CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

MOLLY

She had spent an entire day at her Sire's bedside watching him sleep. Molly refused to take her eyes off of the heart monitor. She gripped his hand in her own, willing him to be alright. After making sure his family was safe, Keith stayed by her side, holding her free hand and saying whatever he could to comfort her. Molly did not speak. She couldn't. Instead, she used all of her energy to try to connect to her father somehow telepathically. The doctors insisted he was just exhausted and sedated and would be fine, but she wouldn't believe it until he woke up.

Finally, Dean began grumbling. Molly squeezed his hand. "The fuck am I?" Dean mumbled.

"You're in the hospital, Sire," Molly said. It felt weird to speak. She had to try twice before the words actually came out.

"Right... Fucker shot me," Dean said as he looked at her. Molly hated herself for it, but she started crying. "Molly..." Dean softened his tone. "It's okay, Offspring. I'm alright."

"I... I was by the other room," Molly said, "but... But I wasn't inside yet... And... And I saw..." She stared at her feet. Molly never freaked out like this, but she'd nearly lost him. "I saw him shoot at Paul... And you... You got hit to protect him... And you went down, and Keith grabbed me and pulled me into the other room, and... And then I couldn't stop screaming because I... I thought..."

"I'm not that easy to kill, Offspring." Dean struggled to sit up so he could hug her. Molly could tell it hurt, but he wasn't letting go and all she wanted in that moment was for her Sire to hold her and tell her everything would be alright.

"Dad..." She whispered the word she never used into his shoulder as she wept. "You can't leave me, Sire," she said louder. "You are the only one in this universe who's qualified to handle me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Offspring," Dean promised. He looked at Keith. "Thanks for looking out for her," he said.

"I always do," Keith said. He looked at Molly and she could tell her Sire saw something in that look.

"Ah," Dean said. "So I was right about you guys after all."

"What do you mean?" Keith asked.

Dean smirked. "Never mind. The Offspring knows what I speak of."

Molly wasn't surprised he'd figured out what had happened with Keith. She was mildly impressed that he'd noticed while recovering from getting shot, but that was her Sire... He always knew.

"Sire, permission to be sappy?" Molly asked.

"Proceed with thy sap, Offspring," Dean replied.

"I'm glad you're not dead. That... that would suck very much... Because I love you."

He pulled her closer. "I love you, too, Molly."

She hadn't realized until he said the words how terrified she'd been that she'd never hear them again. Molly curled up in the hospital bed beside her Sire, a difficult task with how small it was, and allowed him to hold her and stroke her hair until she felt calmer.

"I'm okay," she told him finally.

Dean nodded. "When I get outta here, we're getting ice cream... Nah, fuck that. We're buying an entire fucking ice cream truck!"

"Can I play the jingle and refuse to serve the small children who try to flag us down?" Molly asked with an evil grin.

"If it pleases you, Offspring."

She kissed his cheek, then curled back up on him. At some point, safe in her Sire's arms, Molly drifted off to sleep.

CORRI

This was her fault. Show was dead. So was Josh, who was barely twenty-one and who was only there because she'd chosen him... Dean had gotten shot and could have been killed. People were traumatized. Cayla was broken. Her sons had been forced to take charge and save people. Keith was so much like Randy, who was trained to handle impossible situations like that, but Nicky... Corri worried what this would do to him.

Nicky. He'd been on her mind when she made her choices for NXT. Had that clouded her judgment? Was she wrong about Jordy? Should she have fought for him? He had talent, but he was so green... So young... So vulnerable...

Just like Nicky, Corri thought. You screwed him up by letting Paul put him on the main roster right away and you screwed Jordy up by denying him his chance...

For the first time in a long time, Corri was tempted to do something stupid... Not drugs. She'd never do that again. Drugs had made her hit the man she loved. She'd never be that person again... But what harm would one little drink really do?

A lot, Corri reminded herself. It might feel better for a bit, but you won't stop at one. She sighed. Everything hurt so damn much... She couldn't handle all of this guilt. It was destroying her.

Corri decided to check on her sons. She had a key to Nicky's room because he was infamous for misplacing his key cards. She knocked but heard no answer, so she opened the door. What she saw ripped the last of her sanity away from her.

Nicky stood at the table in the room pouring Jack Daniels into a shot glass. He froze when he saw her.

"Oh, no, don't let me stop you!" Corri said. "In fact, pour me one. I could use a drink." She grabbed the bottle from him and poured herself a shot. Nicky stared at her in horror.

"Mom!" He cried out. "What are you doing?"

"Forgetting," Corri replied. She was very close to tossing back the shot. She'd always loved Jack Daniels... But the fear in Nicky's eyes made her hesitate. She took the shot and poured it down the drain. Then she took the bottle. She was tempted to throw it across the room and watch it shatter, but trashing hotel rooms was not a good example to set for her baby boy. She poured it down the drain with trembling hands instead.

"I'm sorry," Nicky said. "Mom, I'm so sorry."

"No, Baby... I am." She wrapped Nicky in her arms. "I'm not in my right mind right now."

"I know I shouldn't be drinking... But it's so hard... Yesterday was so scary... I've never been that scared in my life. And I just keep hearing that first gunshot... Knowing Dean got hit... Knowing people died... It's so much to process. I just wanted it to stop."

"I know how you feel." She shook her head. "Come on, Nicky."

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here." She guided him away. They didn't get very far.

"You know what, Allen?" A very familiar voice was saying.

"Suck it!" A second added.

Corri spun around, not believing her ears. Matt and Nick stood a few feet away. Before she even realized it, she was running. She let them pull her into their arms.

"What are you guys doing here?" Corri asked in shock.

"Not just them," a third person said. Corri was stunned to see Kenny Omega. She hugged her old friend, instantly feeling better. Kenny always made people happy. It was his gift. "A certain Traitor sent up the Bat Signal... Well, more like the Bullet Club symbol... And like magic, we appeared!"

She looked at the person who'd been told to "suck it." Suddenly, she understood. "AJ, you called them?" She asked.

"I texted them," AJ clarified.

Nick pulled his phone out and showed her the message: The twins need you. He looked at her. "As soon as we saw that, we told the Japanese fans Sayonara and suck it and got on a plane."

"You guys were on tour," Nicky said.

"Right you are, Godson," Matt said, "but your mom here and your Aunt Cay? They are way more important than a match."

"I can't believe you guys..." Corri whispered. She shook her head.

"Nicky, how would you like to get a chance to train with me one-on-one for a while?" AJ asked.

"Are you kidding? That would be awesome!" Nicky replied. Corri was relieved to see him excited.

"Very cool. Come with me, Kid. I'll teach you the Styles Clash."

"Allen Neal Jones!" Corri shouted. "You are not putting my son into the Styles Clash! I like his neck in one piece."

"Ouch, Corri! Why do you wound me so?" AJ asked in a mock-hurt tone. "Relax. I haven't broken anyone's neck in years, and I'm not doing the move on Nicky... He's doing it to me."

"Dude... Record that for us, okay?" Nick asked Nicky.

"And all of YouTube!" Matt added.

"Is it okay, Mom?" Nicky asked.

Corri melted. Even though he was a big bad wrestler now, he was still her baby boy... He still asked permission if he thought she might not be okay with him doing something.

"Okay, Nicky... Have fun. Just be careful," Corri said.

"Awesome!" Nicky said. He ran off with AJ.

"Okay, no more brave face for the kid," Matt said. "Talk to us."

"I did this!" Corri told them, her voice filled with grief. She could never lie to these guys.

"Corri, this isn't your fault," Nick protested.

"I was the one who told the shooter he wasn't good enough yet... I rejected him."

"AJ mentioned it was a Boot Camper... But Corri, that doesn't make it your fault," Matt said.

"He told us he lost everything... I knew he wasn't okay... And he shot Dean, and tried to kill Paul, and Trixie, and... and Cayla. He almost did kill Cayla, all because she wouldn't give me up so he could kill me! And Big Show got shot... He saved her life and then bled out in her arms! Everything is totally fucked and it's my fault!"

"That's too much for you to carry, my friend," Kenny said. He swept her up in his arms and carried her like a baby. "Let me carry it for a while."

"Kenny... Come on, put me down," Corri said.

"Not until you're feeling less of this burden, Corri."

"Guys, tell him to let me go."

"Sorry, Corr," Nick replied.

"The wise Pokemon Master is right," Matt added.

"So tell us more, Corri," Kenny said.

She looked at her friends. "Everything is out of control," she said. "And Nicky... He's been drinking and I have no idea what to do about it."

"The Godson is doing what?" Matt demanded.

"Unacceptable!" Nick said. "Superkick Party?"

"Of course Superkick Party!" Matt said as though that was the dumbest question Nick had ever asked.

"I'm not certain that will solve this problem," Kenny said.

"But... Superkick Parties fix everything," Nick said with a pout.

"Not this, my friend. We must nurture the young one and find out why he's chosen this path."

"Nicky's straightedge," Matt objected. "He does everything we do and we didn't even drink when the Sandman gave us beer."

"No, you poured it over your shoulders and took a bath," Corri said with a laugh.

"And gave the rest to the fans," Nick added.

"Look, I had the same reaction as you, Matt, but apparently he's not so straightedge anymore," Corri said sadly. "I passed my addiction issues on to him."

Kenny lifted Corri up onto his shoulders. "What the fuck, Omega?" She demanded.

"Your burdens got higher. You must rise above them. Rise, Corri!" He held her legs to keep her steady as he spun around. "Rise!"

Corri couldn't keep protesting. She laughed instead. It felt wrong to laugh in light of everything, but she needed to so badly. Finally, after a few minutes of this, Kenny carefully lowered her back onto the ground.

"I believe you are ready to stand on your own two feet now," Kenny told her.

She hugged him. "How long are you guys staying?" She asked.

"As long as you need," Matt said.

"What?" Corri asked in disbelief.

"We are officially on leave from New Japan until things calm down. We don't have anything booked for ROH right now. We're all yours. Well, yours and Cayla's," Nick said.

Corri felt tears in her eyes. She hadn't realized how badly she needed to see these guys until now. "Do I need to pick you up again?" Kenny asked.

"No," Corri said with a sad laugh. "I'm just really glad you guys are here." She pulled them into a group hug and tried to tell herself it would all be alright. She didn't believe it, but at least if things got bad, she had the men who'd saved her from herself before by her side now.

TRIXIE

After things had finally calmed down, Trixie had found Brandon. He was with his aunt, the only member of his family who had been at the party. She expected it to turn ugly, so she hadn't gone over to him. Instead, she sent him a text telling him she was okay and that she was crashing at home with her mother for the night.

Her mother hadn't slept. Instead, she'd held on to Trixie for dear life all night. The night had been a hard one. For the first time in her life, all of Trixie's dreams were nightmares. Cayla woke her and comforted her every time she struggled, but Trixie wasn't too eager to go back to sleep any time soon by the time the sun came up.

"I'm going to get us some breakfast," Trixie said as Cayla stared straight ahead. She'd been doing that all morning. She wasn't speaking unless Trixie asked her a question, and even then, her responses were automatic and emotionless. "What do you want?"

"I'm not hungry," her mother replied tonelessly.

"Mom... You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry," she repeated. "Take cash out of my wallet and get yourself whatever you want."

"Mom... Please let me buy you breakfast." Trixie knew her concern was clear in her voice.

Cayla looked at her. "Of course. You know what I like. Go ahead," she said quickly. It was clear she didn't want to worry her daughter. "I'm sorry, Baby," she added. She hugged her. "Be careful."

"I will be." Trixie left her mother's money because she intended to use her own. As she walked out the door, she turned and saw that her mom had returned to staring at the wall.

She hurried to her mother's favorite cafe. She hadn't expected it, but she ran into Brandon. "Trixie!" He called.

Trixie noticed Nikki by his side. That didn't stop her from going over to him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I'm so glad you're safe! I couldn't find you."

"Aunt Corri got me out with Fred," Trixie replied. She waited for a response from Nikki mocking her, but that wasn't what happened.

Instead, Nikki looked at her. "You're very lucky," she said. "I saw he almost hit you."

"Danny protected me."

Nikki nodded. "Trixie..." She paused. "I'm glad you're alright. Brandon would have been devastated if anything happened to you, and I hate seeing him upset. I was just leaving. Why don't you keep him company?"

Trixie blinked in shock as Nikki walked away. "What just happened?" She asked Brandon.

"Your mother saved her life last night," Brandon explained. "It's messing with her head. She's always been awful to your mom, and she's been straight-up cruel to you, but last night when that gun was aimed at her, your mother pushed her out of the way. She could have been killed, but she didn't even hesitate... Your mother is a badass, Trix... And she's the only reason my aunt is still alive." He looked extremely shaken up as he said this.

"Oh my God..." Trixie shook her head. "That's my Mom, though. She puts everyone else first..."

"Saraya would have let her die, wouldn't she?"

"Oh yeah. No question. Mum hates her."

He laughed. "Maybe now Aunt Nikki will learn something about being a good person."

"Well, my cousin Nicky was on time yesterday, so I guess anything's possible!"

They laughed and made small talk while Trixie ordered her mother's favorite breakfast and something for herself to go. It wasn't until Trixie was about to leave that Brandon said, "So...Danny saved you, huh?"

Trixie nodded. "If he hadn't knocked me to the floor, I'd have been hit," she said. She was shaking at the memory.

"I should have stayed closer to you... I got caught up talking to Gabe-"

"It's okay. I'm fine."

"Because Danny saved you."

"Yeah..."

"Maybe we should pay him to be your bodyguard... It's interesting how he's always there lately."

Trixie caught a hint of jealousy in his tone. "Hey, none of that," she scolded him. "Danny's my friend and he has great timing, but you're my boyfriend."

"I know... I just... It should have been me, Trix. I'm supposed to save my girlfriend's life, not some creep who, up until recently, was her biggest bully."

"Danny is not a creep, Brandon! He doesn't have a lot of friends, that's all, so I decided he needed me to be one. And he was never my biggest bully. That title belongs to your aunt."

Brandon looked like she'd slapped him. "I mean... I'm sorry," Trixie said quickly.

"No," he said. "You're right. Aunt Nicole is a much bigger bully to you. I'm sorry."

"You don't control her. Don't apologize."

"I love you, Trix... I just want to be your hero, you know?"

"You are my hero, Brandon," she said. She kissed his cheek. "And I love you, too." She looked at the bags of food in her hands. "I need to get this home."

"I'll walk you."

She smiled. They were about to head out when she saw something that made her start crying. "Mum!" She shouted, running into her mum's arms. "You're here!"

"Just landed," Saraya confirmed. "I had a feeling you might be in here. Oh, God, Trixie... My girl... I... I thought..."

"I'm fine," Trixie promised.

"Rain check on the walk," Brandon said, knowing Trixie needed to be with her mothers. He kissed her and left.

"Is... Is your Mom? She isn't answering her phone."

"She's... safe," Trixie settled on a word. "She's not okay, but she's not hurt."

"Scared to death, I'd wager."

"Broken, Mum... She's broken." Trixie started to cry harder as she blurted out, "Show's gone, Mum! He jumped in front of a bullet for her and... and he didn't make it. He... He was in her arms. " She couldn't say he was dead or that he'd died in her mom's arms. Those words were harsh and permanent and she wasn't ready to accept them quite yet.

Saraya turned paler than usual. "Bloody hell," she whispered. Tears streamed down her own cheeks now. She was holding Trixie so tight it was hard to breathe, but Trixie didn't care.

Together, they walked back to the house. When Saraya opened the door, Cayla was still staring at the wall. Saraya ran to her side and pulled her into her arms. Together, all three of them cried.

"I'm bloody famished," Saraya said to break the silence as she pulled herself together. She pulled out the food Trixie had picked up and insisted Trixie eat. Then she made herself a quick snack and sent Trixie to her room so she could be alone with Cayla.

Trixie listened to her mum talk for a long time, but her mom never responded. Her mum's voice steadily got lower. Hours later, when Trixie decided she needed air, she found her mom curled up in her mum's arms. Cayla's breakfast sat on the kitchen counter completely untouched. Neither of her mothers even noticed when she slipped out the front door.