Mike hoists Sara Louisa over his head and laughs softly, making faces at her as she flaps her arms and legs around and squeals with laughter, Mike only pausing briefly in this play when AJ walks in and sits down next to him. "Hey," he whispers to her.
"Hey. Back on the road this week, huh?" she asks, poking Sara's nose as she giggles louder, grinning widely when Mike lays her back down on his chest, allowing her to crawl off and stumble to her feet, walking slowly away as she continues to wave her arms happily.
"Yep. Gotta set some things up before our big rematch on Sunday," he says, reaching over to snag Sara before she could stick a bug into her mouth. "No eating bugs," he chides her, ignoring her pout as he pokes her nose and smirks at her. "I'm kind of nervous, but not as bad as I could be."
"I'm glad," AJ says, resting her head against his shoulder. "I've been kind of worried for you lately. Between this Maryse stuff, and everything going on with your father, it's a lot..." She eases up and kisses him. "Just take care of yourself, ok? And let Shane do the same for you too."
"I'll try," he promises. "I hope it means good news since he's invited me back to Smackdown." He's not sure he could handle anything bad, like Shane deciding to reveal their secret after all, or something even worse than that.
But his worries are unfounded, Shane greets him cheerfully enough and they fall into discussing strategy for Sunday, what they want to get across tonight. The Usos, however, don't even give them a chance, coming to the ring first and mocking both of them. That's all it takes for both men to come down, Mike facing off against one of the twins. Shane is watching closely, even takes out the second Uso when he tries to harm Miz, and it works, it truly does. One Skull crushing finale later, and Mike is the victor, leaving them on a good note heading towards Sunday.
It's only later, as they walk side by side up the halls, that Shane turns towards him. "I've thought about your reality show mess, and the children and everyone affected by it." Mike starts to feel anxious and almost nauseous, but he hasn't ate since this morning, so he's stuck there with a stomach ache and the standard bustle of Smackdown around them. "I could have you fired," Shane says quietly. "I could do all sorts of things. But Mike, I legitimately like you," he says. "And I have enjoyed partnering with you more than I ever thought possible." Shane shakes his head, an almost amused twist to his lips. "So for those reasons, I'm going to give you a break on this. But, Mike, you know the truth's going to come out some day. Then what?"
"I honestly have no clue," he admits, still absorbing Shane's decision. Mike stands for a long moment, sweaty and a little sore after his match, but he moves faster than he should be able to, throwing his arms around Shane and hugging him tightly. "Thank you," he mumbles. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Shane chuckles and shakes his head, patting Mike's back comfortably as tension eases out of his shoulders. "My pleasure, man. Just be the best dad to your kids you can be, alright? We both know what happens when someone isn't."
"Yeah," Mike nods, determined to see Sara grow up, aware with every breath she takes that she's loved, healthy and happy. "I definitely will."