Landing in Dallas, excited son by her side, Katie couldn't be more excited. Sami's first WrestleMania, and Stevie's first where he could watch his father (hopefully) win the Intercontinental Championship in the ladder match. If she said that she wasn't terrified for her husband's wellbeing, she would be lying, but she was so proud of him for making it this far that she was pushing her concerns to the side for the time being. She was going to enjoy this week as a wrestling fan, and then she'd be a concerned wife once WrestleMania was over and she was helping her husband ice whatever sore spots he had.
"Mom, are you thinking hard?" Stevie asked, snapping the brunette from her thoughts as they got up to leave the plane.
"Not anymore, buddy."
"Good! C'mon, Dad is waiting for us!"
"You do know that your dad's plane lands fifteen minutes after ours, right?" She asked, grabbing their carry-on bags and handing Stevie's (which was really just filled with art supplies) down to the seven-year-old. The look in those eyes had her laughing, gentle hand on her son's head as he walked down the aisle. "Yeah, for once we're getting somewhere before he does."
"Do you think dad will have time to go to the theme park?"
"I'm not sure, but I'll talk to him and see what his schedule looks like." Katie assured, smiling at the stewardess as they left the plane and making sure that Stevie didn't trip like he usually did when exiting a plane. "But you're lucky. Getting to go to TakeOver and WrestleMania and watching your dad wrestle in both shows."
"I'm more excited for TakeOver."
"Why's that?"
"Because Dad is wrestling, but so is Uncle Finn, and Auntie Bayley. Throw in American Alpha and getting to see Uncle Ezno and Uncle Cass and they're all of my favorites right now." He explained, looking back to Katie with a grin.
"You're so much like your father, it's ridiculous." She laughed as they entered the terminal, leading her son to the desk so they could find out where Sami's plane was landing.
"Are we getting our bags first or just waiting for Dad?"
"Pretty sure our bags can wait a few minutes especially if your dad is going to have to go that way anyways." Katie mused, stopping dead in her tracks when she locked eyes with her husband waiting for them. "How?"
"I thought you said that Dad was getting here after us?"
"He was supposed to." She murmured, shaking her head with a small smile as they walked to meet him. "Just once, could you let us get somewhere first?"
"That wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me, Kates." Sami responded, picking Stevie up and holding the seven-year-old on his hip. Kisses to the cheek were given to his wife and son as they walked to the baggage claim, Sami listening to Stevie talk about the flight and how excited he was for TakeOver while Katie just smiled. She knew Sami was going to be busy this week, so she just wanted to enjoy this time where she was with her husband and their son and enjoy listening to them interact. "Hotel, then Six Flags?"
"You have time?"
"Why do you think I flew in early, Kates?"
She had never been so nervous in her lifetime. In a matter of hours Sami would be in a ladder match, probably one of the most dangerous matches ever, for the Intercontinental Championship. She wasn't sure if she was more concerned about it being a ladder match or the fact that it was a ladder match where Kevin was also involved. Kevin hasn't hesitated to hurt Sami in the past, and she knew that Sami wouldn't hesitate to put himself in harm's way to get to Kevin.
"You should be sleeping, dearest love of mine." Sami grumbled, not even bothering to open an eye because he knew exactly how his wife was positioned over him so he didn't need to see to be able to gently brush his knuckles against her cheek. "What are you thinking about?"
"How badly I want you to destroy Kevin while you have the opportunity but at the same time I don't want you to get too beat up." She admitted, smiling when he opened his eyes with a small smile of his own. "I know, it's weird to hear me enable you like this."
"Foreign." He laughed, resting his head back against the pillow as she giggled. "Sure you're speaking English, habibi?"
"Want me to say it in French and Arabic just so you're certain?" She teased as he sat up, watching his face carefully as he studied hers.
"You're scared as hell." He murmured, cupping her cheeks before planting a loving kiss on her forehead. "But it's okay because I am too."
"You've probably been nervous every time you've stepped in that ring since your return."
"But I push it down because I know you're at home freaking out enough for all of Montreal and the last thing you need to see is me nervous." He reasoned, stroking her cheeks as he spoke. He knew that her nerves were running high and that was keeping her awake, so he had to soothe those nerves so she'd sleep and he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep until she was sleeping. "Ladder matches are scary; I know what you're thinking, but I need you not to worry so much. I want to beat Kevin, slaughter him really, but I'm not putting my health further on line for that when I know my time to beat his ass one-on-one will come."
"You promise?"
"Cross my heart. Our first 'Mania needs to be memorable for the right reasons, not because I got myself another trip to the hospital on behalf of Kevin."
"We'll be front row cheering you on. Win or lose, you're still Stevie's hero."
"One of these days I'll break out the Generico mask." He mumbled, pulling her into his chest as he laid down. He felt her smile as she shifted to lay on top of him, her body relaxing as one of his hands settled on her lower back and the other gently pet the back of her head. "Get some rest, Kates. Big day tomorrow, long as hell too."
"I yawned just looking at your schedule for tomorrow."
"Trust me, I'll be texting you all day throughout until you and Stevie are in my arms after the show."
"I swear you find new ways to scare me half to death." She mumbled into his neck as she held him close, not at all caring that he was still sweaty and possibly hurting in a few places. Sami could only chuckle, affectionately ruffling Stevie's hair before wrapping both arms around his wife. She obviously needed the comfort and assurance that he was in one piece and not in need of a hospital trip, and he was more that willing to give that to her.
"I'm alright, habibi." He whispered into her hair, hands rubbing her back in an effort to show her that his limbs were working properly. "I'm going to be sore as hell in the morning, but I'm legitimately okay."
"You're not just posturing?"
"No posturing and no bullshit, Katie. I'm okay, just like I promised you I would be."
"I'm so proud of you, Sami." She murmured, pulling back so she could cup his cheeks. To Sami there was no feeling greater than this, having his wife in his arms and his son by his side backstage at WrestleMania. Especially after being injured like he was and having to take enough time off to where he wasn't sure he'd even have a career to come back to. Plenty of guys before him had been just as red hot as he was and sidelined by a major injury but didn't come back with that same spark they once had and he had been terrified that being gone so long would have everybody move soon from him and onto something greater.
But he supposed that was where Katie came in. She knew what he was thinking before he did half the time and knew just what to say to get his mind of the negative and make him focus on the positives. The negatives were still in his mind, but he didn't dwell on them as much and that was something he definitely credited to her and their son because it was extremely hard to throw a pity party while you were sandwiched between the two people you loved most in the world while watching Finding Nemo.
"You're thinking again, Sami."
"Just thinking about how perfect this moment is and how I owe it all to you and Stevie."
"But Dad, you're the one who-"
"Just take the compliment, Steves. Your dad rarely gives these out without sarcasm or a joke." Katie warned with a laugh as Sami picked up their son for a group hug. It was a perfect moment and, while he was disappointed that Kevin didn't need a stretcher to leave the ring area, Sami still proved that he could walk the road to redemption and come out on top in some way. It wasn't easy, nor would the rest of his path to beating the hell out of Kevin, but with his wife by his side and their son cheering him on Sami felt like he could do anything.
