| Part VI |
Alex sat in Jericho�s dressing room on the phone with Travel. She was trying to work out a scheduling problem with Chris� flights. �Yes, I�m still holding.� Alex replied sighing. �The airline just confirmed that his flight is over-booked.� �Can we find another way?� She asked. �I�m working on it, let me call you back.� Alex started looking over Chris� schedule, to make sure he had enough time to reschedule or if she would have to cancel. When Chris walked in he wandered over to Alex, kneeling he grabbed her hand, planting little kisses on it. �Alex, my love, I�ve missed you terribly.� Alex took her hand away. �Chris, you�ve only been gone an hour.� She replied, annoyed, not even looking up. �I�m a little busy right now, go away.� She pushed him by his face. They had started this game shortly after Alex started working for Chris about a month before. After Chris realized how easy it was to a make her blush by teasing her, he did it non-stop. Alex had grown accustomed to it. Chris challenge now was to make her blush, which grew harder and harder because Alex usually ignored him while he ranted. Alex�s fun came in insulting him. They had a strange friendship. �But, it feels like a lifetime.� he whined, grabbing her hand and placing it on his chest. �Chris! I�m working. Stop it.� When she pushed him again he fell to the floor. As he lay on the floor, staring up at her; he threw his arm over his eyes. �You don�t love me anymore!� He yelled. �You assume I ever did.� She replied laughing, as the phone rang. She grabbed it up. �Yes?� she paused. �Oh great!� she replied, �Oh, okay, go ahead. He can live without me for a day.� Alex thanked her and hung up. �What�s going on?� Chris asked getting off the floor. �You have an hour to catch your flight.� Alex replied looking at her watch. �You have a signing in Providence to make. I�ll have to meet you there. They couldn�t reschedule the signing, and they couldn�t get me a flight. So if you don�t hurry you�re going to be late.� Alex stood to hand him his bag. Chris grabbed her around the waist and dipped her. �How will I live without you?� Alex laughed and rolled her eyes as she blushed. She knew she should be used to Jericho�s teasing but he still always made her laugh. �Ha! I win.� He yelled, as he let her fall to the couch. �What a gentleman.� she replied sarcastically. ~~*~~ Alex was in the airport; the only flight that she could get was quite late. Chris had called to say he had made it to the hotel and that the signing had gone well. As she thumbed through a magazine waiting for her flight to be called, a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Paul Wight. He smiled down at her. �Hey! What are you doing here? I thought everyone had left.� She asked. �They had a late signing they wanted me to do. I think they booked us on the same flight.� He replied. �Oh. Did they ever find you a PA?� Alex asked. �No, they�re still looking. I lobbied for you, but no luck.� Paul said as he sat down next to her. Alex smiled and pats his hand, �Maybe next time.� Alex replied as she pretended to be very interested in the magazine. Their flight was called, as they were walking to the gate, Alex spotted Steve and LaShana. �Hey you two.� Alex called out. �Hi! I didn�t realize so many people were leaving late.� LaShana declared. Alex smiled; Steve had his arm around LaShana�s waist as they walked. They had an intimacy Alex envied. Everyone boarded and got ready to take off. As the door was closing, there was a disturbance. Alex saw LaShana look up and then close her eyes, as Steve held her hand. After a minute the steward let the individual on the plane. It turned out to be Kane. �What was that about?� Paul asked, who was sitting next to Alex. He had traded seats with another traveler for an autograph. �She didn�t want to let me on the plane.� Kane replied sitting across from them. �What did you do?� Steve whispers to LaShana. �I told him to calm down, he scared the woman.� LaShana answered as Steve laughed. Kane nodded at Alex. He glanced at Paul. �That boy�s got it bad.� He realized. Paul was staring at Alex out of the corner of his eye trying not to be obvious. Alex was trying to get comfortable; she had a tendency to fall asleep as soon as the plane taxied. As Alex drifted she started to dream, she has in a room she didn�t recognize. �Why do you feel lost?� a voice asked her. �It�s almost second nature to me. I�ve been this way for a while.� she answered. �You deny your nature. You�re stronger than that. There is a family waiting for you. Also, someone loves you and you will open your heart to him. When you are ready.� Alex felt very peaceful. Alex stirred in her seat, and sighed. Without realizing it she rested her head against Paul�s shoulder. Paul glanced at Alex and grinned. After a second he looked at Kane. Kane and 'Taker were oddly protective of Alex and he didn�t know how Kane would react. Kane noticed Alex move. He had found it easier to read her when she was asleep. She seems to respond well to dreams, so he quietly talked to her that way. This was how he knew Alex wasn�t ready for what Paul was feeling. 'Taker had been effective in keeping him at bay. But 'Taker had left to heal, and now the responsibility fell to him. Kane looked at Paul warily, who was trying to look innocent. Kane watched, as Alex stayed asleep against Paul�s shoulder for the remainder of the flight. Hours later, as the steward announced that they would soon be landing, Kane shook Alex knee. She reluctantly woke up. When Alex realized she was on Paul�s arm, she sat up quickly. �Oh! . . .I�m sorry.� Alex stammered, she touched Paul�s arms making sure she hadn�t drooled on him and praying that she hadn�t snored. �No problem.� Paul said quietly �You seemed pretty tired.� Everyone de-boarded, at the luggage claim Steve, Paul and Kane ran into fans. Alex noted that the women were incredibly forward. She saw two separate women put pieces of paper, assumedly with phone number on them, in all of the guys� pockets. Alex couldn�t understand women who behaved that way. She noticed Steve tried to take it in stride, but moved away from both women, and tried to concentrate on the kids. Both Paul and Kane got very uncomfortable. �Does it ever bother you to see women throw themselves at him?� Alex asked LaShana. �You know, it used to drive me NUTS! All those women hanging on him. Steve and I used to argue about it all the time.� LaShana smiled at Steve, watching him squirm while the women pawed on him. �But, one day, he and I sat down and we talked about it. That was when he told me that although he really loved his fans, he would prefer that I be the only woman that pawed him.� LaShana replied grinning. Alex nodded, although she wasn�t quite sure she understood, or that she would be as calm as LaShana seem to be. Alex watched Steve for a few minutes. �You two have something very special. It�s in the way he looks at you. He loves you very much.� Alex stated as LaShana smiled. They waited another 5 minutes before de-tangling the guys from the seekers. As they approached the taxi bay, Kane grabbed Alex bag and hailed the nearest taxi. �We�re staying in the same hotel. We can share.� Kane suggested. �Oh, okay.� Alex responded, �Paul? Did you want to come?� Kane didn�t say a word; he only looked at Paul. Paul felt the warning rather than heard one. �No, I�ll catch the next one.� Paul, moving away to stand with LaShana and Steve. Kane nodded, and helped Alex into the cab. Alex couldn�t decide if she was disappointed or relieved Paul hadn�t come. She liked Paul, but she was afraid to pursue it. Beyond her own hang-ups about relationships. She didn�t know if she could handle the groupie thing. She also didn�t know if Paul felt the same way. She�d messed up one friendship by not going forward, now she didn�t want to mess up another by going where she wasn�t wanted. On the way to the hotel, Alex rested against Kane�s arm as her mind wandered. �You and Jericho getting along?� Kane asked. �Oh yeah, he�s a giggle. The girls love him, and keeping track of his signing and appearances is hectic.� Alex smiled, �But I love it!� Like 'Taker, Alex felt very secure around Kane; she was very much at ease around him. Which for Alex was saying a lot. When they got to the hotel, Kane walked her all the way to her room, even though he was on another floor. Kane and Alex said good night. As Kane approached the elevator it opened to let Paul off. The men looked at each other for a moment, then Kane simply nodded and got on the elevator. Paul couldn�t figure out why, first 'Taker and now Kane, were so protective of Alex. Paul knew Kane had a girlfriend and he was far too honorable to cheat on Storm. He couldn�t figure it out. He had no intention of hurting Alex. He just wanted to date her. It�s not like he had a reputation for dating a lot of women. Now that Alex had been assigned to Jericho, Paul would actually get to talk to Alex. Jericho was a friend from the old days. Now if he could get Kane to back up a little. |