Title: Family

Author: Jinni (druscilla@cox.net)

Rating: R

Pairing: W/HHH

Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with BtVS, AtS or the WWE.

Notes: So - in the interest of writing a fic in a world I am comfortable with - I will be taking immense liberties with both the Buffy and WWE worlds. Let's
start with Buffy - this fic takes place about a month and a half after Buffy's death. Dawn was sent to live with her dad but gets to visit Xander and Willow sometimes. Xander and Anya are still together. Tara was nothing but a friend. Ok - in the WWE: Gonna let Edge and Christian be tag team champs, Triple H isWWE champ, Lita is women's champ and somehow Test ended up being Hardcore champ. Linda and Vince are currently getting along, trying to get the company back under their full control and away from Ric Flair who is a bad, bad evil man.

Feedback: Is welcomed, loved, and appreciated.

~*~Part One~*~

Willow couldn't figure out why she was shocked that her parents hadn't bothered to come home even after she wrote them a letter telling them about Buffy's death. Why would they have come home when their child was in obvious need of her family? She wondered if her mother had even opened the letter she had sent her. Did she open any of the letters for that matter? It didn't matter. One way or another they hadn't come home. They had left her to deal with everything by herself.

Why would they come home when they hadn't even set foot in their own house for over a year? Not since she started college had she seen them and then it had only been for a day or two - long enough for her dad to explain how those nifty little trust funds they had given her worked. Yep - she was set for life. But what did money matter? Money couldn't bring Buffy back or give her a family that cared about her.

Xander had been there for her at first. But, as the days went by, he threw himself into his relationship with Anya. It was an unfortunate way of coping as it left Willow without anyone. But it was his way to deal. He had, after all, loved Buffy every bit as much as she did. The blonde haired Slayer would forever be a part of their hearts and souls. Hadn't she managed to set their world on its end when she arrived in school so many years before? And never once had Willow blamed her for the bad things that had happened to them.

But she blamed her now.

Sure. It wasn't fair for her to blame a dead girl for something she had no control over and couldn't possibly have foreseen. How could Buffy have ever known that, when she was gone, Willow would be left with no one? She probably had assumed, like everyone else did, that the young witch had family beyond just her parents - a family that actually cared for her. How wrong would that have been, though? Her grandparents had all died when she was really young. Dad hadn't had any brothers or sisters so there were no aunts, uncles or cousins on his side. Mom had been an only child too.

No.

Wait.

That wasn't right.

Willow frowned, a half-formed memory nagging at the back of her mind. 'Mom wasn't an only child…I remember her saying something about her sister once, when she thought I wasn't around to hear it. A sister she stopped speaking to because….' She paused, biting her lower lip as she fought to dredge up the memory of that night, nearly eight years ago, when she had overhead her mom and dad talking. What had she called her sister? Lucy? No. Lillie? No. Linda!

The red head smiled; amazed that she had been able to pull even that small tidbit of information from the depths of her subconscious. She could remember it all now, as though just the name had been a dam holding back the memories. Linda was mom's sister. Linda had married someone mom and Nana and Pop-pop hadn't approved of. He hadn't been Jewish. It had been a very bad thing and no one had spoken to Linda in years. Willow couldn't, in all her memories, ever remember having met the woman.

But what good did this do her? She had no way of knowing how to contact her aunt even if there was a remote chance that the woman would, in some way, want to hear from her. "I wonder…" Willow muttered, standing up and making her way upstairs, towards her parents' room. They had to have something regarding her aunt up here. Maybe in her dad's desk? She sat down at the huge oak mass, looking at papers that hadn't been touched in years. Did he even still need these or were they just there for show? To make it seem like someone actually lived here other than a college student? She pulled on the first of the drawers, sighing with relief when it opened without a hitch and thankful that her dad hadn't remembered to lock it before he left last time.

She rifled through the papers in the drawer, coming up with nothing bearing her aunt's name. The same with the second drawer, and the third. It was only in the fourth drawer, the very bottom one, that she hit on something that had even a remote possibility of holding the information she wanted. She pulled the leather bound address book from the drawer, almost afraid to open it. The decision had already been made, in the time it had taken her to search the desk, that if she found her aunt's address she would at least *try* to contact her. Maybe send some pictures from graduation?

The address book was an older one; something her father had stashed away when her mother purchase a new one for him one year on his birthday. If there was anywhere in the house where she could find the details she needed, this was it. Unsnapping the small book, the red head began to leaf through the pages. There was no way of knowing what her aunt's last name was. All she could do was search one by one, hoping to see the name 'Linda' on one of them.

And then she found it.

She didn't know why she was so sure that the name she was looking at belonged to her aunt. After all, there were probably a million Lindas in the world and her father undoubtedly knew more than one of them. She knew, though, using a sixth sense she herself didn't even understand, that this was her aunt. She ran a finger over it. There was no phone number, only an address in Connecticut. Her throat tightened, the fear of rejection she had tried to hold at bay washing over her with full strength. What if her aunt didn't want to have anything to do with her? She was, realistically, the only family Willow had outside of her mom and dad. If one could consider her parents' to be family at all, they certainly seemed to like to forget they had a daughter. 'It's worth it to try. I won't lose anything by trying…' She told herself, her gaze fixed on the name.

Linda McMahon.

~*~Part Two~*~

Willow leaned out her door, opening her mailbox and peering inside. What would the surprise be today? A bill for her parents to pay? A letter from her parents? Or an empty mailbox. Of the three choices, the last was actually the most likely. She reached her hand inside the small black box, feeling around for anything the mailman could possibly have put inside of it. At the first touch of the thick, envelope shaped paper, she became curious. Even before taking the letter from the mailbox she could tell it wasn't a bill or piece of junk mail. The envelope had the feel of a greeting card envelope. And it was thicker than any of the random mailings she got

She pulled the envelope from the mailbox, flipping it over to see who could have sent it to her. "The McMahon Family…" She read, her voice a whisper as a river of shock ran through her. It had been over a week since she had mailed off a letter to her mother's sister. Over a week since she had taken a chance and made a move to try to establish contact with the aunt she had never even met before. In all honesty, she had never really thought to hear back from her.

But here was a letter - more like a card that seemed to be crammed full of something, from that same woman she had thought would just cast her aside. She hefted it in her hand, noting from the postage on the front that it easily weighed more than the normal postage limit. Excited, the red head walked back into her house, kicking the door shut behind her with her foot. She slid a finger under the envelope flap, tearing it open. She immediately noted that there was much more than just a card in the envelope. There were pictures as well.

She pulled out the stack of pictures, flipping through them. A handsome young man stared up at her from the first one, his face set in a cocky smirk though his eyes sparkled with good-natured kindness. She flipped it over, the writing on the back in black pen spelling out the name 'Shane - cousin'. The next was another single shot, this time of a woman about her own age, quite obviously related to the man she had just seen a picture of. This one was labeled 'Stephanie - cousin'. Her breath caught in her chest at the next picture. She knew right away who the woman was, and could only assume that the man standing next to the woman was her husband. 'Uncle Vince and Aunt Linda' the caption on the back read.

There were more pictures, all depicting the same people, sometimes with others. One man, Hunter, seemed to be in a lot of them and she wondered if he was Stephanie's boyfriend. As she came to the end of the small stack of pictures she smiled, happy. The letter lay aside, waiting for her to pick it up and begin reading. Settling back into the couch, she grabbed hold of it, beginning to read.

'My Dearest Willow,

I cannot begin to express exactly how happy hearing from you has made not only myself, but my children and husband as well. We always wondered about you - about the life Sheila had made for herself and you. Despite the animosity she has shown, we always held out hope that she would one day pursue a relationship with us….'

Willow read on and on, not even noticing as she flipped through nearly five pages of information and, something she hadn't experienced in so long and something she had never dreamed to find in her Aunt, caring. When she got to the last page she almost dropped it in shock.

'We would like it very much if you would come visit us. Because of business we travel a lot - but it would undoubtedly be quite an experience for you. Shane and Stephanie would like to meet their cousin and your Uncle is very much intrigued by having another member in the family. Enclosed is my business card with my cell phone number. Just call if you want to come visit and I will arrange everything.'

She picked up the envelope, bending it open and peering inside. Sure enough, there was the business card, down at the bottom of the envelope, stuck in the crease. Her fingers slipped into the envelope, pulling the card free and bringing it out and into view. 'Linda McMahon'. There was a phone number, a fax number and some logo that said 'WWE'. She wondered what it stood for. Was that the company her aunt worked for? The woman certainly hadn't been very detailed about what it was that she did, though Willow got the feeling that it was a family company and that Shane, Stephanie and her Uncle were all involved as well. What he aunt did for a living certainly wasn't the top question on her mind. No, the question currently plaguing her was much more complex.

Did she want to go meet these people that she had only just recently heard from for the first time in her life? There had been nothing but kindness in the letter she had received from her aunt; nothing to give her any reason to believe she wouldn't be welcomed with open arms. Why was she even having to think about this? Especially in light of the fact that she had nothing better to do. Nothing to keep her in Sunnydale for the summer. She smiled, fingering the business card and trying to find the nerve to pick up the phone and dial.

Her hand shook as she reached for the phone nearest her, on the end table next to the couch. She took a deep breath, dialing the number slowly, one digit after the other, as she exhaled, attempting to calm the anxiety in her stomach. The phone rang once, twice, and then a woman answered, her tone crisp yet warm. "May I please speak to Linda McMahon?"

"This is her." The statement was inquisitive.

Willow breathed out, putting a smile into her voice. "Hi, Aunt Linda - this is Willow."

~*~Part Three~*~

The hardest part of this entire thing had to be stepping off of the plane.

At least that's what Willow decided only seconds before she cleared the ramp leading into the waiting area of her gate. She set her suitcase down, scanning the crowd of eager families looking for their loved ones. Linda hadn't been very clear on exactly *who* would be meeting her at the airport. She had made it clear that, unfortunately, everyone was usually pretty busy.

'Though she also made it clear that I was in no way going to be an inconvenience and that this would be an interesting new experience for me.' The red head smirked, her eyes still scanning the crowd. She had wondered what her aunt meant by the word 'interesting' during her entire flight to Dallas. In the end she had given up trying to decipher the meaning, deciding to just let things play out however they were going to. Her attention was drawn to a small group of people huddled around a much larger man. His back was turned to her, but from the way the crowd around him was holding up pens and paper she could only assume he was someone famous.

'Wonder who he is.' She thoughts, grabbing her bag and wandering around the side of the lobby. This gave her not only a better chance of finding someone who was looking for her, but also allowed her to get a front view of the 'famous person'. She stopped, her forehead wrinkling in confusion as his face came into view. Handsome, definitely - though his nose wasn't the most perfect. Still, it gave him character. And he looked familiar. She reached into the pocket of her overnight bag, which was handily subbing as a purse since she had only been allowed two carry on items, and pulled out the pictures her aunt had mailed to her.

Sure enough, on one of the many groups shots, there was the man she was currently seeing handing out autographs. Hunter. Obviously he was someone famous, though for what reason she wasn't really sure. His outward appearance gave every indication that he was nothing more than a normal guy. He certainly wasn't dressed like most athletes or big time Hollywood stars. The simple button up shirt he was wearing, a grayish color, looked good on him, though. She blushed. Only ten minutes in Dallas and already she was lusting after a family friend? Or was he Stephanie's boyfriend? She really hadn't figured it out yet.

Lifting her suitcase, the red head made her way to the group of fans, still anxiously awaiting their chance with Hunter. She stopped behind one of them, only a few feet from the man she assumed was there to pick her up. "Hunter? Did Aunt Linda send you to get me?"

Hunter looked up from the pad of paper he was holding, his face breaking out into something that seemed to be a cross between a smile and a smirk. "Willow?" He saw her nod and turned his head back to the paper he had in his hand, hastily signing the paper. "Yeah - just a sec, k?"

The red head nodded, taking a step back. Who was this man that he had so many admirers? And what connection did he have to her family? The crowd around him soon parted, the fans being sent on their way, and then he was walking over to her. She gave him a tentative smile. "Sorry - didn't mean to interrupt or anything."

He shook his head. "No big deal. If you hadn't come along I wouldn't have had an excuse to get away from them." The words were said with good-natured humor, as though he was used to this type of thing happening all the time. He gestured to the bag next to her feet. "That yours?"

Willow nodded, moving to protest when he picked it up. She shut her mouth quickly, noting the way the muscles of his arms bunched up nicely under his shirt. He had to be a bodybuilder or an athlete of some kind. There was no way he could do anything else with a body like that.

"This way." He gestured, leading her off through the throng of people in the airport. He kept his head down, aiming at being unnoticed for the remainder of his time in the airport. Sneaking a sideways glance at the red head walking quietly next to him, Hunter had to admit that he was pleasantly surprised. The girl was petite and looked altogether nothing like the rest of the McMahons he had met. He could only assume that she took most of her looks from her father's side of the family. She seemed to be reserved, almost too shy to speak. That was another thing that would set her apart from the rest of her family.

They made it out of the airport and halfway across the parking lot before another fan recognized him.

"Triple H! Triple H!"

Willow looked at the sound of the voice, startled to see a young woman running their way, pen and paper already in hand, her purse hanging open. 'Triple H? Huh?'

"Sign this for me?" The girl asked breathlessly, proffering the paper and pen to the man standing next to Willow. The young witch looked on, her confusion only growing, as he took the paper and signed it. She followed the curve of the letters, reading the signature - 'Triple H'. But wasn't his name Hunter? Maybe it was a stage name? The red head waited patiently for him to hand the paper back to the excited blonde, her mouth twitching up in a smile. Whoever he was, he certainly had an affect on women.

"Are you a new Diva?" The girl asked, turning her attention to Willow.

The red head blinked, taken aback by the question. "Diva?"

"No, she's not." Hunter said firmly, giving the fan another smile. "If you'll excuse us - we have somewhere to be."

They began walking again, leaving the girl behind and leaving Willow with more questions that she had had to begin with. "Hunter - this is going to sound totally stupid, I know. Just humor me, k?"

He stopped in front of his rental car, tilting his head to the side and giving her a look. Somehow he doubted this young woman ever opened her mouth to ask a stupid question. If she was asking him something it was obviously something she needed to know. "Shoot."

"What do you do for a living? I mean - people keep asking for your autograph."

Now that had been the one question he hadn't expected from her. Especially not with her being Linda and Vince's neice. "I work for your Aunt and Uncle in the WWE."

Willow nodded, taking the answer in. It took her a moment, long enough for him to put her luggage in the trunk, to realize that that hadn't answered her question at all. She slid into the passenger's side seat and buckled her seat belt, waiting for him to do the same before she turned to him with another question.

"But what do my Aunt and Uncle do? What is the WWE?"

~*~Part Four~*~

Willow stared out the passenger's side window, watching the ground speed by. The information she had gotten from Hunter had been invaluable, though a little shocking. Her Aunt and Uncle were the owners of World Wrestling Entertainment, formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation. Maybe if Hunter had referred to it as the WWF she would have recognized the name. Xander was, after all, a huge wrestling fan. If she had ever stopped to watch a show with him she wouldn't be in such a state of hopeless confusion. Unlike now. She was still confused about who exactly the man sitting only a few feet away from her was. From the looks of his well-defined arms she could only assume that he was one of the wrestlers her family employed.

She admired him covertly, turning her head as though to stare out the front window so that she could sneak in glances out of the corner of her eye. He was large, much larger than her own petite frame. Shoulder-length blonde hair was bound in a tight ponytail at the back of his head, held back by a thin black band. The shirt he was wearing stretched tightly over his biceps and she knew without a doubt in her mind that he could lift her easily if he wanted to. 'Would make standing up for sex a lot easier.' She thought, blushing bright red at her own thoughts. She turned her head back to the window so Hunter wouldn't notice, breathing shallowly to ease away the heat in her face that her stray thought had caused. 'Bad Willow! You just met him! Down girl!'

"So - you're a wrestler?" She asked finally, turning her attention from the road whizzing by outside the window and to the handsome man seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle. Her face was cool again, the blush faded to nothing.

"You could say that." Hunter replied, giving her a small smile. "I'm the current WWE champion."

"Does that make you the best?" She asked, the question full of innocence. For all she knew being the champion of the WWE might just be a lesser title in a long string of titles.

"I'd like to think so."

Again that smirk - the one Willow already found wholly irresistible. It made her want to just melt each time he turned that little smirk her way. It was incredibly similar to the smirks Spike was so fond of throwing out when he was trying unconsciously to be charming. Was Hunter trying to be sexy? If he was she knew it wasn't for her benefit. She wasn't the type of person that men even attempted to be sexy around. She was more of the best friend type, the one that men didn't even try around, the one that was like 'just one of the guys'.

"Tell me about the WWE? I've always heard that…" She paused, unable to find a polite way to phrase the question she had in her mind.

"Heard what?" He could see her out of the corner of his eye and hid a smile. Adorable just didn't cover what he thought about this young woman. She was completely and utterly innocent, even the more so because she honestly had no clue what she had gotten herself into. Linda and Vince could have run a movie store or worked in fast food for all she would have cared. But no - they were famous; and she didn't have the slightest clue.

"Well that, you know, it's fake." She held her breath, hoping that she hadn't angered him. It was the truth, after all - everyone she had ever heard talk about wrestling had told her it was 'fake' and 'scripted' and that the bumps and bruises weren't 'real'. For a moment she thought that she had truly offended him and she opened her mouth to apologize.

Only to be cut off by his laugh. "Geez - you cut right to the chase, don't you. No holding back or anything."

"It's one of my many faults." She admitted, smiling shyly. They turned off of the highway, making their way onto the inroads. She found herself staring out of the windshield, taking in the sights. This was the first time she had ever been to Dallas and could, for all she knew, be the last time as well. All the more reason to take it all in while she could.

"Well, Little Red." He saw her blush out of the corner of his eye and decided the nickname would need to stay. Blushing was an attractive thing to behold on her pale skin; it seemed to light her up from the inside and he just knew that if he touched her cheek right now it would be hot to the touch. "It's a little of both. We have storylines that are drawn up by the excellent writers your Aunt and Uncle have on staff - not to mention the ideas they throw in. We know who's going to win and who's going to loose - we know who we're supposed to be feuding with and who we're allied with. But the matches themselves are totally up to us. If you're in there with someone you're really a friend with - chances are you aren't going to get hurt. In that case your opponent will work with you. You make it look good for the fans in the audience and the ones watching at home and then you get out of the ring. It's a show."

Willow nodded. "What about when you're in there with someone you don't like?"

"That's where the realism comes in." He grinned. "Take me and Stone Cold. We hate each other. I don't even know how it started - but at this point there's no going back. I know when I get in the ring tonight he won't be pulling any punches. When he hits me it's going to hurt - and vice versa. It will be real."

"Sounds - rough." She murmured at last, thinking over what he had said.

"It can be - but it's the best life ever."

Hearing him talk, Willow honestly believed that he meant every word he said. It was evident that this was his life, his passion. She had to envy someone who had found something that they enjoyed that much. There wasn't anything in her own life that she was passionate about; nothing that she lived and breathed for. It was that kind of true dedication that she found to be so amazing in a human being. The kind of ache to be the best and have the world know you were the best. The man next to her exuded this with every breath he took, every word he spoke about the WWE.

She had been silly to ask if being the Champion meant he was the best.

All she had to do was look at him to see that.

~*~Part Five~*~

The hotel Hunter drove her to was more luxurious than any she had ever stayed in during her entire life. Certainly it was leagues better than the scrawny one star hotels in the laughingly small 'touristy' area of Sunnydale. She looked around the lobby in awe, stopping dead in her tracks to take it all in. The floor was something that resembled marble, and a giant lighted chandelier hung from the ceiling. She blushed when she noticed Hunter waiting for her, a little smile on his face.

"Too grand for you, Little Red?" He asked, his tone teasing.

The red head smiled outright. "It's beautiful. Absolutely wonderful. Do you guys always stay at such nice hotels?"

"There has to be some perk to living on the road." Hunter grinned.

Willow looked at the wrestler, nodding to herself. Beneath his laughing voice there was something she recognized all too well - loneliness. Wasn't that the purpose of her visit to meet with her family? To try to ease some of the pain her own heart had been feeling lately? She wished that she could take away even a small amount of the loneliness he must feel traveling all the time.

They walked in silence through the lobby and to the elevators, taking the car up to the fifteenth floor. Her room was about five doors down from the elevator and, as Hunter told her, next to the rest of her family. "Steph is right across the hall. Shane to the right and your Aunt and Uncle to the left." He pulled the key from his pocket, the same one Linda had given him earlier that day, and slid it through the lock on the door, waiting for the green light to flash before twisting the handle. He set her bags down inside the door, gesturing her inside with a sweep of his hand.

"This is where I'll be leaving you. Linda said for me to tell you to get freshened up and someone would be by in a few hours to get you. They're all down at the arena getting ready for tonight's shows."

Willow nodded. "Thanks again, Hunter."

"No problem, Little Red. See you tonight."

The door shut and suddenly she was all alone. In a city she had never been in before. In a hotel far too luxurious for her. The room was impressive and daunting at the same time, she decided, slowly making her way from the hall near the door into the room proper. The bed was king-size and piled high with a couple extra pillows and a thicker blanket than the thin comforter she knew they usually were made with. The television was tucked away in a wooden cabinet. The phone on the nightstand rang directly to the front desk if she needed anything and there was a data port available near the desk. On the desk was a vase of flowers, each one a vibrant color and blooming. The entire air was filled with their scent and she breathed in deeply. A small card was balanced precariously between two of the front most flowers, her name scrawled on the front. She smiled, pulling the card free of the flowers and flipping it over.

"Willow," She read. "We hope you like the room. Please call the front desk if you need anything. Someone will be by to get you before four-thirty. Please relax and enjoy. Love, Vince and Linda."

The red head felt her eyes sting with tears, though these were the kind that were brought on by extreme happiness and not the kind she had shed so many other times in her life when thinking of her family. It was odd to think that she actually had family members that were happy to see her - even though they didn't know her at all. They cared for her without ever having met her, despite the fact that her own parents treated her like she were nothing more than a colossal mistake. Tonight, in only a few short hours, she would meet the family she had always dreamed of having - people who wanted her in their lives. She hoped she was everything they expected and then some.

She turned, crossing the room to her bags, still lying next to the door. How nice it had been of Hunter to carry them up for her. Definitely courteous and gentlemanly. But who exactly was he? She had assumed by the pictures her Aunt had sent that he was probably Stephanie's boyfriend, or even husband. That didn't seem as likely now. When she had asked who he was he had said he was an employee of her Aunt and Uncle - nothing more. It was quite likely that he was nothing more than a family friend.

Which meant he was available for the taking.

'Taking? Want, take, have?' She smirked. Since when was she all gung-ho girl? Ready to run out an seduce a handsome wrestler after having known him for all of an hour? Buffy would be proud.

The thought of her friend, now two months deceased, brought tears to her eyes. It seemed sometimes like the pain of her loss would never leave. That she would
forever be missing a part of her soul that had belonged to Buffy and Buffy alone. They had been best friends - the first true female friend that Willow had ever had. The blonde haired girl had been the sister Willow had never had and always wanted. Even when they didn't see eye to eye they were still friends. Buffy had been the closest thing to family Willow had ever had.

Until now.

She opened her suitcase, flipping through the clothes. What did one wear to watch wrestling? She eyed the cuter, more modern, clothes she had brought with her, debating whether or not to be daring. They had been purchased spur of the moment, while Buffy was still alive, on a day when they had been shopping to relieve the stress of dealing with Glory day in and day out. Buffy had dared her flat out to try the tiny tops and slinky pants on. Once she had gotten them on and looked in the mirror once Willow had been convinced. These clothes flattered her, made her look not so much like a little girl but more like a young woman - the kind she had always seen on MTV dancing and dating. Buffy had always told her she could be -that- girl - the flirty, happy one; the one with all the friends she wanted and any man she desired.

"And maybe its time I took those words to heart." The red head whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. Buffy had never been wrong in this area before. Willow only regretted that she had never had the chance to wear these clothes out on the town with her best friend, like they had planned. Glory had interfered. Buffy's sacred duty had interfered.

Life had interfered - and then ended for the blonde.

She took the dark green shirt from the bag, holding it up. It was made of some sort of cotton-spandex mix and would cling in all the right places. The jeans were dark blue, with a swirl of glitter in butterfly patterns from the knee down. It had looked good on her two months ago and would look good on her again tonight. She wanted to make a first impression that would knock her family's socks off. They didn't know she was a shy little bookworm. This was the perfect opportunity to start over; to begin fresh.

And maybe, just maybe, leave a little bit of her sadness behind.

~*~Part Six~*~

Willow took a long, leisurely bath, soaking away all the tension she had experienced over the past few days. In less time than she could imagine she would be meeting the only family she had other than Ira and Sheila - a family that seemed to be happy to get to meet her. She pulled herself out of the water, knowing that she must have been in the bathtub for at least the better part of an hour, and began to get dressed.

She had only just finished brushing out her hair and applying the little makeup she usually wore when there was a knock on her hotel room door. Her stomach flipped anxiously and she licked her lips, walking the few short steps to the door. She peered through the peephole, smiling when she saw who it was. This person she recognized from the pictures - Stephanie.

"Hi." Her voice was only a little more than a nervous squeak as she opened the door. The woman standing in front of her smiled warmly.

"Hi yourself. You're Willow, right?" She waited for her cousin to nod before continuing. She looked the red head up and down, keeping the gesture discreet, and liked what she saw. She had been afraid, listening to stories of Sheila Rosenberg from her mother, that Willow would be a fuzzy sweater type of girl. She was pleasantly shocked to find that her cousin dressed in a manner that was sure to fit right in at the arena. She was even dressed better than some of the Divas! "I'm Stephanie, though I guess you probably know that from mom's letter and all those pictures. Are you ready to go? I have to get back to the arena and finish going over things for tonight."

Willow nodded, hiding a smile. She liked this woman already. Direct and to the point, though without the scathing remarks she normally associated with people like that. In fact, Stephanie seemed very friendly. "Let me grab my wallet and the room key." She grabbed the items from the desk, following Stephanie out of the room. Once she was sure the door had locked behind her they set out at a brisk walk, making for the elevators.

"So - is the room okay? We really weren't sure what you're tastes in, well, anything are."

"The room is lovely. And the flowers are beautiful."

"That was my idea." Stephanie grinned, a tad smug. "I thought it would be nice to have something waiting there for you, since we couldn't be there ourselves." She frowned. "Really sorry none of us could pick you up. There were some last minute storyline issues that needed to be worked out, and dad is out of town entirely. I hope Hunter was friendly and helpful enough?"

"He was great."

Stephanie looked over at her cousin, pushing the button to call the elevator to take them to the lobby. She hid a grin, quite aware of how her cousin had just said the word 'great'. It was 'great' as in 'just flat out marvelous'. She knew Hunter was a handsome man and could be very charming at times, it was one of the reasons she had agreed to participate in that silly marriage storyline with him. But how in the world had he managed to win Willow over so completely in such a short amount of time? "That's good." She smiled. It would be interesting to get Hunter's first impressions of the red head later that night.

"So - we're going to the arena where the show is tonight?" Willow hoped she didn't sound too silly asking the question, but she was still awfully confused over the entire situation. She had never watched wrestling before so it was sure to be an interesting experience for her. Not to mention the fact that she'd get to meet the rest of her family, except Uncle Vince. Hadn't Stephanie said something about him being out of town? Didn't matter. She'd meet him eventually, she was sure.

"Yep. The show will be starting around seven. Plenty of time to take you in and introduce you around. You have front row seats, of course. Unless you'd prefer to stay in the back?"

The elevator stopped, the doors dinging open. Willow followed her dark haired cousin out into the lobby, pondering the other woman's question. "Which would you prefer?"

Stephanie shrugged. "Both could be fun. Have you ever seen a show before?"

Willow blushed. "Um. To tell you the truth. I had never heard of the WWE until Hunter explained it to me earlier."

"You're in for a wild night, then. In that case, I'd definitely suggest front row as the place to be. You'll have other chances to sit in the back and see all that chaos some other time." Why was she not surprised that the red head had never even heard of the WWE before? She could only imagine that the girl's mother, her own estranged aunt, had kept her as far as possible from anything pertaining to Linda, including the family business. All that was about to change, though. She led Willow to the sporty little rental car she had gotten for their two day stay in Dallas.

"So - what do you do?" Willow asked. Then she blushed, shaking her head in embarrassment. "Sorry. Don't mean to seem pushy or prying or anything like that. I'm just curious. You can tell me to shut up if I say something bad or am too nosy."

Stephanie only laughed. "No - it was a good question. I'm sure this is all really new to you. Not to mention the whole part about meeting family you've never even spoken to before." She gave the girl a grin, backing out of the parking spot and taking off through the hotel's parking lot and out into the street. "I'm sort of like a manager in the company. Not to be confused with a wrestling manager, which I've done, too. I help make sure the things that are happening back stage go off without a hitch. I also am on the female roster as a wrestler and I've been known to play 'manager' for some of the boys on occaision."

"Manager?" Willow knew by the way Stephanie said the word that it had more meaning than just being someone who made sure they got matches and things like that.

"That's someone who 'promotes' the wrestler and makes sure they win. We're the ones standing at ringside helping our guys 'cheat'."

"And that's allowed?"

Stephanie laughed. "It's all part of the story. The fans expect it. They love the managers just about as much as they like the wrestlers. Helps that most of the managers are women, of course." She snorted. "My character is a royal bitch, though. The 'slut' of the WWE. The fans love to hate her. I get booed at in parking lots, even. They can't separate the reality from the fantasy sometimes."

"That must suck."

"Actually, it's fun. I just play it up for them - be the evil princess everyone expects of me."

Sitting next to the brunette woman, Willow couldn't imagine her being a bitch to anyone. She seemed so nice and friendly. Almost down to earth, even. "I guess that's something I'm not gonna believe until I see it for myself."

"You'll get your chance tonight, then. We're still wrapping up this storyline with me and Hunter. Basically we've been acting like we were married for the past couple years. My character lied about being pregnant and now he's breaking up with her. It was time for him to turn face again and it was the push he needed. Face means he's a 'good guy' basically. Tonight I'll be out there with Kurt to interfere in their match. It'll be fun. You'll see."

The red head chuckled, looking forward to seeing what this was all about. And to seeing Hunter again, possibly. The thought of being near him again tugged at the strings of her libido and she cursed herself silently. Maybe being around the other wrestlers, whom she assumed were all equally as handsome, would take her mind off of him.

The car pulled into the nearly empty parking lot of the city's arena. Stephanie rolled down her window, flashing a smile at one of the security guards before continuing on towards the back of the arena. Willow smiled. 'Must be nice to be recognized like that. To have everyone know your name.' The car rolled to a stop in one of the spots behind the arena.

"Come on, mom's probably gonna have an anxiety attack if I don't bring you to her soon. She's been so nervous for the past few days, just waiting to meet you." Stephanie bit her lip. "It made her very happy to hear from you… When Sheila turned her back on mom it hurt her in more ways than you can imagine."

"Probably hurt in the same way it did when I realized they had turned their back on me." Willow muttered, giving her cousin a sad smile. "When my best friend died they didn't even come home to help me get through it. They didn't even send me a card or make one little phone call. I haven't heard from them in almost six months. The only reason I know they're still alive is that dad keeps paying the bills at the house."

Before she knew what she was doing Stephanie found herself giving her cousin a quick hug. She pulled back, smiling at the other woman. "Don't worry. You've got us now. Come on - let's go see mom."

Willow followed behind her cousin, feeling tingly inside from the feeling of family and home that Stephanie exuded. The halls were quiet, which was for the better since she got the idea, from the pace her cousin was setting, that the brunette didn't want to be interrupted. It seemed like they were walking forever through hallway after hallway. And then, finally, they were outside of a closed door.

"Ready for this?"

The young witch took a deep breath, fighting back the butterflies in her stomach. She gave a hesitant nod and that was all Stephanie needed. The older girl knocked once on the door before opening it. Willow's first glimpse of her aunt, outside of the photos she had been sent, was of an older woman sitting behind a desk, reading glasses on. When she looked up Willow felt her heart stop. There was no mistaking that this was her mother's sister. They shared so many features. The woman smiled, taking off her glasses, and stood up. She was around the desk before Willow could say anything, hugging Willow tightly.

Stephanie watched as her mother cried tears of happiness. She may never have her sister back - but at least now she had her niece to dote over.

~*~Part Seven~*~

"Having fun yet?"

Willow looked over at her male cousin, giving him a smile. "Yeah. Tons. I've met all these famous people, you know. I can't wait to get to the internet and figure out who exactly they are. I think I offended some of them with my blank stares and utter lack of adoration."

Shane laughed. He liked this girl. They had clicked instantly despite the fact that he had never met her before nor did she know anything about the family business. In fact, they had spent the better part of an hour walking around backstage, talking and getting her introduced to some of the guys and girls. The show would be starting soon, though and it was time to get her settled in her seat. He had some last minute things to take care of, behind the scenes, before it all began. "Poor baby. All lost in the big bad world of wrestling."

"You better believe it." She grinned. Her head was filled with names and images of people she was sure she'd meet again; people she was sure would expect her to remember them the second time around. But Hunter hadn't been amongst those she had ran into. She hadn't seen the blonde haired wrestler since he had dropped her off at the hotel and she found herself sort of disappointed despite her better judgment. It certainly couldn't be a good sign that she had already developed a slight crush on him. Especially since she was sure she had zero chance with him. ''Sides, there's plenty of other handsome men around to stare and ogle at. Like that Matt person and his brother. They were cute. Not quite as big and manly as Hunter, though' She thought, her lips twisting up in a smile.

"What's going on in that pretty head of yours, little Red?"

Willow blinked, jumping in surprise as the one person she had been hoping to see appeared next to her. She flushed, looking into his eyes and stammering, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Hunter smirked, shaking his head. He looked her up and down, trying to be discreet. Already he could see Shane giving him warning looks, the kind that meant he shouldn't try a single thing with the red head. He ignored them, of course. Adorable didn't quite cover what he thought of the tiny woman right now. The clothes she had elected to wear that night were tight and showed enough skin to be a tease without giving away all of her more charming assets. They suited her so much more than the comfort clothes she had been wearing earlier when he picked her up at the airport. "Where are you two heading?"

"I was about to have someone take her out to her seat." Shane stated flatly. He didn't like the look Hunter was giving Willow. Or, for that matter, the one she was giving him. It was instinct, he supposed, the tendency for him to want to protect his female relatives from getting hurt. Hadn't he been the same way about Stephanie. For that matter, wasn't he -still- like that? Not that Hunter was a bad guy. He was one of the best, in fact. A true friend of the family, someone who he -knew- in his heart would treat a woman right, though there had been few that had ever caught the blond wrestler's attention as far as Shane knew.

But Willow didn't need to get involved with a wrestler. That would only get her hurt and she had already been through enough pain to last her the rest of her life. She was not used to their world and was, in truth, only visiting. Getting involved with one of the guys in the back would only hurt her in the long run, when she went home. Long distance relationships were bitches to maintain.

"By all means. Get her to her seat before the show starts." Hunter chuckled. He leaned down, whispering into Willow's ear, "I'll catch you later, little Red."

Willow nodded, her eyes wide. It almost sounded as though he -wanted- to see her again. She turned to watch him go, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smirk that had just a hint of a leer to it. He certainly had a nice ass underneath of those skin tight lycra-looking wrestling shorts. She wondered if it was as hard and firm as it looked.

"Willow? You with me here?"

The red head blushed, bringing herself out of the fantasy of feeling exactly how tight Hunter's ass was under those shorts, and back to the reality of her cousin standing right next to her, trying to get her attention. "Sorry. Zoned out for a second."

"I noticed." Shane shook his head. Now wasn't the time to lecture her on who she should and shouldn't date. He had only just met her and that was pretty much guaranteed to piss her off - it certainly did every time he tried it with Stephanie, and she was used to it by now. There wasn't a single bone in his body that wanted to alienate her so early in their newfound companionship. "Come on." He gestured for her to follow, leading her at a brisk pace through the halls.

"This is James." Shane said, introducing her to one of the backstage security guards. "He's going to take you out to your seat. At the end of the show he'll bring you backstage. If you need to come back here before then just walk up one of the main aisles and into the hallway, any member of security can direct you back to us as long as you show them your pass." He pointed at the little square of plastic around her neck, her picture and the word 'GUEST' written clearly upon it.

Willow nodded, giving him a small wave before following behind her assigned guide. The arena was sold-out, from the looks of things, and no few fans eyes her with envy as she took her seat on the front row. It had to be one of the best seats in the entire house. She settled into the chair, noting by her watch that the show would be starting in less than ten minutes. The ring was so close, only a matter of a few feet away. From here she would see her first wrestling match ever.

And hadn't Hunter said he would be wrestling tonight? Someone called Stone Cold that he hated with a passion? She smiled, the thought of seeing Hunter getting all sweaty and physical definitely a plus to this entire experience. She leaned back in her chair, waiting for everything to start, knowing the night was bound to be memorable.

~*~Part Eight~*~

"What. A. Bitch."

Stephanie turned, a cruel smirk on her face. She lifted an eyebrow, doing her best impersonation of, well, herself at her worst. It only lasted for a minute and then she was laughing, right along with Willow. The red haired woman was practically bouncing up and down with barely contained energy. "You liked?"

"You were -awesome-!" Willow beamed, giving Stephanie a bright smile. It had been one of the best two hours of her life, watching the men and women of the WWE do what they loved. She had seen first hand what Hunter had meant when he said it was part fake and part reality; and the reality part had looked painful. The storylines were sort of silly sometimes, and completely off the wall at others; but that was what had made it so much fun. Even coming into it totally blind and clueless, she had enjoyed every moment of the action. "I don't think I've ever been prouder of someone for being a bitch in my entire life."

The brunette McMahon grinned at her cousin. "What can I say? It's what I'm known for."

"And rightly so!"

Willow had been quite excited by the time the main event had rolled around. The Rock and Triple H versus Kurt Angle and Stone Cold. Stephanie had been accompanying Kurt Angle to the ring. She had taken the mic at the very beginning, before her former 'husband' had made his appearance, and proceeded to taunt and tease him with vicious cruelty. The entire thing had made Willow laugh considering how exceptionally sweet her cousin actually was and how close she was to the blonde haired wrestler she was maligning.

"Did you enjoy it all, though?" Stephanie asked, her eyes taking a serious turn. "I know it can be a lot for someone who's never experienced it before. And on top of everything else ---" She let the comment trail off, making it utterly clear that she felt that everything Willow had done that day, from meeting family she had never even spoken to before to viewing her first live WWE show, was more than enough to send most people into a state of anxiety or worse. She as proud to see that her cousin seemed to be holding up fine, if not having the time of her life.

"Yeah - it's been a hectic day." Willow agreed, the smile never leaving her face. "But no worries, I'm having fun. Gotta cram in as much fun as I can before I leave in a couple weeks." She forced the smile to stay on her face even though the thought of going home, back to Sunnydale, made her heart clench with sadness. She didn't want to be there anymore, she knew that already. Maybe once she got back she'd start looking for a job in another city, some little computer-programming thing that could pay her well enough to support herself. Somewhere far from the Hellmouth. Maybe she could make a life for herself somewhere away from all the bad memories and the sad ones too.

Stephanie turned as though to look behind her, hiding the frown that graced her own features. She didn't like the sadness she had heard in her cousin's voice at the thought of returning home. Her mother had mentioned to her that she got the feeling that Willow's own parents weren't around much, if at all. That had to be a sad life, even for someone as self-sufficient as the red head seemed to be. "Well," She said at last, turning back to the other girl. "We'd better get some more 'fun' crammed into your time with us then. Want to go out? The guys usually get together and go drinking after a show. I think Lita and some of the other Divas were going, too, this time. You want in?"

Willow nodded, her smile brightening. "Sounds like fun." A thought whispered at the back of her mind and she couldn't help but ask. "Who will be there?"

"Jeff and Matt and Lita." Stephanie said right off the bat. "Probably Jericho, Christian, Edge and Trish, too. And of course, Shane and myself. Maybe Hunter, too, if I catch him before he leaves the arena. That's all I know for sure. More will show up. They always do."

"Hunter?" The red head asked, her face flaming as she realized what she had done. Shown interest. What a bad girl she was. Already falling for one of the super sexy wrestlers.

Stephanie arched an eyebrow, smirking playfully as her cousin suddenly developed an interest in a spot of dirt on the floor. So Willow had already developed a thing for Hunter? The brunette wondered if it was something that could possibly be returned by the blonde haired wrestler. She certainly didn't seem like his type - though Stephanie wasn't really sure what his 'type' was. In all the years she had known him he had rarely dated. And those women had been the hanger-on types, the kind that she had been happy to see him give the boot after maybe only a month of time spent together. They had been vacuous airheads, completely devoid of thought - girls that looked really good on the arm but would never win a spelling bee.

Willow, on the other hand, was none of those things. She was pretty, not stunningly gorgeous. That was okay, though. Stephanie liked to think that she herself fit into that same category. The type of girl one could take out without people wondering what's real and what's not. The red head was also smart from what Stephanie understood. Highest honors in all of her classes. She was a computer nerd, but didn't act like one, to the point where she'd even taught a computer class during high school. All this and more the brunette had picked up from the multi-page letter Willow had sent to Linda as an introduction of herself. It had, in all honesty, been a very condensed version of the red head's life and Stephanie hadn't been the only one to notice that there was really no mention of Sheila and Ira Rosenberg.

So Willow was, to put it all into perspective, someone that Stephanie could wholeheartedly endorse Hunter getting together with.

If he felt the same way, that is.

~*~Part Nine~*~

"So you see it, too?"

Stephanie tore her eyes from the two people currently dancing in the middle of a relatively empty bar and gave her brother a smile. "It would be hard not to. Willow's eyes just seemed to light up earlier when I mentioned him. She's so adorable when she's embarrassed." It had taken her the better part of ten minutes to convince her cousin that she hadn't taken her outburst in any way at all other than pure innocent curiosity.

"She deserves better, Steph." Shane muttered, turning his back on the oblivious couple. The red head looked so tiny in Hunter's arms. It was a slow dance. He had to wonder if Hunter had chosen the song just to get closer to his cousin or if it was pure coincidence. Nothing the Game ever did was just a `coincidence', though. He was much too smart for that.

"Hunter's a good guy!" The brunette protested, her expression darkening visibly. "And I thought you considered him your friend."

"I do. But Willow is family and that comes first. She doesn't need to be getting wrapped up in a wrestler. We travel all the time and eventually she has to go back to her home, her life. A long distance relationship would just make her hurt more than she already does."

"I don't think she wants to go home."

"What makes you say that?" Shane asked, suspicious.

Stephanie shrugged. "Just the way she clams up whenever it's mentioned. She was so sad earlier when she was talking about cramming in all the fun she could
before she had to leave. I don't think she has anything waiting for her back there. Her best friend died not too long ago. What's to say she still –wants- to be there? With all those memories? I wouldn't want to be."

Her brother sighed. "You want her to stay, don't you? You've only known her a day, Steph!"

"Can you say you want to see her go?" She gave him a hard look, daring him silently to look within himself.

And he did.

"No. I don't want her to go." He finally admitted. "There. Are you happy now? I think she's refreshing and she's family."

"And we're all she's got." Stephanie whispered. "She doesn't talk about her parents. I don't think she's seen them in more than a year."

"It's up to mom and dad whether she can stay or not." Stephanie smirked. "And Willow. Don't forget that she has a say in the matter. You just leave Daddy and Mom to me. I am Daddy's little princess, of course."

"On screen and off." Shane chuckled. He took a sip of his beer, turning so that he could see the dance floor again. Hunter and Willow had parted, the Game now
dancing with Trish while Willow partnered with Edge. "Do you think she'll want to stay?"

A calculating look entered Stephanie's eyes. "She will if she has a reason to."

"What do you mean, Steph?" He sounded skeptical, neutral. If there was one thing about the character Stephanie played on TV and who she was in real life that was the same, it was the fact that she was good at manipulation. He had no doubt that whatever she had planned would come off without a hitch. But would it be something that would upset Willow when and if she found out?

"I'm just going to help along what's already happening with those two." She gestured at the dance floor, her meaning clear. "I think some close interaction between the two of them is just what the love doctor ordered."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" He asked incredulously. "Lock them in a closet together?"

She shook her head. "Nothing so evil." A cool smile crossed her lips, turning into a brighter one with a touch more faked innocence in it when she met his eyes. "There's going to be a position opening up soon. A manager for Hunter. We'll need a new Diva, of course."

"You will never be able to convince her to do that!"

"SHHH!" Stephanie hissed at him, looking around the bar to make sure none of their co-workers had overheard. Satisfied that they were all still caught up in
their own conversations, she turned back to her brother. "Keep your voice down!"

"Sorry." Shane muttered. "But it's the truth. You'll never be able to convince her to become his manager. She only –just- learned about the WWE, for God's sake."

"Have you no faith in me?" She chuckled. "I'll convince her. And once she's his manager she'll get to be around him a lot. Planning. Strategizing. Etcetera. Etcetera."

To his credit, Shane didn't groan out loud. He went back to his drink, utterly aware that his sister was just as much a conniving woman as she played on TV.

~*~Part Ten~*~

Stephanie paused outside of the door to her makeshift office, taking a deep breath. For this to work she had to play the role she had assigned herself perfectly. Willow had been with them for nearly two weeks, long enough for Stephanie to be further convinced that she didn't want the red head out of her sight and long enough for her to decide that Willow and Hunter were meant to be together, even if the two individuals involved seemed to be tiptoeing around it. She took another breath, plastering a weary look onto her face, and opened the door.

"Hey, Wills."

Willow looked up, her eyes widening with concern. "Hey yourself. What's wrong? Jericho come up with another scathing set of remarks to use on you?"

"Nothing so pleasant." Stephanie sighed, giving her cousin a small smile. The expression would look tired, she knew, maybe even a little stressed. She had practiced it for hours the night before, making sure it looked just right.

"Well – what's wrong then?"

"It's nothing, really. Just a business problem."

"Tell me." Willow asked instantly. "Maybe I can help you find a solution to it. If nothing else, talking might help."

`Here fishy, fishy.' Stephanie's inner voice smirked. "Well – Hunter is due to get a new manager. But," And she shrugged. "There just aren't any divas around to pair him with right now. They're all either paired up or someone he hates so much it would make things difficult. We were supposed to have a new girl starting – but she
flaked the day before the contract was signed." That part was the truth. There had been a new girl. A beautiful brunette who her father said would have brought some life to the women's division. That `beauty' had backed out of everything at the last minute, literally on her way to sign the paperwork for her contract. She had
decided that a life on the road, away from all of her friends, just wasn't for her.

Better now, than later on.

So at least there was that little snippet of truth amidst the story she was telling. That – and the fact that Hunter –did- need a manager, he had been too long without one. Ever since their `breakup' in fact.

"Oh." Willow frowned. "Now that I just don't know how to fix. There aren't any other applicants? I'm sure there are tons of women who'd love to walk out with him."

Stephanie shook her head. "We screen our applicants well. A little too well, maybe. And you'd be surprised how few women actually –want- this life." She sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back in her chair.

"Sorry, Steph." Willow murmured. She felt sorry for her cousin, seeing the poor brunette woman so stressed out. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

`Gotcha!' She almost smiled in triumph, forcing herself to keep the stressed look on her face at the last moment. "Actually... No, nevermind. I couldn't ask you to do that. You're leaving in a couple weeks anyway..." She chattered on, as if to herself. "You'd have to stay much longer if... Nevermind, stupid idea." She shook her head, opening her eyes. The expression of curiosity on her cousin's face was enough to make her need to hide another smile.

"What, Steph? I doubt you ever have a truly stupid idea."

"This one was." Stephanie argued, giving her an apologetic smile. When the red head's inquisitive gaze didn't waiver she sighed, throwing up her hands in a surrender gesture. "Fine. But don't laugh, okay?"

"Promise." Willow answered, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees, chin in her hands. "Tell me."

"I was going to suggest that –you- walk out with Hunter. I know, I know." She burst out, before Willow could say anything. "Stupid idea. You probably can't even stay with us as long as it would take for us to run the storyline through all the way."

"You'd be surprised." Willow muttered. The idea scared her, though. She would walk out with Hunter, to the ring. She would stand there like she had seen the other Divas do, in a little tiny outfit. There would be thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of eyes on her. Looking at her. And she'd get to walk Hunter out – did she mention that already? "It's not a stupid idea, Steph. And I'd love to stay here longer." She looked away. "It's not like I have much to look forward to when I get home. But – I'm not a wrestler. I hardly know anything about this business."

"You'd be good at it." Stephanie assured her. "You're family, after all. It's practically in your blood." She forced herself not to smile as the red head sat there, actually considering it. Time for the final shot. "And, if you really don't have anything to look forward to back home, why not stay here with family? Then you won't have to
cram fun into three weeks – you'll have much, much more time."

That was it. The closing shot. The coup de grace. Willow looked up, her eyes shining with barely contained tears. She wanted to stay with them for as long as they'd have her. If this was the only way to extend her stay indefinitely, then so be it. Besides, there was the plus side of getting to work with Hunter on a more intimate
basis. "Okay. I'll do it."

Stephanie grinned at the whispered words. "Really? You mean it?" She jumped up, rushing around the desk to hug the little red head. "You're gonna be great, Will. The fans will love you. I'll show you everything you need to know. Managers don't really wrestle that much."

Faced with such resounding enthusiasm, Willow couldn't help but smile. "Hope Hunter doesn't mind it being me."

"I don't think he'll mind." Stephanie grinned, her eyes alight with matchmaking joy. "I don't think he'll mind at all."

~*~Part Eleven~*~

The halls of the arena's backstage area were near-empty, but getting more full
by the moment as the wrestlers made their way in for the night's house show.
She turned a corner, flashing the Hardy brothers a smile. They were standing
outside what she could only assume was their locker room for the night, leaning
casually against the white-painted concrete of the wall.

"Hey there, Red."

"Hey yourself, Jeff." She came to a stop in front of them, taking a glance down
the hallway. She was only three doors down from Hunter's locker room. Three
more doors and then she would walk in and tell him that she was going to be
walking out with him, starting in two days. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. Oh
to count the ways she could use this to play with his cute little head or mess
with his ingenious mind.

"On your way to see Hunter?" Matt asked. The question seemed innocent, but the
playful look in his eyes did not. He knew all about the crush the red head had
on the WWE Champion, much to his own dismay. He had been hoping to get a chance
with her. But the way she looked at Hunter was something special. Something
that he just couldn't come between - even if The Game hadn't figured it out
yet. Jeff knew about it, too, though none of the other guys in the back were
privy to that knowledge. They kept it to themselves, privileged with the fact
that Willow had liked them enough to open up to them. She had been so quiet for
the most part, rarely making friends with those in the back.

Willow nodded. "Got some news for him from Stephanie." She ignored the look
Matt gave her - the one that implied she didn't need a 'reason' to go see
Hunter.

"What news?" Jeff asked.

The red head smirked. "It would hardly be fair if I told you before I told him,
now would it?"

"Fine, fine, fine." The younger Hardy grinned. "I guess we'll be forced to have
to listen through the door while ya'll talk, then."

"You would not!" She grinned, slapping him playfully on the arm. In a lot of
ways he reminded her of Xander - all goofiness. The two of them would get along
well if they ever met. A twinge of sadness coursed through her. Maybe it was
time to write to Xander. See how he was doing. She hadn't spoken to him since
the day she had boarded her plane, wishing him a good summer. He had seemed
dead inside and it had been hard for her to leave him. But he hadn't been there
for her. He hadn't made it seem like he needed her help. So why should she feel
guilty for not being there for him? For not checking up on him like a mother
would her child?

Still, she'd give him a call sometime soon and see how he was doing. Tell him
about her family. He'd probably know who all these people were, even though she
had been thoroughly lost at first.

Matt shook his head. "I wouldn't put it past him, Red. I've caught him snooping
at doors before. But shouldn't you be going? Don't want to keep you from your
Hunter time."

She threw up her hands in frustration, giving the two of them mock glares. "I
just don't know what I'm going to do with you two."

"I have some ideas." Jeff called after her. "Mostly involving handcuffs and
whipped cream."

She chuckled as the sound of slap rang through the hallway, knowing Matt had
just popped his brother for her. Good. That was one last thing she had to do
later. She raised her hand, knocking lightly on Hunter's door. Only now that
she was here did the nervousness begin to set in. Would he be happy to have her
as his manager? She certainly hoped so. The handle turned on the door and she
plastered a confident smile on her face, ordering the butterflies in her
stomach to settle down.

"Yes? Oh - hey little Red." The man known as 'The Game' grinned down at her.
"You need somethin'?"

Willow nodded. "Got some information for you. Can I come in?" Out of the corner
of her eye she could still see Matt and Jeff, no doubt still very curious about
whatever it was she had to tell Hunter. They'd find out when everyone else did.

"Sure." He pulled open the door, watching her lithe body in appreciation as she
walked past him. She settled lightly on his bench, next to his gym bag, and
stared up at him. When it was obvious she was too caught up in her own thoughts
to think clearly he decided to start things off."So - you have some information
for me?"uHunH

"Right!" She blushed. Way to be confident. Get caught staring at the man of
your obsession. "I just got back from talking to Stephanie and they're giving
you a new manager."

"Really?" He arched an eyebrow. This was news to him. It had been bound to
happen again eventually - pair him up with some little twit of eye candy to
make the crowd love him, and her, even more. "Who is it? Please tell me it's
not Stacy. I can't stand Stacy."

"No. It's not Stacy." Willow grinned. "She's actually the newest WWE employee."

"A new girl?" He frowned. Maybe it would have been better to have Stacy as his
manager. At least she knew what she was doing. He sighed, pushing his bag out
of the way and sitting down next to the red head. He could smell the sweet
scent of vanilla at this close distance. It wasn't a perfume type of smell,
more like a shampoo or body wash. And it was very much uniquely Willow and one
of the many things that had him more hung up on her than he had been on any
woman in the last few years. He couldn't remember anyone inspiring this type of
reaction in him after such a short time. The only thing that held him back from
trying to make a move was the knowledge that she was leaving soon. Sure, she'd
come back to visit her family ever now and then; but that wouldn't make for a
stable relationship. He needed more than that and she certainly deserved more
than that. "Does she have a name, little Red?"

"Sure does." This time the red head hid her grin, instead smirking at the look
of frustration on his face. She had heard many things about the man sitting
next to her, most of them having to do with his mental games. Here was her
chance to get back at him for all the times he had done it to others; as long
as the jig-dancing butterflies in her stomach didn't cause her to throw up
first.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

He gave her a stern look, softening it with a smile. The woman's face was a
mask of innocence, though he doubted she was unaware of what she was doing. It
was more like she was playing a game. The 'I-Know-Something-You-Don't-Know'
game to be exact. Oh well. It gave him more time to spend with her, chatting.
"What is her name?"

"Oh! You want to know her name?" She opened her eyes wide, as though the
question were news to her.

"Yes."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Willow."

"Will - oh!" The answer hit him like a chair to the head, knocking him
speechless. He stared at her, unable to fathom the name she had just spoken. It
couldn't be that he had heard her right. -She- was his new manager? Had God
finally listened to all of his prayers and sent a miracle to him?

Willow knew what it was like to see a man so shocked that his mouth hung open.
She held a hand to her mouth, giggling. She couldn't help it; couldn't manage
something more adult or sexy. This was pure giggling. The type that was brought
on by something as childish as tickling. "Close your mouth before something
flies in, Hunter."

The wrestler shut his mouth with a snap, his eyes very much still dazed.
Visions of late night strategizing sessions flitted through his head. Him and
her. In his hotel room, getting cozy, just talking about wrestling. Or other
things. A man couldn't live on headlocks alone. "You? You're my new manager?"

"Yep." She gave him a hopeful smile. "Is that okay?"

He smirked. "It's perfect, little Red. Is it okay with you? It means we'll be
spending some time together, getting to know one another better. Planning and
scheming. Working on our storyline."

She flushed, turning her head to stare at a chipping spot of paint on the wall.
'Our storyline' - it sounded good to her. Like something promising. "Sounds
great." She whispered.

Hunter chuckled. He hadn't missed her blush. Or the soft words spoken through
partly open pink lips. Sometimes it seemed like he affected her just as much as
she affected him; and at others it was as though she thought of him only as a
friend. This was one of the good times when he could imagine that the advances
he wanted to make with her wouldn't be immediately rebuffed. She would be
around longer now, likely even indefinitely. More than enough time to figure
out if a relationship with her would be possible. He reached out, rubbing her
back gently. She tensed at first and then relaxed into his hand.

"What's that for?" She murmured, closing her eyes in pleasure as his large,
strong hands worked the kinks out of the muscles in her lower back. She could
feel the last hour of stressing leaking out of her as his fingers gently worked
into the tense spots.

"You looked like you needed it." His own voice was husky. Leaning in, he
lowered his head to within an inch of her neck, working up the courage to just
kiss the pale white flesh he had lusted after for so long. She certainly didn't
seem to mind him touching her. In fact, it appeared as though she was really
enjoying herself. Her lower lip was drawn between her front teeth, eyes closed
and head tilted ever so slightly in pleasure.

"MmmM. Feels good."

A sound outside the door broke the mood, Willow hopping up as though she had
just been caught red-handed doing something she wasn't supposed to do. She
blushed, pulling open the door. "Jeffrey and Matthew Hardy!"

The two men backed away from the door, glancing from side to side. Making a run
for it wasn't an option from the look on the red head's face. The older of the
two backed up another step, embarrassed to have been caught doing something
that had been Jeff's idea in the first place. Listen in at the door. Hear what
they're talking about. See what the news is. It had seemed like a good idea at
the time. Lita would beat the crap out of both of them when she found out.
Their own red haired manager didn't put up with those kind of childish pranks
and games. That was, if Willow didn't kill them first. He thought for a moment
that he could see literal fire in her eyes. Only the smirk on her face kept him
from feeling true fear.

Luckily, Jeff diverted the attention to himself with one of his normal out of
place comments.

"So - uh. You're gonna be Hunter's manager?"

~*~Part Twelve~*~

Willow watched Stephanie bounce off the ropes, the jogging being something Willow could only assume was a warm-up of some sort. She crossed her arms, shifting from one foot to the other. The arena was cold with no one in it and, despite the fact that she was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, the red head was chilled. "Uh. Steph? Remind me why we're here again?"

"I'm gonna show you some moves." The brunette grinned, coming to a stop in the center of the ring.

"But you said managers don't wrestle." Willow couldn't help the hesitation in her voice. The last thing she needed was to get out there and make a fool of herself.

"Well, they don't. Not really, anyway." Stephanie shrugged. "Doesn't mean you shouldn't know what you're doing - like how to take a fall. Just in case, you know?"

Willow nodded. She climbed the steel steps, placing a hand nervously on the top rope of the ring. "You sure about this?"

"Just get in!"

The red head sighed, ducking between the top and middle rope. The mat wasn't as firm as it had looked. In fact, it was sort of springy to the step. She could see how landing on it wouldn't be a total pain. Ok - maybe it would. But now she knew how it could be that the wrestlers didn't leave it every night with broken limbs or backs. She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, getting a feel for the surface beneath her. Her eyes looked out over the arena and she could imagine, for just a moment, the crowd calling her name. Chanting for her, cheering when she made her entrance. Just as they did for Hunter and all the others.

Stephanie saw the look on Willow's face and knew it for what it was. Hunger. The red head wanted to be known whether or not she was ready to admit it to herself yet. Didn't everyone want their moment in the limelight? A chance to shine like a star?

And wouldn't Willow, as a family member, shine brighter than all the others?

"Okay." The brunette grinned, clapping her hands together. "The first step is to teach you how to fall."

"Don't hurt me too bad." Willow smirked. "Remember - tonight's the first time I walk out with Hunter." The thought brought butterflies to her stomach. Tonight she would walk out here, as one of the newest Divas to hit the locker room. Her clothes were already chosen, the story line promos had already been shot. Her name was now unofficially Willow McMahon and she was a cousin. A hated cousin. Someone that Triple H was bringing in as his manager to simply irritate the hell out of his 'ex-wife' Stephanie. There would be much back-biting and Steph would get to act like a royal bitch. Willow had even been 'slapped' by the brunette during one of the promos. It was going to be fun.

She just had to keep telling -herself- that.

"Don't worry." Stephanie giggled, a wickedly playful gleam entering her eyes. "I'll leave you in walking condition."

~*~*~

Willow shifted, scrunching up her nose in distaste as the skin-tight leather pants she was wearing pinched her in yet another uncomfortable place. She glanced in the mirror across the hall from the ramp entrance, a self-conscious smile creeping across her face. She had to admit - she looked hot. Buffy would be proud. If she closed her eyes, the red head could almost hear her best friend's voice. 'Wills! Look at you all leather-bound and sex-kitten like. Way to go!'

She smiled, opening her eyes again and blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. It wouldn't do to start crying and ruin her makeup. Not when the other girls in the back had been so kind about helping her get ready. This was her big debut as Willow McMahon. Wouldn't Sheila have a fit to know that she'd not only gone to visit her estranged aunt, but had taken on their name as well? The red head smirked.

"Ya know. I actually think smirking is -my- trademark, little Red."

Willow laughed, turning to face Hunter. He was wearing what she had come to associate with his 'typical' ring attire. Why was it that the men in this company got to dress so comfortably and the women had to wear leather? Lita was the only woman with any sense, it seemed. And she had joined the ranks of the senseless. "We going out now?"

Hunter shrugged. "'Nother minute or two." He gave her a grin. "You'll know when, don't worry."

She nodded. "Yeah. Sure. Don't worry says the big time wrestler man. Don't worry about all the people out there." She snorted. "Sure thing."

Now he could see the tenseness in her shoulders, her arms. Even the way she held her head was stiff. This wouldn't do at all. The fans could sense when something was off beat - and they'd see that in her right away.

His once-over glance of her tense body also allowed him a good look at what she was wearing - and how good it looked on her. The leather pants were tight, the kind that made him wonder how she could possibly be breathing. They hugged her body like a glove, accentuating the curves of her legs, of her ass. He held back from reaching out to caress the perfectly formed bottom just in time. The upper half of her body was encased in some sort of sparkling green top that matched the shade of her eyes perfectly. The shimmering material was tight across the front, pushing up her breasts. JR was going to have a field day with new 'puppies' to ogle at.

And the thought that JR would be ogling the red head both irritated him and made him proud all at once. He felt a twinge of jealousy at the idea that any other man would be looking at her body, but pride in the fact that she was -his-manager. She would be walking out with him at each show. She was his.

Or - he was hoping she was his.

"Calm down, Red." He gave her one of his softer smiles and stepped close enough that he could lay a hand on her shoulder. Their eyes met and he found himself marveling at her beauty once again.

"Can't." She frowned. "I can't stop thinking about all of those people out there. They're going to be watching me. Waiting for me to fall down or screw up or something. And then they'll laugh and it will be a very bad thing. And. Hey. Why are you laughing? Why -" She was cut off as his mouth came down on hers, stifling any further babbling she had been about to engage in. She gasped, unintentionally deepening the kiss. Not that that was a bad thing.

No, Willow had to admit that this kiss was entirely a good thing.

"Sir?"

"Ma'm?"

"SIR!"

They broke apart, Willow glancing frantically in the mirror to make sure that her lipstick hadn't smeared onto her chin. She reached up, rubbing a bit off of Hunter's lips as he turned to the stagehand. "Yes?"

"You're up, sir."

Hunter nodded. He glanced at Willow, smirking at the shocked contentment on her face. "Feel better now?"

"How. Why?" She paused. "Why did you do that?"

"To take your mind off what we're about to do." He replied. It was the truth, in part. The main reason he had kissed her being the fact that he had wanted to do it for a while and she had just been too cute when she was babbling.

"Oh." Willow sighed, saddened. How silly had she been to think he might have kissed her for any reason that meant anything special. She heard Hunter's music start up and took a deep breath. "Is that the only reason?"

"No." He grinned, stepping towards the curtain. "I also did it because I wanted to."

And then he pulled her through the curtain.

~*~Part Thirteen~*~

"So - what's this I hear about you and Hunter? A little lip lockage last night?"

Willow rolled her eyes, the gesture nothing but good-natured, and shifted in her seat to look up at Jeff Hardy. "Me and Hunter?" Her voice was sugar-sweet with innocence. "I'm sure I don't know what in the world you're talking about." The truth was that she knew very well what she was talking about - the pre-show kiss that had sent the backstage area of the WWE talking with rumors and gossip. She had already heard some of it today. Humorous things such as the one that went along the lines of her and Hunter secretly having carried out an affair ever since she came to visit her family.

There had been the bad side of it all, too. Some of the female wrestlers, the ones that weren't too nice to begin with, had become downright hostile to her now. They really felt as though they deserve the job as Hunter's manager more than she did. Who knew - maybe they did deserve it more. But Hunter couldn't stand a single one of them and therefore they were eliminated from even being a touch of competition. Lita had informed her of the rumor going around that she had only gotten the job because she was sleeping with Hunter. '

'I got the job because I'm family.' Willow smirked silently. 'If they're going to make up unflattering rumors they need to at least get it straight. This was family favoring family. Not Hunter getting his lover a job.' The thought was almost enough to make her laugh out loud. If only everyone realized that she and Hunter had only kissed for the first time last night and that they were not sleeping together.

Not yet, anyway. She was certainly hoping to get a chance to play 'The Game' sometime soon, though.

"Uh huh." The wrestler grinned, mercifully oblivious to the rampaging hormonal thoughts flittering through Willow's head at that moment. "Sure. So you know nothing about a certain blonde haired man, let's call him 'The Game', kissing his new manager, let's call her 'Willow', before she walked him out for the first time last night?"

Willow pursed her lips, her forehead wrinkled as though she were seriously thinking about what he had said. At the point at which she was sure she couldn't hold back her laughter any longer, she allowed her eyes to light up with a 'memory'. "Wait a minute! Yep. That does ring a bell." Her grin was wicked, her laugh genuine. "Really, though, Jeff. Since when did you become the gossip queen around here?"

Jeff shrugged. "Not much else to do in between matches." He took a seat next to her, looking around the nearly deserted lunchroom. Matt and Lita were at a table not too far away, staring at each other in that dreamy way they often did. It was enough to make him go into sugar shock.

"So, let me get this straight. You're bored and you've decided that interrogating me about my love life might alleviate it?"

"Somethin' like that." He grinned.

"Hate to disappoint you, then." Willow smirked, standing up and pushing her chair in. She patted him on the shoulder, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "Maybe you should find a girl and make some rumors of your own?" She chuckled, leaving him sitting at the table.

Hunter's locker room was easy enough to find, for once, and she found herself standing outside of it very nervously. After the match the night before, once they were safely away from the prying eyes of the crowd, the two of them had proceeded to make out some more, much like teenagers. They had been 'caught' at one point in his locker room, passionately smooching away, by Stephanie. Her cousin had, thankfully, just laughed and left them to their own devices.

But Willow hadn't seen Hunter yet today and she was seriously wondering if maybe, just maybe, he had found something to regret about his actions. It was a perfect reality that he could have woken up and decided that she just wasn't 'his type' or pretty enough or any of a million other excuses. She hesitated, her hand poised just over the wood of the door. Maybe she should come back later, when she wasn't quite so nervous - She jumped back as the door opened.

"Hey." Hunter smiled down at her, gathering her small body up against him. She fit so well in his arms, as though she were meant to go there. That was stilly, he knew. He didn't believe in soul mates or two people 'belonging' with each other; but if ever there was a time to start - this certainly would be it.

"Was just about to knock…" Willow mumbled, her face conveniently in Hunter's chest. She let him just hold her, breathing in the tangy scent of his aftershave, the sweet smell of his skin. He had just recently taken a shower, the tantalizing odor of cleanliness hung around him like a warm blanket. This was a good sign. He wasn't avoiding her and seemed -really- happy to see her, in fact. She sighed, drawing back from him to look into his eyes. If they were going to kiss he'd either have to come down to her or she'd need a step ladder.

Or, she could bring his mouth to her own.

She grabbed the front of his shirt, balling it in her tiny fist and pulling. Maybe it was her strength, maybe it was the cute look on her face or maybe it was just because he understood what she wanted - it didn't really matter at that moment because Hunter leaned down and kissed her firmly on the lips. She stepped closer to his body, her head tilted up at an angle that was highly uncomfortable. She'd have a really bad crick in her neck if they kept this up for too long. It was so much easier to kiss him when they were sitting down, her in his lap.

"Gonna hurt yourself if you keep your head like that too long." Hunter murmured into her lips, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"You don't say." She drawled, reaching a hand up to rub gently at the back of her neck. "Maybe I'll just have to start carrying a little stepping stool around with me so that I can kiss you more easily any time I want."

"Now -there's- an idea." Hunter grinned. He grabbed her hand, leading her into his locker room and shutting the door behind him. The day had been long and lonely without the little red head near him. If he stopped for a moment to think about how quickly he had gotten attached to her, he would have been well and truly shocked with himself. He didn't want to think about it, though - only wanted to live in the moment they had created for themselves. He sat down on the short bench, pulling the tiny slip of a girl into his arms. She might as well have weighed nothing; certainly he would have no trouble carrying her for any length of time anywhere she wanted.

No sooner had Willow settled blissfully into his lap, inciting his body to states of arousal that he was sure the innocent red head wasn't aware of, did someone knock on his door. "Come in." He growled.

"Sheesh, Hunter. Grrr to you too." Stephanie joked, sticking her head in the room. "And I see the reason our resident Champion is all evil sounding. Did I interrupt Willow kisses?"

"Hadn't quite gotten a chance to really start yet." Willow pouted, giving her cousin a wink.

"Oh good." The brunette grinned, entering and closing the door behind herself. "So I'm not -really- interrupting anything."

"Steph." Hunter groaned. "Was there something you wanted or did you appoint yourself our chaperone?"

"Ew? Me? A chaperone for you two? Not hardly." The woman who had once played his wife chuckled. "Though Shane might apply for that job if its open. No - I came by with some info from the writers. Seems we're going to take your whole manager role to a new level, Will."

"New level?" Willow asked, confused. There was a knowing look on Stephanie's face and a smile on Hunter's. She looked back and forth between the two of them, waiting for an explanation. When it was obvious they were content to let her bask in her own unknowledgefulness, she cleared her throat? "Hello? Remember me? The wrestling newbie? Can I get a clue? What does she mean - take it to the next level?"

Hunter grinned. He leaned his head close enough to hers that she could feel his breath on her lips. "It means, little Red. That in a few nights I get to kiss you on live television."

~*~Part Fourteen~*~

The pile of letters on the tastefully flowered comforter of the hotel room bed seemed to be laughing at Willow. Surely, if they could open their little paper flap mouths and speak they would laugh. Especially considering the circumstances.

She had fan mail.

Tons of it.

It seemed every man in the country, and some outside of it, wanted to write to her and tell her how hot she was, how sexy she looked. And how much they wanted a piece of her if Triple H ever got done having his way with her. Women wrote, too - from teens on up to adults. She was their hero in some cases, a role model for them to look up to. Her, little Willow Rosenberg, now known to the world as Willow McMahon, a role model to others. How mind blowing was that? Gone was the geek that everyone had made fun of in high school and in her place there was a confident young woman, a sex symbol by some people's definitions. And it had all started with a kiss.

Two weeks had passed since the night that her and Hunter had taken her managerial role to the next level in front of an audience of thousands and thousands. It had been a full two weeks since that night he had pulled his 'shocked' and 'surprised' manager into his arms after a particularly brutal looking match against The Rock and kissed her as though nothing else in the world existed. She could still hear the fans on their feet, cheering and stomping. In her mind she could picture the irate way Stephanie had stormed out from backstage in full bitch-mode, her normally kind face in a sneer. How much effort had it taken Willow not to laugh as her cousin stood there and called her every trashy name in the book? It didn't take much imagination to remember the way it had felt to stand in front of all those people and kiss the man she had come to care for, though.

She knew in her heart that the feelings she had grown to have for Hunter were far past the simple 'caring' stage. There was only one word to describe feelings so painfully pleasurable that half the time you didn't know if you wanted to laugh or cry; jump for joy or jump off a bridge.

Love.

They hadn't said it to each other yet. In a way, she wasn't ready for it; couldn't handle admitting out loud what she had only just recently admitted to her heart.

But, despite all of these things, Willow still felt as though something were missing from her life. She had her family, her boyfriend, and some friends. In fact, for once in her life everything seemed to be going just right. She had everything anyone could ever hope for. Money, friends, someone she loved and a great job. She even had fame, though she had never sought it out. In spite of all of that, it didn't take any effort for her to figure out what she was missing.

Xander.

Or, more specifically, the friendship she had had with him. Sure, they had drifted apart during the time after Buffy's death, but she missed him with all of her heart. He had always been her friend, through thick and thin. The days they had spent playing as kids, Jesse by their side, haunted her dreams at night sometimes; reminding her of times gone by, things she would never again get to see or do. And reminding her of the friend she had left behind when she went on this little road trip of hers to be with her family.

They hadn't spoken once since she had left, and only a few brief words that day before she had boarded her plane had carried through with her. He had told her that he hoped she would have fun with her family and that she would always be his best bud. In his own way he had made it clear that he wanted her to go off and have fun and forget about the sorrow that lurked in Sunnydale. He had Anya and she had this time away with her family. They'd get through everything in their own way and maybe one day things would be able to be the way they were. Or at least something close to it.

She missed him, though.

The red head pushed the fan letters into the duffel bag she had taken them out of, determined to finish responding to them before her next batch of mail caught up with her. Hopefully those pictures her aunt had ordered of her would come in soon enough and she could just send those out instead of handwriting personal responses to each and every one of the letters she got on a weekly basis. She didn't have time to answer them right now. Not when she had very important plans for the day. That is, if Hunter was done getting ready to leave yet. He took almost more time than her to get ready sometimes.

Standing, Willow made her way over to the door of her hotel room. She patted her pockets, making sure that she had her room key, before stepping out and shutting the door behind her. The room was being shared by herself and Stephanie and the last thing she wanted to do was to have to hunt the brunette down because she locked herself out. She walked the short distance between her own room and the one that Hunter was sharing with Test on that same floor and knocked. The sound echoed down the quiet hallway and she heard some movement within.

"Who is it?"

"Willow." She called through the door to Test, recognizing his voice immediately.

"Just a sec, Red. Let me get decent."

"Decent?" She laughed. "What're you two doing in there? Or do I not want to know?" It was a common joke. Her boyfriend and the other blond man were just as close as brothers, choosing to share rooms with each other than any of the other superstars. The door swung open a moment later and there he was - Hunter. "You ready?"

He nodded, looking back over his shoulder at Test. "Be back later, man."

"See ya."

Willow gave Test a little wave around Hunter's wide frame and then pulled the WWE Champion along behind her, barely giving him the chance to shut the door. "You excited about this or somethin', Little Red?"

"Just a little." She murmured, giving him a wry grin. The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside, hitting the button for the parking garage. Twenty floors to go and then she'd be in the car, on her way. She shifted from foot to foot, almost hopping up and down with impatience.

Hunter smirked, grabbing the restless red head into his arms and stilling her with a kiss. He pulled back, admiring the breathless, flushed look on her face, just as the doors of the elevator slid open again. The parking garage beckoned, cool despite the warmth of the bright summer sun outside. "So - where are we going again?"

Willow smiled, allowing herself to be led to their rental car. The town they were going to was only a couple hours' drive from the arena. It was an out of the way spot to most people and she wasn't surprised Hunter kept forgetting the name of it, though it was somewhere she would never forget.

Not in a million years.

"Sunnydale, baby." She smiled, the gesture lighting up her face. "We're going to Sunnydale."

~*~Part Fifteen~*~

The neighborhood was every bit as quiet as she had remembered it, the front lawn of Xander's apartment building green and dotted with the tiny wildflowers that tended to pop up on their own. She smiled, remembering a time when Buffy had still been alive and they had all sat out there for a picnic, celebrating Xander's new apartment. It had been a happy time, one of the few they had all had a chance to have before Glory had entered their lives.

Her green eyes roamed over the windows, spotting the one that was Xander's immediately. She could see figures moving about inside. Good. This was a surprise visit and she really had had no way of knowing if anyone would even be home. A flash of blonde hair in the window caught her eye and she grinned.

"Dawn's here."

"Dawn?" Hunter repeated, his eyes traveling over the red head's face. She looked so happy. And he did love to see her happy. "Who's Dawn?"

"Buffy's sister." Willow smiled sadly. "After…" She stopped, shaking off the sadness that had been about to rain down on her good mood. "After Buffy died, Dawn went to LA to live with her dad. I guess she still gets to visit Xander."

Hunter nodded. He watched her turn back to looking out the car window. "Red? Do you want to go up and see them anytime soon? Or are we just visiting from afar today?"

The WWE Diva shook her head, placing a hand nervously on the handle of the car. She turned to him, her eyes full of uncertainty. "What if he isn't happy to see me? I mean - I didn't call. I didn't write. I just left ---"

"If he's as good of a friend as you said he is, he'll understand. You needed to get your head straight after everything that happened." He didn't feel insecure about this man that she wanted to see. For all intents and purposes, she described him in a way that indicated he was more of a brother to her than anything else. He was secure enough not to worry about their friendship.

Willow nodded, agreeing tentatively with what he was saying. She took a deep breath and then let it out, her body wired liked she was about to walk down the ramp. These were the same pre-show jitters that she had every time she walked Hunter to the ring. "Okay, let's do this."

The car doors shut behind them, the noise sounding impossibly loud in the quiet apartment parking lot. Despite the fact that she walked slowly, the distance between the car and the door of Xander's apartment flew by and, before she knew it she was knocking on the door. Her breath caught in her throat, choking her in the space of time between when she knocked and when the door slowly opened.

"Willow?"

"Hey Xan. Miss me?" Willow whispered, her eyes shiny with tears.

"Oh god." He murmured, grabbing her up and pulling her into the apartment. If he had even noticed Hunter standing there he gave no indication. His entire focus was on the red head in his arms. Crystalline tears glittered down his cheeks, falling in heavy drops to her shoulder. "Wills. Best bud. You're here. You're really here."

"Yes she is." Anya piped up from across the room. "And she brought with her one of those wrestler men." The former vengeance demon pushed past her fiancé and ushered Hunter inside, giving him one of her most winning smiles. "Hi. I'm Anya. Forgive me if I don't know your name. I think wrestling is barbaric. Though sweaty men in tight shorts are definitely a plus."

"Anya!" Willow and Xander cried at once.

"How does she know he's a wrestler? I didn't think you watched that stuff, Xan."

The dark haired man snorted, releasing her and stepping back a pace. "I don't. Didn't, anyway. I do now. It's her fault."

Dawn grinned and flew across the room, grabbing Willow into an embrace of her own. "I missed you." She was crying too. At least they were tears of happiness and not something bad like anger or sadness. "Dad watches it and who did I see not too long ago? Walking out with Triple H?" She gave the large blonde man a sly grin out of the corner of her eye and was rewarded with one of his trademark smirks. It was enough to make her want to melt right then and there. "Our little Willow. A WWE superstar."

"Pfft." Willow snickered. "I'm not a superstar." She pointed at Hunter. "He's a superstar. I'm just his manager."

"Just his manager?" Xander asked. "Or his girlfriend? I'm hoping for girlfriend because I don't want to be led to believe that all managers get kisses like the ones he gives you a few times a week."

"Okay. Not just his manager." She admitted. Hunter had stepped up behind her and she smiled up at him.

Anya smirked. "We will forgo threatening you with bodily harm if you hurt her." She said sweetly to the large wrestler. "And instead skip straight to death. If you hurt her I will kill you. Probably not personally since you're much bigger than I am. But I know people who know some people."

"I don't plan on hurting her. Ever." Hunter chuckled. He leaned down, whispering into Willow's ear. "Interesting friends you have, Little Red."

The young witch shook her head, giving Xander and Anya and Dawn a wink. "You have no idea."

~*~Part Sixteen~*~

Dawn tried to hide her awe as she looked around the backstage area of the arena. Here and there she saw wrestlers, faces she recognized off of television. It was enough to be both overwhelming and thoroughly exciting all at one time.

"Look. Look!" She hopped up and down excitedly. "That's Matt and Jeff Hardy!"

"Ow!" Xander smirked. "Watch the arm, Dawnie."

"Sorry. Just got a little carried away."

Willow watched the exchange, grinning at the exchange between the two. It was cute, really. She had arranged the backstage passes and front row seats for her friends the second she knew she was going to be coming to LA. It had been no trouble to get an extra set for Dawn as well. The teen was so over exuberant about the whole thing. Willow could tell that Xander was excited, too, though he was still at least -trying- to maintain an air of being an actual adult.

And then there was Anya.

The former demon was staring at each man that walked by as though he were a piece of meat up on the auction. She would lick her lips and wink at them as they made their way past her. It was cute, in a way. Would have been even cuter if she wasn't Xander's girlfriend. Thank goodness he was too busy trying not to be awestruck to notice. She wondered how he could put up with it all the time. But that was just the way of their relationship - Anya was a looker and Xander just sat back and let her do her thing. It worked well for them.

'Wouldn't work with me and Hunter, though.' She smirked. 'I think I'd have to beat the crap out of any woman I caught him looking at. And vice versa.'

"Matt! Jeff! C'mere!" She called out, watching as Dawn's face went from excited to frightened. Didn't she -want- to meet them? "Guys. These are my friends from back home - Dawn, Xander and Anya meet Matt and Jeff Hardy."

"Nice to meet ya'll." Jeff grinned.

"Likewise." Matt saw the flustered look on Dawn's face and couldn't help himself - he flashed her one of his thousand-watt smiles and gave her a wink.

"Ohmigod." Dawn sighed, leaning against Xander. She buried her face into the sleeve of his shirt. "Matt Hardy just winked at me. I think I could die happy now. Embarrassed, but happy."

The group laughed, the sound echoing down through the corridors.

"Have you two seen Hunter around by any chance?" Willow asked, her eyes roaming the nearly deserted hallways. Her lover had taken off once they had entered the building, needing to take care of a few last minute things before the show started, and she hadn't seen him since.

"I think he's getting ready. The show starts in ten minutes." Matt answered, turning his attention away from embarrassing the blushing teenager.

"Oh!" Willow smacked her hand into her forehead and turned apologetically to her friends. "Sorry guys. I've gotta go get ready, too. I'll get someone to take you out to your seats, okay?"

"No prob, Wills." Xander smiled, patting her on the arm. "I'd wish you luck tonight, but I don't think you need it."

Willow smiled at her lifelong friend and gave him a tight hug before calling over one of the backstage guys to help them find their seats. She watched them go with a feeling of sadness.

"What's wrong?" Jeff asked, his voice low so that no one around could hear.

She shrugged. "Just hard to watch them go. Even if its only for a few minutes. I've missed them so much."

He nodded. "Such is the life in the WWE." He squeezed her shoulder. "You'll have more time to visit after the show, though - right?"

The red head nodded, wiping the sadness from her face and giving Jeff a bright smile. He was right. She'd have more time to visit with them after the show was over. But, in the meantime - "Right. I'd better go get ready before Hunter comes looking for me."

~*~*~

She found Hunter in their dressing room, sitting on the bench, towel in hand. He was already dressed for the night, looked as though he had been dressed for a while, too. The look on his face said a million things without him even needing to say a word. Something was wrong.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Willow frowned, sitting down next to him. She took his hand in her own, rubbing her thumb over the back of his palm. Her green eyes looked into his face imploringly.

He gave her a sad smile. "Did you have fun with your friends?"

"Yes." She said haltingly. "But don't change the subject. What's -wrong-?"

He met her eyes now, wondering how to say what was in his heart without sounding like a fool. "I was just thinking - how long are you going to stay with us? How long do I have until you go back to that life? Those friends?"

Willow sat back, her eyes sad. "Hunter. Is that what this is about?" She sighed, looking over at the wall. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I don't miss them terribly - because I do. But that life isn't for me anymore. Not now. This is my home. You, Jeff, Matt, Steph, Shane - all of you guys - you are my family. And - "

Now she was the one to pause, take a breath, and find a way to say what her own heart wanted her to say so badly. She bit her lip, her eyes coming to his face. She looked over each line of his face, wondering what she had ever done without him. How sad had life been before she had come here, met her family and - "I'll stay as long as you want me to. I love you, Hunter."

The silence in the room seemed almost oppressive to her. What was only a few seconds seemed like an eternity as she waited for him to say something, anything, in response to what she had told him.

Finally he laughed softly, his eyes lit up from the inside with something she couldn't name. A fierce happiness that was indescribable. And then he said what she had only hope he would say; the response she had only prayed for.

"That settles it then. You're staying here forever - because I love you, too."

~*~Part Seventeen~*~

The arena was packed. Willow was pretty sure she had heard Stephanie say that it was sold out for the night. That was a good thing. Uncle Vince and Aunt Linda were very happy when shows sold out.

And they were very happy with her, too. She was a hit, a star. Everything she had never thought she would be –and- she had her family’s approval. Well, Vince and Linda anyway. Sheila and Ira could rot for all she cared.

Standing off to one side, waiting for Hunter’s music to start and signal their entrance into the arena, Willow couldn’t help but feel proud of what she had accomplished. Her Aunt and Uncle had given her a contract good for the next two years. In that time they said they hoped she would want to stay on, but that she could leave if she wanted. They even said that she could break the contract if needed, though she doubted that would happen.

Tonight she’d be doing her thing in front of her friends. She was scheduled to not only walk Hunter out, but to interfere for the very first time ever. It was all very well choreographed; she had attended a practice session that morning before leaving to see her friends, even. All that remained was to do it in front of the live audience.

And that part had her nervous.

The match was Hunter versus Stone Cold. All she had to do was get on the apron at the right moment and distract the referee. It would go off without a hitch. Except for one little thing.

Debra.

The blonde haired woman was supposed to be out there, at her husband’s side for the match tonight. According to the plan Stephanie had outlined to her, Debra
would yank her off of the apron after only a moment or two of distracting the referee. They’d begin to get into a catfight and then Hunter would break it up.

Easy.

She hoped.

To top it all off – her friends would be out there tonight. Watching her. Right there on the front row. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of them. Okay. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of –anyone-, much less the friends that she held near and dear to her heart.

"You’re making me dizzy."

"Huh?" Willow looked over at Hunter, the look on her face questioning.

"All that jumping around you keep doing." He chuckled. "It’s making me dizzy just trying to keep my eyes on you."

"You could just not look." She smirked, stilling her nervous movements. She hadn’t been aware until that moment that she was actually moving around that much.

"Don’t think that’s possible." He murmured, stepping up to kiss her forehead. "How could I not stare at the most beautiful woman in the room?"

"Pft." Willow admonished. "The other Divas are much prettier than me."

Hunter shook his head, leaning down to kiss her lips. Outside he could hear silence as Stone Cold’s music cut off. It was their turn to make an entrance. "Don’t worry. It’ll be okay."

Willow nodded, allowing herself to be pulled through the curtain and onto the head of the ramp. She stood slightly to his left and a little behind him, hands on her hips and a slight smirk on her face as he went through his opening gestures. She felt the spray of water as they began to move forward, still falling through the air from him spitting it out a moment before.

The crowd went wild. She saw the typical signs for Hunter and a few for herself as well. It was still a thrill to think that these people were here, in part, to see her. They were excited to see little old her. The walk to the ring went by in a blur and then she was walking past her friends, throwing them a small, hidden smile, before going to stand on the floor by Hunter’s corner.

The bell rang and the match was under way. She saw Debra standing in Steve’s corner, her arms crossed and a bitter smile on her face. She wasn’t cheering, wasn’t really doing anything that the managers usually did. Willow sighed. The two of them must have had another fight. She’d hear about it later in the Diva’s locker room, for sure.

The moment came almost too soon. She watched as Hunter broke free from Stone Cold, making his way across the ring. Stepping up onto the apron she got the
referees attention. Her back was to her friends and she could hear them cheering. Dawn thought it was so cool apparently. The referee came over to her and she got in his face, yelling about nothing really, just making it look good for the crowd and the fans at home.

And then it happened.

Something totally unexpected and completely unplanned for.

Stone Cold came barreling towards the ref, knocking him into the ropes and sending Willow flying off of the apron. Time slowed. She could see Hunter’s face register alarm, could see Debra open her mouth to scream. And then she was landing. She felt the barrier hit her back a second before her head collided with the immovable object as well.

And then the world went black.

~*~*~

{Willow}

**Just five more minutes, mom.**

{Willow, c’mon bestest bud. You need to wake up now.}

**Xander? Why’re you waking me up?**

{Little Red, sweetie. I love you.}

**Hunter. I love you too.**

Why wouldn’t they just let her sleep, though?

{If you don’t wake up right now, young lady, I’m gonna call in a few friends to wreak some serious vengeance.}

**Anya, you’re overreacting. Can’t I just take a nap?**

{Willow. Please. Please. Please. Wake up.}

**Dawn. Why are you crying?**

That made her struggle through the darkness that was weighing like a ton of lead in her mind. Dawn was crying. Something had to be wrong. She needed to wake up and see what she could do to help. She didn’t want Dawn to cry.

"Dawn?" She whispered finally. Her lips were dry and she licked at them, attempting to bring some sense of moisture back. "Why’re you crying, sweetie?"

"Wills!!"

Without even opening her eyes she knew that the person who had just leapt on the bed with her was Dawn. She felt hands touching her, arms encircling her.

And Xander yelling for someone to get the doctor?

"Huh?" Again her voice was so soft. She opened her eyes, surprised to see an unfamiliar ceiling above her. "Where am I?"

"Hospital." Hunter said quietly, kneeling next to her bed. He took one of her hands, rubbing it gently with his thumb. "You’ve been out for almost a whole day."

"Out?" She asked.

"Coma." Xander confirmed. He snorted. "You seem to have a talent with those."

Willow smiled softly. "I’m sorry to have worried you guys."

"Bah." Anya smirked. "At least you’re still alive. And you’re talking and stuff. That’s a good thing."

"I’ll say." Hunter smiled.

The doctor chose that moment to enter the room, quieting their reunion for the moment and giving Willow a chance to think. Despite the fact that she had gotten hurt she was looking forward to the next show she appeared at – just to show the fans and everyone else that she was okay.

"You just rest." Hunter was telling her. "Linda and Vince will be by later before they leave for Calgary. They said we could have all the time off that you needed. They couldn't stay."

Willow nodded, leaning back and closing her eyes. The pain in her head was starting again and rest sounded like just what she needed.

~*~Part Eighteen~*~

Willow knelt on the ground, her hand reaching down to play absently with the grass. Some wild flowers were growing up amongst the green blades, their white and violet colors lending a little variety to the monotony of the scene. There was no sound to disturb her thoughts and the air was warm, almost a little humid. It was comfortable, though not comforting. Her eyes glanced across the stone marker in front of her before coming to rest on the ground again, filled with tears.

"Here Lies
Buffy Anne Summers
Friend, Confidant and Protector
May the summer winds carry her
Soul straight to the heavens and
May she find peace amongst the stars"

She whispered, tears falling in fat, glistening drops to the ground. The words were engraved in her mind, along with Buffy's birthday and date of death. She had been the one to choose what went on the headstone. Mr. Summers had been in no shape to do it, and Dawn was too torn up at the time. It had all fallen onto her little shoulders. But she had survived it and, now, was persevering.

"I think you're proud of me wherever you are, Buff." She whispered. Her voice was loud in the silence, but that didn't bother her. There was no one around to hear her. Xander and Hunter were waiting at the car, giving her the time she needed to say what she needed to say. It was just her, and the memories she held dear to her heart.

"I've made amends with a part of my family I never knew. They're wonderful people. A little odd sometimes, but wonderful just the same." She snorted playfully. "And who am I to say anyone else is odd? What with being a witch and living on the Hellmouth. My family doesn't know anything about that. I don't think I want to be the one to tell them. No real reason to let them know, I guess."

She paused, tilting her head to the side and smiling through her tears down at the headstone. "I might tell Hunter, though. He deserves to know everything about me. I love him, Buffy. More so than I ever loved Oz. More than I thought I loved Tara. I think I know now what you felt when you were with Angel. The type of emotion that makes you want to scream aloud and let the entire world know that you are the happiest woman on the face of the earth. I laugh when he's near me and miss him when he's gone. Sappy, huh?"

A wind picked up, blowing through the cemetery and rustling the few leaves that had fallen from the trees. It was near the end of August. Soon all the leaves would be falling as the Fall season placed its hold on the world. She'd have to make Xander promise to come by and put fresh flowers out for Buffy every so often. The wildflowers were good during the summer and spring, but she didn't want her friend to be without loveliness during the dead months.

Not when she herself had been one of the loveliest spots in the lives of so many. A true friend to so many. A protector to even more. The world would never know what she had given for it, but that didn't diminish the sacrifice any. The gods knew. Willow and Xander knew. Dawn knew and would carry it with her for the rest of her life, like a beacon in a sea of darkness.

"I work in the WWE." She said finally, picking up where she had left off. "That's World Wrestling Entertainment just in case you didn't know. I didn't. I went headfirst into my family's world without so much as a clue. Even when I saw Hunter signing autographs at the airport that first day, Buff, I didn't know who he was. It's almost embarrassing to look back on it now that I work in the business. I 'manage' Hunter - but I'll be starting my own women's career soon enough. Can you imagine that? Little Willow Rosenberg - a wrestling superstar? Kicking ass on television? I'm a sex symbol, or so I'm told. Ha."

It was laughable, really. If Buffy had still been alive she would have been right there, next to Willow, laughing over the irony of the situation. Willow, the one who had been more into computers than anything else, was already a star in a very physical sport. Laughable, but commendable at the same time.

Footsteps behind her brought the little red head out from the thoughts she had retreated into - the ones that were filled with pictures of her and Xander and Buffy, smiling and carrying on like good friends were supposed to. Those had been the happy times but she had come to learn that just because Buffy was gone didn't mean the happy times had to end. They were just forever changed. Never to be the same, but not necessarily lessened or diluted either.

"You need to get back to bed, Wills. Hunter says he's gonna come put you over his shoulder and drag you back to the house if you don't come back soon."

Willow smiled as Xander knelt down next to her. She had only been released from the hospital that morning. It was within her friends' rights to worry about her. But she needed to be here, to say her goodbyes to Buffy before she got on the plane tomorrow morning. "I will, Xan." She gestured to the headstone. "Was just talking to Buffy."

The young man nodded. "I still do that sometimes. It's hard to let go. Sometimes - " He stopped, his voice choked with emotion. "Sometimes I miss her so much that I can almost picture her being in the room with me, telling me not to cry anymore."

"She wouldn't want us to be sad." Willow agreed. "She gave her life so that we could live ours and be happy, Xan." There it was, the truth. But it didn't make things hurt any less.

They sat like that for a moment, each one remembering Buffy as they had liked her best. Strong, intelligent, witty - and all those other things that had made her their friend. She had been the best thing to happen to them. Without her they would have died, no doubt, if not at the hands of a vampire or demon, then at the hands of the Mayor the day of their graduation. It was all connected. They lived because of Buffy. They loved because of Buffy. She had given them far more than just their lives - she had given them the chance to experience all life had to offer.

"We'll see her again one day." Willow said firmly, easing herself into a standing position. She looked down at the headstone, saying a silent goodbye, before turning toward the exit of the cemetery. It was Xander's turn to have some time alone with Buffy. His turn to say the things that were in his heart that he hadn't said yet - to tell her all about what had happened in his life since he had last visited. Hunter was waiting down there, with the car, ready to take her back to their hotel for some rest. Tomorrow they'd be on a plane bound for somewhere in Canada. At least, that's what she thought. It was still a little hard to think straight with all the painkillers she was taking for her head.

"Everything okay?"

She smiled at her boyfriend, leaning into his ready embrace. His arms were strong around her, comforting. And, for that moment, if felt good just to be held, to know that here was someone who loved her and would take care of her. "Yeah. Everything's fine."

"Good." The obvious wasn't said - that he didn't like to see her sad. She already knew that. But there was no way around this sadness. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before releasing her and opening the car door. "Sit down and rest. I see Xander coming now."

Willow nodded, settling into the passenger's seat of the little rental car. She could see Xander making his way down the slight hill and towards the exit, back to them. There were tears on his face, glistening in the sunlight like little crystals. How long would it be until they could come here and not give up so much of their happiness? How much longer until they could look back on everything about that Buffy and that time of their lives without feeling so much of a loss?

"You okay?" She asked quietly, when Xander eased into the back seat of the car.

"Yeah." He murmured, giving her a shaky, sad smile. "I'm fine. Or, I will be."

She smiled and turned back around in her seat. As necessary as this trip may have been, she was tired now. Time to go back and rest. In Hunter's arms. And tomorrow she'd leave one family, Xander and the others, to go back to another - Linda, Vince, and the rest of the WWE. Both equally important and very much a part of her life, now and forever. And both so much more tangible and real than the ties that she was supposed to have to her own mother and father - the ones she had still yet to hear from. That was okay. She didn't need them, anyway. There were others in her life now; people to take care of her and love her.

It was good to have family.

~*~The End~*~

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