Chapter One

This part starts in Sept/Oct 2004


TITLE: Different Degrees of Normal Chapter One/?
AUTHOR: Juliet3:16
EMAIL: Sweetvalley99@aol.com
RATING: PG - 13.
CONTENT: VIOLENCE, ADULT LANGUAGE
CATEGORY: ADULT, ANGST, DRAMA
SPOILERS: Everything up to I'd guess October/November 2000. The prologue starts in November 2001 and Chapter One starts in September/October 2004, whenever the Athens Olympics ends. Anybody who's watched BTVS's "Normal Again" may have some idea of what's going to happen in this story as well.
SUMMARY: Not all is what it seems (I've taken elements from BTVS's "Normal Again" and put a twist on certain elements. Those who've seen the episode may have a vague idea of where I'm going with this after reading the prologue).
DISCLAIMER: Vince owns all of wrestling, I own nothing. Don't sue. Eric Bischoff owns himself
DISTRIBUTION: The Realm, Fanfiction.net, Peja

Different Degrees of Normal

Chapter One.

Homecomings

September/October 2004

Pittsburgh, PA

A young blonde woman barreled out of her home and raced to her Jeep, heading to the airport to pick up her husband, who had been gone for over a month. She had to wait through a traffic jam that blocked her way to the airport.

Guess everyone wants to see him too, the blonde thought, 'after all, he is an Olympic Gold Medallist.

As she turned into the parking lot, she could see the crowds amassing outside the airport, awaiting the return of local Olympic heroes.

After she showed the badge she was given a week prior to the security guard, she went to stand apart from the other families awaiting their loved ones, and waited for her husband to come through the gate.

As the Olympic participants emerged from the portal of the gate, they had many joyous reunions and happy reunions. One man stood apart from the rest, looking confused and disappointed.

"Hey stranger," said the blonde woman who'd set herself apart from the crowd, in a seductive voice.

The stocky man turned towards the voice and smiled appreciatively at the blonde. "Hey yourself, what's a beautiful woman like you doing in a place like this?"

The woman gave a teasing smile. "Waiting for my husband."

The shorthaired man looked down into the blonde's soft brown eyes.

"How would your husband feel if I planted a kiss on those exquisite lips of yours?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know," the blond teased reaching her hand under the top of the man's shirt, "he is an Olympic Gold Medallist," she said pulling out the man's gold medals.

The man smiled. "Hello, Mrs. Angle," the man stooped down to give the short blonde a kiss.

Mrs. Angle smiled, as the kiss was broken. "Hello Mr. Angle," she answered back.

Kurt Angle smiled down at his small wife as they collected his baggage.

"How's Alex?" Kurt asked, referring to the couple's three-year-old son, Eric Alexander.

"Behaving like a three - year old," his wife answered, "he misses his Daddy though."

"I missed him too. Did his Mommy miss me too?"

The blonde smiled. "Every damn day. Damned passport problems," she muttered.

"Well, hopefully this will be the last time we're apart for this long again," Kurt said outside his wife's Jeep.

His wife smiled again. "I can deal with that. I love you Kurt Angle."

Kurt smiled in return. "I love you, Trish Stratus - Angle."

Trish beamed as she kissed her husband again and climbed into the passenger side of the Jeep.

"So were the Closing Ceremonies as fun as they looked on TV?" Trish asked.

"Not really. Didn't have you and Alex to share it with." Kurt responded, "So how was everything else around here?"

Trish swallowed hard. She wasn't sure how her hubby would take this news.

"I got a call from Vince yesterday," she said quietly.

       Kurt sighed as he put the Jeep into park in the driveway of their home.

"Yeah, I know," Kurt said just as quietly, "he visited me right before the Closing Ceremonies. Said he wanted to start up the Federation again."

Trish nodded, knowing it was basically the same conversation she'd had with presently former, and perhaps future World Wrestling Federation Chairman Vince McMahon. "So, what are you going to say to him?"

"I don't know. Dammit!" Kurt smacked his palm on the upper part of the steering wheel. "I thought that when - " he paused, emotions coming up as he remembered that time that drove both him and his wife out of pro wrestling, "I thought I'd walked way from it four years ago. Swore I was done four years ago."

"And now?" Trish asked gently

"Now? I don't know. Part of me wants to stay here in Pittsburgh with you and Alex forever. Yet another part of me - "

"Wants to go back and finish what you started?" Trish finished for her husband.

"Yeah," Kurt answered softly.

Trish looked at her hands for a moment, coming to a decision.

"I'll go back, if you go back," she stated simply.

"What?" Kurt looked shocked. He leaned over his wife with worry on his face. "Trish, are you? I mean?"

Trish put a finger to her husband's lips, effectively stopping any questions.

"I miss it too, she replied, "And Alex needs to see what his parents did for a living. Plus," she said with a teasing grin, "You can't go back to the WWF without your manager, can you?"

Kurt gave a soft smirk of merriment that reached his hazel eyes as he gently caressed his wife's hand.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she responded as Kurt gently kissed her forehead.

"We'll call Vince tomorrow with our decision okay?"

"Okay," Trish nodded.

The couple got out of the Jeep and started to head towards their home. Suddenly, a small three - year old boy burst out of the front door of the house.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Eric Alexander Angle exclaimed as his father swooped the young boy into his arms.

"Hey little guy," Kurt said to his son, "did you take good care of your Mom while I was away?"

"Yeah," Alex answered with happiness in his eyes.

"He sure did," Trish supported, "and he can't wait to hear all about his father's adventures."

"Well, why don't we go inside and Daddy will tell you all about his trip to Greece." Kurt told his son.

Kurt Angle headed into the house with his son in his arms and his wife by his side.

I apologize for anybody who might have gotten a sugar shock with this chapter. I promise it's not all going to be fluffy. More soon.