Mike sighs and glances over his shoulder as Maryse walks up behind him, a strained smile on her face. She's starting to show, the old struggle to find maternity wear and still look stylish while contending with Miz and Mrs promotional responsibilities playing out before him all over again. Not that she could look bad at all, always beautiful and glowing while pregnant. "You ok?" he asks softly, rubbing her back softly.
"Yes, I apologize," she says. "Morning sickness likes to creep up on me when I'm least expecting it."
He nods, not surprised. "I understand. No need to apologize." They had been talking about Heath, and Shane, and everything that could go wrong, and he almost feels like running to the bathroom himself. So much is going to be on the line at Wrestlemania.
She nudges him and he looks over at her. "I don't know if I've ever said thank you," she says softly. When he looks confused, she chuckles softly. "By that, I mean... you've sacrificed so much to help me and my family. Without you, I never would've met Heath, much less given him the time of day while we were filming Marine 5." She mulls over it a few moments, and then continues, "I never would've fallen in love, gotten married... Monroe Skye and this little one right here," she says, running her hand softly over her stomach, "would have just been a dream in the back of my mind while I struggled to maintain some financial stability." She smiles at him, fear in her eyes. "You could easily throw everything aside and tell us to screw off, finally claim AJ and Sara Louisa, but instead you're standing strong against Shane McMahon of all people at Wrestlemania and I owe you so, so very much. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."
He sighs softly, smiling at her. "Honestly?" he asks quietly. "I feel like I should be the one who has to repay you. I trusted Shane McMahon when I shouldn't have, and I've put everyone at jeopardy with this. It was so short sided of me..."
"You thought he was your friend," she says. "A rare miscalculation by the Awesome One, but it happens to the best of us." She rubs his back in turn this time, and smiles wanly. "I suppose it just means you're getting softer in your old age." To her relief, he laughs weakly at this, instead of getting offended or defensive.
"I've been thinking along the same thing," he admits. "Damn kids better get off my lawn."
She laughs at his miming shaking a walker and leans into him. "It's gonna work out," she says simply. "I believe in you, Mike."
This conversation, and everything else he's fighting for- AJ, Sara, his life- sticks with Mike as he arrives at Smackdown and addresses the crowd towards the start of the show again. He knows Shane is here this week, and he calls him out, too impatient to draw this out. But Shane doesn't come alone, not only does he have security, but Shelton Benjamin, Primo Colon, and the members of SaNitY are wandering around, watching him tensely.
Shane manages to get away, to avoid everything that's coming his way, but Mike fights past all of them, taking all of the security and wrestlers in his way out, before diving at Shane. It doesn't happen, Shane is out of his reach by the time Mike looks up from fighting off all of the others, but still, as Mike looks back at the carnage he'd left sprawled out behind him, he thinks perhaps this is a good sign to Shane exactly how hard he's planning on fighting on Sunday for his family. Throw whatever you want at me, he thinks viciously. I will make you regret all of this. Everything. I promise you.