Disclaimer: Still don't own him, please don't sue me.
Distribution: my site, Tango's.
Rating: G
Summary: Sequel to A Little Conversation, Together Again, and Uncertain. Kat rethinks her choices.
Kat couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She'd left the WWF behind and now... now she was back on the road with the WWF. Couldn't she get any justice? Hadn't she suffered enough? Well, evidently, NO! But now, things were different. She no longer had to answer to Vince McMahon. She only had to answer to Norman and that was fine by her. She'd given up her weekly columns to focus her attention on writing her novel, which she had plenty of time for.
Her and her fellow dancers' main job was to warm up the crowd before the tapings which meant they were on the road almost seven days a week. It was hard work but it was fun and it kept her on her toes, literally as well physically. The only problem she saw was the division. The dancers were her friends and they stuck by her loyally. And the wrestlers were Andrew's friends and they stood by him. The only people who crossed the lines were Shane and Stephanie.
"This is so stupid," Stephanie sighed one night at dinner. "I mean, it's not like you have the plague or anything."
"I agree."
"You made a mistake," Shane said, shoveling food into his mouth, "how much longer can this last?"
"Looks like forever to me," Kat said with a shrug. "But I'll be honest, I don't care anymore, you know. What else can I do? I'm not into self-flagellating and it looks like what these guys want."
"I'll flagellate you honey," said a Southern drawl behind her. "Is this seat taken?"
Kat couldn't help but smile as Steve straddled the chair next to her. He was making his interest in her clear and she was slowly warming up to him again.
"So how you doing?" he asked, smiling at her.
"I was doing fine. But then you came along."
"Now darlin', it ain't nice to lie in front of your bosses," Steve grinned, looking at Shane and Stephanie.
"OK, Kat," Shane asked, "tell me this once so I can be sure. You like this redneck?"
"He's all right."
"All right? Now darlin', that's not what you said..."
"Oh shut up!" Stephanie and Kat said at the same time.
"But why him? What's so... appealing about him?"
"Hell son, are you saying I'm ugly?"
"I'm saying I don't get it."
"Frankly," said Kat, "it's a purely macho thing. Look at him. Steve's the biggest macho in the world and for some reason, that appeals to the liberated woman in me. A need to reform him maybe."
"I thought it was my bald head."
"That helps too."
"You know," said Stephanie after a moment, "at first, I really didn't get it. But now, you know, it's not so bad. You two kind of make it work."
"See honey, we're a match made in heaven."
Kat ran a hand over her face and sighed. He was wearing her down, he really was.
"We regret to inform that Flight 365 to Chicago has been delayed for an hour. We apologize for the delay. Arrangements can be made..."
Kat raised her head from the laptop she'd been working on and sighed. It wasn't so bad, she reasoned, it gave her time to work.
"All right," Norman said, getting up and looking at the almost empty terminal, "this time is not going to go to waste. Dancers, put on your jazz shoes."
"You have to be kidding," Kat sighed, shutting down her computer and fishing her battered dance shoes from her backpack.
"Do I look like I'm kidding?"
"No, you look like a cute little fag who hasn't gotten laid in the past month. But you don't look like you're kidding."
"So what are you waiting for?"
"For the coming of the man who'll fuck you until you forget how to dance."
"Bitch."
"Queen."
"Ain't that the truth."
Although they groaned and complained through the whole process, the dancers were used to Norman's impromptu practice sessions and quickly followed him to the deserted area of the terminal, while the wrestlers watched, their interest clear.
"All right people, we're going to get you to stretch first and then we'll see."
And so they stretched, doing basic stretching exercises and then moving through more grueling stretches and splits. Finally, when Norman was satisfied, he clapped his hands.
"All right, I'm not happy with the Edge and Christian routine right now. You guys are slow on it. So let's hurry it up."
Norman turned on his portable CD player and everyone took their positions. First he rearranged them to his liking and counted back from eight. As the music kicked in, there was no denying the way the moves flowed through the dancers. But Norman wasn't happy. He interrupted them often, making minute changes and then letting go on.
Finally, they got the routine to his liking and ran through it one final time. When they were done, sweaty and all, they were congratulated by thunderous applause from their high-kicking audience. Though the dancers would have enjoyed basking in the glory, an announcement telling them their flight had arrived made them rush to the bathrooms to change out of their sweaty clothing.
Kat was dozing off in her seat in the plane when she felt a presence next to her. She sat up slowly and saw Andrew sitting there.
"What do you want?" she asked groggily, sitting up a little straighter, running her fingers through her hair.
"To talk?"
"You called me a whore and I took it. You badmouthed me to all your friends and now they all hate me. I think you talked enough."
"You cheated."
"I cheated. Yes. How much more do I have to suffer for it? You think I'm a whore, your friends think I'm a whore. I think I suffered enough."
"I know."
"You know?"
"Yeah... I mean come on Kat. It hurt. Knowing you cheated."
"Did it more than your pride Andrew?"
"I cared about you."
"Really?"
"Come on Kat..."
"Did you really care Andrew? About me? Did you love me?"
"Of course I did."
"As more than a friend."
"Of course I did."
"Andrew, truth time. It's just you and me. Did you really think about you and me hooking up in the long run?"
"I asked you to marry me, didn't I?"
"Andrew, when I told you I was cheating, you didn't even blink. You just told me to get out."
"I was hurt."
"You didn't cry, did you?"
"Come on. Big guys like me don't cry," he chuckled.
"Seriously Andrew... did you just react when I left you or were you relieved? Deep down."
Andrew made a face and looked at Kat over his shoulder, putting his elbows down on his knees.
"I was kind of relieved," he whispered.
"I knew it," she said, smacking his rock hard shoulder, "you damn bastard!"
"Ah damn Kat. That hurt!"
"Damn you! I felt guilt Andrew Martin," she said, getting up from her seat and hitting his head and shoulders, "I felt so much guilt. I left the WWF because of the guilt! You fucking ruined my life and you didn't give a damn!"
"I did give a damn."
"Not enough to set your friends straight though, right? Let them believe my fiancée was nothing more than a cheating whore. Don't let them know how relieved you were since you were so afraid to marry her, right?"
"Kat, keep your voice down," he urged her.
"Keep my voice down? So your friends can't here the truth? I don't think so Andrew Martin. Your friends are going to hear the truth. They're going to find out about how my cheating relieved you because it gave you the perfect way out of marrying me. And it gave you the perfect alibi. Look at me, I'm the jilted groom! Look at my whorish fiancée, she cheated on me!"
By then, Kat's tone was loud and she was angry and she was this close to foaming at the mouth. All the while, she kept on hitting Andrew's shoulders and head until her hands hurt. She finally stood away from him and turned to Matt Hardy and Adam Copeland who were standing close to her.
"I don't care what you do with him, just get him out of my sight. I'm going to throw up now and he'd better be gone by the time I get back."
"But Kat..."
"Andrew, speaking to me is the last thing you want to do with me for the next ten years or so. Cause if you do, I refuse to be responsible for what I might do to your genitals."
Kat stalked off to the lavatory and slammed the door shut. Burying her mouth in the crook of her elbow, she mustered up a loud scream and let it out. She leaned against the wall and cried until she didn't have any more tears left in her body.
"Kat?" asked Stephanie, banging on the door, "are you okay?"
She didn't answer. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and tried to recognize herself. She looked the same and yet, she felt so different. All the guilt she'd been carrying around since she'd first slept with Steve--
"Kat?" It was Steve this time. "Baby, come on out. Let me see you."
"Steve?"
"Yeah. You coming out?"
"Yes, I am."
Kat opened the window and saw him there, leaning against a wall. He immediately straightened when he saw her.
"You okay?"
"Yes-- although..."
"Although what?"
"I'd feel better if I got a great big hug."
"You got one," Steve told her, pulling her into a tight embrace and holding her tight.
Kat finally allowed herself to completely relax in his arms and realized how good it felt to let go. After a long moment, she raised her head and looked up at him as he gently stroked her hair.
"What?" he asked.
"Maybe I waited too long," she answered.
"Waited too long for what?"
"Waited too long to do this."
Kat got on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to Steve. Naturally, he responded right away and soon, they were groping like teenagers up against the wall. Finally, he pulled away from her and smiled.
"So, was that kiss worth the wait?"
"Maybe..."
"Maybe?"
"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't," Kat whispered as she walked away from Steve. "As I said, maybe..."
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