"So," Mike says quietly early one morning, running his fingers lazily through AJ's hair. "I know we haven't really talked about it because things have been moving so fast but... you are ok, relatively speaking, with this Maryse thing. Right?"
She stirs, yawns a little bit, and squints up at him. "Of course I am, husband," she mumbles. "Not only have you convinced me time and again that you and Maryse are only friends, she's marrying Heath in a few days. That's reason enough for me to trust you." She pauses. "Could do without the kissing and everything, but I know you're just pretending. Besides, the small pecks you two do on TV is nothing in comparison to how you woke me up this morning."
He grins. "Could try to recreate that magic if you wanted," he teases her lightly and she smirks, shifting up to kiss him as he rubs her back and kisses her some more, feeling her shiver and sigh against him. They're lost within each other, drowning in the warmth and love they feel for each other, when- Sara Louisa wakes up and lets the entire house know with one of her loud cries.
AJ chuckles, pulling away from Mike reluctantly. "Well, I guess round two will have to wait," she sighs, adjusting her shirt and walking down the hall to their daughter's room. Mike listens on the baby monitor as she coos and plays with Sara before bringing her to the kitchen for breakfast. Mike gets up and joins them after a minute of mulling over how lucky he is, kissing Sara on the forehead, then AJ on the lips.
He then plucks Sara from AJ's arms while she mixes together cereal and fruit for her, distracting the little girl from her fussing by blowing raspberries against her stomach and making funny faces until she squeals in laughter, smacking her little fists against his shoulders. AJ smiles indulgently at them before handing Mike a bowl, quiet signs to him that she wants him to feed Sara. Easy enough job, she takes to the spoon right away, grabbing it and feeding herself while only making a little bit of a mess as Mike and AJ watch her with soppy, affectionate looks on their faces.
He kisses the top of AJ's head and wonders about a second, if the next child will be as inquisitive and eager as Sara, or if she or he will have its own set of characteristics, be more cautious and calm like AJ. Either way, he thinks, I'll love them just as much as I do Sara.
-x
Tuesday's a bust. Maryse is forced into a match with Brie and it's just awful from the start. Maryse gets hit, a lot, which is definitely not good considering she wants to look gorgeous for her wedding, and then Daniel winds up getting attacked by both Daniel and Brie. He struggles to recover but there's nothing for it, the It Couple watching from the ramp as they celebrate. Maryse grips his arm and hisses angrily while he nods, pretending to understand like he knows French. "Come on," he mumbles finally, guiding Maryse backstage through the halls towards their locker room. "Damn Paige!" he bursts out as soon as the door's shut.
"What can we do, Mike?" Maryse asks, also disgusted with her sudden loss. "We need to do something! This cannot stand!"
Mike nods slowly. "And we won't let it," he promises. "Hell in a Cell is this Sunday, and this'll be like out Wrestlemania."
Maryse's face lights up. "I'm in love with that,"she confirms. "Just tell me what to do."
Mike grins, the cogs already turning visidly in his mind. "I most definitely will."