AN: Melissa- you're sort of close...yet not...but think along those lines...Tia- it will all make sense in chapter 7 :)
**********
Erika made the drive back to Brock's feeling much better than she had in a long time. She walked inside and set Nic's journal on the counter before calling for Brock. "I'm back Lesnar, and so is your precious vehicle." She waited, but there was no answer. "Brock?" she tried again. Still no answer, so Erika walked into the living room, where she found Brock and Mya asleep on the couch, the movie credits playing in the background. Mya awoke when Erika switched off the TV. "Ewika?"
"Hi sweetie. You ready for bed?" Mya nodded, so Erika picked her up and carried her upstairs. "Was the movie good?" she asked while tucking the little girl in.
"Yeah, is my favorite."
"I like it too."
"Ewika, will you tell me a story?"
"Sure sweeite, which one?"
"One about you and Mommy." Erika was surprised that Mya knew they knew each other.
"One about me and your mom?"
"Yes." During the course of their discussion Brock had woken up and came to find Mya. He stopped just outside the door when he heard voices. and stayed there to hear the story.
"OK, I'll tell you about the first time we met..."
*****flashback*****
"Erika, honey, I promise you will like kindergarden. There will be alot of kids there."
Five year old Erika stomped her foot and stuck out her lower lip. "No, I don't wanna!"
Jackie sighed and turned to her son for support. "Kurt, talk some sense into her."
"Mom, I've got to get to school, we're having a pep rally in an hour. Just take her in and show her, she'll love it."
"Kurt, I realize that you are seventeen years old and think that you are all that but I still expect some help around here."
He held up his hands in defense. "OK, OK, geez. Don't freak out Mom, it's no big deal." He sat down on the tiled floor next to a still pouting Erika. "Erika, how about if I walk you to school today? We'll go in and meet your teacher and see your classroom and everything."
Erika chewed on her bottom lip before quietly answering. "OK, Kurt." Jackie's mouth dropped open and Kurt laughed.
"Good sweetie, why don't you go get your backpack." She went to grab it and Kurt turned to his mom. "Yes, I am all that."
"Mmhmm, you keep thinking that. Tell her I'll pick her up at noon, and I'll see you after practice?"
"Sure thing Mom." She left, and Erika came back in holding her bag.
"I'm ready."
"You sound excited," Kurt said sarcastically as he grabbed her hand and walked out the door.
"No, I not. I don't wanna go and Mommy is making me."
"But it'll be fun, I promise. You get to draw and play on the playground and make new friends."
Erika heaved a big sigh. "I know, but I don't wanna." They reached the school a few minutes later, and Kurt had to practically carry Erika inside. They stopped right at the entrance to the classroom. Kurt set Erika down and gave her a gentle nudge.
"Go on, Rika. You have to, so you might as well get it over with." Her bottom lip started quivering and Kurt immediately felt like a heel. He knelt down next to her and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm so sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to be mean. How about we go in together?" She nodded. "Alrighty then, let's try this again." He stood, grabbed her hand, and lead her to the teacher's desk. "Hi, I'm Kurt Angle, I'm dropping of my sister Erika."
The teacher smiled and took Erika's hand. "Hi Erika and Kurt. I'm Anna. Erika, why don't we put your bag in your special locker and then we'll find your desk?"
Erika sniffled and nodded, releasing her grasp on Kurt's hand. "K."
Kurt was amazed. "Alright Erika, have a good day. Mom will be here for you when class is over." Her eyes grew wide.
"Kurt, you can't leave!"
"Sweetie, I have to go to my school. I'll see you later, ok?" Erika broke free from Anna and launched herself into Kurt's arms.
"I don't wanna stay here!"
"Erika, do you remember when Daddy was hurt and Mommy told you to be a brave little girl?" She nodded. "You need to be a brave little girl today, too."
A determined gleam replaced the tears in her eyes. "I can do it Kurt." He kissed the top of her forehead and stood.
"I know you can. Bye Erika."
"Bye Kurt." Anna again took Erika's hand to lead her toward the coat room.
"Erika, this is your locker, and you can hang your coat here." Erika did both and followed Anna back to the front of the room. "And this is where you'll sit," she said, and pointed to a seat in the front. There was another little girl in the row, and Erika sat down next to her.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi."
"What's your name?"
"Erika. What's yours?"
"Nicole Marie Adams," she responded matter of factly.
"Do you like Barbies Nicole?" Erika asked, and they were off and running...
*****end flashback*****
"And we were best friends from that day on," Erika concluded.
"That was a good story, Ewika."
"Well thank you Miss Mya. You ready for bed now?" She nodded. "OK, I'll see you in the morning then." Brock took this opportunity to interrupt.
"Hey."
"Hey sleepyhead." Brock walked over and sat on the other side of Mya's bed.
"Hi princess, you ready to go to sleep?"
"Yeah, I just told Ewika that silly."
"Well ok silly." He leaned down and hugged Mya before tucking her in. "Love you."
"Love you too Daddy." She closed her eyes and Brock and Erika slipped out to go back downstairs.
"So I see you went to Heidi and Steve's," he said, indicating Nicole's journal.
"Yeah, but I don't think I'm going to read it. Heidi did, and said I should, but I can't." Brock could see she was starting to close off, so he changed the topic.
"A rep from the company called while you were gone. The show tomorrow night got cancelled, so we don't have anything until the taping on Tuesday, and that's here in town."
"Could we get your interview out of the way then?"
"Sure. I'm looking forward to being grilled."
**********
Erika got up early the next morning. Brock and Mya were still sleeping, so Erika pulled on a sweatshirt and went for a jog around the neighborhood. Brock had coffee waiting when she got back an hour later. "Hey Miss Fitness, you could have woke me up." Erika smiled and took off her sweatshirt before sitting at the table, accepting the cup Brock offered her.
"Thanks," she said, and took a sip. "I hear cartoons, Mya must be up."
"She is. When do you want to get this interview done?"
"Let me take a shower and change first." She did, and half an hour later they were both sitting comfortably in the family room, Mya's cartoons still playing in the background. "First of all, you don't care if I record this do you?"
"Not at all, though we both know you don't need to."
"I like it for backup." She set the recorder up between them and grabbed her legal pad. "I know the basics of why you got into wrestling, and pretty much anything else I could ask, but my boss sent along some questions I just absolutely had to ask." She said the last part in a gaspy, overexcited kind of way, which got them both laughing.
"Wow...is he a fan or something?"
Erika shook her head, still giggling. "Maybe just a bit." She glanced down and rolled her eyes. "First question...gee Brock, are you single?"
"Let me think...umm yeah."
"Gee, I didn't know that one. Next...what are the best and worst parts of traveling?"
"Easy...best is seeing new places, and the worst is dragging Mya around, especially when she's tired and cranky."
Erika had to smirk at that one. "Yeah, and you're never tired or cranky, right?"
"Right."
"Uhhuh. If you could change one thing about how the company is ran, what would it be?"
"Tough one." He thought for a few minutes before answering. "I think that I would schedule things a little better, and change up things at house shows. They can get pretty boring doing the exact same things every night for three nights straight."
"Not bad, though certainly not what I was expecting. Even thought I know this one, I'll ask anyways. Your first real love was?"
He gave her an unreadable look. "You're right, I think you do know the answer. Next question."
"Who do you travel with?"
"Kurt and Mya, occassionally Charlie and Shelton. It depends on who is scheduled where."
"What is the one food you cannot travel without?"
"Same as you. Strawberry PopTarts."
"It is not."
"Is too."
Erika's eyes narrowed. "You were the PopTart theif!"
Brock lifted his hand to his chest and pretended to fall over. "Ugh, you caught me! I was the one who always took your PT's"
"PT? How lazy is that. Just say PopTart."
"Whatever. I like PT better."
"Alrighty then. Last question."
"Shoot."
"If you could pick one person to interview, who would it be and why?"
"I would have to say-" he was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. "Hold on. Hello? Hi Mom. Uhuh. Why don't you and dad come over tonight? Well, Erika's here. I know you haven't. Alright, see you then. Love you too. Bye Mom." He hung up the phone and looked at Erika. "Mom and Dad are coming over for supper around 5."
"That'll be nice, I haven't seen them in forever."
Brock smiled. "That's pretty much what Mom said about you." The rest of the afternoon passed with ease. Erika observed Brock, taking occassional notes, while he and Mya watched another movie. Around 4:30 he asked Erika to help him start supper.
"What do you want to make?" she asked, and hopped up on the counter next to him.
"Not a clue." He started rummaging in the fridge and emerged a few minutes later with a couple packs of steak. "This could work. Baked potatoes?"
"Sounds good. How about a pasta salad to go with?"
"That sounds like a plan. I'll grill if you'll do the rest?"
"Sure." 20 minutes later the doorbell rang as Erika was putting the last plate on the table. Brock was still at the grill, so Erika answered the door.
Stephanie and Richard Lesnar both greeted her with hugs, but it was Stephanie who spoke first. "Honey, how are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks. How are the two of you?"
"We're good," Richard responded as they walked into the kitchen. Mya heard her grandparents and came running into the room.
"Gramma, Grampa!" Richard picked her up and swung her around. Brock kissed his mother on the cheek and shook his father's hand, then they all sat down. Erika looked around, feeling a bit surprised as a feeling of contentment washed over her, tainted only by her next thought.
'I am enjoying this way too much.'
**********
Erika made the drive back to Brock's feeling much better than she had in a long time. She walked inside and set Nic's journal on the counter before calling for Brock. "I'm back Lesnar, and so is your precious vehicle." She waited, but there was no answer. "Brock?" she tried again. Still no answer, so Erika walked into the living room, where she found Brock and Mya asleep on the couch, the movie credits playing in the background. Mya awoke when Erika switched off the TV. "Ewika?"
"Hi sweetie. You ready for bed?" Mya nodded, so Erika picked her up and carried her upstairs. "Was the movie good?" she asked while tucking the little girl in.
"Yeah, is my favorite."
"I like it too."
"Ewika, will you tell me a story?"
"Sure sweeite, which one?"
"One about you and Mommy." Erika was surprised that Mya knew they knew each other.
"One about me and your mom?"
"Yes." During the course of their discussion Brock had woken up and came to find Mya. He stopped just outside the door when he heard voices. and stayed there to hear the story.
"OK, I'll tell you about the first time we met..."
*****flashback*****
"Erika, honey, I promise you will like kindergarden. There will be alot of kids there."
Five year old Erika stomped her foot and stuck out her lower lip. "No, I don't wanna!"
Jackie sighed and turned to her son for support. "Kurt, talk some sense into her."
"Mom, I've got to get to school, we're having a pep rally in an hour. Just take her in and show her, she'll love it."
"Kurt, I realize that you are seventeen years old and think that you are all that but I still expect some help around here."
He held up his hands in defense. "OK, OK, geez. Don't freak out Mom, it's no big deal." He sat down on the tiled floor next to a still pouting Erika. "Erika, how about if I walk you to school today? We'll go in and meet your teacher and see your classroom and everything."
Erika chewed on her bottom lip before quietly answering. "OK, Kurt." Jackie's mouth dropped open and Kurt laughed.
"Good sweetie, why don't you go get your backpack." She went to grab it and Kurt turned to his mom. "Yes, I am all that."
"Mmhmm, you keep thinking that. Tell her I'll pick her up at noon, and I'll see you after practice?"
"Sure thing Mom." She left, and Erika came back in holding her bag.
"I'm ready."
"You sound excited," Kurt said sarcastically as he grabbed her hand and walked out the door.
"No, I not. I don't wanna go and Mommy is making me."
"But it'll be fun, I promise. You get to draw and play on the playground and make new friends."
Erika heaved a big sigh. "I know, but I don't wanna." They reached the school a few minutes later, and Kurt had to practically carry Erika inside. They stopped right at the entrance to the classroom. Kurt set Erika down and gave her a gentle nudge.
"Go on, Rika. You have to, so you might as well get it over with." Her bottom lip started quivering and Kurt immediately felt like a heel. He knelt down next to her and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm so sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to be mean. How about we go in together?" She nodded. "Alrighty then, let's try this again." He stood, grabbed her hand, and lead her to the teacher's desk. "Hi, I'm Kurt Angle, I'm dropping of my sister Erika."
The teacher smiled and took Erika's hand. "Hi Erika and Kurt. I'm Anna. Erika, why don't we put your bag in your special locker and then we'll find your desk?"
Erika sniffled and nodded, releasing her grasp on Kurt's hand. "K."
Kurt was amazed. "Alright Erika, have a good day. Mom will be here for you when class is over." Her eyes grew wide.
"Kurt, you can't leave!"
"Sweetie, I have to go to my school. I'll see you later, ok?" Erika broke free from Anna and launched herself into Kurt's arms.
"I don't wanna stay here!"
"Erika, do you remember when Daddy was hurt and Mommy told you to be a brave little girl?" She nodded. "You need to be a brave little girl today, too."
A determined gleam replaced the tears in her eyes. "I can do it Kurt." He kissed the top of her forehead and stood.
"I know you can. Bye Erika."
"Bye Kurt." Anna again took Erika's hand to lead her toward the coat room.
"Erika, this is your locker, and you can hang your coat here." Erika did both and followed Anna back to the front of the room. "And this is where you'll sit," she said, and pointed to a seat in the front. There was another little girl in the row, and Erika sat down next to her.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi."
"What's your name?"
"Erika. What's yours?"
"Nicole Marie Adams," she responded matter of factly.
"Do you like Barbies Nicole?" Erika asked, and they were off and running...
*****end flashback*****
"And we were best friends from that day on," Erika concluded.
"That was a good story, Ewika."
"Well thank you Miss Mya. You ready for bed now?" She nodded. "OK, I'll see you in the morning then." Brock took this opportunity to interrupt.
"Hey."
"Hey sleepyhead." Brock walked over and sat on the other side of Mya's bed.
"Hi princess, you ready to go to sleep?"
"Yeah, I just told Ewika that silly."
"Well ok silly." He leaned down and hugged Mya before tucking her in. "Love you."
"Love you too Daddy." She closed her eyes and Brock and Erika slipped out to go back downstairs.
"So I see you went to Heidi and Steve's," he said, indicating Nicole's journal.
"Yeah, but I don't think I'm going to read it. Heidi did, and said I should, but I can't." Brock could see she was starting to close off, so he changed the topic.
"A rep from the company called while you were gone. The show tomorrow night got cancelled, so we don't have anything until the taping on Tuesday, and that's here in town."
"Could we get your interview out of the way then?"
"Sure. I'm looking forward to being grilled."
**********
Erika got up early the next morning. Brock and Mya were still sleeping, so Erika pulled on a sweatshirt and went for a jog around the neighborhood. Brock had coffee waiting when she got back an hour later. "Hey Miss Fitness, you could have woke me up." Erika smiled and took off her sweatshirt before sitting at the table, accepting the cup Brock offered her.
"Thanks," she said, and took a sip. "I hear cartoons, Mya must be up."
"She is. When do you want to get this interview done?"
"Let me take a shower and change first." She did, and half an hour later they were both sitting comfortably in the family room, Mya's cartoons still playing in the background. "First of all, you don't care if I record this do you?"
"Not at all, though we both know you don't need to."
"I like it for backup." She set the recorder up between them and grabbed her legal pad. "I know the basics of why you got into wrestling, and pretty much anything else I could ask, but my boss sent along some questions I just absolutely had to ask." She said the last part in a gaspy, overexcited kind of way, which got them both laughing.
"Wow...is he a fan or something?"
Erika shook her head, still giggling. "Maybe just a bit." She glanced down and rolled her eyes. "First question...gee Brock, are you single?"
"Let me think...umm yeah."
"Gee, I didn't know that one. Next...what are the best and worst parts of traveling?"
"Easy...best is seeing new places, and the worst is dragging Mya around, especially when she's tired and cranky."
Erika had to smirk at that one. "Yeah, and you're never tired or cranky, right?"
"Right."
"Uhhuh. If you could change one thing about how the company is ran, what would it be?"
"Tough one." He thought for a few minutes before answering. "I think that I would schedule things a little better, and change up things at house shows. They can get pretty boring doing the exact same things every night for three nights straight."
"Not bad, though certainly not what I was expecting. Even thought I know this one, I'll ask anyways. Your first real love was?"
He gave her an unreadable look. "You're right, I think you do know the answer. Next question."
"Who do you travel with?"
"Kurt and Mya, occassionally Charlie and Shelton. It depends on who is scheduled where."
"What is the one food you cannot travel without?"
"Same as you. Strawberry PopTarts."
"It is not."
"Is too."
Erika's eyes narrowed. "You were the PopTart theif!"
Brock lifted his hand to his chest and pretended to fall over. "Ugh, you caught me! I was the one who always took your PT's"
"PT? How lazy is that. Just say PopTart."
"Whatever. I like PT better."
"Alrighty then. Last question."
"Shoot."
"If you could pick one person to interview, who would it be and why?"
"I would have to say-" he was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. "Hold on. Hello? Hi Mom. Uhuh. Why don't you and dad come over tonight? Well, Erika's here. I know you haven't. Alright, see you then. Love you too. Bye Mom." He hung up the phone and looked at Erika. "Mom and Dad are coming over for supper around 5."
"That'll be nice, I haven't seen them in forever."
Brock smiled. "That's pretty much what Mom said about you." The rest of the afternoon passed with ease. Erika observed Brock, taking occassional notes, while he and Mya watched another movie. Around 4:30 he asked Erika to help him start supper.
"What do you want to make?" she asked, and hopped up on the counter next to him.
"Not a clue." He started rummaging in the fridge and emerged a few minutes later with a couple packs of steak. "This could work. Baked potatoes?"
"Sounds good. How about a pasta salad to go with?"
"That sounds like a plan. I'll grill if you'll do the rest?"
"Sure." 20 minutes later the doorbell rang as Erika was putting the last plate on the table. Brock was still at the grill, so Erika answered the door.
Stephanie and Richard Lesnar both greeted her with hugs, but it was Stephanie who spoke first. "Honey, how are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks. How are the two of you?"
"We're good," Richard responded as they walked into the kitchen. Mya heard her grandparents and came running into the room.
"Gramma, Grampa!" Richard picked her up and swung her around. Brock kissed his mother on the cheek and shook his father's hand, then they all sat down. Erika looked around, feeling a bit surprised as a feeling of contentment washed over her, tainted only by her next thought.
'I am enjoying this way too much.'
