June 24th 2003…
"Quit it!" 13 year old Amanda squealed with laughter as Brock was tickling the small teen he was watching backstage while her brother was in one of his matches.
"Quit tickling you? I can't help it." Brock responded with a smile, giving Amanda a chance to breathe before she sat up on the couch and he sat down next to her.
"You'll think he'll be okay in that ring?" Amanda asks, Brock knowing where that question was stemming from as it was only two weeks after the ring had caved in.
"Yeah. They know what they're doing, kiddo." Brock said, Amanda adjusting her hair into a ponytail… and Brock noticing a small speck of chocolate shimmer under her eye, grabbing a tissue and brushing it off her before confirming what it was, eyeshadow. "Seems like I missed something when I blinked… but you're subtle with it, that's a good thing." He replied.
"John was a bit startled, tried to get me to scrub it off." Amanda explained.
"That's how brothers are with their sisters, don't like seeing them grow up… just don't grow up too fast, Mandy. Who knows… in the next blink, I'll see you accepting a marriage proposal." Brock responded, Amanda chuckling.
"Long time away for that, Brock. I just turned 13." Amanda replied, her and Brock hugging.
"But you're never too old for the tickle monster!" Brock said, exclaiming the last three words and Amanda's laughter starting up again when he tickled her.
And Brock knew that one day, she'd be all grown up… and he would be wondering where the time went…
Present time…
Amanda was in the bed, watching old videos of Too Cool on her phone with her earplugs in her ears… until Finn gently pulled the left one out and she looked at him.
"It's something no one can really wrap their minds around, love, someone being gone so suddenly." Finn responded, lightly brushing Amanda's tears away.
"I really think he would've loved our child… that's what hit me so hard, Brian's never gonna get to watch the baby grow up like he watched me grow up…" Amanda replied before taking the right earbud out and closing out YouTube before unplugging the earbuds and setting them and her phone aside before she rested her head on Finn's right shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her as she brushed forming tears away. "Sorry…"
"It's perfectly okay to cry, Mandy, you just lost one of your closest friends and it hurts that he's gone… he would've loved our little one much like he loved you." Finn responded before they kissed.
He rested his left hand on her stomach, knowing it wouldn't be long before it would be noticeable… already, he was imagining what their child looked like.
It wasn't long before the two were asleep, holding each other.
Neither paid attention to the curtains rustling for a few seconds when it was morning and they were just waking up… but a pair of blue eyes not visible to them or anyone watched protectively.
"I'm so sorry, kid… I really am."
'Brian?!' Amanda thought, sitting upright after fully opening her eyes and Finn sitting up as well and resting his right hand on Amanda's back… the second bed in their room hadn't been slept in, which indicated that Yuki hadn't come back last night.
"Down the hall… with Seth."
"He's… his spirit's here?" Finn questioned.
"They never stray far." Amanda replied.
At the same time, Yuki pried her eyes open… and rubbed her pounding head before she felt a hand on her back and jumped onto the second bed in the room, Seth jumping back as well.
"Easy, it's just me." Seth responded, Yuki calming down.
"You found me at the bar, I take it?" Yuki asked.
"Half the Raw roster were drinking last night, I guess as a… way of dulling their pain from Brian's suicide and Nikolai's death as well." Seth explained.
"Grief does terrible things to the mind." Yuki responded.
"It does. Only ones not there were Mandy and Finn." Seth replied.
'I'll let him find out when they tell the others… he doesn't need to know right at the moment.' Yuki thought before pulling her long raven hair into a ponytail.
Waking up himself was Brock… he rubbed his aching head but the Beast Incarnate sat up anyway.
Something was telling him to stick around longer than one event this time.
At the same time, Amanda finished eating her breakfast… and hoping she could keep it down, she took one of her prenatal vitamins.
She washed it down with water, Finn lightly rubbing his right hand up and down Amanda's back before wrapping his arms around her waist… Amanda leaned against him, looking out the window.
"I know. If Brock hasn't figured it out yet, we've got to tell him at some point… but we haven't told our families yet." Amanda replied as her left hand entwined with Finn's right one, Finn brushing his thumb over the Onyx and diamonds marquise cut engagement ring on Amanda's left ring finger.
"Brock can wait and find out with the others." Finn responded, Amanda looking up at her fiance. "I know, easier said than done, love." He replied before they kissed.
In Tampa a few hours later for SmackDown, Amanda heard someone talking in Spanish and looked to her right, seeing them a few feet away… she and Zelina had no real hostility between them but weren't close either, having been civil because of their respective closeness to Austin Aries.
But since Austin and Zelina's recent break up seemed to be out of the blue to Amanda, she had suspected that Zelina had been having an affair with Andrade.
She honestly hoped something would prove her wrong… and then she saw Finn walk over, the two embracing each other and their lips connecting in a gentle kiss.
Zelina glanced over her right shoulder for a few seconds, rolling her eyes… and Andrade could see the thinly veiled anger in her eyes.
"Easy now, Zel… got to focus on tonight." Andrade responded quietly, Zelina holding back her anger.
Finn and Amanda headed to the locker room that Paige had set up for them, sitting down and Finn putting Amanda's legs in his lap after she slipped her sandals off… and Finn lightly massaged Amanda's swollen feet and ankles, Amanda smiling.
"That's better… saw the glare she had, don't want you stressing out." Finn responded.
"Zelina has never been one to chill out easily." Amanda replied.
At the same time, Hunter, Stephanie and Shane were watching video of last night's Raw.
"Are you sure about this?" Hunter asked.
"Definitely." Stephanie responded.
Hunter and Shane, as well as Seth, thought that Amanda might've gotten sick before the show and her stomach was acting up again.
But Stephanie, being a mother of three, knew better… she, Shane and Hunter watched the video as Finn caught Amanda from falling to the mat.
And saw Amanda rubbing her stomach.
"I'll be damned… she's pregnant." Shane responded with a slightly lopsided smile, Hunter and Stephanie smiling as well.
But they knew at some point, they had to talk to Amanda and Finn.
