Disclaimer: Anything related to TNA or anyone else clearly doesn't belong to the writers of this story. This is written purely for entertainment purposes. If TNA is willing, though, the writers of this story would very much love to own any of the TNA-owned people mentioned within this story. We also don't own Sterling James Keenan but would very much like to. That is all.

A/N: Okay, I guess I've been hiding under my rock for long enough. Seeing as the site's back up and, just to show that I'm still alive (meaning Lizzie hasn't killed me yet), here's another chapter for you. Thanks to everyone that's reviewed this so far, it means a lot to both Lizzie and I, though she'll probably never admit it. Now, I'm off to torture... I mean... play with, Chris Harris and Andy Douglas. Phoenix


Chris arrived back at the hotel and wandered into the lobby. His mind was going over everything that had happened, everything that had been said, since he'd gone to Lily's. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his heart now that things were starting to get sorted. There was still the issue of their suspensions and Kady's punishment to deal with but, once that was over, things might actually start getting... normal? Good? Either way, he was kind of intrigued by what may happen in the future.

Stopping at the front desk, Chris asked for the spare key to his room, explaining that he'd given the other one to his daughter. The receptionist didn't hesitate in handing it over and Chris thanked her before heading for the elevator. He couldn't wait to crawl into the bed in his room and get some sleep. God knew what time Kady would wake him in the morning and it was already after 4AM now. It had been a long night.

When the elevator reached his floor and let him out, Chris walked quickly down the hallway to his room. Slipping the key into the lock, he wondered if Kady had been okay. He hoped she hadn't woken to find him gone and then destroyed the room in a rage but couldn't rule it out completely, given her volatile temper. Opening the door quietly, he stepped into the room and stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw. Jeff Hardy was sharing his daughter's bed. His fourteen year old daughter's bed, at that. Chris stalked over and pulled Jeff from the bed, waking him up quite effectively.

"What the..." Jeff stammered, waking to find hands around his throat as Chris threw him up against a wall.

"What the fuck were you doing in Kady's bed you bastard!" Chris accused. Jeff tried to pull Chris' hands away but the bigger man applied more pressure in a way that left Jeff gasping for air. The commotion woke Kady and she slowly realized what was happening.

"Dad! Stop! What are you doing to him?" Kady screamed, jumping out of her bed and trying to get between her father and Jeff. The desperation in her voice didn't go unnoticed by Chris.

"I'm killing him, that's what I'm doing to him!" Chris explained seriously.

"I can see that. The question is – why are you killing him?" Kady shot back.

"What was he doing in your bed?" Chris asked, turning his eyes away from Jeff for a moment as he focused on her.

"We were watching Tv. I guess we fell asleep. Nothing else." Kady assured him. Chris searched her eyes and didn't find even a hint of a lie. He turned his attention back to Jeff.

"Is that true?" He asked.

Jeff had continued furiously trying to loosen Chris' grip on his throat but to no avail. He gave up and nodded as much as he could, instead. Chris slowly released his grip on the smaller man, lowering him so that his feet touched the ground again. Once Chris' hands had been removed from his neck, Jeff spoke up.

"You honestly thought I'd do something to hurt her? Thanks, man. I'm out of here." He decided, pulling the key he'd been given from his pocket and tossing it onto Chris' bed before walking out of the room. Chris ran a hand over his head and through his hair, avoiding eye contact with Kady.

"You're such a dork sometimes, you know that?" Kady smirked. Chris looked at her in confusion. He'd been sure she'd be angry at him for jumping to conclusions like that.

"A dork? Then what would that make you? Dork junior?" He teased. Kady hit him lightly in the arm before going back over to her bed.

"You can apologize to him later. How's mom? Did you find her?" She wondered nervously.

"Yeah, I found her. She's a little hungover but I think she'll live." Chris nodded.

"Hungover? She went out drinking? Wow." Kady mused, never knowing her mother to be much of a drinker.

"She did, but I doubt she'll be doing it again. Hangover of the worst kind." He laughed, deliberately leaving out any mention of Lily's gentleman caller.

"So... does she still hate me?" Kady asked quietly as she pulled the blankets up to her chin. Chris sat on his own bed and looked his daughter in the eye, wanting her to believe what he was about to tell her.

"She loves you more than ever, baby. She just... needs some time. Everything will work out, though. You'll see. Now, back to sleep, monster. Sun will be up soon. Don't wake me until ten, at least, got it?" He hoped. Kady nodded and rolled over, leaving Chris to get ready for bed. As he reached down to turn the lamp off, Kady spoke up again and her words sent shivers down his spine.

"Night, dad. I love you."

"Love you, too, baby." He replied, just as softly.

The next morning, Kady was woken at almost ten by someone banging on the door. Wondering if it was Jeff coming to get an apology or whatever, Kady slipped out of bed and quietly made her way over to the door. She pulled it open and almost fell over in shock.

"Mom... what are you doing here?" She questioned in disbelief.

"I got a bit of a wakeup call last night. Your dad's very convincing when he wants to be. Can I come in?" Lily explained. She was a little hesitant as to how Kady was going to react to her being there.

"Sure, I guess so." Kady nodded as she stepped aside to let Lily in. As she closed the door, she looked over to see that Chris was still out like a light.

"He didn't want to be woken until ten... think we should leave him?" She pondered.

"Yeah, leave him. I kind of wanted to talk to you alone anyway. Can we..." Lily replied, motioning towards the couch in the living room. Kady nodded quietly and led the way over before sitting down hesitantly. She wasn't sure what to make of her mother being there after everything that they'd been through the previous day and, so, was a little more subdued than usual.

"Kady... god, I don't even know where to start. I need to say so much to you but... I'm sure it's all going to come out wrong." Lily stammered, suddenly losing any confidence she'd talked into herself on the way to the hotel.

"Just start talking and see what happens." Kady shrugged. Lily took a deep breath and picked a point to start at.

"What you did during the taping last night was so incredibly frustrating for me. It's like I was watching you traveling the same old path, doing the same old things. I wanted better for both of us here, ya know? I wanted this to be a fresh start. But, you pulled the same shit you always do and... things got messed up. I know it's partly my own fault for not keeping a better eye on you, so I can't completely blame you for it. It just... pushed me over the edge. Everything that's happened just came crashing down and I couldn't take it anymore, baby. I just... I needed to get away. Walking out on you the way I did was wrong, though. I know that now. I'm sorry." Lily confided honestly, only just holding back the tears that were stinging her eyes. Kady looked up at her mother and nodded again, this time in understanding.

"I know I fucked up, big time. I'm sorry for doing it but... I was worried about dad. After all the time we've spent in hospital, I didn't want him adding to it. I just want things to get better... I hate all the fighting. I've had enough of being angry all the time. Hating everything is way too tiring and I just can't be bothered with it anymore." Kady sighed.

"So... think we can start over? I mean, I wouldn't mind a little bit of time to myself first but, soon, can we get past all this?" Lily asked hopefully. Kady thought it over seriously before smiling genuinely.

"I'd like that. I guess spending some time with dad won't be so bad... unless he keeps trying to put Jeff through walls." She laughed. Lily raised an eyebrow in questioning and Kady tried to get her laughter under control.

"He thought Jeff was trying to put moves on me or something because he fell asleep while he was sitting on the bed next to me. We'd been watching Tv together, nothing more." Kady explained. Lily smiled, realizing now that Kady would be safe while she was staying with Chris. He'd protect her, no matter what.

"They don't call him 'Wildcat' for nothing." Lily joked.

"Actually, the chant last night sounded more like 'pussycat'." Kady laughed.

"Quiet, you. It's 'Wildcat' and always will be." Chris spoke up from his bed. He'd been listening to everything that had been said between mother and daughter and finally decided it was time to announce the fact that he was awake to them.

"Yay, he's awake!" Kady giggled before running across the room, throwing herself onto his bed and wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"Careful, brat, I could get used to this." He warned, watching Lily's smile get bigger over Kady's head.

"Fine by me, as long as I get wrestling lessons for my birthday." Kady decided, sitting up and crossing her legs in front of her. From her vantage point, she could see both of her parents perfectly.

"After the crap you pulled last night, who says you're getting anything?" Chris pointed out. Kady pouted, comically, before pointing straight at him.

"Because you owe me, that's why!"

Chris reached out and pulled her down next to him, using his fingers to dig into her ribs and under her arms – tickling her mercilessly. Kady struggled to get out of his grasp, not managing to fight the laughter this situation was creating. Lily sat watching from the living room and laughed along with her daughter. Finally, things seemed to be starting to go right for all of them.

"I give, I give!" Kady screamed. Chris stopped tickling her and Kady rolled off the bed, running back to the living room to snuggle up next to her mother on the couch.

"Don't let the evil man get me." Kady teased. Lily put her arms around Kady before beginning to tickle her, just as Chris had.

"Hey, no fair! Double teaming isn't allowed!" Kady laughed, fighting to get out of her mother's grip.

"And you think playing us off against each other is?" Chris queried.

"As long as it gets me what I want, yeah." Kady smirked.

Chris and Lily looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. As much as Kady had changed recently, she was still at that annoying teenager stage. She was smart enough to get what she wanted, and she knew it. Problem was, Chris wasn't about to let her manipulate them anymore. He had proved to her already that he was smarter, that he could manipulate her more than she wanted to admit. He also knew that Lily wouldn't back down to her anymore. She'd stand her ground and he'd be right there to back her up.

"All you're getting is grounded, for at least a month. No computer, no cellphone." Lily told her seriously. Kady's jaw dropped.

"A month? You've got to be kidding me! What about my birthday?" Kady questioned.

"A month is pretty fair, considering that's how long most of us are suspended for – at least. What you did could've turned out a lot worse, kid." Chris reasoned. Kady looked down at the pattern on the couch. She knew she couldn't argue with that logic.

"If you behave yourself up until your birthday, we may consider lifting your punishment for it – but only that one day." Lily offered, knowing Kady would need an incentive to behave. Previously, she'd rebel against the punishment and things would just spiral out of control. Lily didn't want that to happen this time.

"I guess that's fair." Kady decided, looking up and nodding in understanding.

It wasn't really going to be that bad. Her cellphone hadn't been replaced since she'd lost it and she could honestly do without the computer as long as she had a regular phone she could use to keep in touch with Danny and Lily while she was having her break. It was about then that her stomach started rumbling loudly.

"Uh oh. Sounds like the monster's hungry." Chris teased, having heard the noise from across the room.

"Yeah. Guess I should eat something before it explodes out of my stomach and devours you two, huh?" Kady joked back.

"Why don't we go down to the restaurant and have breakfast together?" Lily offered, knowing she hadn't been able to bare the thought of eating before facing Kady this morning.

"Sounds like a good plan. Kady, want the shower first?" Chris wondered, sitting up carefully so that he could look at his daughter.

"I wouldn't let her. You'd end up with no hot water." Lily pointed out. Chris laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind when I'm at home with her. I think the supply of hot water in hotels is pretty much endless." He mused. Kady took the opportunity to grab some clothes from her bag before running into the bathroom and locking the door.

"Guess you'll find out." Lily smiled.

Chris nodded and got out of bed completely, not bothered by the fact he was only wearing boxer shorts. Lily, though, became acutely aware of the fact and turned away quickly. She still wasn't quite comfortable seeing him in anything other than full clothing.

"Get over it, Lil! I wrestle in less than this." Chris teased, causing Lily to blush in embarrassment... again. She forced herself to turn back and focus on his eyes, although that soon became too much for her and she looked away again.

"I don't believe it. Lily Myers has lost her flirtatious side." Chris joked, remembering how outgoing Lily had been in high school. Making her blush had become a challenge that only Chris could beat, back then.

"After what you saw last night, are you sure about that?" Lily reminded.

"Hey, I thought we weren't mentioning that ever again. But, since you did, I think I'll put it down to the amount of alcohol you must have consumed. A big greasy breakfast should take care of that hangover for you." Chris figured.

"The word 'greasy' doesn't sound too appealing." Lily replied, turning a faint shade of green.

"Fine. Dry toast and a glass of water then." Chris laughed as he gathered his clothes for the day out of his suitcase.

"Want a coffee or something before we go to the restaurant?" He offered, trying to fill any silence between them – hoping it wouldn't become uncomfortable between them again.

"No, thanks. I think I've had enough coffee today. I had three before I got in the car this morning." Lily admitted.

"Yikes. You'll be bouncing off the walls worse than Kady soon." Chris laughed.

"Quit talking about me and go shower. I'm hungry." Kady told him as she stepped out of the bathroom fully clothed, her hair still dripping slightly.

"Yes, ma'am." Chris mock saluted and disappeared into the bathroom.

Once Chris was ready, the three of them made their way down to the hotel's restaurant together. Chris had his arm around Kady's shoulder and the girl was holding tightly to her mother's hand, pulling her along. As they walked into the restaurant, they almost collided with someone coming out. Kady let go of Lily's hand and reached out to stop the person from walking past them.

"Jeff, wait. Dad has something he wants to say to you. Don't you, dad?" Kady urged, turning to glare at her father.

"Ah, yeah, I do. I'm really sorry about what I did last night, man. I totally overreacted. I'm kind of new to the fatherhood thing so that whole situation caught me off guard a little." Chris admitted honestly. Jeff took the words to heart and nodded.

"I guess I can forgive you. Next time maybe you'll stop to ask questions before you try putting someone through a wall, though, right?" He wondered.

"Maybe. Depends on the person. Anyway, I really do appreciate that you stayed with her and everything. Thanks, man." Chris smiled, offering Jeff a hand to shake. Jeff took it and made peace with him quickly before turning to Lily.

"Good to see that you're okay. You had Chris rather worried." He smiled. Lily hung her head slightly, avoiding what she thought was an accusing gaze.

"Yeah, I know. We got things sorted though. Everything's good now." She told him. Jeff nodded.

"That's awesome. Well, I'm off to the gym. Talk to you all later." He decided before reaching out and messing up Kady's hair. As she tried to smooth it down again, Jeff waved and walked away.

"That guy needs help, or less sugar or... something." Kady fumed, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"Want me to put him through a wall next time I see him?" Chris offered as Kady led the way into the restaurant.

"Nah, he's not worth it. You're already suspended anyway... doing that would lose you your job for sure." She pointed out.

"Thanks for reminding me." Chris smirked. Kady grinned and patted his arm gently.

"Any time, father. That's what I'm here for... to be your memory in your old age." She teased.

"Come here, you." Chris laughed, pulling Kady into a headlock.

"Hey, watch the hair!" Kady giggled as she tried to pull herself free.

"Oh, you mean this hair?" Lily asked devilishly before messing Kady's hair up again. Kady screamed quietly and tried to tickle Chris' rib area. It didn't seem to bother him.

"I'm not ticklish, kiddo. You get that from your mother."

"Well, well, well. What have we got here? Swiss Family Robinson?" A voice spoke up off to one side of them and Chris released Kady quickly before turning to face the person.

"James. Imagine seeing you up this early. I was almost positive you'd be sleeping off a killer hangover." He shot back with the same amount of dry humor James' barb had held.

"Whatever, Harris. I think I deserved to get drunk last night after what your kid went and did. Fucking suspension." James spat, his anger from the previous night hadn't abated by much. If anything, the headache he had was making it slightly worse.

"You let her stay out there. You're just as much to blame as she is." Lily defended. Chris nodded in agreement.

"Oh, right. Like you're Little Miss Innocent when you're the one that was meant to be fucking watching her in the first place." James accused, stepping closer to the trio. Chris tried to push Kady behind him but she moved from his grasp and stepped up to James so she was standing toe to toe with him.

"Leave my mother alone! I'm the one that fucked up, not her. She told me to stay in her office but I didn't listen. And, mom, it isn't his fault he didn't make me go to the back. I begged him not to so that part's my fault too. I never meant to get anyone else into trouble, I swear. You can be as mad at me as you want, James but... I honestly don't care right now. I've got my mom and dad in one place and they're not trying to kill each other, or me, so excuse us while we go and have breakfast together." Kady spoke calmly, only turning her gaze away from James when she'd finished talking so she could take her parents by the hands and pull them past James.

"Wow. I think that's the first time I've ever heard you refer to James by his real name." Chris mused as Kady pulled them towards a table.

"Yeah, well, I still think he's a drunken, hick cowboy so don't go getting your hopes up." Kady retorted with a smile.

"Your father was one of those, once. Well, drunk cowboy, anyway. He grew up real fast when he found out about you, though." Lily pointed out as they all sat down. Chris sat next to Kady and Lily sat across from her.

"Really? I can't imagine you going out and getting drunk." Kady figured after thinking it over.

"I can barely believe it now, either. I was a mess back then. Can't believe I never got kicked out of school, or home." Chris mused, thinking back on things.

"It was because of your arrogant charm. You could talk your way out of anything." Lily smiled fondly, seemingly also lost in memory.

"Or into anything." He smirked. Lily blushed brighter than he'd ever seen her blush before and Kady groaned.

"Dude, that is so gross! Way too much information!"

"What? I meant parties and stuff." Chris laughed.

"Sure ya did... not." Kady shook her head, not believing him for a second. She was really starting to enjoy having her parents both with her. It kind of made her sad to think about how many opportunities like this one she'd missed out on over the years.

"So... how did you guys tell your parents about... ya know... me?" Kady wondered, hoping to diffuse the embarrassing situation for her mother.

"I made Chris tell my father. Can you imagine how thrilled your grandfather was? Mom knew pretty much as soon as I did – she'd insisted on taking me to the doctor because I'd been feeling so ill." Lily explained.

"And then, once your grandfather knew, we invited my parents to their house for dinner one night and I just kind of... slipped it into the conversation." Chris continued.

"Oh, right... just kind of? They were all talking about other things and Chris says 'I got Lily pregnant' before carrying on with saying something else. He had to repeat it three times before they actually believed him." Lily laughed.

"And, what happened after that?" Kady wondered, in awe of the information she was learning. She'd never been given this much to go on by Lily before. Usually Lily would cut off any line of questioning by saying she had to run errands or cook dinner or something.

"My dad told me he ought to beat the life out of me. Mom said she ought to let him. I was getting kind of worried but then Lily spoke up saying she didn't want me dead because... our... our baby was going to need me." Chris stated, getting choked up by this particular part of the memory.

"And, I was right, wasn't I? The little Daddy's Girl she was." Lily pointed out, forcing Chris into a corner.

"Yeah, you were right. Happy now?" Chris asked, his eyes glassy with tears as he stared at her.

"Sorry it's taken so long... we're a tad busy. Can I take your orders?" A waiter asked from the end of the table. Kady breathed a sigh of relief at the timely interruption and scanned the menu quickly.

"Bacon and Eggs and a hot chocolate." Kady and Chris ordered in unison.

"I'll just have a coffee, please." Lily decided quietly, knowing she'd stepped over the line a little.

Once the waiter was gone, silence descended on the table. Kady shifted uncomfortably, trying to think of some way to get them back to joking about things. Coming up empty, she rested her elbows on the table and dropped her chin into her hands sullenly. Chris caught the look on Kady's face and knew something had to be done before chaos could take them over again.

"So, brat... assuming everything goes well, what would you like to do for your birthday this year?" He asked her, hoping to get the conversation flowing again.

"Um... can we... take over the world? I've always wanted to do that." Kady smiled.

"Sure, Brain. Which one of us is gonna be your stupid sidekick?" Lily asked, remembering one of Kady's old favorite cartoons.

"Why, I thought you'd never ask, Pinky. Sorry, dad, you're too smart. You'd probably be the one to foil my evil plans." Kady figured.

"Sounds fine to me." Chris laughed. Kady leaned back in her chair and tucked one leg underneath herself.

"I don't know. I guess I don't really care what happens for my birthday, as long as you're both part of it. Oh, and Danny, too." She decided seriously.

"Ah, Danny. I guess he'll find it amusing to know that you asked for wrestling lessons for your birthday." Chris pointed out.

"You wouldn't tell him... would you?" Kady questioned.

It was something she'd been thinking about for a while now. Danny was determined to start training at eighteen and Kady had finally figured... why not join him? He was her best friend, the closest thing she'd had to family for such a long time. She wanted to do something for him... to surprise him. Plus, she was starting to have dreams about them becoming a tag team and taking on people like The Naturals. It was getting seriously creepy.

"Why shouldn't I?" Chris asked with a mischievous look on his face.

"Because I kind of wanted to surprise him. I used to tell him I hated anything related to wrestling but... after being around it for this long, I can't say it's really that bad anymore." Kady shrugged.

"I don't know if I like the idea of you training to wrestle. You're too young. And a girl." Lily decided as the waiter brought over their orders.

"There are plenty of female wrestlers. Gail Kim, for one." Kady pointed out. Chris groaned.

"Pick a better example, please?" He laughed. Kady shook her head, her point being made.

"Gail Kim isn't my daughter so I don't have to worry about her getting hurt. You, on the other hand, are not stepping foot in a wrestling ring. Never again, I should say." Lily mused, realizing that Kady had already been in a ring, the previous night.

"Training's not really that dangerous, Lil. Maybe we should talk it over?" Chris reasoned, not wanting to say no to the idea completely.

"Absolutely not. Now eat your breakfast, both of you." Lily stated with finality before sipping at her coffee.

"So much for things changing." Kady mused before taking a mouthful.

"Let it drop, baby." Chris told Kady, his eyes locked on Lily's. He knew that, if things were going to work between the three of them in the future, the lines of communication between himself and Lily needed some serious attention.

Later that day, Lily and Chris walked Kady to Dixie's office. The three of them had agreed that Kady needed to make amends for what she'd done the previous night. The first step would be to apologize to management. Then, she'd have to face James again, as well as The Naturals. In all honesty, Kady wasn't looking forward to this. She knew she'd done wrong, she didn't need six total strangers telling her so.

More to the point, she wasn't sure how exactly she was going to fix things. She could apologize all she wanted but it didn't mean they had to believe her. After looking up at Chris and Lily for a moment, Kady took a deep breath and knocked at the door. She was told to enter and did so quickly, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. She walked in alone and closed the door behind her before turning to look at the three people that were standing or sitting around the desk.

"Kadence. What can we do for you?" Dixie asked, looking up from her pile of papers quickly. She wasn't sure why Chris had asked for them to see his daughter.

"I... I have something I need to say." Kady explained quietly before looking down at the floor. She still wasn't sure how she was going to make this up to everyone who had been affected by it.

"Well, out with it then. We don't have all day." Jeff Jarrett spoke up, irritated by the fact that he wasn't in his locker room, going over the plan for the next show with his 'crew'.

"Settle down, boy. Let the kid talk." Jerry scolded Jeff. It amused Kady slightly, the dynamic between father and son overtaking the business aspect.

"Um... it's about what I did last night. I knew it was wrong to go out there but I did it anyway. When James tried to send me backstage, I begged him not to. I just wanted to make sure my dad was okay. I know Andy had a score to settle but I didn't want him sending my father to the hospital. The fact remains that it was wrong, stupid and dangerous of me. I'm really sorry. I never meant to put anyone else at risk but I know I did. It won't ever happen again, just... please don't fire anyone because of me. They don't deserve to be punished for my mistake." Kady pleaded.

"As heartfelt as that apology was, the problem with it is that James should've known better than to let you stay out there. The issues between Chris and Andy had nothing to do with you. The punishment for those three will most definitely fit their crimes. As for Chase, he really had no control over what went on. We just figure he could use some time out to clear his head after all of this. No one will be fired... at least, not yet." Jerry assured her. Kady let out a small sigh of relief and nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

"As for you, Ms Myers... I hope that Chris and Lily have taken your punishment seriously. Letting you off for this wouldn't be good for you – or them." Jerry continued.

"Oh, believe me, they're taking it very seriously. My birthday's coming up and, at this stage, I'm not going to be allowed to celebrate it if I mess up again. I'm grounded for a month. I deserve a lot worse, I know. I think they're going a little easy on me because of everything that's happened." Kady admitted honestly.

"After the things that James has told me, Chris needs to take you over his knee and spank the hell out of you, if ya ask me." Jeff figured, standing up from his spot sitting on the edge of Dixie's desk.

"Glad no one asked you then, Jeff." Dixie told him, a slight warning note in her voice. Jeff held his hands up in surrender and began pacing the room slowly.

"I know it seems like I'm getting off easy but... I have to deal with the fact that I could have lost five people their jobs because I wanted to make sure my dad was okay. I'm not used to feeling that. Things have been messed up for so long but, I'm working on it. I'm trying to make things right with everyone, myself included. If you don't want to accept that, Mr Jarrett, that's your choice. I've done all I can." Kady shrugged, only barely managing to keep her cool. Losing it now wouldn't help her case any.

"I think you've done fine, Kady. Why don't you go on out to your folks now. Jeff can stew in his own juices all he wants." Jerry smiled kindly. Kady nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh, before I go... I just wanted to say thanks for giving my mom the job here. It meant a lot to her. I'm sorry she hasn't been around as much as she should've been but... she's the best mother I know. I mean, who else would hop a flight to Kentucky with their ex just to make sure their kid wasn't hurt? She's got the right amount of heart to help you make this company something great, if you let her." She told them before disappearing out the door.

Once she'd joined her parents again, Kady put a smile on her face so that they wouldn't worry about her. The last thing she wanted was to stress them out and have them at each other's throats again. Chris put an arm around her shoulders and the three of them walked towards the catering area, hoping that James, Andy and Chase would all be there.

"Did it go okay in there?" Chris whispered to her as they walked.

"Yeah, it was alright. Dixie and Jerry were okay... Jeff, not so much. James has talked to him, apparently." Kady told him, wondering what it was that James had said exactly.

"Really? I'll have to have a word with my tag partner, I think." Chris mused.

"No, it's okay. I got it." Kady assured him, not wanting Chris to make things worse with James.

She just wanted things between them to go back to what they used to be – the easy friendship they'd shared for so long. She'd never meant to drive a wedge between them at all. As they entered catering, Kady spotted James in a familiar position – sitting alone at a table with a plate of food and a couple of bottles of beer in front of him. She turned to Chris and Lily and stopped them going any further.

"Well, there's James. Guess I may as well get him out of the way first after what happened earlier. Why don't you guys get a drink or something?" She offered, wanting to face James on her own. Chris nodded and headed for the counter but Lily was a little more hesitant.

"I don't know about this. He was pretty upset this morning..." Lily trailed off.

"Mom, the longer I let him be angry, the worse it's going to get between him and dad. I need to do this. Besides, how else is Dixie going to explain calling him and The Naturals in when they're meant to be suspended if she can't tell them it was because of me?" Kady reasoned.

"I don't know. I just don't want you to get hurt, baby." Lily mused, glancing over at James.

"You and dad won't be far away. If anything happens, you know dad will kick his ass." Kady smirked. It felt weird, being able to say that now.

"Alright... good luck." Lily finally agreed before hugging her and then walking away. Kady took a deep breath and walked over to James' table.

"Hey. Can I sit here?" She asked timidly, not sure how he was going to react to her being there.

"Free country." James replied, not bothering to look up from his plate, except to grab the open bottle of beer and take a swig. Kady sat down across from him and clasped her hands on the table in front of her. This was probably going to be the hardest person she'd have to make amends with, she figured.

"James, I know you and I didn't exactly start things off right and... I guess it's my fault. I had an attitude towards you and everyone else. I... I don't want to cause any trouble between you and dad, so... I'm sorry for everything." Kady blurted, her eyes focused on her hands rather than on him. James put the beer bottle back on the table and leaned back in his chair, his food abandoned for the moment.

"You're just saying that cos your daddy's making ya. You don't mean a word of it, do you?" James challenged skeptically.

"Not true. I messed up and now I'm trying to fix it. Everyone has to grow up sometime, right?" Kady replied defensively.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you're honestly, truly sorry then." James told her, leaning back over the table now. He pushed his food aside and rested his arms in front of himself. Kady looked up and met his hard gaze, feeling rather small and insignificant all of a sudden.

"James, I am honestly, truly sorry that I got you and the others into trouble last night. I'm sorry about my whole attitude towards you and everyone else and I'm sorry that you think I'm such a horrible person. I've learned a lot from all this and I won't make the same mistakes again, I assure you." She apologized without breaking eye contact.

James stared into her green eyes and saw the glassiness that usually meant tears were threatening to fall. He sighed and sat back, readjusting his cowboy hat on his head, his gaze never leaving her.

"You know what, Kadence? I still don't believe you... from what I've learned about you, you wouldn't have much trouble coming up with a good lie."

Kady couldn't believe what she was hearing, and scoffed. "I can't believe this. I'm apologizing, I'm trying to make things right! What do you want from me?"

"I want you to think about what you're saying, kid. You're not apologizing to me because it's the right thing to do, you're doing it so you can keep your 'happy family' world and get back into the good books with mommy and daddy," James guessed, the bitterness of his words stinging Kady a lot. "Guess what, little girl? It's not that easy to work me over like that."

Kady's arm fell to her side and her fist clenched into a tight ball; the rage was now boiling in the pits of her stomach, and her expression of disbelief turned into a scowl. How dare he accuse her of being insincere! She was trying to do the right thing and he was just throwing it back in her face! James noticed her tense up, but didn't back down at all. A simple, quick and apparently meaningless apology wasn't gonna fix anything. Kady had done more than endanger herself, all of them, and almost cost them their jobs last night... she had also proved herself to be a reckless, dangerous, irresponsible, immature punk kid that needed to be taught a serious lesson.

If Chris let her get away with this, James knew this would be the end of their partnership. It seemed trivial enough, and that it shouldn't be enough to come between their friendship, but James figured that if Chris wasn't going to keep his own kid in control, then there wouldn't be much reason to trust him anymore after what happened. This was more than just about their jobs.

"Ah, so now that sparkle returns," he muttered, keeping his attention on his food but noting her growing physical tenseness and aggressiveness in response to him.

"And what's that supposed to mean, jerk?" she angrily retorted, losing patience quickly.

"That same wise-ass, I-will-kick-your-ass-if-you-mess-with-me look that you had the first day you came here," he explained and casually leaned back in his seat. "Believe it or not, Kady, I care about ya too. Chris is a brother to me, and seeing what he went through to prove himself to you was fucking insane. He became a different person... a father. I wanna believe you, Kady... but seeing the hell you put my best friend through, and your mother... you haven't given me any God damn reason to trust you, or even to think that you might be for real. Now, you may have regained your parents' trust, but I'm not so forgiving. This is more than just about getting me, Andy, and Chase in trouble for your little stunt... imagine what would've happened if you got hurt out there? Chris would've been devastated; Lily would've gone insane... and I would never forgive myself for letting anything happen to you, Kady. That guilt for not sending you backstage is tearing me apart, because you could've been seriously hurt, and I lost the trust of a man who I consider to be family. You don't get it. And until you do, you can take that fucked up apology and try lay it on Andy and Chase and see if they'll accept it."

James finished his little rant, never once taking his eyes off the child who meekly looked away, ashamed. Kady never realized the hurt James was feeling – they didn't know each other as well as they should, but he cared about her through the fact that she's Chris' daughter.

"You still don't get it do ya, kid?" he added. "You don't realize that, without even trying, you've gotten people to care about you, even in your little antisocial world that you exist in. It's not just your parents. Me. Chase. Andy. Hell, even that Sterling freak who I've seen hanging around here... you don't owe us an apology anymore than you should be showing us that you have changed. That you are willing to make an effort. After you do that, then and only then will I accept an apology from you. If you're not... then, I guess we have nothing left to discuss. Tell Chris that he and I are okay. You and I, however...?" he trailed off, and Kady felt as if his eyes were boring holes into her forehead. James calmly waited for her response, and didn't even falter when he saw a tear slide down her cheek. It was the first sign that he was actually getting to her.

"Wow..." she whispered. "I had no idea..."

"You're fourteen. You're not supposed to. But you needed to hear it. And you need to take it to heart, kid, otherwise you're never gonna understand... and every time you fuck up, the world won't be forgiving of you, until you do."

Kady hung her head and covered her mouth with her hand and James pushed his chair back and stood up, just as she let out a small cry. He moved around to her side of the table and knelt down, and Kady turned to him. Her tears stained the makeup she wore, and he put his hand on her back, reassuringly.

"Now, you're finally getting it," he commented. "Ain't ya?"

She nodded and put her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder, and James willingly returned the hug.

"Fuck, he's made her cry!" Chris hissed at Lily, pointing over her shoulder and she turned around to see what he was referring to. "I'm gonna kill that bastard..."

He moved to get up, but after a few seconds of studying what was happening, Lily grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Chris, no..." she replied. "Let it go... wait."

James pulled away just enough to see Kady's face, and brushed some hair out of her eyes. "I forgive you, girl."

Kady sniffed, and stared with confusion at him. "What? You do?"

"Yeah. You're crying, ain't ya? That must mean some of what I said got through to you. You're gonna make the effort."

"Trust me, it all got through," she chuckled, using her sleeve to wipe her eyes. "Believe that."

"I do. Your parents do. See?" he nodded to the table her parents were sitting at, and grinned. "I'm betting Chris has a look on his face that suggests he wants to kill me now, for making his little baby girl cry?"

Kady looked over his shoulder, and sure enough, Chris' face and body language more than spoke enough that he was enraged, and only Lily's grip on his arm was keeping him from jumping across the table and beating James to within an inch of his life. Without meaning to, a giggle passed through her lips and she nodded.

"He's pissed, alright."

"Well you better go and call off the dogs so I can eat..."

"So... we're okay?"

"Yeah, girl, we're okay. Now get lost and let me finish my food." James joked, pulling his plate back in front of him.

"Didn't you only just have breakfast?" Kady wondered.

"Yeah, what's your point? I'm a growing lad." James stated proudly. Kady stood up and grabbed the capped beer bottle from the table.

"I think dad could use this more than you. Mind if I give it to him as a sign that everything's cool between you guys?" She wondered, turning the bottle in her hands.

"You're just trying to get me to drink less, aren't you?" James figured.

"Of course. You're gonna have to watch my dad's back in the ring again, soon. Can't have you going on a bender and getting a major hangover." Kady agreed. James laughed.

"Fine, take the damn beer. I've got more where that came from anyway." James smirked. Kady laughed and said goodbye to him before walking over to the table her parents were sitting at.

"All sorted. Dad, James wanted you to have this." Kady smiled, handing the beer to her father.

"Wanted me to have it? Like hell. Kady, did you steal the man's beer?" Chris asked, a smirk forming on his lips.

"Yeah, but it's fate isn't as bleak as the fate of the last bottle I took from him. That one wound up in the bin." Kady grinned.

"That's my girl." Lily smiled, giving Kady another hug.

"What just happened over there?" Chris demanded, using his thumb to brush a tear away from Kady's cheek. "I swear, if he—"

"It's nothing bad, dad. James just... made me see something that I never really thought of, I guess," she explained, shrugging.

"And what's that?" Lily pressed, curiously.

"I'll explain later. It's okay, really. Now I just need to find Andy and Chase. Have you two seen them yet?" Kady wondered.


A/N2: So... things finally seem to be coming together for Chris, Kady and Lily. But, it's not over yet. Kady still has to apologize to The Naturals... and you all know that Lizzie and I are mildly evil so, of course, there'll be some drama there... maybe. Guess you'll have to wait to find out. Now, where did I put that whip? Phoenix wanders off muttering incoherently about whipping certain wrestlers mentioned in the first author's note.