A/N: For the most super-awesome Australian I know. If the chorus to this wasn't on her profile, I never would have thought to use this in a song-fic. But it's a beautifully sad song, and I was just inspired by it.
Disclaimer: I do not own the WWE, otherwise Shannon Moore wouldn't have just been a jobber, and Cena wouldn't be holding gold every other week.
"Whiskey Lullabye" is by Brad Paisley with Allison Krauss. Beautiful song; not mine either.
-
Until The Night...
She put him out
Like the burning end of a midnight cigarette
She broke his heart
He spent his whole life trying to forget
"I'm done!" she shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks as she threw clothes into her suitcase. "I can't do this anymore Brian!"
Brian took her wrists in his hands, staring intensely down at her. "I'm not letting you go like this, Kaylah. I still love you, and I always will. We can make this work... I know we can."
"You don't get it!" Kaylah cried, pulling her wrists away. "You don't understand... I can't keep waiting for you. Sure, at first it was easy."
"It can still be easy." He interjected quickly, failing to hide the edge of panic in his voice. "I'll get more time off. I'll bring you on the road more. I love you, Kayl. I don't want this..."
She shook her head, walking up to Brian and cupping his face in her hands. "I don't either, baby. But I don't want to come between you and your job. You love wrestling, and I know you love me too. I just... don't want to get hurt."
"Please... I won't hurt you." Brian whispered, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly. He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. "I can't picture my life without you."
"Bri... You're making this harder than it has to be." She whispered, pulling away to finish her packing.
He shook his head, stumbling back into the wall. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming as he let himself slide down, his knees bent towards his chest. There were tears in his own eyes as he silently watched his love pack everything she owned into a suitcase. Finally, it got to be too much as he buried his face in his hands.
After a while, he felt a hand run through his hair. He looked up to see Kaylah standing there, a suitcase in her hand, and a bag slung over her shoulder. She was smiling weakly at him, putting down her suitcase as she got down to his level.
"Don't go." Brian stated simply, his voice cracking.
"I'm sorry." Kaylah replied, leaning forward to kiss him. "I do love you, Brian, but I think... I think we need this."
He made no attempt to stop her as she stood back up. He only watched as she left the room, and listened to the front door close as she left. When he heard the tires taking off, only then did he bother to get back up to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall as he made his way from the bedroom, towards the kitchen.
We watched him drink his pain away
A little at a time
But he never could get drunk enough
To get her off his mind
Brian knew there was always alcohol in the house. Both he and Kaylah liked entertaining people, which meant a well-stocked liquor cabinet.
Sure enough, just off of the kitchen, there was a pantry full of wines, gin, rum, whiskey and a bar fridge full of beer, wine coolers, and Cruisers. Running his fingers through his hair, he picked up a beer from the fridge, drinking down half of it in one gulp.
'She's gone.' He thought, leaning against the fridge. 'I lost her...'
-
Until the night...
The beer wasn't working. He could still remember everything about her, from the way her smile warmed a room, to the milk and honey body wash she used, and even the way she looked at him with her green-blue eyes.
"Stronger." He muttered, reaching for the bottle of rum, only to knock it over.
"Fuck!" the Superstar swore, watching as the dark liquid spread from the shattered bottle. Looking back to the shelf, a drunken smirk crossed his lips as his hand wrapped around a large bottle of whiskey.
'Perfect.' He thought, bringing down the bottle, holding it to him as he stumbled from the pantry.
He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger
And finally drank away her memory
Life is short, but this time it was bigger
Than the strength he had to get up off his knees
Somehow, he managed to make it down to his room, still clinging to the bottle as it was his only tie to sanity. The tears starting up again as he entered the room, holding on tighter to the bottle. She was all over the room, looking at him through hazy eyes, her hair pulled back, or sticking to her face and shoulders, or blowing in the wind. Without a fail, there was a smile playing across her lips, unless she was caught in the middle of kissing him. Even when she was screaming, there was still the hint that she had been smiling just moments before.
Tears spilled down as he pulled himself onto the bed, clumsily trying to open the whiskey at the same time. Brian managed it, and smiled as he drank heartily.
They found him with his face down in the pillow
With a note that said, "I'll love her till I die."
"Brian!" Paul London shouted, entering the house. "Yo, Bri-man! Spanky! Where the hell are you man?!"
The dark-haired man entered further into the entrance way, feeling slightly uneasy. The place reeked of something he couldn't quite place, and he knew his best friend to keep a tidy living environment.
"Alright, if you are trying to freak me out, it's working!" he shouted, entering into the kitchen first, thinking that maybe Brian was out back. Instead, he noticed that the pantry door was wide open, and could see a few empty beer bottles littering the floor. A few steps closer, and he could see the puddle of alcohol.
'Brian...' Immediately, his heart sank. He knew Brian wasn't much of a drinker, and knew that any major thing could set him off. And the fact that Kaylah had asked him to spend the night with him before catching a flight back to Australia for a little while...
"Brian!" Paul shouted again, tearing through the house to get to the bedroom.
There was nothing in the world that could prepare him for what was in store for him upon entering his best friend's room.
With tears in his eyes, he pulled out his cellphone and called Kaylah, praying that she hadn't left for the airport yet. When he got her voicemail, he left her a message, telling her to get to Brian's now.
After that was out of the way, he tried to steady himself as he called the last number he ever wanted to use with any of his friends.
"Nine-one-one emergency. Fire, police or ambulance?"
He closed his eyes. "Ambulance."
"And what would be your emergency?"
"M-my friend... he's not responding..."
"Sir, emergency services are on their way. Can you give me an address?"
Paul gave them the address, panic evident in his voice. Tears were streaming down his cheeks by the time ambulances and medics arrived, as well as police. He was escorted from the house by an officer, and he let his resistance crumble once he was outside.
It wasn't long before a medic came up to him, looking sombre. There was no need to exchange words, as Paul had long since figured it out.
"Oh God." He muttered, putting his head in his hands; a sign of defeat.
"I'm sorry." The guy said, trying to sound apathetic. "Here."
He handed a piece of paper to Paul before walking back to the door, where they were wheeling out a stretcher, a white sheet covering the body of Brian Kendrick.
Looking at the paper, he let out a choked laugh of a sob.
'I'll love her till I die...'
"But you'll watch over her once you're gone, buddy. You loved her too much not to."
-
And when we buried him beneath the willow
The angels sang a whiskey lullabye
If he thought finding Brian was hard, then this was excruciating.
'You shouldn't have to watch your best friend's funeral...'
Paul wasn't the only one from the wrestling world who stood outside, watching as the casket was lowered into the ground. Beside him stood Kaylah and Mickie James, the former looking like a complete mess. There were others scattered throughout the crowd, but he couldn't help but wonder if they were there because they actually cared, or to put on a facade for the world.
'They don't know him. They don't understand why he chose this way out. All they care about is their stupid fans, in the publicity. They don't care about him, about the Brian Kendrick he was outside of the ring, outside of this business...'
He turned abruptly when he heard humming coming from beside him, finding Kaylah with her eyes closed. It wasn't until Mickie joined in with more humming that Paul recognized the tune. He joined along, listening as Mickie started saying the words.
"Amazing grace; how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now, I'm found. Was blind, but now, I see."
Kaylah joined in, with "Twas grace that taught my heart to feel, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed."
They stopped abruptly when Kaylah burst into tears, unable to contain them any longer. When the whispers started, Mickie grabbed her friend's hand, while Paul put an arm around her shoulders and lead her away from the cemetery.
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la
-
Two-shot. I've decided I want this to be a two-shot.
Please, let me know what you think.