Actually, since sometimes it does seem that some rampant insanity is at work in the WWE, it's probably best to consider most of my work as alternative universe fic! Keeping the good stuff and chucking away the crap, making the wrestling fan fic world a nicer place to be! However, this AU is so far running along the same general lines of the real WWE, around the time 'Taker was the American Bad Ass and prior to the unmasking of Kane.

This follows on about two months after the events in Part the Fourth - This distance between you and I

Usual disclaimer - own nothing but my original characters, all the other 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!

####

Part the Fifth - To where you are

It had been a busy few months. Shane and Rosie agonised over their aborted testing program, and whether their revised protocol had really covered all the bases. They ended up convincing some of their testers to pull an extended LAN gameplay session at the warehouse, realising that this was the one scenario they hadn't really covered adequately. And knowing that hardcore gamers would do just that.

The game held up, and once the minor gameplay issues that had been found were fixed, Shane signed off on the code and 'Last Man Standing' officially went into production. Marty was in his element, arranging for in-store display posters to be delivered, updating the website with a countdown to the official release.

For James, Rosie and Shane, it was anticlimactic. Now that the game was out of their hands, they were a little at a loss. James was the first to recover, tasking Rosie with the business plan for the new game engine, while Shane put together a proposal for their expansion pack.

The three of them spent hours discussing the new ideas, joined by Marty who contributed the merchandising and promotions aspects of their plans. It was not something they'd ever factored in before, but the pre-release publicity certainly seemed to have paid off with 'Last Man Standing' and James was determined to capitalize on their increased profile.

They'd made a presentation to their investors, outlining their plans, and Rosie had even managed to explain the rationale for the new game engine. Shane and James had encouraged her, and Marty had helped with her presentation. She was terrified at the very notion, but she was determined to try, reminding herself that she had actually managed to do a good job with talking to people at the convention.

Even though she had felt her voice shaking, James and Shane had been delighted with her presentation. She'd answered the few questions thoughtfully, deferring to James when she felt she couldn't answer. The final decision had been to go ahead, with an increased investment, stunning them.

Work had begun almost immediately on both new projects, and Shane and Rosie divided their time between the game engine and the 'Soli Invicto' expansion pack. Marty had found them a firm to do some cinematic sequences for the expansion pack that would hopefully tempt even new gamers to try the space conquest game, and they planned to re-release the original game with the expansion pack incorporated.

The game engine wasn't quite so exciting, except to other programmers, and Shane was delighted to be able to lure two talented engine programmers away from top firms at the prospect of developing something new. That fact made news throughout the industry, and suddenly people were sitting up to take notice of Jagged Fang.

The FBI kept them informed of the progress on the investigation into their hacking attack, but they had to admit that it wasn't a high priority case, as no actual harm had been caused. While James could understand that, it still made him seethe. Shane had upgraded their firewall security, even if he hoped Simon might try again so that the FBI might give the case a higher priority.

Rosie and Glenn were developing a fast friendship. They spoke often by phone, in whatever breaks Glenn had in his schedule, and colleagues on both sides got very used to them laughing and joking while they talked to one another.

Rosie discovered that a few of the programming team, including one of their new engine programmers, were closet wrestling fans, and there were animated discussions on Tuesday mornings after Raw on Monday night. Suddenly, she was immersed in storylines and past histories, and as Shane remarked quietly to James, watching her one Tuesday morning, it seemed she had forgotten that she wasn't a people person.

Shane and Rosie had another project they were working on, outside Jagged Fang. Before they'd started work on the new engine and the expansion pack, they'd taken a day out for a team bonding session. Normally Rosie attended these things under sufferance, but James had tried a new approach this time. He'd brought in a group to teach them drumming, having read about it in a journal somewhere.

The idea was that they were all learning a new skill, that they would use together for a communal drumming session at the end of the day. Having heard the kind of thing that they might be playing in the demonstration at the start of the day, everyone's interest was fired up, and the day had been a rousing success. Rosie and Shane in particular had show real talent with the drums, and had gone on to form a firm friendship with David and Layla, the leaders of the group, continuing to take lessons from them.

And they'd recently become partners in David and Layla's new venture, which was scheduled to open in a few months, with much fanfare - Seattle's first drum bar. The notion was pretty simple - everybody loved drums, after all. There would be large drums on a stage that people could bang on to their heart's content - they were well and truly muffled. Some nights would be paint drum nights - those kettle drums would have their skins covered with a fine film of fluorescent paint, that would spray a fine droplet pattern onto anyone playing them. Under ultraviolet lights, the effects were startling.

But the centrepiece was a stage with serious drums, where David and Layla, and other members of their drumming group, would play along with the music. And the privilege would be extended to Shane and Rosie, as partners in the business. That was the real reason they had become partners, James was convinced - the chance to play on the big kid drums.

Rosie had even started taking Raqs Sharqi lessons with Layla, as an offshoot of the drumming lessons. Glenn had wholeheartedly approved of the idea, once Rosie explained that she was learning to belly dance, in simple terms. She laughed and told him that it was an old wives tale that belly dancing tightened up the muscles in the pelvis to improve one's sex life.

###

Tuesday afternoon. Rosie was in her office, her laptop on one side of her desk shuffling songs randomly through her speakers, while she worked on code on her desktop. She was jotting notes on a legal pad, roughing out a module for the game engine, when the phone rang. Turning down the sound from the laptop, she picked up the phone.

"Jagged Fang, this is Rosie."

"Good afternoon, Ms Templeton. It's Bryce Turner from the Las Vegas District Attorney's Office."

She sat up more in her chair and muted the sound altogether. "Oh. Hi." She'd spoken to him only once before, a few weeks earlier, when he'd called to say that he had been given her case against Simon Brown to prosecute. He'd gone over her statement with her, and then explained that he would be making a motion to have Simon brought back to Las Vegas to answer charges in the assault.

One of the things he'd mentioned was the need for her to come to Las Vegas and testify, which she had agreed to instantly. Once she had told James and Shane that she might possibly need time off to go, they'd both offered to go with her. Shane was passing her office and she waved her hand to catch his attention and then beckoned for him to come in - if this was about her court date, she could tell Shane straight away.

"I have some news for you. We served Mr Brown last week with a subpoena to appear to answer the charges against him."

"Yes, you told me you were doing that," Rosie said, mouthing to Shane as she pointed to the phone, "Vegas DA."

Shane sat down on the other side of her desk.

"We received word today through Mr Brown's lawyer that he is entering a plea of Nolo Contendere."

"Nolo what?" Rosie was puzzled.

Shane shook his head with a groan, and stuck his head out of Rosie's office to tell one of the programmers to get James, who arrived a moment later, taking the chair next to Shane.

"Nolo Contendere, Ms Templeton. He's pleading No Contest to the charges," Taylor explained.

"Okay, so what does that mean?" Rosie looked at James and Shane, shrugging.

"He's saying he'll accept the court's punishment without admitting guilt."

Rosie's forehead furrowed. "Wait a minute. You're telling me that, essentially, I've accused him of assault, and instead of having to stand in court and deny it, or God forbid, be a man and tell the fucking truth and admit it, he's allowed to say, 'Fine. Whatever.'?" She gave the last word its most contemptuous pronunciation - 'whutEVAH'.

"That's one way to put it, yes."

"Sonofabitch!" Rosie shook her head. "So what kind of punishment will the court give him?"

"A first offence, with an out of State defendant? Most likely a fine."

"Oh, now that's going to be a real deterrent!"

"There's something else you should know, Ms Templeton."

"And what's that?"

"Well, when we spoke last, you mentioned that you suspected Mr Brown of committing a cyber crime against your business. And that you had advised the FBI of the assault case here in Las Vegas as proof of a pattern of harassment against you."

"Yes, that's correct."

"By pleading No Contest, Mr Brown has effectively prevented the FBI from using the assault charges in that manner."

"What? That can't be right - he assaulted me! There are photos showing what he did to my face! Of course he harassed me! How can they not use that?"

"Because he has not admitted guilt. The FBI would need to come up with independent proof, outside of the assault charges, to prove in a court of law that Mr Brown committed the assault for it to be used to show a pattern of harassment."

Rosie shook her head. "Well that's just fucking brilliant. Sorry, Mr Turner, but it blows, big time."

"I understand your frustration, Ms Templeton. I wish there was something more I could do."

She sighed, her hand over her face. "Hey, thank you for doing what you could. If nothing else, I'm sure it made Simon damn worried when he was served with that subpoena. Right up until he talked to his lawyer, anyway."

"You'll receive formal notification of his plea and the punishment ordered, and then the case will be closed. Unless he fails to pay the fine."

"Oh, he'll pay the fine. That stupid he's not." She sighed again. "Thank you."

She hung up the phone and dropped her head into her hands.

James shook his head. "No contest. The sonofabitch has a clever lawyer."

Shane snarled, "Clever lawyer? When I'm done with that sorry fuck, he's going to wish he had a clever fucking mortician!"

He was out of his chair and heading for his desk before James could stop him, ranting about Simon and insisting that he was going to fly to Portland that afternoon and beat him to death. Rosie watched them go, and then slipped out of her office, grabbing her cellphone and her leather jacket as she went. She let herself into the parking garage and fished the keys to the Cadillac out of her pocket. She was out of the parking garage and on the road before anyone even realized she had left the office.

Once James had Shane calmed down, or at least calm enough that he wasn't likely to head for the airport to commit a felony assault of his own, he went back to Rosie's office, not really surprised to see it empty. He shook his head - sometimes, dealing with Shane and Rosie was like having kids. Shane's reaction to trouble was to meet it head on, fists swinging, while Rosie usually ran. He bet if he went downstairs, he'd find her Caddy gone. He sighed - there was no sense going after her. She'd be back once she'd had a chance to sort through how she was feeling about this.

He was about to leave her office when her phone rang. He leaned over the desk to pick it up.

"Jagged Fang, this is James."

"Oh, hey James, it's Glenn. I was looking for Rosie."

Glenn was becoming a familiar voice - most of the team had picked up calls from him at one time or another. James had nothing but respect for him for the way he treated Rosie.

"Sorry Glenn, you just missed her." He spotted Shane heading for the stairs and cursed under his breath. "Hang on, Glenn, I'll be right back."

Glenn frowned a little, particularly as he heard raised voices in the background. Rosie hadn't said anything the night before about not being in the office this morning. When James came back on the line, Glenn had to ask.

"Is this a bad time?"

James sighed. "You could say that. Rosie just found out that Simon's pleading no contest to the assault charges in Vegas. Looks like he's going to get off with just a fine. Shane wants to fly to Portland and kill him."

Glenn found his hand clenching into a fist. "Tell Shane I'll meet him there and help him do it." The rage he felt at the knowing that the man who'd hurt his Rosie, his kitten, wasn't going to be made to pay for it in any meaningful way was surprising.

"I'd actually prefer if neither of you did that. I understand the urge, but it's not going to help. I want to hit Simon where he lives - I want Jagged Fang to bury Imperial, wipe him off the face of the earth."

Glenn's eyebrows raised - this was a side of James he hadn't been aware of before. He couldn't help liking him more for it. "Anything I can to help, let me know."

"Thanks, Glenn."

"So where is Rosie?" Glenn asked.

"Rosie's disappeared - I suspect she's gone out to drive around for a bit. That's usually what she does when things get too much for her," James explained.

"You happen to know if she's got her cellphone with her?"

"Ah, I think so. I saw it on her desk when I was in here earlier, and it's gone now," James said. As he spoke, he saw Shane pacing in the hallway again. "I gotta go, Glenn, keep Shane from doing something he'll regret. I'll let Rosie know you called if you can't get in touch with her."

"Thanks James."

Glenn hung up the phone, shaking his head. Not for the first time, he cursed the miles between him and Rosie.

###

From the warehouse, once she'd crossed the I5, it was a straight shot through the Rainier Valley over to Seward Park. The rooftop was fine for the little things, but something this major, Rosie needed to be well away from everyone. Guiding the Cadillac through the heavily forested park, she followed the road around to her favourite spot. There was barely enough room to park the Caddy off the road opposite a tiny cleared area with a park bench facing out over Lake Washington, which was where she headed.

Huddled into her leather jacket, she stared out over the water, taking some deep breaths. The air here had the scent of the lake mingling with the tang of salt from the ocean perhaps five miles away. It was quiet here. It was a place where she could think.

Fucking Simon always seemed to be just one step ahead of them. How the hell was it that he could always skate on the shitty things he did? Was that what money really did for you? She rubbed one hand across her cheek, where the scratch had healed to a faint white line.

Still, some good had come of it - if it hadn't been for Simon hitting her, she may never have gotten to know Glenn. It was a strange relationship, that had started out ass-backwards with them falling into bed together, but they were becoming friends. It remained to be seen what would happen when he arrived in Seattle in a few weeks - she vacillated between anticipation and dread as the date drew closer. On one hand, she felt more and more "taken" every day. And yet, it was still unclear if she and Glenn had a relationship besides the attraction they felt for one another.

But she hadn't come out here to worry at her relationship with Glenn - that would sort itself out, one way or another, soon enough. She'd come out here to think about Simon. She sighed. Not for the first time, she wondered if she had just let him down easier in college, things might have been very different. It wasn't like she hadn't tried, though. He just didn't want to hear it, then or now.

Simon was very used to getting his own way, and Rosie suspected that her refusal of him was the first time he had ever been baulked at something he really wanted. He hadn't been able to bully or buy his way into getting what he wanted, and it had profoundly baffled him, it seemed. And it still obviously rankled - witness his ongoing pursuit of her, even if it were only to punish her.

The breeze blowing off the lake was cool and crisp, ruffling her short red hair. She drew her booted feet up onto the bench, leaning back. She remembered something a counsellor had said to her once, when she'd been "what if"-ing about Simon after college. She had no control over Simon and his actions, and so she could not take responsibility for them. She could only take responsibility for her own actions.

A long time ago, after that night she had spent crying in Shane's arms over the theft of her game, she had decided that she was through being Simon's victim. She would not sink to his level, and she wouldn't acknowledge his attempts to insert himself into her life. This latest thing was just another way Simon was trying to do that, she decided.

Oh, it was also a good legal strategy - she'd bet money that the FBI had traced that IP address to him, and she'd also bet that had panicked him, because he had been sure he wouldn't be discovered with Tweedledee. If his lawyer was worth the money he was charging, he would have told Simon that making the Vegas charge go away was more important than facing her in court.

She had no doubt that Simon had thought long and hard about forcing her to admit things on the stand in a court case, just for the pleasure of making her squirm, knowing that she was under his control for that brief time. Now that she thought about it, it probably was just as well that there wasn't going to be a court case. God only knew what depths Simon would have stooped to. She didn't discount the possibility that he'd have dragged Glenn into it, and she certainly didn't want that. There was no reason for Glenn to be made a party to the train wreck that was that part of her life.

Now at least she didn't have to worry about that. Perhaps this was a good thing after all. She was just musing on that when her phone vibrated under her fingertips, and as she drew it out of her pocket, she chuckled as she heard Tom Jones crooning, "What's new, pussycat?"

Glenn had a number of different ringtones he assigned to her on his phone, from Tom Jones to R.E.M.'s Star Me Kitten, even tracks by the Pussy Cat Dolls - the common theme being kittens or cats, of course. She had them too, set up to play randomly when he called her.

She snapped the phone open, smiling as she answered it. "Hi Glenn."

"Hey Rosie," Glenn fought the urge to sigh with relief. She sounded okay - not overtly upset, at any rate. "How's it going?"

He was calling on her cellphone, which probably meant he'd already called the office, she thought. And she'd lit out of there without a word, although James would have figured out why. Ergo, he knew what had happened, most likely.

She'd check first. "You heard that Simon's pleading no contest in Vegas?"

"Yeah. James picked up your phone when I called. Must have only just been after you heard - he had to go stop Shane getting on a plane, he said."

She chuckled wryly. "That sounds like Shane. He was kinda pissed when he heard."

"So was I, kitten. James talked me out of joining Shane in Portland - I was all for letting my fists do the talking with Simon."

"Thanks for that, tiger. It means a lot to me that you'd stand up for me," she smiled.

"Anytime, kitten. You know that."

Sighing to herself, she smiled. "Yeah, I do. But I think I'm actually glad Simon's done this, now I've had time to think about it."

"Oh? How come?"

"Well, I'll just bet he'd drag up a lot of old shit in court, to try to make me and James look bad. And he's got the kind of lawyers that you buy with real deep pockets - the kind who could find out that you and I were actually together that night in Vegas. That we're in contact now. He could have dragged your name through the mud, and I would never have forgiven myself for that. It's better this way, even if I lose the satisfaction of making him take responsibility for hurting me," she explained.

Glenn closed his eyes. That was so like her - to be thinking about him almost before herself. He'd seen that heart time and again over the last few months, and each time it made him like her just that little bit more.

"James says he'd rather see you bury Imperial than exact any personal revenge on Simon," he finally said.

"And I agree. I don't want to stoop to Simon's level. But that won't stop me from making Jagged Fang a far more successful company than Imperial - after all, don't they say the best revenge is living well?" she chuckled.

Glenn laughed. "Rosie, baby, you are a wonderful woman! Have I told you that lately?"

She had to laugh herself. "Oh, only almost every day, Glenn. And thank you."

"You're more than welcome, kitten. So, apart from the whole Simon thing, how are you?"

"I'm good. Better than ever for hearing your voice, but that almost goes without saying," she smiled.

"I never get tired of hearing it though."

The closer his trip to Seattle came, the harder it was to be apart from her. Like her, he wondered just what would happen then, and what it would mean for their relationship. Rosie's voice broke into his musing.

"I should get back to the office, see if I can't convince Shane to stay put and leave Simon in one piece for the time being."

He checked his watch. "Yeah, I've got an appearance in a little while, and then I'm hitting the gym."

"You're a gym junkie, Glenn!" Rosie chuckled.

"Just building my strength up so I'll be ready for whatever you throw at me when I get to Seattle," he teased.

She laughed, her hand over her eyes. "I really don't see you lifting weights with that one particular muscle, tiger. But if you are, damn, send me pictures!"

He grinned. "There's my spunky little kitten! You take care now, baby, and I'll talk to you soon."

"Absolutely, tiger. Looking forward to it already."

###

Friday night. James had sent everyone home from the office early, for which Rosie was eternally grateful. Not that she'd accomplished a damn thing all day. All week, if she were honest with herself. Tonight was the night - Glenn had arrived in Seattle this morning, and tonight she was going to the live show with James and Shane.

Sensing Rosie's nervousness, and his own, Glenn hadn't offered to meet with her before then. Bringing her to the show as his guest seemed a way for them to meet on neutral ground. It wasn't like he could take her out to lunch, not without being potentially recognized, and he wanted to avoid taking her to the hotel straight away. They needed a chance to connect as friends first. And he knew her well enough by now to know she needed James and Shane around as support for the moment. Anything after that, they'd play by ear, although he was hoping she'd be able to spend some time with him.

While James and Shane had sat on the first floor, sharing a few beers, Rosie had been upstairs soaking in the bath, trying very hard not to freak out completely from nerves. The lavender oil in the bath water helped, as did the oils in the burner, a gift from Layla, who had seen the signs of tension in Rosie over the previous weeks.

As she dressed, she reminded herself that this was just a live show to see a friend. Glenn assured her he had no expectations beyond that, which had been a relief to hear. They would take it one step at a time, and this was the first one - just seeing one another again.

It didn't stop her wanting to make a good impression on him, and on his colleagues. She had finally decided on jeans and the black corset she had bought in Vegas, with the sheer blouse over it. Sexy, but not over the top. A pair of her spike heeled boots, and her leather jacket completed the outfit. The usual array of silver studs in her ears, and a pair of teardrop shaped onyx and silver earrings.

She took a final look in the mirror, and then picked up her jacket. Her wallet, keys and phone were in the pockets. As she went down the stairs from the loft, Shane looked around. Her hair was styled in its usual messy spikes with wispy ends framing her face and neck. Her eyes looked huge under her bangs, thanks to some judicious eyeliner and mascara, and her lips were slicked with pale gloss. A wide silver studded leather belt circled her waist, matching her spike heeled boots, and the black sheer blouse only highlighted the pale skin under it.

Before he could say a word, James glared at him, and he contented himself with a grin and a wink at her.

Rosie shrugged into her jacket and looked at her business partners.

"We ready?"

James led them down to his car, and Shane held Rosie's hand as they drove to the arena, not missing the panicky way she clung to him. As they approached the ticket window, he could feel her shaking beside him, and her voice was very quiet when she asked for the tickets Glenn had arranged to be left for them. After she showed some ID, one of the event staff came out to hand them their passes and escort them backstage.

The hospitality suite was essentially a large room set aside for those lucky enough to be granted backstage access. Shane noticed a few of the Seattle Mariners players and their girlfriends, and realized this was a VIP area of sorts. He led Rosie and James over to a couch, and a circulating waiter offered them drinks, which Rosie refused. He could see how white her knuckles were as she sat with her hands clasped in her lap, and his heart went out to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and giving her a gentle hug.

James was watching the room with bemused interest, seeing some faces that were familiar from his own occasional viewings of the shows, and he was the first to see Glenn slip in through a side door. He was still in street clothes, and his eyes scanned the room, obviously looking for someone in particular.

Once he'd heard from the ticket office that Rosie had collected her tickets and been shown backstage, Glenn had made his own way to the hospitality suite. It took him only a few moments to find her, sitting between two men he recognized from one of the pictures on Jagged Fang's website of the countdown to the launch of 'Last Man Standing' as James and Shane. He couldn't help the smile that spread over his face as he walked across the room towards her.

James nudged Rosie gently, leaning in to whisper to her, "He's here, Rosie."

Rosie looked up, seeing Glenn crossing the room, and rose to her feet, clutching for Shane's hand as he stood beside her, James on her other side. She could feel her heart trip-hammering in her chest, and for a moment it felt like she had forgotten how to breathe. He was here, really here, in the same room with her. Not on the TV screen, not just a voice on the other end of a phone line, but right here.

Glenn, for his part, felt his heart constrict a little, seeing her. He didn't miss the way she clutched at Shane's hand, and he realized how nervous she must be. His smile was gentle as he came to a halt in front of them.

"Hello Rosie. Welcome to the show."

He was so much bigger than she remembered, she thought wildly as she looked up at him. But his voice was familiar, and comforting, and to her surprise, she found hers hadn't completely failed her.

"Thanks for inviting us, Glenn. I guess introductions are in order." She gestured to James and Shane. "I'd like you to meet James and Shane, my best friends. Guys, this is Glenn."

Shane grinned easily at him, extending his hand. "Like we hadn't already worked that out, baby girl! It's good to finally meet you, Glenn."

Glenn laughed and nodded, shaking Shane's hand. "Likewise, Shane." He turned then and extended his hand to James. "And it's good to meet you, James."

"Pleasure's mine, Glenn."

Releasing James's hand, Glenn turned his attention wholly to Rosie. She looked a little less nervous, and she had released her grip on Shane's hand. And he had no idea what to say to her! He just wanted to drink in the sight of her. He was saved from having to say anything by a deep voice from behind him.

"I think there's someone here I'd like to meet," Mark Calaway drawled, and he shot a quick grin at his friend over his shoulder.

Rosie's eyes widened, seeing Mark appear at Glenn's side, but he gave her a very kind smile and she found herself smiling back.

Glenn nodded. "Mark, this is Rosie Templeton. And her business partners and friends, James Waltham and Shane Thomas. Rosie, guys, meet Mark Calaway, otherwise known as the Undertaker."

Mark extended a big hand to Rosie, who took it with a smile. "Hello Rosie. I've heard a lot about you from Glenn."

Rosie nodded, still smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Mark."

Mark released her hand and shook hands with James and Shane, who shook his head with a grin as they did. "Man, now my evening's complete!"

Chuckling, Mark looked at him. "Are you a fan?"

Shane laughed. "Well, I watch occasionally, but I'm just thinking what a cool pick up line you're gonna be. 'Say, I was talking to the Undertaker backstage at the show last week . . . '," Shane winked.

Mark and Glenn laughed, and Rosie smacked Shane's arm playfully, chuckling a little.

Addressing himself to James, Mark asked him about Jagged Fang, and Glenn blessed his friend for giving him the chance to get Rosie alone for a moment. He smiled, gesturing to her as he took a few steps backwards, and she excused herself quietly before slipping out from the conversation and coming towards him.

There was another couch nearby, and Glenn sat on the arm of it, bringing himself down more to her eye level as he smiled at her. Now that they were alone, he felt like he could talk to her as she stood in front of him.

"It's so good to see you, Rosie."

She smiled at him, nodding. "It's good to see you too, Glenn. The real you, not Kane."

He reached out to take her hand, giving it a very gentle squeeze. "Thank you."

He didn't have to say what for, she knew already. She looked into his eyes, taking a tiny step closer to him. The pad of his thumb stroked over the back of her hand as he smiled at her. There were a million things he had wanted to say, but none of them seemed important right now. They continued to smile at one another, until Rosie laughed softly.

"What?" he asked, still content simply to look at her.

"Just thinking this is probably the longest we've ever been quiet together. And it's when talking is free!"

He laughed, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it gently. "I just can't think of anything to say that's better than being able to actually see you in person."

That quiver was back, with its whole family and then some. "I'm so nervous I can barely think, let alone speak."

He nodded, his smile gentle. "I understand, Rosie."

There was a quiet announcement that it was fifteen minutes to show time, and Glenn sighed, patting her hand gently before releasing it.

"That's your cue, Rosie. Someone will show you and James and Shane to your seats for the show. And after, if you want, you're all welcome to come backstage again. Just find anyone with a t-shirt saying 'Event staff' and show your passes."

She nodded. "Have a good show, Glenn." She couldn't make any promises about afterwards, not yet.

He smiled widely at her. "Guaranteed. I got my good friend Rosie in the audience. You enjoy the show, okay?"

Shane and James came to stand with her, both wishing Glenn luck before he left, and then they were being led out to their seats. Glenn had explained to Rosie that they were considered prime seats, and indeed they were, right behind the crowd barricade on the side of the ring. They had an unobstructed view of the entrance ramp and the ring, and as they took their seats, Rosie slipped her jacket off, laying it over her lap.

She felt less nervous now that she had actually seen Glenn. There was no doubt that there was still some serious attraction between them, but she thought there was also friendship there. It was hard to tell - she really had been too tense to speak much, but hopefully that would improve.

Back in the locker room, Glenn found it hard to wipe the smile from his face as he changed into his wrestling gear. Watching him, Mark resisted the urge to chuckle. Up close, his friend's little half pint was a very attractive woman, but there had to be more to her than that. Pretty girls were a dime a dozen - this one at least had a brain, if what he'd read about her were true.

Once the show started, Rosie was quickly caught up in the adrenaline rush. This was even more exciting than seeing the shows on TV, although she rather missed the commentary that helped her understand what was going on in the ring. It wasn't long before she was cheering and booing with the rest of the crowd, leaving James and Shane to exchange amused glances over her head. The few times they'd stayed in the loft on Friday nights to watch with her before going out somewhere, she'd been interested and happy to share what she was learning about the inner workings of the matches, but this was a new side of her.

During the intermission, while they were out grabbing a quick beer, James and Shane discussed Glenn's invitation to go backstage after the show.

"You know that he only included us out of politeness, right?" James said.

"I'm not stupid, James. But I think our decision needs to weigh whether Rosie still needs us."

"Rosie doesn't need us - it's pretty obvious she can't talk to Glenn in front of us, beyond making polite conversation. She needs to be alone with the man."

"I don't want her to feel like we're abandoning her. I told her I'd ride shotgun for her as long as she needed me."

"Sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind. Rosie needs a push to get her moving on occasion - this just might be one of them."

Shane finished his beer and lobbed the plastic cup into the trash. "Okay, we'll tell her we're going after the show and see what she says."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

###

Rosie was on the edge of her seat during intermission. She knew Glenn's match would be in the second half of the show, but had no idea exactly when. It was only after a match between the blonde headed Y2J and a very athletic young man named John Cena that the arena was suddenly lit with red lights and Kane's entrance pyros erupted. She clutched for Shane's hand, her heart racing again, as she watched Glenn, in costume as Kane, walk towards the ring. In person, that grace was even more sexy than she remembered from TV, and she remembered pretty damn well.

She watched open-mouthed as he stepped over the top rope into the ring - and looked down at the crowd, meeting her eyes instantly. Shane heard her sharp intake of breath as her hand tightened on his, and then Glenn was moving to the other side of the ring, awaiting his opponent, Bradshaw.

There was something utterly devastating about seeing Glenn wrestle in person that thrilled Rosie to the core. Watching him do something he loved, something he was so talented at, made her feel closer to him. Not to mention that she realized again why it was that so many women fantasized about "Kane".

As she expected, "Kane" won against Bradshaw in a hard fought match, and Glenn turned in the ring so he was facing her before bringing his arms down to signal the pyros on the ringposts, and she looked up into his eyes as he did so, feeling a primal desire deep in her belly for him.

The match that followed was a tag team one, featuring the Hardy Boyz against Edge and Christian, and Shane leaned in to chuckle in her ear as he looked at Edge with his rakish grin.

"Damn, baby girl, you think you can get me his phone number?"

Rosie snorted, shaking her head.

The final match of the night was heralded by the full throated sound of a motorcycle and the echoing roar of the crowd as the Undertaker rode down to the ring. To Shane, it looked a little like the man did a double take on seeing Rosie in the crowd, and he grinned to himself. Rosie was indeed looking as sexy as hell tonight, once she took her leather jacket off, but she had eyes for only one man, and the tall redhead in the ring wasn't him.

His opponent was the gold-medal wearing Kurt Angle, and the crowd began an enthusiastic chorus of "You suck!" chants to his entrance music, making Rosie laugh, because that sounded even funnier in person than it did on TV.

Their match ended with the Undertaker winning, and the crowd erupted again as he left on his motorcycle. James turned to Rosie as the fans around them began to rise from their seats.

"That was pretty amazing. You'll have to thank Glenn for the tickets for me," he said with a smile.

"You're not coming backstage with me?" Rosie sounded a little panicky.

Shane leaned forward, patting her knee gently. "You don't need us, baby girl. We're only going to get in the way of you and Glenn talking."

"But you promised to ride shotgun," her voice wasn't much more than a whisper.

Shane smiled at her. James was right, she needed a little push.

"And I did, Rosie. I was right there beside you when you guys met again. And I could see from the way you looked at each other that things were going to be okay. But you guys can't say what you need to say to one another with James and I there."

Rosie realized he was right. It didn't make it any easier to think about them leaving her to face going backstage alone.

"Okay. Then you better wish me luck."

Shane wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close, smiling. "All the luck in the world, Rosie. But I don't think you'll need it - just go with it."

James patted her shoulder gently. "You'll be fine, Rosie. Have fun, okay?"

She rose to her feet, carrying her jacket, and nodded. Before she could lose her nerve, she approached someone in a staff t-shirt and showed him her pass, and he escorted her to the hospitality room she had been in earlier. It was much busier than it had been then, and she felt a moment of panic at being there without James and Shane for support.

Chris Jericho was sipping a beer when he saw a rather familiar looking redhead enter the suite, and he frowned, trying to think where he had seen her before. Before he could do so, he saw Glenn heading for her with a big smile, and he remembered - that convention in Vegas! She was the one in the black cocktail dress that Glenn had been talking to at the bar.

Watching the way she smiled at Glenn as he approached her, it seemed that they'd stayed in touch since Vegas. He also noticed that he wasn't the only one who'd seen her come in - there were three other members of the roster currently heading towards her and Glenn. Probably not surprising - Glenn didn't often have guests backstage, at least not ones as attractive as the little redhead. Perhaps he should go over and run interference, he thought.

Rosie almost sighed with relief when she saw Glenn coming towards her - she had dreaded having to look for him in here. He was back in his street clothes, and his eyes swept over her, taking in the sheer blouse and corset, his smile widening even more. Before he even had a chance to say hello again, Adam Copeland was at his elbow, smiling at Rosie.

"Hey Glenn. Who's your little friend?"

Glenn wanted to growl, but he forced himself to be polite. "This is Rosie Templeton. Rosie, Adam Copeland."

Rosie flicked the tall blonde man a smile, edging a little closer to Glenn. "Charmed, I'm sure."

Adam's smile took on a predatory cast, and his eyes dropped to her breasts, resting there for a long moment before coming back to her face. Rosie resisted the urge to roll her eyes - what was he, twelve?

The arrival of the Hardy brothers was next, and Jeff's eyes widened before he turned to his brother with a grin.

"I told you it was her!" His gaze came back to Rosie. "You're Rosie Templeton, aren't you?"

She blinked a little at the young man with the multicoloured hair and his dark haired colleague, both of whom were looking at her with excited expressions, and then she nodded.

"Man, I knew it was you! Wow, it's so cool to meet you - I'm Jeff, and this is my brother . . . "

Matt took the moment that Jeff drew breath to supply his own name. "Matt. And we're fans - so it's really cool to meet you!"

Adam frowned a little. "Wait, you're her fans?"

Glenn couldn't help his grin, even though he really would have preferred having Rosie to himself. He settled for resting one hand on her shoulder lightly. She shot him a grateful look before Jeff rushed on.

"Rosie's a video game designer. Matt and I have been playing 'Tooth and Claw', like, since it first came out, it's awesome!"

"Thanks. Glad to know you've enjoyed it - it's kind of my sentimental favourite," Rosie said with a smile.

Matt again took advantage of his brother's pause for breath. "And we've already got orders in for the new game - the demo for that is amazing!"

Rosie couldn't help her chuckle, looking up at Glenn with a raised eyebrow. "Am I gonna need to put you on the payroll for your marketing efforts?"

He laughed, shaking his head and drawing her a little closer to him. "Not my doing, Rosie."

Jeff shook his head. "We downloaded the demo from your website - I didn't even know Glenn liked your games. Man, we got to get a LAN game going as soon as it comes out, that would be sweet!"

Glenn nodded enthusiastically and Rosie chuckled again. Chris had joined the little group as the Hardys had, and he smiled at Rosie.

"I can't claim to be a fan, but it's nice to meet a friend of Glenn's - I'm Chris."

Rosie remembered what Glenn had told her about Chris's suggestion to send her a gift basket when she wasn't feeling well, and her smile was warm as she nodded at him. "I'm Rosie - and it's nice to meet you, Chris."

Seeing Jeff about to say something else, he forestalled it. "Hey guys, maybe we should give Glenn time to visit with Rosie, since she's his guest."

Matt nodded, grinning at Rosie before heading off, taking his brother by the arm and leading him away. Jeff turned to wave at Rosie as they left. Adam shook his head and wandered off, not without one last look at Rosie's breasts, and Chris gave Rosie and Glenn a smile.

"Enjoy your visit, Rosie."

Glenn nodded at Chris. "Thanks."

Chris raised his beer to them and walked off, and Glenn smiled down at Rosie.

"Would you like a drink, Rosie?"

She shook her head with a little smile. "No thanks."

Glenn held out his hand to her, and she took it, letting him lead her over to the couch where she had sat with James and Shane earlier. They sat down together, and she lay her jacket beside her before turning to him.

"Before I forget, James and Shane said to thank you for the tickets. They really enjoyed the show."

"It was no trouble," Glenn smiled at her. "They decided not to stay?"

Rosie blushed a little. "I think they thought they'd be a pair of third wheels."

He chuckled. "I think we're old enough not to need chaperoning. Did you enjoy the show?"

She nodded, giving him a wide smile. "Oh yes! It was great - I had no idea it would be so exciting to see it live!"

"Just so long as I'm still your favourite wrestler, Rosie," he teased gently.

She chuckled a little. "Whatever happened to you being secure enough in your masculinity to let me ogle other men?"

"On TV, Rosie. Different thing altogether when it's live," he tried to look stern, but his eyes were smiling.

"So if I were to confess a fondness for a certain wrestler, it might cause a problem?" she asked, her own eyes twinkling.

"If it's Copeland, I may well open a vein right now!"

Rosie covered a giggle with her hand. "If it were, I'd ask you to open one of mine at the same time. Good lord, the man's a walking cliché! The way he was communing with my breasts, I was starting to feel like a third wheel myself!"

Glenn burst out laughing, shaking his head, while Rosie continued to giggle.

"Who is this wrestler you're so fond of, then?"

She smiled at him. "Kane, of course. But if it's okay with you, I think I'll just admire him in the ring. I find you much more appealing outside of it."

He loved being able to see her face when she said something like that, and know she meant every word of it. He reached for her hand, holding it gently. "You just made my evening, Rosie."

She squeezed his big hand, looking into his eyes. "This makes mine, Glenn."

Suddenly, he wanted to be alone with her. Just the two of them. To talk and laugh and watch her face and not have to worry about anyone else. But he was cautious about pushing her, and he was determined not to rush back into bed with her, no matter how much he wanted her. He wanted to know they were friends first.

"Rosie, would you like to come back to the hotel with me? Just to talk," he hurried to add, seeing her eyes widen.

She glanced around the hospitality suite, seeing more than a few faces turned towards them, however casually, and nodded. "Might be nice to talk without an audience."

He chuckled. "They're just curious - remember, I'm not any good with women, so they're not used to seeing me with one."

Smiling, she shook her head. "You're good with this woman, that's all that matters to me."

He stood up, still holding her hand. "Come on, Rosie, let's get out of here."

Snagging her jacket with her free hand, she rose to her feet beside him, nodding. He led her out of the hospitality suite and into the corridors backstage. She looked around curiously at the bustle of activity, until they came to a halt opposite a pair of doors. Glenn smiled.

"I need to go in and grab my bag - don't go anywhere!"

She nodded, stepping over to lean against the wall, her jacket held in her arms. A few moments after Glenn disappeared through the doors, Mark came through them, a bag slung over one shoulder. He gave her a warm smile.

"Glenn won't be long. Did you enjoy the show, Rosie?"

Rosie looked up at him with a smile. "I did, thank you."

The door opened behind him, and Glen reappeared, carrying his own sports bag, giving Rosie a smile. "Mark and I are sharing a rental car, so he'll be coming back to the hotel with us."

Rosie nodded, slipping into her jacket and walking between the two big men as they headed for the parking garage. "Which hotel are you staying at?"

Glenn unlocked the rental car, a PT Cruiser. "The Sheraton."

Mark held the door for her. "Care to navigate for us?"

Chuckling, she climbed into the car. "Hardly need me to navigate for you, it's a straight shot down Second Avenue and then hang a left onto Union Street."

"Yeah, but this place is full of streets that go only one way - we've been caught before in Seattle!" Mark grinned at her from the back seat.

She turned to him, smiling. "You have a point. Most of us don't even think to tell folks that a street's one way - we're so used to it, we sort of don't notice any more."

###

It wasn't a long drive, but it felt interminable to Glenn. He kept stealing glances at Rosie, sitting in the passenger seat beside him, almost afraid that she might be some kind of desire-induced mirage. Finally, they were turning into the Sheraton's parking garage. Mark wished them goodnight as he left the elevator on his floor, and Glenn smiled at Rosie.

"I'd like to drop my bag in my room, then we can go find a quiet bar and talk."

She looked up at him. "Can we just talk in your room, Glenn?"

"Of course we can, kitten. I just didn't want you to think I was angling to get you in there straightaway."

She stepped closer to him, and reached out to take his hand, smiling up at him. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, smiling at her, and led her out of the elevator when it arrived on his floor. He opened the door to his room and stepped aside to let her enter first, then closed it after them, putting down his sports bag.

Rosie looked around the room, trying not to look at the king size bed that took up most of the space. Swallowing hard, she let her jacket slip from her shoulders, and then Glenn was beside her, his voice low as he took her jacket and lay it on the desk behind him.

"You look beautiful, Rosie."

She turned to smile at him, her hands adjusting the neckline of her sheer blouse nervously. "Not overdressed? I wasn't really sure what to wear to a live show. But I wanted to look nice for you."

He stepped closer to her then, taking those hands that seemed to want to flutter about, smiling at her. "You do. I remember you wearing this in Vegas. Very sexy."

A blush coloured her fair skin, which made her curse inwardly, but she met his gaze, even though she felt like she might shake herself apart with how badly she was trembling. Glenn sat down on the edge of the bed and very gently drew her closer to him, and she liked him for coming down to her eye level. He still held both of her hands in his.

"I've wanted to hug you since the moment I saw you in the hospitality suite," he finally said.

She gently removed her hands from his and moved closer to him, raising them to his shoulders as she whispered, "What's stopping you now?"

He reached out and wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her close to him. Her arms wound around his neck, her head on his shoulder, her eyes slipping closed at how good it felt. It was a long time before either of them moved, neither willing to let go, it seemed. Finally, Glenn's hands moved down to Rosie's waist, very gently moving her away from him. Her hands remained on his shoulders as she looked into his eyes.

"I was going to suggest we sit in those armchairs and make polite conversation, but I can see now that is not going to work," he smiled.

"Why is that?" she asked, her own lips curved into a little smile.

"Because I'm going to want you back in my arms in a very few short minutes. Do you think we could try sitting together on the bed?"

Her answer was to climb up on the bed beside him, raising one foot to the edge of it. He watched as she pulled up the leg of her jeans to unzip her ankle boot, tugging it off and dropping it to the floor beside the bed. Becoming aware of his gaze, she turned to look at him as she pulled the other foot up.

"Something wrong?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No. Just . . . why do you wear such high heels, kitten? Not that they aren't sexy . . . " his words trailed off, looking at the boot still on her foot. Laced up the front, with what had to be a five inch heel, in black leather. "Make that sexy as hell!"

She snorted, unzipping the boot and letting it fall to the floor beside its mate. "I need all the height advantage I can get, tiger. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a little on the short side."

"So why take them off now?"

"If we're going to sit together on the bed, then they aren't going to help me in the height department. And spike heels, no matter how much I adore them, are hell on soft furnishings," she grinned.

Laughing, Glenn bent down to take off his own shoes and then moved around to the other side of the bed, adjusting the pillows against the headboard before sitting down with his back to it. He held his arms out to her.

"Come here, you spunky little kitten."

Rosie's grin widened as she turned onto her hands and knees and crawled towards him, her eyes twinkling. He smiled - there was something decidedly feline about the way she moved. She settled beside him, drawing her legs up under her, and he wrapped his arm around her with a sigh of contentment, which she echoed as she nestled into his side.

"That's definitely better," he smiled.

"All kinds of better," Rosie agreed.

It was as if a dam had been breached. Once they were sitting close together physically, the words flowed naturally. They talked about all the things they usually talked about - Jagged Fang, the WWE, things they'd read that they thought might interest the other. The more they talked, the more relaxed they became together. The conversation turned to what Glenn's schedule was like while the company was in Washington.

With a smile, Glenn gently pulled Rosie into his lap, wrapping both arms around her. She nestled her head against his chest with a smile of her own.

"Well, tomorrow night's show is in Seattle again. We've got Sunday off, and then we have to be in Spokane for Raw on Monday night. And Portland for Smackdown taping on Tuesday."

"And then you fly home?" she asked.

"Actually, I kinda thought I might hang out on the west coast instead. Next week we're in California, so it does make sense, right?" She sat up from his chest to look into his face. He brought one hand up to caress her cheek. "I have to admit I was hoping to spend the time with you, if things went well between us."

Her voice was not much more than a whisper. "I'd like that very much."

He leaned in to her, murmuring one word before his lips met hers. "Good."

Her arms went back around his neck as they kissed, and Glenn stroked his hand over her back as their lips parted. "That's another thing I've wanted to do since the moment I first saw you tonight."

She smiled at him. "It was worth waiting for."

Glenn smiled, and then covered his mouth as he yawned. Rosie slid her hands slowly from around his neck, looking at him a little shyly.

"You're tired - I should go and let you get some sleep."

His arms tightened around her as he frowned. "How will you get home? You don't have a car."

She shrugged. "I came with James. But it's okay, I can get a cab."

"I don't even know where you live exactly." Glenn had to admit.

Rosie chuckled softly. "The warehouse is in Georgetown, just north of the airport. It's not that far away. An easy cab ride."

His hand stroked her back slowly. "I don't want you to leave."

She looked up into his face.

"Rosie, tell me - do you really want to go home tonight?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

She didn't trust her voice, and just shook her head. He hugged her close to him.

"Will you stay? Not because I think we should sleep together, not yet. But I can't let you leave - I just want you here with me. Please?"

She nodded, her head against his chest. "If you can lend me something to sleep in, then I'd love to stay."

He sighed with pleasure. "Kitten, you're making me a very happy man."

Rosie smiled, one fingertip tracing aimlessly over his chest. "Oh!"

"What?" He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

She sighed softly. "You calling me kitten when I'm in your arms - that just makes me melt."

He chuckled, his eyes closing as he savoured the feel of her so close to him. He caught himself as he was about to doze off.

"Okay, let me get a t-shirt for you Rosie," he said, shifting her gently off his lap.

She nodded, her eyelids feeling heavy. Now that her nerves had settled, the sleepless nights she'd had a result of them were catching up with her. Glenn laid a t-shirt on her lap, and she slipped off the bed with a little smile.

"I'll be right back," she said, heading for the bathroom.

Closing the door behind her, she undressed quickly, folding her clothes up neatly and pulling the t-shirt over her head. She used some tissues and the little bottle of generic hotel moisturizer to take off her eye makeup before coming back into the room, leaving her clothes on the table near her jacket.

Glenn had undressed to his shorts and a t-shirt and was sitting on the edge of the bed when Rosie came out of the bathroom. His t-shirt was huge on her, falling almost to her knees, and it looked absolutely adorable, making him give her a wide grin. She chuckled as she came over and climbed up onto the bed.

"Something funny, tiger?"

He swung his legs up onto the bed and turned to her, pulling her gently into his arms as he shook his head. "Just thinking how good my t-shirt looks on you, kitten."

She wrapped her arms around his neck with a little grin of her own. "There's plenty of room in it, that's for sure!"

He lay back, taking her with him. "Now, I know I've asked this before, but - don't go nowhere, okay?"

She snuggled in close to him, leaning up to kiss him. "This time, I'll keep my promise - I wouldn't dream of it."

###

The low buzzing of the alarm clock gradually penetrated Glenn's consciousness, and he reached out blindly with one hand to silence it, fumbling until he found the right button. As he opened his eyes, he smiled, feeling the unmistakable sensation of another body in the bed with him. He turned his head, his smile widening as he saw Rosie still fast asleep beside him.

She was curled up on her side, cuddled in close to him, her rumpled red hair a shock of colour against the white of the pillowcase. And she was the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen. He propped himself on one elbow to look at her, resisting the urge to run his fingers through her hair, not wanting to wake her just yet.

This was the first chance he'd had to really look at her, to take in all the details of her appearance that had escaped his notice in Vegas, and to do it in a leisurely fashion. There was that red hair - it was a shade or two lighter than Mark's had been back when they'd first started wrestling together. Her skin was fair, like his, apart from a scattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

There was a faint white line across her cheekbone, and he frowned, looking at it. That was where the bruise had been that night in Vegas, he realized, and that was the scar from the scratch. He wanted to kiss it - both to take it away and to thank it, because in a perverse way, if it hadn't been for that asshole Simon, he might never have gotten to know Rosie better.

Her face wasn't classically pretty, but to him, it was perfection. While she was sleeping, perhaps some might think her plain, but that was because her face wasn't alive with her character. Those green eyes that always seemed to be laughing, and the way everything she felt was reflected in her expression.

He grinned to himself as he counted the piercings in her earlobes - there were four studs in addition to the earring that lay against her neck, and a tiny silver cuff higher up on her ear. And he remembered only too well the stud through her tongue. He was pretty sure her nipples weren't pierced, but he was damned if he could remember if her bellybutton was - he'd been way too drunk that night to recollect details like that, which was a shame.

Still, if everything went well, he would get the chance to discover her all over again, sober this time. He found himself looking forward to that prospect immensely.

Rosie stirred beside him, giving a little yawn as she opened her eyes. She saw Glenn propped up beside her, and smiled sleepily at him, stretching as she did.

"Good morning."

His smile grew even wider. "Good morning, kitten."

Her eyes widened a little, and she gave a delighted wriggle beside him. "Ohhh, now that's a wonderful way to wake up!"

He laughed, reaching out to run his fingers through her hair. "That wriggle's just put a shine on my morning, let me tell you!"

She chuckled, moving in closer to him to hug him. "This is kind of neat, too, Glenn,"

Wrapping his arms around her, he sighed contentedly, resting his chin on the top of her head. "This is the best part, Rosie. Did you sleep okay?"

She nodded her head, nuzzling her cheek to his chest as she did. "Like a baby." She raised her head to look at him, smiling. "I'm kinda sorry I missed out on this in Vegas, if you want the truth."

Glenn smiled. "I know what you mean. But I think we would have been awkward with one another that morning. And maybe I wouldn't have got the chance to get to call you in Seattle and get to know you better. I'd rather have it this way."

Rosie blushed a little. "I know I would have been awkward with you. I'm pretty good at that, usually."

"You're doing okay this morning, Rosie kitten," he smiled, hugging her close.

She chuckled wryly. "Give me a few minutes. I'm sure I'll put my foot in it sooner or later."

"Nah," he laughed. "Never happen. We're buds, right? That kinda thing doesn't happen to us . . . or if it does, it just makes us laugh."

Thinking back on the conversations they'd had, and how often they laughed about their own social awkwardness, Rosie couldn't help but grin at him. Glenn grinned back, and leaned down to kiss her lightly.

"So, wanna come and have breakfast with me?" he asked, shifting on the bed to get more comfortable with her in his arms.

Rosie chewed on her bottom lip. "You guys all usually eat in the restaurant, don't you?"

"Is that a problem?"

She chuckled. "It is if I'm turning up in the outfit they saw me in last night."

Glenn's brows drew together and then he realized what she was saying. "Oh! Jeez, Rosie, sorry - I never even thought about that!"

"I'm not worried about me, Glenn. But I remembered what you said about trying to keep your private life private. I'm pretty sure that'd be out the window if I had breakfast with you this morning."

"Then we can eat here, Rosie," he decided.

She sat up beside him with a smile. "Were you serious about wanting to spend time with me?"

"Of course I was, Rosie!"

"Then I have another idea."

"I'm listening." He sat up beside her, his arm around her shoulders.

She nestled into his side with a smile. "You go and have breakfast with the guys, while I grab a cab and go back to the warehouse. I can shower and change my clothes, and meet you back here later."

"On one condition," he smiled.

"Name it."

"Pack a bag? I'd really like it if you stayed with me, if you can."

"I'd like that, Glenn," she smiled, if a little nervously. "Um, how were you planning to get around while you were here?"

"Mark and I usually split a rental. But he knew you were here, so he figured he'd be travelling alone most of the time. I was going to rent another car for us."

She smiled. "I have a car - could we travel in that?"

"Kitten, absolutely we can - even if it's a Volkswagen!"

The thought of Glenn squeezing himself into such a small car had Rosie in fits of laughter, which made Glenn grin. She wiped her eyes and looked at him, grinning herself. "It's not a Volkswagen, tiger."

"All the better! So, you sure you don't want to have breakfast with me here?"

She nodded. "I need to do some things in the office if I'm gonna be taking a few days off. Not that I think James or Shane figured I'd get much done this week in any case! Besides, I'm not exactly fresh as a daisy at the moment." She blushed a little.

Glenn remembered something, and he pressed a kiss to the top of Rosie's head with a whisper. "Wait here, kitten."

She nodded, her cheeks still suffused with colour, expecting to hear the bathroom door close any moment. She looked up with surprise when instead Glenn sat back on the bed next to her. Her surprise only intensified when she noticed the blush on his cheeks.

"Um, you could always change into these," he stammered as he lay something in her lap.

Her eyes widened as she saw it, blushing furiously as she recognized the black satin panties she'd left behind in his room in Vegas. She looked at him, and he held his hands up, blushing more himself.

"It's not how it looks, Rosie, I swear! I found them on the floor the next morning, when I was packing. Mark was there, and I didn't want him seeing them. And I didn't want some cleaner taking them as a souvenir, either. So I took them." He was looking at her nervously. "I washed them, and I put them away until I could work out how to get them back to you. If you hadn't wanted to see me here in Seattle, or if we'd not become friends, I would have sent them to you by mail."

That admission, and the way he was blushing, completely melted her, and she leaned up to kiss his cheek, still blushing herself as her fingers closed over the panties in her lap. "Thank you, Glenn."

His arm went around her, hugging her close. "You have no idea how nervous I was about giving those back to you! I didn't want you to get the wrong idea about me - like I was some kind of creep who'd been carrying your underwear around with him."

"I would never think that about you, Glenn," she said, snuggling into him.

"Thanks, Rosie. Still, I feel much better now I've given them back to you."

She just nodded, and was silent for a long moment before speaking. "I should go and get dressed, let you get your breakfast."

He wanted to insist she stay, but he sensed this was another of those situations Rosie might need to handle at her own pace. Like having Shane and James at the show last night. He kissed her temple, hugging her once more. "Okay, kitten. How long do you think you'll need?"

"Couple of hours?" she suggested.

He leaned over to glance at the clock, then nodded. "Then I might tag along to Mark's appearance this morning, if that's okay. We'll be done by noon. You could meet us at the arena then."

"You need to be at the arena from noon? The show doesn't start 'til like seven thirty." Rosie was puzzled.

Glenn shrugged. "Work isn't just the show. There's meetings, costume fittings, match planning. I usually get in a gym workout too." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "You know, I hadn't really thought about that, but it'll be kind of boring for you. I mean, I can't spend the whole afternoon with you."

She smiled at him then. "I remember you saying that you didn't have a lot of time between appearances, but that you'd like coming back to me when you did."

"Very true, kitten," he smiled.

"Then I can bring something with me to keep me occupied while you're busy. Hell, if I bring my laptop, I can work while you do."

Glenn pulled her into a hug, grinning. "I don't know when I've looked forward to going to work more, kitten!"

Laughing, they agreed on the details of where to meet, and then Rosie went into the bathroom to dress. Coming out, she sat on the bed beside Glenn to put on her boots, while he watched, making playful growling noises. He kissed her before he would let her leave, and then snuck in another one as he helped her on with her jacket, making her giggle. They were both grinning as he saw her out, and both were thinking that the afternoon would not come soon enough.

###

Paying the cab outside the Jagged Fang entrance, Rosie stepped out and headed for the door, fishing in her pocket for the keys. Before she could get them out, James had appeared at the door, opening it for her. As she entered, she could see Shane waiting at the top of the stairs. Both of them looked at her expectantly.

"What? Were you watching for me? Fuck, that's creepy!" she shouldered past James and headed up the stairs.

Shane chuckled. "I think it's a safe bet to assume you didn't get any last night, not if your mood is anything to go by!"

"You know what they say about making assumptions," Rosie couldn't help but grin at her partner in crime.

As she passed him, heading for the stairs to the loft, Shane swatted her butt playfully. "Don't I get details?"

Her response was to raise her finger to him without turning to look at him, although she was chuckling as she went up the stairs, slipping off her jacket.

Shane turned to look at James with a grin. "Do we dare hope things went well?"

James looked thoughtfully at the stairs where Rosie had disappeared. "She was smiling. That's a good sign. And hey, she was out all night - I'm kinda assuming myself that she spent the night with him."

"So how do we find out? And is it creepy that I want to know?" Shane asked.

"You just leave that to me," James winked.

He refused to be drawn further, and Shane gave up, heading for his desk to start work.

###

Upstairs, Rosie dropped her jacket on her bed and undressed, putting on her bathrobe and heading to the bathroom to shower. She was back in her room, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, laying clothes on her bed as she decided what to pack when James came upstairs, carrying two cups of coffee.

He stood at the doorway to her room, watching her for a moment. Her hair was still damp, and she was barefoot. He took in the clothes on the bed with a chuckle.

"You're running away from home?"

She looked up at him, grinning. "Yeah, James - decided to blow this pop stand and take my show on the road."

He came in, holding out her coffee to her. "Not before you've had a coffee, I assume?"

She didn't respond until she'd taken a mouthful. "On second thoughts, where am I gonna find someone who knows just how I like my coffee?"

He sat down on the edge of her bed, chuckling. "I think Glenn could probably learn, Rosie."

She didn't reply, but he could see the colour rising in her face. She set the cup down on the bureau and went on with her sorting before she spoke. "Yeah, well maybe."

"I take it things went okay last night?" Gently does it, he thought to himself.

She nodded. "Yeah, they did."

It was going to be like pulling teeth, he realized. Fortunately, he'd had years to get used to Rosie's quirks. "I'm glad, Rosie. And you're obviously going to spend more time with him."

She nodded again, taking out her duffle and beginning to put the clothes into it. "He asked if I'd stay with him while he's here."

"Well that's good, isn't it?"

She smiled then, but she didn't meet his eyes. "Yeah, it is. Dunno what's going to come of it, but we'll see, I guess."

James had to admit, he couldn't be entirely objective about this, loving Rosie as he did, but he didn't know how she could possibly doubt that. He'd seen the way Glenn looked at her the night before. Hell, looking at her now, he could completely understand why the man would want her. The jeans and t-shirt she wore just emphasised her figure, and once she added the spike heeled boots he was sure she would wear, she went from pretty damned attractive to sexy as hell in nothing flat.

"What did you guys do?"

She shrugged. "Just talked. We're working on being friends for now."

Which would explain the very casual clothes she was packing. "So, you're gonna be gone how long?"

She shrugged again. "Depends on whether he can put up with me. He's working here 'til Tuesday night. Then maybe a few days after that. Unless he decides to go on to California early."

James would bet the profits from 'Last Man Standing" that wasn't going to happen. Rosie wasn't nearly as bad as she thought she was, and he was pretty sure Glenn was made of sterner stuff than the kinds of jackasses she'd dated in the past.

Then she looked at him with a strange expression. "Unless you need me in the office, of course."

He blinked and then shook his head. He could just bet she was looking for an excuse to book before she supposedly screwed things up. Well, he wasn't giving her an out. "You show your face in here for the next week, unless you have Glenn in tow to give him the grand tour, and I'll toss your ass out the door and change the locks!"

She looked startled. "You wouldn't!"

"The hell I wouldn't! Rosie, you got a great guy there - you think Shane or I would stand in the way of you and him getting together? I figure if I really need you, I can send you an text message. But there's nothing that urgent on right now, and you know it."

Her expression showed hope now, and James got up and crossed to her, giving her a hug. He could feel her shaking.

"I'm so scared, James. What if it all goes wrong?"

He hugged her closer. "And what if it doesn't? What if you have a great time together as friends?"

She snorted. "Yeah, sure."

He lifted her chin so he could look into her face. "Hey, you and Shane and I have a good time as friends all the time. And I've seen you with David and Layla, anad the team here - you've got lots of friends, Rosie, and we can't all be wrong about you."

Her voice was very small. "I like him so much, James."

"I know, Rosie. And I know he likes you - I could see that plain as day last night. It'll be fine, trust me."

She hugged him again, and then stepped back from him with a little smile. "Okay, I need to finish packing."

James nodded, collecting the empty coffee cups. "We'll see you downstairs in a bit then."

He went downstairs, and was putting the cups in the dishwasher when Shane appeared at his shoulder. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, did she and Glenn get it on? Come on, James, don't make me chokeslam it out of you!"

James laughed. "You're watching too much wrestling!"

Shane just turned pleading eyes on him, and finally James relented. "She spent the night with him, but all they did was talk."

"That's a step in a right direction at least!"

"More than a step - he's asked her to stay with him for the week."

Shane barely restrained a whoop of delight, glancing up at the ceiling. "Now that is good news! Wait, how's she taking it?"

"She's hoping and scared at the same time."

Shane sank down on the arm of the couch. "Fuck. Poor baby - wish there was something we could do to help."

"I think this one's in the lap of the gods, and Glenn."

"I trust Glenn to do the right thing - man's okay in my books for how he's been wwith Rosie so far," Shane nodded.

"Gotta agree with you there," James said.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs brought their conversation to a halt, and they looked over to see Rosie carrying her bag down the stairs. She was wearing her boots now, and she dropped her jacket on the bag and came over to them. Shane smiled, and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"Hey baby girl. Hear you're finally leaving me for Glenn - you do know this means I have to kill him, right?"

She laughed, as he'd hoped she would, and tousled his blonde hair. "Well, I'm just Glenn's bud, so I think he's safe for now."

"Just as well. I'm a lover, not a fighter. At least, I am when it comes to someone big enough to punt me into the middle of next week without breaking a sweat," Shane grinned.

Rosie chuckled. "You know, he's really actually kind of a sweetheart. But he did play football in college, so you might be right about the punting thing."

Shane clapped a hand over his chest, eyes wide. "Rosie, baby girl, tell me it's not true - you're dating a jock? And you a card-carrying geek - oh God, the pain . . . "

Chuckling more, Rosie smacked his shoulder. "I told you, I'm not dating him! But if I was, would the fact that he's a closet geek cut me any slack? I mean, he does love our games."

"Well, maybe I could let it slide, just this once," Shane grinned. "Provided you come good with that blonde's phone number."

"Blonde?" Rosie looked puzzled.

"Yeah, the blonde - the one with the wicked grin last night," Shane said. When she still didn't seem to remember, he prompted her further. "In the ring? The match after Glenn's - there were four hotties, although I'm pretty sure you were still basking in post-orgasmic bliss after seeing Glenn looking as sexy as fuck up there."

That earned him another smack on the shoulder, although Rosie did grin. "Oh yeah, now I remember. Ah, hate to tell you this, but Adam's kind of a jerk in person."

"And your point is?" Shane chuckled. "I love bad boys!"

James laughed. "What kind of a jerk, Rosie?"

Rosie leaned against Shane's shoulder, chuckling. "The kind who appeared a second after Glenn did in the hospitality suite, wanting to be introduced to his 'little friend'. Although he should have said 'little friends', plural, since it did appear that he was mostly interested in making the acquaintance of my breasts!"

Shane gaped at her. "Wait, let me get this straight - Adam, and what a name, I'm half in love with him already, has the balls to come up to you when you're with Glenn and stare at your boobs?"

Rosie nodded. "Yep, that's about the size of it."

"And Glenn didn't punt him into the middle of next week?"

"I told you, Glenn's not that kind of guy. Besides, he knows I'm not interested in anyone but him . . . " Suddenly, Rosie blushed furiously. She hadn't intended to admit anything like that, not while she was still just focusing on being friends with him.

Shane was about to tease her about that when he caught the warning glare James shot him and quickly changed the subject. "So okay, Adam's perhaps not such a prize. What about the other hotties?"

Rosie shook her head for a second, but then stopped. "I don't know about Christian, but I did meet the Hardy brothers. They actually recognized me - said they were fans, which kinda confused Adam. I got to love them a little bit for that! Jeff said they'd been playing 'Tooth and Claw' since it came out. And they've already ordered 'Last Man Standing'."

Both James and Shane grinned at that. Knowing that there were other wrestlers who enjoyed their games was pretty cool, but more importantly, it meant Rosie might feel a bit more at ease around Glenn's colleagues as a result.

Shane nudged Rosie with his shoulder. "So they're really brothers?"

She nodded. "And nice guys too."

"Brothers, huh. I've never dated brothers," Shane said in a musing tone, although his grin said he had no intention of doing anything of the sort.

"And you wonder why I'm leaving you for Glenn?" Rosie snorted, ruffling his hair again as she headed for her office.

They watched her go before turning to one another.

James was the first to speak. "I'm thinking Rosie's gonna do just fine with Glenn's company."

Shane grinned. "I'm thinking she's gonna do just fine with Glenn, which is more important!"

James laughed, heading for his office. As he passed Rosie's, he glanced in at her. She had her favourite Maloperra messenger bag on the desk, about to stow her laptop in it. He paused.

"Please tell me you're taking that with you so you can get a LAN game going with Glenn!"

She shook her head, neatly folding the power cord and securing it before tucking it into the bag. "Nope. Well, maybe we might do that, but actually I'm taking it so I can work." With that thought, she dug around her desk and added a game controller and LAN hub to the bag.

He blinked. "Work? Like hell you are!"

She looked at him with a smile. "Relax, James. As it happens, Glenn's got to be at the venue from noon when they have a show. They have lots of stuff to do before shows, and he was worried I'd be bored. I figured why not work while he's working? That way, I can relax when we're just hanging out, and not have to worry about being too far behind when I get back to the office."

James looked relieved, coming in to sit down opposite her. "Okay, I can see that."

She nodded, continuing to work as they spoke. Into the bag went magazines she had yet to read, and, after a moment's thought, her sketch pad. She wasn't the world's greatest artist, but she was capable of concept sketches at least. She sat down at her desk and booted up her desktop, and started transferring files to a thumb drive. While the files were copying, she unplugged the charger for her cellphone and added it to the bag, along with her wireless modem.

James observed all of this with a smile. He was pretty sure she wouldn't get much work done but then Rosie was still full of surprises, even as long as he'd known her. For all he knew, she'd come back with full game concepts for three or four new projects and a contract with the WWE to build a game for them as well.

As she worked, Rosie glanced at her watch, a little startled to see how late it was getting. The afternoon was coming around far quicker than she had reckoned, and she felt the mix of anticipation and nerves that had been such a feature of her life leading up to this weekend.

James followed her glance, and resisted the urge to chuckle. No delicate, ladylike timepieces for Rosie - this one was a chunky stainless steel dial on a black leather band that Shane had given her for Christmas a few years ago. At least she hadn't teamed it with the usual studded leather wristband, but perhaps she wasn't trying to frighten Glenn off just yet.

"I need to get going," Rosie said, disconnecting the thumb drive and shutting down her desktop.

He nodded, standing up as she did. "Rosie?"

"Hmmm?" She didn't look up as she reattached the thumb drive to her keyring.

James wasn't put off, coming around behind to desk to hug her. "Have a good time, okay?"

Rosie clung to him for a moment, and he could feel her shaking again. "I will try, James."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "And bring Glenn by to visit. I'm sure he'd love to see where the 'magic' happens! And maybe we'll get lucky and the first copies of 'Last Man Standing' will arrive next week, so you can give him his copy in person."

"Already thought about that," she grinned up at him. "Might even get him to bring the mask and pose for a promotional photo - how about that?"

James looked at her speculatively. "You think he'd do it?"

Rosie suddenly recalled the conversation in the bar in Vegas, and what she'd 'offered' him for a publicity photo and review of the game, and a crimson blush coloured her cheeks. "Maybe."

James hugged her again. "Well, even if he doesn't, you should still bring him here. It's got to be part of the sight seeing tour while he's in Seattle, right?"

"When we're back in Seattle," Rosie said, remembering what Glenn had told her the night before about his schedule. "We're heading for Spokane tomorrow I think, and then Portland. But there's no way in hell I'm staying in Portland any longer than I have to."

Which James could understand perfectly, since Portland was Simon's turf. "At least Glenn will be with you."

"This is true." Rosie looked around her office one last time and picked up her messenger bag. "Okay, I gotta hit the road. I want to gas up before I meet Glenn."

James retrieved her bag and jacket, and Shane waved as they headed for the parking garage. She locked the dufflebag in the trunk, lifted her messenger bag onto the passenger seat and pulled her jacket on. Leaning in, she put the key in the ignition and hit the button to retract the soft top, then she straightened and turned to James.

He smiled, hugging her close. "It'll be fine, Rosie."

She sighed. "I hope you're right."

He just patted her shoulder as he let go, chuckling. "I'm always right. Have a good time, okay?"

Rosie looked like she was about to say something, but then she turned and got into the car, starting the engine. She gave him a brief wave before backing the Caddy up and driving away, and James counted himself lucky he'd gotten even that much of a goodbye from her.

It wasn't that she was rude, exactly - more that she got so focused on what was happening next that she sometimes forgot about the social niceties. He was used to it, as were most of her friends. He guessed Glenn would have the chance to get used to it himself over the next week.

###

By the time Rosie had gassed up the Caddy and made the drive to the arena, it was just after noon. Glenn had left her name with security, and she was given a pass and a parking permit when she drove up to the security parking area. As the guards checked her details, she was conscious of the scrutiny of the fans gathered nearby, and was glad when they let her enter the underground carpark.

Among the fans, though, was someone who was far more interested in the green Caddy than in any other vehicle that had arrived so far. Siimon Brown smirked unpleasantly. He'd just known that Rosie was still involved with that wrestler - how else would she be getting into the secure parking area? This little trip had paid for itself already.

If anyone had suggested to Siimon that he was obsessed with Rosie, he would have scoffed. Indeed, that's just what he had done when his lawyer had rather cautiously suggested that his interest in Jagged Fang and its founders was bordering on fixation. He'd laughed that off, saying he was just keeping an eye on the competition. All the same, he'd not mentioned this trip to his lawyer.

Who had been incensed when the FBI had dropped in to question Siimon about the hack attempt on Jagged Fang's website and server. Over the years, he'd managed to school Siimon in the art of 'sitting there and shutting up', and he was never more grateful for it on that occasion. The evidence was pretty damning, and he hoped that Siimon wasn't in the habit of playing poker, because his face registered his complete shock when they confronted him with the IP address they'd traced to his office.

When the subpoena had arrived from Vegas, Siimon had been all fired up to take on Rosie in court. He'd paid private investigators to try to dig up whatever they could on her and that wrestler, and had come up empty. The only thing he had was the delivery of a gift basket, but even that was a dead end, because they couldn't work out who had sent it.

He'd had to be forcefully dissuaded from pursuing that case, only reluctantly agreeing to plead no contest out of fear the FBI might one day link the server hack to him. But it didn't mean he wasn't still determined to find out what was going on with Rosie and that wrestler.

What precisely he'd do with that information when he had it, he wasn't entirely sure. He just . . . needed to know. And so, when he'd heard that the WWE were coming to Seattle, he'd purchased tickets for all the shows. He thought he'd seen Rosie last night, but he wasn't sure. Today though - he'd been right to come here. He figured she might show up with the wrestler. She hadn't, but the fact that she was here said she was somehow connected with him.

Of course, she could be here to talk to the company about a new game. Imperial had bid, unsuccessfully, on a number of the games the WWE wanted to make but that didn't mean that Rosie hadn't manage to wrangle a meeting on the basis of fucking one of their superstars. Siimon seethed, although if pressed, he probably couldn't say whether it was Rosie maybe having a chance at a lucrative contract or fucking someone other than him that had him riled.

That did settle one thing, though - he was going to go to all the shows and see what else he could learn about Rosie and that wrestler.

###

Rosie pulled the Caddy into a carspace on the level she'd been directed to, and laid the permit on the dash before getting out. Glenn had said he would meet her at the entrance on this level, but she took a quick glance around and couldn't see him.

She was just debating with herself about whether she should wait near her car or, a much scarier prospect, go over and wait by the entrance when a PT Cruiser pulled into the space beside the Cadillac. The passenger door opened, and Glenn smiled at her.

"Hi Rosie. Been waiting long?"

She shook her head, trying to ignore how her heart wanted to beat just that little bit faster on seeing him. "Only just arrived myself."

Glenn closed the car door behind him and smiled again, looking at her. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms and kiss her, but he resisted the temptation - the last thing he wanted to do was make her more nervous. He settled for wrapping one arm around her shoulders and giving her a brief squeeze. She smiled up at him, her arm going around his waist to return the hug.

Mark came around the Cruiser and gave a low whistle, looking at the Caddy. Glenn belatedly turned his attention to Rosie's car and his eyebrows went up.

"This is your car, kitten?" he managed to say, taking in the elegant convertible.

Rosie nodded, reaching out to pat the Caddy. "This is my baby, yep."

Mark grinned. "You drive a vintage Cadillac convertible . . . well if that don't beat all! Glenn was worried you had some zippy little thing and his knees would be up around his ears all week!"

Rosie giggled a little and poked Glenn in the ribs. "I told you it wasn't a Volkswagon! You should have inferred from that it wasn't a small car."

Mark lifted out a pair of sport bags from the back seat and left one of them beside the Cruiser, hefting the other onto his shoulder. "I'll see you inside, buddy," he said with a look at Glenn.

"Uh huh," was Glenn's rather distracted response.

The reason for his distraction was nestled into his side, and wearing a very snug white t-shirt under her leather jacket. He darted a quick look around and then turned, picking her up in his arms. Rosie gave a startled little squawk and clutched at his shoulders, and he just smiled as he sat her on the hood of the Cruiser, nuzzling his nose to hers.

"That's better," he said.

She had to smile. She did like how he always tried to bring her to his eye level, instead of making her crane to look up at him. He glanced over his shoulder at the Caddy again.

"So how did you end up with a classic Cadillac, kitten? That thing's got to be older than you are! Hell, it may even be older than me!"

She shrugged. "It was my grandfather's. When I was a little girl, I just loved it, because it was my favourite colour - that pretty shimmery green. He gave it to me when I graduated from college. Said I'd earned it."

"Yeah?" Glenn leaned against the Cruiser, his arm around her waist.

She leaned into him with a smile. "My grandfather is a mathematician. He was so thrilled that I'd followed somewhat in his footsteps with computer science that he made up his mind that if I graduated with a 4.0 average, he'd give me the Caddy."

"Did you know he was going to do it?" Glenn asked.

"I had no idea! But, I loved comp sci, and I guess I had the brains for it, so I got my 4.0. We went out to dinner after Commencement, and he handed me the keys. Said the only condition was that I was never to sell it - he said if I ever decided I didn't want it anymore, he'd buy it back off me, even if it sat in his garage til he died."

"I can't imagine wanting to sell it," Glenn mused, taking in the long sleek lines of the Caddy, from the sabre-spoke wheels and whitewall tires all the way down to the tail fins.

Rosie chuckled. "Me neither! I have to admit though, having someone as tall as you as a passenger makes me doubly glad I'm driving it and not some compact model!" She nudged his shoulder playfully.

He laughed, pulling her closer. "And just how does my little kitten see over the hood of that big car, huh?"

"Six way adjustable power seating, thank you very much - that's something of a plus to owning a luxury car!" she chuckled again.

"We'll certainly be travelling in style this weekend!"

She grinned at him. "I always travel in style, Glenn. That's just how I roll."

That did it - he scooped her up in his arms with a grin. She flung her arms around his neck to hang on, which was precisely what he'd hoped she would do, and he leaned in to kiss her. Strictly speaking, it was probably not quite a "just friends" kind of kiss, but from the way her arms tightened around his neck, he didn't think she really minded. He nuzzled his nose to hers as the kiss ended, and smiled.

"Probably time I got to work, Rosie," he said.

She nodded. "Wouldn't want you to get in dutch on my account."

He set her down carefully, and watched as she leaned into the car to grab her messenger bag. Again, not in a manner that befit someone who was "just friends", but he hadn't forgotten how delectable her behind was in jeans, and was just checking to make sure he was remembering it right. She hit the button for the power roof, and stepped back as the soft top arched up and locked into place. As she locked the doors, Glenn picked up his sports bag, and together they walked towards the entrance.

Security there had another pass for her, one that granted her backstage access, and she hung it around her neck, giving Glenn a grin. "Any more of these, and I'm going to be walking hunched over!" She gestured to the pair of passes she was currently sporting.

"Hmmm," Glenn pretended to think. "Perhaps I should get you a 'Security personnel' pass then - I can tell everyone you're my new bodyguard."

Rosie snorted laughter as she looked up at him. "Oh yeah, like anyone's gonna buy that!"

He let his eyes travel over her - the black leather jacket, the jeans, the studded leather belt - all the way down to the pointed toes of her black leather boots. "I dunno - I don't think I want to mess with you. You look like trouble."

With a grin, she elbowed him. "You have no idea, buddy!"

It was his turn to laugh, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he led her down the hall. "Come on then, trouble. Let's find you some place to spend the afternoon."

###

Rosie was a little surprised to find how many other non-wrestlers were around backstage, but the knowledge that she wasn't the only one helped her relax a little. Even so, Glenn commandeered an empty office for her and she smiled at his thoughtfulness. Seeing the look on her face, he bent to kiss her cheek.

"Hey, I know it's got to be a little overwhelming being here. And I also know you want to work. In here, at least it'll be quiet." There was a crash out in the hallway, and he chuckled. "Okay, so maybe it'll just be 'quiet-er'!"

She laughed, her hand coming up to caress his cheek briefly. "I'm a programmer, Glenn - I can work with five guys playing a Quake deathmatch around me!"

His eyes widened. "Quake? Dude, that is like one of my favourite games! Even if it isn't one of Jagged Fang's." He winked, grinning.

She grinned back. "Oh, now you're in serious trouble!"

He hugged her close. "And why's that?"

She looked up at him, laughing. "There's no way you can beat me in Quake, buddy - I am a freakin' speedrunning machine! But hey, I'll whup your ass for you, anytime!" She winked back.

"Any time, trouble. Once I work out an appropriate forfeit for you to come up with when I kick your butt," he grinned. "But for now - let's go grab some lunch."

She glanced at her messenger bag. "Any way we can lock the door? I'd hate to lose my laptop."

He checked behind the door and came up with a key, grinning. "Your trade secret software will be safe now!"

Rosie meantime had taken off her jacket and was putting her keys and cellphone into her jeans pockets. She dangled the keys in front of her face, flicking at the thumb drive with her fingertip. "Oh no. All my files stay with me, they're way too valuable to risk. I'd just hate to lose the laptop and all my music. Not to mention it's got Quake installed on it!"

Glenn escorted her out into the hall and locked the office behind them, handing her the key. "Then your music's safe. And your copy of Quake!" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder again.

"Thanks, Glenn," she smiled, hugging him around the waist.

They made their way to Catering, while Rosie looked around, once more curious at the hive of activity going on already. She recognized various wrestlers, and Matt Hardy gave her a wave as he passed them in the corridor. That made her feel good.

During their lunch, she was introduced to more of the wrestlers as they approached her and Glenn with genuine smiles and interest. For all that Glenn insisted he was shy, it was obvious that he was also well liked in the company, if their attitudes towards him were anything to go by. Especially the women - she lost count of how many of them, each remarkably beautiful in their own way, hurried up to greet him and ask to be introduced to her.

The first time it happened, Rosie was prepared for what she was used to as a typical female reaction - an ersatz smile as she was coolly assessed and found wanting. Not pretty enough to be counted as an equal in that mystical 'beautiful people' club that seemed to exist in some places, and yet a little too attractive to be deemed not a threat.

She was braced for it, in fact, as Trish, a stunning blonde, looked over at her, and found herself astonished as Trish's genuine smile stayed in place and she reached out to take Rosie's offered hand.

"I am so glad to meet you! You were the talk of the restaurant this morning, seeing how Glenn's been keeping you a secret!"

Rosie knew she was blushing, and when she darted a glance at Glenn, she saw the colour in his face as well.

"Rosie and I are just friends, Trish. And I wasn't keeping her a secret . . . " Glenn was almost stammering.

Trish chuckled, leaning in to give Glenn a hug. "I'm just teasing you, hon! I think it's fair to say we're all just happy that you're happy."

It wasn't until Glenn was walking her back to the office that she was going to be using that he had a chance to say anything to her about Trish's reaction.

"She was exaggerating . . . a bit. You weren't quite the talk of the restaurant, Rosie. But yeah, a lot of people were interested in who my guest was. 'Specially after Matt and Jeff were bouncing around all excited to have met you."

She looked up at him, her cheeks colouring. "So much for privacy, huh?"

Glenn shrugged, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "They don't mean anything by it. But it's a small company - well, the travelling part of it is, anyway. And there is me being kinda hopeless with women."

Rosie chuckled. "I don't think you're hopeless with women, Glenn. The ones I met today seem to like you plenty. Just like me."

"The Divas? Well, they're colleagues, you know - friends. And you're . . . well, you're special to me," he smiled at her.

The quiver was back. Big time. She tried to ignore it, but she still found herself hugging him back tightly. They were outside the office, and she dug into her pocket for the key, opening the door and then looking up at Glenn. Their eyes locked for a long moment, and his hand came out to gently cup her face, his thumb brushing very lightly over her cheek. She almost forgot to breathe, unconsciously leaning into his touch.

Finally, he tore his hand away, almost regretfully if the expression on his face was anything to go by. It took him a couple of tries before he could speak.

"I . . . there's a meeting I have to get to. It's gonna take a couple of hours, but I'll come see you when I'm done, okay?"

She nodded. "I'll be here."

He gave her a smile and bent to kiss her cheek. "I know. And you have no idea how happy that makes me. See you soon, kitten."

She watched him walk away, smiling herself, before turning to go into the office. She took out her laptop and plugged it in, and while it booted up, she dug out her notebook, a legal pad and a handful of pencils. Sitting down, she attached the thumbdrive and called up one of the modules of code she was writing, and then flicked to the page in her notebook with the module outline.

She read quickly through the code she had already written, tapping her pencil on the pad, and before long she was deep in thought, formulating new code. Her pencil scratched over the paper, constructing the algorithms, intently focused on the complex arguments nested inside one another. A part of her would always be in love with the beauty of programming - the inherently logical constructs spoke to her in a way that music or art spoke to others.

###

Glenn found her still immersed in the code when he arrived back a few hours later. He stood in the doorway, watching her silently as her attention flicked between the legal pad and her laptop as she typed in the code she had been writing. He smiled, leaning against the doorframe, perfectly content to just watch her.

Rosie caught the movement reflected on her screen and turned, smiling when she saw him in the doorway.

"Have you been there long?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. Was just . . . watching you work."

She blushed. "I get kind of caught up. Guess I should have warned you that you need to get my attention - and I mean, actually come in and get in my face. I shut everything out when I'm coding."

"I didn't mind, kitten - it's not like I've had my fill of looking at you just yet," he smiled.

She blushed harder, and turned back to her computer to cover it. "I should save this, give me a second."

He stayed in the doorway, no matter how much he wanted to go in and kiss her, or even just sit near her. He didn't want to crowd her, or to make her nervous. And he was serious about wanting to confirm their friendship before they went any further. If they were going to attempt a long distance relationship, they were going to need friendship as a foundation first.

Once the file had saved, Rosie closed the laptop screen and stood up, moving towards where Glenn stood. He smiled and opened his arms to her, pleased when she came into them and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her with a contented sigh.

"Did your meeting go okay?" she asked, her face nuzzled into his chest.

"Yeah, it was good. You get a lot of work done?" He stroked his fingers through her hair gently.

"Uh huh. But I could stand a break." She looked up at him with a smile. "When's your next meeting?"

"In about an hour," he smiled at her. "Want to wander around? I can show you some of the stuff that goes on backstage, if you're interested."

"That sounds like fun, yeah," she said.

He waited while she locked up the office, and then held out his hand to her. She took it with a smile and they walked off down the corridor together. He decided to start the tour at the ring, and he took her through the backstage area.

"This is the Gorilla position," he explained.

Rosie stared at him. "The what?"

He chuckled at her expression. "The Gorilla position - it's named for Gorilla Monsoon." At her blank look, he continued. "Gorilla was his ring name. After he stopped wrestling, he was a backstage manager - he used to stand here and cue the guys going out to the ring. That's why it's called the Gorilla position."

"Oh! Well, that makes sense. Did you know him?"

"Nah, he'd retired by the time I started. Mark knew him a bit."

"So, you stand here and wait to be told to go out to the ring?" Rosie looked around.

He nodded. "Yep."

"Are you nervous?"

Glenn shrugged. "Sometimes. Mostly, I'm just eager to get out there and get to work but if it's a really important match, I might be a bit nervous. I want things to go right, give the fans a good show, give my opponent a chance to look good."

Rosie smiled up at him, squeezing his hand. "So, we going down to the ring next?"

Chuckling, Glenn reached out with his free hand and held the curtain open. "After you, Rosie."

She stepped through the curtain, blinking a little as Glenn came through and let it fall closed behind them. It was remarkably dark and she edged closer to him. His voice came to her, and she realized with a little start that he had bent down to her.

"It's not as dark during the show - there's all the stage lights on, and the Titan-tron display screens."

"Oh," she breathed, feeling his arms go around her waist.

His voice dropped to a whisper as he nuzzled at her ear. "But while it is dark . . . "

She laughed softly, her hands coming up to cover his. "Tiger," she chided gently.

"Yes, kitten?" He kissed her earlobe.

He heard that little whimper before she spoke. "We're supposed to be concentrating on being friends."

"I thought I was being very friendly!" he chuckled softly in her ear.

"You are," she smiled in the darkness, leaning back against him. "Guess there's nothing wrong with a little flirting, is there?"

"Absolutely not, kitten," he whispered.

It was a long moment before she spoke. "But we should get on with the tour, yes?"

Glenn kissed her cheek, then took her hand again, leading her out onto the entrance stage.

"And this is . . . the stage."

Rosie looked around, a little awestruck at the size of the arena. "Maybe it's because I'm not a very tall person, but . . . eep!" she chuckled a little. "And you say you aren't nervous when you get out here?"

He shrugged. "By the time I'm out here, my entrance music is playing and the crowd, hopefully, is going nuts. That's exciting. And I know that I'm about to go do something I love, something I like to think I'm good at. So my adrenaline's pumping. I actually get off on it, to be honest."

She looked up at him, and could see it in his expression. She smiled, squeezing his hand. He grinned and led her down the entrance ramp, chuckling.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Just thinking about how much fun I could have if they made you my 'manager' and you got to walk out here with me every night," he grinned even wider.

She giggled and poked him in the ribs. "I thought I was gonna be your bodyguard?"

They were close to the ring now, and he grinned down at her. "Hate to say it, Rosie, but in terms of accompanying me to the ring, it wouldn't matter what we called you - you'd just be here to look pretty."

She grinned up at him. "Fuck that, Glenn! If that's all I'm supposed to do, you can bring a picture of me to the ring, while I do something useful elsewhere!"

"Such as?" he chuckled.

She shrugged, still grinning. "Hmmmm. May have to get back to you on that!" She looked up at the ring, eyes widening. "Um . . . "

He followed her gaze. "Yes, Rosie?"

She pointed up at the top rope. "Is it always that high?"

He nodded. "Yeah - the ring set up never changes."

Rosie just blinked, because the top rope seemed impossibly far away from where she was standing. "But . . . you just step up there. How the hell do you do that?"

Glenn chuckled. "Kitten, I'm pretty tall." He glanced down at himself then shrugged. "This is easier to do in tights, but what the hell."

She watched, a little dry mouthed, as he hitched the leg of his jeans up and lifted his sneakered foot to the ring apron, and as he did, reached up and grabbed that top rope that seemed miles above her head. Then he was stepping up onto the ring.

He looked down at her with a wink. "See? Easy!"

He pushed the top rope down and stepped over it, and she just shook her head in amazement. "You know, it's one thing to see that on TV, but damn, tiger - seeing it up close is . . . holy shit!"

He leaned on the top rope, chuckling. She grinned up at him.

"So, how am I supposed to get up there, huh?" She patted her hands on the ring apron, which was almost waist high on her. "I don't think I can manage the step up that you do!"

He pointed at the steel steps in the corner. "That's the more . . . traditional ring entrance. Of course, if you were my manager, we'd probably need something a little showier." He looked down at her and grinned. "I know! Turn around, kitten - back to me, please."

She did as he asked, looking back over her shoulder at him. "Now what?"

He smiled, leaning over the top rope. "Put your hands up in the air."

Chuckling, she raised her hands over her head. "If you ask me to give you a hallelujah, I'm going to kill you!"

His hands closed around her forearms and he chuckled. "I'd never do that to you, kitten. Hang onto my arms, now."

She barely had time to close her fingers around his wrists and he was lifting her up. She squeaked and clutched at his arms, but it only took him a few seconds to bring her up onto the ring apron. She looked back at him, eyes wide with surprise.

"You could have warned me!"

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "But you were so cute when you did that little kitten squeak, Rosie."

She had to laugh at that, turning around within the circle of his arms to look into his face. The ring ropes were between them - they came up just over Glenn's waist, which meant they were pretty much up to her neck.

"Now what? Again, not thinking I can manage to step over the ropes."

He smiled, bringing one hand up to cup her face for a moment. "Oh no, kitten - when a lady comes to the ring, a wrestler should be a gentleman and help her to make a graceful entrance."

He sat down on the middle rope, pushing it down as he lifted the top rope up, creating a wider gap for her to climb through. As she bent to step through, he reached out to take her hand and help her.

"Oh!"

He didn't miss that delighted little smile, and kept hold of her hand as he rose to his feet beside her. "Welcome to the ring, Rosie."

She looked around, chuckling. "Well, this is a definite first! If anyone had told me six months ago that one day I'd be standing in a wrestling ring, I think I would have narked on them for whatever hallucinogen they were taking!"

Glenn chuckled. "And if someone had told me I'd be in the ring with such a pretty little kitten . . . I'd have been saying my prayers every night that I'd meet her real soon."

Looking up at him wide-eyed, Rosie clutched a little tighter to his hand and whispered, "You keep saying things like that, Glenn, and I may well do something I've never done before and flat-out faint at your feet!"

He smiled. "Well, now, we can't have that, Rosie. If I'm going to make you faint, I need to have somewhere a bit softer for you to fall than a wrestling mat. Or I'll have to make sure I catch you before you do fall." It took him about a second to sweep her up off her feet and into his arms. "Maybe like that?"

Her arms went around his neck as she chuckled. "There are some definite advantages to all those gym workouts!"

"This is the best possible reason to work out, if you want my opinion," Glenn smiled, nuzzling his nose to hers.

Rosie gave a helpless little sigh, looking into his eyes. They were interrupted a few moments later by male laughter.

"How come no one told the Rock they were giving away pretty girls here in Seattle?"

Rosie looked around to see Mark approaching the ring with a smiling man with dark skin and hair. Blushing, she wriggled to get out of Glenn's arms, and he set her down very gently, leaving his hand on her shoulder.

Both men mounted the steel steps and climbed through the ring ropes. Mark tried hard not to grin at the matching blushes they wore, while his colleague gave Rosie a brilliant smile.

"It's a damn shame that he got in before me, but I'll just bet I can convince you to dump his big red candy ass and try 'the most electrifying man in sports entertainment'!"

Rosie chuckled and moved closer to Glenn, shaking her head with a smile. "Thanks all the same, but I'm kinda fond of . . . how did you put it? His big red candy ass?"

Glenn grinned very broadly and Mark burst out laughing, as did their colleague, who dropped his swagger and held out his hand.

"It isn't often I meet someone who turns down the Rock with such panache! Hi, I'm Dwayne Johnson."

Rosie took his hand with a smile. "Rosie Templeton - it's nice to meet you, Dwayne."

Mark leaned against the ropes, smiling. "Hello again, Rosie."

She smiled back at him. "Hi Mark."

"Getting the nickel tour, huh?"

She pretended to be outraged, looking up at Glenn. "A nickel? You told me it was worth at least a dollar!"

He grinned, going along with her joke. "I was allowing for inflation. And, of course, my expenses. You think it's cheap maintaining this big red candy ass?"

Rosie couldn't help her giggle. "Now you think to tell me you're high maintenance?"

Glenn shrugged, grinning. "Yeah, but I'm worth it!"

Rosie rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest as she tapped one toe, stifling her grin. "I dunno . . . I think you're gonna have to prove that before I'll accept it. Or you."

They had both forgotten that they weren't alone, and had fallen into their familiar pattern of teasing and flirting from their phone calls. Glenn just grinned at her, and bent down, wrapping one big arm around her thighs and lifting her easily up onto his shoulder. She gave a startled gasp and clutched at him.

"Fuck! Warn me next time you're planning on using me as a free weight there, tiger!"

He patted her leg with a chuckle. "You're safe, kitten. I wouldn't drop you."

Rosie's eyes widened as she glanced around from a much higher vantage point than she was used to. "Ohhhh no!"

"What's up, kitten?" Glenn smiled.

"Apart from me? My heart rate, for starters - I think I've discovered a fear of heights!"

Glenn bent carefully, both hands supporting her as he lifted her down from his shoulder, patting her shoulder gently. "Better now?"

"All kinds of better!" Rosie turned and wrapped her arms around his waist for a moment, then smiled up at him. "Okay, so you're high maintenance, but there are those muscles . . . "

Dwayne laughed. "Muscles? Rosie, you can't weight more than a hundred pounds dripping wet! I think we could all lift you up like that!"

Rosie turned to him, eyebrows raised. "You assume I'd fuc . . . let you!"

Glenn stifled his grin, but his hand caressed Rosie's shoulder - there was that almost-spitting fury that he rather adored.

Mark could only chuckle at the look of surprise on Dwayne's face. He'd already suspected that Rosie was probably a firecracker - there was something about redheads that did usually mean short fuses. But from the look on Glenn's face, that was not at all a problem for him. Then again, Glenn had been putting up with his own somewhat mercurial moods for a lot of years.

That would also explain the rather stormy relationship with Rosie so far, if Glenn's own moods were anything to go by. The combination of brains and temper was probably quite a challenge. Especially when you couldn't defuse things with a hug or a kiss. Still, it did look like they were hanging in there.

Glenn glanced at his watch and patted Rosie's shoulder. "I hate to end your tour, Rosie, but I have a meeting I have to get to soon. You want to hang around out here?"

Rosie shook her head. "Not that the company's not charming, but I have work of my own to do."

And there was also a little social awkwardness. Mark had known Glenn long enough to recognise the signs in Rosie. As Glenn and Rosie headed towards the corner of the ring, he sat down on the second rope, and ducked his shoulder under the top rope, pushing them apart.

"Allow me," he smiled at Rosie.

Glenn stepped quickly through the ropes on the other side of the ring post and walked the ring apron around it to hold his hand out to Rosie to help her through.

Rosie smiled warmly at Mark, and climbed through the ropes, taking Glenn's hand as she did, before turning back to him.

"Thanks."

"Any time," Mark smiled.

She darted a glance at Dwayne, and gave him a little smile. "It was nice to meet you."

"Pleasure was all mine, Rosie."

She could only blush at that, following Glenn down the steel steps.

to be continued . . .

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