Jake made a promise, one he never imagined he'd have to keep. He promised his girlfriend Heather he'd get a regular job if he couldn't wrestle in Mercury. It's what she wanted to hear. He does love her, but the only reason Jake said it was his confidence that he wouldn't get injured or fired. He never paid attention to Mercury's status. Those young eyes never saw it coming.

But he made his promise, and so he kept it...

He tried to.

- - -

Jake slinks past the apartment door and tries to close it silently. All for naught. His trusty retriever Kenta is already there to greet him, and hopes his master stopped at McDonald's (Kenta loves him some chicken selects). Jake ignores his dog and lurches onward. He whips a greasy mechanic shirt off his back, leaving a greasier tanktop.

She's in the kitchen, her nose buried in a law textbook.

'Hey hun, what's up?... What's wrong Jakey?'

All he can muster is a bleak gaze into her eyes.

'Oh no, not again. But it's your dad. He didn't really fire you did he?'

*THUD* His fist pounding the table makes her and the dog jump. There's an uneasy silence for a few seconds.

'I can't do this. Cooking, moving, I can't even fix cars for my old man without screwing it up!'

'It's okay, we can make due. How much do you have saved up?'

Now he can only give his bleak gaze to the floor.

'What? You didn't save any of the wrestling money? What about these jobs?... Nothing?!'

Nothing. She goes off on him, starting with that fake crass chuckle that most men hear before a chewing-out-of-one's-ass.

'So you're telling me you spend all that money on your damn wrestling tapes, and what - Beer? Movies? The gym? That doesn't make sense, Jake! Where's all the money going?!'

He can't say. Well, he could, but this isn't the right time or place. It's absurd, since she could very well leave him now, making a right time or place obsolete. But he can't say.

'Well, Jake, I just have one thing to say.'

Gulp. Here it comes. Might as well be the end of the universe.

'I love you.'

'...Uh?'

She pulls out a paper from under her textbook, and sighs.

'I know you've been struggling here... So I found some phone numbers of your contacts and saw if there was still interest for you. A lot of the people you worked with are still touring around, doing well for themselves it sounds like. I guess LCW makes a good resume... I was going to give you this tonight anyway, these guys want to book you as soon as possible.'

She hands him the paper; a sizable list of sleazy independent federations, all looking for anyone with any sort of name value. Of course, in this particular context you can understand why Jake's jaw is still affixed to the floor.

'I want you to do what makes you happy. We'll make it somehow, Jakey.'

Aww, she's probably the best thing that could ever happen to Jake Stephens. The only thing that could compete with her would be if Mercury ever came back.

But for now, the first sleazy fed on the list will have to do. He'll never be more glad to get headbutted by a fat Samoan.

'This is the part where I kiss you!... Right?'

'No, this is the part where you take a shower 'cause you're all greasy.'

'Damn.'

'I'll jump in there with you in a minute.'

'Yes!'

Jake almost has the urge right now, to show her the ring-shaped reason for the disappearing money. But wrong place, wrong time.