Warning my loves! This one is a real tear jerker.

Really didn't help that I took a break to watch (last week's) The Walking Dead while working on the scene that literally made me cry while writing it, either. - R.I.P. T-Dog (I can live without Lori :x)

I can pretty much guarantee this one will tug at your heart strings.

September 5th, 2012

After landing in Tampa Cody pulled out his phone. They walked through the airport to the rental car area, finding one with a minivan so they could all travel together. The girls smiled as the guys held their bags, Randy even taking care of both AJ and Celeste's items for the occasion. This surprised everyone, but they weren't about to question it. If Randy was in a good mood, then they would take advantage.

"Hey bro, how are you feeling?" Cody smiled into the phone. There was a pause from Cody, indicating that Ted was responding. "Are you up for some visitors?" He chuckled, "well, we just landed. We'll be there in about ten minutes." He looked up with a smile after ending the call, "we can head right over."

Mary giggled, "see? We didn't have to warn him ahead of time."

"It was almost like as if he's been waiting for us to come down," Cody laughed, wrapping his free arm around Chelsea's waist.

"I'll admit, we should have done this a lot sooner. I just didn't want to take him to see Daniel when we all went. It's just that Ted deserves to know that I've seen him," Mary sighed as the made their way to their rental van.

Everyone was silent in response. No words were really needed, they all agreed with and understood Mary's reasoning. She had been through a lot, and she was dealing with all of it on her own terms. It was the best way to handle everything, and everyone that had just piled into the minivan with her would be there for every step of the process of Mary's healing.

John offered to drive this time around, which put Mary in the passenger seat. Cody and Chelsea sat in the second row captain's chairs, leaving Randy between AJ and Celeste in the back. Once they had gotten on the road, Mary slowly turned to look at Cody. "Oh Cooooooodles," she taunted him in a sing-song voice, grinning.

"Yes, Mary Mary," he chuckled.

"If I tell you something now, can you be just as surprised as you would be in the ring if I didn't?" she bounced in her seat a little.

"I did mean to ask you who you were supposed to be talking to when I came up to you after my match," Cody glared at his on-screen girlfriend, earning giggles from the rest of girls in the vehicle.

"'Twas your daddy, m'dear," Mary smirked as she reached across the center console placing her hand just above John's knee.

"You didn't..." Cody's face fell.

"He's coming to visit us on SmackDown next week," Mary turned to look back at him. "I plan on taking advantage while he's there, too."

"And do what, exactly?" Cody raised an eyebrow.

"The 'Crazy Chicks' need a fourth corner. No offense, Chels," Mary smiled at her sister.

"None taken, sis," Chelsea shrugged. "I'm not that type of performer, anyway."

"So who are we recruiting?" AJ's face lit up.

"Paige!" Mary pumped her fist into the air.

"Oh she's perfect," Celeste grinned, high fiving AJ in front of Randy, merely an inch in front of his face.

"Annnnnd," Mary grinned. "I've decided on our new entrance theme for when we come out together. Pending your approval, of course, ladies."

"What is it?" AJ perked up.

"You've heard of ZZ Ward, right?" Mary smiled.

"She founds vaguely familiar..." AJ, along with Celeste, began to think.

"Oh you mean the girl who did that song that Pretty Little Liars used a few months ago?" Chelsea looked up at her sister. "You asked me how long I'd stay by your side. So I answered with only just one reply," she sang.

Mary nodded, joining her for the chorus, "Till the casket drops. Till my dying day. Till my heartbeat stops. Till my legs just break. Whoa, oh, whoa,whoa, whoa, oh, whoa, whoa, oh. Till the casket drops."

"Damn!" Cody laughed, clapping after they finished. "Who needs an iPod when we've got girls with chops like that?"

"And remember," John looked to his friend in the rearview mirror. "They can rap too."

"I never did get my feud with Zack," Cody pouted playfully.

"Well, you're both about to get into the tag scene. Maybe you could use that," Mary shrugged. "Anyway, she has another song called 'Better Off Dead' that with the proper light show, can be very intimidating."

"Is that what you were working on last night?" John tilted his head as he turned into Ted's driveway.

"Nope," she shook her head. "I was making a 'Mody' video to 'Jerkface Loser Boyfriend'," she smirked, turning to Cody as John cut the engine.

"Which I totally deserve after last night," Cody laughed, shaking his head.

"Wait... you were doing what?" John blinked as they got out of the van.

"I make 'fan' videos," she explained, using air quotes, "and put them on YouTube."

"Oh jeez, you don't," Randy shook his head as they began making their way to the door.

"I do. Unfortunately, the board discovered my channel, but they agreed to let me keep it on the grounds that I keep everything canon," Mary shrugged.

"I may be a little biased, but you do make the best PunkLee videos," AJ looked up with a pout.

Mary sighed, bringing an arm around her friend, "we'll get him back, baby."

"I had a feeling that wasn't all storyline," Ted frowned from his door way, causing Mary's head to snap her head up.

Before anyone else got a chance to greet their injured friend, Mary rushed over to him, immediately wrapping her arms around him tightly. No one said anything as they all walked inside after Ted moved himself and Mary over enough to let everyone in.

Randy closed the door once everyone was inside. He looked over to John, who's head was hung. He swallowed visibly, bringing a hand to his male best friend's shoulder. "Just give her a minute," he told John quietly.

"We should have known seeing Ted would bring back memories after everything," AJ whispered.

"But we knew that she needed to face every part of it," Cody nodded.

"Is someone going to tell me what I've obviously missed?" Ted sighed, rubbing Mary's back. "She hasn't clung to me like this since..." his eyes widened as he looked around to his friends.

Everyone else in the room looked away as Mary slowly looked up at her former boyfriend, biting her lip. "We went to see him a few months ago, Teddy Bear."

Ted froze up, slowly pulling away from Mary. His own memories from the night she was attacked now flooding his mind. Without saying anything, he walked into his living room, sitting down in the middle of his couch.

"He can't be mad..." Cody started, only to have Chelsea bring a finger to his lips.

"He's not mad, Cody," Celeste swallowed visibly, feeling compelled to walk into the living room, sitting next to Ted.

Mary's eyes filled with tears, "in all these years, I never once stopped to think that what happened to me had any effect on Ted. At least not any more than what you guys show."

"Mare, you know that it kills all of us on the inside to know such a thing happened to you," Randy swallowed hard as he pushed John into her direction. "But Ted was there. He was a sweet guy to begin with."

Mary nodded with a sigh as she slipped an arm around John's waist. "He was only thirteen. He saw me naked and covered with bruises. Someone like Ted has to be traumatized by that."

"He's a virgin," Cody stated softly, not looking up from Chelsea's shoulder.

"What?" Mary bit her lip. "I mean, I know he hasn't had a serious girlfriend lately..."

Cody shook his head, "he keeps using the 'I haven't found the right girl yet' excuse."

Everyone filed into the kitchen, standing around the island in the middle of the room, leaving Ted and Celeste in the living room. Mary sighed, laying her head on John's chest. "God, I wish I could have somehow known."

"It's a guy thing, Mare," John sighed as he securely wrapped his arms around her. "Most of us aren't really open about our feelings. Especially when it comes to something that has to run as deep as that."

Mary looked up, kissing her boyfriend softly. "You're right babe, it just sucks. Randy's right, Teddy Bear is the sweet one. Always has been."

"Hey!" Cody pouted playfully.

"You're sweet too, Coddles," Mary giggled.

"Can I say something you probably don't want to hear at the moment?" AJ bit her lip.

"Who honey?" Mary looked over to her friend.

"John..." she sighed as he looked over to her. "Mary and Ted are going to need some alone time."

Mary swallowed hard as she felt John tense up, tightening his grip on her. He wasn't the jealous type at all. He truly trusted Mary, but for some reason something got to him when it came to Ted. "We've never talked about that night, and it's long past due. If you want either of us to get better, it needs to happen, baby."

"I know, baby," he kissed the top of her head. "I know. I guess that I just wish that I could fix you all by myself."

Mary nodded with a smile, "you've done most of the work, John. I just need this one thing with him because he is the one who was there. You're still my pilot, baby. You're the one who made me believe in love."

"I really don't know what I would have done if I were in his position," John admitted.

"You were just about to start your second year of college when it happened, John," Mary sighed through her tears. "Neither of us really even knew the other existed. I mean, sure, I had been on television by that time. I just know that I hadn't really made an impression on fans at the time."

"But you had in the locker room," Cody smiled softly. "And I don't mean that in a bad way. I know that you had already started training by then, and everyone was seriously impressed with your skills."

"Oh my early days in the locker room. The interesting side of being the child of a ring rat," she shook her head with a sigh. "I really wouldn't be surprised if Alex actually has a different father than me. Our dad was on the indie circuit in the Midwest around that time."

"She actually hit on my dad while we were dating," Ted walked into the room, biting his lip. Celeste was by his side, holding his hand.

Mary spun around, securing John's arms around her waist as she leaned into his chest. "I'm really not surprised at all. I have no idea how someone who has absolutely no maternal instinct and is always so quiet could possibly be such a whore around wrestlers."

"She wasn't any better after you left, sis," Chelsea sighed. "However, that is a different story entirely."

Cody gave his girlfriend a squeeze, "but you have us now. Everything is better." He looked up to Ted, "you okay, man?"

Ted nodded with a sigh, "I'm sorry that I broke down like that. I really didn't know that all of this was still effecting me that much."

Mary nodded, biting her lip. "I know exactly how you feel. The night we saw him was horrible. I played it cool in front of him, but after we got to the hotel, I cracked."

"But John was right there for you, right?" Ted swallowed visibly.

Mary smiled softly, "at the same time, it was the best night of my life." She bit her lip as John kissed the top of her head.

Ted took a deep breath, nodding. He noticed that Mary and John appeared a bit more intimate with one another, so he was able to conclude one of the things that hadn't been offered to him yet during his absense. "So John is divorced, and he and Mary are open about their love. Cody is dating Mary's little sister. Mary and Cody are back together in the ring and fighting over video games. Mary has a stalker who is with the company. And AJ..." he turned to the young Diva, "you and Punk are over?"

AJ shook her head, "not officially. We had to cool it on screen because of my new role, but ever since Heyman came into the picture, our relationship has suffered."

Mary nodded, "he's changed. I barely talk to him anymore."

Ted blinked, "right... so did I miss anything?"

"We're friends with Beth and Nattie now," Mary shrugged.

"My marriage almost ended," Randy stated casually.

"Why? What did you do?" Ted tilted his head, squeezing Celeste's hand.

"Mary," Randy shrugged, causing everyone else to widen their eyes and sputter.

After a few moments of silence, Ted finally spoke, shaking his head, "you what? When?"

"Um yeah... I was just wondering the same thing," Cody looked back and forth to each of his friends.

"This is why we don't do drugs, kids," Mary sighed. "It was before Alanna came along."

"Is that what caused all of the commotion that night when I ended up going home with you?" Ted blinked, looking over to Randy.

Randy nodded, biting his lip. "Can we be done with it?"

"Yeah, of course," Ted swallowed visibly. "Did you ever find out who overheard?"

"One anyway," Mary nodded. "It was Fox, but she's being really cool about it. My stalker saw us at the time, but we don't know if they actually heard anything."

"So as much as we love and miss Ted," AJ spoke up a few moments later. "Why are we here, Mare?"

"Well..." Mary took a deep breath as John rubbed her side. "I've been seeing a psychiatrist. They've got me on Prozac at the moment. It turns out that I'm not hiding anything so much as I've been repressing a number of fears this entire time."

"So that's where you really were after SummerSlam?" AJ bit her lip.

Mary nodded, "I love all of you, and despite the fact that I know on some level that you all love me and care about me deeply, I've been having trouble believing that I deserve it. Even with John. I've been having nightmares for months. Most of them involve all of you leaving me."

"That's why you don't like sleeping very much," John bit his lip, slowly pulling away from her.

"Baby..." Mary bit her lip, tears filling her eyes once more, "they're just dreams. I don't take them seriously. As soon as I wake up and see that I'm in your arms, I feel a thousand times better. You really do help me."

"Obviously not enough," John sneered. He looked up to Ted, "beer?"

Ted sighed, nodding and pointing to the refrigerator.

Tears streamed down Mary's face as John grabbed a beer and stormed out the back door to Ted's deck. AJ walked over to her, wrapping her arms around the other girl tightly. "You men all suck with all of this not wanting to express your feelings bullshit," Mary laughed through a sob. "This sucks."

"I don't get it," Chelsea sighed. "John was fine until he saw Ted and Mary together. He even laughs at everything between her and Randy."

Ted nodded, "I get that he is deeply in love with her, but I wouldn't wish sharing this with her on anyone."

"Speaking of..." Mary looked over to Ted, biting her lip. "We should probably talk."

Ted nodded, holding his hand out to her. "Feel free to make yourselves at home, everyone."

Mary took his hand, letting him lead her up to his room. They sat down on his bed, leaving the door open. "How are you doing, Teddy Bear?" she smiled softly.

"This was the first time I actually had a flashback about that night," he sighed.

She nodded, "the day that John met Marcus he said that he now knew what happened to me. I just... really never thought of it until that moment. Most of it was a blur to me. All I fully remember is that it happened, and that you were the one who saved me."

"I think that I really loved you on some level," Ted took a deep breath, looking over to his middle school girlfriend. "Seeing what I saw really did something to me. Like, I didn't understand what I was feeling at the time. It was just pure, raw emotion. Part of me wanted to kill him right on the spot with my bare hands, but protecting you was an immediate priority." He paused for a few moments, letting his tears fall. "I should have been there sooner," he slammed his fist down on his bed.

Mary blinked, swallowing hard. "Ted... it's not your fault."

"But I should have been paying more attention! I should have been there right after his match. I could have stopped it from ever happening. I could have saved you, Mare Bear," his voice cracked with that last sentence.

Tears spilled down Mary's cheeks once more, "Teddy Bear..."

"He took something from you, Maryanne. He took something that no man has any right to take from a woman without permission," he raised his voice a little, not realizing how emotional he was getting.

At about that time, John appeared in the doorway. He stayed silent. He had heard everything from Mary telling Ted that it wasn't his fault. As much as he didn't like it, he knew that they needed to get all of this out, and he wasn't about to stand in their way.

"Only physically. He didn't take me away from me. The first time with Randy legitimately felt like a first time is supposed to feel like. So what if some douchebag already broke the seal? There are so many things that can do that these days," Mary bit her lip, wiping a few tears from her cheek.

"He got you pregnant," Ted whispered, biting his lip.

Mary nodded, "and look at Marcus. He's amazing, and I don't regret having him for anything. Everything happens for a reason, Ted. You have got to believe that. So yeah, we were supposed to be meeting up to hang out after his match, but we never said directly after. You weren't the only one there that night either, honey. Anyone could have walked in and stopped it before it even happened, but that's not how things played out. It happened. We can't turn back time and change that."

Ted nodded slowly, he finally accepted what happened, but it would take a while to really get over it. "I'm sorry, Mary. I guess that I didn't know that I felt like this."

"There's nothing wrong with repressing something like this," Mary sighed, glancing up at John with a small smile. She had sensed his presence from the moment that he was close, but she chose to not acknowledge it. "I did. I buried it deep inside for years until John's love brought it out of me. He's been so patient with me all of these months. I don't know if I could express how grateful I am for everything he's done for me."

"I'm sure he knows, Mare Bear," Ted smiled softly.

"I do," John stated softly, finally announcing his presence.

Ted quickly wiped away his tears, backing up to leave some space between Mary and himself on the bed.

Mary giggled softly as John walked over to her, leaning down to kiss her softly. "I'm sorry, baby. I've never gotten jealous before. Even after everything that has been thrown in my face. Just the thought of somehow, someway maybe I could have been the one there to save you. You know, despite it being completely impossible. Looking at things logically, I'm just glad that someone did. Not every girl is so lucky."

Mary nodded as she leaned into John, sitting at the foot of Ted's bed. "I love you so much, John. I may have been through hell, but everything began to get better once Marcus started calling you 'dad'. My life really started to come together when we became a family."

John smiled, wiping at his own tears. "I love you too, Mary. I want to be there for everything for the rest of our lives. You and Marcus are everything to me." He looked over to Ted, "and I want to thank you for being there for her. Not just that time, but every time. I know that the two of you have been close ever since then."

Ted smiled softly, "I've always cared about her. I believe we would be this close even if we had not dated."

Mary's lips curled up into a smirk as she noticed that conversation had come to a close, so she could bring up a new topic. "So do you like her, Teddy Bear?"

"Who?" Ted blinked, blushing a bit as he looked away.

"Our only single, female friend," John chuckled, looking over to Ted.

"Well, the thought has crossed my mind," Ted admitted. "But she's probably not into me."

Mary shrugged, "if she's got taste, she wants you."