She placed the yearbooks on the bed and started with the one that was 2 years prior to her graduation. She turned to a picture of a tall, short haired, red headed guy in a basketball outfit. "Is that you?" she asked. "Yeah. That is not one of my better pictures" he replied. "Well read what I wrote in this yearbook many years ago. He picked the book up and read ˇThis is the man I plan to marry, if he will have me. I don't care how long I have to wait for him. I will always be faithful to him.' He put the book down with a shocked expression on his face. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "This is weird. I had a crush on you in high school and you had a crush on me, but neither one of us ever approached the other. Now we meet many years later and it feels so right" he said. "I am a firm believer in the saying ˇIf it was meant to be, it will happen'" Betty said to him as she molded her body to his. "This has been the day that I have waited for all my life and I am glad that it happened. Even if nothing comes of this, I know that the promise I made to myself when I was younger has now come true. I was faithful until you came back to me" Betty said. They made love again. and it was better than the first time. Later they spoke for awhile and finally fell asleep.

Taker woke up the next morning and was slightly disoriented. He could not figure out right away where he was, until he looked in his arms and saw Betty sleeping against his chest. He thought to himself ˇIt's going to be difficult to leave her behind once I have to go on the road again. I don't believe how things happen. I have loved her since high school and now here she is in my arms. But the kicker is she had never known another man before me.' He pulled her closer to him and kissed her softly. Betty stirred in his arms, opened her eyes and looked at him through sleep heavy eye lids. "Hi Sweetheart" he whispered. "Hi yourself, lover" she whispered back as she kissed him.

"Don't you have to go to work today?" he asked her. "Not today. I'm on call in case someone doesn't show up, but I have to be there tomorrow. I will then work 7 days straight before I get another day off" she said to him. "How about you? When do you have to go perform?" Betty asked. I am off for the next 3 days, then I perform 4 days in a row, get 2 days off and perform 2 days in a row after that" he replied. "Of course, there is a lot of traveling in between shows, because very rarely are 2 shows ever done in the same arena back to back" he added.

He let Betty go as she stretched and got out of bed, grabbing her terry cloth robe and putting it on. "How about some coffee, my Dark Lord" Betty said teasingly. "I would love some" he said "but first, point me in the direction of your bathroom" he said as he got out of bed. It's right across the hall from us" Betty said. "There is a bathrobe hanging behind the door big enough to fit you. Everything you need is handy and if you can't find it, just yell" she said as she walked over to the kitchen to put the coffee pot on.

He got up and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later Betty could hear the shower going. She had a cup of coffee while she prepared breakfast. She heard the shower stop and his movements in the bathroom. He joined her in the kitchen wearing the robe. "Something smells good" he said as he came up to her and put his arms around her as she flipped the pancakes. He grabbed her cup of coffee and drank the rest. He then refilled the cup and made one for himself. She placed the food on the counter as they climbed up on the stools to eat. It felt so right to her, to be sitting there with Taker, both of them talking and joking.

As they spoke and ate her phone rang. Betty picked it up. "Hello." Taker looked at her and could see the emotions flashing on her face. "Okay. Give me an hour and I will be there" she said as she hung up the phone. "I hate to break this up, but duty calls" Betty said to him as she ran her fingers over his cheek. She kissed him and headed towards the bathroom. She showered and came out of the bathroom brushing her hair. Taker was already dressed and was waiting for her as he drank some juice. Betty dressed in blue slacks and low comfortable shoes. She put on a short sleeved blouse, pinned her hair up into a bun and was strapping on her gun as she walked over to him, carrying a matching blue blazer. She stood in front of him and grabbed his face in her hands. She kissed him as he put his arms around her gingerly. "Don't be afraid. It doesn't go off by itself" she said to him indicating the gun. He pulled her closer to him. Her phone rang again. "Hello. Yeah. I'll be right out" she said. Taker looked at her with an inquisitive look. "That was my partner. He's downstairs waiting for me" she said as she pulled away from him. "I have to go." she added as she put on the blazer. "Can I see you later?" he asked as he grabbed his trench coat. "Yes" she said as they exited her apartment. "Do you need a ride?" she asked. "Well I was dropped off near here last night and I live across town. "Here, take my car" she said as she handed him the keys. Call me later" she said as she handed him her card which had her home, office and cell phone numbers, "And you can pick me up when I'm done". "Here's my number just in case you are finished before I call you" he said writing his home and cell phone numbers down for her.

They walked out of the building holding hands. When Mike saw them exit, he got out of the car and stood by its door looking at Betty. He had never seen such a huge man in his years of working on the force and was surprised that Betty was with him. In his six years as her partner he had never seen any man come out of her apartment with her, less alone holding her hand. Betty bought Taker over and introduced them. "Mike this is Taker. Taker this is Mike" she said. Mike sized Taker up as he shook his hand. Taker looked back at him with an amused smile. "Be right back, forgot something" Betty said as she sprinted back into the building.

Mike looked up at Taker, who towered over him and said "Don't hurt her. I care for her as if she were my sister and I trust her with my life everyday. If I ever find out you've done something to hurt her, you will have to deal with me." "It works both ways" Taker said. "If anything happens to her on the job I will come looking for you and it won't be pretty" he said in a low voice, showing him the famous Taker scowl. Betty came out of the building to find them in a stare down. She looked at both of them as she put her arms around Taker. "I got to go" she said as she kissed him. She got into the passenger's side of Mike's car and she could see Taker still standing on the sidewalk as they drove off. "What was that all about?" she asked Mike. "Nothing. Just guy talk" he said trying not to envision Takers hands wrapped around his neck.

Taker walked over to Betty's black Neon with the sensation of her lips still on his. He opened the driver's side door and saw that he was not going to fit behind the wheel unless he did some adjusting to the seat. He finally got it so that he fit comfortably. He got behind the wheel and looked around her car. He could see feminine things in her car. A copy of People Magazine, a pair of her shoes, a box of Kleenex and various personal things. When he opened the glove compartment he found a small bottle of hair spray, a bottle of Tommy Girl perfume, a hairbrush and a lipstick. He smiled to himself and closed the compartment. He then looked in her seat divider and found some of her CD's. He pulled out the Kenny G one and popped it into the player. He could envision her driving as she listened to the soothing sounds. He put the car in gear, pulled out and drove out onto the highway. He reached the other side of town and pulled up outside of his mansion about 20 minutes later.

He opened the front door to the mansion and entered to find the cleaning lady dusting the foyer. "Hello Greta" he said as he grabbed the mail off of the small table by the entrance and headed towards the library to check his phone messages. "Hello, Mr. Taker" she replied in her heavy German accent. He sat down on his comfortable leather seat, leaned back and placed his feet up on the Mahogany desk as he pressed the play button on his machine and sorted through his mail. He had several messages from friends and a message from Vince informing him that his plane ticket to the next event would be at the airport on Friday. He had a lot of junk mail and some bills that had to be paid before he left again. He opened his desk drawer, pulled out his household check book and wrote out the checks for the bills. He made sure he had his credit cards and his personal checks as he locked the drawer and headed up to his room. As he passed Greta he said "Could you do me a favor and make sure that these letters go out?" "No problem Mr. Taker, consider it done" she said as she grabbed them from him and put them into her apron. "I will mail them myself on my way home." He took the winding stairs two at a time as he headed towards his bedroom.

He entered his bedroom and saw that the cleaning lady and the maid had already been into his room and the clothes that he hurriedly had left on the bed the last time he was home had been washed and were hanging in his closet. He stripped out of the clothes he was wearing, placed them in the hamper and put on a pair of shorts. He laid on the bed and turned on the t.v. as he thought about the previous night. Betty and Mike were driving in his car as Mike was explaining to her that another body had been found with the same M.O. as the previous one that they were working on. As he talked he kept on looking over at Betty who was staring out the window with a slight smile on her face. "Okay partner, time to wake up" he said. Betty snapped out of it. "Sorry" she said as she looked at him. "You want to talk about it?" he said. "No, not yet" she replied. "Who is that towering monster of a man?" he said. "Someone whom I have known for the longest time" she replied. "Hey, we've been working together now for six years and you never mentioned him" he said. "That's because I hadn't seen him in a long time" she said. "Looks like someone I know is in love" Mike said teasing. "Leave me alone, Mike" Betty said acting slightly annoyed. Mike knew that Betty could never stay mad at him. They knew each other too well.

They went to the crime scene, checked it out and then headed to the precinct. The Lieutenant was by the door as they entered. "Aren't you off today" he said to Betty. "Yeah, but we got another one" she replied. They went into his office and filled him in on what they found and how the investigation was going so far. "Okay, work for a few hours today, then take a couple of days off" the Lt. told Betty. "You have been working non-stop for the last 6 months and I don't want you to burn out. Go away for a few days and maybe when you get back you will be able to break this case, if it hasn't been done yet" he said to her. Betty worked until 2 p.m. when she called Taker's home and found him sleeping. "Hello" he said in a sleep laden voice as he answered the phone. "Is this the Lord of Darkness. The man they call the Undertaker. The Phenom of the WWF" she said in her most professional voice. "Who's asking" he said still half asleep. "Your last sacrificial victim" she said with laughter in her voice. "Betty. You sound so different. What time is it, Babe?" he asked. "It's after 2:00 p.m., sleepyhead. It's time for you to get your lovely butt out of bed and come pick me up so that I can get my car back" she said to him laughing. "I'll be there in an hour" he said as he got up. At 3:00 p.m. Betty told Mike she was leaving. "You need a ride home?" he asked. "Nah, he's picking me up" she replied. "Be careful" he said to her with a worried expression on his face. Betty came over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be fine" she said waving at him as she walked out smiling.

Part 3

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