Sara makes a face as Mike settles down on his stomach in front of her, watching her closely. "What's up, sweetie?" he wonders, tugging lightly at her little fist.

"I believe she wants this," AJ says, dropping a bowl of banana pieces in front of her daughter and joining Mike on the couch. "Is this what you want?" she teases Sara with the spoon but chuckles, allowing Sara to feed herself, mushing the bananas between her fingers and all over her mouth as she struggles to figure out hand-eye coordination.

Mike laughs and shakes his head, swiping some of the banana from the bowl and getting a huffy kind of glance from the baby. "This is going to make quite the mess," he says, kissing AJ on the side of her face.

"It always does," she rolls her eyes. "You're just not home enough to properly enjoy it." She pokes him and he chuckles.

"Well, I'm glad I am now," he sighs. "How's she doing with the teething?"

"It comes and goes. Some nights she does alright, some nights we're up all hours crying our hearts out, aren't we?" AJ catches the look on his face and smirks. "I'm a very sympathetic cryer, you know this." They sit quietly for a few moments and AJ exhales, "Can you believe she's almost a year old? It's gone by so quickly..."

"No, I can't," he murmurs. "We have to plan something special for her. You want to see all your aunts and uncles, don't you?" he asks, grinning as Sara Louisa peers up at him, waving another banana-drenched hand around before stuffing her fingers into her mouth and making a soft, humming sound.

"I think that's a yes," AJ sighs, waiting until the bowl is somewhat emptied to hoist her daughter up and carry her into the kitchen to clean her up. Mike follows her and leans against the counter, watching as she wipes Sara's face off gently. "So this party, who all should we invite? People are pretty busy and everything."

"Maryse, Heath, John, and Tara," he suggests, squinting. "We can ask Ricardo and Alicia but I think they have their own dramas going on still. Do you know he bought another puppy?"

AJ chuckles and kisses Sara's forehead as soon as she's mostly clean. "He's going to have quite the zoo soon enough." She chuffs her daughter's cheek before handing her off to Mike to clean her hands off. "So, that sounds like an alright group for her first birthday. What are you suggesting for food?"

"John and I can barbeque," he says. "And this little one can have sliced fruit and a small sample of her cake. How does that sound? Do you think you can blow your candles out? Make a wish for your two front teeth?"

AJ laughs and shakes her head at him, leaning over the baby to kiss him. "You are a ridiculous man."

"And you love it," he mumbles against her lips.

"True enough."

-x

Maryse frowns as she kicks at the trainer's pad-covered arms, hands held up in the position she'd been directed to do so. "Got it babe," Heath calls out, leaning against the wall and watching her with a small smile on his lips.

"How's it going?" Mike wonders, joining him. "She doing alright?"

"Yeah, she's doing great," Heath tells him, shifting closer. "So, she's trainin' for something with Wrestlemania?"

Mike chuckles. "Well, you never know. It'd be alright to have a little extra assistance at the biggest stage of them all, right?" He scratches his arm and casts a quick glance over at Heath. "Speaking of, I hear someone's going to go for the tag belts again tonight."

"Rhyno'n'I are thinkin' about it, yeah. Just need an opportunity." Heath exhales. "Just glad things are calmer between us. After last week... well, kinda thought I was gonna lose another tag partner but..." He shrugs. "Rhyno gets hot, but cools off about as quick, so it could be worse." He gnaws at his bottom lip for a moment. "I've lost enough partners over the years for stupid reasons."

"Yeah," Mike says sympathetically. He had only ever really lost John as a partner, at his own hand, which is something he still regrets to this day sometimes, but they had regrouped, regained their friendship, and now they're here, planning to meet up for his daughter's first birthday. "You'll be alright, this business has a way of bonding people in ways we'd probably never expect."

"True," Heath sighs, watching as Maryse wraps up her kicks and turns to join them, her face lighting up as she hugs him tightly. He laughs and runs his hands up and down her glistening skin. "You look real good out there, Maryse," he tells her, leaning in to kiss her.

"Yeah? It is becoming a little easier to learn the proper stance and everything," she says, grabbing a bottle of water and downing a fair share of it before retying her hair. "Your turn, Mike."

He's not as graceful as she is, but he gives it his best, aware of Heath and Maryse's gazes on him as they lightly talk and kiss, the trainer directing him here and there when his stance falters. Heath chuckles and grabs his own gloves before stepping up, eyeing the man guiding the other two. "Ready for me, Will?"

"Yep, go ahead, Heath."

Heath doesn't usually train like this, but he's a golden glove champion in his state so he's not entirely out of his realm as he lunges forward, his lanky form moving fluidly as he strikes out, landing kick after kick until finally the trainer calls it off, Heath smirking when he turns to find a surprised look on Mike's face and the proud gleam in Maryse's eyes as she throws her arms around him all over again. "That's how it's done, Mike," he says with some smugness.

"Oh, shut up," Mike huffs teasingly. "Give me some hints?"

Heath chuckles and presses a quick kiss to Maryse's shoulder before joining him, showing him the proper stance to kick more fluidly and before Mike can gather his thoughts, he's doing it, feeling the minute shifts in his posture and how easier it all feels. "Much better," Will tells him once they're through, dropping the pads onto the floor. "Alright, let's do the cool down exercises and then you guys are free to go."

Obligingly, Heath and Maryse follow his commands, Mike going along with it although he hadn't been here for the full training session.

The easy highlight of Mike's night is hearing that Shane has shown he was the smart one in the McMahon bunch, placing Mike in the Elimination Chamber match in ten days. Likewise, Heath's opportunity comes when the American Alpha demand competition, but the entire tag team scene make their own demands felt as the various teams brawl in the middle of the ring, before scattering to leave Alpha, Heath and Rhyno standing tall in the ring, watching each other wearily. Mike commentates alongside Maryse during the Smackdown main event pitting AJ Styles against Dean Ambrose, trying to ignore Baron Corbin's senseless grunts from the other side of the commentary table until he moves, yelling at Maryse in warning until she gets to safety. Their argument distracts the referee and sends Dean out on top of both of them, leading to AJ defeating Ambrose. Mike, angry, rolls in and sends Dean face first into the ring just to get it back in kind as Corbin lands End of Days on him, his vision blurry as Dean meets the same fate.

He's sore but not injured, thankfully, as he rolls out of the ring into Maryse's waiting arms. She strokes his hair, murmuring in agitated French, before helping him awkwardly backstage. Heath is waiting and takes some of his weight, the three of them lumbering back to his locker room. "You alright, man?"

Mike nods angrily. "I'll make them all see come Elimination Chamber. There's only one man deserving to main event Wrestlemania again... and that man is me." His eyes are blazing with a determination that he hasn't felt in a long time. Better than the Intercontinental title, better than anything.

He's ready to take on the whole damn world again. And walk out victorious.