Dark Reflections
Chapter 21
Here Without You
Rebecca Hickenbottom, better known to most as Mrs. Shawn Michaels, sighed and continued to stare out the window of the beautiful home she and her husband owned. They lived there with their two children, a boy and a girl, and three lovely dogs. There was something that was troubling her, and not even god was able to help her with this problem.
She hadn't seen her husband for nearly two months. He had been kidnapped from an arena in Des Moines, Iowa, and she was supposed to spend time with him that weekend. She sighed and imagined all the horrible things that happened to him. Better yet, she let her mind wander back to when she last heard her husband's voice...
"Hey babe." Her husband's raspy voice half stated half shouted over the phone.
He sounded relatively happy, which was normal for him.
"Hey Shawn. What's up?" Rebecca asked.
"Nothin' really. Paul and I just got to the arena," She heard Shawn sigh and raised an eyebrow.
"I dunno about this one, babe. I feel a little weird about it." Shawn stated, his voice and mood suddenly changing.
"How so, honey?"
"Well... I'm not sure, really. But I'm getting a weird feeling." Shawn replied, tapping his chin with his free hand.
"It's probably just your overactive imagination. That's bad for a serious environment, hon. Maybe you need more than 2 days at home." Rebecca teased.
Shawn chuckled.
"I definitely do. But there's always time for that later," Shawn paused to think of what to say.
He suddenly saw Paul and the two started talking.
"Oh. Vince needs me for a minute or two..."
"Can't he wait for later? I mean, there's a good two hours before the show and I don't get to talk to you until the morning..." Rebecca sadly replied.
"Wish I could, babe. But it has something to do with the house show tomorrow..," Shawn sighed.
He hated hearing Rebecca upset.
"Listen, I'll call you back when were finished. I'm sorry..." Shawn told her.
Rebecca smiled.
"It's ok, babe. I'll talk to you when you call."
"You bet. Give the kids a kiss for me."
"Dozens. Be careful."
"Always. Love you."
"Love you too."
And with that, they both hung up. Rebecca sighed. She heard the strange hint in Shawn's voice. He even told her he didn't have a good feeling. But he said that so many times before and nothing extremely serious happened. She wished she would've called Vince or Paul and told one of them. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. If she told either Vince or Paul, they would've kept a close eye on Shawn. What happened nearly two months ago would never have happened...
"Rebecca..?" Rebecca heard Paul's shaky voice ask as she picked up the phone.
"Yes this is she. Paul? That you?" She asked.
"Uh... Yeah..." Came the shaky response.
"Why do you sound so nervous, Paul? Everything ok?" Rebecca asked.
"No... No, Rebecca, everything isn't ok..."
"What's wrong," When all she got for a response was silence, she decided to continue.
"What happened to Shawn?"
"How did you know something happened to Shawn?" Paul asked.
"I can tell by your voice... And he also said he didn't have a good feeling about tonight," Rebecca paused again, receiving silence.
She looked over at the time. What she saw made her heart jump into her throat.
"Oh my goodness! Paul, what happened to Shawn? The show didn't even start yet!"
Paul sighed.
"Shawn was... Alone in the locker room... I stepped out to talk to Vince... As I was heading back I ran into Steve Austin and spoke to him," Paul paused to try and keep his cool.
"When I got back to the locker room he was gone," Paul paused again and reminded himself not to tell her about the footage from the security camera.
"Vince, Shane and I asked around and we found out that this guy came backstage with a fake police shield, passed himself off as a cop to Shawn and kidnapped him..."
Paul was almost sure that Becky would pass out. Hell, he felt he was about to do the same! He heard her breathing change.
Oh no. She's crying.
Then Paul heard a voice... And he knew this problem was about to get 10 times worse in a second.
"Why are you crying, mommy?"
Oh shit... Cameron...
"Cameron, go sit down in daddy's office, I have something to talk to you about," Rebecca stated, then sighed.
"Paul... I'm trusting you to keep me updated. If you guys hear ANYTHING and I mean anything, good or bad, I want to know." She told him, hoping he would listen.
She heard Paul sigh.
"I don't know if I can do that, Becky. Vince is pretty much running everything, and he doesn't want you to worry too much." Paul replied.
If Becky was in front of him, she was sure she would've smacked him. He wasn't being very fair. This was her husband they were talking about. She wanted to know every single detail about the situation. But then again, she knew Vince for 4 years and, in that short time, learned and came to love Vince's policy regarding his most treasured superstars, especially Shawn. He was concerned about all of them, no matter how small of a problem they were facing, or if they weren't facing a problem at all. She sighed, finally realizing Vince was probably right to shelter her from some things. Shawn wouldn't have wanted her to hear those kinds of stories anyway, stories about his pain and abuse, things along those lines.
"I guess Vince is right to make that decision... Shawn wouldn't want me to hear those kinds of things…" Becky paused to exhale deeply and wipe tears from her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Becky... I wish there was more I could tell you... You know that." Paul told her.
"Yes, I know, Paul... I just can't believe this... How am I going to tell Cameron?" She asked herself more than asking Paul.
"Be frank with him, Becky. He won't like it if you keep it a secret from him... And tell him everything you learn. He might be a kid, but he loves Shawn very much, you know that." Paul replied.
He always had an answer for Becky, especially when she didn't want to consult Shawn.
"I guess you're right... Thanks, Paul. I appreciate it... Listen, you take care. I want you to call me when you have some spare time. You need to worry about yourself, too. Don't just stress over my Shawn." Becky told him.
"You got it." Paul replied in a half teary voice.
"I love you, Paul. Don't forget that. Shawn loves you as well, and the bond you two have is something I will never comprehend. May God be with you in your search." Becky told him.
"Thanks Becky, and may God be with you and your family... Love you guys, send it to Camey and Chey." Paul stated.
"Always. Bye Paul." And with that, the two hung up.
Becky sighed and decided to tell Cameron as soon as possible. She did tell him to meet her in Shawn's office, anyway.
She made her way to the office and walked in to see Cameron sitting in Shawn's chair, pretending to be on the phone like Shawn when he had a phone call regarding his career. Cameron might not have been told by his parents that his dad was a wrestler, but he wasn't completely stupid. One of his friends in school told him about an amazing wrestler named the 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels, and went as far as to tell him awesome stories about his matches through the years. Cameron became amazed with the wrestler and asked to see a tape of his matches, or at least a picture. He was granted with a picture, and what he saw made his eyes pop out of his head, for the man in the picture had the same exact blue/green eyes, boyish grin and ashy blonde hair as his dad. Not to mention, he was standing with a man identical looking to his dear old Uncle Paul!
"Who are these guys?" He remembered shouting to his friend.
His friend chuckled.
"That's Shawn Michaels and his best friend Triple H," He paused when he saw Cameron frown.
"Oh you want to know their real names, don't you," He asked, making Cameron nod his head.
"Well you should know them, being they're always at your house," When all he got for an answer was silence, he continued.
"Dude, Shawn Michaels is your dad... Isn't his name Michael Hickenbottom?" His friend asked somewhat sarcastically.
"Yeah but he hates the name Michael… He likes Shawn more." Cameron replied, making his friend chuckle again.
"And that guy... Triple H. Does your dad call him 'Hunter'?" The boy asked.
Cameron wasn't quite sure. Whenever he heard his dad talking to Uncle Paul, he referred to him as "Paul." Maybe the name "Hunter" was used once or twice.
"Not really. He calls him Paul." Cameron replied.
"'Cause that's his name. Paul Levesque." The boy replied.
Cameron sighed.
"Why didn't he tell me he wrestles?" Cameron asked himself more than his friend, a trait he obviously received from his mother.
The boy shrugged his shoulders.
"If you saw what he did in the ring, it might worry you. I'm sure he doesn't want you to see too much of that stuff... He does get hurt sometimes... Like last year he hurt his knee so bad he couldn't even stand up without holding onto something, let alone walk on it!"
Once Cameron came back from his memory and noticed his mom was standing in front of him, he put the phone down and looked at her with a serious face.
"Something you wanted to tell me?" He asked.
Becky nodded her head.
"It's about your dad."
Cameron sighed.
"Look... I think I know what this is about…"
Cameron was kindly and swiftly cut off by Becky.
"I don't think you do, honey…" she replied.
"Mom, I know daddy is a wrestler... My friend told me earlier this year and he had pictures to prove it. He said he didn't tell me sooner cause daddy spoke to his dad and told him not to tell me cause he wanted to do it himself, he just didn't know how..," After glancing at his mother's shocked face, Cameron decided to continue.
"That was it, wasn't it?" He asked.
Becky nodded her head no.
"Although I'm upset you didn't tell me this sooner, I hate to tell you that... That wasn't what I wanted to tell you." Becky replied.
Cameron sat back further in the chair and frowned, then exhaled deeply. Becky smiled at the action. Cameron was acting just like Shawn when he was getting angry.
"Well, what DO you want to tell me, then? You seem sad, mommy... And I thought that you wanted to tell me daddy was a wrestler..." Cameron's voice trailed off.
He didn't know how to say what he wanted to say, so he decided to stop talking altogether. Becky stared at him until he was done talking, and then sighed.
"Cam... Look... I'm sorry your father and I didn't tell you about his career sooner. We were worried that you would worry about him too much. Your dad was planning on telling you this weekend... And he wanted to take you to a show when the WWE comes to San Antonio," Becky saw Cameron smile.
He already decided to let the anger he had about the situation go.
"However... There's a problem..."
Cameron's eyes widened with sadness.
"Is it something I did?" He asked.
Becky pouted.
"Of course not, Cameron Kade! Never blame yourself for something you don't even know about..," Becky paused to rub his cheek with her right hand.
He looked her in the eyes... God how she loved his eyes, they were just like Shawn's.
"Cameron... I don't know how to tell you this…" She paused again to sigh.
"Tell me straight up! I'm a big boy, mommy. I can handle it." Becky smiled slightly.
Yep. Cameron was indeed his father's son.
"Ok," Becky gestured for the boy to walk over to her and sit in her lap, which he did.
"Well... There was a problem at work... Daddy's gone away for awhile..."
"He's dead?" Cameron asked, about to burst into tears.
Becky bit her lip to keep from crying as well.
"No, honey. He's not dead. He's alive... Just..," Becky paused again.
"Remember daddy and I told you not to talk to strangers without us around," She asked, making him nod.
"Well... The reason why we taught you that is because sometimes there are strangers that go around and take other people without their permission?" She paused.
"You mean... Kidnapping? Daddy was kidnapped?" Cameron asked.
Rebecca nodded her head.
"Yeah... Daddy was kidnapped..."
Cameron suddenly jumped out of her arms and turned to face her.
"Why didn't Uncle Paul help? I know all about him being Triple H! He works with daddy; they're a tag team called D-Generation X," Cameron shouted, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
"David said they always have each other's backs! Daddy saves Uncle Paul and Uncle Paul saves daddy! Why didn't Uncle Paul save him this time?" Cameron shouted, finally bursting into hysterics.
Becky pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back, trying to make him calm down.
"Paul is beating himself up over the fact he wasn't there to protect your dad, Cameron... He regrets it, and it's something he's going to have to deal with every day until we get your dad back."
As if that wasn't bad enough, Rebecca received a special visit from Shawn's parents the next day. They started off acting casual, talking about how much Cameron was growing and how adorable Cheyenne was getting. Shawn's father, Richard, would occasionally look over at the clock. He knew Shawn called his wife everyday at a certain time when he was away from home. Rebecca eventually caught Richard glancing at the clock. He just laughed it off and said it was nothing, but Rebecca knew better.
"So... I'm excited for the barbeque this weekend…" Shawn's mother, Carol, stated, almost out of nowhere.
Rebecca's head shot up.
"Barbeque?" She asked.
Carol chuckled.
"Shawn's been planning it for almost a month, the whole Hickenbottom clan is going to be there," Carol replied, making Rebecca look at the floor. "You don't remember?" She asked.
Rebecca smiled sadly and looked up with tears in her eyes.
"Oh Lord... Rebecca... What's wrong?" Richard asked.
Rebecca sat down on the edge of the couch, something she usually yelled at people for doing. But it was the best way she could look at both Richard and Carol.
"It's Shawn... He was kidnapped from the arena in Des Moines, Iowa last night..."
She watched the looks on their faces turn from concern to pure shock and, finally, to heart break. Richard immediately settled his eyes on the floor, whereas Carol kept them on Rebecca.
"My goodness! How'd it happen?" She asked, making Rebecca sigh.
"Paul called last night and told me he stepped out of the locker room to talk to Vince, then stopped to talk to Steve Austin, who he hadn't seen in months. Shawn was alone in the locker room, and when Paul went back, he was gone. Him, Vince and Shane went around asking people if they saw what happened, and they said they saw a guy with a police shield asking questions as to where Shawn and Paul were. Paul said that he must've passed himself off as a cop to Shawn and grabbed him…" Rebecca was cut off by Carol.
"You said he had a police shield." She pointed out.
Rebecca shrugged.
"It was fake."
Rebecca sighed. Telling Cameron and Shawn's parents was the worst thing she ever did. Watching the time pass by didn't help much, either. She sighed each morning as she crossed the day off on the calendar, receiving a sad glance from Cameron as she did so. Each day she picked him up from school he would give her a hopeful smile, just to receive either a sad look or a little nod for a response, making him look down sadly and buckle his seat belt. She wondered how much more of this her son could handle before he snapped.
As promised, Paul called her every day. He didn't really have much information to give her, but just hearing his voice was enough. He was overly depressed at the constant thought of what was happening to Shawn, and he constantly blamed himself for the situation. Rebecca tried to convince him that he couldn't have done anything differently and that Shawn's kidnapping happened for a reason, but Paul wouldn't hear it.
A month and a half had gone by before she heard anything else. The phone rang while Rebecca was eating dinner with Cameron and Cheyenne. All three of them looked at each other. Rebecca glanced at Cameron.
"Cameron, get the phone, please."
Cameron nodded his head, stood up and walked over to the phone. Cheyenne watched her brother.
"Hello this is Cameron Hickenbottom speaking, how may I help you?" He asked.
"CAMERON! Cameron, it's Paul! Put your mother on, it's really important!" Paul shouted.
Cameron held the phone up in the air.
"It's Uncle Paul." Cameron stated.
"Does he seem happy or sad?" Rebecca asked.
"Happy. It sounds like he's jumping up and down…" Cameron replied.
Rebecca sighed and stood up.
"Cameron, watch your sister, please," She stated and received a nod in agreement from the 6 year old.
He sat down and watched his little sister, who stared back at him with wide eyes.
"WHAT,"
Cameron and Cheyenne both jumped when they heard their mother yell.
"Are you serious? Is he ok..? Oh... Alright. Ok. I will. Be safe, Paul. Call me when you get a chance. Ok. Bye." Rebecca hung up the phone and turned to look at Cameron and Cheyenne.
"Was it about dad?" Cameron asked.
Rebecca walked over to the table and nodded her head yes.
"Yes. They got him. Uncle Paul, Vince, Shane and Steve. They got your dad back, and they're helping the doctors help him get better." She watched Cameron smile, and watched as his eyes filled with tears.
"When is he coming home?" Cameron asked, making Rebecca sigh.
"They're not sure yet. He's in the hospital right now, and the doctors are helping him the best they can... They don't know when he can leave right now, because he's hurt. Uncle Paul will be calling us from time to time to let us know how daddy's doing... When daddy gets better, he can decide when he's coming home to see us." She told him and wiped the tears from her sons face.
About a week or so later, Rebecca received yet another phone call from Paul's cell phone.
"Hello?" She asked, figuring it was going to be Paul with another update.
"Hey there, Becky! I got somebody who wants to talk to you!" She heard Paul shout.
She heard him hand the phone over to somebody, who obviously almost dropped it, making Paul say 'friggin moron.' She chuckled to herself and waited for somebody to say something.
"Hello?" Came the sweetest voice she'd ever heard in her life.
Rebecca swore she was going to melt. After all, she hadn't heard that voice for almost 2 months. She felt tears of joy well up in her eyes.
"Shawn..." She breathlessly whispered.
"Awwww, Becky! You'd better not be crying, babe. Don't want your make up to make you look like a raccoon."
She chuckled at her husband's poor choice of timing for a joke.
"That's not funny…" She stated in a tearful voice as she wiped the tears away.
Shawn smiled.
"Alright... I'm sorry... How are you?" He asked.
"I missed you so much, Shawn... And all you can do is ask how I am..? I should be asking you that…" She stated, making Shawn chuckle.
"I'm ok. A little sore, but ok. Nothing I'm not used to." He told her.
She smiled in relief.
"That's great. Shawn... Camey wants to know when you're coming home. He misses you." Rebecca told him.
"Well... Tell him I love him and I'm ok, 'cause I know how that kid worries... And I'll be home as soon as I can, I promise," Shawn paused.
"I love you too, Becky. I love you with all my heart and I miss you more then you'll ever know."
A/N: I finally got bored enough to finish this chapter! This was mostly a filler, being I didn't know where else to go at the moment I started typing it. I decided the next chapter is going to be the court day... I'll try to get that done ASAP, being I start college tomorrow... I know I promised a lot of updates over the summer, and I failed miserably. Sorry, guys... Got kinda sidetracked with other stuff going on... Like the story I'm working on with csimiamigirl73. R&R please, I get much lazier when I don't get reviews.
Edit: The chapter's title is obviously the name of a song by 3 Doors Down.