Mike sighs, staring down at George as he sleeps peacefully. He'd helped lead Final Testament into defeating Wyatt Sicks. He'd thought that'd be the end of it. But no, afterwards, Karrion Kross made it quite clear they were far from done with him, despite everything he'd given to ensure their success. He doesn't want to be behold with those people, he doesn't want to have to continue putting himself in harm's way against Bo Dallas and the other freaks in that group. But it appears he doesn't have much of a choice.
He doesn't want to drag the kids or AJ into this, especially when George looks so at ease, happy to have his father home after a few turbulent weeks, so he turns and quietly leaves the bedroom, clicking the door quietly behind him. He leans against the wall next to it and breathes in deeply, looking up to find AJ staring at him from down the hall. She quirks her head to the side and he obligingly follows her into their bedroom, exhaling softly as she begins to undress him, carefully folding his clothes up and placing them on the chair the way he likes when they're fancy and need special handling.
"Thanks," he murmurs as she kneels down to help him out of his shoes.
"Are you ok?" she asks, glancing up at him before slipping his shoes under the bed.
"Not really. Just... a lot going on. Especially with Final Testament. You know."
She nods, brows furrowing as she settles down next to him on the edge of the bed. "Yeah," she muses. "I know you wanted to be free of all of this after the tag match Monday."
"I absolutely did," he mumbles, scrubbing at his face with a sigh. "But it is what it is, I guess."
She nudges him, leaning into him with a soft sigh. "If I'm going to be honest, I'd rather you have them as backup than be alone and vulnerable, you know?"
He blinks and wraps an arm around her, pressing a kiss to the side of her face. "I guess that makes sense," he mumbles. "Who knows wat Wyatt Sicks might do next."
"Exactly." AJ leans up and kisses him. "At least this way you have backup if something goes south."
"How do you always make things sound better than they probably are," he mumbles, stroking her waist.
She chuckles and melts into him, carding her fingers through his hair. "It's a gift, husband," she says, flopping back against the bed. He follows her after a moment and they just lay there, staring at each other in the soft light coming from the little Christmas tree in the corner of their room. "I love you."
He smiles, kissing the palm of her hand. "I love you too," he replies.
He's not sure what's going to come next with this whole mess, but he knows as long as he gets to come home, lay here next to AJ, and be surrounded by warm, loving peace, he knows he'll be alright.