"You might want to let the half-pint know though - women set a great store in having lots of notice for things, for some reason. Be a hell of a thing if you turned up in town and she'd just decided to take a weekend jaunt with her gal pals, wouldn't it?"

Mark said no more about it, but his words left Glenn thinking. He probably should let Rosie know that they'd be in town that week. Maybe when he emailed her with his address. Keep it casual.

###

It was late in the afternoon when Rosie emerged from her office, carrying the sheaf of check sheets. She sank into a chair beside Shane and handed them to him with a grin.

"What? Giving up already?"

"Fuck that - they're finished."

"Finished?" Shane was dumbfounded.

"Yeah, finished. As in completed? Fixed? All done?"

"Holy crap Rosie, you been smoking crack in there? That's like three days work!"

She snorted. "Bullshit. It wasn't that hard."

Shane leafed through the check sheets, stunned. Her notations showed that she'd done precisely what she'd said - every single error had been analysed and corrected. Even for Rosie, this was exceptional.

James emerged from his office, carrying the proofs of the manual, liberally flagged with Post It notes, and tossed it onto the table.

"The manual's done."

Rosie gave him a grin. "Could it be that we're actually on track here?"

Shane surveyed the piles of check sheets ranging down the table. "It certainly seems that way. Hey, who knew we could work to deadlines?"

Rosie laughed. "I love deadlines - I especially like the sound they make when they whoosh on by." She'd never yet been on time to file her personal taxes. She did manage to pay Jagged Fang's bills on time, though, for which James was grateful.

The programming team began their exodus a little while later, while Rosie, James and Shane went over the code check results to date. James watched Rosie, her high heeled boots propped on the chair beside her, looking more carefree than she had since returning from Vegas the day before. He wondered whether Glenn had taken his advice and called today. There had been that strange incident earlier, where she'd fallen off her chair - could getting a phone call from the man have done that?

The three of them went out to dinner together, and seeing her flirting with Shane outrageously, he decided he didn't really care. She'd tell him if she wanted him to know. He was just happy to see her looking happy again.

###

Friday afternoon. The code check was completed, and Simon and James had gathered everyone together for the rather auspicious button push as Rosie loaded the newly compiled code into the Beast, their testing environment. It would run through the weekend, being stress tested and put through every possible permutation they could think of by their team of testers working from other sites, as a final rigorous test of the code. If it survived, then they were ready to go to production. If not, they still had a week to debug it and make their deadline.

Marty had hobbled into the office on Wednesday and put the final touches on the packaging and design, until Rosie hugged him and told him to go home. He'd smiled, giving her a hug and his own heartfelt thanks for the work she'd done on the convention. He was still getting emails about how well she'd done, and their website hits and pre-order numbers just kept climbing.

He'd added one of the booth photos to their website, and Shane took great delight in reporting the hits on that particular page to the whole team, as they climbed and climbed each day. Rosie just laughed and put her hand to her ear.

"Listen - I think I can hear Simon, chewing on his own liver!"

The bruise on Rosie's face had begun to fade to purple, which at least made it less ghastly to look at in the mirror. The pain, too, had started to fade, and the deep scratch to heal. It had been a busy week, work-wise, but she and Glenn had begun an email correspondence that added moments of fun to her days. He was funny and articulate in his emails, as if to make up for his shyness in person, and she enjoyed the repartee they shared.

He'd drawn her out about her work, and seemed fascinated by the behind the scenes information about game production. She felt like she was rediscovering her own passion in it through his interest. She in turn was amazed by his schedule, because he seemed to be constantly travelling. But even when he was at his busiest, he seemed to find time to send her a quick message, letting her know he was thinking of her. Friendship with him was turning out to be pretty nifty, she had to admit.

In honour of the stress test starting, the team were gathered in the office around the conference table, enjoying a few celebratory beers together. Marty had declined a beer, but was deep in conversation with a couple of the programmers about marketing ideas for an expansion pack for one of their older games. James and Simon were sketching out a new server configuration, and Rosie was watching them, not really paying much attention, when her cellphone began to vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. She stretched back in her chair and pulled it out, smiling when she saw the number. Rising to her feet, she headed for the stairs to the loft, snapping the phone open.

"Hi Glenn."

"Hey Rosie," he smiled, leaning back on his hotel bed. He could hear the sounds of conversation in the background. "Did I call at a bad time?"

She stopped about halfway up the open staircase, sitting down on it, still able to see everyone, but giving her a bit of privacy for her conversation. "No, it's okay - we're just celebrating a small milestone here with a few beers."

"What kind of milestone? I thought you'd finished the code check?"

"We just loaded the game into the testing environment for the weekend, make sure it holds up. It's kind of tradition here to have a few beers when we get to that point."

"Well congratulations, then." He paused for a moment, and then went on. "I was wondering what your plans were for tonight."

"Tonight?" Rosie thought. "Well, nothing much. We'll probably order in some pizzas, maybe hit a bar later. Why?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm going out to dinner with some of the guys, but I thought I might like to call you later. We haven't really had a chance to talk much this week."

Whoa, that quiver was back, this time with a few friends. "I don't have to go out. In fact, I think you just made me a better offer. I'd love the chance to talk, Glenn."

He closed his eyes for a moment. "Then it's settled. I'll let you get back to your celebration, and I'll talk to you later."

"Okay Glenn - bye."

"Goodbye Rosie."

She closed her phone, smiling, and rose to her feet, slipping it back into her pocket as she went back down to rejoin everyone.

James hadn't missed the look on Rosie's face as she checked her phone, but he wasn't about to ask who it was. He did however have one comment.

"What happened to 'life's too fucking short for Caller ID', Rosie?"

She grinned as she dropped into her chair again. "Helps to have someone calling you that you want to talk to, James."

He fell back in his chair as if wounded. "How sharper than a serpent's tooth!"

Shane regarded him with amusement. "Fucking drama queen."

Rosie laughed.

Shane turned to her with a grin. "So who is it that you want to talk to, hmmm, Rosie? I demand to know the name of my rival!"

James wanted to kick him under the table, but Rosie didn't seem to mind. "Just a guy I met at the convention."

Shane pouted. "Oh yeah, the convention. I still want to know when you're going to start dressing like that in the office, baby girl."

"When hell fucking freezes over, babe."

"That's a fuck of a long time for me to wait for a wet dream, baby girl. I'm gonna have to start visiting our website more often," Shane winked at her.

Rosie just grinned and shot him the finger, and reached over to grab the server schematic they'd been sketching, adding her own ideas to it, turning the conversation back to something useful.

###

Rosie felt a bit unsettled as she wandered up to the loft. Everyone had headed off for one of their favourite bars, while she'd begged off with a headache, an excuse she was pretty sure Shane and James saw straight through. Once the alarm system showed everything secure, she'd come up to the loft, and wondered what the hell to do with herself while she waited for Glenn to call.

Finally she'd decided on a shower and some cable surfing, and she was now curled up on one of the sofas in her bathrobe, flicking idly through the channels. She normally wasn't watching tv at this hour, so she had no clue what was on. Her eyebrows raised when she came to KSTW, and she lay the remote down, seeing the WWE logo and remembering it from the convention. This was Glenn's company, and she was curious to see what wrestling was about.

There were two brawny men in the ring, tussling with one another, and she found it hard to follow exactly what was happening. She had to admit, it looked impressive - Glenn had said they were trained professionals, and she believed it. The show had a spectacular feel to it, with the lights, and the pyrotechnics. Her cellphone vibrated in her robe pocket and she drew it out, reaching for the remote to mute the sound on the tv.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rosie."

"Hi Glenn."

"How's my favourite game designer?" he smiled.

"I'm well, thank you," she blushed a little. "How's my favourite wrestler?"

"I'm going to take a chance you mean me there - and I'm fine."

She laughed. "Well, you're the only wrestler I know, so yes, I meant you! But I was just watching a bit of your show on tv - I'm afraid I didn't really understand it, although it's pretty cool to look at."

He tucked another pillow behind his head and reached for the remote for his own tv set. "Let me see if I can get it here, and I'll talk you through it."

"You don't have to do that!"

"Hey, you've been great about answering my questions about your work, I figure this is my chance to return the favour. Okay, I've got it now - are you seeing four guys, two in the ring and two outside the ropes?"

She made a little noise of assent.

"That's a tag team contest - only one man from each team is allowed in the ring, inside the ropes, at one time. To get his partner to take his place, the guy inside the ring has to tag him - make bodily contact."

"Okay - hey, the both guys from that team are inside the ropes, isn't that against the rules?"

He chuckled. "Well yes, but they kind of let it slide sometimes."

She laughed. "What's the point of having rules if anyone can break them?"

"It makes for more interesting tv sometimes. Are you sure you've never seen wrestling before?"

"Does jello wrestling count?"

"Were you involved or just spectating?"

"Spectating, of course!"

"Pity. I'd kind of like to see you in action in jello."

She snorted. "Sorry, no jello wrestling experience here. And you're talking to a computer geek - I spend most of my free time with other geeks, talking about computers or playing computer games where we're powerful warriors killing everything in our paths. It's kind of like the law, I think."

"You know, they've made games from our shows. Maybe I should send you one."

"So long as it wasn't made by Imperial!"

He laughed. "Rosie, we're not short of money in this company. We can afford way better than Imperial to make our games!"

"Glad to hear it!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the beginning of his own entrance. He wasn't sure if he should tell Rosie or not - he didn't want her to think he was an egomaniac or anything, or even if she was interested. Then he heard her indrawn breath.

The redness of the screen drew her attention, and she caught her breath as she saw Glenn's entrance. He was dressed, if you could call it that, in tights and a tank top that fitted tightly to his body, in black and red, and he wore the mask, with his hair damp and curling around his shoulders. And he was walking with that same sexy fucking grace she remembered.

"Oh fuck!" she breathed.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what you think," his voice was low.

Rosie swallowed hard. "You look . . . hot."

"Well, I do work with a flame motif," he kept his tone light.

The aptness of the word struck her suddenly, seeing the flames on the screen. She chuckled. "Actually, I meant the other kind of hot. But what's the deal with the flames?"

Glenn almost sighed with relief as the conversation moved onto more innocuous grounds. "Kane was burned by a fire that he thought his brother, the Undertaker, set. It's scarred him, which is why he wears the mask. And it defines him, as well."

"Hmmmm. I gotta say, there's a lot of skin showing there apart from the bit that's under the mask, and I don't see any scars," Rosie said. Absolutely she would not say that she'd seen every inch of him and was pretty fucking positive his skin was flawless all over.

"Ah, but scars aren't necessarily places where we can see them. When Kane first appeared, he was covered from head to foot, except for one hand - the assumption was that he was very burned under his clothes."

Rosie watched him on the screen, reaching up to take hold of the top rope and step up onto the ring, her eyebrows raising - he was so fucking tall! And she really kind of wished he still wore the outfit that covered him up all the way, because she was getting way too distracted by his body in what he was currently wearing. "So how come he started to show more skin? Doesn't that kind of mess up the story about the scars and the fire?"

Glenn chuckled. "The costume changed because I wanted it to. I was working out way more, and yet the costume still made me look bulky. Hell, if I was gonna do all that work, I wanted to be able to show off the results!"

She closed her eyes, biting down on a little moan. Damn it, she didn't need to be reminded of how beautiful his body was! Finally she felt composed enough to speak. "So did you explain the lack of scars?"

"Nah. I mean, I could have, if anyone had thought to ask. Kane thinks he's scarred, no matter what evidence you can show him to the contrary."

She could understand that part, at least. Her attention went back to the screen, where Kane was throwing another man around the ring like he was a doll. Nuh uh, that wasn't good - she'd just start thinking about how easily he'd lifted her, carried her. "How on earth does anyone ever beat you? You're so damn big and strong!"

He chuckled again. "I'm about to tell you something that used to be a closely guarded secret. We know who's going to win before we ever start a match."

What the hell? "You're shitting me!" She watched the action on the screen for a few moments. "You mean you plan everything you're going to do, like a dance routine or something?"

Laughing, Glenn lay back more on his pillows. "Well, not exactly. We do talk about the kinds of things we can do, what particular moves we'd like to do, but then we kind of wing it to the conclusion."

Her eyebrows climbed again as Kane grabbed the other man by the throat and lifted him up by the neck. "You mean, he knew you were going to do that to him . . . and he fucking let you?"

Grinning, Glenn glanced at the screen, where Kane had delivered the chokeslam that had defeated Mr Kennedy. "Hey, that's Kane's big finisher, the chokeslam. And yeah, he knew I'd be doing it, and he had to let me, because that's how Kane won the match."

"That makes it a lot more complicated than I imagined. I guess these character stories are all planned out too?'"

"Pretty much. We have some input on them, but essentially it's the show's writers and creative directors who put all that stuff together, to keep people interested in watching every week."

Rosie smiled. "You've taught me some interesting stuff about your business, Glenn - thanks."

"Any time, Rosie."

The show had ended, so Rosie picked up the remote to turn off the tv and lay back more on the sofa. "So where are you going next?"

Glenn hadn't quite found a way to work in their visit to Seattle into his emails, and she'd just given him the opening he needed. "We're headed north, to Colorado, then to Montana. Then we kind of make our way east - we're actually going to be in Washington State in a couple of months."

"You're what?" Rosie sat bolt upright.

"We have a show to do in Seattle, and another one in Tacoma a few days later. I didn't mean to just drop that on you, but I did want you to know."

He was coming here? "It's just . . . sorry, I'm surprised. I sort of had it in my head that we'd be friends, but I didn't really think we'd see each other in person again." She hadn't wanted to think about it, either.

"Don't you want to see me again, Rosie?" He had hoped she'd be pleased at the prospect, but it certainly sounded like she was anything but.

God, yes! A thousand fucking times, yes! "I do, Glenn - I was just getting used to the idea of us being friends."

"We can see each other just as friends, if you'd prefer." He wouldn't push her, even if he did ache with wanting her.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "I'd like to see you, Glenn - and more than just as my friend."

His own voice was a little husky. "We don't have to, Rosie, but god, I want to see you so badly." There, he'd admitted it.

She gave a tiny whimper. "I've been trying so hard not to think about you that way, because it drives me crazy wanting you."

"It does?"

"Fuck yes!"

"All I can think about is how much I want to touch you again, Rosie."

"Seeing you on the screen reminded me of Vegas, of what you look like naked. Of how fucking sexy you are. Of how good you smell to me," her voice trailed off to a little moan.

"It's not because of the mask, not because of Kane?" He had to know.

"I don't know Kane. But I do know you, Glenn - and I'm so wet for you right now," she breathed, giving a pleasurable shiver.

Her words thrilled him deeply. "Rosie, you don't know what hearing that does to me."

"Tell me, Glenn," she begged.

"It's got me hard, so hard I'm aching," he groaned.

Her voice was breathless in his ear. "I remember what you feel like when you're hard."

"Rosie," he managed to croak. "I'm sorry, this wasn't why I wanted to call tonight, really."

"Why is it so wrong if you did?"

"I don't want you to think I only want to talk to you, to know you, for sex," he explained, a little hoarsely.

"Glenn, I don't think that at all. But I can't ignore the fact that I find you so sexy. I don't want to ignore that."

"Rosie, baby . . . "

"Yes, Glenn?"

"Just warning you about a bombshell - ready?"

She spoke very softly, the words almost a sigh. "I'm so ready, Glenn."

He moaned. "I think we're about to try our hand at phone sex, Rosie."

She felt a delicious warmth inside her, and she shuddered a little, rising to her feet. "Then I'm going to my bedroom, okay? I want to be on my bed with you."

"I need to put the phone down while I undress, Rosie. I'll be back in a minute."

Glenn heard the little whimper she made, and almost dropped the phone in his haste, pulling his t-shirt off over his head and tossing it aside. With a grin, he made a quick trip to the door of his room to hang out the Do Not Disturb sign. After he toed off his shoes, he stripped out of his jeans and shorts and bent to pull the covers back on the bed. His last act was to turn off the overhead lights and flick on the bedside lamp instead. As he lay down on the bed, he picked up the phone.

"Rosie?"

She had closed the door to her bedroom and shed her robe as she walked to the bed, flipping the covers down impatiently. The only light came from an uplight in one corner of the room. Her voice was soft.

"I'm here, Glenn."

"I have to confess, I'm not exactly sure how this should work, Rosie."

His breathing was coming heavier, and it made her shudder. Her whole body was tingling.

"I think it should work how we want it to work, Glenn. I'm closing my eyes, remembering being with you - how you looked, how you smelled, how you tasted . . . " she moaned softly, her back arching lightly as the memories aroused her further.

"Mmmm, yes Rosie - you were so beautiful, so sexy. The feel of your skin against mine was so soft. And I loved how you moaned when I touched you, you moaned and you writhed against me," his voice was low and husky.

She gave a soft whimper. "I loved the feel of your hands on me, Glenn. So warm and so gentle, you touched me just the way I love it."

His voice dropped to a whisper, straight into her ear through the phone. "Touch yourself for me, Rosie. Touch yourself the way I touched you, imagine it's me touching you." His own hand moved to his hard shaft, stroking it very lightly, making him groan softly.

Slowly her hand brushed down over her body, over her breast, capped with an achingly hard nipple, the lightest brush of her fingertips make her arch her back and moan in his ear, the sound sending shudders through him.

"That's it, Rosie, where am I touching you? Tell me how it feels," he coaxed her in a whisper.

"Just brushing my nipples, they're so hard for you," she whispered. "Now your hand is moving down over my belly, it's making me shiver."

"Yes, I need to make you shiver for me, make you eager for me," he groaned.

Her response was a low moan. "I am eager for you, Glenn. I'm so wet for you, so ready."

"Oh Rosie, baby, hearing that makes me throb even harder for you," his breath caught in his throat as his hips bucked up to his stroking hand.

She moaned deep in her throat then, and her voice was breathless as she whispered, "I'm touching my clit for you, Glenn, thinking about you, and it feels so good."

His hand tightened around his cock, making him groan. "Rosie, I'm so hard for you."

She whimpered again, the sound making his cock twitch in his hand, as she pushed her heels into the bed and thrust her hips up to her fingers, crying out softly, breathlessly, "Oh god, Glenn, I think I'm going to come!"

He moaned helplessly, his hand moving faster on his cock. "Yes, Rosie, oh yes baby, I want to hear you come, I want to come with you!"

His moans sent shudders through her as her hips thrust harder to her stroking fingers, lost in sensation and memory, panting breathlessly, "So close!"

It was the deep groan he gave as he came a moment later that sent her over the edge, crying out his name as her body bucked wildly on her bed. He panted heavily while she tried to catch her breath, both still awash with powerful sensations.

Finally, she moaned breathlessly, "Ohhhh wow."

He smiled, his voice hoarse. "That was intense!"

She murmured her assent. "Very." A moment later, there was the softest chuckle.

"Something funny, Rosie?"

"I think I'm going to need to wash my sheets," she whispered, her tone amused.

He couldn't help his own laugh. "Hmmm, yes, same here. Probably should have thought about that first, huh?"

She chuckled again. "Maybe. I think you're going to need to excuse me for a minute, Glenn, while I, ah, freshen up."

He laughed. "Me too, Rosie - be right back!"

A few minutes later, both still chuckling, the conversation continued.

"Well, for a first attempt, tiger, I'd say that went very well," she stretched luxuriantly on her bed, the phone once again held to her ear.

"I can remember you calling me 'tiger' in Vegas. Not that I don't like it, but I have to ask - why tiger?"he pulled another pillow under his head, his body feeling pleasantly relaxed.

She smiled. "You ever watched tigers in a zoo, or on the Discovery Channel? They're such big, powerful animals, and even when they're just lazing around, you can see their strength, feel it almost. That night, I could feel your strength, your power, even when we were laying there together all sleepy and sated."

He chuckled, a deep sound that brought that quiver back. "I like it. Don't get mad, but I've got the strongest urge to call you kitten."

"Kitten?" Rosie asked. "Kitten?"

Glenn laughed. "Hear me out before you go nuclear, Rosie. I'm not for a moment suggesting cute and sweet with it - although there's something adorable about little kittens, and you are little, not to mention adorable. Perfection in a small package, in my opinion."

She couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Okay, go on."

"The thing I love about kittens is how, despite being so adorable, they're also a heartbeat away from being tiny spitting balls of fury. And when they attack, those tiny little teeth and claws are sharp as hell. There's nothing in the world with more spunk and fight than a kitten, and then the next moment, they're cuddled up with you, purring and happy. I can remember how it felt to have you cuddled up with me in Vegas, kitten," he waited for her reaction, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing.

Oh. Oh! "Wow."

His voice was soft. "So can I call you kitten?"

"Oh yes, tiger, you most definitely can," she breathed, feeling tingly all over.

He gave another one of those lazy chuckles. "Now don't think you can get soft on me, kitten. I happen to like the spunky part as much as I like the cuddly part."

"Really?"

"Hell yes! There's nothing sexier than that, not to me anyway."

Wow. "So is this part of us being friends, tiger?"

"I'd like to think so. So, about me being in your neck of the woods in a few months . . . "

She gave a soft playful growl. "Consider yourself fair game, Glenn."

He closed his eyes at the wave of lust that swept over him, hearing that. "I don't know if I've ever looked forward to going somewhere more, then."

Rosie chuckled softly. "It doesn't have that much to recommend it as a destination, you know. Wet, windy, cloudy - nothing to write home about."

Glenn grinned. "Who the hell cares about the weather? Seattle has you, Rosie, that's more than enough for me!"

Was it, she wondered? "Well, let's not over-sell it, Glenn."

He remembered how she'd felt that he couldn't be interested in her and fought the urge to sigh. His tone was low and caressing when he spoke. "I'm not over-selling anything, Rosie. The chance to see you again is something pretty special for me - because you're special."

She just hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed when he found out that wasn't the case. "Then I'll have to make sure you have a good time, won't I, tiger?"

He chuckled. "You won't have to do much, kitten - just show up and smile at me. I'll die a happy man with that."

She had to laugh. "Showing up and smiling, yeah, I can manage that."

"I know you can." He swallowed a yawn. "Okay, Rosie, I think I need to say goodnight. And to thank you for talking with me tonight - I really enjoyed it."

"Yeah, me too," she smiled.

"I enjoyed the other part too, kitten, very much," he whispered, and she gave a soft moan at his words.

"So did I, tiger."

"Goodnight, Rosie . . . kitten," he smiled.

"Goodnight Glenn," she whispered.

She felt that quiver again as she hung up the call. Fuck, how sexy was it when he called her 'kitten' in that low voice? They certainly had more than their share of animal attraction going on, right down to the feline nicknames - something she'd always thought of as just stupid, until she met him. And she really did like talking to him. It remained to be seen how anything more than that might work out.

###

Saturday morning. It was just past dawn when the door onto the warehouse roof opened and Rosie stepped out, carrying a mug of coffee, wrapped in a heavy sweater. The deck up here was divided in two by a lattice wall, screened with barberry plants in tubs and taller bamboos. The larger part of the roof was used by everyone who worked at Jagged Fang. They held barbeques up here in summer, and there were plenty of benches and tables to enjoy the fresh air.

The smaller part of the roof was Rosie's space - a gift to her from James and Shane. They'd spent a weekend hauling pots and garden furniture up here, and rigging up a sunsail over one corner. It was the place she came to when she wanted to escape, or wanted to think. This morning, she wasn't sure which it was.

It ws cool and misty so early in the morning, and she turned over the cushion on the Adirondack chair before sinking into it, pulling her feet up under her as she sipped her coffee. She'd woken this morning with a smile, remembering the evening before. A smile that soon faded as she thought about Glenn's visit. She wanted so much to see him, to be with him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that once he spent time with her, whatever he felt for her would soon dissipate.

Even James and Shane, her best friends, found her infuriating - what chance could there possibly be that Glenn would not? And what on earth would the people he worked with think of her? She sighed, sipping her coffee. Nothing good could come of this, except for the two of them having their itches comprehensively scratched. Perhaps that's how it would work out - she liked being his friend by email, where he didn't have to deal with her when she was being her most impossible, which she couldn't seem to help doing. If they could just keep it on a "friends wth benefits" basis in person, then she could stop thinking about him in those stupid romantic terms. Because there was no way in hell that was ever going to happen. No matter how it made her feel when he called her kitten. She looked out over the mist-shrouded city and fought hard not to cry.

An hour later, the grey day turned to rain, which matched Rosie's mood. She had done her laundry, and even checked on the Beast - the game was chugging along solidly, without a single blip, not even a peep from any of the hundred or so testers they had on it. She sat on one of the couches on the first floor, looking out at the rain falling against the big windows. She sighed, getting up and heading into her office. She could work, at least.

Except that there wasn't even any work that needed doing - the bills were all paid, 'Last Man Standing' was in a holding pattern. Even her emails were up to date. Fuck.

She reached into a file drawer, pulling out her folder of game ideas. Maybe there was something there that might hold her attention. As she read through them, one in particular caught her eye. It wasn't a big idea, but it was quirky, and she could do quirky. But why had she never progressed this? As she read through the notes and sketches, she remembered why. She hadn't been able to think of a gaming engine that would work for it, or even one she could retro-fit for it. Her fingers tapped on her desk.

She knew the kind of engine she needed. And she knew that if she found it, there were half a dozen other ideas that she could use it for. Her expression grew thoughtful. It was a radically different concept, and yet . . . could she do it? Could she design it herself? The more she thought about it, the more the idea seemed like a good one. Hell, if she could design this, then she could adapt if for 'Evil Overlords Inc.'. Whoa, if she did that, there was so much other cool stuff she could do with her baby - stuff that would make 'Last Man Standing' look amateurish by comparison.

Rosie reached for a legal pad and a pencil. If she built the engine, and it worked, it could become proprietary software. Jagged Fang could sell the rights to it to other studios. There had to be other people out there with ideas like hers who wanted this kind of gaming engine to make it easier for them to get their games out there. She started making notes - she knew what kind of engine she wanted, the component-based architecture, the platform abstraction. Hell, she even knew the kinds of software that worked best with the typical architecture . . . her pencil flew across the page, her mind racing. Being able to easily create the games for multiple platforms, hell, that could make them a fortune!

After a few hours, she sat back in her chair, shaking her head. This was more than do-able - this was fucking feasible. She needed to work up a business plan with James and Shane though - because this would need to use a lot off the programming team to bring it off. Only neither of them were planning to be in this weekend. Her fingers itched to start working though. What the hell, she could make a start on the overall architecture at least. It would give her something to do with her time.

The ringing of her cellphone broke into her concentration, and she shook her head, sitting back in her chair as she reached for it, blinking a little as her focus came back to the room around her.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rosie," Glenn said, smiling.

"Oh, hi Glenn," she looked at the time display in the corner of the screen, surprised to see how late it was.

"Did I call at a bad time, Rosie?"

"What? Oh, no, sorry - just . . . I had no idea what time it was."

"What have you been up to, then? Something fun to lose track of time, I hope," he chuckled.

"Well, yeah, although maybe not for everyone. I've been working on something new," Rosie stretched in her chair.

"A new game?"

"Nope, well, not directly anyway. I think I'm going to develop my own game engine."

They'd discussed game engines by email during the week. "That's pretty ambitious, isn't it?"

"Yep, it is. But I think I can do it - well, with the help of the programming team. Won't know until James and Shane and I talk on Monday if Jagged Fang will actually do this, but I figure I have some time to kill on the weekends and I may as well work on it then if nothing else."

"You're all alone there?" She'd told him she lived in the loft when he'd been surprised at how late she'd answered an email one night.

"Uh huh," she replied absently.

"No plans to get together with friends?"

She chuckled. "James and Shane need a break from me, or they'd probably kill me."

He sighed. "I wish I'd known that, Rosie. You could have flown out to spend the weekend with me."

"Why?" He could hear the puzzlement in her voice.

"So you didn't have to be alone, Rosie."

Rosie shrugged. "It's not a big thing, Glenn. I spend most of my weekends working here by myself."

"Aren't you lonely?"

Again, her tone was puzzled. "I never really thought about it. I mean, I know that I'm not the easiest person to get on with, so it seems kind of natural to spend time on my own."

"I don't like to think of you there alone, Rosie. I'm probably being selfish though, because I'd rather have you here with me."

"It would be hard for me to work if I was there with you." She wouldn't think about being with him.

"I know. Guy can dream, can't he?" he chuckled softly.

He dreamed about being with her? Fuck! "Besides, how much free time do you have on a weekend anyway?"

"Not much, I guess. We have appearances booked so that we take advantage of the trip. But I can't think of anything that would be nicer than coming back from an appearance to you, kitten."

And now he called her kitten, which was so not fair. "I'm only a phone call away, tiger." Wait! She hadn't meant to call him that!

"Nice as that is, kitten, it's not the same."

He sounded sad, and her breath caught in her throat. This was not going well. "I meant to talk to, Glenn."

Glenn sighed. "Even that would be better if I was sitting in the same room with you."

She almost sighed herself, then caught herself. Wait a minute! What happened to being only "friends with benefits" in person? This was sounding romantic again, fuck it! "I don't know, Glenn - I've been told I can try the patience of a saint."

He laughed a little. "I already told you, I like that spunky side of you."

"This is not so much being spunky as being infuriating. I'm impolite, foul-mouthed, I say whatever I think without thinking first, I have severely limited people skills and a wicked bad short temper - Glenn, I'm not sure you have any concepption of how unpleasant I really can be."

"Rosie, I don't care - or maybe I'd like to decide for myself. I want the chance to try, anyway."

She did sigh then, her hand over her eyes. "I just don't want you to end up hating me."

It was his turn to sound puzzled. "Why on earth would I hate you?"

Sighing again, she leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed. "Let's just say past experience leads me to believe that is the natural progression."

"Damn it, Rosie, you're condemning me as the same as god only knows what other guys without even giving me a chance!" He was starting to get a little pissed off.

She felt the prickle of tears. "I know what I'm like, Glenn. And I know how I fuck things up."

"But you don't know me - maybe with me it will be different."

God, she so wanted to believe that! She didn't know which would be worse - to allow that tiny spark of hope and have it crushed, or to allow this to continue, knowing how it would end. Perhaps it would be kinder to end it now? No matter what she did, she could feel her heart breaking already. She swiped a hand impatiently over her face at the tears that were starting to trickle down her cheeks, her voice quavering a little as she spoke.

"Maybe."

There was a whole universe of defeat in that one word. And while one part of him wanted to tell her to hell with it and just hang up on her, mostly he wanted to hug her close and do his damnedest to show her that it could be different, that she was worth fighting for - even if he was fighting her to prove it. He rubbed a hand over his face.

"Rosie, I'm not going to argue about this with you, and I'm not giving up on you. But I also know you're not in the mood to talk, so I'll let you get back to work."

Her eyes widened at his words. Hell's bells! That tiny spark of hope got a little bigger, to her amazement. "Thank you, Glenn."

"It's no problem, Rosie - that's what friends do. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye, Glenn."

She put the phone down on her desk, and immediately burst into tears, cradling her head on her arms on the desk in front of her. Once the first storm of tears passed, she sat up again, scrubbing her hands over her face. She glanced at the code she'd been working on, and knew that her enthusiasm for it was gone for the moment, and, moving on autopilot, she shut down her computer.

Rising from her chair, she headed back up to the loft, curling up on one of the sofas and staring out at the rain, barely even aware when the tears started again. The hell of it was that she didn't even know precisely why she was crying - whether it was the feeling that things with Glenn would not work out, or the hope that it might. Or even just that he seemed so willing to try, in spite of everything.

A few hours later, when the cramps started, at least she had a reason for the tears, as the morning after pills did exactly what they were meant to do. She took a hot bath and curled up with a heat pack, feeling utterly wretched both physically and emotionally. And if she reached for her phone to call Glenn once, she did it a dozen times. Finally, she dialled his cellphone, listening to it ring with her eyes closed. Just when she thought it would divert her to his voicemail, his voice answered, a little out of breath.

"Hello? Rosie?"

"Hi Glenn. Is it a bad time?"

She sounded unsure, and he smiled. "I was in the shower. But I knew it was you - and you're more important."

"How did you know it was me?"

"Because I gave you a special ringtone on my phone, so I would always know when you were calling."

Oh! "I can call back later, if you want."

"Give me a minute to dry off, okay?"

"Sure."

She waited for him to return, wincing at a particularly painful cramp, curling herself more around the heat pack. As he picked up the phone, he heard heard the sound she made.

"Rosie, are you okay?"

"It's nothing - I just have cramps." Fuck! Did shee just admit that? Her cheeks burned.

Cramps? Ah! "Poor kitten - do they bother you all the time?"

She blinked a little in surprise. "Usually not. These are from the morning after pills."

"Morning after . . . Rosie, you told me you used birth control?" He was confused.

"I do, Glenn. But when I went to the clinic, the doctor said it was better to be safe than sorry. So he gave me the pills."

"Oh Rosie, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Glenn. It's temporary. I really called to apologize."

"What for?"

"For being a bitch when you called earlier. I'm really sorry for what I said to you."

He tossed aside the towel he'd been using to dry his hair and leaned back on the headboard. "Apology accepted, Rosie. Thank you."

"No, thank you - for letting me apologize. That . . . dooesn't happen often."

He wasn't sure whether she was referring to her apologizing, or having people hear her out. Either way, his response was the same. "I told you, Rosie - it's going to be different with me."

She sniffled. "So I'm seeing."

He chuckled softly. "Is that really such a bad thing?"

Wiping her eyes with a crumpled tissue, she smiled a little. "It's just surprising. I'm not used to it."

"You'll get used to it. Because I'm not going to stop being this way."

She gave a little sigh. "No one's ever been this nice to me before, except James and Shane."

"Then you've obviously been hanging around the wrong people, Rosie. Now, do you have a heat pack for your cramps? Midol?"

"Um, yeah, I do. How do you know about that kind of thing?"

She could hear the shrug in his voice. "I work with women, Rosie, travel with 'em too. You think I haven't heard them bitching about cramps before?"

Giggling a little, she said, "Okay, that's reasonable. But how come you're not all embarrassed and tongue-tied about it? Most guys absolutely hate all that 'women's stuff'."

"Well okay, it's usually not my preferred topic of conversation! But kitten, right now, those cramps are making you miserable. What kind of friend would I be if I couldn't be sympathetic about that? Particularly as, in this case, it's my fault you've got the cramps?"

She sniffled again. He was going to have her in tears again in a minute. "I'll be okay, really."

"My poor little kitten. And no one there to take care of you, make a fuss over you. Really makes me wish I could blow off this dinner tonight and come and look after you myself."

"You'd do that?" Her voice sounded small.

"Of course I would! Make sure you were comfortable, ply you with chocolate, feed you something delicious for dinner. Maybe give you a backrub - sometimes that helps."

Wow. "Is it okay if I kinda wish you could do that too?"

He chuckled. "Of course it is, kitten. But since I can't, what are you going to do about dinner?"

"Um, I hadn't really thought that far ahead. Order something in, I guess."

"Good idea, saves you having to cook."

"Um, I . . . "

"What, Rosie?"

"I . . . can't cook."

"You can't? Or you just don't like to?"

"I can't. I mean, I can make coffee. Throw together a sandwich. Anything more complicated than ramen noodles or heating up a can, and I'm out of my depth." She sounded embarrassed.

He laughed, his hand over his eyes. "Rosie, kitten, you have other skills that more than make up for any domestic shortcomings!"

She giggled in spite of herself. "You'll forgive me for not being Julia Childs because I'm a wild woman in the sack, is that it?"

That had him laughing even harder. "I was referring to your creativity with your games, kitten, but since you brought it up - hell yes, I'd forgive anything so long as I had you in my bed with me!"

Oh boy, did she ever want to be in his bed with him right now, cramps and all. Snuggled in close to him. What the fuck was happening to her? "Well, that's not gonna happen this weekend, tiger."

"I know, Rosie, and I promise, I'm not pushing for anything. But I have to say what I feel."

Why did that make her feel like she was on the dizzy edge of a very tall fucking cliff? "I should let you get ready for your dinner."

"Yeah, I should go. Promise me you'll take care of yourself, since I can't come and do it for you?"

She smiled. "I will, I promise."

"Okay kitten. I'll talk to you tomorrow some time, okay?"

"Okay Glenn - goodnight."

"Goodnight Rosie."

She wasn't quite sure what to make of all that. But she did head for the bathroom to grab some Midol, smiling to think he'd remembered it when she'd completely forgotten. And as she curled back up on the couch, her eyes slipping closed, she was still smiling.

 

###

 

The dinner was typical of most of these functions - rubber chicken, boring speeches, and the dreaded mingling. This one wasn't so bad, Glenn supposed, being as it was for a children's charity and one he wholeheartedly endorsed, but there was a limit to how much small talk he could make regardless. At the first opportunity, he fled to the hospitality room they set aside for the WWE superstars to relax away from the dinner guests.

He wasn't the only one - Mark was already in residence, sitting on one of the couches with a beer. Glenn snagged one for himself and went over to sit opposite him.

"Get tired of the glad-handling?" Mark asked.

Glenn shrugged, drinking some of his beer. "I don't mind talking to the charity people about what they're doing, but I get damned sick of the politicians or city councillors who are only here to make some political mileage out of it."

Mark chuckled. "I'm with you there, buddy." He looked at Glenn levelly. "So, did you and the half-pint sort out whatever it was you were fighting about earlier?"

"Am I that transparent?" Glenn asked.

"Probably not, but I've known you a lot of years." Mark took a swallow of his own beer.

Glenn scrubbed one big hand over his face. "She's so certain that she's this terrible person, and that if she lets me get close to her, I'll realize it and end up hating her."

"And you're not convinced?"

"Hey, I'm hardly in a position to judge - I barely know her. But on the basis of what I do know, I think she's dead wrong about herself. Her business partner seems like a nice enough guy, and he thinks she hangs the moon. I just want the chance to find out for myself. I'm not going to give up on her, not when she's giving up on herself so readily."

Mark's eyebrows raised. "You sure you're not just borrowing trouble?"

Chuckling wryly, Glenn leaned back on the couch. "Hell, maybe I am. I honestly don't know. This afternoon, I was almost ready to hang up on her and forget the whole thing. Then she called me this evening to apologize, which I get the feeling she doesn't get the chance to do very often, and I was trying to work out if I could ditch this shindig and fly up to Seattle to be with her!"

This time, Mark's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. "That sounds like you're thinking with your little head, buddy. Never a good idea, trust me."

Glenn shook his head. "Not for that!" He took a deep breath. "That night in Vegas, well, we kinda got caught up in the moment and didn't use any protection."

Mark choked on the mouthful of beer he'd just taken. He grabbed for a cocktail napkin and wiped off his chin, shaking his head. "Well that was pretty damned stupid!"

"I know, trust me! I've been kicking my own ass about it since she reminded me. But anyway, she left without talking to me, and had a panic attack when she realized what we'd done, so she went to a clinic in Seattle to get herself checked out."

"Shit, buddy, you're damn lucky she's talking to you at all! Please tell me you reassured her on the whole HIV thing at least!"

"Of course I did! But that was after she'd been to the clinic. And as well as blood tests, they gave her the morning after pill, just in case. And because of that, she's all alone in Seattle this weekend with miserable cramps and it's my fault - that's why I wanted to go up there, to take care of her."

Looking at his friend, Mark clearly saw the concern in his expression. He had an idea that, no matter what Glenn said about just trying to be friends, the big man already felt way more than that for the half-pint. The door to the hospitality room opened suddenly and Chris Jericho slipped inside, closing it behind him and pantomiming his narrow escape before grinning at them both.

"I'm telling you, it's getting dangerous out there!"

Mark chuckled. "Why do you think we're in here?"

Chris sauntered over and took a seat, looking curiously at Glenn. "You okay?"

Glenn nodded, taking another mouthful of beer. "I've got a friend who's not feeling well. It's kind of on my mind."

"Nothing serious, I hope?"

"No. Just don't like to think of her that way, you know?"

At a warning look from Mark, Chris closed his mouth on what he was about to say, but a moment later he opened it again. "Maybe you should send her a gift basket of her favourite things? That always makes my wife smile - she gets something she likes, and she knows I've been thinking about her."

Cocking his head to one side, Glenn looked at Chris thoughtfully. "That's not a bad idea - thanks Chris."

"Hey, no problem."

Mark nodded and drained his beer. "You think we'll be able hide in here the rest of the night?"

Chris chuckled and gave them a cheeky grin. "Paul and Stephanie are working the room like the pros they are, and Randy's out there taking one for the team with all the ladies. We'll be fine for another hour, easy!"

That had them all laughing, but Chris's prediction was on the money, and they were headed back to the hotel a few hours later. Glenn could hardly wait to get to his room, pulling out his laptop and turning it on. Chris's idea about the gift basket was a good one, and he wanted to find a place in Seattle that would deliver on Sunday. Of course, he realised, he didn't know exactly what Rosie's favourite things were - apart from tequila. He figured he'd just have to see what he could find and take a guess.

Finally, he found just what he was looking for, and ordered it, checking Rosie's business card in his wallet for the address. He asked them not to send it before 10.00am, wanting her to have the chance to sleep in. He was smiling when he got into bed. He just hoped she liked it.

 

Continue to Part the Fourth - This distance between you and I

 

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