Jamie's POV

Life was rough; I had a son who blamed me for being separated from his father, a mother constantly trying to tell me that I should forgive her – after all Eli was home, I was struggling at work and then I got an email from Vince telling me I had to do a photo shoot with the one man who had me all torn up.

When I got the email I was fuming. Yes, I'd realized that Dave was the good guy and yes I wanted him back my life, but I wanted to do things on my terms. I knew Dave had convinced Vince of the photo shoot, as director of Photography I didn't do photo shoots anymore. Dave had to go over my head to get me to do a shoot.

I was given a week to prepare myself to face the man I'd screwed over and was expecting that week to be hell. But something happened, something that changed everything. It was Wednesday night, Eli and I had flown to Connecticut after the taping the night before. I had some meetings at WWE headquarters and was going to take the opportunity to spend some time with the McMahons. Uncle Vince had put us up in a hotel because both Shane and Stephanie's family was staying at the McMahon's.

When my meetings were over Eli and I had dinner with the ever growing McMahon family. After dinner and much to the disgust of his wife Shane drove Eli and I back to our hotel. Eli was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Playing with his 'cousins' had definitely worn him out. I watched him sleep for a little bit and felt my heart warm at the smile on my son's face. We would definitely spend some time with McMahon's before heading back to Minnesota, anything to capture that smile for a little bit longer.

I drifted off to sleep around 1am only to be woken an hour later by a loud banging. I sat up, turned on the light and saw a sight that petrified me, my 5 year old son hitting his head against the wall.

"Eli!" I gasped in shock. I jumped up and grabbed my son trying to stop what he was doing. Eli struggled against my grasp and I realized he was muttering to himself,

"Bad, bad boy… Naughty boy, bad boy".

Holding Eli I realized that he was soaking wet, I looked down at his bed and realized that he'd had an accident. Eli hadn't had an accident since he'd come home, but before he was kidnapped he wet the bed at least once a week. I didn't mind, he was just a little boy and I knew he'd grow out of it. Every parent had to change sheets once in a while and the bigger deal you made about it the worse it would be. This was the first time he'd had an accident since he'd gotten home.

"Shh… It's okay," I whispered trying to hold my son close,

"No, no… Bad, bad boy, bad boy," Eli thrashed.

"You're not a bad boy, who said that?" I asked, holding Eli's arms down more concerned about protecting him than myself. He didn't say anything for a few moments before finally looking up at me and bursting into tears,

"Who said you're a bad boy?" I asked again,

"Daddy," Eli finally sobbed quietly, "he said that I was a bad boy and bad boys had to be punished,"

"What made you a bad boy?" I asked noticing the weakness in my son,

"Wetting my bed, crying, wanting you and Dave… Daddy said that those things made me a bad boy and that he had me because you and Dave didn't want me anymore, that you thought I was a bad boy too".

Listening to my son broke my heart; he'd been manipulated by the man who was meant to be his father. Manipulated by someone who was meant to love him and had his self-confidence destroyed as well as his faith in the ones who really did love him.

"We always wanted you," I whispered not really knowing the words to say,

"I told him that, I did, but he said you didn't. He said if you loved me then you would have picked me up from day care and you would come get me. You never came and then Dave said he didn't love me, you never came!" Eli cried angrily.

"We didn't know where to find you. Every day I looked for you and when we found out you were in Colorado we were on the first flight, but we didn't find you. We weren't going to give up. If we didn't want you Dave wouldn't have gotten you back," I explained carrying my son into the bathroom. Eli was near hysterics, sweating, and smelling. When he was a baby and I couldn't calm him down I'd put him in the bath, it was an instant sedative. So I carried him into the bathroom and began to fill the tub.

As I stripped him off I noticed the scars on his arm, he'd needed surgery to repair a break,

"You said your daddy said bad boys had to be punished," I asked carefully, "is that how your arm got broken," Eli nodded slightly,

"I tried to be good, I did, I kept saying 'daddy I have to go to the bathroom', but he wouldn't let me. He said we had to keep driving; we couldn't stop all the time. I kept trying to get him to let me go, but he wouldn't. Then… then… It was too late. I tried to hold on, but I couldn't. Daddy got mad at me… He said I was bad… He said I had to be punished," my son sobbed heavily.

"What did I do?" I asked quietly, nervous at what the answer was going to be.

"No… No… he said I couldn't tell… I don't want to," Eli cried.

The bath was at a good level so I turned off the tap and lifted my young son into it. He sat there for a few moments crying heavily. Slowly he began to calm down and after a few minutes he was only sobbing quietly.

"Why didn't you come?" Eli asked looking down at the water,

"We did… We looked everywhere for you and then Dave disobeyed everything the detectives said and got you back," I responded rubbing soap over his back,

"You didn't want me,"

"Yes I did. I have always wanted you and will always fight for you. You are my little boy and I love you more than life itself," I responded with tears in my eyes, "and you're not a bad boy,"

"But, daddy said…"

"Do you remember what I always said, about when you love someone?"

"That you don't hurt the people you love,"

"And what does that say about your daddy?"

"That if he loved me he wouldn't have hurt me. He doesn't love me does he?" Eli asked defeated and it broke my heart,

"No honey he doesn't. He wanted to hurt me and knew that the only way to do that was by hurting you,"

"No one loves me…"

"I love you,"

"Says who? Daddy said you didn't love me now you say he doesn't love me,"

"Have I ever hurt you?"

"No," Eli muttered.

This conversation was exhausting, but I was so glad we were having it, even if it was happening at 3 in the morning. Eli had stopped crying, but he was completely silent sitting in the bath staring at the water. I knew it was a lot for a 5 year old to process and he was trying to figure things out. It had to be heart breaking and confusing for him. Eli yawned and I noticed his eyes were starting to droop. I picked him up and lifted him out of the bath wrapping a towel around him.

Once he was dry I found some clothes for him to wear and a pull-up, he hadn't needed them in a while, but I figured it's better to be safe than sorry. Once he was dressed I lay him down on the king bed and went into the bathroom to let the water out. By the time I returned Eli had found a Bible and was holding it up to me,

"Will you read it to me?" He asked,

"Only a small passage, it's very late," I responded not able to turn down my son. I climbed on the bed we would be sharing for the rest of the night. Eli curled up in my lap and I knew I finally had my son home again. I began reading and he was asleep before I got half way through the passage.

I barely slept a wink the rest of the night, instead I watched Eli. He tossed and turned occasionally calling out in panic, but he didn't wake. We had a long way to go, but I knew things were finally on the road back to normal.

Eli was just waking up when Vince showed up to drive us to the McMahon's. I was hoping Shane would come, but Marissa was paranoid about the relationship we had. Yes, we'd had a short thing a million years ago, but we quickly realized that being with each other was like being with a sibling. I loved Shane like a brother, nothing more, and nothing less.

"You look exhausted," Uncle Vince said picking up a bag and Eli's booster seat.

"It was a big night, I'll explain at your place," I sighed giving him a hug. I was exhausted, but was happier than I had been in a long time and completely torn, it was a very conflicting morning.

We arrived at the McMahon's just as breakfast was being served. After eating the kids ran off to play while the adults drank coffee.

"You look exhausted," Shane commented glancing across the table at me,

"Long night," I muttered.

"You told me you'd explain," Vince said. So, I sat there and explained what had happened in the early hours of that morning. I felt Linda wrap her arm around my shoulders and when I finished I felt completely deflated.

"Why don't you go upstairs and have a rest," Linda suggested, "Shane, take her up to your room".

I heard Marissa growl at the idea, but Shane just rolled his eyes and directed me upstairs,

"What about Eli?"

"He's happily playing with the other kids, he won't notice if you're missing for an hour or so,"

"And if he does?"
"I'll bring him right up," Shane said opening his bedroom door. Once he'd left home Linda had wasted no time in re-decorating; now it was a nice guest room or the perfect room for when Shane and his family stayed.

Shane sat down on the bed with me,

"Are you doing alright?" He asked wrapping an arm around me,

"I got a glimpse of my little boy last night and that made things a little easier. I need to rebuild a few relationships; I never thought my life would end up like this," I responded yawning.

"Sometimes life throws you curve balls," Shane shrugged not really knowing what to say.

I don't remember Shane leaving. I was so tired that I must have fallen asleep while Shane was still there. I don't know how long I'd been asleep when I heard the door open,

"Mommy!" My son cried running to the bed,

"Hey," I muttered sleepily,

"You disappeared,"

"I just came up to have a little sleep while you were happily playing," I explained and my son let out a huge yawn, "do you want to have a lie down with me?"

We slept until Stephanie knocked on the door telling us lunch was ready and we needed to eat before heading to the airport.

The rest of the week went well. Eli was clingy, but happy to play with Jimmy. I spent most days with Alex, with Eli eager to play with his best friend when he came home from school. Eli was old enough for school, he should have been in Kindergarten, but the kidnapping had put things back a bit. The sad thing was that with Jimmy's birthday being in November and Eli's in June the two boys should have been in the same grade. However, Glen was happy to use his teaching qualifications to give Eli a bit of "home schooling" back stage, so hopefully he'd be able to start the 1st grade the next year.

John had gone back to work a couple of weeks before hand, but he had the rest of the week off and was hanging out at Alex's house. He basically lived there, but he was good for her and Jimmy,

"You know its Dave's birthday next week," John said over coffee one morning while Alex drove Jimmy to Kindergarten.

"I am well aware of that fact,"

"Are you doing anything for him?"

"I don't know ," I had spent a lot of time thinking about Dave's birthday. I had a card for him, but I wasn't game to buy him anything until things were better. I didn't want him to think I was trying to buy him back.

"So, what's with you an Alex? You basically live here, when are you going to pop the question?" I asked changing the topic.

"I don't know, one day soon I hope," John smiled and a moment later my best friend walked in.

On Tuesday night I was anxious, I was going to be in a situation where I had to communicate with the man and I knew that he was up to something. In the back of the arena I learnt just what Dave wanted. He was sick of my hang up calls, he wanted some answers. Secretly I was glad that it finally came to this and was happy to talk to him that night, but I learnt he had a date. I was furious, he had moved on so quickly, until I realized that his 'date' was with his youngest daughter.

I had 24 hours to freak out about the pending dinner with Dave. I rehearsed what I was going to say about a million times, but I couldn't rehearse his responses and I definitely couldn't prepare myself for whatever he had to say.

The next night Mark and Dave bought Eli to the photography office to say goodbye and goodnight. After Mark and Eli left Dave turned to me,

"I spent some time with Eli tonight; he definitely seemed like a different kid, nearly like himself,"

"Yeah, I found my little boy this week," I smiled

"Are you ready for dinner?"

"As I'll ever be," I responded before following Dave out to the parking lot.