Taking Chances

Chapter 1

“Jeff, I'm gonna kick your ass if you keep throwing peanuts at me.” Jessa growled, kicking him in the shin when he threw another one at her, smirking in satisfaction at the loud grunt that escaped him. The boy just never learned. It was amazing he still had any brain cells left after all the stunts he pulled out in the ring. She smiled, running a hand through her long black hair, the tips dyed blue thanks to Jeff. Jessa and Jeff were best friends, had been for the past three years she worked for the World Wrestling Entertainment. Not a day went by that Jessa didn't get a visit from him in her office or heard one of his jokes to crack her up. He definitely was a character and she loved him for his spirit and individuality.

“You know you love it.” Jeff smirked, bending down to rub his shin then flashed her one of his patented cheeky grins. “Jessie, can I ask you something?” When she blinked and nodded, he rested his head on her shoulder, batting his long eyelashes. “Could you get me another bag of peanuts? You kinda killed all mine.” He danced away; laughing and wound up slipping on one of the crushed shells, doing an ungainly dance and then promptly went flying backward over a low table, doing a somersault and right smack into the wall. “Cancel that order.” He groaned.

Jessa was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down her cheeks as she shook her head, popping some popcorn in her mouth that she'd made. “Skittles, you are a piece of work, my friend.” She stated, shaking her head, and walked over to help him up, rubbing his head. “Aww, the poor baby got hurt.” She said in a baby voice and giggled, dodging his swat as she walked back over to sit down. That didn't last long because the table Jeff had flipped over with Mark Calaway's and he wasn't in the best of moods lately. Jessa sighed and went to do damage control before Mark ended up killing her best friend.

Jeff was in a pickle. He was talking fast and not giving the adorable look, that'd get his ass kicked quicker than anything. “Mark, it was an accident man, I didn't mean to knock your stuff...” He swallowed hard at the look in those wicked green eyes. “Mommy...”

Grunting, Mark tossed Jeff right back over the damn table.

“I don't want lunch anymore...”

Rolling her eyes, Jessa walked over and helped Jeff up again, sitting him at her table before planting her hands on her hips. “Mark Calaway, kindly remove the stick from your ass or don't eat with your fellow co-workers. Thank you.” She said sweetly then grabbed her bottle of water with her bag of popcorn and walked out of the cafeteria, not believing the man just did that to Jeff.

Jeff stared at Jessa, following her with big green eyes. “Marry me?” He pleaded, smiling when she shook her head no and got on his knees, clasping his hands in front of him. He followed her like that, on his knees, begging her to marry him, nonplussed with the comments and looks he got from his co-workers, they were pretty much used to him being a lunatic.

“Jeff, get off the floor.” She was laughing, finding this amusing as she walked into her office with him following on his hands and knees. “Look, I'd love to marry you honey, but I have a confession to make.” She sighed wistfully, studying her black painted fingernails with a smirk, seeing the questions in his green eyes. “I'm a lesbian, you didn't know?” She giggled when his jaw dropped and sat down at her computer.

“Oh, that's okay,” Jeff said, recovering quickly and bounced up to sit on her desk, staring down at her. “You can marry me and still be a lesbian. Hell, you can bring ladies home...I won't touch, promise.” He teased, holding up his hands innocently. “I'll just watch, okay?” He jumped down and danced out of smacking range, preparing to duck and cover.

“You are a sick man, Hardy,” Jessa stated through giggles, trying to be stern, but it wasn't happening. “What would Beth have to say?” She smirked when his face paled and giggled more before starting her computer up, bringing up some files. “Now get lost, I have work to do and you need to go get ready for your tag match against Randy and Umaga.” She informed before going back to work. She was the lead scriptwriter for the WWE and basically did the entire job by herself since the other writers just came up with ideas out of their asses that blew. Jessa would read them and toss them away just as quickly, coming up with her own ideas.

“Oh yeah, that's why I can't marry you, besides Beth of course,” Jeff said thoughtfully, walking towards the door. “Because SOMEONE got the bright IDEA that it would BOOST my CAREER to put me in a feud against not one, but TWO, people who don't know what JOBBING means!” He blew her a kiss before darting out the door.

“Not my fault your dumbass decided to go up one more tier MORE than what you should've and nearly fell to your death!” Jessa shouted back at his retreating form and growled before turning back to work on the scripts. She was currently on Smackdown's, already finished with Raw and ECW. Smackdown was more difficult because she had a lot of wrestlers who hated their scripts and complained to her. She sighed, already feeling a headache coming on, and decided to Hell with them. They got paid to follow the script and that's what they were going to do.

Not paid enough because, in Jeff's case, he normally wound up suffering for days afterward. He loved his job, but...Umaga AND Randy? He whimpered when he seen the two men already talking about the match. Randy was a good guy, but once in the ring, all bets were off. “I'm gonna go call in sick.” He announced to himself, spinning around and promptly halted. Locker room leader and resident PMSing male, Mark Calaway was standing not far off. “Or maybe I'll just go get killed out there.”

This was so frustrating. Bautista hated his gimmick, Finlay didn't want to be with Hornswaggle anymore, and the Divas were bitching because there were hardly any matches for them!! Jessa finally shoved the papers in her drawer and shut her computer off, needing some time to think. She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a migraine coming on, and closed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. Was it any wonder why she never got any sleep these days? She couldn't work like this if the Superstars weren't willing to compromise and work with her. It was always demand, demand, demand and Jessa was tired of supplying them with lame ass storylines. She groaned and took a sip of her water, hoping this headache went away soon before she ended up blowing her head off.

Mark shook his head and sighed, running a hand down his face. Yeah, he was in a pissy mood lately and yes, he was taking it out on people who were unfortunate to cross paths with him. And it had everything to do with this current storyline. He was BORED, the fans were getting bored, and pretty soon they'd have him back to doing the 'kiss my ass' club just for a change. He shivered at the very thought, his eyes narrowing. He needed something new.

Glen walked up with a grin, in his Kane wrestling gear, seeing his best friend in turmoil over the script. “Ya know it's not all of Jessa's fault right?” He asked knowingly, sighing when Mark just growled in response. “Look, if you're that upset with it, why don't YOU come up with something and give her your idea? Anything to get that stick removed from your ass.” He snickered, still not believing Jessa, tiny Jessa, said to possibly the baddest man in this company. “You gotta admit, that was funny.”

“Funny as hell, ha ha ha,” Mark replied dryly, not in the mood. “I'm thinking about what I want to do.” He then said, his lips curling into a sneer when Glen shot him a look. “Maybe I ought to ask for something involving me kicking your ass?”

“Dead Man Express on PMS coming through!” Jeff laughed, quickly ducking behind the curtain. Better to go to the ring then die.

Throwing his head back, Glen started roaring with laughter while Mark scowled dangerously. Poor Jeff was digging himself a grave he didn't even realize. “Hope ya find that idea. Later man.” He walked off, still laughing his ass off, tears stinging his eyes as he wiped them. “Deadman Express on PMS...” He snorted and then laughed harder, shaking his head. He'd definitely remember that one.

“Laugh it up, asshole.” Mark called out to his friend, growling when Glen just kept walking and shook his head. He'd deal with Hardy later on. He was feeling pretty wicked lately and smirked slightly. Maybe it was time for a return to the Dark side...Mark chuckled to himself. He'd always loved that version of the Undertaker, it was fun playing the villain. A fresh storm of ideas brewing, he went to tape up.

~!~

“Jessa, I have a problem...” Torrie whined as she entered the office and was thrown right back out a second later, colliding into the wall, followed by the door slamming shut hard.

She wasn't going to hear it again. No fucking way! This was the fourth time in a month Torrie had come to her with some kind of problem regarding her script. She shook her head and sat back down, daring the bitch to enter her office again. She'd end up busting her head open and get fired. Oh, the joys of working for this company!

“Now I realize you don't like us Divas, but do you have to kill them before I can?” Ashley asked, stepping in a second later, over Torrie's currently writhing in pain dead ass. “Hey, no, I'm not here to bug you about any lines, chill out. Jeez, Jessa, you need a vacation, you know that? I ACTUALLY wanted to know if you wanted to do something tonight, without Jeff, like the guy, but he's probably going to die for insulting 'Taker.”

“I know you're not here to bug me about your script. Sorry. I'm just so damn frustrated right now.” Jessa sighed as she stood up and hugged one of her few girlfriends in Ashley. “You know I'm always up for some clubbin' girl.” She giggled, leaning against her desk, wearing a pair of black dress pants with a cream colored short sleeved shirt that had a V-shaped neckline. “What did you have in mind?”

“Just going out, some drinking, some dancing. Maybe finding a cute honey or two.” Ashley smiled, her eyes twinkling and rolled her hips. “It'll be fun, you don't actually have to take said honeys home, of course, that is completely optional and besides. Oh hey, Marky Mark.” Ashley loved teasing him, he took it so well.

Mark sighed resignedly. He was destined to be tormented by these young punks, wasn't he?

“See, yeah...completely optional.”

Jessa giggled as she nodded her head, seeing the exasperated look on Mark's face. “Sounds like a plan. Meet me at the hotel later on. I'll be there as soon as I'm done with these scripts.” She stated before Ashley walked out, closing the door behind her. “What can I do for you, Mark?” She asked resignedly, deciding to just get this over with, and held up her hand when he went to speak. “If this is about the script, then turn your ass around and walk right out. I'm not dealing with anymore whining wrestlers and Divas who can't hack what I come up with.” She was through with this shit and didn't care if this man towered over her.

Chapter 2

Mark studied her thoughtfully, emerald green orbs narrowing slightly. “That's good to know, Jessa.” He said finally, hissing her name almost amusedly. “Because I just got done talking to Vince.” He was dressed and ready for the ring, completely in Undertaker gear though he wasn't in character. “This line we're doing now is being pulled. I want to do something else, one of MY ideas.”

Her eyebrow raised, not believing for the first time one of the wrestlers were actually taking it into consideration to help her out. “Proceed then.” She said softly and took a seat behind her desk, folding her hands on it, and stared at him expectantly. She had a feeling whatever this idea was she'd like. Mark wasn't the Phenom for nothing, he actually came up with a lot of his own storylines back in the day, until Vince decided to hire these bullshit writers that she was forced to work with.

Mark wasn't doing any of this to help this woman out. He was doing it because he was tired of all the bullshit they kept giving him and wasn't about to see his career eventually go to Hell. He'd worked too long and too hard to get where he was at. “The Ministry of Darkness is going to be reformed.” He said, lips curling into a sort of smirk/smile. “Vince said I'm to run my idea by you and let you roll with it if you want, but...if I don't like it, it's not happening.”

Jessa was quiet for a long while, not believing she hadn't thought of this before and actually started smirking. “You know, Mark, the CEO of the USA Network has been DYING for something old school to come along. DX just didn't cut the mustard for her, but I think this could do it.” She stood up and started walking around her office, tapping a pen in her hand as she began thinking, envisioning this. “I have an idea...May I run it by you?” She asked, turning to face him, her arms folded in front of her chest.

Mark studied her for a second, wondering if he even wanted to know. Jessa was good, the best thing to happen to the company in a long time, but he also saw what some of her ideas turned out like. He was a realist. She was good, yes. At the same time, she was a woman and seen things way differently from the boys. “Okay.” He said, nodding.

“What if the Undertaker had a weakness?” She held up her hand to him, shaking her head. “Let me finish before you bite my head off okay? And just so you know my ideas don't come out right because Vince refuses to see the fact that this is a ONE person working machine. I do all of the scripts and I have to include the writers shitty ass ideas.” She wanted to clarify that up, already knowing what he was thinking, and started walking back and forth slowly, her heels clicking against the floor below. “Now then, you're getting ready to feud with Bautista soon right?”

Mark inwardly chuckled, the woman was smarter then he gave her credit for, he nodded finally, leaning back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, just staring at her. He could hear her heels clicking on the floor and almost reached out to stop her, nothing more irritating than a pacing woman. “Yeah, I'm getting ready to feud with Bitchtista.” He grunted, not bothering to hide his dislike for the WWE's own male Diva.

Jessa giggled as she continued moving back and forth, finally getting her thoughts in order. “What if the Undertaker's adversary brought in a woman...and not just any woman. What if this woman was apart of the Undertaker's past?” She smirked, already seeing this in her mind, and stopped to turn to face him. “What if she was the Undertaker's long lost love?” She held her hand up, signaling she wasn't done yet. “A stalking angle is too cliché, so this wouldn't really be stalking. Let's say Batista brings this woman in, who is out to destroy your career because of the past you two have. Now as for the reason, it could be anything, and that's not really important. It will keep the audience more captivated if you don't reveal the reasoning, just hinting behind it. Anyway, this woman is the ONLY weakness the Undertaker has, and let's face it, Mark, nobody has seen ANY weakness come from your character since you started back in 1990.” She had a point and she knew it as she started walking back and forth slowly again.

“First off, my character has shown weakness.” Mark corrected, arching an eyebrow and wondered just when she had started watching wrestling or if this job had just fallen in her lap. “Second...who're you thinking to be this past love?” He knew there were several in training Divas down in the OVW, but he couldn't see one of those blonde Torrie wannabes...no, hell no.

“But not in the...how shall we say...sensual way as opposed to his Paul Bearer days.” She argued gently, running a hand through her hair. “The woman?” She shrugged nonchalantly, studying her black painted fingernails. “You can get whoever you want. You get to choose the woman and the members of your Ministry. After all, this IS your idea isn't it?” She smirked and walked back over to sit in her chair, placing her feet up on her desk. “The choice is yours, Mark. You don't like my idea?” She shrugged again, acting cool about this entire situation. “Then you can think of something and I'll write it out. This is in your hands and since Vince gave the okay, I just have to have a meeting with Stephanie to see how we'll incorporate this into the script.”

“I'll think on it.” Mark grunted, nodding at her before walking out. He knew he definitely wanted to reform the Ministry, but toss an old love in the mix? He wondered how that'd work out. Food for thought though. His eyes glimmered wickedly, already getting a few more ideas, thinking maybe he'd just see Stephanie himself. There was a woman who might fit the part.

“Ouch.” Jeff grunted when he was co-cocked by a passing Mark, knowing he could have gotten much worse and then wondered what the smile was for.

Jessa sighed as she shook her head. Whatever. She was done for the night as she packed up her things, zipping her laptop in her bag, and pulled her coat on before walking out. She smiled upon seeing Jeff and knew he was there to escort her back to the hotel. They traveled together, but Jessa refused to share a room with anyone. It was in her contract she was to have her own room at ALL times. She liked being alone, it helped her concentrate on her job and kept her head from exploding.

“How bout we watch some flicks tonight?” Jeff suggested, still rubbing the back of his head.

“Or maybe she's supposed to be going out with me.” Ashley teased, falling into step beside them. “Anyone besides me notice that wicked look on Marky Mark's face when he was coming out of the shower?”

“Out of the shower?”

“What can I say? I appreciate a good looking man.”

Jessa snorted, not expecting any less from Ashley, and shook her head. “You appreciate any good looking man.” She corrected, wrapping her arm around her shoulders, and smirked back at puppy dog looking Jeff. “Nuh-uh, tonight is girl's night out boy. Go ask John and them to go out. Me and Ashley are going to pick up two hot guys and have an orgy. Bye.” She giggled along with Ashley as they walked down the hallway toward the exit, leaving Jeff standing there with his mouth open.

“WAIT- YOU SAID YOU WERE A LESBIAN!” Jeff yelled after them, mouth still hanging open. His eyes about fell out of their sockets when he saw Ashley's hand grab Jessa's ass and give it a healthy squeeze. “Oh, shit...” He croaked out.

“Sorry,” Ashley said, taking her hand away when they were out the doors. “He said that and I just had too. Couldn't help myself. So...what's this about an orgy? Because I got to tell you, it's not happening.”

“Oh, I know.” Jessa giggled as she carried her bag over her shoulder. “I just love tricking the poor guy. He proposed to me at least fifty times today. On his knees and everything. I told him I was a lesbian.” She started laughing harder as they arrived at her car, deciding to leave Ashley's here, and threw her bags in the trunk before slamming it shut. “It's funny watching his facial expressions.”

“Beth must really love him to deal with him, I'd of killed him by now.” Ashley commented, sliding into the car and adjusted her skirt, whipping off her ball cap. “So my lesbian lover, bar or club? Either way, I'm drinking and you can bet your ass I'm going to dance!”

“I'll be right there next to you. I gotta stop at the hotel first to change though.” She smirked before pulling out of the parking lot and headed to the hotel. Once there, she told Ashley to wait, just needing to change, deciding on a black dress that was spaghetti strapped and went to her thighs, redoing her makeup, and walked out a few minutes later, ready to cut loose and have fun with Ashley.

Ashley was sitting on the hood of the car when Jessa came back out, chatting with a couple guys. She smiled when she saw Jessa, flicking her blonde hair back over her shoulders. “Hey honey, this is Gary and Jason.” She introduced. “They were just telling me about this bar down the street, kind of a club, in-between. Wanna go?”

“Sure.” Jessa shrugged nonchalantly and walked over, shaking Gary's hand while Ashley flirted with Jason. They got in the car and peeled out of there, heading toward the club/bar. Jessa stepped out of the car a few minutes later, smoothing her dress out, and closed the door before walking in, not waiting for the other three. This guy Gary crept her out and she just wanted to have a few drinks, dance the night away, and go back to the hotel to sleep. Maybe this is what she needed, especially with how much stress she'd been under lately.

Ashley was in her element. She wasn't a slut by any means but she did like to cut loose and have a good time. She danced and flirted, drinking the entire time, but not enough to get drunk, she wasn't a fool.

Mark knew he should have stayed in tonight. But no, he had to listen to Glen and come out for a beer. He would kill that bald son of a bitch when he got back from whatever tart he was flirting with now. His green eyes narrowed, daring this blonde bitch to even make ONE move on him. He seen the look on her face, he had been through this a million times. He appreciated fans, not crazy ring rats wanting a piece.

Jessa was having the time of her life, dancing with Gary, the guy wasn't that bad in all honesty. He warmed up to her and now they were currently in a slow sway to a country song, Jessa loved this genre of music. Her hands remained on his shoulders, his hands on her hips, both just talking quietly and getting to know each other. She giggled at something he said and nodded, agreeing. When he asked her what she did for a living, Jessa simply smiled and said she was a writer, nothing more. She wasn't going to tell him she worked for the WWE, the last thing she needed was him using her to get closer to the Superstars.

Chapter 3

Mark was a bit surprised when he seen Jessa and Ashley, then smirked, knowing the punk was definitely having a good time. He could see Jessa was enjoying herself as well and just watched her. When she wasn't working or in work clothes, she was...relaxed and very beautiful to look at. An eyebrow raised as he watched Ashley pull her off to say something, seeing both women laugh, then he saw whoever the bozo Jessa was with hand her glass of whatever she was drinking. He stood up, green eyes not missing a damn thing and headed over.

“Oh my god, I didn't need that, Ash!” Jessa laughed as she nodded at Gary, thanking him silently for the drink, and went to take a sip of it when it was slammed out of her hand, causing her to gasp. Her blue eyes flew open and stared back at Mark, swallowing hard, and seen the liquid had splattered on the floor, the glass broke, and it was on her dress! Was this guy out of his mind?! Jessa was so mad, she couldn't think straight and just stormed past him and out of the club, not believing he probably just ruined her dress and evening.

“Mark, have you lost your-” Ashley shrieked when she saw the big man pick Gary up by the throat. “PUT HIM DOWN!”

“What the fuck did you put in her drink?” Mark demanded in a low, cold tone of voice.

“N-nothing man, I didn't put anything-” Gary yelped when the grip on his throat tightened.

Ashley looked down at the spilled drink, stooping down and stared at the still dissolving pill.

Jessa wrapped her arms around herself as her heels clicked violently fast against the pavement, heading to her car. She pulled her keys out and pushed the unlock button, wanting to get the Hell out of there. What the hell was Mark thinking? That's the only thing she could think of as she kept walking, not believing her evening had been ruined. “Fucking men.” She grunted, kicking a rock that was in her way.

“Jessa, wait up!” Ashley yelled from behind, running as fast as her sneakers would allow her. She caught Jessa by the arm, spinning her around. “It's not what you think-” She panted and had to pause. “Gary-” She halted when she heard a window break and turned to find Gary had just been tossed. “He was trying to drug you! Oh shit...”

Mark stalked out of the bar, looking thoroughly dangerous in his black jeans and black leather vest, tattooed sleeved arms and black hair, green eyes pure acid in the night.

“I said I was sorry!” Gary screamed, blood gushing from his nose.

“He WHAT?” Jessa shouted out in surprise and groaned, knowing Mark was going to end up killing this man unless she stopped him. Just before he went to hit Gary again, Jessa stepped in front, her hands planted on his heaving chest. “Mark, Mark don't do it okay? He didn't get to do it, just calm down. Ashley, help me out here, damn it!!” Jessa looked up into Mark's dangerous acid green eyes and slowly turned around to stare down at Gary, who looked like he was staring death in the face. In a way, he was. “Get out of here before you end up in the emergency room asshole.” She hissed and watched as Gary literally bolted down the street.

“Marky Mark, calm down now,” Ashley said finally, snapping out of it and moved to help Jessa restrain Mark from going after that little bitch and pulverizing him. “Honey, you wind up in jail and then what?”

“Prison,” Mark grunted, cracking his knuckles. “It'll be prison.”

“MARK! GLEN, HELP?”

Glen held up his hands, staying out of it.

“Mark!” Jessa shouted and reached up, grabbing his face in her hands, making him stare into her eyes. “You stopped him. I didn't take a drink okay?” Her voice was soft and low as she kept eye contact with him, trying to get the man to calm down. “He's not worth it. He's not worth you going to jail over. Now come on, calm down okay?” She stroked his arm gently, her other hand on his cheek, not even blinking as her heart thundered against her chest.

Mark's head snapped down, his eyes meeting Jessa's. It seemed like an eternity before they finally returned to their normal color, though storm clouds were still rolling through them. He looked her over as if assessing to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with her, before nodding and stepped back, his eyes shooting to Jason.

“Uh...”

“Run.”

Jason FLEW.

“Well this was a LOVELY evening, but I think I'll head back to the hotel now.” Jessa snorted, shaking her head and walked toward her car, raking a hand through her hair. She'd almost been drugged and possibly raped, that thought caused her entire body to tremble as she felt the tears sting her eyes. She needed to get out of here and back to the hotel in the safe confines of her room. What the hell had she been thinking to come to a club with a complete stranger anyway? That was the LAST time she went out alone with Ashley!

A heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder, stopping Jessa. “Ashley is going to take your car back. I'll give you a ride.” He said firmly, seeing the way she was shaking, knowing she was in no condition to be driving right now. Personally, he ever seen her and Ashley out and about again, he was going to slap one of them. Damn fool women, had no sense at all.

“Alright,” Jessa whispered, not trusting her real voice at the moment, and tossed her keys at Ashley. “You get ONE scratch on my car and it'll be the last thing you do.” She threatened before allowing Mark to guide her away, swallowing hard when she saw his motorcycle come into view. “Uh, Mark?” She looked down at herself as she was dressed in a black dress that went two inches above the thigh, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Now how do you expect me to ride with THIS on?”

“Very carefully darlin'.” He actually sounded amused, straddling the Titan with apparent ease. While Jessa was giving him the evil eye, he reached over and picked her up about the waist, using his muscular legs to brace the bike as he set her on his lap, sidesaddle. “Hold on.” He cautioned, revving the motorcycle, not giving her a chance to say anything, just grab his neck before peeling out of there.

She was going to die, she was going to fucking die riding like this! Jessa closed her eyes, feeling the night wind whip through her hair as she clung to Mark for dear life, her arms wrapped around his waist since it was hurting her to do his neck. She took deep breaths, feeling the engine rumbling, and hoped this ride ended soon.

It ended soon enough, he didn't take any detours, cutting through traffic with ease. Finally, he came to a halt, cutting the engine and looked down at her, smirking when he saw her face buried in his chest. “Darlin, the ride is over.” He rumbled, trying not to laugh. He got the impression she'd probably slap the hell out of him. “You alright?”

“That is the dumbest question you've ever asked me.” Jessa growled as she slowly looked up and around, not believing she survived and raked a hand through her now frazzled hair. She slid from his lap and smoothed her dress out, shaking from the after effects and started walking back and forth to shake it off. “Thank you.” She finally said, stopping to stare at him. “For what you did back there and bringing me back.” She thought she was going to throw up from how much relief flooded her body.

Mark's eyes flashed once with anger at the mention of what had happened at the bar, of the thought of what could have happened. “Not a problem, darlin'.” He said gruffly, swinging one long leg off the motorcycle and stood in front of her, staring down into Jessa's eyes, concern on his face. “Are you going to be alright?” He asked softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

“Yeah, I'm never going out with Ashley again unless Jeff is with us. I can't believe I actually went with a club with two strangers.” She sighed, feeling like an idiot, but Ashley assured her they were nice guys. Nice guys, yeah right! Gary nearly drugged her and lord knows what the man had in mind after that. She owed Mark her life in all honesty and let out a shaky breath, letting the night air calm her down. “I'll see you tomorrow Mark. Thanks again.” She turned around and started heading into the hotel.

Mark just watched her go, stroking his goatee thoughtfully. “Hmmm...”

“So how'd it go?” Jeff asked, on his way back to his own room with a can of Mountain Dew in hand, wearing purple and orange zebra-striped pajama shorts. “Not good by the look you're giving me. Everything okay?”

“I was nearly drugged tonight at the club because Ashley's dumbass decided to pick up two stray punks who took us to a club.” She sighed heavily at the look on Jeff's face and held up her hand. “I'm going to bed. If it wasn't for Mark tonight, who knows what would've happened. Night Jeff.” She then walked to her room and slammed the door shut behind her before finally letting the tears fall.

Jeff gaped at the door, green eyes blinking. He was going to strangle Ashley! His fist closed around the can, then he yelped when he got sprayed with cold Mountain Dew, sighing and headed off to his own room.

Ashley had called and left several tearful messages on Jessa's phone. “I'm so sorry, Jess! I didn't know...I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have-” Ashley began bawling and hung up.

~!~

The following night, Jessa was in her office, her feet propped up, wearing a lavender colored shirt with black dress pants, looking over the rough draft of the script with a nod. She smiled when Stephanie walked in and immediately sat up, standing to shake the woman's hand. She hadn't spoken to Ashley, not really wanting to deal with that at the moment. Her main concern was this Ministry storyline and one of her bosses, who was standing in front of her at the moment. “Hey, Steph, what's up?” She asked before taking a seat, setting the rough draft aside.

Stephanie took a deep breath, smiling even broader now. “This idea just threw me for a loop, let me tell you.” She said first. “I remember the old days when I first started working for the company...Ministry Taker, very sexy.” She winked, then clasped her hands together. “Anyways, Mark decided on the woman he wants for the role and get this…it's......YOU!”

The smirk left her face as Jessa's eyes widened in shock, her jaw-dropping, blinking rapidly. Did she just say that? Did Stephanie just come in here and tell her that Mark's woman was going to be HER? “No. No, absolutely not.” Jessa stated as she shook her head emphatically, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Steph, I am NOT an actress. I am a behind the scenes gal, is he out of his fucking mind?!” She'd never used vulgarity, but for once, she was sure her boss would make an exception.

Apparently, Stephanie had been expecting that reaction because she just waved it aside, with the smile still firmly on her face. It was all too obvious she was taken with this whole idea and wasn't about to be swayed. “Mark is quite serious actually, he doesn't want one of the divas, not even one of the newbies, or an actress. He wants genuine emotion and since you have no acting ability, it'll all be real. He's like that. Isn't it great?”

“I'm not doing it, Stephanie, do you hear me?” Jessa couldn't believe this as she stood up and started pacing back and forth, shaking her head. “No...NO! No, I refuse. He needs to find someone else or you need to go on a recruit and find someone. Forget it. I'm not doing it. You can fire me, I don't ca-” She stopped when Mark appeared in the doorway and couldn't stop herself from asking this question even if she tried. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

Chapter 4

“No.” Mark's lips curled into a smirk. “I made the right decision.” He nodded at Stephanie. “She giving you a hard time?”

“You wouldn't even believe it.”

“Told you she was perfect for the part.”

Stephanie grinned happily. “Jessa, you HAVE to do this.” She insisted with a wide smile.

She could only blink at these two and placed her hands on her hips. “Do I LOOK like I want to be the Lady of Darkness or whatever we're calling her?” She demanded, her blue eyes lighting on fire as she shot daggers at both Mark and Stephanie. “I am NOT doing this. Read my lips. I refuse. I am not doing this. I am not going out there in front of all those people and I am NOT acting! I SUCK at acting, get it?”

“Jessa, you're perfect for the part. Look, Mark always rehearses for stuff like this, so you'll get to practice. He and David are both easy enough to work with.” Maybe a little white lie. “You'll be great! Please, do this!”

Mark just stared holes through her, waiting patiently. He was a very patient man and in the end, he'd have his way.

~!~

“I can't believe I'm doing this...I can't believe I'm fucking doing this...” Jessa muttered under her breath as she stared in the full-length mirror, swallowing hard. This dress barely covered her ass and had slits up thighs! Not to mention it dipped way too low for her comfort and it was spaghetti strapped. Her black hair was teased and put up in curls, some tendrils hanging down, and two-inch blood red stilettos that matched her dress was on her feet. They were already killing her. Her face had thick, black eyeliner on her eyes, bringing out the midnight blue orbs nicely. Her colored tips were gone, back to pure black, and she had blood red lipstick on her lips. She looked like Satan's whore. “This is so fucking degrading...”

“You about ready?” David Bautista poked his head in the room, his eyes widening ever so slightly when he saw her. “We're on soon.” He grunted, raking a hand through his short hair, all ready to go in a black suit, the dark red undershirt matching the shades on his face. “You going to be alright?” He demanded, seeing the look on her face, not ready to be puked on. He didn't care if she was new or not, he'd spear her.

“No, I'm not ready and no I'm not going to be alright.” Jessa shot back at him, raking a hand through her hair, and slowly walked out the door in these damn shoes. This was the LAST time wardrobe picked out her outfit. From now on, she was going to wear what she wanted or she wasn't doing this. She sighed as they walked silently to gorilla position and pressed her back against the wall, feeling sick to her stomach. “Deep breaths, deep breaths. I'm going to kill Mark. Deep breaths.” She kept coaching herself in a mutter, her eyes closed, her hand pressed to her stomach.

David shook his head, sighing and rolled his eyes, walking over and placing his hands on her shoulders, beginning to gently massage them. “Calm down. If you don't calm down and fuck this up, you won't have to worry about killing Mark, he'll kill you.” She wasn't allowed to reply because his music hit the stand. David grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together and headed out, knowing they were interrupting Undertaker and smirked, totally in the game now.

As soon as Jessa was bathed in that dark red light, her demeanor changed, a slow smirk curving her lips, allowing David to guide her on the stage fully. She stood there, her free hand placed on her hip, her eyes focused solely on the man in the ring. The smirk broadened when Undertaker stopped what he was doing and she reached her hand up, waving three fingers at him before running her black painted fingernails down David's shirt covered chest, a seductive gleam in her eyes, and smirked when David's music cut, bringing the microphone to his mouth.

Undertaker's eyes were on the woman and nobody else, though the look on his face clearly said he was listening to David.

“Undertaker when you decided to reform your little Ministry, it got me a little worried, I confess it,” Batista said, letting go of her hand to pace the stage a few times, halting to circle her, his shades sliding down his nose as brown eyes pierced hers. “I know how you used to do things, sneak attacks, the mind games...So...” He gestured to the woman beside him. “I came prepared.”

Her eyes followed his every move as he circled her, a predatory gaze in his brown eyes, and slowly looked back up at the stage to Undertaker. She smiled when David handed her the microphone and nodded, feeling his arms wrap around her from behind. “It's been a long time, hasn't it Undertaker?” Her voice was low and seductive, a hint of amusement apparent as she snuggled back against Batista's body. She giggled when he whispered something in her ear and swatted his hands away playfully. “Bad boy.” She purred, her focus turning back to the man in the ring. “You DO remember me, don't you?” She laughed at the look in his green eyes, black hair flipping back over her shoulder. “Of course you do. After all, we do know each other...personally.”

Undertaker said something to Kane who was pacing beside him, holding out a hand then looked back at the pair on the stage, his fathomless green eyes beginning to spark.

Batista leaned over her shoulder to speak into the microphone. “He knows...” He rumbled. “Though I'm not too sure if he remembers the personal part, honey, it's been a long time for the Dead Man apparently.”

Undertaker finally raised his own microphone to his mouth, saying only one word.

“Jenessa.”

The way he said it made every woman in the audience squirm.

She laughed wickedly in the microphone, the evilness evident in her eyes. “Very good Undertaker. My, my, your memory hasn't failed you yet.” She smirked, placing her hand over David's arms, running her nails gently up it while her hand held the microphone to her mouth. “Do you know why I'm here Undertaker? Why I've returned?”

“I'm sure you will tell me.” His voice dripped with venom, deep and dark and very dangerous, though still making the women squirm.

David chuckled, one arm wrapped firmly around Jenessa's waist, palm splayed out on her stomach possessively. He growled when she moved back against him, his breath hot on her neck.

He didn’t miss it either.

Jenessa smirked, placing her free hand over David's, and licked her blood red lips before speaking again. “You already know why I'm here. Though I will say this much...” She glanced back at David with those cool blue eyes before turning back to face Undertaker in the ring, slowly walking out of his arms, and stood in the center on top of the stage. “As long as I am around, the championship will stay around Batista's waist.”

Undertaker's own dangerously calm green eyes looked slowly to Batista and then back to Jenessa. “Then you both will...Rest in peace.” His eyes rolled back into his head just before the arena was shrouded in black.

As soon as she was in the back, Jessa instantly pulled away from David and ran to the nearest trashcan, throwing up. Her entire body trembled, gripping the can, and finally finished as she slowly stood up, being careful not to get anything on her dress just as Jeff walked up, handing her a towel and a robe. She instantly wrapped herself in the robe and wiped her mouth off before leaning against the wall. “I can't do this…” She thought, shaking her head back and forth

David strolled up to her, the belt now tossed over his shoulder. “You did real good out there.” He said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “You going to be okay?”

“Of course she is, Jessa that was so awesome! Mark is going to be thrilled when he sees the playback!” Stephanie squealed, clapping her hands together excitedly.

“Yeah...right,” Jessa muttered as she finally pulled away from the wall and raked a hand through her hair. “You can tell Mark I'm not cut out for this.” She stated before walking down the hallway, needing to change out of this piece of clothing they called a dress and showered as she brushed her hair out. She wasn't doing this. She nearly had a heart attack out there and didn't even realize what she was doing or what she was saying. It was like she transformed into a completely different person and swallowed hard, shaking her head.

“You can tell me yourself.” Came his voice from behind her the second she'd stepped into a room. Mark wasn't even out of his ring costume yet. His hair was still wet from both the earlier shower and from sweating under the hot lights. His arms were folded over his chest, green eyes staring at her broodingly. “You were perfect out there.”

“Fine, I'm not doing this anymore.” She stated, turning to face him, a towel wrapped around her body since she was getting ready to take a shower. “I can't do this Mark. I threw up as soon as I walked through the curtains.” Not to mention she didn't like David touching her the way he was, even though he was playing the part. It unnerved her, made her uncomfortable. “I'm sure you can find someone else to play this part.” She then turned around and started getting clothes out of her bag.

“Its too late,” Mark said, his voice finally beginning to change back to its normal tone instead of the dark baritone. “You've been seen, the whole line will be ruined if we tried to replace you now.” He pushed down the straps of his suit, apparently making himself more comfortable. “Its natural to be nervous and get sick, Jessa, give it some time.”

She knew he was right and hated him for it. Damn it! Why had she agreed to do this in the first place? Now she was stuck and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. “Fine, but I'm having someone else write this out.” She held her hand up when he began protesting. “Half of it is already done and I will make sure the other half is perfect before sending it through. I can't juggle both script writing and Jenessa. I'll end up collapsing from exhaustion.” She raked a hand through her hair, feeling nauseous again.

He nodded curtly. “Fine.” He'd personally make sure he reviewed every line for this, he could tell it had potential to go far, especially after seeing how it played out on the rewind. Oh yes, definite potential. He wouldn't let anyone fuck this up.

“She's going to do it!” Stephanie shrieked from the hallway.

“Christ on a cracker...”

Jessa sighed heavily and slid her robe back on, sliding the towel off after making sure everything was covered up and walked back out. “I have no choice, the crowd already seen me. Sorry. I'm just freaking out.” She rubbed the back of her neck, not believing how much she changed when she was in the spotlight. “Is it supposed to feel like you're having an out of body experience?” She asked out of nowhere and chewed on her thumbnail.

They all looked at her. Stephanie was nodding, bouncing on the balls of her feet. David looked like he was wondering how on earth she got this job, to begin with, and Mark looked...he looked mildly amused.

“You found a character and went with it.” He said finally.

“You ZONED out. It was AWESOME.”

David winked at her lavisciously. “You did a great job, Jessa.” He purred in a low voice.

“That is the last time I wear another one of those...THINGS out there, Stephanie.” She growled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “From now on, I'm picking my OWN wardrobe.” She smiled when Stephanie just nodded, already having a few ideas in mind and turned to face David. “I'm the lead scriptwriter that you keep hounding about your storyline. Congratulations honey.” She snorted before walking back into the room for her shower.

Chapter 5

“She was the lead scriptwriter? So does this mean she's not going to be doing it anymore?”

“Probably.”

“Thank god.”

“You're a real asshole, David. You know that? Hey...where'd Mark go?”

“For your information, Jessa is a great scriptwriter. It's the other writers that you should be hounding, not her.” Ashley growled as she brushed past them, pushing the door open to leave something on the chair, and walked back out.

“Steph, you know as well as I do this storyline can't go on forever and she's gonna want her job back.” Shane piped in as he walked up to them, narrowing his eyes at David.

“Shane this line has just begun, so don't start with me. I'll give you more gray hairs.” Stephanie cautioned sweetly, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. “We just kicked it off tonight, don't go giving me your lectures about when it's over. It's over when it's over.”

David decided now was a good time to leave as well.

After a shower, Jessa stepped out and pulled on a pair of blue jeans with a black tank top, leaving her hair down and straightened. Some of the things she'd written in the script that would happen unnerved her. There would be some locker room scenes, a shower scene, but the one she was nervous about most was the hotel scene. She shuddered and walked out, her bag over her shoulder, holding her keys to her car that Ashley must have left her while she was in the shower. She made a mental note to call the girl later.

“You look like you're still going to be sick,” Mark commented, falling into step beside her, his own bag slung over his shoulder, fresh out of the shower himself. “Thinking about upcoming scenes or just general nausea?” He looked down at her, studying her thoughtfully. “It's not that bad you know, everything can be rehearsed just to make you feel better about it. Some people are like that.”

“I'm fine. Just trying to get my thoughts in order.” Jessa replied softly, the color slowly returning to her cheeks, and sighed as her eyes closed upon feeling the night air hit her. It was the greatest feeling in the world as she slowly opened them, seeing the fans had dispersed. “I think rehearsals will make it look phony, to be honest with you.” She finally spoke as they walked toward her car, shoving a hand in her jeans pocket. “But it's up to you. You said you liked real reactions, how can it be real if it's already rehearsed?” She shrugged nonchalantly.

Mark smirked slightly. “I rehearse to see how things might end up and then generally go from there. You did fine, Jessa. I was just making a suggestion. But since you seem to have everything under control, good night.” He winked at her before walking off towards his rental, this time a truck.

This man was driving her nuts and not in a good way either. Didn't he say he wanted TRUE emotion, TRUE feeling? How could that happen if they rehearsed every scene? It couldn't and Jessa wanted to do this right, even if it was her body being touched...She shivered and immediately pushed that out of her mind as she threw her bag in the back seat. She stepped into the driver's seat and pulled out of there, putting the car in drive and headed back to the hotel. This was going to be a long...long...very long couple of months and Jessa hoped she was ready for it.

Mark cranked the music on the drive back to the hotel, his mind on the woman. He had said he wanted real emotions, but it was a well-known fact he tended to rehearse before PPV's and out of the arena scenes. There was just too much chance of something going wrong. What wasn't a well-known fact was that he wanted to see how the people he'd be doing a scene with would do. If he didn't like the way they did in a rehearsal, he would step in and change it.

~!~

“Jeff I am really not in the mood right now.” Jessa sighed as she shook her head, sitting in the cafeteria in her usual wear, sipping some coffee. She hadn't slept a wink, too worried about this storyline, and knew she just had to flow with it. It unnerved her that she was really playing Jenessa, the object of Undertaker's deepest and darkest desires, a forbidden true love. She snorted, setting her coffee down and placed her head in her arms, closing her eyes.

“If you hate it so bad, just step down. Technically, they can't fire you because this isn't part of your original contract.” Jeff said, peeling the wrapper off a blueberry muffin and popped the whole thing in his mouth. “Though personally, I thought you did great out there. Bit skimpy on the outfit but...you have really nice calves...and thighs...and your ass...” He swallowed. “Sorry.”

“Thanks.” She muttered and slapped him upside the head, shaking her own as she raked a hand through her hair. “I can't back out of this, Jeff. The crowd has already seen me, they can't get a new girl otherwise the entire storyline would have to be changed. I can do this, I just...I need to calm down and just let things flow.” She was talking herself down more than anything as she stood up, knowing she had to go get ready because they were doing a locker room scene tonight and David had a match which she was escorting him too.

“So...rumor mill says there's a locker room scene coming up.” Jeff wiggled his eyebrows. “Of course since Batista's in it, everyone automatically thinks back to the whole Melina thing with...well you know. Factor in you're a pretty hot chick and...” He ducked the next incoming slap. “Hey, I'm just stating the facts, Jess. What IS scheduled for that scene?”

“Bautista isn't in the scene. It's basically going to be the first interaction with Jenessa and Undertaker.” She wasn't going to say anything else and patted his shoulder. “Have a great match and see ya later, Skittles.” She then took off down the hallway, already having her outfit picked out and everything. For once, she'd feel comfortable…somewhat.

Ashley fell into step beside her, still feeling pretty shitty about what had happened at the bar. “So...” She coughed, fiddling with the baseball cap in her hands. “How do you like doing the acting thing?” She wasn't entirely sure if they were cool yet, so she was trying to keep cool and be neutral, and out of punching distance.

Jessa stopped and sighed, turning to face Ashley, her eyes unreadable. She suddenly hugged her and closed her eyes. “It's new, I'll say that much.” She murmured before pulling back, smiling down at one of her best friends. “It's alright Ash. I know you didn't mean any harm. We both learned a lesson and that was not to go out with strange men anymore.” She smiled and wrapped her arm around Ashley's shoulder, letting her know everything was fine between them.

“That means no dating anyone on the roster.” Ashley joked, wrapping her arm around Jessa, glad to have her friend back. “I wanted to talk to you about your line anyways. That was HOT. I don't see how you're so nervous, you're a natural girl. You and David act well together, it's really smoking. He IS single, did you know? Sorry, I'm rambling about things that get us both in trouble.”

“He's also a man whore.” Jessa reminded her as they arrived outside her dressing room, causing her to let out a heavy sigh. “I'll see you later Ashley. I need to go get ready for my segment with Mark. Hopefully, I don't throw up until after it's over with.” She smiled before walking in, closing the door behind her, and immediately went to take a shower. She had two hours to transform into Jenessa.

Ashley shook her head, cocking an eyebrow when Jeff bounced up to her. “What?”

“Marry me?”

“I'm calling Beth.”

“Why? She won't marry me either.”

~!~

Jessa closed her eyes briefly before opening them, into full Jenessa mode as she stared back in the mirror she was standing in front of.

There was a knock on the door followed by David walking in, wearing just a pair of his ring tights and boots. “Hey...you going to be alright doing this?” He asked, looking her up and down, obviously trying not to smirk. “Nice threads, I like the corset top.” He stepped towards her.

“Jenessa, we're setting up now.” One of the stagehands called from outside.

“Good luck.” He walked out just as quick as he had come in.

Jenessa was bent over, studying the mirror as she applied her black makeup, fresh off a make-out session with David prior to him leaving to do his promo. He decided to leave her behind to freshen up and smirked, her lips painted black. She had dark, thick black eyeliner around her eyes and she was wearing a strapless corset dress that went two inches past her knees. It laced up the front. She had two-inch spiked heels on with fishnet nylons, her long black hair flowing down her back and shoulders, not in the mood to curl it.

“JR, look at that! Man, that Jenessa definitely has puppy potential...” King grinned as he nudged his colleague, looking up at the Titantron, seeing her bent over studying a mirror.

“King, get your head outta the clouds and focus on the matter at hand. Wait...what the-”

A gasp sounded throughout the locker room as Jenessa dropped her blush brush, the small sound of it clicking on the ground the least of her worries. She looked around in the darkness and smirked when she felt a pair of hands on her hips, snuggling. “David, if you wanted to play, why didn't you say so?” She giggled seductively just as a purple light engulfed the room.

“Still want to play?” Came the Undertaker's voice, nothing more than a dark hiss, the purple lighting not fading, but giving an eerie impression. The Undertaker was quite clear though, in his ring gear, a thoroughly wicked look on his face. “Jenessa...”

“Why is it the women go nuts whenever he says that?”

“King, just shut up and watch.”

She whipped around, her blue eyes widening at the sight of the last man she ever wanted to see. “Stay away from me.” She ordered, the seductiveness went out of her tone, and slowly backed up from him. “I mean it, Undertaker, David will be back and you'll be sorry.” Her back hit the wall, causing her face to pale even more than what it already was, and pressed her black lips together tightly, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

His demonic chuckle echoed throughout the room, sending shivers down everyone who heard it. “Jenessa...David is quite busy at the moment.” He said in a low, husky voice, though it was still deep and dark. He was evil incarnate with too much allure. “It is just you and me.” He had been approaching her throughout this and had her pinned to the wall before she even realized he was there, his hands level on either side of her head, staring down into her eyes.

She had to look away from those eyes, those hypnotic green eyes, and closed her own, trying to stop trembling. “What do you want?” She finally asked, slowly opening her eyes when his hand cupped her chin, holding it between his thumb and forefinger, immediately pulling her face from him. “Don't touch me!” She hissed dangerously, wanting to claw his eyes out with her long black painted fingernails, but refrained. She wasn't as dumb as people thought she was.

“What have I always wanted?” He purred, his breath warm on her face, he was THAT close. Their lips could have touched in one of them would move only half an inch. “You, Jenessa, I want you.” If anything, her fiery attitude seemed to amuse him. Undertaker chuckled darkly, running the back of his knuckles down the side of her face.

“I said don't touch me!” She shouted and dug her nails into his chest, shoving him back as far as she could, which wasn't far. He took maybe a step, but it was something as she swallowed hard. “I don't want you and I never did so deal with it. I'm with David now.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, touching her cheek with her hand where he touched her, shuddering again.

His face went blank, his eyes oddly calm. Then after a long drawn out silence, the corner of Undertaker's mouth curled upward, into a sneer. “For now.” He said ominously. The lights flickered on and off, finally light flooding the room showing Jenessa to be by herself. There was no trace he had even been there, besides the look on her face.

The Titan Tron went blank, causing every member of the audience to start murmuring among themselves.

Chapter 6

When Jessa saw the hand signal that the scene was over, she nodded and let out the breath she'd been holding in, needing some air. That was intense and it was going to get worse as this storyline progressed. Not to mention she still had to go out to the ring with David, but at the moment, she wasn't Jenessa. She was Jessa. She walked out and stopped, seeing Mark standing there in his Undertaker ring gear and raked a hand through her hair, casting her eyes to the floor. He was going to say it sucked, she just knew it.

“I honestly thought you were going to either claw my eyes out or kick me in the balls.” Were the first words out of his mouth, his green eyes twinkling amusedly. Mark smirked when she shot him a look. “Well...you looked like a cornered tigress...maybe you picked the wrong name.” He winked at her before walking off to prep for his later match.

“Maybe next time I WILL kick you in the balls.” She stated loud enough for him to hear and smirked when he just laughed as she headed down the hallway for a bottle of water.

~!~

“David, calm down, he didn't do anything to me.” Jenessa crooned softly, sitting on the couch, running her fingers down his neck and chest before turning his face to stare into her eyes. “Tonight, you send him a message.” She stated, rubbing her nose against his. “If you do, I might just have a little surprise for you later on.” She winked, snaking her tongue out to lick her upper lip, and slowly stood before their lips could touch. “Now come on, show me the Animal you are.”

Batista growled, his brown eyes raking her in hungrily and stood up, catching Jenessa by the arm before she could move away. He pulled her up against him harshly, their bodies slamming together. “I'll show you an Animal alright, baby.” He murmured before bending down and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, one hand moving to the small of her back, the other entangling itself in her hair.

Jenessa moaned against him, raking her nails down his chest before ripping her lips from his, her eyes drinking him in fully. “Prove it.” She challenged before slowly walking past him, their bodies brushing together as she walked out of the dressing room, him eagerly following.

When the cameras were cut, Jessa had to stop as she leaned against the wall, the breath knocked out of her due to how forceful David had crushed his body to hers. She was a tiny person and he had to remember that, not to mention she was going to have a bruise on her arm from how hard he grabbed her. “I'm fine.” She stated before he could ask and walked down the hallway, rubbing her arm.

David watched her go, licking his lips. That was completely spur of the moment and he'd have to definitely do it again.

“You okay?”

“You got Angelina Jolie lips, did you know that?”

“That was one hell of a kiss.”

“Shut up!” Jessa snapped as she shoved both Jeff and Ashley away, causing them to collide into Glen as she stalked to the gorilla position. That kiss was not scripted and him grabbing her wasn't either. Jessa was pissed and wanted to wipe her lips, but knew she couldn't. She had to stay the way she was until after his match.

“Who the hell pissed in her cornflakes?” Glen demanded.

“David.”

“Actually, he kissed the cornflakes.”

“Oh...well that explains the Jolie lips.”

“TOLD you.”

~!~

Saliva blared throughout the arena speakers as Jenessa walked out, a smirk on her lips, and stood in the middle of the rampway, her hands on her hips while Batista did his pyro. She then walked with him the rest of the way, staying on the outside, and clapped as he posed for the fans, her eyes on him and only him.

“JR that was one HELL of a kiss! Puppies!”

“Makes you wonder if the Phenom saw that...no doubt he did.”

The smirk was wiped off of Jenessa's face when David's opponent came out and it was Kane.

Kane was under orders, to kill this man. He did his pyro, flames leaping from the four turnbuckles and turned his cold gaze onto Batista, his maniacal grin spreading across his face.

David bounced on one foot and then the other, his eyes focused, obviously ready for this.

Kane just kept grinning.

That wasn't good.

Jenessa didn't like the grin on Kane's face and swallowed hard, cringing when Batista got kicked in the face to start the match. She pounded on the ring apron, trying to get him back on his feet, and backed away when Kane charged at her. She just glared, her blue eyes iced over, and was tempted to grab a chair, but refrained. “Come on David!!” She shouted, pounding on the mat again, her voice echoing throughout the arena that was in a frenzy right now.

He shook the cobwebs from his head, blinking rapidly and got to his feet. David spared Jenessa a glance, finally appearing to get his head back in the game. He ducked the clothesline from Kane, spinning around and speared him.

Kane grunted, but didn't stop laughing.

That's when the ring ropes lit on fire.

“David!!” Jenessa shrieked as she stumbled away from the ring, the explosion knocking her down, and scrambled up to her feet as her blue eyes widened, covering her mouth with her hand. She couldn't interfere now because the fucking RING ROPES were on FIRE! “David watch out!” She cried when Kane clobbered him with another clothesline, seeing he was dangerously close to the fire. Jenessa had to do something, but in all honesty, what COULD she do?

“JR THE RING IS ON FIRE!!”

“Oh my god!! That was a slobber knocker of a chokeslam and Kane is rolling Batista near the flames! Somebody stop this!!”

David was floating on a different cloud and it wasn't cloud nine. His head was spinning, quite literally, and then he felt something very, very hot dangerously close to his arm.

“Undertaker sends his regards.” Kane hissed dangerously.

Grunting, Batista rolled, pinning Kane down right on top of the flames. He slipped through, using Kane's body to protect himself.

Kane was on fire.

Jenessa's eyes widened when she saw Kane's back was on fire and immediately took the fire extinguisher, putting him out as he dropped to the floor. She dropped the object just as David grabbed her hand, dragging her up the ramp with him, looking back at his handy work.

“JR, she just helped Kane out! She helped Undertaker's brother!”

“I'm not blind King, I saw it. The question is, why did she do it?”

“What the hell are you thinking, Jenessa?” Batista demanded angrily. “He tried to BURN ME ALIVE, or didn't you notice?” He snarled, brown eyes spitting flames. “Its cool for him to roast me, but when I turn the tables, then you have a conscience attack?”

Jenessa winced when his hand clamped down hard on her arm as he dragged her up the rampway, lowering her head, knowing she made a mistake. She was shoved through the black curtains as the cameras kept following and groaned when he shoved her against the wall. “I-I couldn't let him burn...” She whispered out loud enough for the camera to hear, on her knees in front of him, the tears stinging her blue eyes as she refused to look up at him. “I-I'm sorry David...”

“Sorry? Sorry for what? Not being able to let that sick, psychotic bastard burn, but able to watch him try torching me?” He snorted, glaring down at her sternly. “Get your head in the game, Jenessa.” He pulled her against him. “We still want the same thing, don't we?” He whispered, running his hand down the side of her face.

“Yes...yes we do.” She whispered back, staring back into his brown orbs, and swallowed hard as she blinked back the tears that were evident in her eyes. “It won't happen again, David.” She promised, her voice low as she slowly ran a fingernail down his chest, a smirk curving her black lips as her eyes locked on his, the tears still in them.

He smiled slightly, reaching out to capture a stray tear with his thumb, bringing it to his mouth and sucked the tear away, his eyes never leaving hers. He caught her hand in his, bringing it to his mouth and planted a kiss on the back of it. “Good.” He murmured huskily.

~!~

Jessa instantly slid down the wall when the cameras went off, letting the tears flow down her cheeks as she held her lower back. He nearly threw her through the wall. “Damn...” She breathed out, seeing him saunter away, the bastard not even asking if she was alright. “Prick.” She muttered, slowly rising to her feet, and walked down the hallway as she wiped her tears away. She just wanted to get the fuck out of there and go back to the hotel for a nice soak in a hot bath. She groaned when she felt her arm throbbing and could already see a bruise forming. “Great...Just fucking great.”

It wasn't her day because just as Jessa was turning the corner, Mark was coming around it. He reached out to stop her from falling down, his hand wrapping around her bruised arm. He frowned when he flinched and quickly let go, arching an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?” He asked gravely, figuring she should be either elated or puking by now, that scene had gone well.

“Fine. Excuse me.” She muttered, brushing by him and walked down the hallway at a fast pace, her arm turning a nasty black and blue. She'd have to use her special salve to make them disappear and sighed, walking into her own private dressing room. A half an hour later, Jessa walked out wearing jeans and a tank top, her hair down and damp from a shower, ready to get the Hell out of there. Her arm was very visible, having forgotten her salve at the hotel, and her back was now a nasty purple color.

“What's shakin' bacon...and HOLEE FUCK!” Jeff exploded. He gently grabbed her arm and turned it so he could see it better. “Jesus Christ Jessa, how'd this happen?” His green eyes narrowed. “David was too rough, wasn't he? That son of a bitch...You need to talk to Stephanie or someone who can warn Bitchtista to-”

“Bitchtista?”

“Nice going, Jeff,” Jessa muttered, pulling away from him, and turned to stare back at David with cool blue eyes. “Bautista, if you ever, and I do mean EVER, break script again, I will make sure Stephanie knows about it, do I make myself clear?” She ignored the look that Jeff shot her. “You know the kiss wasn't scripted and you know DAMN well you are not to manhandle me on or OFF camera. Jenessa is not Batista's ragged doll. Do you understand me?” She demanded, completely livid that he broke script on her, and crossed her arms in front of her chest, her arm swollen and quickly turning dark.

David's piercing brown eyes took in her arm, a frown gracing his lips. “Sorry, Jessa.” He said gruffly. “Sometimes I get carried away.”

“Carried away? Dude, you could have broken her arm!”

“Hardy...”

“Bitchtista?” Jeff's dander was up and he was letting his mouth run off with him.

“Oh and THIS is being carried away too?” She demanded, turning and pulled her tank top up, revealing the huge black and purple bruise on her lower back from him slamming her against the wall. “You nearly putting me through the damn wall wasn't scripted either, David!” She snarled angrily, whipping around before he could touch her, and backed away. “I'm warning you right now, I will cut you from this storyline if you break script one more time. Don't forget, I AM still the lead scriptwriter. Let's go, Jeff.” She ordered before turning and stalking out of the arena.

Jeff didn't budge, he just stared holes through David. “Watch yourself, man.” He said finally, his voice a low growl.

“Do the same.” David grunted, his stance changing ever so slightly, daring the smaller man to do something stupid.

Jeff snorted, turned and followed Jessa, his own flippant attitude telling David both to fuck off and he wasn't worth it either.

“I don't want to hear it, Jeff. I just need to make this storyline work. Though if he touches or roughs me up again, I am reporting him to Vince. Stephanie will just blow it off.” She snorted, gripping the steering wheel, the anger flowing throughout her body. She warned David and knew if he wanted to keep his ass in this storyline, he'd listen because Jessa was already sick of him and this was only week two. She sighed heavily and arrived at the hotel, walking up to her room, and bide Jeff goodnight before closing the door. She finally allowed the tears to fall and dropped to her knees, the pain overtaking every nerve of her body.

Chapter 7

Jeff sighed, raking a hand through his hair before deciding to go talk to someone who might be able to help. Jessa might be the lead scriptwriter, but short of quitting, the line would go on with only a reprimand, it was too popular already. That and it was using the two biggest attractions on Smackdown, the McMahons wouldn't be letting their cash cow go.

After stripping out of her clothes, Jessa winced as she walked over to stare in the mirror, the tears falling at the sight of the huge bruise on her back that went from her shoulder blades to her waist, practically covering the entire thing because of how tiny she was. She wasn't lying when she said David nearly threw her through the wall. She then studied her arm and sighed, seeing the fingerprints clearly in the bruise, and shook her head as she raked a hand through her hair. Why had she gone through with this? Why didn't she just quit and force Mark to find someone else? “I'm fucking screwed.” She muttered before walking over and slid in her Jacuzzi tub, hoping the jets helped with the current pain she was in.

Mark listened to every word Jeff said, having to disregard the cursing and the Bitchtista's if he wanted to get the story straight, which he did manage to do. The kid was irate and rambling, every other word out of his mouth seemed to be ‘motherfucker’. By the time Jeff had finished, Mark's blood was boiling. It was one thing to stay in character and get a little carried away IN THE RING, but quite another backstage and with a damn woman. “I'll handle it.” He said gruffly.

After Jessa was finished with the Jacuzzi, she rubbed the special salve on her back, having to use a towel to smooth the rest on her upper back. She couldn't have bruises for this storyline and sighed, finishing up with her arm. She watched as they slowly began to disappear, the one on her back would be there a few days. She would have to use makeup and that made her angry. She wrapped herself in a towel and sighed when a knock sounded at her door. Honestly, couldn't people leave her the fuck alone?

No, people could not leave it alone. When she answered the door, there was Mark towering over her. He wore black jeans and a black muscle shirt, his freshly showered hair hanging wet down his back. He was also carrying something in his hand. “Here.” He held it out. “I didn't know if you had anything for them bruises or not.”

“I'm gonna kill Jeff.” She muttered and snatched it from him, walking away from the door as he stepped inside, clutching her towel to her body. “I have a special cream I use for bruises. I bruise easily.” She was making excuses for David's behavior and she knew it, but she didn't want anyone making a big deal out of this. She told David how it was and if he didn't listen, she'd take matters into her own hands. “I'm fine Mark, really.”

“It's not fine, period,” Mark said gravely, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. “I didn’t know what you had so... I use that on just about everything, works great.” He inclined his head towards the jar, his eyes narrowing when he seen her bruised back where the towel ended. “Can you get your back or do you need help?”

“I got most of it.” She said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself, and sighed when he slowly turned her around, apparently wanting to inspect her back more. It was completely bruised, from her waist to her shoulder blades, black and purple. “He shoved me too hard.” She whispered and closed her eyes when his fingertips brushed against it, hissing in pain, and had to grip the nightstand to keep from hitting him. That's how tender it was, salve or not.

“I can see that.” Mark whispered, not trusting his tone at the moment. He sat her on the table, lifting her up to set her there and lowered the towel, standing behind her. He kept it loosely draped around her waist for modesty's sake, then opened the jar. A second later, he was gently massaging the cream into her back. “Was any of that scripted?” He asked softly.

“No. He wasn't supposed to touch me except hold my hand.” She quietly answered wincing as the tears stung her eyes, gripping the counter with her hands tightly. “I told him if he does it again, I'm turning him in. I'm not in this to be abused. I'm in this to help get this show ratings. This isn't what I fucking signed up for...damn!” She hissed out when he hit another spot that hurt to the point to bring tears to her eyes.

Mark didn't say a word, just gentled his touch even more. He was remarkably delicate for a man his size, his hand's size, all things considered. His brow furrowed, knowing David had more than overstepped a boundary. The man was probably laughing his ass off right about now, especially if Jessa had threatened him, David figured he was untouchable. But...he wasn't.

“Thank you, Mark.” Jessa quietly said when he finished, pulling the towel up and wrapped it around her again before turning to face him, the tears still in her eyes, but they hadn't fallen. “Please keep this between us alright? I really don't want to cause trouble since I have to work with the asshole.” She bit her bottom lip and lowered her gaze to the floor, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.

Mark reached back to rub the back of his neck, staring down at her. “Might be a little late for that, Jessa. Jeffrey isn't going to let this lie.” He said. “He's pretty pissed. Short of disabling his mouth, not much is going to keep that boy quiet.” Jeff was more than pissed actually. Mark was too, but he was going to handle his anger in the ring, without words.

“I will deal with Jeff. Trust me, I can get him to shut his mouth.” She smirked a little before gently stepping down from the counter, wincing at her back, and sighed before walking over to pull out a nightgown, knowing she wouldn't be able to wear a bra with how sore her back was. “Just don't kill him.” She pleaded, already knowing what he was thinking, and slipped the nightgown on before the towel fell, turning around to face him. She'd already had panties on before he arrived.

He had glimpsed them too. Mark was going to have to erase that image from his mind, or better yet, he'd just use it when he did a scene with her, there was some fuel for the flames. “Start rehearsing the scenes with David.” He said. “Every scene, rehearse it, in front of a crew. Then when he jumps script, he can be held accountable.”

She nodded back at him, deciding that was a smart thing to do. “I'll have the camera crew film it and keep it for evidence so that way if he does jump script again, I will have the proof.” She replied and walked over, sitting down on the bed, wincing a bit. “Hopefully I'll be healed before next week for Raw.” She sighed heavily and rubbed her temples, feeling a migraine coming on. “Just so you know the entire storyline has been written out from beginning to end and there is not a single speck in it about him manhandling Jenessa or kissing her. This isn't a porno after all.”

Mark couldn't help but smile slightly, studying her thoughtfully. “No wonder the poor bastard kissed you.” He said finally. “You're too beautiful to not be kissed.” He shook his head. “Get some sleep Jessa, I'll see you at work.” He gave her a half wave before walking out of the room, wondering where on earth THAT had come from.

Jessa blinked, wondering if she'd heard him right, and swallowed hard before immediately shrugging it off. He was just being nice to her before she was hurt. She smiled, feeling her cheeks flame in spite of what she thought, and slowly laid down on her stomach, knowing her back was OUT of the question for the night. Her eyes closed as she snuggled in the pillow hoping next week went better than this one. She just hoped and prayed David didn't jump script again, this hurt like a mother fucker.

~!~

“Hey Jessa, when you wake up, call me,” Ashley said, leaving a voice message. “Jeff got totally wasted last night at the hotel bar and shot off at the mouth when he saw David. He shot off pretty...well, it was funny, until David knocked him out. Anyways, Jeff has a concussion and David has a split forehead, Jeff ALMOST whooped his ass. Anyways, just thought you should know.”

“Oh god...” Jessa groaned, her eyes shot wide open, and immediately changed into a pair of jeans and an Undertaker t-shirt before rushing out the door. She dialed Ashley's number as she headed out of the hotel and into the parking garage. She was going to KILL Jeff if it was the last thing she did. The stupid fucker. She sighed when Ashley didn't answer and nearly screamed when a hand clamped down on her shoulder, causing her to spin around and groaned when she bumped her back against her rental car. “Damn it!”

“Sorry,” David said gently, stepping away from her. “Jeff's in his room if that's who you're looking for.” He said, a bandage over his forehead. “Look, Jessa, I'm sorry about last night. I got carried away. It won't happen again.” He winced, feeling his head. “Definitely not ever.”

“It's alright David.” She quietly replied, this was awkward, to say the least, and Jessa would be lying if she wasn't a bit nervous being alone with this man. “We're going to start rehearsing our segments prior to the show so that way nothing goes wrong and this doesn't happen again.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest when he grunted, raising an eyebrow. “Do you have a problem with that?” Her tone was deceptively sweet.

“Not at all,” David said quickly. “Just not used too it, but...” He shrugged. “It's cool, I suppose you're wanting added insurance that I won't fuck up again.” He smiled when she paled slightly. “It's cool like I said, I can understand it. How's your arm and back?” He asked, gesturing down to her arm.

“They're alright. Sore, but I'll be fine. Thank you for understanding David. I'm gonna go check on Jeff again and make sure he's alright. You take care of yourself and heal that head up.” She then literally bolted into the hotel and up the stairs, trembling from head to toe, chewing on her thumbnail. What the hell was THAT about? He was...nice to her. Jessa didn't like it and shivered, wincing at her back, that wasn't the smartest thing to do. “Fuck…”

Ashley was in Jeff's room, keeping him company as he chattered. She had stayed with him at the hospital, then came back to keep him awake for a few hours. Sleeping in a room with Jeff was annoying, he talked in his sleep, about the dumbest things. “I'll drive today.” She offered gently.

“I feel better!”

“Dude, you look like shit!”

“You look like shit and you're lucky I love you or else I'll kick your ass.” She stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest, standing in the open doorway. “Are you okay?” She asked softly, walking further into the room and sat down on the bed, pressing her hand to Jeff's, shaking her head as the tears stung her eyes. “If you ever do something like that again, I will never speak to you again.” She threatened, wiping her tears away, and hugged him tightly around the neck, biting back another wince when his arm wrapped around her.

“Do what?” Jeff asked innocently, frowning when he saw her wince. “Sorry, Jess. Look, he had it coming. Besides, I nailed his ass good too.”

“He had to get stitches.”

“Yep.” Jeff grinned, then sighed under the look he was given. “I am sorry, I won't defend you again, okay?”

“Thank you, you let me handle it. Mark had a great idea and thanks for telling him. He came to my room last night and basically doctored me up.” She snorted, obviously being sarcastic, and slowly stood up as she raked a hand through her hair. Why was her life suddenly turning topsy-turvy over a damned storyline for her company? Seriously! It couldn't get any worse!

Chapter 8

“Mark came to your room?” Jeff demanded, blushing. He hadn't thought about that. He shot Ashley an annoyed look when she smirked. “Not funny.”

“Run your mouth to the biggest dog in the yard, get bitten by the bitch.”

“You called her a bitch.”

“It's a metaphor.”

“Stop it both of you. Come on, we have to get going. Our flights are waiting.” She stated, packing Jeff's things with Ashley's help, stuffing his clothes in a bag before zipping it up. When they were all packed up, Jessa stopped at her room to get her things and then Ashley's before they finally headed out to the airport. Jessa sighed as she drove, seeing Jeff was passed out in the back while Ashley sat quietly in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead. She shifted every so often, her back still tender.

“You know, I could have driven.” Ashley finally spoke up, shifting in her seat to stare at Jessa. “I'm not as bad a driver as Jeff, besides, you should probably be relaxing or something. How is your back? Mark fixed it up huh?” She cocked an eyebrow, being serious for once.

“Yes, he helped me out and gave me a great idea on how to bust David again should he try what he did last night.” She stated, smirking when Ashley leaned in all interested and proceeded to tell her the plan. She was going to talk to Stephanie about it when she got to the arena that night for the house show, she wasn't performing, but had to be there for reasons unknown. “Pretty clever eh? He won't know what hit him if he lays a FINGER on me or Jenessa besides hand holding. That's all the script calls for because I can't stand the prick touching me.”

~!~

Reasons unknown, maybe. But there was a reason. Stephanie wanted to do some taping on upcoming segments. She didn't see the point in waiting around and making her stars wait as well when they could get some of it done now. Just a couple, for the next few weeks. Instead of rushing around cutting scenes PLUS wrestling, they could just skip the shit and air already done scenes and then focus on the in-ring performance, if all the parties involved were fine with it.

When Jessa found out what Stephanie was going to do, she decided to go along with it and act casual. There was no need to get David into trouble, especially after he apologized. It was an accident, plain and simple. She chalked it up to being too into character and let it go. She was fine with it and David seemed sincere when he apologized so she wasn't going to worry about it anymore. Her back was healed and she was ready to rock and roll. Jessa was both excited and scared, but she couldn't wait to see this story between Undertaker and Jenessa unfold.

Mark listened as Stephanie rattled the idea at him, arching an eyebrow. He wasn't too keen on this for himself but...if it helped Jessa then he’d do it. All four were currently in a meeting with Stephanie regarding the storyline. “How about you just do the segments with her and David?” He suggested. “Jessa and I work too damn good together live to be messing with it now.” He looked at Jessa, ignoring the arched eyebrow David sported suddenly.

“That's fine with me. Mark is right Steph. We do work together better live. Real reactions create real drama and therefore stimulates the crowd.” She nodded at Mark, knowing he was right. She would do the segments with David and do theirs live. “There are only three more segments with me and David anyway. They're basically him talking trash about Undertaker and me standing or sitting, whatever the script calls for.” Her voice was cool, calm and collected, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Though I think we should do a segment with Undertaker and Jenessa regarding her saving Kane. That raised a lot of questions last week.”

David arched an eyebrow. “This is probably going to sound like me being a jackass, but shouldn't that whole issue be a point of tension between Jenessa and me? Two or three segments is going to convey that, as well as whatever happens out in the ring?

He has a point.” Stephanie sighed. “Look, this line is moving too fast, we don't want it over before it even really starts. Mark?”

Mark sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“What you're not comprehending is the fact that this is basically about the Undertaker and Jenessa, David. It really has nothing to do with you besides you being his adversary, his enemy. She's helping you, yes, but she's also torn because of her feelings rekindling for him.” She explained gently, knowing he was getting angry, and sighed as she rubbed her temples, beginning to pace back and forth. “But he does have a point.” She hated saying that, she didn't want to do any more segments with this man than she had too, but the man had a fucking point. Damn him! “If you want, I can write in more segments with Jenessa and David, building the...tension.” She cringed inwardly and touched her arm as a reminder of what that tension could lead too.

Mark groaned slightly, hating himself for what he was about to say, but the business side of him – the side that had helped maintain this company for so damn long – refused to shut up and he honestly wouldn't be himself. “When it comes right down to it, Jessa, Steph, is that you have two main eventers involved in a storyline that has the potential to spark interest for a long while to come. If we make this out about me and Jenessa, it'll still fly and still be great. But...Batista is in the mix and it wouldn't be a smart thing, in the long run, to just make him a supporting cast member.”

Jessa wanted to strangle him and hid her anger well as she simply nodded, raking a hand through her hair. “I agree so we have to involve Batista more. Get him and Jenessa more...involved.” She swallowed hard and clenched her fists tightly at her sides. “Nothing too brash, just a few kisses here and there...” God, she felt sick to her stomach as she paced, chewing on her thumbnail. This was HER body they were putting on the line and she hated it! She absolutely hated it! “Not to mention it would spark Undertaker's anger more and reveal more emotion from him since he hardly shows none.”

“I don't know...” David said slowly. “If you're not comfortable Jessa, then maybe we should just limit everything.” He ignored the surprised look Stephanie shot him, glancing at her. “I'm not that BIG an asshole.”

“I never said you were...”

“I have, though.” Mark said bluntly.

“And you can be a stubborn prick.”

“Fair enough.”

“Okay enough!” Jessa was getting a migraine as she stopped pacing, staring at all three of them. “This is my body we're dealing with so it should be my decision, yes?” She asked, placing her hands on her hips, and nodded when all three complied. “Good, now...if we're going to do this, let's do it right. David and my backstage segments can be taped if you want or we can do it live to get the full effect. I refuse to have my neck kissed...the hands will stay above my waist at ALL times with an occasional ass squeeze because that's what men like and you know it Steph. I've seen Paul.” She smirked when Stephanie turned red and clapped her hands together. “If you can agree to those stipulations, I'm game.”

“I won't touch you anymore then you touch me.” David promised.

“Good, we're agreed then. I personally think that doing it all live is better, but it's up to you guys. Anyways, let me know what you decide, Jessa, because that decision lies with you, David and Mark are both used to doing things live. I have to go get my ass squeezed.” She danced out of the room, laughing.

Mark narrowed his eyes as David walked out as well.

“It has to be live.” She said once the door closed, leaving her and Mark alone, sighing at the look in his green eyes. “I understand you're upset, but you have to admit doing things live is better than taped segments. You just get something extra out of it. I watched our playbacks and I can't imagine it being the same way taped. Whatever you want to do, we'll do.” She sighed, leaning against the wall, knowing she'd have to pop an Ibuprofen or ten before this night was over with. And it hadn't even begun!

“I'm upset, but not for that reason,” Mark said gruffly. If she hadn't caught it, then he wasn't going to point it out, he was too irritated at the moment. “Well if we're doing this live, then there's no reason for us to be here, good night, Jessa.” He almost added ‘be careful’, but didn't want to spook her, just gave her another worried look before walking out. He needed to have a little chat with Batista.

~!~

She stared in the mirror, biting her bottom lip, and knew she had no choice in the matter. Tonight was the parking lot segment and Jessa knew she'd freeze her ass off, but it would be worth it. After that would be a segment with David, questioning his loyalty to her, and would force her to prove it in the ring later on that night when he wrestled against one of the Ministry members. She sighed and finished her black eyeliner before pulling back, looking down at her outfit. It was a tight strapless black and blood red corset top with a short black leather skirt, no nylons. She had knee high boots that were two inches and zipped up the sides. Her hair was half up and half down in a crazy style, her lips painted a blood red with black eyeliner on her eyes, making her face complexion pale. She was transformed into Jenessa once more.

~!~

Mark sighed, letting the makeup artist do her thing and make him 'beautiful', he would have done it himself, but he wasn't in the mood tonight. It was just simpler to let someone else put this shit on his face and think then try to think and poke his eyeball out or something.

“You look sexy, I'd do you.”

“I know.” He stood up, glancing at himself and nodded, beginning to shift into character.

“I love it when you do that...”

~!~

“Okay Jessa, we're getting ready to start. This is going to open Raw.”

Jessa didn't respond as she closed her eyes and slowly opened them moments later, shifting into her character.

~!~

Jenessa sighed as she stepped out of her vehicle, deciding to take different cars with David from the hotel, and raked a hand through the top of her hair, not messing it up. The wind was cold, chilling, causing a shiver to run down her spine as she pulled her purse out. She pulled it out and placed her hand on the car door, ready to shut it, and froze when she felt a presence behind her.

He was simply standing there, in the shadows, watching her. The wind was gently blowing his own hair across his shoulders, barely noticeable in the nighttime. Finally, the Undertaker stepped out of the shadows and into the lamplight, staring at Jenessa who was looking like a deer in the headlights when she finally turned around. His fathomless green eyes met hers.

Chapter 9

She wanted to run, she wanted to do something, but she couldn't. Her feet were super glued to the ground below, preventing her from moving even an inch. “Undertaker.” She finally breathed out, taking a step back when he took one forward, the feeling returning to her entire body as she turned and started walking toward the arena doors.

Jenessa hadn't gotten far before he grabbed her arms and spun her around. In mere seconds he had her pinned against the side of a car, his body trapping hers. He had discarded his trench coat in favor of his old black velvet robe and it was heavy enough to tangle her legs if she even contemplated kicking him. “Jenessa.”

The audience swooned.

She swallowed hard, the fear evident in her eyes as the moon shined down on them, and knew she had nowhere to go. “Look if this is about Kane...” She trailed off, biting her bottom lip, and immediately glared back at him as the fire lit her eyes once more. “I told you not to touch me. I am not yours anymore.” She reminded in a hiss, tapping her fingernails against the car before slowly raking them down, scratching the paint. It was either that or he'd have mean gashes in his cheeks.

His eyes flickered in sardonic amusement, knowing very well what was on her mind. “You can try it if you wish.” He murmured. “You will always be mine, Jenessa, or haven't you realized that? We are and always will be bound together in the darkness.” Undertaker's voice had gotten even lower, huskier. “Why did you help him?”

Her shoulders slumped as she sighed, showing that vulnerability again, and cast her eyes to the ground. “I couldn't let him burn...He didn't deserve that.” She said in a softer tone, though the edge was still there as her eyes stared back into his eyes, narrowing. “This doesn't change anything. I'm still going to help David and keep you from the championship, Undertaker.” The edge was back as she clenched her fists at her sides, gritting her teeth.

He disregarded that last bit, instead focusing on what he wanted too. “He didn't deserve it...and yet you made no move to help your lover, except to scream.” He said, his tone getting dangerous. “Kane would have roasted him alive and you would have looked on, Jenessa. I know you too well my pet, I know what lies deep in that little black heart of yours.” He rested his palm over her heart.

“You know nothing about my heart. How could you when you don't have one yourself?” She shot back, shoving his hand away from her chest, trying to find some means of escape, but there was none because of the damn robe. “I would've put David out if Kane did that, you don't know me at all! So stop with this games, Undertaker! Get it through your head, I don't want you, I never did and I never will! I'm with David, I want David, and there's nothing you can do or say to stop me from being with him. There's nothing you can say or do to bring me back to the Dark Side because I refuse to go back! Kane didn't deserve being lit on fire because of what YOU did to him all those years ago, I was helping HIM, not YOU.”

He was so silent he could have been a statue, a living marble statue and just stared down at her, the only indication of any life was the fire in his green eyes. Undertaker finally stepped away from her, seeming to move without actually moving. “The games have only begun, Jenessa.” He murmured, the wind carrying his voice back to her. Fog rolled in and took him with it, leaving her alone.

She took this opportunity to bolt into the arena, needing to find David, the door closing just as the scene ended.

~!~

“Nicely done you guys.”

“Mark?” Jessa called out as she walked out of the arena, nodding when she saw him a few yards away and headed back inside to go to David's locker room. After the first match, which was Umaga against Brian Kendrick, there would be a scene with them. She rushed inside and immediately went to the mirror, fixing her makeup and made sure everything was perfect before turning around to stare back at him. “You ready?” She asked as the cameramen began setting up, cracking her neck.

David was bouncing around, for once in plain street clothes, blue jeans and a black beater, though he hadn't forgone the tinted shades. “Born ready.” He grunted, beginning to slip into his role as well.

“We are rolling in, three…two...one.”

~!~

“What happened out there, Jenessa?” Batista demanded in his gravelly voice.

“How am I supposed to know?” She snapped back at him, trembling from head to toe, and wrapped her arms around herself. “Like I really expected that son of a bitch to come out of the shadows and stalk me like that?”

Batista WASN'T happy, he was PISSED the fuck OFF. “You're the one who was with him, Jenessa, not me. You told me you knew the Undertaker so how come you have no clue what that was about?” He demanded, beginning to pace the room, looking at her every now and then, expecting something, anything. “What's he want with you now? After all these years, hmm?”

“He wants me to return to the Ministry.” She quietly replied, casting her eyes to the floor, and backed up to give him more room to pace. “But it's not going to happen. I am here to help you defeat him and I will do so.” She looked back up at him with those cool blue eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “And I wasn't WITH him, he backed me against a car to where I couldn't make a run for it and where was YOUR sorry ass when I needed you the most AGAIN? That is the SECOND time he's gotten to me and you weren't around, David!”

“You're the one who insisted we drive separate vehicles, Jenessa.” He said instantly, rounding on her. “I'm sorry, okay? I wasn't there the first time, this time around, it's your own damn fault. If you DON'T want him getting to you, then maybe next time you'll listen to me.” They were standing toe to toe now, just glaring at each other. Batista stepped away, shaking his head. “We're playing right into his hands, you know that?”

“I know...” She whispered, lowering her head, wrapping her arms around herself again. “I suggested separate cars because you insisted on coming here to work out earlier than expected.” She slowly looked back up at him, biting her bottom lip. “Look, I know you don't trust me right now after what I did last week, but I DO have a heart, David. I couldn't let Kane burn to ashes, this has nothing to do with him. It has to do with us defeating the Undertaker. Do you understand why I did what I did last week?” She softly asked, not moving from her spot, afraid to touch him for fear of him hurting her again.

He sighed, stepping away and held his hands out like he was washing himself of the affair. “I understand completely, Jenessa, that's the problem.” He rumbled, giving her a long stare before walking out of the locker room. He punched the wall as he walked by. “But you would have let me burn.” He muttered loud enough for her to hear.

~!~

“And that's a wrap.”

Jessa sighed with relief as she leaned against the wall, a smile on her face, glad he hadn't touched her. He was probably still feeling horrible about what happened and rightfully so. After getting out of character, Jessa walked out and down the hallway, patting David on the back with a smile on her way to the cafeteria, showing him there were no hard feelings. “Water, I need water.” She stated, knowing David's match wasn't until near the end of the show, second to the last on the card.

“Mountain Dew...you need Mountain Dew.” Jeff corrected, carrying a two-liter bottle and fell into step beside her. “How'd it go?” He asked, taking a swig straight out of the bottle, then offered it to her. “I noticed David has his balls intact and you are not upset...good?” He was still holding a grudge.

“Yes, that's very good. It went well. I really think things will go smoothly from here on out. “ She patted his shoulder, silently telling him she didn't hold a grudge and shook her head at the Mountain Dew. “I will stick to my Sprite, thanks anyway Skittles.” She giggled when he tossed her a bottle and opened it, taking a long swig. She was thirsty from both of those segments back to back.

“I'm good, face it. See, they shouldn't have stuck you in a line with those two clowns.” Jeff preened, puffing his chest out, apparently back to being his usual dorky self. “Now you and me, we have chemistry.”

“There's a door there, son.” One of the guys said, passing by after Jeff had danced his happy ass into a door.

“Thanks...”

Jessa couldn't stop laughing even if her life depended on it, shaking her head. “Oh yeah, we have chemistry and it's called being clowns.” She giggled more and walked off, leaving Jeff to be by his crazy self. She needed some time alone to reflect on the scenes and to get ready for her third appearance out in the ring later on that night. Not to mention she needed water, Sprite wasn't cutting it.

“How bad does it look?”

“Glen, stop flashing me damn it...”

“Mark, I'm telling you, David held me down too long...he BURNT my ASS.”

“PULL YOUR GODDAMN PANTS UP!”

“Oh-Ohhh god...” Jessa instantly covered her eyes when she walked into the cafeteria, not in the mood to see Glen's bare ass in her vision. “This IS the cafeteria right?” She asked, feeling her way over to the water machine. “Don't mind me, just pretend I'm not even here...”

“Now why would we do that?” John Cena demanded, walking over and draping an arm around her shoulder. “When are we goin' out baby girl?”

“The day after never. Now go run along and streak, Cena.”

John grinned. “I think Glen has that job for the night.”

Jessa banged her head against the water machine and heard it fall out.

“That's just wrong,” Randy commented, coming over to join them. “Cena, leave the poor woman alone.”

“Fine.” John sighed, beginning to strip.

“WHAT are you doing?”

“She told me to get naked.”

Randy banged HIS head on the water machine.

“I'm surrounded by idiots!!” Jessa grumbled, bending down and retrieving her water before popping John upside the head with it. “Don't make me hurt you, Cena. Remember last time?” She smirked when he cringed and laughed as he bolted out of the cafeteria. She was referring to grabbing his dick and squeezing it when he slapped her ass. Needless to say, the boy hadn’t TOUCHED her since except in a polite manner. “He's a fuckin' trip.”

“That's an understatement,” Randy grunted, shaking his head, and turned to face her. “How ya holdin' up, Jess? I heard what happened...”

“Let me guess, Jeff?”

Randy nodded with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Jeff has told pretty much everyone, he can't keep his fucking mouth shut.” Ashley said as she walked in, joining them.

“I always did say he had more balls than brains.”

“Well, his brains are going to be splattered soon if he doesn't shut it,” Ashley said, sighing. “David is being pretty nice, but I'm fairly certain he's going to snap relatively soon.”

“I really, REALLY hate him right now. Look, it was an accident alright? He was too into character and he went too far, but it wasn't intentional. So please, can we just DROP the fucking subject already? I have to work with this man for the next I don't know how many months and I'd really like the rumor mill to STOP.” Jessa then proceeded to start banging her head against the machine again repeatedly, hoping to scramble her brains so she didn't have to put up with this garbage anymore. She was going to kill Jeff for running his damn mouth off when she specifically told him NOT too.

Chapter 10

Ashley watched, stooping down to catch a water that came bounding out. “Cool, thanks. Could you do the snack machine too? I got the munchies from hell.”

“I think I'm going to go commit suicide now.” Randy muttered, walking off.

“What'd I say? Jess, stop that, you're going to bruise your forehead.”

“I. Don't. Fucking. C-” She didn't get a chance to finish as she was turned around by the shoulder, facing a pair of emerald green eyes and sighed, knowing she was going to end up with a bruise if she kept it up. Like she needed another one of those right? “Sorry.” She muttered and rubbed her temples, feeling another headache coming on. Her head was going to explode if this stress kept piling up and if Jeff kept shooting his mouth off.

“I realize you're annoyed but that's not going to help.” Mark said gravely, reaching out to feel her forehead, checking for lumps and bruises.

‘Fuckable!’ Ashley mouthed with a grin from behind him before taking off, whistling to herself.

“What's got you in a bind?”

“I'm going to kill Jeff and Ashley is escalating on that list of victims.” Jessa replied in a low tone, crossing her arms in front of her chest and finally slapped at his hands gently as she shook her head. “Stop it! God, I'm fine. I didn't hit my head THAT hard.” She smirked when he just stared at her and shook her head. “Jeff is going to piss David off because he won't let what David did to me last week go. Mark...Mark where are you going?” She groaned, this wasn't good as she watched him stalk out of the cafeteria.

Mark was going to shut Jeff up. He found the kid with London and Kendrick. “Scram.” He ordered, watching the two high flyers bolt, narrowing his eyes down at Jeff.

“Am I in trouble?” Jeff swallowed hard when he was bodily picked up and carted into a locker room. “I'm in trouble.”

“We need to talk.”

Jessa cringed when Jeff's body was flung out the door and crashed into a cart full of cords, crossing her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. She walked over, peering down at him and nodded. “He'll live.” She smiled over her shoulder at Mark. “Jenessa and I send our regards. Thanks again.” She then walked off, needing to find David so they could go to gorilla position. It was almost time for his match and she could use a break from all the craziness backstage.

David was not in the best of moods as he bounced on the balls of his feet, pumping up for his match. “I got people calling me a woman beater.” He said by way of greeting. “I'm about to become a Hardy beater, just giving you heads up.” He grunted, beginning to do jumping jacks, sweat trickling down his back.

“I know, I'm sorry David.” Jessa sighed, rubbing her temples, raking a hand through her hair. “I think Mark finally shut his mouth though and I set a few people straight on the matter. If you want, I'll make a fucking speech about it if it'll make you feel better.” She rolled her eyes, being sarcastic, and turned her back to him as she lowered her head. She could literally FEEL the anger pouring from his body.

“You know, Jessa, I was just telling you, I wasn't being a prick about it.” He snarled, halting and turned to stare down at her. “You're better at writing, try writing yourself as something besides a bitch.” Before she could reply, his music blared over the speakers and he was completely in character, pushing past the black curtains.

She was tempted to let him go out alone, but knew Vince would have her ass on a silver platter. With a deep breath, Jessa closed her eyes as she walked through the black curtain, becoming Jenessa.

~!~

“This woman doesn't look happy, King...in fact, she looks stricken...”

“I don't care! PUPPIES!”

Jenessa walked in front of David and didn't stop, refusing to get in the ring with him as she walked over and sat in a chair near Lillian Garcia. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back, her lips formed in a thin grim line, her eyes narrowing when the Ministry's music began to play.

“There's definitely trouble in paradise...”

“JR, it's Undertaker!”

It registered that she was breaking script somewhere in his mind, but David was too pumped to care too much at this point. She wanted to be a bitch and play hard, then he could too. The minute latest Ministry member-Kevin Thorn-slipped through the ropes, Batista speared him, hard. He glanced at Jenessa as if sending her a message.

She wasn't breaking the script, she was simply acting the part and slowly stood up as she placed her hands on her hips. She smirked when the fire sparked in Batista's eyes and nodded, a sadistic laugh escaping her. She wanted him angry, she wanted him to demolish this lowlife Kevin Thorn who dared to follow the Ministry of Darkness. She ignored Undertaker's heated gaze, staying in Batista's corner, cringing when Kevin Thorn got the upper hand. She snatched up a chair and immediately crawled on the apron, nailing Kevin in the back with it just as Batista got to his feet. “FINISH HIM!” She shrieked, throwing the chair down.

Batista grunted, nodding and gestured for her to get down. He picked Thorn up, setting him for the Batista bomb and delivered, his eyes never leaving Jenessa's.

While they were ignoring him, Undertaker had made his way to stand behind Jenessa.

Needless to say, he became distracted and moved away from Thorn, forgetting to pin him. “Get away from her!” He shouted angrily.

Jenessa felt her eyes widen and immediately whipped around, slapping him right across the face. The sound echoed through the arena as she immediately ran from him around the ring, trembling from head to toe, shaking her hand. “Stay away from me!!” She screamed, seeing him slowly stalking her, knowing David was getting distracted. “David finish him!!” She ordered, knowing she could outrun Undertaker, she was as quick as a cat.

He didn't even run after her. He was the Undertaker, he simply did not run. He did pursue, however, stalking after her like an overgrown jungle cat and she was just a mouse he was toying with.

David finished Kevin Thorn alright, he speared that little bitch right through the canvas, then jumped out of the ring, chasing after Undertaker and Jenessa.

Jenessa stumbled back as she tripped over the ring steps, crawling backward while the men started fighting. Her blue eyes widened when Undertaker rammed David's head into the steel ring steps, knocking him down for the time being. “No! Stay away from me!” She screamed, scrambling to her feet as she backed up the rampway, not believing David was doing this to her again. “DAVID!!” She shrieked fearfully.

“David can't help you, my pet,” Undertaker said, a cruel sneer on his face. He grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her up and stared down at her. “You. Are. Mine.”

Batista was up, he was woozy and stumbling, but he was up. “Jenessa, move!” He barked.

Undertaker whirled around and was greeted by a spear.

Jenessa didn't move in time as Undertaker landed right on top of her, knocking the air out of her, grunting. She coughed and gasped for air, trying to push him off of her, but she was a tiny person, he was much larger than she was.

“OH MY GOD KING! UNDERTAKER JUST LANDED ON JENESSA!!! SOMEONE GET HELP!! SOMEONE GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!!”

Her eyes slowly closed as the darkness enveloped her.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” David cursed, looking down at the pair. He wasted no time in moving Taker off of Jenessa, crouching down beside her. “Jenessa...shit. Somebody get help!” He roared at the technicians.

Undertaker was up and staring down at them, not moving, the look on his face totally unreadable as the show went to a commercial.

~!~

“IF THAT WASN’T SCRIPTED, I’M KILLING THEM!!” Stephanie shrieked, completely livid as she watched the monitor backstage.

It wasn't scripted as the EMT's rushed to the rampway, immediately loading Jenessa's body on it, strapping her down, and wheeled her to the back.

“WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?” Shane demanded as soon as Mark and David came through the curtain, Jessa still out cold. “You nearly crushed her to death!!” He groaned when Jeff came zooming up, on his knees, holding Jessa's hand tightly as the tears formed in his eyes.

“Sir you have to move. We have to examine her.” The paramedic patiently said as the man was pried off by the one who landed on top of her and the one who speared him. “Jessa...Jessa, can you hear me?”

“Oh...fuck...”

“You moron!” Mark rounded on David, green eyes spitting venom.

“It was an accident!” David shouted back, glancing at Jessa, worry in his eyes.

“FINED! YOU ARE FINED!”

“FIRE HIM!”

“YEAH!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

“Would...you...please...stop...yelling?” Jessa breathed out slowly, wincing when the paramedic pressed on her stomach, and let out a low hiss, closing her eyes tightly shut. “W-What happened?” She asked, holding onto Jeff's hand, staring up into his eyes.

“David speared Mark and he landed on you.”

“H-he wasn't supposed to spear Mark...” She winced again and actually let out a cry of pain, tears stinging her eyes.

“She's got fractured ribs, hopefully, they're not broken and she's going to be sore all over. She'll need x-rays to determine if further damage was done.

“Aww fuck...I hate hospitals...” She winced again.

“This is why you're supposed to rehearse, so you don't act stupid.” Jeff snarled, getting right in David's face.

“Don't worry, you're going to have company.” Ashley said with a sigh, watching as David finally snapped and put Jeff right through a wall.

“Damn it!” Mark swore, pulling David off the now unconscious Hardy. “Calm down, man. Calm down!” He warned, finally leveling him with a massive fist.

“YOU'RE BOTH FINED!”

If Jessa wasn't in a lot of pain, she would've slapped all three men for their tempers as she was wheeled down the hallway on the stretcher, wincing every few seconds. “Fuck this hurts...” She breathed out, squeezing her eyes shut as the tears began sliding out of the corners of her eyes, smearing her makeup. She didn't care, Mark had nearly crushed her to death and now she more than likely had internal injuries.

Ashley sighed, watching as Jeff was loaded onto a stretcher as well and followed, hearing Mark and David going at it behind them, listening to Stephanie shriek like a banshee, tossing out fines left and right, followed by Shane jumping in. “I love my job.” She muttered, glancing down at Jessa. “How do you feel honey?”

“Steph calm the fuck down!” Shane barked at his sister, raking a hand through his hair, and glared at both Mark and David. “The two of you need to get your fucking heads in the game or this storyline will be CUT! You nearly KILLED our best scriptwriter because of your stupid antics and script breaking!!” He directed those words at David, glaring. “If you two can't get your acts together, I will make sure the Ministry storyline disappears. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?”

“Been better Ash...”

Stephanie sighed when both men just glanced at Shane before knocking his ass out. “Please?”

Mark glared at David, his green eyes flashing. “See you next week.”

“You bet your ass you will.”

“Shane, how many fingers?”

While the men were acting like idiots and knocking each other out, Jessa and Jeff were taken to the emergency room via ambulance. It took nearly all night to get all the testing and x-rays done before they determined Jessa had two cracked ribs and minimal internal bleeding. She didn't need surgery and Jessa thanked the stars above for that. She knew the storyline would be scrapped had she needed it. Though she wasn't happy to find out she was being forced to stay the rest of the night for observation.

Chapter 11

Jeff was released before she was, though into Ashley's hands. Much to Ashley's chagrin. She made a mental note to call Beth and let her know what her moronic boyfriend was up too. They stopped in to check on Jessa before taking off, Jeff grinning like a fool, drugs and a concussion, wonderful combination.

“Are you in the mood for one more visitor dear?” The night nurse asked, not usually granting these privileges but then again, these weren't normal people.

“Sure, why not?” Jessa replied sarcastically, nodding her head when the nurse raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the pillow, her eyes on the ceiling. She really wanted to kill David for jumping script AND putting her best friend in the hospital along with her. Then again, Mark didn't exactly help the situation by losing his temper. She wanted to kill both men and closed her eyes, the pain gone due to drugs that were currently being pumped into her system. Though she was still alert.

Speak of the Devil...Mark stepped in, looking a bit awkward, carrying a single yellow rose. He smiled hesitantly at her, nodding at the nurse who winked at him and cleared his throat, shutting the door behind him. “Jessa, I'm sorry.” He said, moving to stand at the side of the bed, holding the rose out to her.

Her eyes slowly opened and were surprised at the gesture, drawing her eyebrows together, and slowly took it. “Thank you.” She whispered, bringing it to her nose and inhaled. She loved roses, any color, they were her favorite flower. “I'm fine Mark.” She finally looked up at him and winced, watching him settle down in the chair next to her bed. “It wasn't your fault he decided to jump script again. I don't blame you for this.” She didn't want him blaming himself because, in all honesty, it was David's fault she was in this situation.

Mark sighed, raking a hand down his face. “It happens though, he was in character and was trying to protect you. I should have moved you out of the way.” He grunted, looking at her. “Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending him, or not trying to anyway. But I've done my fair share of jumping script as well.” He looked at her chart, picking it up and reading it, wincing.

“No surgery was needed and you didn't know he was going to spear you. That wasn't in the script, Mark. How could you move me out of harm's way if you didn't know what was coming?” She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and sighed as she bit her bottom lip. “The ribs will be healed in a few weeks and the internal bleeding has stopped. Lady Luck must be on my side, I swear.” She started to giggle and winced, that wasn't smart.

He studied her thoughtfully. “Darlin’, when we wrestle, a lot of those things aren't scripted, some are, but I'm sure you've noticed and bitched that we jocks have a really bad habit of doing whatever the hell we want out there so long as the outcome is what matters. David is pretty upset with himself, not to mention Stephanie and Shane fined his ass to hell and back. He won't be jumping anything for a while.”

That was nice to hear as Jessa sighed, raking a hand through her hair. “I know, I'm not upset with anyone. Though you two need to get your heads on straight and stop trying to be macho with each other, Mark.” Her tone turned straight and stern, narrowing her eyes slightly. “You can't lose your temper like that just because something went wrong. David has a temper too, but I have a feeling if I talked to him like I'm doing to you, I'd get my ass kicked.” She snorted, holding her arm as a reminder, and sighed as her head lowered. “I just want this to work...and it's not.” She started crying.

Mark groaned, not a big fan of waterworks. He didn't know how to react to them and moved so he was awkwardly sitting on the edge of the bed, taking her tiny hand in his massive one. “Shit Jessa, don't cry, darlin'. We didn't mean to hurt you, the line is going to work. It will, we're going to make it work, honey. You just wait and see.”

“I-I just don't understand why it's so hard.” She drew her knees up, knowing it was against the rules because of her ribs, but she didn't care as she buried her face in her knees. The frustration and anger were coming out in those tears, along with sadness because she was afraid this storyline wasn't going to work out. David was too stubborn to listen to the rules and follow the script and Mark refused to choose anyone else except her to play Jenessa. She slowly brought her head up and wiped her tears away with her free hand, still holding onto his. “Are you sure this can work?” She quietly asked.

“I'm sure if we try it can,” Mark said evenly, moving to adjust her, gently laying her back down. “You'll make the injuries worse in that position Jessa, don't.” He murmured, straightening her hair back away from her face. “It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be real.” He whispered, staring down at her intently. “Real emotion, real reaction.”

“Okay, Mark.” She whispered, her eyelids droopy from exhaustion. The crying was the final nail in the coffin for her as she slowly released his hand, her head falling to the side, her bangs falling over her eyes, resting gently on her forehead. “I'm sorry…” She managed to whisper out before allowing the welcoming darkness to envelop her body.

Mark stared down at her, finally bending down to brush his lips over her forehead. “You have nothing to be sorry for, darlin'.” He murmured, reaching across her to turn off the light before walking out. He glanced at her one last time before closing the door behind him.

~!~

Jessa sighed with great relief when she was released the next day, in mid-afternoon, and slipped into the car Ashley was driving. Jeff was back at the hotel resting, which was a good thing because she knew how overbearing he could be when she was injured. She leaned back against the seat and stared out the window, wearing a pair of jeans with a tank top Ashley brought for her. Her corset had been cut down the middle when she arrived at the emergency room, so it looked like Jessa was going on a shopping trip when she was healed.

“How're you feelin'?” Jeff asked groggily when he woke up, sporting a bandage still wrapped around his head.

“How the hell you think she's feeling?” Ashley asked, glancing in the rearview mirror. “Probably like shit.”

“He's a smart one ain't he?” She giggled, smiling sweetly at Jeff.

“I'm fine, don't ask again,” Jessa warned, not in the mood, and raked a hand through her hair as she slowly made her way to sit on the bed beside him. Then she proceeded to smack him upside his head. “What the hell were you thinking?” She demanded softly, not able to yell or else she would've. “David nearly KILLED you. Do you really want to be murdered, Jeff?” She shook her head when he went to speak and hit him again, this time in his sore stomach. “From now on, keep your goddamn mouth shut and mind your own goddamn business when it comes to David and Mark, do you understand?”

Jeff stared at her out of hurt eyes. “I love you.” He said simply. “And I don't trust David.”

Ashley turned her eyes, not wanting to watch this, it might turn bad.

“He can whoop my ass till I can't stand anymore, doesn't mean a damn thing to me. He keeps fucking up, he's taking his work too personally Jessa.”

“That's it, I've had it. Just...stay out of my life, Jeff. If you don't, I might end up killing you. Ashley, I'm going to my room alone. Have fun with Mr. Suicide over there.” She then stalked out of the room, throwing her hands up the air, and winced before slamming the door shut behind her. A few tears fell down her cheeks as she leaned against the wall, holding her ribs, knowing that wasn't the brightest thing in the world to do, but she couldn't help it. Jeff wasn't listening and she was tired of fighting him as she headed back to her room slowly, taking her time.

“Do you have to keep pissing her off?” Ashley demanded, whirling around to glare at Jeff.

Jeff sat up, glaring at her.

“Say one word Hardy and I will fuck you up worse than Batista ever thought about doing.” She threatened.

He flipped her off instead.

Once inside her room, Jessa laid down and stared up at the ceiling, popping a pain pill since it was excruciating at the moment. Why couldn't Jeff drop the damn subject? Why did he have to keep running his mouth and writing checks his ass couldn't cash? David was going to end up killing him all because he was letting his temper get the best of him. “Fucking men!” She growled softly and sat up, deciding she couldn't just sit around all day. She had work to do, like working on the script and redoing it to include more of David in the storyline. She hated doing it, but knew she had no choice. Shane had fired her replacement and immediately gave her the position back so now Jessa was both the lead scriptwriter and Undertaker's love interest Jenessa.

~!~

“You are going to work that woman to death,” Stephanie argued when she found out about Shane's decision. “She can't do both Shane, it's too damn much!”

“Then pull her from the line, Stephanie.” He fired back. “She's the best we have, face it, without Jessa, we'll start dropping in the ratings again.”

“Mark REFUSES to have someone else play Jenessa or I would!”

“Mark doesn't make the damn decisions around here!”

“Would you two please stop arguing?” Paul asked, stepping between the siblings, shaking his head. “Look, if Jessa can't handle it, she'll tell you Steph. It's not like it's that hard of a job...” He cringed when she shot him a glare. “Okay okay, I didn't mean that...” He groaned when she popped him upside the head and decided to stay out of it. Though he was on Shane's side. Jessa was the best and without her, the storyline would go to shit in a matter of weeks.

Shane sighed. “Pull her, Steph. Without Jessa to write the lines, we'll sink. She's too damn stubborn to tell us jackshit. Call Mark, he refuses to let her quit? Then suspend him. Make him see reason.”

~!~

That is how Mark ended up outside Jessa's hotel room.

Jessa sighed as she pushed her laptop away and stood up from the bed, walking over to the door slowly, and opened it. “What do I owe this honor?” She asked, stepping aside and let him in, closing the door behind her before walking over and sitting on the bed, saving her work before giving him her full attention. “What's wrong?” She immediately asked with a resigned sigh, knowing he wasn't here just to see how she was doing.

Mark sighed, looking her over before raking a hand through his hair. He saw what she was doing on the bed and grunted, damn it. He hated it when Shane was right. “Darlin', I've been thinking and...I want to know, truthfully mind you, is balancing working as full-time script leader and playing Jenessa too much for you to handle?” He demanded bluntly.

“It's a challenge.” She admitted, leaning back against the pillows, crossing her arms in front of her chest, staring back at him with soft blue eyes. “But I love a challenge.” She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. “Look, Mark, I only play a character for a few hours out of the week. I love my script writing, I love my job. So no, it's not too much for me. If it was, I would've told Shane to keep the moron they hired to take my place. Though then the storyline would've gone to shit and that's not something you or I want.”

Chapter 12

Mark didn't show it but inside he was grinning broadly. This woman was a trooper that was for sure. “If it gets too be too much, Jessa, say something.” He advised. “Don't burn yourself out over a line, it won't be worth it trust me. This business will eat you alive and spit out your carcass if you don't watch it.”

“Yes, Dad.” She rolled her eyes with a giggle, the painkillers kicked in fully so she wasn't feeling anything at the moment pain wise. She sighed when he stared at her sternly and sat up, nodding. “I give you my word and solemn vow that if it gets to be too much, I'll stop. But I assure you, it won't. I've made it perfectly clear to the Superstars they are not to hound me or else they won't be on the script.” She shrugged, smirking. “Nobody has bothered me since.”

“Except us.” He corrected, his lips curving into the barest hint of a smile. “Look, I know we both agreed it'd be better to not rehearse, but maybe we should start choreographing our matches, with you in them whenever you're scripted to get involved, this way we don't have a repeat performance? What do you think?”

“No.” She answered, shaking her head, causing Mark's eyes to widen slightly as she slowly stood up, not wanting to take any chances. “You said it last night. Real reactions, real emotions. That can't happen if it's already choreographed or rehearsed, Mark. No, we're sticking to the way things are. What happened was a spare of the moment thing and I have a feeling David won't do it again.” She was trying to convince herself, but hid it well, focused solely on the task at hand, which was this storyline.

He stifled a snort, his eyes going blank suddenly. The man was able to shut everything down on a whim, it was why he could play the Lord of Darkness so easily, his detachment. “If he's smart he won't.” He said evenly, glancing out the window and shifted from one foot to the other. “You feeling up to eating something?”

“Sure, I was actually going to order some lunch since I can't drive. Damn pills.” She shot them a glare like they'd personally done her wrong and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Unless you wanted to take me out to lunch, Marky Mark?” She giggled when he snapped his head to stare at her and held her hands up in defense. “Blame Ashley.”

He was going to blame Ashley alright. “Sure darlin', if you're feeling up too it, I'll take you out.” He said wickedly, green eyes sparkling with mischief. “Get around, woman.” He ordered playfully. Marky Mark...god, how he detested that name! He made a mental note to speak to Ashley about that shit.

Being the smartass she was, Jessa saluted him and laughed when he growled before getting around. She was already dressed as she bent over, putting her socks and shoes on before brushing her hair, pulling it up in a ponytail, and no makeup on her face. She wore enough of the shit on TV, she wanted to look natural going outside and hoped fans didn't recognize them. Grabbing a small black sweater that zipped up, Jessa finally walked over, sliding her key card in her pocket, her purse over her shoulder. “I'm ready. Lead the way, Dark Lord.” She smirked, blue eyes twinkling.

Mark whirled around to stare at her. “Follow me then...Jenessa.” He said, his voice dropping to that husky baritone.

Some woman, somewhere, just sighed wistfully.

He snorted at the look she got, taking Jessa's hand and led her out of the room, flicking his shades down over his eyes. “Hope you don't mind...” He drawled. “But we're taking my Harley...”

“Great, at least I'll be able to ride it the RIGHT way this time.” She stated, looking around as he guided her down the stairs, refusing to use an elevator, and walked through the parking garage. “I really hope people don't recognize us. It could blow the storyline.” She said thoughtfully, raking a hand through the top of her hair, the soft wind blowing as she finally took it down, fluffing it out a bit, biting her bottom lip. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea as they arrived at his motorcycle.

Mark smirked. “Darlin', stop it, everyone knows that wrestling is fake, remember?” He teased. “Besides, you're out with the Undertaker, you're probably going to get swamped.” Simple fact of life. “Though, look on the bright side Jessa, you're damn hard to recognize without the heavy makeup.” He straddled the motorcycle, patting the seat. “Jump on.” He drawled.

“You're full of yourself, you know that? Your head is swelling with how much ego you have.” She stated, hopping on the bike, and crossed her arms in front of her chest while he straddled it in front of her. She giggled when he just grunted and rolled her eyes, grabbing his waist when he fired the bike up. In mere seconds, they were on their way somewhere to get food. Jessa was starving, she hated hospital food.

He handled the Harley with ease, navigating the traffic easily as well. He began laughing when they stopped at a red light and the car full of people next to them started pointing, waving and revved the Harley. “Hide your face, darlin', camera!” He roared, laughter rumbling through him. He peeled out of there as soon as it turned green.

Jessa was going to KILL him for that! Damn it people weren't supposed to know! That's what she hated about the net, the storylines were always ruined. Though she had a feeling nobody recognized her without the dark makeup. Her hair was a dead giveaway though considering how long it was. When he stopped the bike, Jessa hopped off and smacked him on the arm, blue eyes blazing with her hands on her hips. “That was NOT funny!” She growled and turned her back to him.

“Hey, calm down.” He ordered, gently turning her around. His green eyes were glimmering amusedly behind his sunglasses, not that she could see. He looked past her, seeing a few people staring at them speculatively and sighed, wrapping an arm around her neck to hide her face and ushered her inside. “The people know me here.” He explained. “We'll get a private table in the back, alright?”

“Fine.” She mumbled, not enjoying all of this attention, it was unnerving and she wondered how the Superstars did it day in and day out. She would've told people to get fucked or something along those lines, they were PEOPLE after all! As promised, Mark did get them a private booth as Jessa slid in and immediately looked at the menu, pursing her lips together, wondering what she wanted. She ordered a Sprite while she waited while Mark opted for a beer.

“Here.” Mark whipped off his black bandana, leaning over the table to quickly wrap it around her head, tucking her underneath it but left a few strands down to frame her face. “Now when we go back out...you'll be harder to recognize, okay? Mary, darlin', do I even need to say it?” He drawled when a waitress appeared.

She giggled. “Steak, just over the flame, side of mashed taters, green beans smothered in butter and a slice of pecan pie. For your lady?”

She looked ridiculous and she knew it as she leaned back against the booth, her blue eyes peering up at the lady, whose eyes went wide with realization. “Yeah, now kindly don't tell anyone.” She mumbled, taking the bandana off, smoothing her hair out before setting it on the table. “Chicken strips with honey mustard sauce and fries. Thanks.” She then looked down and sipped her Sprite while the waitress bustled off.

“You always so warm and charming?” Mark asked, leaning back in his seat, taking a long sip of his beer, eyeing her speculatively. “Or is today just my lucky day?” He wondered if Jessa was PMSing it or something, she was like a light switch. Off. On. Off. On. He smirked at the comparison

“Not when you keep messing with me.” She shot back, raising an eyebrow, and rubbed her temples with a heavy sigh. “Sorry, I'm just not used to all the attention. I can't honestly imagine dealing with that day in and out. You guys are saints just putting up with it.” She was being honest as she sipped her Sprite, setting it back down before crossing her arms in front of her stomach again.

Mark nodded, shrugging his shoulders. “You get used too it, not to mention, when it comes right down to it, it's the fans that sign our checks. Mine, yours, Vince's.” He smirked at the thought, signaling for another beer. He was a big man, it took a lot just to get him buzzing. “Without them, we'd be out on our asses or doing the daily grind.”

“I know that; that's why I prefer to stay in the back.” She mumbled, stirring the straw in her drink and finally looked up into his eyes, needing to ask this question that had been plaguing her mind since this entire storyline started. “Why did you choose me to play Jenessa?” She asked, blurting it out, not meaning to do it, but she couldn't help it. It'd been burning on her tongue for the past couple of weeks and she finally couldn't take it anymore. She had to know the answer.

He stared at her thoughtfully, waiting until Mary had placed his second beer before him and left again before saying anything. “Well, Jessa, to be honest, you're the only woman I could picture playing the part. The Divas, women in the OVW camp, they'd all jump at something like this. The divas are too well known. The OVW gals, well...quite frankly, I'm not interested in a wrestler doing it. I coulda probably picked an actress or something, but after talking to you, you're the only one I wanted for the role.”

“Oh...” She bit her bottom lip, casting her eyes to the table, wanting to ask him why, but refrained. He just basically gave her the easiest answer, no real truth behind it, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. To be honest, Jessa never pictured herself out in the ring as one of the Divas. She always thought she was too plain, too ordinary, and not good enough to be put on screen. Though she had to admit, when the spotlight was on her and she transformed into Jenessa, it was truly the greatest feeling in the world.

Mark leaned across the table, gently cupping her chin in the palm of his head, tilting her head up so her eyes were meeting his, taking off his shades. “Jessa, you're perfect for the part. You took the character and made it yours. I chose you out of a lot of candidates because I could see the fire and passion in your eyes. Any other woman playing the part wouldn't have done half as well.”

She actually blushed and smiled back at him, not believing he had that much faith in her to play such a crucial part, swallowing hard. “Thank you, Mark. That means a lot.” She murmured softly, staring back into his green eyes, and smiled when Mary walked up, causing his hand to release her chin as she set their food down. “Thank you.” She said softly before placing the napkin on her lap and started to eat, sipping some of her Sprite. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all, maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought.

Mary looked back and forth between them, deciding to tease a bit. “So I take it this means ya won't be calling me anymore, ‘Taker, honey?”

He didn't even miss a beat, not looking away from the blushing Jessa. “Darlin', your husband wouldn't take kindly to me calling, period.”

“Can't win them all.” Mary chuckled. “Y’all enjoy the meal now.”

He snorted, wadding a napkin and tossing it at her. “Saucy wench.”

“Just don't be forgetting my tip, Dead Man.”

Jessa giggled as she shook her head, liking this Mary, and made a mental note to visit her the next time they were in town. “She's quite a character.” She commented with a smile, taking another bite out of her chicken, glad to have real food in front of her. Hospital food blew, she hated them, period, and was glad to be out of there.

“She's definitely one of a kind.” Mark chuckled, digging into his own food, grunting in quiet satisfaction. “What's your take on David?” He asked suddenly. “And I don't mean for his character, I mean on David himself. What's your opinion of him?” He stared at her intently, green eyes searching her own. “The truth.”

Chapter 13

“I think he's the biggest piece of trash the company has hired on since Doink the Clown and I can't stand the sight of him. His touch makes me want to vomit.” She stated bluntly, her eyes shining with truth, and took another bite of her food, raking a hand through her hair. She would never fully forget what David did to her and touched her arm again, clearing her throat. “But that's just between you and me.” She smirked with a wink.

“Hey, at least Doink was entertaining, onstage and off,” Mark said with a Cheshire cat grin. “Darlin', I'm not saying David is a bad guy, and I'm not saying he's a good one either. I'm just saying you need to watch your step around him. He's basically a prima donna of the male variety, just a few notches over being an asshole.”

“Trust me, I know. He nearly threw me through a wall remember?” She snorted and stabbed her chicken like it'd personally done her wrong. “The truth is Mark, he doesn't deserve that title. I would rather see Mark Henry, the King of Donuts, as champion than him. David doesn't know how to tell a story in the ring and he just doesn't cut the mustard. If anyone deserves to be champion, it's you.”

“Actually, Glenn deserves it,” Mark said quietly, trailing his fork through his food thoughtfully. “I'll be straight with you Jessa, this is my last time around the block. I'm retiring in the New Year, this is my last year wrestling. I want to go out on top, always have, but so does every guy. But...at the same time, I don't. I want to be remembered as passing the torch. Glen's no spring chicken, but the son of a bitch has been working his ass for years, and for what? His legacy is gonna be awesome, but not what it should. Following me, darlin'?”

“I agree.” She replied quietly, not about to voice her opinion on Glen. True, he was a great wrestler, but he didn't have that spark Mark or Paul did. In the business, there was a certain spark and only certain guys had it, which is why they became champion. Randy, John, Mark, Steve, Dwayne...the list was endless, but it took that one spark, that one special thing that separated them from everyone else in the locker room. Glen did deserve the title, but at the moment, there was nothing for him and giving him the belt would be pointless.

He could tell she didn't but didn't argue the point. What did Glen have to fight for? Honestly, the guy was still living in the Undertaker's shadow. The lines he'd been given were total failures. Glen's career had all but been ruined the day they took away his mask. “How's the food?” He asked, smirking when she just shook her head at him. “Darlin', I'm a man, my stomach is one-third of my brain.”

“It's really good. Thanks.” She murmured, taking another bite, and smiled when Mary brought her a second Sprite since hers was almost gone. They finished eating and crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning her head back, completely full. That hit the spot, she loved chicken strips and this place had excellent ones. She sipped her Sprite while Mark finished his meal, just looking at the table, thinking about the current part of the script she was on. It was the hotel scene...Jessa shook her head, immediately turning to something else. She refused to think about that right now.

“What's on your mind?” He asked after finishing that pecan pie, waving for the check.

“Tip not included, aren't I nice?”

“Mary, I have the perfect tip for you, honey.”

“Yes, sugar?” She batted her eyelashes at him.

“Don't tempt the devil.”

She laughed her ass off all the way to the kitchen.

Jessa couldn't help but laugh at their flirtation, knowing Mark did it on purpose. He loved making the ladies swoon as she stood up, finishing her Sprite, and dabbed her mouth as she pulled her sweater on. The sun was slowly setting on the horizon as she looked out the window, smiling at the beauty it brought out and turned back around as Mark stood up as well. “Ready to go?” She asked, ignoring his question before Mary arrived.

Something he didn't miss but chose to let it be, for now. “Yeah darlin', I'm ready.” He stood up, tossing down a wad of bills on the table. He made sure to leave a generous tip, knowing Mary had a family to support, but kept his back to Jessa, she didn't need to know that. “Come on.” He led the way out.

She simply followed, not saying a word and waved to Mary on her way out, the cool night air hitting her as she sighed. She loved the night, it was peaceful and full of tranquility. Jessa walked over and got on the bike, zipping her sweater up, and waited for Mark to get on. She raised an eyebrow when he just stood there, drawing them together, and wondered what he was thinking. She wanted to ask him, but decided against it as it wasn't any of her business.

He half smirked, watching as the wind picked up her hair, reaching out to catch a strand between his fingers, gently rubbing the silky tresses and the smirk faded into a small smile. “Come on, darlin'.” He whispered, lifting her onto the bike and straddled it behind her, his long arms reaching around her to grip the bars. “You ready?” He murmured in her ear.

Jessa smiled as she looked over her shoulder at him and nodded before turning back to stare straight ahead, wondering if he could ride like this. A shiver coursed through her when the bike roared to life, something about that sound always got Jessa's heart racing as they pulled away from the restaurant. She rested her head back against his chest, swallowing hard as the night air whipped through her hair, twisting it in the wind, but she didn't care. This was probably the best motorcycle ride she ever had in her life.

He could drive like this, definitely. Feeling her warm body resting against his chest...he could do this all night long and not get tired of it. Mark didn't make the turn back to the hotel, instead of going straight. He ignored the questioning look she shot him over her shoulder, just kept his eyes focused on the road. Soon the city was nothing more than a distant twinkling light behind them.

For some reason, Jessa wasn't surprised he didn't go back to the hotel as she snuggled further against him, completely comfortable, the moon slowly rising while the sunset. It was beautiful, peaceful, making her feel something she hadn't felt in a while. It was almost as if the road would never end as they were the only ones on it, just taking a nice long ride. Her thoughts drifted to the man behind her and had to admit she liked hanging out with him. Granted, he was very protective of her, but at least he wasn't overbearing like Jeff. His protection was...soothing, sexy. She smiled and placed her hair over one shoulder, hoping it wasn't hitting his face too much.

It wasn't. Mark smiled, feeling her relax against him. Finally, he pulled off to the side of the road, resting the motorcycle between two trees and got off it, pulling her with him. He set her down, staring at her. “You never answered my question, Jessa.” He reminded gently, letting her know he hadn't forgotten it.

She sighed, raking a hand through her frazzled hair, and looked around as the night enveloped them slowly. “I was just thinking about the script...the hotel scene coming up.” She admitted, clearing her throat, knowing there was no point in lying to the man cause he'd figure it out sooner or later. “Though now I'm not thinking about anything at all. It's beautiful out here.”

“It is.” Mark agreed, looking around them before focusing on her again. “What about the hotel scene, Jessa? Nervous?” He brushed his knuckles down her cheek. “You shouldn't be darlin', nothing’s going to happen.” He murmured, staring down into her eyes. “I wouldn't let it, you should know that by now, I'm overbearing.”

“You are, but you're nothing like Jeff.” She replied softly, leaning against his touch, and smiled as she slowly stepped back. “I am nervous, but I know you won't let anything happen. I was just thinking about it since it's coming up soon.” She shrugged and walked over, starting to sit down and smiled when he pulled her to sit between his legs. She didn't mind it as she leaned back, feeling his arms wrap around her. It was nice being in his arms, being held. She hadn't been held in such a long time, she nearly forgot how to feel again.

Mark rested his chin on the top of her head, gently so he didn't dig in and cause her any discomfort. “Jessa...” He murmured, his breath warm on the back of her neck. “You're an unusual woman, you know that don't you?” He chuckled softly, feeling her tense. “It's a good thing, darlin'. I wouldn't have you any other way.”

“Why because I tell it like it is and I'm not afraid to speak my mind?” She shot back gently, smiling over her shoulder, but didn't turn around as the cool night went blew through her hair, causing her to look out.

Jessa admitted it, she was a stubborn woman, full of piss and vinegar. That was probably why her grandparents used to set her on top of the fridge whenever she misbehaved. Her parents died when she was very young in a plane crash on their way to pick her up from her grandparents in Florida. They raised her to be the person she was today and she missed them since they were now with her parents.

“That's part of it.” He agreed, kneading her sides gently. “Then there's the fact that you don't put up with anyone's bullshit, including mine. Which I really like, even if it does annoy the hell out of me half the time. I'm an old man set in his ways, I hate it and love it when you put me in my place.” He snorted, laughing at himself. “You're passionate, that's what I like the most about you though, your zeal.”

She smirked, knowing it was all true and she wasn't going to deny it. She was a very passionate woman and set in her ways as well just like him. “You're not that old, Mark. Come on, you can still make the ladies swoon and fall at your feet.” She giggled, knowing damn well every time he said her character name in his Undertaker's voice, the ladies fainted or had wet panties. “Age has been wonderful to you, enjoy it. Not very many are lucky.”

“Very true.” He smirked, laughing. “I aged quite well and yes, the women still throw keys and various other interesting items at me.” He snorted when she went to deck him. “Feisty aren't you? I would love it if that was jealousy and not annoyance at my ego, Jessa.” He teased gently.

Part of it was jealousy and part of it was his ego, but he didn't let it go to his head like David, and she respected him for that. “It's both.” She bluntly said, turning to stare at him with a smile, raising an eyebrow at the look he shot her. “What? It's like Ashley said, I can appreciate a good looking man.” She laughed when his eyebrow raised to his hairline and keeled over. “You need to watch when you take a shower, apparently she's a peeping Tom.”

Mark snorted, arching an eyebrow. “Oh really now?” His teeth glinted in the darkness. “Maybe you should start peeking with her instead of listening to second-hand reports.” He teased, a full out laugh escaping him at the expression on his face. “Piss and vinegar is right, woman!”

“You're lucky I'm injured or else I'd hurt you,” Jessa stated in a deceptively sweet tone, going back to sitting between his legs, slapping his knee as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I think I'll just ask Ash to take some pictures.” She giggled at his growl and started laughing again, holding her side since it began to hurt a bit.

“She could make a lot of money off them, I've gotten a couple of interesting phone calls over the years about posing,” Mark replied nonchalantly, beginning to massage her back. “Playgirl...some internet sites, a lot of weird shit. Maybe we should pose together, hmm? Then we'd both have pictures of each other.” He chuckled, catching her hand before she could hit him. “Teasing honey.”

Chapter 14

“You and that damn ego.” She muttered though she was smiling, shaking her head back at him, and groaned when he hit a sore spot. When he went to stop, she grabbed his hand and urged him to continue. “That felt really good.” She cracked her neck before her knuckles, sighing as the tension left her body as he continued rubbing her back. “Has anyone ever told you to go into massage therapy?”

“Frequently.” He rumbled, chuckling again when her feathers ruffled again. “Darlin, you ever stop to think that maybe I harass you so much because you're awful damn cute when you get pissed?” He kissed the back of her head. “And when you blush...how's that feel?”

“Wonderful.” She murmured softly, enjoying being pampered by him, even though he was the last man she ever expected to treat her this way, in this manner. “I'm cute eh?” She smirked and shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Nah, I'm just me. Good ol' J that John and Jeff refuse to stop proposing too and who is dumb enough to go out with a couple of strange guys because her best friend thinks it's a good idea.” She snorted and groaned when he hit her lower back, digging her nails in the grass.

“You're Jessa, just the way we like you. Can't blame John and Jeff for trying. If I were the marrying kind, I might think about it.” He drawled playfully, letting her hair down and began to braid it, something to keep his hands occupied, in a friendly manner of course.

“I'm not the marrying kind either.” She admitted, plucking at some grass before letting it fall from her fingers. “Marriage is nothing except a damn piece of jewelry that marks you. It means nothing in all honesty because, in the end, love dies in a marriage.” She fully believed a person didn't need to wear a piece of metal on their finger in order to prove they were taken. That was just her belief though, Jessa was never getting married. She would die happily single or with a good man who treated her right and put up with her long enough.

Mark considered that for a long while, finally nodding his head in agreement. “I once read about this Pagan thing.” He said slowly. “Instead of getting married, some of them hold this water ceremony thing. They just stand by the water and bind themselves together with words and love, I always thought that'd be the way to go.”

She slowly turned around to face him and smiled, shaking her head gently. “You really are the Lord of Darkness aren't you?” She giggled and looked back down at the grass, feeling completely at peace with this man, in his arms under the stars and full lit moon. It was perfect, it was almost like a dark fairytale of some sort. “That Pagan thing isn't a bad way to go. At least it's not in a damned church in front of tons of people you hardly know and shelling out money you bust your ass for just to please them.” She snorted. “Weddings suck.”

“Lord of darkness through and through.” He agreed solemnly. “The best characters are the ones that aren't too far off from who you really are. Not saying I'm fixing to go out and brainwash people or sacrifice them. I like the dark shit, but I'm not a Charlie Manson either.” He studied her thoughtfully. “What do you have against organized religion?”

“My grandparents forced me into the whole Catholic religion and I rebelled against it. I refused to live by the rules, I like doing things my way. If I want to fuck a guy without getting married or no strings attached, I'm gonna do it. Not saying I'm a slut because I’m not, I just like having my options open. Same with my job, I like choosing my career and not being tied down in marriage to a selfish man who's the breadwinner. I'm stubborn, I like things my way or the highway.” She shrugged nonchalantly as she spoke, letting the grass fall from her hands again. “I just think a person should be able to choose who they are and what they believe in instead of having it forced on them.”

Mark was quiet again, contemplating that. “My folks were Baptists, less kneeling, more hollering and singing.” He said finally. “I didn't mind the singing so much, just all the hellfire and brimstone. What the hell is the point of a god if he hates people?” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “I mean, everything Satan seems to stand for isn't always bad but you'll surely burn in the fiery pits if ya try it even once.”

“I believe that there is no devil.” She stated, causing him to arch an eyebrow, and slowly looked up to meet his eyes, the seriousness clear in her expression. “I truly believe that we live in Hell and when we die, our sins and anything we do is forgiven. It's kind of scary when you think about all the bad shit people do in the world, but at the same time, it's not surprising. There's rapists, robbers, murderers, war, the list is endless. That's why I truly believe we live in Hell right now because of how much shit is in the world.” She explained, raking a hand through her hair, knowing her grandparents were probably rolling in their graves at the moment, but she didn't care. Jessa had her own beliefs and was sharing them with this man who seemed like he wasn't the judging type.

“Aww, hell darlin'.” Mark drawled shaking his head. “You know something, I think I believe in reincarnation. There's a Heaven and there is a Hell, but they're more like pit stops while you wait to come back. If ya fucked up majorly in your life, you wait in Hell, vice versa with Heaven.”

Jessa shrugged and went back to plucking the grass, not going to argue with him on this matter because it was pointless. Everyone had their own beliefs and she wasn't going to judge him on it. She wasn't the judgmental type, though she could tell pretty quickly if a person was legit or a complete nutcase. Batista fell under the nutcase category, no doubt about it as Jessa started twisting the end of her hair with her other hand, wrapping it around her finger.

He chuckled softly, finishing braiding Jessa's hair then returned to massaging her shoulders, now unhindered by the long black locks. “Everyone has their own idea I expect, guess we'll all find out sooner or later.” He fell silent, watching her over her shoulder. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking back to the marriage thing. If I ever do tie the knot or whatever, I want to do it like back in the medieval days. They used to tie white silk scarves around the groom and bride’s wrists instead of using jewelry.” She smiled and looked down at her hair, which was now hanging over one shoulder in a long braid. “Thanks?” She giggled, her voice sounding questionable as she fingered her braid.

“Hey, I did well on it.” He defended, studying the braid, it was perfect. “I have lots of practice, do my own.” He flipped his own braided hair at her, chuckling. “Silk scarves around the wrists huh? Could be useful...” His green eyes gleamed wickedly for a second at his male thoughts.

“Get your head outta the gutter Mark.” She smirked, already knowing what he was thinking, and smacked his arm when he playfully leered at her. “That's SO not happening. I don't go for the motorcycle riders.” She started laughing when his eyebrow raised. “What, you didn't know? I'm into boys who run into doors or trip on a peanut shell and catapult over tables.” She was dying by now.

Mark arched an eyebrow. “That's your loss then.” He teased, leaning back against a tree, folding his arms behind his head, trying not to laugh himself. “Not into bikers huh? Well...don't that just break my heart.” He placed a hand over his chest, pouting at her.

“You'll live, I'm sure there are a million women out there who would want you.” She batted her eyelashes back at him, sighing wistfully. “My heart belongs to my lover, Ashley.” She keeled over when Mark's green eyes nearly shot out of their sockets, rolling on the ground as the tears stung her eyes. “Y-You should've seen your face!!” She rasped out, trying to breathe as her laughter echoed throughout the night.

“I can't believe you...I can't believe her...I want pictures!” Mark growled, standing up and stepping away before she could lunge, now laughing his own ass off. “Woman...you best be behaving or I'll leave your ass out here. I'm too old to have a heart attack.”

“You're not seeing any pictures of us, suge.” She winked with a giggle, laughing again when Mark growled and shook her head as she raked a hand through her hair. “Though I've seen the pictures of you that she has...” Her lips curved wickedly, her blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight as she tried hard not to laugh. “Do tell me something, are you ALWAYS that hard?” She then started running.

Mark caught her before she got very far. “Longer legs, darlin’.” He grunted in Jessa's ear, his arms firmly wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against that muscular, HARD body. “What do you think?”

“I think you need to get rid of that problem before your dick turns purple and falls off.” She shot back with a grin, giggling, not able to stop herself. She was having too much fun making cracks at him and knew he wouldn't kill her. Partially because of the storyline and the time they'd spent together, the conversation they had. Jessa honestly couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun.

“It's natural.” He smirked, now holding her up, since she was laughing so hard. “Hasn't turned purple and fallen off yet, would you like to check and see, Jess? Since you're so concerned and all, darlin'.”

“Hell no, I'll leave that up to Ashley since she's interested.” She snorted and slowly turned around in his arms, staring up into his green eyes, a smile on her face, and placed her hands on her hips. “What? You either look constipated or trying to intimidate me. I got news for you, honey, you're failing miserably.”

“Actually imitating the expression on your face, darlin',” Mark replied, the twinkle back in his eyes and the amused smile on his lips. “Come on woman, it's getting late, the moon is rising quicker and quicker.” He looked up at the night sky. “Busy day tomorrow.” He glanced back down at her.

She sighed resignedly and nodded, knowing what tomorrow was bringing. A lot of chaos and problems, she could already tell. She didn't want to leave this peaceful place, but knew she still had scripts to finish. They had an early flight in the morning followed by a three-hour drive before the taping of Smackdown! Vince was merging the company together with this storyline due to the Ministry. He wanted it on both RAW and Smackdown!, not really interested in ECW.

Mark fell silent as he guided her back to his Harley, helping her astride it before swinging one long leg over the seat. He grunted, sitting himself down and leaned forward, grabbing the handlebars. “Thank you, Jessa, for tonight.” He murmured softly in her ear, just before turning on the ignition and roaring out of there.

She smiled and leaned back against his chest, her eyes closing as the night wind whipped across her face, loving the feeling combined with his strong body. They rode in silence all the way back to the hotel, finally stopping and parking in the parking garage. Jessa turned around while Mark was still on his bike and leaned over, her lips barely touching his as their eyes locked. “No...Thank you.” She whispered softly before pulling away and turned around, heading into the hotel using the stairs.

Mark smiled slightly, watching as she walked into the building, then hummed under his breath.

Chapter 15

“Is that a smile? You're smiling! Where have you been? No...WHO have you done?” Ashley demanded the second she saw Jessa. “I know that look...just not on you...”

“None of your business.” Jessa sweetly replied, her blue eyes glittering as she walked into her room, not surprised to find Ashley waiting for her. She really needed to remember to tell the receptionist NOT to give keys out to her hotel room. “What's up, Ash?” She asked, throwing her purse down on the dresser and kicked her shoes off, that smile not leaving her face.

“My annoyance levels, Jeff is asleep, thank god. I think he and Beth are fighting or something, he's moody and for once it has nothing to do with you, how about that?” Ashley yawned, stretching out on the couch with a yawn. “So...tell me, who were you with, Jessa? Come on, you can tell lil ol' Ashy.”

“Nope, I'm not saying a word.” Jessa refused, knowing Ashley would run her mouth off to everyone she possibly could, and sat down on the bed as she pulled her laptop out. Her thoughts drifted back to Mark and what a wonderful day they had together. It was peaceful, quiet and fun, three things she hadn't experienced in a long time. Humming under her breath happily, Jessa started on the scripts, knowing she was bunking with Ashley tonight.

“Jessa...I PROMISE I won't tell a SOUL!” Ashley said, crossing her heart and held up her right hand. She smiled innocently at the look and arched eyebrow she got for it. “I won't, just between us girls. I'm not Jeff, I CAN keep my mouth shut.”

“I just went out for a drive by myself, Ashley.” Of course, she was lying, but the girl didn't need to know that detail as it rolled off of her tongue smoothly. “I went for a drive in the country to think things over about what's happened. After that, I grabbed a bite to eat.” She shrugged and went back to typing, needing to finish this. She was almost done and if Ashley stopped bugging her, she'd get it accomplished before the night was through.

“Uh huh...you went for a drive, by yourself...in the country.” Ashley echoed sarcastically, one perfect blonde eyebrow arching. She stood up and walked over to sit on the bed. “Honey, you're not fooling me, your car was in the lot ALL day and...” She inhaled. “You smell…like…sandalwood and men's musk.”

Mark's smell. Jessa felt her cheeks grow hot as she touched them, causing Ashley to start shoving her. “I'm not telling!” She laughed out and hopped from the bed, shaking her head emphatically. “I'm not telling you, you'll blab. This is one secret I'm keeping Ashley.” She crossed her arms in defiance, raising an eyebrow, having popped another pain pill.

Ashley shook her head, looking mischievous. “Fine, don't tell me. I'll find out.” She teased, moving back to the couch, propping a few pillows under her head. “Mmm...Did you see Marky Mark this morning? That man looked FINE. Think he likes blondes?” She twirled a strand of her hair around a finger.

She was not going to fall into this trap and shrugged modestly with a smirk. “Why don't you go ask him? Or are you scared?” She taunted playfully, sitting on the bed beside her, deciding the script writing could wait. She'd do it on the plane, she wouldn't have an internet connection, but she could still work on it since it was in Microsoft Word. “You know one of these days he's gonna choke slam you for calling him that right?”

“Nah, I've been calling him that since I met him, he likes it, he's just too macho to admit it,” Ashley said thoughtfully. “Maybe I'll ask him out, what do you think?” She propped her head up on her elbow. “Princess Punk and the Lord of Darkness?” She smirked.

“That would be quite the pair.” Jessa giggled as she smiled down at Ashley, knowing she'd have tonight with Mark and that was it. Ashley was a very attractive woman, beautiful and confident, smart and witty. Mark would have a winner and she knew he'd never chosen her over Ashley. Wait a minute, why was she even thinking this way? “I think you should go for it. Ask him out. What's the worst he can say?” She asked, nudging her playfully, giggling when Ashley blushed.

“I don't know... he's kinda old...” Ashley chewed her thumbnail thoughtfully. “What if he can't get it up anymore?” She looked horrified at the thought. “Maybe I should Jeff do some scouting on the Deadman Express for me, what do you think, hun?”

Jessa shrugged with a smile. “It couldn't hurt. Maybe he could snap some pictures for you too.” She winked, causing Ashley to blush even more, and giggled as she pulled her laptop on her lap, her knees bent so it was resting on her thighs. Okay so maybe she lied to Mark about Ashley having pictures, but he didn't need to know that and bit back a smirk. “I think you're being a chickenshit though. Just ask him out for a drink or something small.”

“Maybe...we'll see,” Ashley said, looking thoughtful. Hey...I know! How about we see if he wants to double date or something? You and Jeff, me and him, it'll be more a friendly setting and I can scope him out, without being in the workplace!” She brightened, staring intently at Jessa. “Please?”

“No.” She shook her head, refusing to do that, and patted Ashley's shoulder comfortingly. “Ash, he's just a man. Just a man that you think is gorgeous. So get in the game and just go for it. Where's my Punk Princess who isn't afraid of jack shit?” She challenged, raising an eyebrow, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You don't need a double date to scope him out, you just need to go for it and ask him out for a drink or something.” She then went back to typing on her laptop.

“Come on Jessa, please?” Ashley frowned when Jessa shook her head no and picked up the phone. She chatted with the receptionist easily for a few minutes, then went quiet. “Hi, Mark? This is Ashley...no, I'm not going to pick on you. Did I wake you up?” She twirled the cord around her fingers, smiling slightly. “Uh huh, look...would you do me a huge favor?” She crossed her eyes. “Go on a double date with me? Jeff and Jessa would be going.” She crossed her fingers, snorting at the expression on Jessa's face. “You will? Great! Bye.”

“I'm not going, Ashley,” Jessa growled as she stood up, slamming the lid of the laptop shut, and shook her head, not believing she just did that. “I can't believe you! Seriously, I have to WORK with this man in the ring and you want me to go out on a double date just so you can suck face with him?” She was livid as her blue eyes shot fire and pointed at the door, throwing her back at her. “Get out. Get out and don't say a fucking word to me. I'm pissed at Jeff and now I'm pissed at you!” She then stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut so hard, the hinges nearly broke and flipped the lock. She wanted to be alone.

Ashley started laughing her ass off, dropping to the floor and rolled around. “You fell for it! It was Marky Mark!” She chortled, tears beginning to stream down her face. “I KNEW I recognized that smell! Oh, Jess...honey, I didn't really call him, I promise. You can check the logs with downstairs if you want.”

“It was NOT Mark!” Jessa shouted through the door, stripping, needing a hot bath right about now. “I told you, I went alone!” She couldn't believe this and raked a hand through her hair, pissed at Ashley all the same. She wrapped a towel around her and stepped out, glaring at her best friend. “It wasn't Mark.” She stated again, looking dead serious. “Look, I went for a long walk and thought about things, stopped at a little diner, walked more and came back. Mark is just my co-worker, nothing more.” She was playing this to perfection as she stared at her friend with cold eyes, still not believing she played that prank.

“Bullshit.” Ashley crowed, blue eyes sparkling. “I love you, Jessa, but honestly...it's TOO late. You reeked of him, you should have seen the look in your eyes when you thought I was on the phone with him. Don’t worry, I won't tell anyone.” She danced towards the door. “Maybe you ought to ask him out, something small, see where it leads too. Night!”

“You bitch!” She shouted after Ashley's retreating form and sunk down on the bed, burying her head in her hands, the tears stinging her eyes as the door closed. God, what had she done? She was hoping nobody would know about this, especially since there were already problems with David. “No more.” She vowed in a whisper and stood up, walking into the bathroom, and slipped in the tub that was full of hot water. From now on, it was strictly professional.

Ashley wasn't as bad as Jessa thought, she didn't tell anyone and she wouldn't. Jessa was her best friend, she'd keep that little secret to herself. That and Jeff would probably flip out and spaz on Mark. Jeff did not need to die via a pissed off Undertaker.

~!~

The following night Jessa walked into the Staples Arena, where they were taping Smackdown!, cracking her neck and wearing her usual, jeans and a tank top. Very rarely did she change, but she did have a pair of shades over her eyes, her hair down, and slowly slid them off when she was inside. The fans were screaming her ring name and she sighed, knowing she never would live this character down. She wanted to both kill and hug Mark for it, having severed emotions over the whole ordeal. Heading into her dressing room, Jessa got busy with the rest of the script writing, needing to finish it.

“Are you still mad at me?” Jeff asked, poking his head and arm in the room, waving a blue handkerchief, he was out of white. He smiled hesitantly, next holding out a bottle of Sprite. “I bring a peace offering?”

Jessa let out a sigh and shook her head slowly, allowing him to walk in. “As long as you're finished being a dumbass and causing trouble for us.” She stated, taking the bottled Sprite, and took a swig before setting it on the table in front of her. “What's crackin' Skittles?” She asked, rubbing her eyes, finally finishing up the script as she pressed save and then print. Vince would be thrilled that she was a month ahead and juggling the Jenessa character.

“Nothing, just wandering around, keeping my mouth shut,” Jeff replied, sitting on the desk and stared down at the laptop. “Anything good for me in there, hmm?” He tried peeking at the screen. “Come on Jessie, I just want one itsy bitsy, teeny weenie peek. I'll be a good boy.” He shot her an angelic look.

“No. You'll wait until Vince processes it.” She stated sternly before shutting her laptop down and folding the script, placing it in a folder, and stood up as she raked a hand through her hair. “I need to bring this to Vince's office, care to tag along?” She smirked when he nodded and rolled her eyes, she wasn't surprised as they headed out of the room and down the hallway, clutching the folder to her chest like her life depended on it, daring Jeff to even TRY a move.

Jeff walked beside her, chatting animatedly and kept trying to snatch the folder half-heartedly, more interested in teasing her then actually getting to see the damn thing. He knew he was in good hands with Jessa, even if he did piss her off a lot.

“Evening.” Ashley greeted, walking by them with Mark.

“Jessa.” His eyes lit up when he seen her, then got dragged off by the Punk.

Jessa ignored that as she kept walking, having made up her mind their relationship would be strictly professional and nothing more. Jeff stared at her questioningly. “Don't even ask.” She muttered as they arrived outside of Vince's office and she stepped in, telling Jeff to wait outside. She handed her folder in and walked right back out, needing to get ready for her scenes with both Mark and David that night for the taping.

Chapter 16

Mark was waiting for her when she walked into her room, kicking the door closed behind him once she was inside, green eyes unreadable. “Did I do something to piss you off?” He asked mildly. He hadn’t missed the way she brushed him off, not even acknowledging him in the hallway.

“Jesus Christ!” She shouted at him, holding her chest with her hand, having jumped a foot in the air when the door slammed shut behind her. She whipped around to find Mark. “Ashley knows Mark about last night. I didn't tell her. She just guessed. She kinda tricked me actually, but the bottom line is that she knows. I don't want rumors going around about us. We are co-workers and on-screen...whatever.” She didn't have the right word for what Jenessa and Undertaker were, honestly not caring at the moment. “I wanted it to be just us...but she had to stick her fucking nose in my business like always.” She growled, the frustration clearly on her face.

Mark arched an eyebrow, taking all that in and just stared at her. He folded his arms over his massive chest, walking towards her and halted a few steps away, staring down into Jessa's angry eyes. “And why are people knowing about 'us' a problem?” He asked his tone calm. “We had dinner, that's all. Afraid?”

“Yes, I'm so scared I'm shaking in my shoes.” She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest, staring back at him with her eyebrows scrunched together. “I'm worried about David, Mark okay?” She sighed and lowered her head, turning her back to him. “He's been pursuing me since I first started in this business three years ago.” She admitted, rubbing the back of her neck, and closed her eyes. “I told him I don't date co-workers so if I went back on my word now, things could get rough and worse than what they already have been. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

His green eyes flickered for a moment, something dangerous then everything was calm again. “I understand perfectly.” He said, backing towards the door. “You are afraid.”

“PMS Express again?” Glen asked when Mark stalked towards him. He grunted in pain when he got a fist in the jaw, spitting out a partial tooth. “Damn it...”

Jessa couldn't handle this right now as she sat down on the couch, burying her face in her hands, and stood up as she began pacing back and forth. Yes, she was afraid, she was terrified, she admitted it! After everything David had done to her already, she just didn't need any more problems with the man. She was already in the hospital once and still healing from her injuries, didn't Mark understand that? She sighed and stood up, walking over to the mirror, and stared down at the makeup, beginning to transform into Jenessa again.

Mark was focused. He was very focused. He sat quietly throughout makeup, not bantering with the makeup ladies. They were probably shocked as hell when he gestured for them to do his hair, not even making a comment when they twisted the ends of his goatee into little devil horns. It actually suited his mood.

“Shit...he looks evil...” Janet whispered as he walked away.

“Oh yeah...”

Two hours later, Jenessa was reborn in a tight black dress with a lace confection, the skirt part of it in an asymmetrical layer of lace ruffles, all black. A tiny black rose was in the corner under her left breast, her hair down with curls throughout it, black eyeliner and lipstick on her pale face. The dress went two inches above the knee and pushed her breasts up nicely. “Here goes nothing.” She mumbled before walking out, wearing two-inch black stiletto heels, and headed to David's locker room.

David was ready as usual, nodding when he saw her, quickly taking in her ring outfit. “We're sticking to the script tonight.” He grunted, glancing at himself in the mirror and smoothed his spiked hair a little, frowning before turning to her. “How are you feeling?” He asked, knowing they'd be on shortly.

“I'm fine.” She quietly answered and walked over, standing against the wall, knowing they were basically going to go out to the ring and blame Undertaker for her getting hurt. She raked a hand through her hair as he finished primping, her eyes cast to the floor before closing them. She was getting into character, having already taken a pain pill so she wouldn't feel anything.

David studied her thoughtfully, a smirk curving his lips. Pain pills always had side effects, it was a matter of being able to notice them. “Still hurting huh?” He nodded. “Sorry about that.” His head shot up when there was a knock on the door, letting them know it was time, going in character as well. “Ready for some revenge, Jenessa?”

Her head slowly lifted, blue eyes piercing, and nodded. “Yes, David.” She replied in a monotone voice before following him out the door, allowing him to guide her by the hand. She looked straight ahead, completely in character, no longer the sweet, funny Jessa. She was now a pissed off female who wanted to end Undertaker's career for nearly destroying hers. They stood at gorilla position silently and waited, no pain flowing through Jenessa's body. If it did, it would only fuel her anger more.

~!~

When Saliva's 'I Walk Alone' blared throughout the P.A. system, Batista led her out onto the rampway, not even bothering to do his usual pyro. He was focused solely on the ring and what was going to happen inside of it tonight. “Stay clear.” He ordered gravely, glancing down at the woman beside him.

She nodded as she followed him, walking up the steel ring steps, and slid through the bottom rope before walking over and demanding a microphone. “Cut the music.” She ordered gravely, her voice no longer holding that seductive pitch, her face all business as she glared at the crowd.

“Jenessa doesn't look happy, JBL.”

“Of course not dipstick, she nearly got crushed Monday night on Raw. I'm surprised she's here.”

Jenessa walked over to the ropes and pressed against them before shrieking out, “UNDERTAKER GET OUT HERE NOW!”

David arched an eyebrow, looking towards the stage when the lights flickered. He shook his head when nobody came out, turning to look at her, blinking when the lights went off, then came back, purple lighting flickering almost violently.

“Jenessa...” His voice rang throughout the arena, but he wasn't anywhere in sight.

She wasn't fazed in the slightest, shaking from head to toe in anger as she gripped the microphone tightly in her hand. “You son of a bitch!! You nearly killed me Monday night on Raw!! You're going to pay, do you hear me, Undertaker? You and your precious Ministry will PAY FOR THIS!!” She shouted, which lead into a shriek, pacing back and forth in the ring as she raked a hand through her hair. “Now get your ass out here and receive a well-deserved ass-kicking from the man who will REMAIN champion this Sunday!!”

His laughter mocked them, echoing around them, ringing in everyone's ears as the purple smoke poured in from everywhere, fogging vision and clouding senses. “If I wanted to kill you, Jenessa, you would be dead. Blame the man beside you for it, Jenessa.”

Batista shook his head, talking rapidly to her. “His mind games. GET OUT HERE ‘TAKER!” He bellowed, looking around wildly.

“I don't blame him, I blame YOU!” She shouted, the purple fog quickly filling up the ring, but she still wasn't fazed. She was too angry and pissed off as she continued circling, knowing this was another one of his mind games. “Undertaker, why don't you come out here and show me what the Phenom can do?” She taunted, that sick smirk back on her face, David barely in her vision as the lighting kept flashing around them, the arena in a purple glow. “UNDERTAKER STOP IT!!” She shrieked, the fear finally rising in her tone, blinking as she tried waving the smoke from her face.

“What the Hell is goin' on?”

“Another one of Undertaker's mind games. He's going to drive Jenessa into a psych ward.”

“She needs it with how psychotic she looks at the moment.”

Batista wasn't exactly calm himself either. The purple smoke had filled the arena so badly that he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his eyes, coughing as he inhaled the sickly sweet fumes. Just as suddenly as it had arrived, the smoke was gone, clear. Like it hadn't even been there. His brown eyes widened when he saw a very evil looking man looming over him, then was knocked right out of the ring.

The Undertaker had arrived.

“David!!” Jenessa cried, her voice echoing throughout the arena before dropping the microphone, swallowing hard when Undertaker's head snapped to stare at her. She began shaking from head to toe, not in anger this time, but fear. Full blown fear and it was clear in her blue eyes as she slowly backed away. “David!!” She cried harder, seeing he was down for the count outside of the ring, knowing this wasn't happening. This was the THIRD time he'd left her to fend for herself against this monster.

“Jenessa is screwed.”

“Definitely.”

The Undertaker's lips curled into an evil smirk, his green eyes pure venomous acid as he stared down at her. “David cannot help you.” He said grimly, advancing on her. “You called out the Lord of Darkness, Jenessa, here I am.” He trapped her against the turnbuckle, their faces almost touching, hers a picture of fear, his evil arrogance.

Jenessa was scared to death as she stared back into those acid eyes, knowing David couldn't help her, he was right. “What are you going to do? Hurt me like you did on Raw?” She shot back weakly, her arms at her sides, not even attempting to put up a fight. She was frozen solid and the only thing that was moving was her mouth. “Go ahead, do it. I dare you.” She hissed, taunting him, her blue eyes still lit on fire.

He shook his head, one half of his mouth curving into a sardonic sneer. “I'm not the one who performed a spear.” He said coldly. “Blame your precious Batista.” He gestured lazily to the out cold man laying on the mats outside of the ring. “He didn't give you time to move, he just attacked, knowing you were right behind me. How have I hurt you, my pet?” He reached out to pick up a lock of her hair.

“You nearly crushed me to death and I had to be hospitalized.” She snarled, her eyes turning to ice, smacking his hand away from the lock he was currently fingering. “What do you want? What is it going to take for you to stop haunting me and leave me alone?” She demanded, searching his eyes, wanting the answer. She wanted the answer and would do practically anything shy of being with him or the Ministry to accomplish it.

“You know what I want, Jenessa.” He hissed, his breath hitting her face. “You know exactly what I want. Your heart screams it out to you even as your mind desperately tries to deny it. I won't stop until you belong to me again.” It seemed he would kiss her, that's how close he had gotten, then before it even reached that point, the purple smoke rolled back in and he was gone.

The lights came back on as the smog disappeared, causing Jenessa to turn around, shaking from head to toe. She didn't even wait for David as she hopped out of the ring and ran up the rampway, the tears pouring down her face. Since he loved leaving her to defend for herself, he could do the same for once as she walked through the curtain just as the show cut to a commercial.

Chapter 17

It hurt to force herself to cry, but Jessa pulled it off and smiled when Jeff bounded up, hugging her. “Sorry, trying not to smear my makeup.”

“Holy shit that was great!” Jeff crowed, picking her up and spinning her around. “Oh man, check this out, Jess, I got goosebumps.” He showed her his arms. His eyes narrowed slightly when David appeared, holding his head, but didn't a word.

“Great job out there.” David grunted, patting Jessa's back before wobbling away.

“Mark got him pretty good, didn't he?”

“Too good...” Jessa muttered, already knowing why he nailed David so hard. David was supposed to attempt at a fight, but Mark came at him too hard. This wasn't good at all. These two men were battling each other over her both in and OUT of the ring. “I'll be right back.” She then walked down the hallway, needing to find Mark.

Mark didn't want to be found apparently because nobody had seen him.

“Try the cafeteria.” Janet suggested.

“Check the showers.” Was Ashley's advice.

“A bar.”

Jessa finally gave up and changed into her regular clothes, knowing that was the only thing happening. She then headed out of the arena, deciding to leave him alone. She wasn't his keeper, she wasn't his friend, and she wasn't anything to him. So if he wasn't anything to her, then why the fuck did this hurt so much? Jessa sighed as she walked to her rental car and slipped in, peeling out of there alone. That's what she wanted right now.

No Ashley. No, Jeff. No David. Nobody.

She wanted to be left the hell alone.

Mark had settled himself in the rafters after the match, just watching everything. He hadn't even changed out of his ring attire, just sat there brooding. Jessa was afraid to let herself what, get close, fall in love, with one of her co-workers because of David. He wasn't in love with her, no. But he was interested, he couldn't pursue it however if David was going to be an asshole, not to mention Jessa had to get over her little 'I don't date co-workers' issue. He snorted.

~!~

The next few weeks flew by in a blur, Jessa hardly knowing what day it was anymore as the storyline increased. David had retained the title at the pay-per-view due to a disqualification, thanks to Jenessa interfering. The feud just escalated and it was at the breaking point, both in and out of the ring. Jessa could feel the tension between the men and hated it as she raked a hand through her hair, knowing what was coming next.

After tonight's scene, Jessa would go back to the hotel and do the scene with Mark. It was going to be one of those things the WWE used to do back in the Attitude Era, such as Mark Henry making out with a man dressed as a woman or Val Venis's sex tapes. She snorted, not looking forward to this.

“I can't believe this...it shouldn't be Jenessa and ‘Taker doing anything...” David growled angrily, studying his forehead. He'd been on the receiving end of an illegal pair of brass knuckles, courtesy of the Ministry, taking in the miniscule stitches. “This is such bullshit...” He snorted, tossing down the gauze pad he'd been using to dab salve on the wound, shaking his head.

In all honesty, Jessa was thrilled it was Mark she'd be doing this with instead of David, not able to handle something like that. She sighed as she stared in the mirror, knowing this storyline was far from over with. She was getting tired out between playing this character and doing the scripts, but she wasn't saying anything. She'd deal with it, she slept whenever she rode with Jeff or Ashley or on a plane.

When this feud was over with, Jessa was going home, deciding a sabbatical was more than in order. She knew it'd be just a few more months and couldn't wait as she finished her makeup before heading out to do the scene in David's locker room. He'd be telling Jenessa to go back to the hotel for the evening since she'd taken a hard hit, which was scripted, the previous week on Smackdown!

David was still angry when Jessa arrived to do the scene, his brown eyes displaying that anger for everyone to see, focusing on her. “Bout fucking time.” He snarled, lips curving angrily then sighed, raking a hand through his short hair frustrated, watching as a cameraman took a position in the corner of the room, cueing them on.

She ignored him, knowing why he was upset as she stood there in just a pair of black jeans with an off the shoulder black top, crossing her arms in front of her chest just as the scene began.

~!~

“So you won't allow me to go out with you in the ring because of a mistake YOU made?” Jenessa demanded, blue eyes shooting fire back at this man. “You know what David? When this is over with, I'm leaving and never coming back.”

He growled, taking a few steps towards her, backing Jenessa into the wall, pinning her there with one massive forearm. “A mistake I made?” He snarled angrily, his face right by hers, the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. “Maybe you should try actually doing your job instead of wiggling your ass whenever he looks at you.” He murmured, licking his lips before kissing her suddenly, gripping her shoulders in his hands painfully. “Now get your ass BACK to the HOTEL.” He ordered, all but shoving her out the door.

“Screw you, David!!” She shouted as the door slammed shut and stalked down the hallway just as the cameras cut, wiping her lips as she trembled with anger.

~!~

That son of a bitch broke script AGAIN!

What the hell was with him lately?

She knew her shoulders would have bruises on them and sighed as she headed out of the arena, going to the hotel for her next scene. She trembled the entire ride there, not looking forward to this either. She and Mark hadn't spoken one word to each other except on screen and it'd been nearly a month. She just hoped this went better than David's script breaking ass or else she was going to quit and go home.

Mark was laying out on the bed in the booked room, looking comfortable, his arms folded under his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He waited patiently for Jessa, wondering how this was going to work out. He listened as a camera was installed in the room, nodding when they told him to get ready, she was on her way.

“Hmm...” He murmured, slipping on the heavy robe.

She stopped outside of the room and bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should do this. Her mind was screaming at her to run, but she couldn't do it. She had to do this for the company who did a lot for her over the past few years. With a deep breath, Jessa pushed the door open as she quickly changed into Jenessa.

~!~

“That damn bastard! Ordering me around like I'm his toy, who the hell does he think he is?” She snarled, throwing her purse across the room and kicked her shoes off, peeling her shirt off as she threw it to the floor. “He's lucky I didn't stay and forced him to lose his match, the bastard...”

She didn't see him but the camera picked him up. It was hard to tell at first, the room was dim, but then slowly he came into focus, standing in a corner, the hood of his robe pulled up over his head. While she ranted and raved, stripping, he was slowly walking up behind her, finally reaching out to pull her back against him, a hand moving over her mouth, the other resting on her silk covered stomach.

Her blue eyes went wide with fear as she let a scream out, but it was muffled by his hand. She was in a black silk nightgown, having changed, and her back was pressed against his chest as she looked from side to side. Her chest was heaving violently up and down, her heart thundering, pulse racing rapidly. Every nerve of her body was tensed as she began trembling against him.

”Have I actually hurt you, Jenessa?” He murmured, only his mouth and goatee visible, the rest of his face hidden in the shadow of the hood, his lips brushing against her shoulder blade. “No...My pet, I haven't laid a finger on you, nor has any of my Ministry...You have no reason to fear me.” He turned her around, keeping one arm firmly wrapped around her, pushing the hood back with the other hand.

She looked up at him and glared, digging her nails into his robe covered chest and managed to break away, stumbling back from the velocity. “Stay away from me! Get out! Get out right now!” She ordered in a shout, pointing, the nightgown coming to mid-thigh as she backed away from him. “You have hurt me. Or have you forgotten the night you nearly crushed me and ended my life?” She raised an eyebrow at him, feeling fierce and would fight him with everything she had, knowing David had no idea this was going on. It was her and Undertaker, nobody else.

“I wouldn't have crushed you as you so quaintly put it if not for your little boy toy's untimely attack.” He replied, shrugging off the robe, letting it drop to the floor, revealing his clothing, or lack of. He was clothed...in just his ring tights, his black hair cascading over his shoulders and over his chest. “Jenessa...” He whispered, his eyes looking her over, darkening with desire.

She was on the floor, scooting back from him, big blue eyes full of fear and something else that was unreadable. “G-Go away...” She stammered, swallowing past the lump that'd formed in her throat and shakily got to her feet. She was near the bed that was a bad place to be at the moment considering what was currently going on. “I-I mean it, Undertaker. You need to leave right now.” Her knees were shaking, the rest of her trembling as she felt shivers course throughout her form.

“Or what?” He challenged in a quiet purr, sounding very much like a jungle cat, approaching her slowly, taking his time.

He smirked when she backed up, her knees hitting the bed and falling back onto it. In one fluid motion, he was on her, pinning her arms down against her sides with his knees, being gentle enough so he wouldn't hurt her. His hands moved to her shoulders, skimming the faint bruises there and snarled.

“Don't touch me!!” She cried out, squirming against him, wiggling her body up the bed as she managed to free her hands. Her nails instantly raked down his arms as she turned on her side, spitting right in his eye when he went to kiss her and slapped him hard across the face. “Get off of me!!” She started clawing and fighting, the panic rising in her voice, shaking her head back and forth. “No!! I won't go back! I won't surrender to you!!”

“Give yourself to me, Jenessa.” He murmured, not phased by anything, wiping the spit from his eye and resumed his attack on her, bending down, his hair brushing against her shoulders and nuzzled her neck, catching her hands in his, entwining their fingers together. His kisses moved up her neck to her chin, finally claiming her unwilling mouth.

She struggled against the kiss, shoving against his shoulders, but it did no good. She finally melted and snaked her arms around his neck, burying her hands in his hair, arching her body into his. She hissed out when he slowly pulled back, staring up at him with no fear in her eyes, and bit her bottom swollen lip. She backed up on the bed until her back hit the headboard, her eyes never leaving him, and moaned when his lips found hers again, this time hotter and more passionate.

“I-I surrender. I surrender to you, My Dark Lord.” She breathed out, cupping his face in her soft hands and kissed him again just as the lights went completely out, ending the scene as the Titantron went black.

“King...”

“Yeah JR?” King squeaked out, blinking.

“Batista looks livid.”

Chapter 18

“That’s a wrap.” A voice sounded in the room, from where the camera was hidden. “Thanks, guys, great job.”

Mark broke the kiss, staring down at Jessa as the lights came back on, his eyes moving to her bruised shoulders and reached out to trace them. “How'd this happen?” He asked softly.

“David broke script again during our scene at the arena. He...kissed me and gripped my shoulders too hard.” She sighed heavily, breathing a bit heavy and raked a hand through her black frazzled hair. “I'm okay.” She murmured, slowly standing up from the bed, trying to clear her head from the passion haze that was clouding it at the moment.

Mark rolled onto his back, reassuming his position on the bed from earlier, hands folded under his head. “He kissed you...” He murmured, wondering if he should wash his mouth out now, sighing and rolled onto his side, staring at her. “You need to show those to Shane, Jessa. David can't be getting away with that shit.”

“Shane has the script, Mark. It said David was supposed to back me up against the wall, but not touch me. He wasn't supposed to kiss me, grip my shoulders, or fling me out of the dressing room. Shane and Stephanie have copies; it's up to them if they want to take action.” She cast her eyes to the floor and rolled her shoulders, slipping on a robe that was hanging up, tying it around her waist. “I washed my mouth out with mouthwash and brushed my teeth before I came here.” She informed him, in case he was worried about getting anything due to David kissing her first.

Mark snorted, waving that aside. Shane wouldn't have let them do anything near David if the man had something, providing, of course, David wasn't lying or pulling a swap on his tests. “Darlin', they won't say anything if you don't, they'll assume you're cool with it. Unless of course...you are.”

She whipped around to face him, blue eyes blazing. “You asshole! I can't believe you just said that! Of course, I'm not okay with it! The man has left more bruises on me than anyone in my life!” She started crying and turned around, her head lowered, crossing one arm in front of her, holding her arm.

“Then speak up and say something, damn it.” Mark snapped back, not fazed with her tears. “If you don't like something, Jessa, then change it. YOU'RE the lead scriptwriter, not Shane and not Stephanie. They expect you to come to them if there's a problem.” He stood up so quickly the air whistled.

“Why the hell do you even care anyway, Mark? And I HAVE tried telling Stephanie and Shane time and time again, but they DON'T listen! They fine him, that's it! He's been fined every time he breaks the script, but it's getting to the point where he doesn't care anymore. His wallet is too big so shelling out a few grand to hurt me is WORTH it to him! Do you understand?”

She was beginning to tremble as she stared out the window, wanting so badly to leave, but knew she couldn't. This was her room booked for the night along with Mark's, in case Vince decided what they did wasn't enough. She shivered at the thought.

Mark sighed running a hand down his face. “So quit, step down from the storyline. You're a writer; you can figure something out to explain it away.” He said shortly, tired of arguing with her. He had no patience for this kind of shit anymore, especially when it just pissed him off and made him want to knock the tar out of David.

She whirled around to face him, blue eyes sparking a fire, and had to count backward from ten before she ended up doing something she'd regret. “You want me to quit? After everything we've been through?” She demanded, planting her fists on her hips. “It was YOU who wanted me to be Jenessa, Mark! It was YOU who said nobody else could play the part and I TRIED getting out of it, but now it's too late! We've gone over a month in this and, if you think for one minute Vince is going to just drop the storyline, think a-fucking-gain!”

Mark shot to his feet, towering over her. “Well, JESSA, nobody but YOU and apparently DAVID knew you two had issues since you sure as hell didn't share them or voice any concerns at the beginning of the ordeal. So don't be fucking putting this on me. If he was after you long before this line, you shouldn't have done it, knowing FULL DAMN WELL, he'd probably take advantage!”

“That's why I TRIED getting out of it!!” She shouted back at him, the tears pooling in her eyes, but refused to let the fall, staring him nose to chest, not backing down. “Stephanie knows about David pursuing me Mark and she STILL went along with this knowing FULL DAMN WELL he'd take advantage of the situation! She KNOWS everything! I filed a sexual harassment suit against him and guess what? Vince tossed it and said he was just "messing" with me. So you know what? Fuck you and fuck this goddamn company!”

Mark shook his head. “No, Jessa, fuck you.” He said quietly. “I didn't know any of this; if I had, I wouldn’t have ever chosen you to play the part. So instead of clinging to the excuse "well, he HAD to have HER and NO ONE else would do", why don't you grow up?”

“I never said that!!” Jessa growled, feeling like she wanted to rip her hair out of her skull. “Stephanie is the one who said that you jackass! Get it right!” She knew yelling wouldn't do any good and turned back around, trying to calm her temper down. “This isn't about David.” She knew what it was about and for the life of her; she couldn't understand why he wanted to go out with her anyway. “This is about what happened between us.” Her voice had grown soft as she ran her black painted fingernail down the glass, sighing heavily.

Now Mark was really confused, staring down at her. “There is no me and you, remember? You don't mix business with pleasure.” He said bluntly, remembering all too well what she had told him not so long ago.

“I never said there was me and you, Mark. I meant going to dinner and then to the dressing room.” She replied, deciding it wasn't worth it and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “If you're interested in someone, go for Ashley. She really likes you.”

She then walked into the bathroom and closed the door, flipping the lock on it, and let the tears fall as her heart shattered. She wanted to be with him, god help her, but she was scared of what David would do to her. Deciding a bath was in order, Jessa walked over and turned the water on, wiping her stray tears away.

Sighing, Mark flopped back down on the bed, grunting and sat back up, bending down to unlace his boots. If she wanted to let her fear of David run her life, then so be it. He was sorely tempted to tell her not to take all night in there, but decided to just keep his mouth shut, he'd said apparently too much already or something.

Then what she said hit him. “ASHLEY?”

Jessa sighed as her body sank down into the hot water and just leaned back, her eyes drifting closed as more tears fell down her cheeks. She couldn't wait for this storyline to end so she could go home for a while. Things were becoming more complicated, too complicated, more than what Jessa thought they ever would. Between David breaking the script constantly and Mark being Mark, Jessa was going to go insane. Sighing heavier, she dipped her head under the water and resurfaced before pouring some shampoo in her hand, lathering her hair up.

Where the fuck had this Ashley shit come from? Mark growled, almost snarling when there was a knock on the door. Grunting, he raised himself off the bed and walked over to answer it, blinking and slapping his face.

“Nice to see you too Marky Mark, where's Jessa?”

He banged his head against the wall.

“I'm here Ash,” Jessa answered quietly as she walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped firmly around her body, and smiled at her softly. “Come on in, join the party.” She snorted, sitting down on the bed, and began picking at her fingernails, her black hair down in wet waves, no makeup on her face. “If you ask me to go to another club, I'll kick your ass.” She joked half-heartedly.

“Nah, I was just coming to see how the segment went,” Ashley replied, watching with a cocked eyebrow as Mark disappeared into the bathroom. “What the hell is his problem? He almost took my head off when he opened the door.” She plopped down on the couch, looking at her friend expectantly.

“He's being an asshole right now, don't mind him.” She answered and stood up from the bed, walking over and pulled out a bag from the closet, fishing through it before pulling out a pair of stretch black pants with a tank top. “Oh and I told him you really like him.” She said it nonchalantly as she pulled on her undergarments before removing the towel, kicking the bag back in the closet.

“Oh, that explains it,” Ashley said, and then did a double take. “Wait- WHAT? I don't like him! Not like that! Jess, that wasn't right!”

Mark snorted from the bathroom.

“Take your shower and shut the fuck up, old man!”

“Oh PLEASE! I see the way you look at him, your teasing phrases like 'what can I say, I appreciate a good looking man'.” Jessa smirked as she pulled on the pants with the tank top, smoothing it down. “I know you like him and, for the life of me, I can't understand why you just won't go for it. You're the one who said you wanted to take pictures of him naked.” She giggled when Ashley's face flushed red and crossed her arms in front of her chest. This was payback for what Ashley did to her with the phone incident those few weeks ago. “Or are you afraid he can't get it up anymore like you told me?” Jessa was trying so hard not to laugh when Ashley went from red to purple in a matter of seconds.

It took several long seconds for Ashley to recover from this, knowing she was getting just desserts then smiled innocently. “Maybe he can't though, seriously. He buffed up so maybe...you know, some kinda pill...that shrinks your dick or makes you impotent?”

There was a sound from the bathroom that sounded suspiciously like something being broken, followed by the water coming on.

She was rolling from that, not believing Ashley just said that and knew Mark heard every word. “Who knows at this point?” She finally managed to say and shook her head, leaning back against the headboard, giggling softly. “You are a trip girl.” She hugged her and then leaned back, drawing her knees up and sighed. “You better go before he comes out and ends up hurting you.” She cautioned, knowing Mark was beyond pissed and probably broke the mirror in the bathroom.

Ashley shrugged nonchalantly. “He's not that kinda guy, get pissy and make threats, maybe. Actually go through with them, hell no. Mark's cool. AIN'T YA MARKY MARK?”

“GO TO HELL!”

“See what I mean?”

“Honey, I'm doing this for your own good,” Jessa stated before nearly tossing Ashley out, closing the door behind her. “I love you, Ash!” She shouted through the door before walking back over to the bed, knowing her and Mark were stuck there since there wasn't a vacant hotel for miles or a free room in this one for that matter. She sighed and raked a hand through her hair, this was going to be interesting, especially since Mark was more pissed than when their argument began. “Fuck.”

Chapter 19

Pissed would be an understatement, Mark was FURIOUS. A natural disaster was mild compared to the mood he was in when he emerged in nothing but a towel, water dripping down his muscular body. A body which was natural damn it, natural. He looked around suspiciously.

“She gone?”

“Yeah, I kicked her out.” Jessa softly answered, busy reading a book she brought with her, knowing she'd get bored easily.

She knew she'd done the right thing, she could FEEL Mark's anger radiating from his body and swallowed hard, her face hidden in the book. It was one of those cheesy romance novels that made her believe in true love and all that shit. Even though Jessa didn't that was why she planned on never marrying. At this point, she'd be lucky if she even got laid.

He glanced at her, his green eyes taking in the book and didn't say a word, though his lip did twitch like he was suppressing a scornful look. “Good.” He grunted, picking up his duffel bag and going back into the bathroom. When he emerged a second time, he was in sweatpants and nothing else, his hair brushed out but still wet.

Jessa didn't say a word to him, knowing it was better to keep her mouth shut, and flipped the page, leaning further back against the headboard. This made her think back to her first dream, which was becoming a famous novelist, but it never happened. Instead, she landed a job as a journalist and things snowballed from there. Jessa loved writing, which was why she was the lead scriptwriter for the WWE, but she also wished she would've pursued her dream in writing.

‘Oh well, old dreams die hard.’ She thought and went back to reading, having been in thought with her eyes closed.

It suddenly dawned on Mark that they had a serious problem. He looked at the king-sized bed then to the couch. Okay, it was more like a loveseat and even then that was being generous. He groaned inwardly, then looked at Jessa, a wicked smirk forming only to vanish again just as quickly. He sat down on the bed beside her, taking the book out of her hands.

“So, what bedtime story are we reading?” He asked nonchalantly.

“Does it honestly matter?” She shot back, still hurt from what he said earlier, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. When he just fingered it, she sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “It's called 'This Heart of Mine'. It's a romance novel.” She explained smoothly, raising an eyebrow, wondering if he had a problem with her reading something like that. “Now can I have my book back please?” He was lucky she asked nicely and not demanded it; she was still pissed at him.

He grunted, beginning to read where she was at, arching an eyebrow then flipped through it. He smirked slightly and scooted down, resting his shoulders and head on his pillows, beginning to read aloud, holding the book out of reach when Jessa went for it, green eyes sparkling impishly. He was playing with her and she knew it as she went to snatch it again, growling when he pulled it away.

“I said give it back.” She ordered, leaping and ended up splayed on her stomach on his own, reaching for it. “Damn it, Mark, this isn't funny! You're going to make me lose my place!” She shouted, squirming more and got up as she straddled him to try and reach it again.

Mark was outright laughing at her by now, closing the book and tossing it aside, grabbing Jessa by the arms and rolling so she was on her back, half hovering over her. “First rule darlin', never pick a fight with someone who outweighs you by at least two hundred pounds.” He teased.

Her entire face was red as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, glaring up at him through blue eyes, even though amusement was evident in them. “I don't care if you're King Kong, you don't scare me.” She stated coolly, raising an eyebrow daring him to contradict her. Jessa was also trying to get her body not to respond to his being half on top of her, especially since he was bare-chested.

“Who said I was trying to scare you?” He shot back, smirking and folded his hands under his head, staring up at her, not bothered in the slightest by their precarious position. “Jesus woman, you get too damn defensive. Loosen up. So...you like those kinds of books hmm?” His eyes half closed.

“Yeah, only certain ones though. She's one of my favorite authors.” She quietly replied, her arms still crossed, not looking back at him.

Of course, she was still defensive! The son of a bitch said some horrible things to her! Like she was supposed to forgive and forget? Not likely. Jessa stood up and picked her book up before walking back over and laid down, resuming her place in it, which was getting ready to hit a hot sex scene.

Mark shrugged and plumped the pillows, pulling out the sheet and got under it. A second later, he was chucking the sweatpants across the room, obviously QUITE naked under that sheet. “Night darlin'.” He said with a smile, rolling over and going to bed.

Jessa sighed as she closed her book and stood up, taking a pillow and the comforter before going over to the loveseat. It was big enough for her as she curled up on it, leaning back against the pillow, and resumed her reading. She didn't want to disturb his rest, not to mention he was completely STARK NAKED beneath that sheet. She bit back a groan and just continued reading, needing to distract herself with something other than his hot, muscular, toned naked body. She was going down.

Mark looked up, cocking an eyebrow. “Now darlin’, I know you're upset with me, but it doesn't mean you have to sleep on the couch.” He said seriously, his eyes giving him away. “Come on back to bed, I don't bite unless you're into that sort of thing.” He held open the sheet, revealing his thigh and patted the space next to him.

She sighed heavily and closed her book, getting up from the couch and knew she was going to regret this. She knew she should just stay where she is, out of dangerous territory, but he was too entrancing. She walked over, dragging the comforter and pillow with her, and set them up before sliding into bed beside him.

“I didn't want to bother you.” She quietly said, putting her hand under her pillow, snuggling under the comforter even though her body was on fire at the moment.

“And here I thought it was because I'm naked.” He joked, pulling her against him. “I have a body pillow problem.” He explained huskily. “If someone's in the bed with me, I tend to sleep better like this.” He sounded so damn serious it was hard to tell if he was joking or not.

She had no choice except to lay there and feel his strong, rock hard body pressed against her, her black hair splayed over the pillow, and sighs inwardly. How the Hell was she supposed to sleep with him completely naked. She felt like she was boiling and slowly extracted herself from his arms, sitting up, and peeled her pants off. There that was better. She snuggled back against him, her silk panties brushing against him and closed her eyes.

“Better?” Mark murmured in her ear, the palm of his hand resting flat against her stomach. He adjusted her against him, spooning around her smaller frame and buried his face in her hair. “Goodnight, Jessa.” He whispered, feeling her muscles tightening under his hand and smirked slightly.

She couldn't even say it back as she tried to get her stomach to stop tightening, swallowing hard, and slowly sank further into the pillow. He was evil, wicked, malicious…she didn't even have the damned words! Finally succumbing to defeat, Jessa simply rubbed up against him to make herself more comfortable, smirking when he tensed, and finally fell into a blissful sleep. Two could play that game and she was more than up for the challenge.

What Mark had failed to mention was that while he was a snuggler, he was also a tossing and turning kind of person. That meant, she went with him every time he moved. He was out like a light as well; though sometime during the night, he wound up pinning her underneath a massive thigh, his arm resting just under her breasts, face buried in her neck.

Needless to say, Jessa didn't sleep for shit that night and finally got up around five A.M., a cup of black coffee in hand. She couldn't handle being in the bed anymore because her body had erupted worse than a volcano. She took three ice cold showers and they did NOTHING to help the situation. She sighed and looked out the window, sipping her coffee, and continued reading her book while he slept.

He slept pretty damn well, all things considered, waking up around eight, which was normal for him unless he'd been drinking. Unfortunately, Mark had discovered that the older he got, the earlier he woke up. “Morning darlin'.” He greeted after popping an eye open, finding her at the window, with that damn book. “No wonder it got cold...”

“I got tired of being tossed back and forth like a rag doll so I decided to get up.” She replied, not looking up at him, on her second cup of coffee before turning the page. “Glad you slept well though. There's coffee on the table.” She was curled up in the chair, wearing her black pajama pants, having slipped them back on when she got up at five. “If you want breakfast, the room service menu is on the nightstand.”

“Well hell darlin’, I'm sorry.” Mark sat up, hiding a yawn behind his hand. His hair was officially snarled, he had severe bed head, so when he raked a hand through it, he winced, getting caught in the tangles and grimaced, freeing his hand. “Didn't mean to toss you around, didn't hurt you did I?”

“If I can handle David's abuse, I can handle anything.” She stated nonchalantly and turned the page, finally stopping as she set it down and stood up, needing a refill of coffee. “Sorry, I'm cranky when I don't get enough sleep.” She admitted, knowing that was out of line, though she was still a little ticked at him for what he said to her. When he continued to hand comb his hair, she threw the brush at him gently before walking back over to continue with her book.

Mark snorted at the brush, continuing finger combing his hair. He already knew what would happen the minute that brush came in contact with his locks, it'd get stuck. Instead, he reached for his bag, procuring a bottle of detangler and sprayed it liberally in his hair.

“So why don't you come back to bed? I promise not to abuse you.”

“Nah, I'm up now.” She replied and sighed when he continued having trouble with his hair, standing walking over. “Sit.” She ordered, smirking when he surprisingly did and kneeled on the bed before taking the brush.

Very gently and slowly, she began working the brush through his long locks, the spray helping, but not that much. She loved his hair; it was one of his better assets, cringing every time she would feel a snarl yank at his head. He didn’t even blink, apparently used to it, though it would have been better if she was doing this facing him head-on, the view wouldn't have been lacking.

Mark grunted. “Whoa, leave me some hair woman.” He smirked when she made a noise, reaching behind him to tap her thigh with his knuckles. “Thought you went to bed without the pants, darlin'.”

“I did and put them back on when I got up at five.” She replied serenely, finishing up before starting to braid his hair, placing a tie at the end, and patted his hand on either side. “There now stop whining.” She stated before crawling off the bed and walked back over, resuming her reading, curling up in the chair again. They didn't have to be at the arena until later on so they had the entire day to kill. Jessa planned on relaxing as much as possible.

“I wasn't whining, darlin',” Mark said evenly. “I was untangling my hair and you decided to jump in.” He then looked her over. “Looked better without the pants.” He rolled out of bed, stretching, still as naked as the day he was born. “Where'd my own go...” He arched an eyebrow, shrugging and padded into the bathroom.

She let out a groan as soon as the shower started going and began hitting her head repeatedly with the book, whimpering. He'd reduced her to WHIMPERING! Tossing her book aside, Jessa slipped out of her clothes and walked into the bathroom, being as quiet as a mouse, and slowly slid the shower door open. Before Mark could even say a word, her lips were on his in a passionate, hot kiss, the water coating her naked body. Before he could pull her closer, she broke it and smirked before stepping out, wrapping a towel around her body, walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Mark blinked, looking down and immediately turned the water onto cold. Morning wood, Jessa giving him wood...WHAT THE FUCK? He finished his shower, dressing slowly in a pair of black jeans and a black denim vest. After pulling on his socks and boots, he stepped out into the main room. He saw the smirk on Jessa's face, still and a second later had her pinned to the wall, her legs around his waist and was passionately kissing her.

“Don't start something you won't finish.” He growled before setting her down and walking out of the room.

Chapter 20

“I'm going to end up strangling him.” Jessa muttered, walking down the hallway of the arena, wearing a short black jean skirt that had a silver chain around her waist along with a halter top blood red shirt that showed off her midriff.

She had on knee-high boots that zipped up the sides, her hair done, blood red painted lips and black eyeliner. She was getting ready to do her locker room scene with David, not looking forward to it. Luckily, the bruise on her arm was gone, thanks to Mark's miracle salve.

Ashley was leaning against the wall, chatting with Mark; apparently, they had solved their differences. “She looks...happy.” She said sarcastically, watching Jessa coming down the hall.

“She's talking to herself, is that normal?”

“Depends on the subject.”

“We ready?” She asked when she arrived, avoiding eye contact with Mark, deciding to stare back at her best friend. “I see you two worked out, good. There's a club down the road along with a liquor store, have at it.”

She winked before walking off, needing to get to David's locker room, a smirk on her lips. Clearing her head, Jessa began changing into character, knowing the cameras were already set up. She just hoped and prayed David didn't break script again, she wasn't sure how much more abuse she could take without breaking it herself.

Mark almost sneered, that's what he thought, then looked down at Ashley. “Sounds good to me.”

“Me too.” She shrugged.

“Bout time,” David said without looking up, bent over a chair lacing up his boots. “Remind me what we're doing again tonight.”

“You're going to be livid and basically scream at Jenessa for sleeping with Undertaker.” She didn't look at him, trying to get her nerves under control, knowing it would happen when she changed fully into character. “No hitting or touching, just a lot of yelling with Jenessa stuttering like a moron.” She didn't want to do this scene, but knew it was vital to the storyline plot. “Whenever you're ready, Batista.”

He nodded, studying her thoughtfully. “Did you sleep with him?” He asked, ignoring the cameraman who was setting up. His brown eyes met hers, piercing her intently, trying to read something on her beautiful face.

The cameraman blinked, they weren't supposed to start without him!

“Of course not, I told you I don't mix business with pleasure or have you forgotten? And even if I did, which I didn't, it's none of your business.” She shot back heatedly, blue eyes blazing and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “What I do with my personal life is no business of yours Bautista, remember that.” She couldn't believe he'd ask her something so blunt like that! It unnerved and angered her at the same time.

“I haven't forgotten, how could I when you're constantly reminding me?” He snarled back, his dander obviously ruffled. “Forget it okay?”

“Uh...we ready?”

“Let's just get this fucking over with.”

“Jessa?”

“Jessa doesn't exist.” She stated evenly, her eyes glazed over, in character fully now. She nodded once before the cameras started rolling, stepping outside before they began.

~!~

Jenessa stood outside of David's dressing room, biting her bottom lip, the anxiousness obviously in her face. Finally, she bit the bullet and pushed the door open, swallowing hard when she saw him leaning against the wall, apparently waiting for her. “I'm sorry...” She whispered, lowering her head, not knowing what else to say as the door shut ominous behind her.

The anger was evident in Batista’s frame and his back was too her. His shoulder blades hunched slightly, muscles flexing with suppressed rage. “You're sorry?” He said in a low tone of voice, slowly turning around to face her, the ire in his eyes making her take a step backward. “Sorry doesn't even begin to cover it, Jenessa.”

“W-What did you expect me to do, David?” She softly asked, not looking back at him, knowing the anger in his eyes would probably make her shudder. “Please try to understand my position...he had me PINNED...he seduced me...He-” She took another step back when he began trembling from head to toe, obviously trying to hold his temper in.

“I expected you to fight him, Jenessa, not act like a whore and screw him!” He exploded, taking a step towards her, then halted, clenching and unclenching his fists. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back and inhaled deeply through his nose. “Did you like it?” He demanded in a whisper, staring at her once more.

“O-Of course not!” She stuttered out, not sounding convincing, and raked a hand through her long black hair, her back now pressed against the door. “And I'm not a whore. We have a history David and he would've hurt me had I NOT complied with the sex!” She shouted defensively, her voice weak, and wrapped her arms around herself. “Besides, if I liked it, then why am I still coming to you and not going to him?”

“You came back here to me because you're afraid of me.” He said bluntly, cracking his neck sharply and then his knuckles, the sound echoing around them. His brown eyes flashed with rage. “Had you not complied...you are a whore. You gave him your body just so he wouldn't hurt you. WHORE.”

“Fine...I am a whore, you're right. You're absolutely right and there's no excuse for it. But David, in all honesty, I didn't come here to be with you. I came here to DESTROY the Undertaker and, if I have to sleep with him, with you, with anyone else in order to do that, then so be it!” She hissed back at him, the fear no longer in her blue eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. “So stop complaining just because he got a piece of me. You have to realize David I'm not here for you.”

“I've noticed, Jenessa.” He sneered, kicking a chair out of his way, ignoring it as it smashed into a mirror. The sounds of the mirror breaking, pieces hitting the floor echoed as loudly as his cracking his knuckles had. “See you in the ring tonight.” He brushed rudely past her, knocking her aside as he stormed out of the locker room.

~!~

Jessa sighed when the cameraman gave her the signal the scene had ended and had to let out a shaky breath, pressing her hand to her stomach. That was intense as she looked over at the shattered glass, swallowing hard. ‘At least he didn't grab me.’ She thought and walked out, needing a drink of water after that. She couldn't wait until this storyline was over with as it was coming to a head at the pay-per-view this month. ‘Just a few more weeks...two more actually.’ She reminded herself as she walked into the cafeteria, her head lowered.

“You look like you just seen a ghost, or maybe just happy to see me?” Jeff greeted, falling into step beside her, only to clock himself in the head by not ducking a low hanging pipe. “I'm okay.” He grunted, rubbing his forehead. “Ouch, bruise, that's gonna bruise. What's wrong Jess?”

“Nothing, just an intense scene with Bautista...and we had words before it happened.” She sighed heavily and finally sat down at a nearby crate, her water in hand, and raked a hand through her hair. “I'm fine Jeff. Don't even think about going at him. He's not in the right state of mind. Promise me you'll let me handle it.” She ordered, cupping his face in her hands, staring into his deep green eyes. “Please, Jeff.”

Jeff sighed, staring back into her eyes for a long time before finally nodding. “Okay.” He agreed with obvious reluctance. A second later he kissed her, just a quick peck, but a peck. “You owe me!” He smirked, darting off before she could kick his ass.

Jessa smiled and rolled her eyes, knowing she did and smiled before hopping off the crate, heading for gorilla position. So many thoughts ran through her mind, so many things had changed. What was going on with Mark? David was another issue. Jeff would always be there so she was stuck with him.

Not to mention Ashley was doing a horrible job at playing matchmaker. Jessa groaned and rubbed her temples, leaning against the wall and closed her eyes, just needing a few minutes of peace and quiet. When this was over and Jenessa was written off, she was going on a long overdue vacation.

Not a damn thing was going on with Mark. He had decided after a long ride that he and Jessa were just co-workers, that's it. She didn't want to mix business with pleasure, fine. She wanted to play the game, she could play it with someone else. He didn't have the time or the patience for games.

Jessa sighed when she heard a voice clear and popped one eye open, seeing David standing there, and went back to leaning back against the wall, not saying a single word to him. She knew it was time for them to go out to the ring and slowly opened her eyes just as the technicians pulled the curtain open for them.

~!~

Jenessa walked out first and on the stage, sighing when the crowd started going completely insane and then booed when David came out. Apparently, the Ministry of Darkness was a lot more popular than she thought. Jenessa walked up the steel ring steps, stepping through the ropes, and placed her hands on her hips as she waited for David to get in.

“JR, I'm scared for Jenessa...”

“I really hate to say it, but so am I, King. Batista still looks livid.”

He slipped through the ropes, staring down at her intently. “Waiting for your fuck buddy, whore?” He demanded, voice loud enough to be picked up by the cameras. When Jenessa glared at him, he jerked her against his body, bending down to kiss her violently. “If you can be his whore, you can fucking be mine.”

Jenessa jerked away from him, ripping her arm from his iron grip and winced, stumbling back. She shrieked out when his hand suddenly flew forward, connecting with her face, and crumbled to the mat below, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't believe David just struck her!

That wasn't scripted! Jenessa blinked as she held her cheek, trying to get the stars out of her eyes, tried to get her mind to stop spinning from the pain. She screamed when he gripped her hair just as the lights went out and the Ministry music flowed through the speakers, causing David to release her.

Snarling, David used his foot to pin Jessa down, knowing he was jumping script and didn't care. He'd just say he got caught up in the heat of the moment, the storyline. Easy as pie. He watched as the Undertaker walked out onto the stage, flanked by his Ministry of Darkness and curled his upper lip.

This man was pissed.

Jessa cried out in pain when David's foot pressed into her ribs, knowing he was probably crushing one currently and tried using the ring ropes to pull herself away from him. It was like his foot was made of iron as she let more tears cascade down her cheeks, coughing. “David stop it!!” She managed to shout out, not believing this just as the Undertaker stepped into the ring. She'd broken character, in too much pain to play Jenessa the seductress.

“JR, Batista has gone TOO far.” King stated, cracking his knuckles, knowing it was Jessa and not Jenessa.

“He'll pay, Undertaker looks like he's gonna explode.”

Explode was a mild word at this point. The Undertaker walked down the ramp, getting into the ring and didn't look away from Batista. This wasn't the Undertaker though, it was Mark. Not that anyone could tell the difference. Mark's wicked, evil temper was up and there was NO difference.

Mark and the Undertaker were one and the same.

Batista showed he wasn't intimidated by kicking Jessa out of the ring, making a 'bring it' gesture.

Jessa grunted when she landed on the outside, holding her side where David kicked, not caring if her makeup was messed up, not caring if she was breaking character. This son of a bitch went TOO far and she was going to make him suffer for it. She slowly scooted back until her back met a chair, coughing out in pain, and leaned her head back against the barricade.

‘Kick his ass, Mark.’ She thought and winced as Lillian came to her side, also breaking character.

“Do you need help?” She quietly asked.

Jessa just shook her head, not wanting to ruin the storyline, and took it a sharp breath as more tears flowed.

The Undertaker gestured for a microphone to be brought to him, not looking away from Batista. He wouldn't put it past this bastard to attack the moment his head was turned. David waited for it, glancing at Jessa and smirked.

She glared back at him through the pain, her side piercing with pain as she kept taking sharp, deep breaths, seeing Mark grab the microphone. She knew he was both at the moment and no matter how angry she was at him or he was at her, he'd be there for her. She slowly sat up more and instantly regretted it, holding her face as it throbbed with pain as well. She could already feel it swelling and knew she'd have a nasty bruise, hoping her eye didn't swell shut.

“Armageddon, Batista,” The Undertaker began, his voice dark and acidic. “I challenge you- No, I'm TELLING you. Hell...In a Cell.”

The crowd went NUTS at this point.

“The prize? Jenessa.”

A few women fainted.

Okay, THAT wasn't scripted either! What the fuck was going on?! Jessa felt her mind spinning, hoping she didn't black out and shook herself as the camera zoomed in on her shocked, tear-streaked face. She coughed out, her arm wrapped around her waist as both men looked at her and nodded just as Lillian handed her a microphone.

“I hope he kills you, David.” She stated, meaning every single word, and it wasn't Jenessa talking. Her voice was clear and deadly, it was Jessa. “I hope and pray he makes you Rest...In...Peace!” She then rolled her eyes in the back of her head and leaned back just as the darkness overtook her.

He ignored David at this point, waving the Ministry forward. Kane led the way into the ring. The Ministry circled Batista as their leader slid from the ring and walked over to Jessa, picking her up gently in his arms, as if cradling a child, staring down at her bruised face. He glanced at his brother and nodded once.

Kane smirked wickedly.

“JR, Batista is screwed...”

He couldn't respond to his partner as the Ministry and Kane began beating the holy living shit out of Batista, choke slamming and crushing him, making him feel the same amount of pain tenfold he'd done to Jessa. When they were finished, David was lying in the ring in a pool of his own blood as the EMT's rushed out to help him.

Chapter 21

“Oh my god, Jessa!!” Stephanie cried, rushing up to Mark as soon as they arrived backstage, tears in her eyes. “Mark, I swear I had no idea-” She swallowed hard when he just snarled at her, holding an unconscious Jessa, and stalked past her.

Jeff and Ashley came running up, both looking pale and worried. “Is she alright?” Jeff demanded instantly, trying to take Jessa only to get smacked upside his head by Ashley.

“Mark, she has to go to the hospital, she could have a broken rib or something, that asshole wasn't gentle. Was any of that scripted?”

“No.”

Instead of taking her to the hospital, knowing she hated it, Mark opted for something else. He took her back to the hotel room, knowing they had one more night to share it, and forced Stephanie to bring in a private physician to look over Jessa. He also threatened that if Bautista wasn't suspended indefinitely after what he pulled, there would be serious Hell to pay.

Stephanie immediately complied, knowing David had gone too far this time, and arranged for it, sending the paperwork to David's hospital room. She then decided to change the script and have Jenessa walk out to the ring at the Armageddon with Undertaker instead of Batista. This storyline had to come to an end before Jessa ended up seriously injured.

“I should've listened to her...I should've done something when daddy told me he was just messing with her...”

“Steph, Dad is a fuckin' nut job and only cares about ratings.”

She lowered her head and sniffled, nodding.

“Your dad is more then a nut job, Jessa ought to sue his ass.” Ashley snapped.

“No shit.”

“Sit down and shut up or get the hell out, all of you.” Mark snarled, turning around to glare at them.

“Damn...” Jessa whispered out, causing all five heads to turn in her direction while the physician pressed down on her stomach. “Oh god...” The tears were already flowing as she gripped the wrist with little strength, not having that much, to begin with, her head felt like a brick was on it.

“Jessa, Jessa can you hear me?” Larry asked, pressing against her side again and nodded. “Broken rib...damn.”

“Yeah...I can...feel...it…too...” She breathed out slowly, her eyes still closed, the pain almost too much to bear.

“That mother fucker is SO getting suspended for this!!”

“Stephanie, shut up.”

“Please stop fighting...” She winced again, coughing and groaned, that wasn't the brightest move at the moment.

“Hey, Larry, how about giving her something for the pain?” Jeff demanded angrily. “Shane, Stephanie, either SHUT up or GET out.” He rarely got like this so they actually sat down.

Mark nodded at Jeff, glancing down at Jessa, his eyes narrowing. “Broken rib?”

“Either broken or fractured, either way, she's gonna be in a lot of pain over the next few weeks. Thank god this storyline is ending on Sunday. I don't think this poor girl can handle much more. I've seen more of her than any of you guys.” Larry sighed as he looked down at Jessa and shook his head, knowing Bautista had gone too far.

“T-Thank you, Larry...Vicodin is all I need.” She smiled at him and slowly opened her eyes, more tears falling, trying not to move too much. “Oh god, my face...”

“Sweetie, you have a massive bruise on it...”

Jessa didn't doubt it especially with how hard David had struck her in the ring.

“I'm surprised he didn't crack your cheekbone with how hard he hit you.”

Jeff and Mark had been conversing in the corner, much to Ashley's surprise when they finally both cleared their throats. “We'll be back.” Jeff announced, glancing at Mark.

Mark just grunted, pocketing something that looked suspiciously like a chain before leading the way out.

“Why do I have a feeling they're not doing something legal?”

“Because they're not. And Jeff is breaking his promise to me again.”

She couldn't handle it anymore and started crying, rolling over and curling up in a ball, not caring how much it hurt. She knew what they were going to do, which would be destroying David before the pay-per-view arrived. There would be nothing left. Her tears coated her pillow and shrugged off Ashley when she went to comfort her. She didn't want to be comforted. She wanted out of this hotel room, out of this company and back home where she belonged.

‘Just a few more days.’ She thought, knowing Stephanie was speeding the process up and made a mental note to thank her later on.

“Wait, you mean they're gonna go after? Oh, shit...they'll go to jail!” Ashley stared at Shane, obviously expecting him to do something.

“I'll bail them both out.” He said seriously.

“That doesn't help.”

“Well, what do you want me to say?”

“The storyline will be ruined if they do this...” Jessa whispered out, refusing to let all of her hard work and determination go down the damn drain! She reached over and dialed Jeff's cell phone, growling when she realized he turned it off. Out of nowhere, her phone was thrown and shattered into a million pieces against the wall, causing all three individuals to bolt up from their chairs. “Get out.” She ordered gravely, blue eyes flashing.

“But...”

“NOW!”

All three FLEW from the room, knowing Jessa was enraged.

About an hour later, Mark and Jeff arrived, both looking disgruntled. “We didn’t get a chance to get in.” Mark growled, wanting to punch something, but refrained for Jessa’s sake. She’d been scared enough and he didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.

“That fuckin’ sucked,” Jeff grunted and groaned, holding his head. “Damn ‘Taker, did you have to hit me so hard?”

“You said to make it look real, son.”

Jessa was currently sleeping, not having a clue about the conversation going on. She cried herself to sleep after throwing Ashley, Stephanie and Shane out, wanting to be alone. Her face was tear streaked, a massive black and blue bruise covering half her face, and she was curled up in a tight ball. She didn’t care about her injuries or not, she was pissed and fell asleep that way.

“You go on and rest, I’ll watch her.” Mark gravely stated, raking a hand through his hair.

Jeff looked back and forth between Mark and the sleeping Jessa, arching an eyebrow.

“We’re sharing a room, son.” Mark explained, shaking his head.

“Oh…okay thanks ‘Taker.” Jeff made a beeline for the door and flew out of it, not wanting to be there when Jessa finally did wake up.

“Chickenshit.”

Sunlight streamed through the window and landed on her face as Jessa slowly fluttered her eyes open, grunting a bit and hissed as the pain exploded throughout her body. Her ribs felt like tiny knives were stabbing at her stomach and her face was throbbing. David really did a number on her and Jessa wondered what else would happen before the pay-per-view arrived.

She slowly sat up in bed, having to take it slow so her injuries didn’t worsen, and breathed in through her mouth and out the nose slowly. Jessa had never been in this much pain in her life and she had a high tolerance for it. Sighing when she finally got to her feet, Jessa slowly made her way over to the coffee maker and turned it on, needing some java to wake up.

Mark hadn’t slept a wink, knowing what would happen if he did. With his body pillow fetish, he would’ve ended up really hurting her by tossing her back and forth with his huge body. Not that he minded it, but those injuries had to heal before Sunday and tossing her around wasn’t going to do it.

So Mark didn’t sleep and scrubbed a hand down his face as he stared at the ceiling. Jessa wasn’t the brightest woman in the world if she was up and walking around with those extensive injuries. She should’ve been in bed where she belonged.

“Mornin’ darlin’.” He greeted gruffly, slowly sitting up and raked a hand through his hair, stifling a yawn with his hand.

“Morning.” She mumbled, sitting down and resting her head on her hand, trying to get the pain to stop. She didn’t want to take another painkiller, knowing how fast one got addicted to them. Though with how much pain she was at the moment, Jessa honestly was glad she had Vicodin to fall back on if it became too unbearable. “Mark, I want you to do me a favor…”

He arched an eyebrow and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a not enough sleep headache coming on. “What is it?” He gruffly asked, slowly standing from the bed and stretching his overtired body, knowing they had a long drive ahead of them to get to the Smackdown! Taping that night.

“I want you to rip him…limb from limb.” She slowly said, breathing through the pain her ribs were giving off and raked a hand through her hair while staring down at the table. “I want you to make him suffer, to make him feel the same amount of pain he’s inflicted on me these past months tenfold.” She slowly stood up and walked over to the bed, sitting down gently and carefully on it, not wanting to agitate her ribs anymore than what they were. “Please Mark, I know we haven’t seen eye to eye lately, but this is something I really need you to do for me on Sunday.”

Of course, they hadn’t seen eye to eye. The woman was stubborn and bull-headed, refusing to stand up to Vince and having that ridiculous no dating co-workers rule, no mixing business with pleasure. Mark bit back a snort as her words ran through his mind, finally nodding.

“I was gonna do it anyway, but I’ll make it worse because of what he did to you.” He stated, no emotion in his tone as he stood and walked over, pouring himself a cup of coffee as well as her.

“Thank you.” She murmured softly, accepting the cup of coffee he offered and took a careful sip of it as she sighed. Jessa gingerly felt her swollen cheek and could feel the tears already stinging her blue eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She refused to show any weakness as she continued sipping her coffee.

Mark sighed, hearing her intake of breath, watching her touch her face and set his coffee down. He walked over to his bag and pulled out a jar, the same jar he used when she had that massive bruising on her back. He walked over and took her coffee from her before bending, surveying her cheek.

He was going to pay. Bautista was going to wish he was never born when Mark was done with him. He took the cap of the jar off and slid his two fingers inside, getting some salve on them, and turned her face before gently applying it.

Jessa blinked, not believing he was actually helping her and was very grateful for it. She closed her eyes and inhaled, the scent of the salve entering her nostrils, knowing this was the same stuff that healed her back all those weeks ago. She didn’t fight him off, allowing him to heal her pain, and slowly opened her eyes when he finished with her cheek.

“Thanks.” She whispered, blue locking on green, and could already feel the intensity of the throbbing dispersing.

“Yer welcome. Now on yer back.” He ordered, pointing at the bed, and raised an eyebrow when she just looked at him.

He held the jar up and pointed at her ribs, letting her know he wasn’t trying anything, he only wanted to help her. Damn woman, why did she have to be so damn beautiful? Mark grunted as he sat on the bed, laying next to her and pulled her shirt up enough to survey her ribs. Black and purple mixed with blue. Oh yeah, they were definitely injured and the more Mark looked at it, the more pissed off he became.

Her eyes closed again when she felt his hand very carefully and gently began rubbing the salve on her ribs, sucking in a sharp breath when he pressed too hard, and let a single tear fall down her cheek. She knew he didn’t mean it, but this area was very sensitive for obvious reasons. She sighed as his warm, strong hand began rubbing it in and massaging her skin, her injury, trying to work out the pain as much as possible. It hurt like a bitch, but the salve worked quickly, her pain suddenly vanishing, the bruises fading like they were never there.

“This won’t heal yer ribs, but at least the swellin’ and bruisin’ will be gone.” He explained, his voice thick and deep as he continued massaging her ribs and leaned up, gently kissing away her tears that fell. “Relax darlin’, yer tensin’ and that’s makin’ it worse.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” She whispered, keeping her eyes closed.

When he was finished and pulled down her shirt, Jessa slowly opened her eyes and sat up, the pain to a minimum now and felt her face. She slowly stood up and walked over to the mirror, seeing her bruising was fading, it would probably take another day or so, but she didn’t care. At least it wouldn’t be there come Sunday when she’d have to go out in the ring with David, which she was not looking forward too.

“Jessa, we should get goin’ if we’re gonna make it to the taping.” Mark said from behind, resting his hands on her shoulders, and stared at her reflection. She was beautiful even with a faint bruise on her face and it mind boggled Mark how much of an effect this woman had on him. It was like she ruined him and chuckled inwardly at the thought. “Come on darlin’, we gotta get packed and moving then.”

Within an hour, Jessa and Mark were on the road heading toward their next destination, stopping for food on the way since both didn’t have breakfast and Jessa slept most of the way, holding Mark’s hand.

Chapter 22

On Smackdown!, Jessa stayed with Mark in his dressing room and all she had was a promo by herself, stating how she felt about Batista and his heinous actions. Undertaker stepped in, saying at Armageddon she was finally coming home to the welcoming darkness and there was nothing she could do about it. In all honesty, Jenessa had a smirk on her face when the promo ended, letting everyone know she wanted to be in the Ministry and with Undertaker.

Armageddon arrived sooner than Jessa would’ve liked, not wanting to be in the presence of the man who nearly destroyed her on Raw by breaking script. She was a trooper though and the wounds had healed...somewhat. Her ribs were still sore, but nothing she couldn’t handle, thanks to Mark applying that miracle salve every night. They decided to share a hotel room together until this ordeal was finished, which would be tonight.

Jessa paced back and forth in Mark’s locker room, raking a hand through her hair, wearing her outfit for the night. It was a lace inset strapless corset top that was black and slimmed her figure, hugging every curve, showing off just a bit of her stomach. She had on a short black skirt that went to her mid-thigh along with knee-high steel-toed boots that had two inches and zipped up the sides. Her hair was down and curled at the ends, giving it bounce, and she had on pure black makeup on her pale face. Black painted lips and eyes, her usual.

“Jessa, ya gotta sit down darlin’, you’re making me dizzy.” Mark stated and shot his arm out, stopping her from doing so, pausing in his shadow boxing.

He knew she was nervous and rightfully so, this wasn’t the safest environment for her to be in. Not to mention she had to go out to the ring with the man who kept breaking script. Well, tonight, he was breaking script and he was going to bust Bautista up and send him to the hospital.

“Sorry.” She muttered, chewing her black painted fingernail, and stopped not wanting to destroy them. “I’m just nervous.”

Mark nodded, hearing her confirm what he suspected, and placed his strong, warm hands on her shoulders, bare from the waist down. He had his tights on, but the top was pulled down past his B.S.K. Pride tattoo, his green eyes piercing hers. “Nothin’ is going to happen to you out there. I promise.” He said, trying to ease her fears and pulled her into his arms when he saw the tears in her eyes. No matter how angry he’d been with her, she didn’t deserve what Bautista had done to her.

Jessa wanted to believe him, but this knowing feeling in the pit of her stomach prevented her from doing so. She knew Hell in a Cell was no joking matter and careers were shortened in the demonic structure. She knew what it was about, but at the same time, she knew Mark was an expert at it.

Then why was she so worried?

“Do you promise?” She whispered, pulling back enough to stare up into his eyes, her bottom lip trembling slightly.

“I’m not gonna repeat it. You already know I’ll protect ya out there.” Mark stated gruffly and released her, going back to shadow boxing, wishing the woman would grow a backbone or something.

He knew she was scared. He knew Bautista was vindictive, but Mark was the master of mind games and he played this storyline to perfection. Tonight would be the culmination and he couldn’t wait to destroy the man.

Sighing heavily, Jessa knew he was right as she walked over and sat on the couch, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her thoughts turned to Jeff and closed her eyes, lowering her head. She was so angry at him, but loved him all the same. He made her crazy, but made her laugh at the same time and she hated him for it. She truly did because she couldn’t stay mad at him long enough like he deserved.

The dressing room door opened at that moment and in stepped Jeff.

“Jess…are you still mad at me?” He asked sheepishly, his head lowered, his blue and purple hair fanning in front of him as he scuffed his shoe against the hard concrete floor.

“Son, grow a set.”

“I gotta set!”

Mark snorted and rolled his eyes before going back to shadow boxing. For Christ sakes, the boy was acting like a thunderstruck teenager with a hormone problem!

“Yes, I am, Jeff.” She replied, standing up and placed her hands on her hips, tears forming in her blue eyes. “How could you break your promise to me? How could you go against your word after I specifically MADE you promise not to go after him?” She demanded, the anger radiating from her pores, her fists clenched at her sides.

“But nothing happened!” Jeff protested, taking a step toward her and sighed when she backed away, stopping in his tracks, seeing how angry she really was. “I’m sorry Jess. I wasn’t thinking.”

“That’s your problem, you never do.” Jessa shot back, her black lips pursed tightly together, and wiped away a stray tear that managed to slide down her cheek. “You broke your promise, Jeff.”

“I know…I don’t know what else to say except I’m sorry.” Jeff mumbled, his head lowering again, and sighed heavily. He was shocked when he was tackled by a hug and immediately wrapped her up in his arms, pressing his cheek to her forehead. “I won’t break a promise to you again, Jess, I promise.”

She looked up and nodded, sniffling as she wiped a few more tears away, trying not to smear her makeup. “I’m gonna hold you to that.” She said and kissed his cheek, glad she was wearing lipstick that didn’t rub off. “Now go on, you have an Intercontinental title match tonight against Umaga.”

Jeff groaned and crossed his eyes. “I know… don't remind me.”

“Boy, get movin’ so ya can get your ass kicked.”

“Shut up Deadman on PMS!”

Mark whipped his head to face him, green eyes blazing.

Jeff flew from the room; he wasn’t as dumb as he looked.

“Smart kid, a little thick around the brain though.” Mark commented as he finally finished his shadow boxing, rolling his neck, and pulled up his straps. His promo was up next as he looked over at Jessa, who was sitting down again, chewing her thumbnail. “I’ll be back. I gotta do that promo. Lock the door.” He ordered gravely, placing his thick robe on before exiting the room, not waiting for her answer.

~!~

“Undertaker, tonight you face Batista in the Hell in a Cell match for not only the World Heavyweight championship, but the permanent services of Jenessa. What is your mindset going into this match and why are you so intent on having her in your Ministry?” Todd Grisham asked, holding the microphone up to the mouth of the Undertaker, who simply sneered down at him, green eyes turning to acid.

“Todd, the only thing you need to know is when Batista steps through those ropes, he’s in the Deadman’s Playground, and after what he did to My Jenessa last Monday on Raw, he’s going to wish he never came into the WWE. As far as Jenessa goes,” He paused, turning to look in the camera, his green eyes softening ever so slightly, but that sadistic edge was still in his tone. “Jenessa…tonight, you come home where you belong and that is in permanent darkness. Batista, tonight your day of reckoning comes to an end and you WILL Rest…In…PEACE!” He rolled his eyes in the back of his head and shoved the microphone into Todd’s chest before stalking away.

~!~

Jessa slowly stood up from the couch when the time struck nine, knowing it was time to head to the gorilla position. She took one last look in the mirror, gingerly feeling her face, and slowly walked out of Mark’s dressing room with him following. There was no way she was going alone, not wanting even a second alone with Bautista because a second is all he’d need to hurt her again.

Green eyes narrowed when Stephanie stepped in front of them, a serious expression on her face. “What is it, Princess?” Mark asked, his voice deeper since he was in character, arching an eyebrow. He never released Jessa’s hand. If anything, he squeezed, letting her know silently everything would be fine.

“You’re not going out to the ring with David tonight. You’re going out alone.” Stephanie informed them and smiled at the huge sigh of relief that came over Jessa’s face.

“What’s the catch?” Mark demanded, seeing the troubled look on Stephanie’s face, and didn’t like where this was going. “What’s going on, Steph?”

Stephanie’s blue eyes filled with tears as she placed a hand on Jessa’s shoulder, who looked scared and panicked by now, trying to hide it desperately. “Vince said you have to be locked inside the Cell with them to add effect to the ending of this storyline. I’m sorry Jessa, I tried everything in my power not to let this happen and failed.” She sniffled, wiping her tears away, genuinely concerned for her friend’s safety and well being out in the ring, unlike her father.

Jessa sighed heavily and simply cast her eyes to the floor, knowing she had no choice. Vince was a cold, vindictive bastard who forced her into this to begin with and now he was trying to really hurt her. “You tell your precious Daddy that after tonight, he won’t have an Animal around anymore.” With that said, Jessa stalked away from Stephanie along with Mark, who was smirking wickedly.

“Bout time. Let’s go.” David grunted when he saw Jessa, the bruise on her face gone. Good, maybe the bitch would learn some respect after slapping the taste out of her mouth.

“I’m not going out with you. Stephanie just informed me.” Jessa stated, causing David’s brown eyes to blaze and went to hit her again, but Mark stepping in the way prevented that.

“You just don’t learn do you, boy?” Mark growled, green eyes flashing venomously, never releasing Jessa’s hand for an instant. “Get ready to be sent to hell.”

“Jessa you’re on.” The technician called out from behind the black curtain, causing her to nod, and closed her eyes briefly to get into character. When her eyes opened, they were icy blue as she glared at Batista, a smirk forming on her lips.

“See you out there, Deadman.” She purred, running her hand down his chest before brushing past David and disappeared through the black curtain as Kidney Thieves blasted through the arena.

~!~

She stepped out on the stage with her arms at her sides, a determined look on her face as she slowly walked down the ramp, the Cell staring back at her as a dreadful shiver shot down her spine.

“King, Jenessa looks nervous.”

“JR, if you were in that woman’s position, wouldn’t YOU be nervous too?”

JR didn’t answer as he watched Jenessa step through the steel ring door, her long black painted fingernails running along the gates of Hell, blinking.

“She’s being locked INSIDE there?!”

“It appears so King, god help her.”

Her blood ran cold when Saliva blared through the speakers next, causing her head to snap to the side as she simply stood in the far corner, her back pressed against the cage, knowing there was no escape for her. Her cold blue eyes locked on David’s infuriated brown ones as he ran up the steel ring steps, moving through the ropes, and immediately stalked toward her.

“Your ass is mine after tonight!” He shouted, causing her to cross her arms in front of her chest, simply telling him silently that it wasn’t going to happen.

Just as David was getting out of the ring to confront her, the lights went out, the arena blanketed in darkness and the lightning began to crackle, flashing throughout the place. Jenessa shivered as she heard the bells toll followed by the eerie organ music, and smirked as David’s face paled slightly while Undertaker was officially announced by Lillian Garcia. She simply stood there, her eyes locked on him and raked a hand through her hair as she moved from David’s corner to Undertaker’s, right near the steel ring steps.

His acid green eyes fastened on the Cell, his lips formed in a fine grim line, clenching his fists at his sides as he slowly made his way down the ramp through the smoke, the flames erupting behind him. Nothing mattered except the man in the ring who hurt Jenessa more times than he cared to remember. He was going to end Batista’s career inside his playground and fought back a smirk as he stepped through the steel door, reaching back to slam it shut behind him with authority.

Jenessa slowly backed up when he got to the steel ring steps, her blue eyes fastened on this phenomenon, and gave him the respect he deserved. Undertaker’s head snapped to stare at her after he got to the top step, his eyes rolling in the back of his head as he raised his arms in the air, bringing up the lights. He then stepped through the ropes and looked at her when she slid in the ring, slowly disrobing him, his eyes never leaving her as she did this.

“JR…I think I know where Jenessa wants to be.”

“So do I, King, it’s obvious.”

As soon as she stepped out of the ring with his trench coat in hand, the match began as Undertaker went on the attack. Throughout the whole match, Undertaker brutalized and ripped Batista limb from limb, just as she asked him too. This wasn’t only Undertaker, this was Mark as well.

“You like hitting on women?” He demanded, delivering sharp elbow after sharp elbow, not stopping.

He was a shark smelling blood in the water as he busted Batista open with his fists, refusing to use a weapon, not even the Cell. When he was finished and the match was coming to a close, Undertaker delivered three devastating tombstone pile drivers, followed by two powerful Last Rides. He then finished it off with a fourth tombstone and placed his arms over his chest, crossing them and flipped his hair back while the ref counted the win, giving him the victory. Slowly rising to his feet, Undertaker’s head turned to face Jenessa, who was getting in the ring, and handed him his trench coat before delivering a throat crushing kick to his throat, her boots being spiked. She smirked with sick satisfaction as blood began seeping through his lips and slowly bent down near his ear while Undertaker stood over her, allowing her to extract some revenge.

“Just remember asshole, you brought this on yourself. How does it feel to have the script broken on you?” Jessa hissed before kicking him in the stomach and slowly turned to face the man who had won the match, slowly lowering herself and bowed.

Undertaker’s hand slowly reached out, cupping her chin tenderly between his thumb and forefinger, shaking his head back and forth. “You bow to no one, My Jenessa.” He whispered, pulling her into his arms and wrapped her in his trench coat. She snuggled against him as he lifted her up in his arms and carried her out of the ring as the Cell began lifting in the air. Neither looked back as they headed to the backstage area, knowing David Bautista would no longer wreak havoc in the World Wrestling Entertainment.

Chapter 23

Jenessa was written off the script after Armageddon, saying she ran away from the Undertaker again. In other words, Jessa had left the WWE to take that long awaited vacation without anyone knowing, including Mark. The only person she informed was Stephanie, who understood fully after everything she’d been through.

It’d been six months and Jessa was finally ready to go back, having gone to Australia for three out of those six months, wanting to get away from everything and everyone. She had to recharge her batteries and this vacation did just that. She had massage therapists every day rubbing her down, pampered to the fullest, and it was all thanks to Stephanie. Vince had no choice, but to agree to it, especially after he brushed off the fact that Bautista was hurting her. In order not to get sued, he agreed to give her a paid six-month vacation along with the free spas and anything else she wanted.

The last three months of her vacation were spent at her home in Wyoming up in the mountains. She actually started her first novel, having contacted a publicist, and was almost finished with it. Jessa had promised herself after the whole ordeal with Mark and David to follow her dreams and she was doing just that.

Meanwhile, Mark was very disgruntled and a complete bear to everyone on the roster, refusing to talk about what he was feeling. He ended up cracking Glen in the jaw for joking about being on PMS and put Jeff through a wall…literally. After those two incidents, everyone steered clear, not wanting to be another victim of the Deadman Express. Even in the ring Mark had grown sloppy and actually injured Hardcore Holly after jumping off the top rope doing his signature move and ended up crushing his shoulder. After that, Vince decided Mark needed some time off and gave him a three-month vacation to recharge his own batteries and get over whatever personal problem he was having.

~!~

It was a cool April night, the wind warm, but there was definitely a chill in the air as Undertaker stood in the ring, awaiting his opponent. He stalked and paced like a caged animal, clenching his fists tightly, wearing a pair of blue jeans with a black beater that looked like a second skin on him. A black bandana was around his forehead, his hair in a tight braid, black boots encasing his feet. He was still the Undertaker, but right now he was busy getting ready to kick some ass since this was his first night back in three months.

“I don’t care who it is, I want somebody to fight and I want it NOW!” He ordered gravely in the microphone before tossing it out of the ring.

Kidney Thieves sounded through the arena not soon after, causing the crowd to completely erupt in frenzy, everyone’s jaws dropping.

“KING! Look who it is!!”

“JR! It’s Jenessa!! She’s back!!”

She stood up on the stage, wearing a pair of jeans with a black and blue corset top. Her long black hair flowed down her back in waves that had blue streaks throughout it, her eyes having just a little black eyeliner on instead of it caked. Her lips were decked out in blue, just like her hair, along with her eyeshadow as she slowly walked down the rampway, blue eyes never leaving Undertaker.

His green eyes narrowed as she made her way down to the ring, raising an eyebrow, wondering if she was going to be his opponent or not. He watched as she walked up the ring steps, stepping through the ring ropes, not making a move to attack her. What the hell was she doing here?

She smirked as she slowly walked over to him and ran her finger down his chest; her nails painted black and stared up into his eyes. “Hello, Mark.” She murmured, hoping he wasn’t angry with her, not in character. She was acting it, but this was really her as she grabbed his hands in her own. “I’m sorry for everything. I had a long six months to think things through and…” She sighed, tears shining in her blue eyes. “Please tell me we still have a chance.”

“What about your rule of no dating co-workers?” He asked, reminding her of what she told him months ago, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He wasn’t going to let her get off that easily. He was a stubborn man and getting up in age and didn’t have time for these mind games that were meant for high school.

“Gone. I want to date you, I want to be with you; I want you and only you.” She replied, biting her bottom blue painted lip, and slowly took a step back from him, seeing the uncertainty in his eyes.

Jessa knew he didn’t trust her, especially with all the games she played with his mind, but she couldn’t help it. He’d played with her just as much! When he didn’t make a move or say anything else, she knew it was over and turned around, heading to step out of the ring and out of his life like he apparently wanted.

A hand shot out, stopping her from leaving and spun her around, causing Jessa to stare deep into his green eyes questioningly. She got her answer when his lips descended on hers, his strong tattooed sleeved arms wrapping around her waist, pressing her close to his rock hard body. Jessa moaned instantly, melting against him, and curled her arms around his neck her fingers massaging the back of his neck since his hair was in a tight braid.

Mark growled against her lips, running his hands up and down her back, feeling the laces of her corset and slowly pulled away as his darkened green eyes stared down at her. Without a word, he walked over and opened the ropes for her, watching as she stepped through, and instantly followed. He swept her up in his strong arms and carried her up the rampway, the crowd deafening behind them. Apparently, they were all for Undertaker having Jenessa by his side, having missed her and, in truth, so did the Phenom.

~!~

As soon as they got backstage and Mark set her down, Jessa was clobbered with hugs from both Jeff and Ashley, causing her to laugh.

“Girl why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?” Ashley demanded happily, finally releasing the hold she had on Jessa.

“Yeah, I feel so unloved!” Jeff whined and groaned when Mark popped him upside the head. “See what I had to deal with while you were gone.”

Jessa couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face even if she wanted to and felt Mark’s arms encircle her waist from behind, immediately leaning back against him. “I’m sorry, but I wanted everything to be a surprise. We both know you two can’t keep your mouths shut to save your lives.” She smirked when they both glared and pinched each cheek. “I still love you both.”

“Come on Jessa, we got a lot of talkin’ to do.” Mark stated, his mouth right by her ear and smirked when she shivered against him followed by a nod. Taking her hand after releasing her waist, he guided her down the hallway as everyone smiled at them. It was about time these two got together was all they were thinking.

Jessa smiled when they arrived outside in the parking garage and stared at the motorcycle, remembering the last time she was on it and watched as he straddled it. She allowed him to pull her so she was sitting in front of him again, like last time, her hands splayed on the handlebars with his over hers, back pressed against his chest. It felt so wonderful being back in his arms again, in his presence. She’d heard what he’d done while she was away and felt terrible about it, knowing partially it was her fault because she disappeared on him without a word. She could only hope and pray he forgave her.

“Hold on.” His voice rumbled in her ear before starting the ignition, the sound of the bike thundering around the parking garage, and it was the best sound in the world to both.

Mark wrapped one arm around her waist while steering with the other, an expert on the motorcycle, and sped out of there, heading toward the hotel. He still couldn’t believe Jessa was here and giving him a chance, a real chance. It was almost as if Mark was waiting to be pinched and wake up from this dream he never wanted to end.

Throughout the entire ride, Jessa thought about what she was doing, knowing she belonged with him. Somehow, someway she knew she belonged with Mark and always did, which is why she chose to agree to be Jenessa when she called Vince, wanting to come back. Vince was immediately for it, telling her she couldn’t just go back to writing scripts because there’d been truckloads of letters and fan mail for her, asking where she was.

Where Jenessa was.

Jessa was skeptical at first, but after reading half of the fan mail, she finally decided writing scripts could go to someone else because she belonged out in the middle of the ring with Mark. Jenessa and Undertaker were one and that would never change. She snuggled further against him, the cool night wind blowing through her hair.

An hour later, Mark finally stopped the bike, causing Jessa to open her eyes as she looked around, drawing her eyebrows together. He didn’t say a word and swung one leg over, getting off the motorcycle and held his hand out to her, causing Jessa to immediately take it. It was a beautiful, crisp April night, a little chilly, but Jessa had a feeling Mark would keep her warm.

They arrived at a nearby tree as she smiled, remembering where he’d taken her the last time, and looked around at the beautiful piece of land. Mark smiled and pulled her down to sit between his legs, leaning back against the tree, and wrapped those strong arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck and inhaling her scent again. She smelled wonderful, always had.

“What are we doing here?” She asked softly, breaking the silence between them, and felt her eyes drift closed when his lips attached to her neck. “Is this where no one can hear my screams?”

A dark chuckle sounded in her ear, causing a shiver to course down Jessa’s spine, and she was suddenly turned around straddling his lap. “Maybe.” He rumbled and brought her face down to his as he passionately kissed her, having wanted to do that ever since she teased him in the shower. That was the last time he got to taste her sweet lips, but now that they were together, he was going to explore them thoroughly.

“You are impossible and stubborn.” She mumbled against his lips when they finally came up for air, his lips trailing down her jaw to her neck, causing her to grip his shoulders as her head tilted back, letting out the softest of moans. “And you’re cocky.”

Mark chuckled against her soft skin and nodded, not denying anything she said because he knew it was true. “And you’re the most stubborn and bullheaded woman I’ve ever met and you can get annoyin’.”

He wanted her though; god strike him dead here and now, but he wanted this woman for the rest of his life. He just knew it and he didn’t know why. He was a cocky bastard and liked things his way, but Jessa always somehow managed to put him in his place and he loved that about her.

“Fair enough. Now show me how much you missed me.” She stated, undoing his braid and ran her fingers through his hair.

Smiling when he lead Jessa down to where she was laying across his knees, her black hair splayed all over the grass below. She could hear the zipper of his jeans and shivered, her pussy quivering with anticipation. Her eyes drifted closed when she felt him unzip her jeans and pulled them off expertly while she was still lying on his legs and arched her hips up so he could remove her panties as well.

“Y-You really want to do this right here?”

Mark didn’t answer as he gripped her hips with his strong hands and slowly filled her, causing a soft cry to escape her. He wasn’t wasting any time, he’d waited long enough to feel her and he wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to do so. He groaned, feeling her walls tighten around him, suffocating him with the intensity, and had to stop to let her adjust to him, smirking at the way her body flushed. She looked even more beautiful if that were possible.

“Mark!” She cried out, gripping his legs as her nails dug into the jean material, arching her body against him.

She didn’t care if this was just a quick screw between them, she craved it. When he was fully sheathed inside of her, Jessa had to stop him to adjust, feeling her walls accommodate his size. She hadn’t been with anyone in a few years and Mark wasn’t exactly a small man, in fact, he was the biggest she’d been with since.

Jessa wasn’t a slut, but she’d been around the block a few times, had a few short relationships, but nothing solid…until now. His eyes rolled in the back of his head at the sound of her voice crying out his name and slowly started pulling her to slam against him, going at a steady, rhythmic pace. His groans along with her moans filled the night air, which was beautiful music to his ears as he finally pulled her up to straddle him again, never sliding out of her.

“Ride me.” He ordered gruffly, gripping her hips, his forest green eyes clouded over with desire staring up into nearly blackened orbs.

Jessa obliged as she slowly ground her hips against him, smirking when he sucked in a sharp breath and did it even slower the second time. “Mmmm so hard…” She breathed in his ear, her long black hair flowing down her back to her waist and over her shoulders as she continued running her fingers through his hair, gripping it when he started hitting her sweet spot repeatedly.

“I’m not exactly a soft man.” He stated heatedly and attacked her neck, suckling gently, not wanting to leave a hickey because she’d end up knocking his ass out. He just had a feeling so he was careful while she continued riding him, teasing and tormenting. “Harder darlin’…”

Her hips began moving a little faster and soon she was bouncing on and off of him, crying out as the pleasure overtook her, gripping his shoulders as her nails dug in a little. It increased when he started thrusting his hips up to meet her, intensifying the feeling as she whipped her head back and brought his head to kiss her chest right above her covered breasts. He hadn’t taken her corset top off and honestly didn’t care as she hissed out, going even faster.

“Oh yes…” She moaned out, the sounds of flesh smacking flesh echoing throughout the night, and knew she was close to her release.

Mark wasn’t far off either as he growled, starting to slam her down on top of him harder and faster, driving deeper with his own thrusts. He could feel her pulsating pussy wrapping around him and nodded, letting a low hiss between his teeth escape, starting to massage her breasts beneath the corset. “Cum for me, Jessa…I wanna feel you darlin’.” He crooned in her ear, causing her to cry out harder, and knew he had her.

Within moments, seconds, Jessa shattered on top of him, letting out a scream that was deafening as her juices flowed, coating him completely, and allowing her orgasm to tear through her. “Mark!!” Her breathing was ragged as she leaned her head down and buried it in his neck, feeling him thrusting harder inside of her, knowing he was about to explode.

“Jessa!” He growled out loudly, sinking his cock inside of her as far and deep as he could before releasing, his seed splashing against her back wall, filling her completely.

He smirked when she screamed out a second time, knowing he triggered a second release from her, and wrapped his strong arms around her waist, holding her close to him. He was breathing heavily along with her, their hearts thundering together as one. When Jessa finally caught her breath, she slowly looked up at him and smiled, caressing his cheek with her hand and kissed him softly.

“I’m not going to say the three words because I need to get to know you better first.” She gently said, hoping he understood, pressing her forehead to his.

Mark chuckled and nodded, fully understanding as he held her close. “I can’t say it yet either darlin’ cause I need to get to know ya better too. I do care deeply for you though and I’m glad you’re takin’ this chance with me.” He replied, kissing her softly, and ran his hands up and down her back, content with sitting there as he slowly went limp, enjoying this time.

“I care for you too, Mark, very much. Probably more than I should but fuck it. I’m taking this chance with you because I know you’re worth it. I just hope you don’t disappoint me.” She said, staring deep into his green eyes, caressing his shoulders through the tank top and slid her fingernails down his chest with a smirk.

“I won’t, you have my word.”

That proceeded to start round two with Mark taking her to places only he could, making love under the stars and full moon. Both knew they were taking chances with each other, but somehow they both knew that it would be worth it. Only time would tell, but in the meantime, they were going to learn to love each other the way they deserved and nobody would get in the way of it.

The End.