Flames

Learning Irish, part 1

Before she was The Man, Becky never needed to be at the arenas early; sometimes she was lucky if Creative had anything for her at all. She still showed up earlier than most, though, hoping to show her initiative, her dedication. Now she showed up early out of necessity. It felt like there was always a promo to shoot, an interview to do, a new t-shirt design to consult on. She loved it all, she really did, but it also gave her a whole new appreciation for what the likes of John Cena must have gone through on a daily basis.

During one of her lulls, Becky went to settle in with the backstage crowd to watch the show. She was about to head for a mostly empty row of seats when a well-dressed blonde woman waved at her. "Rebecca! Come see Monroe!"

Maryse was one of the few people who insisted on calling her Rebecca; maybe she thought Becky didn't sound posh enough with a French accent. Even Becky had to admit that Maryse made her full name sound good, though. Excusing herself as she worked her way down the row, Becky sat down beside the mother and daughter. "Hey, Maryse. I didn't know you were going to be here today." Then she smiled at the small child on Maryse's lap. "Hi, Monroe!"

Monroe babbled happily at her, reaching for some of her bracelets. "Oh, I'm not scheduled for anything. I just wanted to talk to some of the girls. Nattie and I are supposed to be doing something to promote women's wrestling in Canada, so we're going to talk about that. Besides, this one," she added, tickling Monroe's belly, "loves being backstage. Don't you, Monroe?"

"She's so sweet." Becky laughed when Monroe started to reach for her. "She's got your stubbornness, that's for sure."

Maryse laughed too. "It's so true! Do you want to hold her?"

"Sure." Becky pulled Monroe into her lap and started talking to her while Maryse quickly checked her text messages. "So how's this one coming along?" she asked, pointing to Maryse's growing belly. Becky hadn't heard an official due date from Miz, but given the timeline, she figured Maryse would be due in September.

"Good so far. Really good." Maryse gave her belly a pat and sighed. She was so fashion conscious that many people assumed she hated gaining pregnancy weight, but she appeared to simply take it as a challenge to find more amazing outfits, just in a larger size. "Oh, you two are so cute together!" She lifted her phone. "May I?"

"Of course." Becky readied herself for the flash and made a silly face to make Monroe smile. "She's going to have quite the photo album when she grows up."

Maryse nodded. "And lots of uncles and aunties to look out for her." Then her eyes narrowed in a nefarious way Becky remembered all too well from watching Maryse's original run as a Diva: she was scheming. "Have you thought about when you want to start having kids?"

Becky's first thought was to glance around for Seth, which made her heart lurch a bit. They had only been dating for a couple months, so any thoughts about kids were highly premature. "Oh, um. Not really, no. My career's going so well at the moment. I'd hate to step away now. . . ."

"I think you could get away with it if that's what you wanted. You've proven yourself now. They won't want to lose you to another company." Maryse was starting to say something more, but then she raised a hand. "Whoever has the clicker, turn up the volume! Seth is on."

Becky felt a slight blush sneak up her cheeks and she busied herself with tickling Monroe's feet, making the little girl squirm with delight. "You didn't have to," she insisted in a low voice. Was it just her, or had No Way Jose turned it up unbearably loud? It must have been her, because no one else was wincing. "I was just stopping to watch between promos. . . ." She and Seth often rewatched RAW together later the same night, adding in their own commentary.