Thank you again to Morrowsong for the review.
After a three hour flight, the family arrived in Toronto. This year's WrestleMania was truly shaping up to be epic. It was no secret that every year the company tried to out do themselves, but this year's event was the stuff of dreams with a main event fans could only fathom until now. It was Icon vs. Icon, with the Immortal Hulk Hogan squaring off against the People's Champ, The Rock.
Taker was set into a high profile match himself, as always, when he would have the Nature Boy, Rick Flair in a no disqualification match. Once again, the crowd and everyone watching at home would be on the edge of their seats wondering if the Deadman's WrestleMania streak would continue yet.
As the family was making their way to the baggage claim, they were stopped by a young couple. "Oh, my God! You're Taker! Like for real! Babe, can you believe it?" the girl squealed, grabbing her boyfriend's arm. "Hey, and Sara too. Can we take a picture with you two?" she questioned eagerly. "That is if you don't mind," she blurted afterward.
Mark looked at Sara who smiled and shrugged. Mark never took issue with taking pictures or signing autographs, but he was a very private person outside the ring. He wanted to be sure Sara was comfortable. It came with the territory of course, but he knew how protective Sara was over the kids.
"Hey, Sara," the boyfriend hesitated a moment before asking, "will you sign my Divas magazine?" He then procured a copy from his messenger bag that hung across his body.
"Sure," Sara grinned, though from the glow on her cheeks, it was apparent she was a little embarrassed.
The Calaway children stood at a considerable distance, watching the scene unfold. They weren't quite sure what to make of the spectacle. They were used to their father being stopped by fans all the time. Their mother was somewhat of a different story. None of them even cared to entertain the fact that their own mother appeared in the magazine in alluring bikini shots.
"Sick," Marcus muttered under his breath.
"Bet he carries that around with him, all the time, like a creep," Reves groused.
"Yeah, marks fucking suck," Steven said. "No offense, bro." He glance at his twin.
Reves found herself involuntarily nodding her head in agreement. Then, her eyes shifted as she glared at the twins and they glared back at her. Did she just agree with her brothers? Reves shuddered, then huffed off before it turned into an episode of the Twilight Zone.
"Maybe, he's just bringing it to Fan Axxess," Heather offered with a shrug of her shoulders, but all three of her siblings were already several feet ahead of her.
"Heather, quit lagging, girl. You'll be getting yourself lost," Mark's bass voice called to her over the din in the terminal.
Her father's voice was like a whip against her bare skin. She practically jumped out of her skin as she politely made her way through the throngs of incoming people muttering, "Excuse me. Pardon me."
Rushing along, Heather bumped right into the body in front of her. "Oh, my gosh. I'm so sorry!" She snapped her eyes upward quickly and her face ignited lime fire when the person turned towards her. "Mr. Nash," she said as if she had just looked upon a ghostly apparition.
Kevin Nash inclined his head with an expression of surprise. "Oh," He raised an eyebrow at her. "You alright, kid?"
"Y-yes. I'm trying to catch up with my family." Her body made an awkward jerking motion as she proceed to head off, then stopped herself, not wanting to come across as rude.
Kevin's eyes scanned the vicinity, spotting Mark and the rest of the family. Being a seven foot giant did have it's advantages, as he was able to look over everyone else's heads. "Hey, Mark. She's right here," his bass voice called out as he pointed to the petite creature beside him.
Everyone within thirty feet or so stopped to see who was yelling all the way across the airport. Heather's face was a crimson mask as she willed her feet to carry her across the way to rejoin her family at the baggage claim. Shuffling along, her head was bent downwards and her nails were digging into her palms as it seemed people were now parting like the Red Sea.
Once people realize WWE superstars were in the vicinity, there was a round of flashing lights from cameras and both Kevin and Mark were bombarded by fans.
"Motherfucker," Kevin muttered under his breath. He wasn't a stranger to being recognized, he was hard to miss and he had done this for over ten years. He also wasn't a jackass, he knew if you weren't over, you weren't making any money. Still, he regretted calling our to Mark like that. That was a dumbass move, but he was merely thinking of helping the little girl.
Once the crowd had subsided the Calaway family approached the revolving conveyor again. Reves stood impatiently waiting for her suitcase. If not for those damn marks, we'd be out of here by now she told herself. She let out a sigh that was a mixture of relief and continued aggravation as she saw her black suitcase coming towards her.
As she was reaching for it, someone stepped up and grabbed it off the conveyor. "Hey dickhead, that's totally my bag!" she growled. She felt her face flush and damned her words when she turned towards the person. The sight left her body ridged.
"Take it easy, Chica," he spoke in an even voice that was as smooth as whiskey and sent a shiver shooting down her spine. "Yo, so it is," Scott said after reading the luggage tag. He smiled as he handed it to her. She stared into his deep brown eyes before extending her hand to take the suitcase from him.
"Oh, um, my bad…thanks," she mumbled, feeling like a fool. She prayed she didn't look as stupid as she felt.
"No problem," Scott flashed that grin again and she finally broke the gaze.
Reves could feel her anger welling up in her veins. She was caught off guard, again. That meant she wasn't in control, which she absolutely loathed. She was grateful when the seven-footer, Nash, his best friend, came up and delivered a friendly slap on the back to him.
"Sup, Big Kev?" he greeted the taller man with an embrace and that we Reves's cue to turn away from the agonizing encounter.
Her heart was thumping against her ribcage like a kick drum, putting her entire body on edge. After glancing at both men in turn, she left swiftly and joined the rest of her family.
The Calaways' procured a rental car for the weekend and arrived at the hotel around 2 P.M. Mark had elected to get caught up on some much needed sleep before making an appearance at a fan event.
"Mom, I'm starving!" Steven complained with the till of a neglected child.
"Because it's not like you didn't ear an entire family size bag of Doritos on the plane," Reves groused from behind the latest issue of Metal Edge magazine. She was already in a foul mood. She was not about to endure her gluttonous brothers squawking like baby birds with their mouths open, waiting for their mother to drop in a mound of worms. With a half growl, she put down the magazine and lifted her body from the chair, heading towards the door.
"And where do you think you're going?" Sara inquired firmly.
"Just out," Reves replied with a shrug of her shoulders.
Sara narrowed her eyes at her oldest child. "Hmm, nice try," she said shaking her head.
Reves flung herself onto the nearest piece of furniture, which happened to be the one on which Heather was sitting on, finishing King Lear. "So sick if sitting in these rooms like a prisoner," she grumbled.
"Shut up you heifer," Marcus groused.
"Marcus!" Sara reprimanded.
"Sorry, I couldn't willingly take your girlfriend's title," Reves retorted.
"Now that's enough, all of you!" Sara's voice was like a whip cracking over them. The teens scowled at each other but remained silent. "Your dad should be getting up soon. We'll see what he wants to do," their mother told them. "Until then, I'm sure you'll survive," Sara darted her eyes towards the boys.
Later when Mark eventually woke, the family made their way to dinner. They arrived and were seated at the table of a casual dinning restaurant. The four teens were dispersed on either side of the table, as their parents took their seats as well.
Heather's eyes drifted around the table. It had been some time since the family had the opportunity to go out together. Even growing up, these scenarios had been rare occurrences. Mark had been on the road for all her life. He was even training before Reves was born. Heather felt a warm coziness swell in her heart, even dispute her ignoramus brothers. These moments were few and far between. She wanted to capture these fleeting moments like lightening in a bottle.
She felt the tears threatening to fall, but she was determined to withhold them. She missed this. She wanted to live as a "normal" family. She wanted her father around all the time. She didn't want her parents to be stopped by fans and then gawked at as if she was just another mark pretending to have some sort of claim or special privilege. She wasn't a fool though. She knew her little fantasy was exactly that. Her father wouldn't stop wrestling, not for a long time. Wrestling was his passion, it was who he was. Heather knew unmistakably that her father loved his family, but he also had a fraternal bond with the boys in the business. It was seemingly something unbreakable. Something that was a given, considering that while in the business, over ninety percent of one's life was spent with your brother on the road. Sometime though, Heather would often question if her father cared more for the business than his family.
Pulling her mind from such thoughts, Heather rebuked herself. Her father was right there, along with her mother and her siblings. Like a still frame in her mind, she would hold onto this moment dearly.
So the family had partaken of their meal as an other normal family. Despite the bickering teens, it harkened back to simpler time in life. A time in which, even though the kids were aware that their father was a famous wrestler, the burdens of fame were unbeknownst to them.
After dinner, the teenagers were sent back to the hotel. Mark was doing a signing and Sara was accompanying him although she would not be on the panel.
It was no secret, Sara loved each of her children to death, but she was grateful to be out with her husband without the kids. Something they had not done since her stint in WWE.
The kids of course, exhibited no hesitation in voicing their protest. The twins rebutted. Reves growled and huffed. Heather's visage displayed blatant disappointment. Sara had planned to take them out tomorrow while Mark had more press and signing.
Reves was antsy. Her whole body felt like one giant itch needing to be scratched. He hadn't stopped thinking about Scott Hall since their encounter last week. Seeing him so unexpectedly at the airport was like rushing to the edge of a cliff and halting abruptly before taking the plunge.
Her idiot brothers weren't doing anything to improve her mood either. She wanted nothing more than to fly from the room, find Hall and tear his clothes off like a ravenous wolf devouring its prey.
She was exceptionally pissed at her parents. Not for going off to Dad's little signing, just the two of them, but for leaving her here with these three little watch dogs. They would without a doubt blab if she left. She needed to devise a plan to get away from her mother within the next day or two.
In the next instant the phone was ringing. Reves rushed over to pick up the receiver. It was a collect call from Hannah and Julie. Reves comely lips curled into a Cheshire grin. "Oh boys," she held out the receiver to them while she couldn't erase her smile.
"What are you smiling for, freak?" Steven asked as Marcus snatched the receiver from her. They held it between their ears, heads pressed together. They pressed the button to accept the call.
"I…I don't think that's such a good-" Heather was cut off by Marcus.
"Shut up and mind your own business, Geekzilla!" he barked at her.
Heather's face clouded over. Her eyes darkened in response to the insult. "Well, I just…" her meek voice trailed off.
Reves took a seat beside her. "That's the point," she said as she nudged her youngest sibling's arm.
Heather hung her head. She never had any intent or motivation for her siblings to get into strife. No one ever needed her advice. She was the baby therefore, she was the runt and the prude whom didn't know how to loosen up. She sighed feebly.
Beside her, Reves chuckled maniacally as she clicked on the television with the remote.
By the time the conversation had come to a close, the twins had been on the phone for over an hour.
Another thirty minutes later, Mark and Sara returned to the room. He appraised the children with a stern seriousness. "Can any of you explain to me why I pay an astronomically expensive cell phone bill but none of you can ever seem to pick up on the damn things?" he asked interrupting a squabble over whether they would be watching Jackass or Behind the Music in the main sitting area. "And would any of you mind telling me why the hell the phone here was ringing busy for over an hour?" Mark's voice rumbled.
The bickering ceased as all four teens turned to face their father – the monster of a man. Heather squirmed, she knew they should not have accepted that call. Reves's cheeks were sore as she tried to keep from smiling. The boys gulped in apprehension, but remained silent.
"Well?" Mark pressed, "Or do you all want to stare at this room for the remainder of the trip?"
Reves's face fell. "Huh-uh. Ya'll better fess up!" she threatened her brothers.
"What the hell were ya doing on the phone that long?" Mark demanded.
"Nothing. Julie and Hannah called to talk," Steven said innocently.
Mark growled and rolled his eyes. Even a thousand miles away, those girls were like a hemorrhoid in his ass.
"Did they call collect?" Sara questioned firmly.
They boys eyes shifted aside, not meeting their parents' eyes.
Mark pursed his lips. His eyes were like fire as he glared daggers through the boys. "What the fuck made you think it was a good idea to accept a collect call all the way from Texas? Let alone, be on the phone for over an hour?" Mark boomed. "Do you have any idea how much the bill is gonna be when we check out?"
"At least it's Canadian money," Marcus offered with a nervous chuckle.
The parents were not even close to being amused. Mark stared at the boys with an agonizing glower that felt as if he was going to set them ablaze, as Sara shook her head in disbelief. "No allowance for a month!" Mark stated punitively.
"Mom!" the boys pleaded.
"Don't look at me. You heard your dad," Sara responded unwavering.
With that they sent all four of them to bed.
"Looks like you won't be taking those hookers on any dates," Reves quipped as she passed them on the way to the room she was sharing with Heather.
Simultaneously, both boys extended both middle fingers towards her.
"Touché," she grinned and blew them a kiss before shutting the door on them.