It's Not Over

Usual disclaimer - see Chapter 1 for the full details, but I own nothing but my original characters, all the people own themselves, WWE owns the trademark names, I'm doing this to exercise my creativity and for the sheer pleasure of writing. Ask my therapist!

And probably time to mention again the AU-ishness of this story. My story, my rules, remember? Anyway, just so it's all as clear as mud, in terms of timing - Kane's still wearing a mask (the half one, because that's my favourite!) and has his lovely long hair. Ditto for 'Taker.

It's before 'Taker went with the American Bad Ass persona, but after the whole Ministry of Darkness thing. Because, while 'Taker was indeed sexy as fuck back then, I wasn't around for the ins and outs of the storyline and I don't wanna have to learn it! Besides, while dark and menacing 'Taker was and is cool, some of the shit in that storyline, such as the shameless self-insertion of Vince McMahon and his family, was just . . . sad.

In fact, let's just say that madness never really happened, shall we? And we'll go on with our pretendy fun times the way I want. There - that wasn't so painful, was it? ;-)

In terms of roster, it's pretty much as it was back then, before some of my favourites like Trish, Lita and Victoria fell by the wayside. I may also toss some newer members of the roster in for shits and giggles, because I can - so there!

However, it's more like present day in terms of music, technology and other peripherals. Okay? We all good now? Right! Moving on!

Oh yeah, and there's some more Diva bashing . . . oops? My bad ;-)

Chapter 15

Glenn liked the glimpses he saw of Dacey as they unpacked in their rooms. It was another of those intimate moments, seeing her that way, and he couldn't help but smile. She was neat, and methodical. But when he saw her heading towards her own bathroom with her travel pack, he had to say something.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to put that in here, Dacey?"

She smiled at him. "If we're showering together, it'll take me a second to come fetch it. If we're running late, then I don't lose that second bringing it in here so I'm not distracted from a quick shower!"

He covered his face with his hand, laughing. She dropped off her travel pack and then came back, looking at him. "What's so funny?"

"You - worrying about a second of lost time!"

She lifted her chin. "I prefer to think of it as being practical."

He put down the workout gear he had just taken out of his sports bag and came over to hug her. "I think it's wonderful, honestly. It just surprised me. But in a nice way."

She hesitated only a moment before hugging him back. "Well, if you're over your surprise, are we going to the gym?" They had decided to hit the hotel gym, rather than travel out to the venue.

"Just about to change my clothes," he said, smiling down at her.

Which, as it turned out, was a mis-statement. He truly did intend to change into his workout gear. Instead, he found himself leaning against the doorframe watching her change. She turned to smile at him as she pulled on a t-shirt over her sports bra.

"You do know I intend to return the favour, right?"

He blinked in surprise. "What?"

She bent to pick up the sneakers she had just taken off and put them neatly in her suitcase, and then grabbed her workout shoes and marched past him into his room, sitting on the edge of the bed to put them on. When he just stood there, she looked up at him.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" he was baffled.

She chuckled. "Come on, make with the striptease!"

"You can't be serious!" he protested, laughing.

She stood up again and came over to him. She seemed shorter, but he realized that was probably just because she wore only socks. She rose to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I told you, fear mo chroí. Sauce for the goose will always be sauce for the gander."

"You want to watch me dress?"

She sat back on the edge of the bed, pulling on one shoe. "Uh huh."

"Why?"

Pausing in the midst of tying her shoe, she looked up at him. "Can't you talk and dress at the same time?" she winked.

"Fine!" he laughed, pulling his t-shirt off over his head.

She held up one hand. "Oh! Slowly, slowly - it's too nice a job to rush." She was grinning broadly now.

He pointed a finger at her, grinning himself now. "You're pushing it, Dace!" He toed off his sneakers.

"I don't get why you're fussing about this," she chuckled. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

"I'm just not used to an audience for this." His hands moved to his belt buckle.

She licked her lips unconsciously. "But I'm a very appreciative audience, Glenn."

He undid the button on his jeans, his voice a little husky as he spoke. "So I see."

She closed her eyes for a moment. Dear God, standing there bare chested in his jeans, he was most emphatically male and damn near pornographic. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. "You've stopped. This does not make me happy."

She kept her tone light and teasing, and kept her fingers busy with the laces on her shoes. Otherwise she was going to end up going over to him and taking matters out of his hands completely.

He chuckled, sliding his zipper down slowly. "You know, I think it's customary to have music when you're doing this."

Oh now he was just asking for trouble! Stifling a giggle, she leaned back on her hands. "Okay, I'll give you music." She licked her lips and drawled, imitating a cheesy seventies porno soundtrack, "Bow chicka wah wah . . . "

"I hardly think that's appropriate!" he chuckled.

She didn't bother hiding her giggle this time. "Oh, I don't know. You'd make a perfectly lovely pool boy. Wanna come in and . . . clean my filters?"

He just looked at her. She grinned. "You've stopped again."

"No music." He grinned back at her.

"Jeez, you're hard to please!"

Dacey got off the bed and approached him, her eyes sparkling. The day before, she'd been reminiscing about Louisville with Cliff, and she was reminded of something now as she ran one finger slowly down over Glenn's shoulder. He looked at her curiously, his eyes widening as she started to sing.

"But a deltoid and a . . . bicep," her finger moved down over his arm.

"A hot groin . . . " she turned, her hand very briefly cupping that part of his anatomy, and then moving back to his arm.

"And a tricep, makes me . . . oooh, shake, makes me wanna take Charles Atlas by the . . . hand."

She stepped back away from him again, smiling. "In just seven days, oh baby, I can make you a man."* They'd seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show a time or two in Louisville. Or ten.

He could only blink in surprise. She sat back on the edge of the bed primly, looking him up and down. "You're still dressed. Why is this?"

"You're determined, aren't you?"

"Hell yes! One of my more endearing characteristics, wouldn't you say?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Laughing, he pushed off his jeans and shorts, and reached for his jock strap. As he put it on, she looked at him, giving a little sigh.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head, smiling. "No. Just . . . I don't know. It's nice learning about you, you know?"

Pulling on his workout shorts, he sat down on the bed beside her. "What do you mean?"

She pulled one foot up and wrapped her arms around her leg. "Well, you wear boxer shorts under your jeans, but a jock when you work out."

"And this is important?" he smiled, putting on his workout shoes.

"Not important, I guess. And I suppose if I'd thought about it, of course you'd wear a jock when you work out. But somehow it's nice to know because I've seen it. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, kinda. It's a bit like your sports bra. Never actually seen you wear one before. Least not without a shirt over it." He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Now it's our little secret."

She chuckled. "Some secret!"

He rested his hand on the small of her back, smiling. "I meant in the sense of it being something that only I get to see. Like the expression on your face when you first wake up. Something that's . . . mine. No one else's."

"I like that idea," she said, almost shyly.

She let her foot slip off the bed and edged closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her, hugging her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh of contentment. They sat that way for a few minutes, and then she lifted her head and smiled at him.

"Gym?"

He nodded. "Let's go, honey."

@@@

As they stepped out of the shower, Glenn smiled at Dacey, handing her a towel. "So, honey, what do you want to do tonight?"

She chuckled, beginning to dry herself. "Eat!"

"Well obviously! I meant after that."

"No idea. I did hear some of the guys talking about a dance club here in the hotel though."

She was bent forward, drying her legs, and he was quite thoroughly distracted for a few moments. But then she stood up, taking his distraction away, and he belatedly drew his eyes back to her face.

"You'd like to go dancing?"

She shrugged, towelling her hair, which gave him a whole new set of visual distractions. "I enjoy it. But do you?"

He smiled. "Well, I do think I'd enjoy watching you, so long as you promise to save the slow dances for me."

She leaned in to kiss him. "You got a deal. I'm going to go dress, okay?"

He watched her go, the towel now wrapped around her hair, her athlete's body moving with un-selfconscious grace, and sighed contentedly before picking up his hairbrush and beginning the tedious task of trying to tame his unruly hair.

In her own room, Dacey opened her case and looked through it, trying to find something suitable for dinner and dancing, not that she had much in the way of choices. After all, when she'd packed two weeks ago, she wasn't contemplating doing a lot of going out socially. Finally, she settled on the black pants she'd worn out to dinner with her folks and a black tank top that she usually wore to the gym.

She took a minute to change the straps on her bra to go under the crisscrossed back straps of the tank, chuckling to herself. Normally, she just would have worn a sports bra under it, but Glenn's reaction to her lacy bras the last two days was rather encouraging her to wear them more often.

Dressed now, she unwrapped the towel from her hair and began brushing it, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. The black did seem just a little severe, she thought to herself. Jewelry was another thing she tended not to bother with on the road, but this outfit did need something to break it up. She pondered that as she twisted her hair up behind her head and reached into her case for a claw clip to hold it in place.

As she fastened the clip, her gaze fell on the rather untidy tangle of hair clips and ribbons that she did carry with her and she was struck by inspiration. She drew out a black ribbon, smoothing it between her fingers before tying it around her throat with a little bow. A little digging produced a pretty silver filigree hair clip in the shape of a butterfly, a memento from the last time she had served as bridesmaid, for one of the Irish cousins. She leaned in close to the mirror and carefully slid the clip through the knot of the bow and secured it.

To her delight, it looked rather good - the little silver butterfly with its tiny crystal studded wings against the black ribbon. She carefully shifted the ribbon so the bow was at the side of her neck. Not bad for someone who wasn't very girly, she thought to herself with a chuckle. She was just putting on her usual minimal makeup when Glenn tapped at the open door.

"Dacey?"

She turned to look at him, and she didn't miss how his eyes widened. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, looking down at herself.

"No. Not a damn thing," he said huskily. "You look . . . stunning."

He came into the room then, reaching out a hand to touch her upswept hair. She smiled at him.

"It's not much - best I can do on short notice," she shrugged.

"It's perfect, honey. Trust me," he bent to kiss her softly.

She leaned up to his kiss, her hand curling around the back of his neck. As their lips parted, he brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek, smiling.

"You'll be the prettiest girl at the club."

"I doubt that! But so long as you feel that way, I'll be happy," she smiled.

@@@

Dacey grinned as they entered the danceclub. The music was loud and the bass beat already had her nodding her head in time with it. Coming back to the hotel after dinner, she and Glenn had met up with Matt and Amy, who were also heading for the club. Looking around the room, she could see quite a few other members of the roster already on the dance floor.

They made their way to a table, already occupied by Christian, Adam and Trish, who gave Dacey a warm smile as she sat down with Glenn. Kenny Dykstra, coming back from the bar, grinned.

"Alright! Good to see you guys - now we got us a real party happening!"

Glenn chuckled, ordering a beer from the waitress who had come over with Kenny, as did both Matt and Amy, while Dacey asked for a club soda. As they sat back with their drinks, Glenn rested his arm along the back of Dacey's chair, his fingertips gently caressing her arm, amusing himself as he looked at the faces of their male colleagues. It was pretty apparent that most of them wanted to ask Dacey to dance, but they were hanging back. He wondered which one of them would risk his supposed wrath to do so first.

A few minutes later, Jeff came back to the table minus Ashley Massaro, who had gone back to her own table. He dropped into his chair, taking a mouthful of his beer before even registering that Glenn and Dacey had joined them.

Matt chuckled. "Lose your dance partner, Jeffro?"

Jeff shrugged with a grin. "She bailed on me. Said her feet hurt."

Amy grinned. "Serves her right for wearing those ridiculous 'fuck me' pumps to a dance club. Although I guess we can all be thankful that she didn't just do the po' white trash thing and kick them off on the dance floor!"

Dacey giggled. "My gran's fond of saying that a woman with her shoes off is half way to whoredom."

That destroyed Trish, who lay her head on the table as she howled with laughter. "Oh God, if that's the case, the Divas Division should probably be re-named the Chicken Ranch!"

Adam grinned, looking at her, and then at Amy and Dacey. "So, which one of you is going to end up with her shoes off this evening, huh?"

Amy pushed her chair back from the table, and lifted one foot up, showing the boots she wore. "These babies are on for the evening!"

Trish stood up, doing a Hollywood movie style back kick to show off the modest heels on her own shoes. "My mama didn't raise no fools! I can dance all night in these!"

Christian looked at Dacey. "That just leaves you. Come on, show us!"

Dacey chuckled, shifting sideways in her chair and lifting one foot into Glenn's lap, showing the black ballet shoes she wore. "Nice sensible flats, see?"

Glenn patted her leg with a grin. "Honey, your legs are long enough that you don't need high heels."

"Amen to that!" Adam leered.

"Watch it, Copeland, or I'll be forced to pop you one!" Glenn growled, trying not to grin.

"Hey, Dace! Didn't see you and Big Red there - you guys here to get your freak on, huh?" Jeff grinned.

Taking a mouthful of his beer, Glenn shook his head. "Not me - made the mistake of wearing my 'fuck me' pumps."

For a moment, there was silence, and then pandemonium ensued. Trish could barely catch her breath, and everytime she looked at Glenn, it set her off again. Dacey giggled helplessly - even though she'd had months to get to know Glenn's sense of humour, he could still surprise her. He gave her a broad wink and she leaned her head against his arm, still giggling.

Glenn grinned at the amusement of his colleagues - he was rather well known to have a sense of humour, although he always denied it, but he did enjoy the element of surprise. As Dacey lifted her foot down from his lap and sat up, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, he leaned in to kiss her cheek, whispering, "You think I might get lucky later, even if I fibbed about my shoes?"

Dacey made a show of looking under the table at his feet, then grinned at him, whispering back, "They're nice shoes anyway. Wanna fuck?"

That made them both laugh, looking into one another's eyes. Glenn had to admit, he really loved this side of Dacey. Especially since it was something else that was only his. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again, sipping his beer, as she nodded her head in time to the music.

Kenny looked over at them, winked at Glenn and then asked Dacey to dance. She was off her chair in a moment, giving his thigh a pat as she did, and Glenn just chuckled. There were a few faces around the table showing surprise at that, and Glenn figured they'd just have to get used to it. Dacey was her own woman, and he had no trouble with her dancing with anyone, if she wanted to.

Glenn watched her and Kenny on the floor. As he suspected, she was a good dancer, and Kenny certainly seemed to be enjoying himself. He wasn't even particularly upset when Victoria and Trish cut in on him, if the grin on his face was anything to go by. Then again, he was grinning pretty widely himself at that point - Dacey seemed to be in her element, dancing with the other women.

She was seldom off the dance floor after that. But the biggest surprise of the evening came later in the evening. He was just thinking that he might just have to request some tunes to be able to reclaim Dacey and redeem her promise of the slow numbers for him, when he spotted Cliff Compton heading for her on the dancefloor as the DJ started an up-tempo song reminiscent of fifties music.

To his surprise, Cliff was a talented swing dancer, and Dacey was no slouch either. And it was pretty clear that they'd had some practice together. Still, it did bode well for him being able to someday get to waltz with her and actually have her follow his lead. He might not look like it, but he was a fair dancer when it came to the old-fashioned stuff.

But now, without any prompting from him, the slow songs had started, and there was no way anyone but him got those. He rose to his feet and headed for the dance floor, where, to his pleasure, Dacey was already thanking Cliff for the dance and saying she'd promised the next one to someone else.

Cliff looked around and saw him approaching, and nodded. "As it should be, toots. You kids have fun, okay?"

Dacey smiled as she stepped into Glenn's arms. "Guaranteed."

Glenn leaned down to nuzzle his cheek to hers gently as he took her hand, smiling when she lifted the other to his shoulder. His arm went around her waist, drawing her closer to him, and she nestled her head against his chest as they moved slowly to the music. It wasn't quite a waltz, but it was damn fine to have her in his arms all the same. She followed his lead easily, not that he was doing much actual leading, and he couldn't help his sigh of contentment.

As they moved together to the music, Dacey found her heart beating a little faster. In Glenn's arms, she felt small and feminine - something she hadn't felt since she'd shot up to her full height just short of her sixteenth birthday. His hand was gently caressing her back, and she pressed closer to him, loving the feel of his solid frame. She felt like she could stay in his arms forever.

All too quickly, it seemed, the tempo of the music changed and Glenn leaned down to speak into her ear. "Do you want to stay, honey?"

She shook her head, smiling at him, and he took her hand, leading her from the dance floor. They contented themselves with a wave goodbye to those of their colleagues who remained in the club and headed for the elevator.

As they waited for it, Glenn stroked his hand over her hair. "I'm a little surprised, Dace - you strike me more as the 'dance all night' kind of girl, not the 'go home early' type."

The elevator arrived, and Dacey waited until they were inside to answer, smiling up at him as she did. "Usually am - but tonight, I figured I'd just danced with the best guy in the place. Why take a backwards step from that?"

"Oh honey," he pulled her into his arms, hugging her close.

She nuzzled her cheek to his chest as she returned his hug. "What? It's true."

His fingers were gentle on her chin as he tipped her face up to his, bending to kiss her softly. "Don't know about being the best guy, but for damn sure the luckiest, because I get to go home with you."

She sighed softly with pleasure. When the elevator arrived on their floor, they emerged together, hand in hand, walking towards their rooms. As Glenn opened the door, Dacey smiled up at him.

"I like this - coming back to the same room together."

"This is pretty close to perfect, honey," he said, closing the door behind him.

She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I'll be right back, a ghrá mo chroí."

And that was absolutely the icing on the cake, Glenn thought as he sat down on the bed to take off his shoes, being able to share his bed with such a special woman. He could hear water running in Dacey's room as he went into his own bathroom.

@@@

Glenn was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, when Dacey appeared in the connecting doorway. She was still dressed, and he smiled, opening his arms to her. She climbed up on the bed beside him after kicking off her shoes, and he gathered her into him with a contented sound. She snuggled close, nestling her head on his chest.

Stroking his hand over her shoulder, he chuckled. "So, what are the chances of me scoring tonight?"

She looked up at him with a grin. "There you go again, Glenn - sounding closer to twenty than forty!"

"Hey, I managed to get the prettiest girl in the club to come back to my room with me - I figure that entitles me to a little chest beating and juvenile behaviour!" he grinned back.

She sat up then, letting her eyes travel over him slowly, pointing at his feet. "Well, even though you're not wearing them now, they were nice shoes . . . "

He ran his hand lightly over her thigh. "And?"

She moved quickly, straddling his lap, leaning in to kiss him. "Wanna fuck?"

His answer to that was to wrap his big arms around her and crush her to him as he kissed her hard. To his delight, she responded with equal passion, her hands tangling in his hair as their lips met, her tongue deep in his mouth. He moaned against her lips, feeling her body pressed tightly to his, the softness of her breasts a delightful contrast to her lean frame.

Dacey had a moment of puzzlement as she ground her hips to his that his arousal wasn't more apparent, though his passionate kisses and the way he was holding her spoke volumes of his desire for her. And then she remembered their conversation the previous night, even her own teasing words moments before. And they'd made love in the shower that morning.

Even as the meaning of all of that began to sink in, she felt Glenn's fingertips on her skin at her waist as his hands pushed up her top, and the warmth of his lips on her ear as he whispered, "I want to see you, darling girl."

She sat back a little from him with a soft brush of her lips to his, her hands going to the hem of her top. He rested his hands on her thighs, caressing her lightly as he looked at her, and she very slowly drew the top up over her head, dropping it to the floor beside the bed. She reached behind her for the clasp of her bra, and he shook his head. Not saying a word, he just took the fabric of her pants between his fingers, and she understood.

Standing beside the bed, she stepped out of them, laying them aside, and Glenn reached for her, his hands on her hips to guide her back to his lap again. Once she was astride his legs, his hands stroked over her thighs lightly as he looked at her.

"You are so lovely, Dacey," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her.

Her hand caressed his face gently as she returned his kiss. She wasn't quite sure what to do, feeling a moment's regret now at her rather eager proposition. She certainly didn't want him to think that all she wanted him for was sex, but how could she tell him that now without offending him? The solution was clear a moment later, as Glenn's hands slid up her thighs and then around her back, gently undoing her bra. She could let him set the pace and follow his lead.

His fingers brushed very lightly over her skin as he drew her bra down her arms, and she shivered. He trailed his fingertips along her arm as he cupped her breast with the other hand, feeling her nipple harden against his palm as she shivered again. She leaned forward a little, pressing her breast more to his hand, sighing softly with pleasure at his touch.

Glenn reached up to take the clip from her hair. He set it on the beside table without looking, captivated as she shook out the mane of her hair. He kissed his way down her throat, nuzzling at the black ribbon that still adorned it, his arm going around behind her to support her as he leaned her back.

Her hands came up to stroke through his hair, making short work of the tie that held it in a ponytail. She moaned softly as he nuzzled between her breasts before latching onto one nipple, holding her firmly as he suckled on that hard little nub. That made her whimper and squirm against him, clutching at his head, loving the feel of his lips on her.

Glenn made a sound of pleasure at her responsiveness, flicking his tongue over her nipple as he held her closer. He reached back over his head with his free hand, tugging his t shirt up, releasing her nipple only long enough to pull the shirt over his head and off his arm before capturing it again with a little growl.

Dacey's hands left his hair to strip the shirt down his arm as he wrapped the other around her, tossing it aside and running her hands over his back. He nuzzled at her breast, kissing around her nipple, brushing it very lightly with his lips. She whimpered again, arching her back, and he smiled at her.

"What's wrong, honey?"

She squirmed as his breath tickled at her achingly hard nipple. "You're teasing me, you big brute!"

"But you feel so good when you wriggle like that," he chuckled softly.

There was that playfulness again, she thought a bit distractedly, trying everything she could think of to urge his lips back around the nipple that so craved his attentions. She arched her back again, and he easily avoided the nipple she was presenting to his lips, instead lightly rubbing his chin against it.

She almost leaped off his lap as his beard rasped against her nipple, startling a moan out of her at the sensation. He wrapped his arms more firmly around her, his palms pressed against her soft skin as he did it again, not missing how she shivered against him.

"Oh God!" she moaned helplessly, pressing herself closer to him, clutching at his shoulders.

"I think you like being teased, honey," he murmured, pressing soft kisses around her nipple before once more brushing his chin over it lightly.

"You know I do," she whimpered, shuddering against him, her nails digging into his shoulders as she clung to him.

Now it was his turn to shudder at the feel of her nails, something she didn't miss. She dragged them lightly down his back and he groaned, his face pressed to her breasts. His arms tightened around her, and now she could feel his very definite arousal. She wriggled against him, the slightly rough fabric of his jeans providing another delicious sensation, running her nails slowly up his back.

She bent her head down to his and moaned softly, "I think you like being teased too, Glenn."

He growled, one big hand coming up to cup her breast, palming her hard nipple a little roughly as he kissed up her throat. "You have no idea how much, aingeal."

She ground her hips to his, feeling that hard bulge in his jeans, her body pressed close to his, moaning as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "I can feel how much, baby."

She had barely got the words out before he claimed her lips in a hard, passionate kiss, one she was responding to a heartbeat later, sucking hungrily on his tongue as it probed deep into her mouth. As the kiss broke, she panted softly against his lips, trembling at the intensity of the desire radiating from them both.

Apparently, Glenn felt the same, for the next moment he was lifting her easily and laying her back on the bed. His hands moved to strip off her panties and then his body pressed close to hers as he kissed her again, this time more insistently. Her hands caressed his arms and shoulders as she wrapped one leg around his hip, having a moment of startlement as she encountered not his warm skin but the fabric of his jeans.

And he wasn't in any hurry to remove them, it seemed, interested more in kissing her deeply as his hand returned to cup her breast. She reminded herself firmly that she needed to let him set the pace. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't help things along, as she slid her hands under his arms and drew her nails firmly down his broad back.

That certainly got his attention - Glenn groaned into her mouth, tightening his arm around her as he pressed his chest to hers, shuddering in delight. She shivered, holding him close, tucking that reaction away for future reference as she lightly trailed her fingertips over the muscles flexing in his back.

But he only allowed the caress for a moment before pulling away from her a little, looking down at her with an expression of hunger that made her feel a little dizzy with wanting him. He propped himself on one elbow, drawing his other hand down over her shoulder to cup her breast briefly as he kissed her. She leaned up to his kiss, one hand caressing his chest, gasping softly as his hand trailed lightly over her belly and dipped between her thighs.

"Glenn?" she breathed, even she parted her legs more for him.

He bent his head, nuzzling his cheek to hers. "Shhh. It's my turn now, Dacey."

"Turn . . . " The words were choked off by a moan as his fingers parted her folds gently.

Glenn's breath caught in his throat at the expression on her face as her back arched off the bed. That passionate responsiveness was such a turn on for him, and he wanted to explore it, know its depths just as he learned to know her body. His fingers slipped easily through the silky wetness of her sex, allowing him to touch every part of her, and he searched her face as he did, wanting to know exactly what she loved. He skated a fingertip over her clit, and her hips bucked up as she whimpered.

He nuzzled her cheek again, his voice husky, "You like that, honey?"

She could do little more than nod as he repeated that teasing touch, shuddering helplessly as her hips rocked up to his fingers. But now he abandoned that sensitive bud, instead probing for her entrance and sliding one finger into her very slowly, delighted as she clenched herself around it. He chuckled and withdrew it before sliding it back in, getting the same response.

"Mmmm, you know that when you do that when I'm inside you, it drives me nearly crazy?" His breath tickled her ear.

Her hips came off the bed, thrusting up to his hand. He added a second finger, watching the expression of pleasure on her face, and he twisted his hand as he slid them inside her. Her eyes, which had been half-closed, now flew open and she cried out, clenching her inner walls around them again with a shudder of pleasure. His smile widened, even as his jeans started to feel very tight. But this was for her, right now.

He repeated the movement, corkscrewing his fingers gently inside her as he did, delighted by how her hips snapped off the bed to meet them. She was trembling with excitement, panting softly, and he thrilled to the sight of her barely-contained passion. Now he added his thumb, lightly stroking her clit as his fingers thrust in and out of her slowly.

Her eyes widened more, and she whimpered, squirming now, unsure which pleasurable sensation to respond to. He bent his head close to hers, once more nuzzling her cheek.

"You look so beautiful, Dacey. Just go with it, feel it - I want to see your face when you do," he whispered huskily.

Her eyes locked to his, her breathing becoming ragged as his fingers teased her. She pressed her heels to the bed, rocking her hips up to his fingers with little cries of pleasure, and he drank in the sight and feel of her. But then her hand closed around his wrist, trying to stop him, and he had a moment to marvel at her strength, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

She moaned, biting her lip, almost whimpering his name. "Glenn, please - I want to come with you!"

He kissed her lightly. "You will, baby. I promise."

For a long beat, her hand continued to hold his wrist, stilling the movement of his fingers, and he thought she might continue to fight him. And he would give in, if she was really so determined. But right now, he needed to see her this way, when he wasn't clouded with the bliss her body gave him.

When she released her hold on him, he smiled at her, curling his fingers inside her as he moved them again. She gasped, and her hips bucked up as he found her g-spot. He contented himself with only occasionally brushing his fingertips over that sensitive little spot, loving how she writhed on the bed when he did.

What he wasn't expecting was for her hand to suddenly be stroking him through his jeans. His own hips bucked to her touch, making him moan. That only encouraged her as she slid her palm firmly along his hard length to cup him. A second later, her inner walls clenched around his fingers.

She leaned up to him, pleading, "I need you, Glenn, please!"

He couldn't help his shudder as her fingers traced the outline of his cock slowly, resting his forehead against hers as he panted softly, "Dacey, baby, I want to make you feel good first."

She moaned, "You have, trust me! Now I want you." Her palm stroked firmly along his cock. "I want to feel you inside me."

Dacey had forgotten her decision to let Glenn set the pace, to follow his lead, all of that lost in the fog of arousal he had her in. But Glenn was determined. And his fingers still stroked deep inside her.

His concentration was being tested, though. Because Dacey had the advantage of having both hands free. And while she continued to stroke her palm firmly along the underside of his cock, the other hand was busily undoing his belt and then his zipper. His current position, leaning on one elbow, hampered his ability to stop her, unless he removed his fingers from inside her, and he had no intention of doing that. Not when she was becoming more breathless with every stroke he made.

She finally had his jeans open, and her hand slipped inside his shorts, tracing the hot hard length of his cock with her fingers, feeling it twitch under her touch. She closed her fingers around it, stroking him slowly from root to tip in time with his fingers as they delved deep inside her. He groaned, scissoring his fingers inside her gently, rewarded with a buck of her hips.

She whimpered, and her other hand once again gripped his wrist, stilling its movement as she panted, "God, stop, please! I'm about to come, I want to feel you!"

Her hand hadn't stopped its stroking, and suddenly he was on the brink himself. With a low growl, he rose to his knees, brushing her hand away gently and shoving his shorts and jeans down just far enough to free his throbbing cock. Her hand once again reached out to him, and he captured it easily. Now that she wasn't touching him, he felt more in control of himself, though he was breathing heavily.

Her hand was still around his wrist, and while he knew he could probably break her grip, he didn't want to hurt her. He looked into her eyes as he flicked his fingertips against her g-spot lightly, feeling her shudder.

"Let go, aingeal, please."

Her eyes locked to his as she loosened her fingers from around his wrist, and he leaned down to kiss her deeply as he slowly slid his fingers out of her. She whimpered against his lips, shivering at the sensations. He nipped at her lips with his own, settling between her legs, rubbing the head of his cock through her wet folds as she spread her legs wider.

Glenn looked down at her as he rolled his hips forward, penetrating her with a groan at how tight she felt. Dacey's heels pressed into the bed as she rocked her hips up to meet his, her hands clutching at the bedclothes as his shaft slid deeper into her, along walls already stimulated by his fingers. For a long moment, neither of them moved, both momentarily overwhelmed by sensation.

Then he bent his head to kiss her lightly, whispering, "Darling girl, being inside you is such bliss."

She shuddered, wrapping her legs up around his hips, drawing him in more as she kissed him. Her body was in lockdown for the moment - while he'd been touching her, all she could think of was having him inside her. Now that it had happened, she was having a hard time switching gears. She had gone from being on the brink of orgasm to some whole new place, filled with an aching need, a yearning for him that surprised her with its intensity.

Her hands slid up under his arms as he rested over her on his elbows, and she drew her nails slowly down his back. He moaned, pressing closer to her as he shuddered in reaction, and her hard nipples brushed against the smooth skin of his chest. The shock of that sensation was enough to unlock the stasis that held her. Suddenly the feel of his shaft throbbing inside her was precisely what she needed, and she rocked her hips up to his.

He wasn't sure what had changed, exactly, but something had. She had gone from laying under him, tense with some unknown emotion, to being taut with excitement as she started to move. The feel of those silken walls gliding along his cock had him wrapping his arms around her, needing to feel her close as they made love.

She wrapped her legs higher around his waist as his big body covered hers, and he growled his approval, drawing his own knees up and resting his weight on them as he thrust into her. Her head dropped back as she moaned in delight, feeling him stroke deep inside her.

It didn't take them long to find their rhythm, and soon their bodies were moving together, hips meeting with ever-increasing need that had them both moaning. She could feel the liquid fire deep inside her that presaged her orgasm, and her nails dug into his shoulders as she tightened her legs around his waist.

He could feel her inner walls constricting around him, and hear her breathless cries. He clutched her closer to him as he drove his hips harder to hers, abandoning himself to his own pleasure. Moments later, her back arched up hard off the bed, and she cried out his name. He felt her clench around him, the sensation drawing him even deeper into her warm depths.

His own orgasm caught him by surprise then, and his hips bucked hard into hers. White light seemed to obscure everything, and for a dizzying moment he thought he might pass out with the intensity of it. He was dimly aware of her hands stroking his back as her hips rocked more gently now, milking him, and he dropped his head to her shoulder with a shuddering sigh of pleasure.

When he raised his head, Dacey was smiling at him. He kissed her lightly and then rolled onto his back, carrying her with him. He chuckled, and she looked at him quizically.

"What is it, Glenn? she asked.

"Just thinking I'm going to have to let you go, aingeal, so I can finish undressing. This is not exactly comfortable!" he laughed.

She looked down his body and saw his jeans bunched around his thighs, which made her giggle. Glenn kissed her lightly, settling her on the bed beside him before sitting up to kick off his jeans and shorts.

It was only as she was looking at him that she realized that, in addition to him not getting completely undressed, they were still laying on top of the covers as well. That set her giggling more as he lay back beside her, sliding his arm under her shoulders and pulling her against him.

"What's tickled you, darling girl?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Us," she smiled at him. "Getting carried away."

"I like getting carried away with you," he chuckled.

"Oh, it's not a complaint! Far from it," she propped her chin on his chest, looking into his eyes. "But you have to promise me something."

He stroked his hand over her hair. "What's that?"

Her expression grew serious. "If there's a night you really don't want to, tell me? I won't be upset, I promise."

"Hey, what's brought this on?" His hand continued its gentle stroking.

She flushed. "I wondered if I'd . . . pushed. Tonight."

Ah. He smiled gently at her. 'Dacey, you weren't pushing. I wanted to, very much. It's just . . . I knew it was going to take me a little longer to be ready for you. Which wasn't a problem, because it gave me a chance to learn more about you."

"I wondered if it were something like that. And I figured, if I let you set the pace, that would be okay." The flush on her face deepened. "But then, I got grabby. I pushed."

"Oh, honey," Glenn smiled, leaning in to kiss her as he cuddled her close to him. "That was actually a real turn on. And a nice compliment - thinking I'd got you excited enough that you were prepared to take matters into your own hands, so to speak."

"But what if . . . "

She didn't get much more than that out before he placed a gentle finger on her lips. "There's no 'what if', honey. We're still getting to know one another, so yeah, it's possible we might get our signals crossed from time to time. But that's never going to be the end of the world. And it's not going to stop me loving you. It will make me love you even more, if tonight's anything to go by."

Dacey looked at him, and he traced a fingertip over her temple. "Look at you - so concerned about whether you've done something wrong, when all I'm thinking is what a lucky man I am, to have such a beautiful, passionate woman in my arms. How can I not love you for that?"

Her expression remained somewhat unconvinced, and as they got under the covers and she settled into his arms in the darkness, he realized their relationship still had some challenges ahead of it. But he was sure that they could overcome them.

@@@

The following morning saw Glenn and Dacey attempting to establish some routines that would mean getting to breakfast on time, at the very least. They'd discussed the issue in bed before getting up, regretfully concluding that showering together in the morning was probably not the wisest thing. Not when it was so seductive.

Laughing, they agreed to separate showers in the mornings and joint ones at night. As a trade off, there could be more time in bed together in the mornings. Not necessarily for sex, but more for togetherness. Which would become more important as their appearances and workloads kept them separated during the day, at least until Darkness became a reality.

As a result, Dacey was markedly more cheerful as she went to shower than she had been when they had turned the lights out the night before. With the perspective of a good night's sleep, she had come to the conclusion that, so long as they talked about it, there was little they could not deal with.

Glenn's playful nuzzling and fondling in bed after they woke up also bode well for their continued intimacy, which, indeed, did not always have to be about sex. They both realized that as they moved out of this immediate "honeymoon" period, and the drudgery of the road set back in, maintaining their intimacy would be paramount.

After they had showered and were dressing in their rooms, the discussion moved onto their next days off.

"You'll come to Tennessee with me, won't you?" Glenn called, finding a clean t-shirt.

Dacey appeared in the doorway, tugging her own t-shirt down over her bra and panties. "I actually have to go home to Connecticut first - the travel folks'll kill me if I don't have my passport with me next week."

He nodded. "So, you'll fly home and then come to Tennessee the next day?" His expression said that, while he understood the necessity, he was anything but pleased at the prospect.

She chuckled. "Well, I was going to see if I could get a flight out later that afternoon, but hey, if you want me to wait til the next day, I guess I can."

He stared at her and then started to grin. "I wanted time to clear my girlfriends out first, and they're likely to insist on one last swinging from the chandeliers orgy first."

She flapped a hand at him with another chuckle and disappeared back into her room, putting on her jeans. She was sitting on the bed to lace up her sneakers when he came to the doorway, buckling his belt. "I'd love it if you could make it the same day, Dacey."

She smiled at him. "I figure if I can get a few hours at home, I can do some laundry and grab my passport. Then head back to the airport."

"Will you want to go back every week?" he asked quite seriously.

Her hands paused in the act of tying her shoe, and she looked up at him. "I hadn't really thought about it. To be honest, my days off are usually just to do laundry and maybe take my bike out or go for a run."

He was cautious about not crowding her, but he had to ask. "Is there any reason you couldn't do that in Tennessee? With me?"

"No matter how much I want to just say 'yes', Glenn, perhaps this isn't the best time to decide that. Can we just . . . try it and see first?"

He chuckled. "There you go again, being so young and yet so wise! We'll play it by ear, okay?"

@@@

It had been a busy morning and Dacey was almost glad to be arriving at the arena. Even with the full schedule that she had in the lead up to tonight's RAW, at least she would be in the one place. She found the locker room set aside for the female talent and dropped her bag off, and then went in search of Catering.

Mark spotted her coming in, and tapped Glenn's arm, pointing her out as he waved with the other hand. She saw them, giving a nod to acknowledge the greeting before selecting her lunch and joining them.

Glenn smiled, leaning in to kiss her cheek as she sat down. "Hello aingeal."

"Hello yourself, fear mo chroí," she smiled in return, touching his arm.

Mark chuckled to himself - it was pretty obvious the two of them were head over heels, no matter what Glenn said about taking things slow. But then again, he'd fallen hard for Isabelle when he'd met her, so it wasn't like he was any better.

Dacey gave him a quick grin. "Hey, big dog."

"Dace," he nodded. "We got a meeting with the writers after lunch. Apparently, they've had a brain wave."

She rolled her eyes. "I can hardly wait."

Mark chuckled out loud then. "So nice to think we've already got you trained to react appropriately to overtures from Creative!"

Glenn grinned. "They'll be delighted - just what they need, someone just like us!"

Dacey just shook her head. The only reason she felt able to stand up for herself in these meetings was knowing that Mark and Glenn were both firmly behind her in knowing her character and the directions that they wanted to take. It was unlikely she was going to be taking on Creative on her own any time soon.

Once lunch was over, the three of them headed out of Catering for their meeting with the writers. They passed the board that was always up backstage, showing the matches and promo spots for the show that night, and Dacey glanced at it. To her surprise, she was listed for two promos as well as the match she had expected, and she tugged at Glenn's arm, pointing this out to him.

Scanning the board, he noted that he and Mark were listed with Dacey against the second promo spot. He shrugged. "Guess we'll find out what they're planning at this meeting."

They weren't the only ones at the meeting - Trish and Christian were already waiting, and Jeff arrived a few minutes later, along with Victoria and Steven Richards.

"The plot thickens!" Glenn grinned.

Trish chuckled. "Not exactly the usual suspects, though."

"If there's pudding or lingerie mentioned, I am so out of here!" Dacey stated, taking a seat with a wink at Trish.

"Aw hell, after all the trouble I went to getting that set up!" Christian complained with a grin.

Dacey chuckled. "Adam, what are you doing in here, disguised as Christian?"

That had Trish giggling, and no doubt the joking around would have continued, but the writers chose that moment to enter the room. Dacey was struck again how nice it was to be included in the jokes as Glenn patted her leg and they settled in for their meeting.

"Right," the head writer announced, "we've been talking about the storylines here, and we think we've come up with something that's going to move things along. Dacey, we're going to get you feuding with Christian, culminating with a match at Unforgiven."

Dacey blinked. "Wait . . . what?"

Mark was likewise puzzled. "Hang on there, we've talked about this before - don't be trying to mess with the Darkness storyline."

There was a lot of head shaking, and one of the other writers spoke, "We're not trying to do that, 'Taker. Just hear us out, okay?"

Mark nodded, but the expression on his face said that he wanted to see someone draw him a picture, and quick. The head writer nodded and continued.

"We wanted to come up with a way to team Ginger with Jeff, and to step things up in terms of matches with the guys. Because we need that if the Darkness storyline is going to work."

Mark nodded, as did Glenn. That much was definitely true.

"Now, Christian recently interfered in Ginger's title match. In fact, he cost her the title. We thought we could build on that, starting with a backstage spot tonight, before Ginger's match with Trish. That's slated to be a title match - we want the confrontation to lead to Christian getting it made non-title."

Dacey started to smile. It seemed that the idea she and Christian had been discussing had already occurred to the writers. "That's not going to make Ginger happy."

The writers grinned. "That's the point. Now, we want some serious interference in this match - both from Christian and the Brothers. Get the folks thinking something big is in the wind." At Mark's warning look, the head writer held up his hand. "I know, I know, we aren't trying to rush it. But, let's face it, the audience have already figured out that Ginger is somehow connected to the Brothers. They're waiting for that to be resolved - for her to accept them, for them to kill her, something. We're gonna . . . kick it up a notch."

At that, Dacey and Jeff exchanged glances and started giggling. Glenn raised an eyebrow, and Dacey just grinned.

"Bam! Yeah, let's give it a blast with our spice weasel!" Jeff winked, making Dacey giggle even more.

Even the writers were grinning at that, although Mark and Glenn were totally in the dark. Dacey just patted Glenn's arm, still giggling. Mark gestured for them to go on.

"We'll have the match ruled no contest because of the interference, and then Bischoff's going to announce that next week, he's going to settle this with an intergender tag team match. Trish and Christian against Ginger and a partner of her choosing. With a pointed look at the Brothers to suggest it should be one of them." Before Mark could object, he raised a finger. "Yeah, I know, too soon - which is where the second promo spot tonight comes in. Ginger confronts the Brothers backstage, and you," he pointed at Mark, "ask her which one of the two of you it's going to be." He grinned. "And then we'll break for a commercial."

Mark stared at him, and then grinned himself. "I'm liking it."

"We're kinda proud of it ourselves! Okay, when we come back from commerical, we'll have JR announce that before the commercial, Ginger had a decision to make, and intro the footage of what happened during the break."

"Which will be?" Glenn asked.

The writers looked at Dacey, seeing the eager expression on her face. "Why don't you tell him?"

Dacey grinned and leaned forward. "I think Ginger will be telling the Brothers to go and . . . fornicate themselves. She won't choose either of them, and she'll storm off. Nobody tells Ginger what to do - not Bischoff, and certainly not the Brothers."

The writers looked at one another and nodded. "Which is pretty much what we had planned. Ginger and 'Taker will stare one another down for a long count, and then she'll tell them to go to hell and walk off."

"So does Bisch get to tell her to choose one or the other?" Jeff wanted to know.

The head writer shook his head. "Ah, now that's where you come in. On SmackDown, Ginger will have a match with Victoria, and the Brothers will come out onto the Titantron to stare her down and try and force her to choose."

"Which is gonna piss her off even more," Dacey chuckled.

"And cause her to lose the match. Also pissing her off. Then, while her attention is distracted by the Brothers on the Titantron, Steven gets to sneak up behind her."

Steven grinned. "I did wonder when I'd get to play!"

The writers weren't done yet, though. "We're thinking you attack Ginger, and then . . . " With a pause for dramatic effect, they waited and then pointed at Jeff. "You sprint past the Brothers and down to the ring, maybe carrying a chair. Or maybe you snatch one up on the way. And we fade to commercial on a shot of you standing over the fallen Ginger in a very protective posture, brandishing the chair."

Dacey's eyes widened, and Jeff gave a low whistle. Mark and Glenn exchanged glances and nodded. The writers watched the reactions and were cautiously optimistic. They continued.

"We can come back with footage of you helping Ginger from the ring, and again, her refusing help from anyone but you. No more than that. And JR or Jerry being as confused as everyone else about what's going on between Jeff and Ginger. Maybe referring to the Brat Pack days, but then being reminded that Ginger turned on Jeff back then."

Trish spoke up then. "So what happens next week then? Who does Ginger choose for the tag match?"

"Ginger doesn't choose. And Bisch tells the Brothers one of them has to do it, and leaves it up to them. And then Jeff locks them in their locker room and goes to the ring instead," the head writer grinned. "I know, it's not very dark and mysterious, but we think it might work."

Dacey remembered the conversation she'd had with Jeff over their music at the airport a few days earlier. "She's trying to find her salvation with a Hardy brother. He's the light, and the Brothers are the dark."

Mark nodded slowly. "It works - it's no heavy 'good versus evil' thing, but it does show the difference between the characters. Just . . . don't over-do the comedy stuff."

The writers nodded. "We weren't planning to. It just seemed like the right way to get this tag match happening the way we wanted. Now obviously, Christian and Trish were counting on Ginger being teamed with someone she couldn't work with, and being able to capitalize on that. But Ginger can work with Jeff, and we're seeing the match showing that. Of course, a locked door isn't going to keep the Brothers confined for long, and we'll have them come out to the ring mid way through the match."

"Which will throw Ginger off from the match," Trish said, leaning forward.

"Very true. And we can go two ways with that - either she is thrown, and she and Jeff lose the match, which does give the Brothers a victory in the war of attrition."

"Or?" Mark asked. That option was not his preferred one, it was too soon for that.

"Or . . . she's thrown, and Jeff is able to get her head back into the match, and they go on to pick up the win. And frankly, that's the way we're leaning. It's too soon for the Brothers to be able to 'beat' her, and it wastes the opportunity we have to team her with Jeff for a longer stretch. Which will give her eventual turn on him that much more of an impact."

Dacey was nodding at that, as were Mark and Glenn. Jeff just grinned.

"And if Ginger and Jeff pick up the win, it does give Christian reason to continue to feud with her," Trish grinned.

"Which is what we want. We'll leave it up to the two of you on how it happens, but we're thinking that at some point in the match, Ginger and Christian square off. And from that point, the rivalry is less about what Ginger has done to Trish, but more about what's happened between the two of them."

Christian grinned and nodded, looking over at Dacey. "Oh, I'm sure we can come up with something."

Dacey chuckled. "Yeah, so am I."

Christian looked at the writers. "So, that's the big picture - let's talk about the specifics for tonight."

@@@

Show time. Dacey was in costume as Ginger, waiting for the cue for the beginning of her promo with Christian. They had spent the afternoon with the writers, coming up with the scene, and she'd been quiet as she'd gone through Wardrobe and makeup, thinking over the storyline. Now, she was ready.

The director stood at her elbow, and a tap on her arm told her that they were live. She took a deep breath, and felt Ginger's haughty demeanour settle over her as she strode around the corner, and straight into Christian.

He looked her up and down with a smirk. "Good luck in your title match later."

Ginger sneered at him. "It's got nothing to do with luck. So long as you stay the hell away from ringside, I'll be leaving with that title and we both know it."

Christian bristled. "Trish could beat you with one hand tied behind her back. Besides, it's not me you should be worried about - if the Undertaker and Kane show up at ringside, Trish will have you beat without having to raise a finger."

At the mere mention of the Brothers, Ginger snarled, and her hands clenched into fists. "They've got nothing to do with this!"

Cocky now, Christian chuckled. "Sure they haven't. You think I haven't noticed how, if they show up, you go all to pieces? They're my secret weapon. And while they are, that title is never going to be yours."

Ginger grit her teeth. "One more word about those freaks, and I am going to kick you in the face."

He laughed. "They're freaks? Well then, I guess that makes you a freak as well, since they seem to think that you're just like them!"

Ginger cocked her head, in a mannerism reminiscent of Kane, proving the truth of Christian's words, and then her foot came up and she kicked him hard in the stomach, dropping him to his knees. He wrapped his arms around his midsection, looking up at her with a disbelieving expression.

"I thought . . . you were going to kick me in the face?" he gasped.

She bent down to sneer at him. "You calling me a liar?"

With that, she raised her foot and kicked him in the face, sparing his prone body barely a glance as she walked away.

@@@

Audience reaction to the spot was great, if the noise Glenn could hear was anything to go by. He wanted to find Dacey and congratulate her, but he knew that she would be looking for solitude for her match preparation. As was Mark. It occurred to him how similar they were in their approach to their work - both were very focused, where he tended to be a little more low key.

Dacey's match was mid-card, and both his match and Mark's were later in the show. The plan was for their promo spot to occur right before his match, and there would be a further teaser with the cameras catching him and Mark in "discussion" over the situation right before Mark's match.

The hell of the interference he and Mark were scheduled to run in Dacey's match was that he would be robbed of the chance to just watch her work. He had enjoyed seeing her with Jeff that afternoon, as they had continued their training together.

He had to admit, she and Jeff were well-matched in terms of their ability. Jeff had more high-flying in his repertoire, where Dacey was more of a mat-based wrestler, but she seemed eager to learn more of the flying that Jeff specialized in. And, to his pleased surprise, she was also looking to the future, teaming with him and Mark - and looking to develop some top rope moves of her own.

What she and Jeff had been working on that afternoon was a standing missile drop kick, which Glenn had to admit looked great, with Dacey's height and her long legs. Not content with simply perfecting the kick, Dacey had been working on a quick ascent to the top rope, tossing ideas back and forth with Jeff, trying them out.

His heart had been in his throat when, on one attempt, her foot had slipped. She gave a startled squawk as she lost her balance, but managed to flip over and take the fall on her back in the ring.

Jeff's reaction was far less alarmist - he simply chuckled. "Oops?"

Dacey looked up at him with a grin. "Yeah, that's real helpful, Jeff!"

She extended her hand to him and he hauled her to her feet, grinning himself. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Gonna try that again, though."

And that was one of the things he loved about her - that never quit attitude.

His attention was drawn back to the present, where he sat backstage, holding his mask loosely by its straps. He was already in his wrestling gear, in preparation for the interference that he and Mark were scheduled to provide for Dacey's match, which was coming up next.

Once the production assistant appeared to give him his first call, he put the mask on and tightened the straps as he joined Mark at the gorilla position. Christian had already gone out to ringside, accompanying Trish, and Eric Bischoff was about to go out, prior to the match starting, to declare it a non-title event.

That announcement caused a ripple of crowd reaction, and Bischoff gave them a grin as he stepped backstage. They were in the dark, literally and figuratively, for the next three or four minutes. They heard the bell ring, and then it was just audience reaction noise. Glenn resisted the urge to pace, barely, and at the tap on the arm that was his cue to walk out onto the Titantron, he took a deep breath. The Brothers were calm and unhurried in most respects, including this.

When Kane and the Undertaker stepped out, the audience were on their feet with a roar of approval. The writers were correct - the audience knew something was going on with them and Ginger, and were dying to know what it might be.

In the ring, Ginger was on the offensive. The fact that the match had, once again, been declared non-title had her in a fury, it appeared. As Trish came off the ropes in preparation for a running bulldog, Ginger stepped aside and and caught her around the waist, then popped her hips and tossed her in a belly to belly suplex. Trish was still writhing on the mat when the Brothers appeared, and Ginger rolled to her feet with a snarl, looking at them.

The referee was down on one knee, checking on Trish as Ginger backed away from the Brothers. And Christian took advantage of both of those things, leaping up onto the ring apron and leaning forward to grab her hair and drag her back against the ropes, applying a sleeper hold.

That got the Brothers' attention in a hurry. Both big men took off down the ramp for the ring. Christian, though his expression showed alarm, kept the sleeper applied on Ginger, as the referee was still checking on Trish, who did seem to be taking a long time to recover from the suplex. The reason for this became clear a moment later - as soon as the referee's attention was caught by the barrelling approach of the Brothers, Christian let go of Ginger and dropped back down to the floor. While she grabbed for the top rope to hold herself up, Trish was up on her feet and measuring her for a spear with a smirk.

She didn't get a chance to launch it, though because Kane was up into the ring behind her a second later, grabbing her around the waist. Seeing this, Christian lunged for Ginger's legs, intending to drag her to the mat. Except that the Undertaker closed a fist around his throat almost immediately, fixing him with a deadly stare.

The referee shook his head frantically, calling for the bell, while Trish struggled against Kane. Ginger glared at the Brothers, even as she rubbed at her throat and remained leaning against the top rope. There was a conference between the referee and the ring announcer, the referee gesturing to both Kane in the ring, and Christian and 'Taker outside it. Finally, the announcement was made.

"This match has been declared no contest, due to interference!"

Trish finally fought free of Kane and dropped to the mat, rolling out of the ring and snatching her title belt up. The Undertaker released his hold on Christian's throat as Kane flipped himself backwards over the top rope, leaving Ginger alone in the ring. But Trish and Christian were halted in their exit by the appearance of Eric Bischoff at the Titantron, with the announcement that there would be an intergender tag match the following week to determine if Ginger would finally get her shot at Trish's title.

Ginger stared disbelievingly at him as he gestured to the Brothers, implying who would be her partner. Then she bailed from the ring, once more making her exit through the crowd rather than face them.

@@@

Back at the hotel later, Dacey was in her room, re-packing her wrestling gear for the following night's show in Jacksonville. They were driving up there in the morning, and she knew she'd have little time once they arrived to do much more than dump her bags at the hotel before heading for the venue.

She stifled a yawn, which turned into a gasp as Glenn's arms wrapped around her from behind.

"I'm going to have to put a bell on you!" she exclaimed with a chuckle, leaning back against him.

He nuzzled his cheek to hers with a grin. "Don't you like me sneaking up on you, aingeal?"

"Now that I think about it, I actually kind of like it," she admitted, running her hands over his arms. "I guess it's just one of those 'getting used to it' things that comes with sharing rooms."

"We may have outsmarted ourselves, honey," he chuckling, his fingers tugging up her t-shirt to caress her skin.

"How's that, fear mo chroí?" she sighed with pleasure at his touch.

"Well, we've both showered already. Unless you want another one?"

"Hmmmm, another shower," she murmured. "On the plus side, there's you, naked, and me licking water off your chest."

His arms tightened around her. "I'm definitely seeing that as a plus. Is there a minus?"

She turned her head to nuzzle her face against his t-shirt. "If we shower together, I'm going to be asleep almost before we hit the bed."

Chuckling, Glenn took her hand and led her into the other room. "Much as I love showering with you, I think I'd much rather have the pleasure of your company for a few minutes in bed before you crash on me."

They undressed one another slowly, kissing and caressing as they went. Glenn smiled as Dacey neatly folded their clothes as they took each item off, nuzzling behind her ear to whisper, "My practical aingeal."

She arched her head back, smiling. "You'll thank me in the morning when we don't look like we slept in them!"

He backed her towards the bed with soft kisses, reaching behind her to push the covers down. She sank to the bed, her hands on the back of his neck, drawing him down with her. They stretched out together and he gathered her into his arms with a contented sigh. She pulled the covers up and nestled against him, kissing his chest.

"This is . . . " he began, but he didn't have the words to express how it felt, settling instead for hugging her tightly to him.

"I know," she whispered, draping one leg over his.

His hands stroked over her back gently, his voice low. "Feeling okay after your match?"

She snuggled more against him, nodding. "My match was pretty short - I should be asking how you feel." She caressed his arm, her hand gliding up to his shoulder.

It was his turn to sigh with pleasure. "That feels very good, aingeal."

She worked her fingers gently over his shoulder, kneading the muscles there. "Not exactly prime massaging technique, fear mo chroí."

"I don't really need a massage, honey," he kissed her hair with a smile. "But I'm not going to object to having my darling girl rubbing my shoulder when we're in bed together."

She kissed his chest with a smile of her own. "Hardly seems possible that this time last week, we weren't even at the sharing a bed stage yet."

He stroked his fingers through her hair gently. "Do you feel like we're rushing things, Dacey?"

"Oh, no, Glenn," she raised her head to look at him, smiling serenely. "It's all happening just as it should. I feel so comfortable with you, with us, that it's hard to imagine that it's been such a short time."

She was right, he thought, giving another contented sigh as she lay back on his chest. And yet they still had so much to look forward to. Like spending their time off together. As his eyes slipped closed and he drifted off to sleep, his last thought was how lucky they were.

@@@

They had pulled into the hotel in Jacksonville after a three hour drive, and checked in. Once again, luck had been with Glenn and Dacey, and despite the travel arrangements having already been made for this trip, they had gotten their adjoining rooms. With a chuckle, Glenn realized that from this point on, that would be a given.

As a result, he was in high spirits as they arrived at the venue. As was Dacey. The roster were gathered in the arena, waiting for the usual weekly briefing, and the techs were testing the audio systems as they set up for the evening's show. It had taken about a second for the dancing to start, given the tempo of the tracks that were playing.

Right now, it looked some very odd version of a Battle Royale in the ring, which was the spot chosen as the impromptu dance floor. It was mostly the younger members of the roster, although he noticed that Earl Hebner had been coaxed to join in by Stacey and Trish. Dacey was once again dancing with Cliff, laughing at something Kara said.

As Vince McMahon and the Creative team entered the arena, the audio track was cut, and amidst applause from the rest of the roster, the dancers reluctantly climbed down from the ring. Dacey once again hooked an arm over the top rope and swung herself backwards over it, giving Glenn a broad grin as she did so.

He rose to his feet, trying to look stern, and pointed at her. "I call gimmick infringement!"

There was laughter at that, and Dacey gave him Ginger's smirk as she sauntered up to him, standing chest to chest with him, her hands on her hips. "And what are you gonna do about it, tough guy?"

His answer was to reach out with one big hand and grab her, albeit very gently, by the hair and pull her in for a scorching kiss. Someone started a golf clap and there were a few laughing catcalls.

As the kiss broke, and Dacey blinked at him in surprise, he turned to point at the writers, who were just settling in for the meeting. "And don't get any bright ideas about using that in our storyline. Never gonna happen."

From the way they all suddenly seemed to have something else to look at, it appeared that the idea had indeed been crossing their minds. Mark, seeing this, chuckled and leaned back in his chair as Glenn and Dacey sat beside him.

Joanie and Dacey had it right, he thought - sometimes, the writers had a hard time seeing women as anything other than pawns in some kind of romantic entanglement when it came to storylines. They might have to remind them that was a no-go more than once, particularly now Glenn and Dacey were together. That didn't bother him, though - he always did like a challenge.