The second half of the European tour goes moderately smoother. Alberto advances by beating Stardust on Smackdown and Mike rolls his eyes at the older man's bragging while Paige watches a recap of her and Charlotte and Becky's drama.
Just a few more days and Mike would be back in the States, and then after Raw and some last minute promotional work for Santa's Little Helper- out on Tuesday!- he would be home, in California, holding AJ and learning every detail of everything she'd experienced since he was gone. All of the kicks and the little flutters and ... he can only imagine how far the pregnancy has progressed since he'd left. He sighs and counts the hours until their flight out to Raw, gnawing on his knuckle.
"Someone's anxious to see his baby mama," Paige chirps, shaking her hair from side to side as she settles in next to him. Mike makes a face at her but says very little, even when Alberto joins them and murmurs something in Spanish. "Well, I personally find it to be quite sweet. At least you get to see her."
Mike feels a little guilty at this. She still has a long, painful four months until Ricardo is supposed to return in March, and he can't imagine having to wait that long. He would be tearing his hair and then flying out to wherever AJ was at to see her if he was in Paige's shoes. "Will you be able to skype him soon?"
"I hope so," she muses. "He has been very busy with the school lately..." Fiddling with her hair, her clothes, whatever else is in reach, she forces a smile. "I am so very proud of him, though. He seems quite happy."
"Si, he does," Alberto agrees.
Mike taps his feet against the seat. "Maybe we can make him a care package. If we send it now, it'd probably arrive in time for Christmas."
Alberto rolls his eyes. "You just want an excuse to send him your movie, Miz."
"You say that like there's something wrong with the idea," Mike huffs, overexaggerating his offense at the suggestion.
"I have seen your movies," the Mexican aristocrat sighs. "That's more than enough."
"Oh wait until you see this one too," Mike snaps at him. "There's not just me to force you to watch it this time either."
Alberto squints at him before looking over at Paige, who is grinning back at him. "Ay dios mio!" he groans, burying his face in his hands. "Can't Zeb watch it instead?"
"No, Zeb isn't part of this little group of ours," Mike says with a smirk. "You are, so you're going to have to deal with it."
"Ay!"
Once they hit the States, the care package for Ricardo shapes up quickly. Mike and Paige's movie, of course, hits the bottom of the box. Del Rio throws in a miniature Mexi-America flag, ignoring the incredulous look Mike shoots at him, and Alicia throws in a Christmas bowtie that's from her and Alex, decorated like a candy cane with red and white stripes.
Raw passes quietly for Mike. He does phone interviews for Santa's Little Helper, sometimes with Paige, sometimes without, because she's busy preparing for the contract signing with Charlotte later that night. Alberto wrestles and advances once more for the World title tournament, finding himself in the quarter finals, but Miz is too busy saying the same official statement again and again regarding his movie... when finally his to do list comes to an end about fifteen minutes before Raw ends and they both turn their focus onto Paige as she lays into Charlotte.
Things get much too personal much too quickly and all Mike can do is watch, agape, as she drags Charlotte's personal family history through the dirt in front of everyone, causing the girl to cry mournfully. He's not sure what to say to his co-star, who had seemed so cheerful and innocent while scampering around Vancouver Canada in her elf outfit. Something terrible had shifted in her between that night and Ricardo leaving for India and he wishes he had a better idea on what to do to help her.
Instead, when they go their separate ways, Paige and Alberto back to Florida and Mike to California, he gives her a long hug, staring at Alberto. "Take care of her," he mouths and Alberto nods.
"Hey, wait, really-" Paige reaches into her bag and digs around until she finds what she's looking for. "To go with that horrid bowtie Alicia gave," she offers with a laugh, delicately folding up the hideous Christmas sweater that WWE had released for her and stuffing it into the box.
Mike smirks down at it before looking up at her with a nod. "He'll love it, I'm sure." Offering a quick wave at them, he takes off at a jog when his flight is announced, more than a little eager to get home and see his wife.
When his flight finally lands, AJ is waiting for him and he freezes upon seeing her. In just two weeks, so much had changed. Her hair seems longer, shinier, somehow. Her face is softer and her eyes seem wider, but it's the rest of her that really stops him short. She had been showing before, only enough for those who really knew her to be able to look and really tell by the first glance, but now... now it's so damn obvious that she is. He bites his lip and walks up to her, eyes shining with both pride and longing. "Hey, sweetheart."
"Hello, husband," she whispers back, leaning forward and resting her head on his shoulder. One of his hands are massaging her back and the other is spanning her stomach and she whimpers. "I've missed you so much." The hormones are in full affect, clearly, as she sobs in his arms and he winces, wrapping both arms around her in a soft hug. "Star and John took good care of me, but it just wasn't the same."
He leans in and kisses her again and again, on her lips, her eyes, her nose, until finally her cheeks dry. "Poor sweetheart." Reaching into his bag, he pulls out something. "I have a couple of stops to take... and then we'll go home... and watch this... How's that sound?"
Her eyes widen and she grabs for the DVD, nodding. "Perfect, husband." She had seen some of its filming, but to actually watch the final product... it was always something special. For this reason, sitting still and waiting while John and Star drop a few Lucha Underground stickers and shirts into the box feels like fresh torture for her, but soon... soon, Mike is back by her side and they're driving off to their house, as quickly as they dare considering the mid-afternoon traffic.
Ignoring her squeaks of protest, Mike lifts AJ up as soon as they're at the house and carries her inside, walking her through the living room and laying her gently on the couch. "Comfortable?" She nods and he smiles, moving to set the DVD up. As soon as everything's good to go, he rejoins her and lifts her feet, settling them in his lap. As the ads drone on, he massages her feet to her ankles, then back down to the tips of her toes.
She whimpers and curls her toes against his fingers, sighing softly. "Mike..."
"Yes, sweetheart?" he asks, his hands trailing up her calves and massaging as he goes while she stares at him, eyes hooded with her lashes. "What is it? You feeling ok?"
She nods. "Fine, just... please don't leave me that long again."
He stops short and stares at her, his movie entirely forgotten as they search each other's faces. "I promise, I won't. Not for a long, long time." His hand rests on the swell of her stomach, feeling where their baby is growing, preparing for her arrival into this world. He hates the period of time that he'd missed and how badly it seems to have impacted AJ. "Not until this little one is safely in your arms, where she belongs. Alright?"
"That's... that's a start," AJ concedes, her eyes flickering when Mike's hand shifts. Her toes dig into his thighs and he smiles as she keens, "Mike..."
"Yes, sweetheart," he hums, leaning over to kiss her softly. She whimpers and arches up into him before wrapping her arms around his neck, moaning out his name against his skin. "Oh, AJ..."
"Don't ever let me go," she begs him, tightening her grip on him.
"I promise, I will never ever do that," he swears to her, licking his lips as she settles down into his warmth, eyes fluttering. His hands are soft and gentle as he supports her, braces her, keeping her comfortable and safe while the Christmassy soundtrack plays on behind them. "I love you," he whispers into every inch of her, smiling when she returns the favor.
They're both sleepy and warm, the movie all but forgotten as she lays in his arms, about to nod off entirely. Because of this, when she speaks again, it comes as a shock to Mike. "I want... I want to include a copy of the sonogram in Ricardo's gift box," she sighs. "Do you think he'd like that?"
"I think he'll love that," Mike sighs, pressing a soft kiss to her stomach. "It's the perfect final touch for the care box." He smiles at her, her eyes closing softly as she loses the fight against exhaustion. "Good night, sweetheart."
"Good night," she whispers into his ear, breath softly tickling his flesh.