Sorry for the long hiatus, Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, and well, I went to be with my fam. Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty-One: A Big Decision

The trek back to Lita's mausoleum was a long, arduous journey. Candice led the way, with Maria beside her, her eyes a permanent mark of fear. Behind them were Kane and Cena, both holding Stephanie's stone body. At the very back, at least five steps behind, was Batista, holding Lita's unconscious body. He could only stare down at her, an angelic face even in death.

Maria was concerned about Batista. Since their departure from the castle, the big man had not uttered a single word to anyone or anything. He just silently lifted Lita and continued to walk.

Maria leaned over to Candice. "Is Dave going to be okay?"

Candice let out a low whistle. "I don't know," she replied. "I hope to hell that her parents will be able to help her. But things don't look too good. It was a direct hit she took from Vince." Maria nodded. She felt sort of jealous of Lita; she wished she had somebody who loved her that much.

They were walking through the graveyard, and Kane could only give a slight stare of satisfaction at his brother. The mission was completed, Queen Stephanie and King Hunter were about to be reunited and with their daughter, no less.

Cena stole a look at Batista. "You okay, man?" he asked.

"Let's just get to King Hunter," he replied. Cena nodded, realizing that Dave Batista was in no mood to argue. Kane and Cena rearranged the body of Stephanie until they were comfortable and they continued to make their way to King Hunter.

Things felt surreal to Candice. Sure, they got Queen Stephanie after all this time, and she was about to be reunited with her husband, but what happens if they can't save Lita?

She supposed she had deserved this for not being forthcoming with Lita at all times. Instead, she had played her out as a pawn, and now there was the possibility that she was going to die. Candice felt as though it were all her fault.

Pushing open the creaking gates, they continued to walk towards the mausoleum, their heads bowed in somber silence. But it was Batista's silence that unnerved them all the most. He was the only one that had not said a word outside of his desire to get back to the mausoleum.

When it was in sight, they could sense the quickening in Batista's steps. Candice's stomach was in knots; there was no guarantee that this was even going to work. She looked at Batista. For his sake, this needed to work. Lita needed to survive. But she was unsure. That was one hell of a shot she had taken from Vince. She shook her head, attempting to take out the image of Lita's flying body.

"Almost there," she informed everybody. She knew that was the one thing Batista was going to hear from her.

The mausoleum grew closer and closer, and closer, until finally, Candice was prying open the doors. They filed in, Candice and Maria, Kane and Cena, and Batista and Lita.

"Lay Stephanie down with Hunter," Candice commanded. They opened the casket and laid Queen Stephanie's body next to King Hunter. Meanwhile, Batista lay Lita down on a slab of concrete. While Candice worked over the royal couple, Batista couldn't keep his eyes off of Lita. She couldn't be dead, he reasoned. He didn't get the chance to say goodbye. He didn't get to tell her how he felt. Christ, he wanted to cry.

The room exploded in a flash of light and everybody who was in the vicinity of the two – everybody – flew backwards, hitting the ground from the impact of Candice's power. "Jesus, Candice!" Cena shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Ohuh?"

Slowly, a hand with shiny pink nailpolish gripped the outside of the casket. Slowly, they heard a man's growl. Slowly sitting up, Queen Stephanie came into view. She was a beauty with long brown hair and huge brown eyes. She yawned and stretched. She turned to Candice. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Candice replied, helping the queen out of her casket. She did the same for King Hunter. They both saw Lita laid out and Stephanie uttered a loud cry.

"What happened to my baby?"

"Vince," Candice replied. "She tried to help us, but instead she took a shot. Steph, is there anyway you can save her?"

"You're damn right there's a way she can save her," King Hunter roared in his trademark grumble. "Give her a hand, babe." He gave her a kiss on the forehead. He turned to Batista. "Who the hell are you?" He turned around to see Maria and Cena. "Am I missing something here?"

"These are the ones that helped find your wife," Candice replied. "Batista here as well happens to be in love with your daughter."

King Hunter turned to Batista. "Is this the case?"

"Yeah," Batista replied. He had a lot of spunk, big guy. King Hunter liked him already.

"Quiet," Queen Stephanie replied. "It's been awhile, I need to concentrate." She slowly rested her hand on Lita's heart. She started murmuring, slow chants in a soft whisper. "Come on, honey, wake up," she replied. "Come on, wake up." Batista, Cena and Maria were standing next to each other, Maria clutching Cena for support.

"Come on, Lita...Come on..." soon they were all coaxing Lita to wake up.

Suddenly, her hazel eyes snapped open. "Dave!" she cried out.

Batista rushed over to her. "Oh, God, you're okay," he replied, nearly crying. She hugged him tightly, clutching his shirt. "I thought you were dead."

"Dave..." she was sobbing. He slowly let her go and she turned to face her parents. "Mom? Dad?"

"You're awake," Queen Stephanie replied. They all group hugged and Lita explained a little about her life in Stamford with Cena and Maria and Batista. But she was soon silenced by King Hunter.

"I know this is a happy time, but I believe that you four have a huge decision to make. That includes you, too, Lita."

They stared at each other. How big could it be?