This part is from Athena's POV and picks up right where 71 left off. I love irony here.
As soon as I hung up with Danny, I went to the door of my apartment to see who it was. Sure enough it was Uncle Bret. Just the man I wanted to talk to anyways.
"Just got back from seeing Eddy," Uncle Bret said after he sat down. "Apparently since the trial's going to be in Atlanta, everybody from the cabin's moving to a hotel there for the duration of it."
"That's what Danny told me," I replied. "I just talked to him on the phone."
Uncle Bret nodded. "I forgot Danny was talking his sister up there. Did he tell you how Megan took things?"
"He said she took things quite well," I answered. I wondered how to phrase what I wanted to ask him next. I didn't want to seem selfish, but at the same time, it was something I'd been thinking about for a long time. Even before Danny mentioned what he was planning.
"Uncle Bret," I asked, "what about reuniting Dad with the rest of the family? Before the trial I mean?"
"What brought this on?" he asked. I hesitated. I really didn't want to mention what Danny was doing with his family, if only for the fact of the possibility of it getting back to Eddy and Eddy putting the kibosh on the whole thing for both of us. But how did I explain without giving up Danny?
Then Uncle Bret shook his head. "Forget I asked that. Of course you want to reunite your parents. Hell I'd be surprised if Danny didn't want to reunite his parents, though from what I've gathered, that might not be the best thing for Danny to do."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Well, I get the feeling that Chris is reluctant to go home and Nancy; well Nancy was never a woman that took well to be lied to. Last man that did that was singing soprano for a week and I have a feeling that I don't want to be anywhere near 10 feet of Nancy when she finds out Chris is alive."
Maybe I should tell Uncle Bret what Danny's planning, but: "how do you think Mom will take it?" This was a valid question now.
Uncle Bret sighed. "I don't know. I don't think anybody would be happy about being lied to. And being lied to about your husband being dead and keeping it from you for 19 years is one hell of a secret."
"But I do know that your Mom never moved on, not like Nancy George did. I'd like to think once she gets over the shock and some anger at being lied to she'd be happy to see your father alive again. I think a piece of her died that night when everything went down at Kemper. She was never the same after that.
"They said the same thing about you too," I pointed out.
Uncle Bret smiled. "Touché. I think this could work, but I think we need to talk to your father first. He might be like Chris and not want to go home."
I nodded. It made sense and I really didn't want to follow Danny's example and ambush my parents. Mom's already mad enough as it is with me for keeping my training a secret and pulling something like that would just make things worse even if I was going to have to ambush her with Dad anyways. I didn't want Dad mad at me either. So off we headed for the cabin
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The cabin was about half empty when we got there. I guess everybody really was leaving. I wonder who actually owns the cabin. Is it the FBI's or somebody else's?
When we suggested the reunion to Dad, he seemed reluctant. Not necessarily out of not wanting to go home. I could see in his eyes he very much wanted to. It's like he - I don't know, didn't to make anybody mad or something? If that made any sense. For awhile I was afraid I'd have to resort to what Danny was planning for his family. Then something happened.
"Owen, I know you want to go home," Uncle Bret was saying for about the millionth time it seemed.
"Look Bret, Athena, I appreciate what you're trying to do but there's no - "
"Go home"
All three of us jumped at the gravely voice that suddenly cut into our conversation. I hadn't realized that there was the possibility of anybody listening in on us. We all turned to see Chris Benoit standing in the doorway of the livingroom.
"Chris, I - " My Dad started to say.
"I said go home Owen." Danny's father said, coming to sit alongside Uncle Bret on the couch. I was sitting on the edge of the coffee table.
"Don't say no, just because I don't want to."
"But Martha - "
"Never moved on. Not like Nancy did." Chris said, an almost faraway look of regret in the older man's eyes. "Look Nancy, David, Tatem, they've all moved on and managed to have quite manageable lives without me. I don't want to ruin that for Nancy. Martha never stopped missing you, and neither did most of your family. Go home. See your wife and son again and meet your grandchildren."
Now I'm wondering if what Danny's planning really IS a good idea.
My Dad was almost near tears. He slowly nodded and turned to Uncle Bret and me.
"I guess I'm going home with you two then," my Dad said with a small smile.
Yay!
Of course I just had to pick that moment to think of all the problems. "But how are we going to do this? Mom would smell something if I tried to get her down to Atlanta, of course she still mad at me at any rate. We can't just up and hop on a commercial plane to Canada, not with all the publicity going around - "
"Let me handle that," Uncle Bret going to the phone beside the couch and dialing.
"Who are you calling?" Dad asked.
"Eric Bischoff," my Uncle replied. "Eddie wasn't the only one to keep your being alive a secret from me and I figure he owes me a huge favor."
Oh this was going to be interesting.
"Eric? It's Bret. Listen do you still have that plane and do you have your license up to date?"
Guess we were on our way to Canada.
As soon as I hung up with Danny, I went to the door of my apartment to see who it was. Sure enough it was Uncle Bret. Just the man I wanted to talk to anyways.
"Just got back from seeing Eddy," Uncle Bret said after he sat down. "Apparently since the trial's going to be in Atlanta, everybody from the cabin's moving to a hotel there for the duration of it."
"That's what Danny told me," I replied. "I just talked to him on the phone."
Uncle Bret nodded. "I forgot Danny was talking his sister up there. Did he tell you how Megan took things?"
"He said she took things quite well," I answered. I wondered how to phrase what I wanted to ask him next. I didn't want to seem selfish, but at the same time, it was something I'd been thinking about for a long time. Even before Danny mentioned what he was planning.
"Uncle Bret," I asked, "what about reuniting Dad with the rest of the family? Before the trial I mean?"
"What brought this on?" he asked. I hesitated. I really didn't want to mention what Danny was doing with his family, if only for the fact of the possibility of it getting back to Eddy and Eddy putting the kibosh on the whole thing for both of us. But how did I explain without giving up Danny?
Then Uncle Bret shook his head. "Forget I asked that. Of course you want to reunite your parents. Hell I'd be surprised if Danny didn't want to reunite his parents, though from what I've gathered, that might not be the best thing for Danny to do."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Well, I get the feeling that Chris is reluctant to go home and Nancy; well Nancy was never a woman that took well to be lied to. Last man that did that was singing soprano for a week and I have a feeling that I don't want to be anywhere near 10 feet of Nancy when she finds out Chris is alive."
Maybe I should tell Uncle Bret what Danny's planning, but: "how do you think Mom will take it?" This was a valid question now.
Uncle Bret sighed. "I don't know. I don't think anybody would be happy about being lied to. And being lied to about your husband being dead and keeping it from you for 19 years is one hell of a secret."
"But I do know that your Mom never moved on, not like Nancy George did. I'd like to think once she gets over the shock and some anger at being lied to she'd be happy to see your father alive again. I think a piece of her died that night when everything went down at Kemper. She was never the same after that.
"They said the same thing about you too," I pointed out.
Uncle Bret smiled. "Touché. I think this could work, but I think we need to talk to your father first. He might be like Chris and not want to go home."
I nodded. It made sense and I really didn't want to follow Danny's example and ambush my parents. Mom's already mad enough as it is with me for keeping my training a secret and pulling something like that would just make things worse even if I was going to have to ambush her with Dad anyways. I didn't want Dad mad at me either. So off we headed for the cabin
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The cabin was about half empty when we got there. I guess everybody really was leaving. I wonder who actually owns the cabin. Is it the FBI's or somebody else's?
When we suggested the reunion to Dad, he seemed reluctant. Not necessarily out of not wanting to go home. I could see in his eyes he very much wanted to. It's like he - I don't know, didn't to make anybody mad or something? If that made any sense. For awhile I was afraid I'd have to resort to what Danny was planning for his family. Then something happened.
"Owen, I know you want to go home," Uncle Bret was saying for about the millionth time it seemed.
"Look Bret, Athena, I appreciate what you're trying to do but there's no - "
"Go home"
All three of us jumped at the gravely voice that suddenly cut into our conversation. I hadn't realized that there was the possibility of anybody listening in on us. We all turned to see Chris Benoit standing in the doorway of the livingroom.
"Chris, I - " My Dad started to say.
"I said go home Owen." Danny's father said, coming to sit alongside Uncle Bret on the couch. I was sitting on the edge of the coffee table.
"Don't say no, just because I don't want to."
"But Martha - "
"Never moved on. Not like Nancy did." Chris said, an almost faraway look of regret in the older man's eyes. "Look Nancy, David, Tatem, they've all moved on and managed to have quite manageable lives without me. I don't want to ruin that for Nancy. Martha never stopped missing you, and neither did most of your family. Go home. See your wife and son again and meet your grandchildren."
Now I'm wondering if what Danny's planning really IS a good idea.
My Dad was almost near tears. He slowly nodded and turned to Uncle Bret and me.
"I guess I'm going home with you two then," my Dad said with a small smile.
Yay!
Of course I just had to pick that moment to think of all the problems. "But how are we going to do this? Mom would smell something if I tried to get her down to Atlanta, of course she still mad at me at any rate. We can't just up and hop on a commercial plane to Canada, not with all the publicity going around - "
"Let me handle that," Uncle Bret going to the phone beside the couch and dialing.
"Who are you calling?" Dad asked.
"Eric Bischoff," my Uncle replied. "Eddie wasn't the only one to keep your being alive a secret from me and I figure he owes me a huge favor."
Oh this was going to be interesting.
"Eric? It's Bret. Listen do you still have that plane and do you have your license up to date?"
Guess we were on our way to Canada.