Disclaimers: I own nothing or anyone associated or affiliated with TNA. I own only the original characters. This is just a fictional story that came from my imagination.
Chapter Content & Trigger Warnings: Mild violence

Chapter 30

Two Years Later…

Seattle, Washington

AJ hooked Robert Roode's leg and rolled his opponent up for the pin as the crowd roared in anticipation. Earl Hebner fell to the canvas and slapped the rough flooring three times. The bell rang and AJ and Joe were declared the winners of the tag match. They both held their arms up in victory and posed for the fans as AJ's theme song boomed through the sound system.

AJ and Joe left Beer Money in the ring to sell their exhaustion and implied injuries. They then bumped fists as they walked up the ramp and headed backstage. Minutes later, they entered the locker room to get a shower and head back to their hotel.

Joe felt strange. He couldn't put his finger on what was making him feel that way.

Something is going to go down soon, he thought. I'm sure of it. The question is…what is it?

About a half hour later, he was showered, dressed and driving toward the Hilton.

The apprehension he felt wouldn't leave him.

What is going on, he wondered in frustration. I've never been one to have anxiety attacks, so why do I feel so much dread? He turned the radio on to try and get his mind off the feeling of doom, but the song playing brought him a new level of despair—"When Can I See You" by Babyface.

Tears burned his eyes as he recalled his seventeenth birthday when he danced with Ella. Only minutes later, Christy had walked up and inadvertently hurt Ella. The agony from the memory was almost enough to make him pull over and pray for the pain to pass. But he was approaching the Hilton so he simply turned the radio off, and pulled into the parking garage. He quickly took the first available space he found, pulled the car into it, and killed the engine. Grabbing his suitcase, he climbed out of the vehicle and strode to the elevator. The doors opened instantly and he hurried inside, punching the "L" button for the lobby so he could get checked into his room.

The elevator dinged seconds later and the doors opened. Stepping out onto the lobby floor, he heard the loud strumming of a guitar to his right.

His anxiousness returned with a vengeance.

I know that song, he thought, heading in the direction of the music. He couldn't place it right away however. Moving closer he began to hear the song more clearly. He closed his eyes for a moment to concentrate better.

"The path that I'm walking
I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay…
"

Joe's eyes shot open when his heart skipped a beat.

Ella. New Year's Eve. She was angry at me and then sang this song.

He listened closer to the female singing, and recognized the voice a mere instant later.

But it's impossible, he thought. Hurrying to the double doors of the auditorium he looked inside and stared at the woman on the stage.

"My God," he uttered, trying to stay composed.

It's her! EllaShe's alive!

He'd know her anywhere. Her hair had grown even longer—all the way to her hips. Her angelic voice reverberated through the hotel's sound system as she strummed a guitar.

She looks happy, he thought, anger settling heavy in the pit of his stomach. She is singing that song and looks happy! Does she not realize what she's put me through for the past twelve years—Does she even care?! How in the world did I ever think she loved me? If she could just run off and leave me for a music careerI'd never have left her for wrestling. I would've given up my career for her without a moment's hesitation. It occurred to him then that he was still married. He'd slept around and had numerous one-night-stands and he was married. I cheated on her, he thought, his anger escalating even more. She caused me to cheat on her! I would've never slept with another woman had I known she was alive. She was all I ever wanted.

"Sir? Sir, if you want to see the show, you'll need to buy a ticket."

Joe turned to face an usher who'd approached him from the auditorium's second set of doors. He gave him a slight nod. "I understand. Thank you." He turned then, and headed for the front desk to check in. When he'd arrived at the hotel, he had simply wanted to go up to his room and get some sleep.

But now, he had new plans.

There's no way Ella is going to get by without explaining her actions to me, he thought, his eyes darkening with fury. She will at least acknowledge how she hurt me and Jeff and all of our friends. She will NOT get away with this—not by a long shot.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

Ella smiled at the audience as she finished strumming the last few notes of "When I See You Smile". The loud applause she received never ceased to amaze her.

"Thank you, everyone," she spoke into the vintage microphone in front of her. "Tonight is a night of some very special songs that mean a lot to me. The song I'm about to sing, I hold very dear to my heart. It's by Fergie. And I only hope I can sing it half as well as she did."

She strummed her guitar and prayed for her voice to make it through the song. The previous song was hard enough to get through—since she and Joe had danced to it at Jeff's New Years Party the night her parents died. But this song would be even more difficult because she'd actually sang it to Joe—or for his benefit, rather—on the same night.

As she sang through the opening of the song, Ella wondered why she was torturing herself in such a horrible way—but she quickly realized she needed to let go of her past. All of it. She didn't have a future with Joe—she had to accept that. It seemed logical to release the love she held for him through singing the songs she had connected with him. It was her way of finally saying goodbye.

As she approached the second verse her throat burned from the potential sobs that threatened to rip forth, but she managed to hold herself together and sang the verse perfectly despite the tears that slipped down her cheeks.

Ella somehow managed to miraculously finish the last notes of the song. Glancing up at the audience, she was shocked to find many of the people had tears in their own eyes. Applause—softer now but every bit as appreciative as with the previous songs she sang—rumbled throughout the auditorium.

"Th-thank you," Ella could barely speak above a whisper. "Thank you so much."

With that, she stood up from the stool she'd sat on, took a small bow, and then hurried backstage before succumbing to a harsh round of tears.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

Miracle awoke from her sleep to hear the doorbell ringing downstairs. She turned slightly in the full-size bed and looked at her best friend, Kristen Hampton, whom she was staying the night with. She didn't need to look at the clock to know it was late. When she heard Kristen's parents' footsteps heading downstairs, she grew nervous.

"Kristen," she whispered, nudging her friend. "Krissy, wake up!"

The other girl jumped awake suddenly. "What is it, Miracle," she groaned sleepily. "Tomorrow's Friday… We still have to get up early for school."

"Your doorbell just rang. I heard your parents head downstairs. Do you guys normally get visitors this late at night?"

"Are you sure you weren't just dreaming," Kristen asked, yawning loudly.

"Yes, I'm sure," Miracle hissed. "Listen!"

Both girls quieted down and instantly heard multiple voices downstairs.

"What's going on," Kristen asked.

"You got me," Miracle answered. "I hope everything's-" She cut off as footsteps hurried up the stairs. A few seconds later, the bedroom door opened and the over-head light came on.

"Girls?" Kristen's mother, Janine, spoke softly to the soon-to-be teenagers. "You're awake?"

"Yeah, Mom. What's going on," Kristen asked, rubbing her eyes. "Who was at the door?"

"Um…" Her mother started, seemingly nervous. Her dark eyes shifted anxiously around the room. "Well, it's a police officer. He…" She looked at her daughter's friend then. "Miracle, honey… The officer says your mother was in a bad car accident. He needs to take you to the hospital."

"My mom," Miracle cried, already jumping out of the bed. "Oh, my God! Is she okay?" She quickly grabbed the clothes she'd worn earlier in the day and headed for the bathroom.

"He won't tell me anything," Janine answered. "He just says he needs to get you to the hospital."

Within a couple of moments, Miracle had pulled on her jeans and t-shirt along with her tennis shoes. Then she hurried back out into the hallway. "Can you hold onto my overnight bag and stuff till I can come by and get it," she asked Janeen.

"Of course, honey," Janine answered. "Get going. We'll be praying everything turns out fine."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hampton," Miracle said, swallowing past the lump forming in her throat. "Thank you so much." Then she was running down the stairs and meeting the officer in the living room.

"My mother," she cried, stopping in front of a tall, uniformed officer. "Is my mother okay?"

"I haven't been informed of her condition, I'm afraid," the cop answered quietly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I have just been instructed to take you to the hospital where she's being treated. I'm sorry, that's all I can tell you."

"Can we leave now," Miracle asked frantically.

"Of course. I'm parked right outside." He led the girl out of the house and to his patrol car parked in the driveway. He opened the passenger door for her and made sure she was safely inside before shutting the door. He hurried to the driver's side, got in and was driving away a few seconds later.

"Which hospital is my mom at," Miracle asked, shakily fastening her seat-belt.

When the cop didn't answer, she looked over at him. He was nervously checking his rear-view and side-view mirrors.

"Officer, please," she tried to gain his attention. "Where is my mother?"

He failed to answer again, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him. Apprehension clouded her senses then. Something's wrong, she thought. Something's not right here. She slowly slithered her hand up to the door's handle, trying to keep her actions discreet while the cop continued nervously checking his mirrors and looking over his shoulder. She tugged on the handle, but nothing happened. She watched in horror as the cop turned to glance at her and grabbed for her hand—pulling it away from the door handle.

"No," Miracle yelled, trying to free her wrist. She yanked it free and jerked on the door handle again. "Let me out," she screamed, beginning to slam her hands against the window in an attempt to break it out.

"Stop!"

The cop finally spoke up and grabbed a fistful of Miracle's long, black hair. Before the girl could even scream, he propelled her face forward and smacked her forehead against the dashboard. Miracle cried out in pain and held her head in her hands, completely dazed. She lightly trailed her fingers over the source of the pain, and found blood across them when she looked at her hand. The next thing she knew the car came to a sudden stop and she was dragged across the driver's seat. Taking a quick glance at her surroundings, she saw they were in a deserted alley—save for a dark van parked next to the cop's car.

Several men stood before her—one of who reached out and grabbed her, yanking her over to the other men. The cop hurried into his car and quickly drove away as one of the other men stepped forward.
Slowly gazing upward, Miracle saw nothing recognizable about his face.

Till her eyes fell on his.

"Oh, God…" she whispered, and struggled against the man's hold on her. "No…"

"You know who I am," the man's voice came out softly, despite the cold harshness in his ice-blue eyes.

Miracle trembled in fear and nodded slightly.

"Oh?" He stepped up to Miracle and latched onto the back of her head, forcing her to meet his gaze. She cried out and tried to shrink away from him, but the grip he held on her hair wouldn't allow her to move. "And who am I?"

"Y-You're Jacques F-Fournier."

"You look much like your father," Fournier said, tilting the girl's chin back with his free hand. Her eyes lit up for a brief instant before her foot reared back and kicked him in the shin. He grimaced in pain but kept his grip on Miracle. He backhanded her across the face and she crashed against the van's side door. "But you have your mother's spirit." He heard the girl's sobs and picked her back up. "You are going to die, and there's nothing you can do to change that." He smirked then. "You weren't even supposed to happen. You're just a mistake—only born because of some oversight on my part. Now, you will help me get to your mother, and then when you are of no more use, I will kill you with my bare hands

Miracle swallowed hard, and tasted the metallic flavor of blood in her mouth. However, she still mustered the courage to say, "My dad will find you. And when he does, you will die." She didn't know how she knew such a fact about her dad, but she knew it nonetheless.

For an instant, the girl saw something resembling fear pass through Fournier's icy eyes. But then he shoved her back into the hands of one of the men from the van. "Shut her up," he growled and then climbed into the back of the van. "Hurry up! We need to get going!"

Too busy wondering what 'shut her up' would entail, Miracle had no time to protest as one of the men clapped a cloth over her nose and mouth. She struggled for only a few seconds before having to breathe in the sweet smelling drug, and collapsed limply against the man who held her.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

Sighing sadly, Ella stepped inside her house, locking the door behind her, and tossed her keys onto the hallway table. Then she headed upstairs and quickly changed into a satin robe till she was ready to take a shower. Pinning her hair up into a messy up do with a clippie, she went back downstairs to fix a late meal.

She stared into the refrigerator for what seemed ages before simply grabbing one of Miracle's Lunchables. "I'm not hungry anyway," she muttered, taking the food to the sofa and turning on the television. She flipped the channels till she came to The Mummy playing on the AMC channel.

Her heart jolted as the movie brought back bittersweet memories to her. She and Joe were watching the movie the night he explained what 'lo'u alofa' meant and then proceeded to bestow her with some passionate kisses. She had wanted the term of endearment to stay alive with her, so she had made it a pet name for Miracle. Thinking of her daughter made her even sadder.

It just isn't fair, she thought. Why couldn't Miracle have known Joe? I hate this. I know life isn't fair. I know we're not promised a perfect life, but I feel like I'm-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. With her mind still on the pain and anguish she was experiencing, she didn't think before she opened the door. Her gaze instantly fell on the person who'd knocked and she gasped sharply. She couldn't believe her eyes.

The last thing she saw before she sank into a black abyss, was Joe's angry face glaring at her.

Author's Note: I realize that most likely neither TNA or WWE stays at a Hilton, lol. But in order for this to work, I needed them to stay at a glitzy hotel (only the fancy ones have entertainment as far as I can tell). And since that was how Joe and Ella meet up again (his hearing her singing), this is just how I had to write it. So yeah…not very realistic, but necessary. Oh well, it's fiction! :)