*** Yay, new fic. And I actually know pretty much where I'm going with
this one at the moment which is always nice. Anyways, this is kind of AU.
Only storylines occurring up until Stephanie got kicked out of the WWE
pertain to this story (in other words, Stephanie didn't become a GM. That
never happened actually. Anyways, enjoy and be sure to tell me what you
think! ***
// September 2008 //
"Daddy?" a sweet voice asked me. I looked down at my six-year-old daughter and pulled a strand of her brown hair out of her face.
"What sweetheart?" I asked, my voice hushed to a whisper. I didn't want to disturb any of my traveling companions. It had been hard enough for them all to accept me bringing my daughter with me everywhere. But it was either bring her or quit entirely.
"Does Mama watch me from heaven?" she asked, her blue eyes so innocent.
"What?" I asked. I didn't exactly lead a religious lifestyle and I had never told her that her mother was in heaven, I was certain of that. I wasn't sure where she had heard of heaven from.
"Uncle Matt told me that his mom watches him from heaven ever since she died," she said, smiling at the mention of one of her favorite playmates. "Does my mom do the same thing?"
I was torn for a moment, knowing years from now I could get caught in a mess that would be hard to set right. But looking at the hope in my daughter's eyes I had to reply, "Of course she watches you from heaven."
"I hoped so," she said, sighing contently as she settled back into her seat on the plane.
"Why don't you go to sleep Mackenzie?" I asked her, pretending she had an option.
"But I'm not tired Daddy," she protested, even as she stifled a yawn.
"Sure you aren't," I replied, smoothing back her glossy brown hair. "Why don't you try anyways?"
"Well, maybe just this once," she said.
"Okay," I said, nodding solemnly at her.
Several moments later a head popped up out of the seat ahead of me. "I didn't know Matt told Mackie about our mom," Jeff said, his tone apologetic.
"Don't worry about it," I said. I looked down and was glad to see Mackenzie sleeping heavily.
"She's a great kid," Jeff said, looking fondly down at my daughter.
"You would think so," I snorted at him.
"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" Jeff asked, his eyebrow arched at me.
"It means you've helped me raise her since she was six months old," I retorted. "You take as much credit for raising her as I do."
"You both share a little credit with me," Matt said from across the aisle.
"You can shut up," Jeff said. "You really put Kurt in a tight spot there, you jerk."
Trish Stratus shook her head in her seat next to Matt Hardy. "You all need to stop arguing about who is responsible for making Mackenzie such a great kid and just be grateful she's such a great kid despite all of the things working against her."
"Yeah," Matt said, nodding his head as he intertwined his hand with Trish's hand. She leaned her head against Matt's shoulder.
"How's my girl?" a soft voice whispered as long legs stopped next to me. I looked up to see Stacy Kiebler smiling down at my daughter.
"Perfect as always," I replied. She kneeled next to my seat and ran a soft hand along Mackenzie's hair.
"As always," Stacy echoed. She looked back at me and smiled softly. "And you?"
"Pretty well," I said, nodding my head. "You?"
"Bored," she said as she walked to the seats ahead of me and kneeled on the empty seat next to Jeff. "You know, girls are whiny."
"You shouldn't sit with the divas," Trish piped up. "All they do is complain about how men have done them wrong."
"I know that now," Stacy said.
"You can sit with us and argue about who is at fault for making Mackie such a great kid," Jeff said, smiling at the woman next to him.
"Certainly not her mother," Stacy muttered, with ill-concealed anger. "How could she just leave such a perfect angel?"
"She left me," I answered. "I just convinced her not to take the miracle with her."
"She doesn't deserve Mackenzie," Stacy said vehemently.
"True," Jeff said.
"She doesn't have her," I replied. "I have full custody. I didn't take any of her money, she didn't take my daughter."
"Mackenzie's lucky for it," Stacy said, smiling fondly at Mackenzie. "Who would have guessed you'd be such a great dad?"
"Not me," I said.
"You're a wonderful dad," Trish said. "And you brought all of us together, despite all of our differences."
"We really are a motley crew," Matt said.
"But we're fun," Jeff said. "Though six years ago, Matt was the only one of you all I would associate with. No offense."
"None taken," I said. "Stacy was the only one of you all that I talked to six years ago. Well, sometimes Trish too, but we pretty much stopped spending any time together after she started really training."
"Now we're always together," Trish said. "All of us."
"And some of us more than others," Stacy said, looking pointedly at Matt's hand that still was intertwined with Trish's. Trish blushed.
"It's all because of her," I said, looking down again at my daughter. She truly was the most perfect being I had ever come in contact with.
"I'm glad," Stacy said softly. "I couldn't imagine my life without her, or any of you all for that matter."
"Same here," Jeff said, as Trish and Matt nodded.
"Kurt," Vince McMahon said as he approached our seats.
"Yeah Vince," I said, my arms tightening around Mackenzie's shoulders as he approached.
"I was just letting you know that I signed a match for you against Chris Jericho," Vince said. "It's for the belt."
"Thanks for letting me know," I said. I used to consider the man a friend, maybe even a mentor. But now I didn't want to be around him, especially when Mackenzie was with me. Who knew when he might decide that he wanted to be a part of his granddaughter's life?
"Anything else?" Jeff asked Vince when he noticed the owner of the WWE looking at Mackenzie.
"Yeah," Vince said. "Stephanie is coming back. She'll be in Jericho's corner."
"She can't!" Stacy gasped. Jeff put a restraining hand on Stacy's arm.
"Kurt will deal with it Stacy," he said.
But I wasn't sure I could deal with it. The woman I had loved heart and soul was coming back into my life. The woman who had broken my heart pretty completely was coming back. What if she decided to finish the job? What if she decided she wanted to be a mother to her daughter?
*** Confused? Next I'll be going back in time so everything will start to make more sense. PLEASE REVIEW!!! ***
// September 2008 //
"Daddy?" a sweet voice asked me. I looked down at my six-year-old daughter and pulled a strand of her brown hair out of her face.
"What sweetheart?" I asked, my voice hushed to a whisper. I didn't want to disturb any of my traveling companions. It had been hard enough for them all to accept me bringing my daughter with me everywhere. But it was either bring her or quit entirely.
"Does Mama watch me from heaven?" she asked, her blue eyes so innocent.
"What?" I asked. I didn't exactly lead a religious lifestyle and I had never told her that her mother was in heaven, I was certain of that. I wasn't sure where she had heard of heaven from.
"Uncle Matt told me that his mom watches him from heaven ever since she died," she said, smiling at the mention of one of her favorite playmates. "Does my mom do the same thing?"
I was torn for a moment, knowing years from now I could get caught in a mess that would be hard to set right. But looking at the hope in my daughter's eyes I had to reply, "Of course she watches you from heaven."
"I hoped so," she said, sighing contently as she settled back into her seat on the plane.
"Why don't you go to sleep Mackenzie?" I asked her, pretending she had an option.
"But I'm not tired Daddy," she protested, even as she stifled a yawn.
"Sure you aren't," I replied, smoothing back her glossy brown hair. "Why don't you try anyways?"
"Well, maybe just this once," she said.
"Okay," I said, nodding solemnly at her.
Several moments later a head popped up out of the seat ahead of me. "I didn't know Matt told Mackie about our mom," Jeff said, his tone apologetic.
"Don't worry about it," I said. I looked down and was glad to see Mackenzie sleeping heavily.
"She's a great kid," Jeff said, looking fondly down at my daughter.
"You would think so," I snorted at him.
"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" Jeff asked, his eyebrow arched at me.
"It means you've helped me raise her since she was six months old," I retorted. "You take as much credit for raising her as I do."
"You both share a little credit with me," Matt said from across the aisle.
"You can shut up," Jeff said. "You really put Kurt in a tight spot there, you jerk."
Trish Stratus shook her head in her seat next to Matt Hardy. "You all need to stop arguing about who is responsible for making Mackenzie such a great kid and just be grateful she's such a great kid despite all of the things working against her."
"Yeah," Matt said, nodding his head as he intertwined his hand with Trish's hand. She leaned her head against Matt's shoulder.
"How's my girl?" a soft voice whispered as long legs stopped next to me. I looked up to see Stacy Kiebler smiling down at my daughter.
"Perfect as always," I replied. She kneeled next to my seat and ran a soft hand along Mackenzie's hair.
"As always," Stacy echoed. She looked back at me and smiled softly. "And you?"
"Pretty well," I said, nodding my head. "You?"
"Bored," she said as she walked to the seats ahead of me and kneeled on the empty seat next to Jeff. "You know, girls are whiny."
"You shouldn't sit with the divas," Trish piped up. "All they do is complain about how men have done them wrong."
"I know that now," Stacy said.
"You can sit with us and argue about who is at fault for making Mackie such a great kid," Jeff said, smiling at the woman next to him.
"Certainly not her mother," Stacy muttered, with ill-concealed anger. "How could she just leave such a perfect angel?"
"She left me," I answered. "I just convinced her not to take the miracle with her."
"She doesn't deserve Mackenzie," Stacy said vehemently.
"True," Jeff said.
"She doesn't have her," I replied. "I have full custody. I didn't take any of her money, she didn't take my daughter."
"Mackenzie's lucky for it," Stacy said, smiling fondly at Mackenzie. "Who would have guessed you'd be such a great dad?"
"Not me," I said.
"You're a wonderful dad," Trish said. "And you brought all of us together, despite all of our differences."
"We really are a motley crew," Matt said.
"But we're fun," Jeff said. "Though six years ago, Matt was the only one of you all I would associate with. No offense."
"None taken," I said. "Stacy was the only one of you all that I talked to six years ago. Well, sometimes Trish too, but we pretty much stopped spending any time together after she started really training."
"Now we're always together," Trish said. "All of us."
"And some of us more than others," Stacy said, looking pointedly at Matt's hand that still was intertwined with Trish's. Trish blushed.
"It's all because of her," I said, looking down again at my daughter. She truly was the most perfect being I had ever come in contact with.
"I'm glad," Stacy said softly. "I couldn't imagine my life without her, or any of you all for that matter."
"Same here," Jeff said, as Trish and Matt nodded.
"Kurt," Vince McMahon said as he approached our seats.
"Yeah Vince," I said, my arms tightening around Mackenzie's shoulders as he approached.
"I was just letting you know that I signed a match for you against Chris Jericho," Vince said. "It's for the belt."
"Thanks for letting me know," I said. I used to consider the man a friend, maybe even a mentor. But now I didn't want to be around him, especially when Mackenzie was with me. Who knew when he might decide that he wanted to be a part of his granddaughter's life?
"Anything else?" Jeff asked Vince when he noticed the owner of the WWE looking at Mackenzie.
"Yeah," Vince said. "Stephanie is coming back. She'll be in Jericho's corner."
"She can't!" Stacy gasped. Jeff put a restraining hand on Stacy's arm.
"Kurt will deal with it Stacy," he said.
But I wasn't sure I could deal with it. The woman I had loved heart and soul was coming back into my life. The woman who had broken my heart pretty completely was coming back. What if she decided to finish the job? What if she decided she wanted to be a mother to her daughter?
*** Confused? Next I'll be going back in time so everything will start to make more sense. PLEASE REVIEW!!! ***