then, never seeing her loved ones, no personal relationships outside of her best boyfriends and, apparently, now him.

"How well do you two know each other?" Not a lot came to mind and to be honest, Frank was a little curious about their relationship.

"I know she sucks at Blur, but makes damn fine scrambled eggs."

"I really don't know much about him other than he does great at Blur and is a damn fine kisser." Emery grinned, shrugging at his arched brow while staring down at her and glanced at the clock. "Oops, we should be going. Got a show tonight and unfortunately, duty calls." She hugged Frank tightly around the neck, squeezing him and whispered 'thank you' in his ear for her magnificent gift. It would be a fine addition to her other comic books, which was vast. "It was so good seeing you again, Frankie." Pulling back, she kissed his cheek and blushed when he tapped her nose with his finger. A habit he'd done since she was a little girl. "I'll try to be back soon."

Frank nodded, understanding why she had to leave and eyeballed the giant shrewdly, watching them walk out of his store shaking his head.

"Well that was fun! And I bet you lost your comic book store virginity, didn't you?"

At that, he outright laughed, shaking his head. "Darlin', with as old as I am… no. When I was a kid, I used to go visit the one downtown all the time and the old arcade. I loved Donkey Kong." Mark rarely saw them anymore, not like he remembered. Now they were all flashy shooter games and dancing things. "Shit, I'm old, thanks for the reminder, Queenie." He cleared his throat, deciding he would avoid dating himself anymore. "What was the comic he gave you?"

"Donkey Kong was good, but nothing compared to Mario, of any kind." Emery looked down at the bag, her eyes sparkling and heaved a gentle sigh. "He shouldn't have done it. He should've sold it and made the money." Now she was talking to herself, sliding behind the wheel and pulled the comic book out of the bag carefully. "The very first edition of Green Arrow – mint condition. Never opened, never touched…it's incredibly rare. And he just gave it to me." Emery sounded in awe, shaking her head when he reached for it and immediately slid it back in the bag. "Nope, that's where I draw the line, Calaway. You don't touch the comic books, especially this one. But it's nice to know you have a geek inside of you after all."

"You do know Donkey Kong came first, right?" He asserted conversationally, ignoring the look she shot him. "Without it, Mario probably wouldn't have taken off. Mario was the 'opponent' in the game. It was like… four or five years after that the Mario games started coming on." On the original Nintendo, Mark remembered that; it had been after he had graduated school. He could remember playing some dirt bike racing game that was really crappy in retrospect and the 2nd Mario game, which had been confusing as hell.

"Did you forget who you're talking to here, Deadman?" Emery remarked, starting the car and drove away from Frank's comic book store, feeling a sense of sadness wash over her. It was always hard to say goodbye to him, even more so than her parents. "Mario is still better, but I do agree with you that Donkey Kong helped launch Mario's popularity. That and Yoshi." Her favorite Mario character. "They don't make games like that anymore. I remember Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64. I would play that game for hours on end and my Mom would get so mad cause my Dad was the same way." Deciding to switch topics, Emery stopped at a red light and glanced over at him out of the corner of her eye. "You seemed kinda…perturbed when I told Frank we weren't together. If I offended you, sorry."

"No, Queenie, not perturbed, more a little whiplashed by the way you said it. You couldn't seem to get it out fast enough, ashamed of me?"

Yoshi was a stupid dinosaur and he had skipped the 64 along with pretty much everything else up, until recently That was only because systems had become portable and he needed a way to wind down that didn't involve strippers or luring women to his bed. Apparently, he was getting old. Or just tired of the games.

"Or are you still playing innocent virgin with your family?"

"Why would I be ashamed of you? There's nothing to be ashamed of." Emery pushed her glasses up her nose, looking back at the road as the light turned green. "We're not together though, not the way Frank was thinking. And my family knows I'm not a virgin. Being a virgin at age 30," She paused when his eyes shot open and chuckled, nodding. "Yeah – me – 30-years-old. You really think I'd be a virgin by now? Not very realistic and my parents don't think that at all. Frankie is a little…old-school, but still a great man. I'm anything but innocent." Then she decided to ask him the one question that refused to leave her brain. "Do you think of me as anything other than a coworker/friend? Are you…attracted to me or were you just pulling Frankie's leg back there?" Believe it or not, she hadn't been as engrossed in the comic book as she made them believe, hearing every word spoken between the men.

Mark had to think about that, wondering if she had worded that virgin line wrong; maybe she was a little on the frazzled side. He already knew she wasn't a virgin, she had to many tells about her preferences. Mark bet he could tie her up and leave her there, after he was done ravishing her, and she would still pass out without a care. He'd even let her keep on the glasses, add in some pigtails… could be hot. Was hot. He had an erection and mentally slapped himself.

"You're my friend, aren't you, Queenie?" He shot back, gauging her expression. "I'd fuck you though."

"Yes, friends. And – what?" Emery blinked, not expecting to hear that out of his mouth and started laughing, though it was a nervous laughter. "Wait, you're serious? You'd actually have sex with someone like me?"

That was…interesting information. She didn't think Mark looked twice at women like her, the nerdy kinds. Hell, he'd gotten her out of her shell and she'd shown him her true personality that Randy and Paul helped her create. Without those boys, she probably would've continued being the quiet, shy mouse she'd been when Randy first debuted in the company back in 2002.

"Well then, same goes for me. Fucking you, I mean. Who wouldn't though, right?" Another nervous laugh. "Anyway…" Time for a new topic.

"Yeah, who wouldn't?" He echoed, shaking his head and looked away, so she could blush in peace.

She was nervous and he knew he was treading into stupid territory. Emery was a writer and that was something he didn't need, getting involved with someone who had influence on what happened to his career. Especially after everything they had done to each other.

"Take me back to the hotel, Queenie. I should get in a workout." Or shower time, either or possibly a cat scan.