Chris looked up at the trees, a breeze began to blow and kicked at his hair, it must be getting late, the sun was already touching the top of the trees. He frowned, he didn't like this. He had done and been through so much in his life and career and never ever thought anything would turn out like this. He clenched his fist. How could things get any stranger, how could they get any worse? Trish and Christian were obviously feeling on end as well, Chris could sense the tension growing thicker in the air. Waiting was always the hardest part, the anticipation was killing him. How would this situation end up turning out? They didn't have to wait long though, finally he heard a twig snap. Chris froze, the hair on the back of his neck bristling. He went to turn around but a familiar voice allowed his heartbeat to return back to normal.
"We're almost there, come on!"
"I don't know why you had to come along, and quit running away all the time!"
"Hey, I know those voices." Trish gasped.
"Could it be…?" Christian turned just as Ivory jumped out of the bushes.
"Aha, made it! We're at the top Ric!"
"Ugh." Ric grumbled, coming from behind a tree. "I don't know why he puts up with you."
"Huh?" Ivory turned to be greeted by three confused expressions. But her face beamed, "Ah!"
"Oh great, you guys are here?" Ric groaned, his arms dropping to his side. "How could this situation get any stickier?"
Chris lowered his eyebrows, "Just what I was thinking…"
"Come on Chris, we don't need any more animosity. Perhaps they could be of help?" Trish suggested.
"Ha!" Chris spat. "I don't need help from anyone to beat up a bunch of punk kids."
"Wait, you're here for the challenge too?" Ric gasped.
"They must be the others competing in the main event!" Ivory smiled happily. "Now we can't loose!"
"I guess Pat and his friends must've come across Triple H and threatened Ivory, just the same way they came and threatened the kids with us." Christian rubbed his chin.
Chris gasped, "Wait, so then do you mean…" Before he could speak, Triple H leapt down from a rock and landed a few feet before Chris. "Ah, just as I thought, so you are… huh?" Chris stopped as Triple H approached him, balled up a fist, and decked Chris square in the jaw. "AH!"
"Ah…!" Everyone gasped.
"I don't know what you are doing here, but I don't need help from you. I won't allow you to interfere." Triple H walked past Chris, who growled as he wiped his chin.
"Great, two seconds back together and they're already at it." Trish sighed.
"Why can't you two learn from the past, put it behind you, and work together?" Christian's question fell upon deaf ears.
"The more friends we have, the merrier. We could use their help, there is more than one of them." Ivory spoke up.
"Please." Ric scoffed. "Triple H handled them by himself before, and he doesn't need you to help him deal with a bunch of kids."
"I have my own reasons, and I was here first. So why don't you just leave?" Chris snarled, cracking his knuckles as he turned to face Triple H.
Triple H kept his back towards Chris, "This doesn't concern you." He glanced coldly over his shoulder. "I would suggest that you leave before I do something brash and somebody gets hurt."
"I'm not some innocent bystander here, in case you haven't noticed…" Chris barked but was cut off as Triple H turned around.
"They're here."
"Huh?" Chris paused and Pat and his friends appeared from all around.
"Oh no!" Ivory gasped, they were surrounded. Pat had rallied up everyone on the island, it looked as if every teenage punk had gathered for the battle.
"This is great." Pat folded his arms with a smirk. "The top players of the WWE are here, and I have witnesses to back up my claims of defeating not only the champion…" He looked from Triple H to Chris. "To my old enemy."
Chris hissed through his teeth, "I won't let you hurt the kids, this is their home as much as it is yours!"
"Please, we know the story of the cruise accident, but we were born here. That makes this territory ours. We've gotten rid of everyone else who has tried to interfere." Pat motioned his thumb over his shoulder. "There are only a few kids left, once we deal with you, they are ours, just as rightfully as this island is. And…" He smirked, glancing at Ivory. "I'll have a nice little snack afterwards."
Ivory gasped and Ric jumped in front of her, "Over my dead body!"
"Which will be soon enough anyway." Pat snickered and turned back to the four wrestlers at hand. "I'll keep this easy, a one on one, four to four. I'm not a cheater." His eye sparkled. "I only ask that you all leave the champ to me."
"Right." The three from earlier came to stand at his side.
"Then let's get ready to rumble!" Pat cried and the other three roared. He charged right for Triple H with great speed. "You are mine, you're going down champ…!"
"I don't see why I have to fight the mid cards." Chris grumbled angrily to himself as he battled one of the other three.
"Tag team!" Christian and Trish cried out, jumping back and standing back to back, standing in a battle pose.
"Fine then, two can play at this game." The other two punks smiled and followed in suite.
"Ah!" They charged and the four met in the middle.
"This is nuts." Ric gasped.
"Why are they fighting?" Ivory thought to herself, her eyes shaking. "Something about this all just seems so wrong."
"Ugh." Chris panted, the younger kids were just kids, but were also a lot swifter and smaller, able to easily dodge his attacks they had seen in the ring. "Damn it." He saw Triple H and Pat from the corner of his eye. "This should be easy, I should face Pat. I should be the champion. This should never have happened. How, why…?" He closed his eye, he could see Stephanie in the boat all those years ago, she was smiling, she was genuinely happy, but it was a chance meeting with Pat and his gang, if their paths never crossed, this never would've happened. He growled, "I have to make things right." His eyes snapped open, burning with a fiery rage. "I started this…" He punched the punk right in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, then kicked him in the gut and threw him aside. "So I'm going to finish it!" He charged right for Pat who was busy with Triple H.
"Huh?" He couldn't turn in time as Chris sacked him and they tumbled down the hill.
"Oh no!" Ivory gasped.
Triple H landed on his feet and turned to watch, scrunching his nose, "The nuisance." He turned around and went back to Ivory and Ric. "I've plaid my part, if Chris wants this battle so bad, so be it. This is not my problem anymore, you're well being was my only concern." He continued on. "We have a show tonight, I suggest we head back to the hotel now and get ready."
"Ah, yes Triple H!" Ivory beamed happily, trotting after him.
"So we're just going to leave?" Ric watched the tag team fight before him, none of the other kids spectating seemed to care that they were leaving, paying no mind to them. "Well that's fine by me, let Chris get himself killed, that's one less…" He turned around to see Triple H and Ivory gone. "Oh no, wait for me!" He scampered off after them.
"One down." Chris coughed as they rolled and tussled. "And you're next."
"Feh, fat chance." Pat smirked and flipped on top of Chris.
"AH!" Chris cried, the ground digging into his back until finally they stopped, covered in dirt and uprooted chunks of grass. He coughed, wiping the mud off his face as Pat stood up.
"And now, this ends." He pulled out another knife, Chris gasped, his eyes wide as he couldn't move. "My revenge will be exact!" He gripped it with both hands over his head, laughing as he went to bring it down. There was a twinkle and a glint of light that flew right at him like a lighting bolt. "Huh…!" He gasped, the knife being knocked out of his hands. "What…?" His eyes shook, unable to comprehend what just happened and how.
"Huh?" Chris blinked, snapped out of the daze, and scooched back, turning around and gasped. There stood Kari, a wind picked up leave and it seemed to dance around her. She had the cross bow steady in hand, the string still vibrating. "Kari…!" He gasped.
"Hmm, I'm rusty." She said to herself, pulling out another arrow and setting up to aim at Pat again. "Next time I won't miss your head!"
"Whoa!" Pat gasped, realizing how serious she was that his life was actually in danger. "Come on, you can't kill me! Killing is against the law!"
"Please, you don't live by any law. Killing innocent kids like that, it's just sick, it's wrong!" She shut her eyes, tears pouring down her face.
"Killing ki… what the hell are you…!" Pat couldn't finish, he was too shocked at the situation.
Kari opened her eyes, snarling angrily, "You have no rule of justice, anything goes. I know your kind all too well…" Her throat tightened. "And I hate it…"
"Huh?" Chris blinked, he was confused. Then he gasped, he remembered what Kari had told him once a long time ago when they had gone back to LA for a photo shoot…
"The avenue I lived on wasn't in the best part of town, pretty much if you lived there, you were forced to be in the gang. It wasn't a matter of choice, it was a matter of survival." Kari could see her old neighborhood in her memory and tears. "When I was just an infant, a rival gang came in to try and take over territory. My mom and I were no part, just people living innocently in the wrong place. They pulled out a gun, my mom fell back, holding me up against her, fearing the worst. The shot rang out, but my mom and I were unharmed…."
"Huh…?" The young Mrs. Ketchum looked up and gasped, her face covered in horror. "DAD!"
"Grandpa had come to our rescue, but it had cost him his life. The blood dripping down his arm, the shot would prove to be fatal. My grandpa was like the boss, the kids knew what they had done. The people in the neighborhood and gang even called him 'Don' because of his power and the respect they had for him. He fell to his knees as they ran off. They would never come back because of what they had done, they knew it was serious and their lives were in danger from the rest of the gang. But I didn't care about that, I never cared about honor or respect from a pack of wild thugs…"
"Oh, dad no…!" Mrs. Ketchum crawled towards her father as he struggled to breathe life into his lungs.
"My, beloved… daughter…" Grandpa smiled through the pain, his arm shaking as he reached up to stroke her cheek. His eyes shivered and grew dull.
"He never wanted this, he never asked to be a Don. He never realized the place he called home would be on such a battle ground."
"Ugh…" He fell onto his side.
"Dad… daddy…" Mrs. Ketchum sobbed and let out an angry scream that echoed throughout the whole sector of town.
"We thought it was the end, but it was only the beginning… after that, anarchy set in amongst the ranks until a new leader was named. He was our next door neighbor, the father of the boy named Ricky that I had grown up with. We were the same age, best friends. I dreamed of our futures together at night, he was my first true love, the one I wanted to marry. His father wasn't like my grandfather, who wanted to help people and be a good leader, he did want power, he did want control, and it proved to be downfall."
"Get of here." Ricky growled, holding Kari close to him, they were just pre-teens, and another rival gang had come into their territory during a party, they stood outside on the lawn in order to keep everyone else safe and unaware of the situation. "I don't want any trouble." Ricky wasn't anything like his father either, he was very peaceful, happy, and never touched a gun. But when it came to Kari, he would kill for her.
"I'll say it again." The tattooed adult reached out his hand. "Give us the bitch and nobody gets iced."
"Over my dead body." Ricky snarled, he was always a protector, fighting for what he believed in, he yearned to make things right but it would never be.
"Alright then, you asked for it." The gangster looked up and Ricky and Kari were surrounded. They cried out as they were torn from each other. "Don't worry, this won't take long. You can have her when I'm done with her."
"No, leave her alone!" Ricky cried from under the two muscle men.
"Ah!" Kari squealed as he ripped at her clothes.
"I said get off of her!" Ricky roared, finding the strength of ten men and pushing them off. Even in the heat of the moment, Ricky knew that a 12 year old could never take down a large man. He had no idea what he was doing. "I told you, that's my girlfriend!" Ricky yelled, reaching up and shooting.
"AH!" The man staggered back and fell, the blow had killed him.
"Whoa man!" One of the dark men gasped.
"Let's get of here!" The other ran off, his partner in tow.
"Ah…" Ricky panted, sinking to his knees, the gun had fallen from one of the two assailants, he had no idea what he had just done, his mind was blank, his heart was racing.
"Ricky, Ricky…" Kari crawled to him.
"Kari… what have I done?" Tears poured from his eyes.
"Ricky sobbed, I could only hold onto him. I had no idea what else I could do for him. He had just ruined his life." Kari sighed, her face tired with angst. "He was convicted in court and sent to juvi, then at 18 to jail. Even though it was self defense, he had to serve time. But luckily later evidence and good behavior set him free later, but he had already become something that he hated. He ended up going to the army, and being sent to Iraq." Kari bit her lip, her voice choking as she looked down, tears falling from her face. "I had once been what he loved, but in the end he died, doing what he loved…" She sobbed for just a second, then looked up angrily back at Pat. "I lost my grandfather and my best friend! And I'm not even the worst example in LA, countless others have suffered and been killed because of some stupid, stupid…" Kari began to shiver, falling to her knees as she couldn't go on any further. She dropped the crossbow and began to weep like a frightened child.
"K… Kari…" Chris crawled over to her and held her closely. "We all have a past full of loss and regret, but do you know why we continue to live?"
"Hmm?" Kari looked up and shook her head.
Chris's face softened, "So we can make a difference. So we can learn from it and make the future better, not just for ourselves, but for those around us, and for those that we love."
"Please. It's a way of life and it's fun, who doesn't want power?" Pat scoffed, he had obviously not been listening to anything Chris and Kari had been saying.
"I hate the sound of your voice, you need to stop talking." Kari's voice shivered as she stood up, aiming the crossbow at him once more. "I can't kill you, but I can hurt you, I can make you pay!" She roared but there was a gunshot and she gasped, freezing as it was thrown from her hands and she fell back, rolling down the slight decline.
"Ah!" Chris gasped, looking at Pat who had pulled another concealed weapon.
"You may not be able to kill, but I sure can. I'll get rid of you just like I got rid of those other kids."
Kari's eyes open and shook, 'Did he really kill those innocent children?' It wouldn't be a shock with all that she had seen in person and on TV, but for some reason, she couldn't believe it now, with Pat, on this island…
"I don't want to hurt a little girl, but I will end this with you Chris. And then she will be mine." Pat smiled.
Chris snarled, "Maybe I can't kill you, but like Kari said, I can do worse, and hurt you!"
Back at the top of the hill, the kids had arrived to see Christian and Trish taking on the other tag team.
"Yeah, they don't stand a chance!" Ash cheered, and soon they had been easily defeated.
"Please, you young punks may have agility, but you don't have experience and endurance to match our strength." Christian posed.
"Now, unless you want to get beat up by a girl, I suggest you get the hell out of here." Trish's eyes grew dark. The spectators shivered and ran off screaming. Trish smirked, tossing a lock of hair over her shoulder, "Like I would ever waste my time on something so trivial."
"Yeah." Christian beamed. "You were great. I never thought beating up kids would be so fun, but now I know why parents discipline!"
"Hey…" Ash frowned.
"Hey, where are the others?" Jess asked.
"Huh?" Trish looked around. "I don't know."
"I'm scared." Peter sniffed. "I head gunshots down the mountain."
"What!" Christian gasped.
"Hey, where's Joanie?" Ash looked around.
"Oh no…!" Trish covered her mouth.
"Come on, we have to hurry!" Christian ran off.
"Wait for me!" Trish chased after.
"We're right behind you!" Ash led the other two down.
Pat and Chris stood, he had dropped the gun and lost his knife, he wanted this match to be real. Kari's eyes watered as she thought desperately, 'There's something awry, something different. I can't place my finger on it, but what…? What can I do?' She paused, noticing a light out of the corner of her eye. She propped herself up and realized it was the crossbow. "Huh?"
"Kari…?"
"What the…" Kari looked around. "Hey, did everything just get foggy all of a sudden?" She put a hand to her chest, it was hard to breathe. "What's going on…!"
"Kari."
She gasped, "I know that voice, but where…" She looked around, her vision was blurry, all she could make out were black and white shapes in a silver mist.
"Kari, Kari!"
"Wait, what the…" She could hear water now, she crawled on the dead grass and could see a babbling brook. "What is going on here? Where am I?" She looked around, and gasped, noticing two figures on the other side of the dock. 'Were they the ones calling my name?' She froze suddenly, feeling something warm and furry all around her. "Huh, what the… OH!" She gasped and couldn't breathe, her eyes shaking as she looked down to see all of her old pets that she had lost. "I thought you all were dea…." She froze and realized suddenly where she was. "Oh dear God no…" She felt her body, she seemed real, did she get hit to the head, was this an out of body experience? "What's going on here? I don't understand." Her eyes began to water and a bright light broke through the fog. "Huh?" Kari blinked and squinted her eyes, then a smile appeared on her face, "This is the Rainbow Bridge!" She looked around to see green grass and clear blue water. "But how did I…" She froze and looked up, she could feel it, she couldn't believe it, but right there on the other side of the river… "Mama, gramps?"
Mrs. Ketchum and her father stood smiling at her, "Hello Kari."
"What's going on, am I dead?"
"No." Her mother smiled.
"We just wanted to help give you guidance."
"Did I hit my head?" Kari felt for a lump.
"No, this is just a vivid dream." Gramps moved his arms and cooed like a ghost.
"Father…" She elbowed him, causing him to chuckle.
"Gramps, Mom… I can barely remember you. I'm so happy to see you but there's so much I want to say, there's so much I want to ask!"
"We will have an eternity of that, but not for a long time. I'm so happy to see that you have grown up so well. I can still see you as the baby I held in my arms, and I'm so sorry that I was taken for you."
"But everything happens for a reason." Gramps smiled. "I know you might not understand now, but someday you will. I regret so much in my life, but the thing I regret most, is being unable to watch you grow, to be unable to see my grandson born."
"Just know that we are proud and love you very much."
"But mom, grandpa…" Kari's eyes began to water, the light was beginning to dim and she felt herself being pulled away from them. "No!" She reached out, tears falling down her cheeks. "I don't want you to go, not yet!"
"Listen to your heart."
"Follow your instincts, just don't listen to your gut when it's hungry, it will only lead you to…"
"Father…!"
"Eh…"
"Mama, gramps…" Kari closed her eyes, she wanted to ask if the kids were up there with them, more than anything she wanted to know if Pat and his gang really did kill them. "I guess I'll never know… unless I listen to my heart." She fell back as if falling slowly onto a bed.
"Kari… Kari, Kari."
"Huh?" Kari opened her eyes, she had fainted and was lying in the grass again.
"Kari!"
"J… Joanie?" Kari groaned, lifting her head to see her rush over.
"Kari are you alright? What happened!" She helped her up and dusted the dirt clumps off of her.
"Yeah, I guess I just had a lot to think about and so much more to learn."
"Huh?" Joanie blinked. "Are you feeling okay, do you have a fever?"
"Don't mind me, we have to help Chris." Kari stood firm on her ground.
"Oh hey, the crossbow." Joanie bent down and picked it up.
"Chris, Kari!" Trish and Christian called out, arriving on the scene.
"Are you all alright?" Ash appeared next to Joanie, followed by Jess and Peter.
"We're all fine, don't worry." Kari smiled, something inside her felt different now, she felt so empowered with determination, she couldn't explain what she was feeling. "I know what to do, this will end now." She walked towards Pat and Chris.
"Wait, your bow!" Joanie cried but Kari didn't hear her.
"Stay out of this, this is my battle." Chris was telling Trish and Christian. "I don't need help and I don't want you to get hurt. So just don't…" Kari walked past him. "Huh? Hey, what the…!" Chris stammered, his proud shining moment ruined.
"What are you doing, why did you just… Huh?" Pat froze as Kari wrapped her arms around her into a hug. "What in the…."
"She… she's hugging him?" Chris stammered, his jaw hitting the floor.
"What is she doing?" Christian wondered.
Trish smiled, "She's winning."
"Huh?"
"Pat… I can't kill you, I don't want to hurt you. Pain is wrong when inflicted onto another for no reason. You can't get joy out of harming those around you, what happens when you have no one left to love?" She looked up at Pat who was just as confused as the rest of them. "I don't know why you do what you do, if something happened to you, or what you did in the past. We all have painful memories, angst in the past, and a life filled with regret. But if you really want to make a difference, to be respected and to feel empowered, then you should help those around you. If people see you in a different light, you won't have enemies and won't have to fight." She stepped back and closed her eyes. "I can learn from my past just as anyone else can, and just how people in the past have as well." She put a hand on her chest and clenched her fist tightly. "How would you feel if you lost everyone around you, if you were in such pain that you wanted to die but couldn't? You would share it with your enemies around you to get revenge, but will that really help you in the end? You'll still be sad and alone…" She opened her eyes and lowered her arm. "And I don't think anyone in the world wants that…" She looked at the kids. "I don't think anyone wants to be alone." She glanced over at Chris.
He was still in shock but then sighed and smiled, "Yeah." He chuckled. "I guess fighting should be left for in the ring."
"She's such a humanitarian." Trish beamed at Kari's bravery to stand up.
"Not like any monologue could ever make a difference…" Christian muttered.
Pat sighed and stared at the floor, "I don't have to explain myself to anyone, not you, nobody." Kari sighed and looked away. "However…"
"Huh?" Kari glanced back.
Pat looked up at her, "I understand what you're trying to say. There is a lot I need to reflect on, I probably need to make a change that probably won't make too many happy. But maybe, if I can think like you, maybe I can convince them, just the way you did."
"Still, you have done a lot wrong that can't be forgiven. You have to go to the police, your crimes aren't too serious, maybe you can get off with good behavior and community service?"
"Please, the biggest service he can do for the community is go to prison." Chris grumbled.
"Shut up." Kari growled and Chris yipped.
"His crimes aren't too serious?" Christian blinked.
"What about the kids he's killed?" Trish asked.
"I'm sure we can understand better once we get back to civilization." Kari looked at the kids. "Come on, let's go home."
"Home?" Joanie blinked, then smiled. "Okay…."
"Yay!" Jess and Peter cheered.
"Something doesn't feel right, my stomach is uneasy and I want an explanation…" Chris growled to himself as he followed them through the forest back to town.
"Wait you WHAT…!?" Everyone gasped.
"Come on, who could kill a lost innocent child?" Pat scoffed.
"Wait…" Ash blinked. "So every time the eldest would leave and come to the city, the kids thought he was fighting you, but really you helped him?"
"Sure, I mean, how would I feel in their place?" Pat asked.
"I can't believe it…" Trish was in shock.
"So they got adopted, nobody was killed at all…!?" Chris snarled, all of that for nothing.
"But what about you picking on the kids, the animosity, the fear they held for you?" Christian asked.
"Hello?" Pat frowned. "They only stole from us and set fire numerous times to our hideout!"
"Well, we thought you killed them." Joanie grumbled, folding her arms. "If you were really good people and wanted to help, why did you act so badly towards us?"
"So it was all just a harmless misunderstanding." Trish sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Wait, how do I get the feeling that you knew?" Chris turned to Kari.
"I just listened to my heart." Kari smiled back. When she had seen her mom and grandpa, something in their presence told them, it had answered her unasked question. That's why she could put herself in danger and trust Pat to not kill her. "Something about him just didn't seem so bad."
"Seem so bad…!?" Chris barked. "So what, do you like a criminal now!?"
"Shut up." Kari grumbled and Chris jerked back.
"Well, so now what are we going to do?" Joanie sighed.
"You've come this far, why don't you just find a home too?" Ash suggested.
"That would probably be for the best." Pat nodded.
"I guess." Joanie reluctantly agreed.
"Hey wait, time out!" Chris yelled.
"Huh?" Everyone turned to him.
"If the others really did get adopted, how come they never went back for the others, to help or tell them about it? Why did they never see each other again!? One can only think for the worst in that situation!"
Everyone turned to Pat who just frowned at Chris, "Maybe because they were taken in by tourists…?"
"Ah…" Chris froze and slumped. "Oh…" Everyone laughed at him. "Hey come on, it's an honest mistake! The kids thought the same thing, in a situation like that everyone always jumps to the worst conclusions! It's only natural, I know you guys have before too! Hey, is anyone listening to me here? Come on!"
"Oh Chris." Kari laughed. "You're as helpless as a child."
"Hey." Chris frowned.
"I should be the one insulted." Ash muttered.
"Why you little…!" Chris lunged for Ash and began to give chase.
"Come on, you missed. Bet you can't catch me!"
"Ah, come back here!" Chris roared, the others just watched and laughed.
"I'm glad everything is working out for the best." Trish sighed and looked out over the ocean.
"Yeah, I'm beat." Christian closed his eyes, leaning his head back. "And we still have our show to do too…"
"That's right, come on guys!" Kari stood up, clenching her fist with determination. "This isn't the end, we have to get going! Our next adventure is just beginning!"
"Ah, let's go!" Ash jumped up, landing on Chris's head and ran off with Jess, Peter and Joanie laughing happily.
"Great, another adventure…?" Chris spit sand off of his face. "Some vacation, I just can't get a break…" He sighed sadly. Some just never learn, and with an attitude like that, you'll never win…
In the end, Pat convinced the other kids to break it off and go straight. Because their crimes weren't anything else but derived of boredom, they ended up sticking together and playing sports and forming teams. They even won a division final. Pat turned himself in, and luckily got out of juvi a few months later for good behavior and served up the remainder in community service. He actually liked it too, he was never really a bad guy, and some time alone to reflect really let him think. Joanie, Jess and Peter all got adopted. They were also adopted by tourists and never saw each other again, but they were happy, they knew that everyone else was all alive and safe, happy in foster homes. They may never see each other again, but for every friend made in life there will always be a farewell. The show went on without a hitch and they got a great turnout, the fans loved it of course. Christian won his match against Shawn Michaels, and Trish beat Kari in a bout for the number one contender for the women's title. Ash and Linda watched, Ash was happy, he knew what it was like to live with a foster family, and with the joys he lived, he never thought out the pain of loss in his past. He learned from it and didn't live a life of angst looking back on regrets, just the way Pat, his friends, and all of the kids learned to do. And as for Chris, unfortunately he got beaten to a pulp by Triple H in the main event. Ric and Ivory stood cheering in the corner for their champ, but, that's nothing new. Chris just grumbled and groaned over his injuries and roared at the trainer as he tried to tend to his wounds, but that's also nothing new. And so with Hawaii behind them, the plane headed back to the states, leading everyone to wonder, after such a trip, what adventures would wait for them over the horizon? They would just have to wait and see, but, they knew that they would always face any trial and tribulation together, laugh together, cry together, and grow together. There was so much waiting for them in the future, they didn't know what may wait for them ahead, but as long as they were together, that was all that mattered. They were happy, but of course, that also is nothing new…