Disclaimer Seth Rollins, and the various other superstars mentioned in this story are the property of the WWE and/or the actors / sports entertainers / superstars that portray them. This story is intended as tribute only and is not intended to infringe on any copyrights.

Original characters are the property of myself, and only children of my own imagination. Any resemblance to any real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

The Girl Who Lives
Part Nineteen

Myron and Andrea's death was the start of the strangest time in Seth's life so far, and might even end up being the strangest time in his life ever. He found himself wondered if decades from now, when he sat on the porch of the old folks home, if he would go back and say, "Yep, that was it, nothing was stranger than those times."

Seth had dealt with death before, he had relatives who had passed away from a variety of causes, so that wasn't what made it strange. To be honest, he wasn't fond of the Caldwells. Well, to be completely honest, he actively and strongly disliked the Caldwells.

But he loved their daughter, and he had a feeling that was why the last few months had been so odd.

He couldn't remember the exact conversation he had with Kayla about the Caldwells death, but he did get from it that they were found in their apartment, Andrea on the couch, Myron in a recliner, deader than dead. Cause of death? Natural gas poisoning, at least that was the obvious culprit. At that point, no autopsy had been done, so nothing could be said for certain, but the gas had been on in the apartment and they were dead the likely cause was indeed, natural gas poisoning.

He strongly suspected it was not an accident at all, but he didn't say anything to Kayla. His first concern was to get out there as fast as possible for Kayla and Payton's sake. He thought he might be in serious trouble over this, he'd needed way too much time off lately, but he went to Stephanie, who was sympathetic.

"What's going to happen to Payton, now?" she asked.

He stared at her for a moment, wondering why she was asking such a stupid question, until he realized that maybe the answer wasn't so obvious to everyone else. "We get our lawyer to file papers," he said, and then realized that wasn't even enough. "We adopt her. Her grandparents are her only living blood relatives and they are in no condition to take in their granddaughter. Kayla and I love her, and she loves us. She's already our daughter, more than she was the Caldwell's, we just now have to make it legal."

Stephanie nodded. "Since the night where her parents abandoned her and Kayla went to get her, I've made it a point to watch the three of you. She's a completely different little girl when she's with the both of you. The death of the Caldwell's is horrible and tragic, but if you need any help from us, be it a character reference, witnesses to how good a job you and Kayla are doing as parents? You've got it. I know Roman and Dean will be willing to do what they can to help too. Just know that if they're needed to be in court? We will make sure they get there."

Seth felt a strange prickling behind his eyes and he blinked several times trying to get rid of it. Finally, he nodded. "Thank you," he said, sincerely, "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You forget," Stephanie said, smiling. "I'm a mother. I think I do." She looked distant for a moment, then spoke again. "I remember so clearly when each of my daughter's were born. How I looked at them, and I felt this... bond. How I told myself that I would do everything in my power to make sure this little one had the best life possible. That I would move heaven and earth to keep them safe and protected. Later, talking to Hunter, I found out he felt the same way too, the first time he laid eyes on them." She smiled at Seth. "Some say that parental bond only happens when it's your blood. Others say it can only happen when the child is very young, but I don't believe that. The night when the Caldwells rushed Preston to the hospital and forgot Payton, you came charging in here, Hell bent for leather, pretty much demanding we let you go to Davenport, right that minute. I knew something was up, and when you started talking about Payton, I saw it. Maybe she wasn't legally yours, but I knew that was just a formality. That just like Hunter and I would do for our daughters, you would move Heaven and earth to protect Payton." She reached out and patted him on the arm. "We'll do whatever we can to make sure you get to Davenport as much as possible, until this is resolved and Payton has her rightful place in your family."

"Thank you," Seth said, his voice a husky whisper.

He flew home on the private jet, letting Kayla know when he'd be arriving, but telling her not to worry, that he would get a cab to the house. Of course when he got into the smaller, private airport, she was there, with Payton.

He stopped for a moment, looking at Payton. She had put on a little weight since she moved in with them, but she was still a thin child. Her brown hair was styled, she was wearing nice clothes. She looked like a normal little girl, until you saw her face. Then you saw she looked drawn and haunted, like life kept throwing things at her, and she couldn't process it, she couldn't catch her breath. As he looked at her, he even saw her chest heave in a hitching motion, as if she was trying to take in extra air. As he got closer, he called out, "Hey, you two!"

Payton turned to look at him, and for a moment, he saw some of that haunted, drawn look leave her face. She ran over and Seth barely had time to put down his luggage before she was throwing herself into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to him. "Hey, Pay," he said softly. "How are you doing?"

"I missed you," she said. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Pay," he said, kissing her hair. "More than I can say."

Once they were home, Payton didn't seem to want to leave his side. She didn't talk about her parents, she didn't talk much at all, but she stayed close to him, as if she was afraid he'd vanish if he left her field of vision, which was difficult, because he wanted to talk to Kayla about what happened and possibly call the police to find out more details. So, he was actually relieved when that afternoon, they went to her grief counselor. Even though Payton was reluctant to go off with the doctor, both Kayla and Seth assured her they would be right outside if she needed them.

The moment the door closed, Seth turned to Kayla. "Okay, what exactly happened?"

Kayla shrugged, biting her lip. "There isn't much to tell. I have the number of the policemen who reported to the scene. Someone smelled gas in the hall and traced it to the Caldwell's apartment. They knocked and when no one answered, they called the building superintendent, who came up and went into the place. Apparently, sometimes this has happened before. The stoves are located across from the refrigerator and if you're just the right height, if you lean over to poke around in the refrigerator, it's possible to nudge the switch that turns on the gas, without hitting the ignition.

"Is it me or does that sound like the stupidest kitchen and stove design ever?" Seth asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You get no argument from me. Until now though, no one ever died, but there were a few close calls." Kayla shook her head as well. "They were slowly fixing the problem, replacing the stoves with newer, better, safer, ones, but because no one had died and because these are cheap, low income apartments, no one put it high on the priority list. Anyway, so the Super opened the door and found Andrea and Myron in the living room and the TV was on. Andrea was lying on the sofa, Preston's Teddy bear in her arms. Myron was on the recliner, wrapped in an afghan that a nurse in St. Judes had made for Preston. They called the police who came and checked things out and called the coroner's office. They're doing an autopsy today, I believe. But they've pretty much ruled out foul play. Neither Myron or Andrea looked as if they were involved in any type of struggle, and there were no signs that someone broke in." She paused, and sighed, before saying, "Soooooo," which she drew out, then let linger in the air.

"So the question is, was it an accident," Seth said, deciding to get right to the point.

Kayla nodded. "They searched the place and found no note, nothing to indicate that one or both of them did this deliberately. They did confiscate the laptop to see if they can find anything on that. But, I don't think they'll find anything."

"Do you think it was an accident?" Seth asked.

Kayla shook her head. "No, I don't. I think one, the other, or both decided life without Preston wasn't worth living."

A vision came to Seth then, so clear and bright, it might have been a memory of something he'd witnessed, even though it wasn't. He saw the cheap apartment in his head, it wasn't hard, he had seen more than a few cheap, stamped, low income apartments in his life. He saw Myron lying on the recliner, staring at the TV, but not really watching it, looking pale and forlorn, as if he had been doing so much crying, wallowing in so much misery, that he was unable to do anything but stare into space, like he was so drained, that he had gone past being able to feel emotions anymore.

He saw Andrea too, lying on the couch, flipping through the channels until she found something that she wasn't going to watch either, but something she could at least stand being in the background. Probably something like American Pickers on History channel, maybe Pawn Stars. He saw her staring at the screen, occasionally looking over at her husband. She was drained too, but not quite as drained as Myron, there was still a small spark in her.

He saw her looking at Myron, and sighing, knowing that Myron wasn't going to just get over this, Myron wasn't going to be "just fine." Losing the first Preston as a child had been bad enough, losing the second was the final nail. Then Seth saw her getting up from the sofa and going into the kitchen, going into the refrigerator, looking inside of it. Her butt bumped into the stove and out of habit, she turned, to make sure she hadn't turned on the stove. A neighbor had probably warned them of the problem, and with Preston being so ill, of course she and Myron got in the habit of checking every time they went in the refrigerator.

Seth saw her assure herself the stove wasn't on and then, he could see her face crumple, as she realized again, that Preston was gone. He could almost see her thinking, Why did I check? Why didn't I actually turn it on by accident and not check? That would have been so much better. We just would have fallen asleep and when we woke up, we'd be with Preston again.

He saw her going over to the sink and getting a glass of water, drinking it, but her gaze would keep going to that stove. Realizing that if she had turned on the stove, and not checked, it might have meant the pain would end. Preston was gone. She and Myron were not getting over it. Sure, they still had Payton, everyone reminded them that they still had their daughter, but Andrea knew they had made mistakes with Payton. Payton didn't love and trust them like she did Seth and Kayla, these strangers who had somehow become charmed by their daughter. They were better parents to her than she and Myron had ever been. She would be better off without us. Seth could hear her thoughts as if she were speaking them out loud. She's better off with them, than she is with us.

He saw her put the glass in the sink and turn to return to the living room, and then suddenly, quickly, she went over to the stove and turned on the gas without getting the ignition, then just as quickly walk out into the living room and lay back down on the sofa.

He saw Myron, looking at her, his eyes bloodshot and empty, so empty. "When does it end?" he whispered, his voice horse from the crying he had been doing for days. "The pain, the emptiness, Andrea, when will it end?"

"Soon," Andrea said, and she was smiling, a weak, watery smile, but it was a smile. "Very soon. Go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll feel better."

He saw Myron stare at her for a moment, seriously doubting those words, but figuring he would sleep, because sleep at least was a temporary escape from this hell, this world of misery that no longer included his son.

And as the smell of gas filled the apartment, Andrea's watery smile got a little deeper. She grabbed Payton's stuffed Teddy bear and held it in her arms. Then she laid down on the sofa, and fell asleep.

"Seth?"

He turned to look at Kayla, for a moment disorientated as he realized he had fallen into his vision so deeply, that he had forgotten where he was. Seth wasn't the type of man to believe in visions, but there was something about this one that rang so true, he could almost believe that somehow, some way, he was actually seeing what had happened. "I think it was Andrea," he said, his voice slow and careful. "I think she decided this was the only way to make things better for both of them."

Kayla bit her lower lip, and he saw tears in her eyes. "If that's true? Then she's a horrible person. How do you abandon your living daughter that way?"

Seth shook his head, still feeling languid as if he were still in the vision. "Maybe," he said, picking his words carefully, "that was part of the reason why she did it."

"Huh?" Kayla looked at him, brows furrowed in puzzlement.

"Maybe she realized that she and Myron were awful parents to Payton and that nothing would change that," Seth said, warming to the idea. "Maybe she realized that Payton was better off with us, than with them."

Kayla stared at him for a few minutes, as if puzzling this out, then nodded, her expression taking on it's own far away look as if she was seeing a vision too, if not exactly the same as Seth's, it was very close. "Maybe you're right," she said, slowly. "But it was still a rotten thing to do."

"Do you think the police will rule it a suicide?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, there's no life insurance at all, so there's no insurance company that will want to see it ruled a suicide so they won't have to pay out. There's no note that proves it's a suicide. I think they'll end up putting gas poisoning or whatever term they use for gas poisoning, on the death certificate, and they'll leave it at that."

"Good," Seth said, nodding, and looking at Kayla. "We can never tell Payton, okay? I mean, we don't know for sure that it was suicide, so we never let her think it was anything but an accident. I won't let our daughter grow up thinking her birth parents killed themselves rather than raise her."

Kayla nodded, but frowned. "She's not stupid, Seth. She might come to the same conclusion we have."

"Maybe," Seth said. "But I don't think so. I think, for now at least, that she'll want to believe it was an accident."

When the door to the therapist's office opened fifty minutes later, Payton came rushing out and threw herself into Seth's arms, hugging him tightly as if she hadn't seen him for weeks. He caught her and held her close. "Are you okay, Pay?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, her voice small, her face still buried in his shirt.

The grief counselor was a tall woman in her '40s, with brown hair and a pleasant smile. She came over, holding out her hand. "Seth Rollins," she said, "Dr. Rachel Graves, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Shifting Payton so he could keep one arm around her, he stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you too," he said, but his mind was racing Graves? A Grief therapist named Graves? Had her last name influenced her choice of professions or is this just a weird coincidence? His gaze shot down to her left hand, where he saw she was wearing a wedding band and engagement ring. Is Graves her married name? And if she was a grief therapist before they met and married, that must have made them laugh at least once, in that morbid sort-of way.

"Do you have a moment?" Dr. Grave's asked, "I'd like to talk to you in private."

"Sure," Seth said.

"No!" Payton turned her head to look at the doctor, her voice carrying loudly through the waiting room, which thankfully was empty, except for the receptionist, who did look up, but then quickly went back to working at her computer as if this wasn't the first time she had seen a child explode in this waiting room and would not be the last. "You promised I could see him after the session, you promised!" Her voice got louder with each word until she was screaming. "I want to be with Uncle Seth!"

Seth froze, not sure what he should do.

Dr. Graves looked at Payton, not angrily, but with an expression that said she wasn't going to take outbursts like this lying down. "Yes, I did say that," she confirmed. "And I wasn't lying. You see him right now, right?"

"So?" Payton said, sounding so belligerent that Seth had trouble believing this was the same kid he'd gotten to know and love. Payton might get upset, Payton might even stand up for herself as she had during Preston's wake, but this Payton sounded rude and disrespectful.

"Payton!" he said, a little sharper than he intended.

Dr. Graves ignored Seth and kept talking to Payton. "So, I didn't lie. You've seen him. And you will see him again. I just need about ten minutes to talk to him. You can stay out here with your Aunt Kayla."

"I don't want to be with Aunt Kayla!" Payton said, stubbornly, stamping her foot on the ground."I want to be with Uncle Seth!"

Seth was baffled. He looked over at Kayla, afraid she'd look hurt that Payton would rather be with him than with her, but Kayla was looking at Dr. Graves, trusting her to know what she was doing.

"Payton," Dr. Graves said, her voice still smooth and pleasant, as if they were discussing what flavor of milkshake she might want to order later at the ice cream parlor. "I need ten minutes with your Uncle Seth. That's not too much to ask for."

"Yes it is!" Payton stubbornly insisted. "Because then you'll want fifteen minutes, then twenty, then an hour, then two and then he'll have to fly back for work and I won't get any time with him at all!" She stomped her foot again, as if the floor should pay for the injustices of the world.

"Payton, ten minutes, I promise." Dr. Graves looked over at the receptionist who reached into a desk drawer, brought out a bright red kitchen timer and came over, handing it to the doctor. She took it and looked at Payton. "See what this is?"

Payton eyed it suspiciously, but nodded.

"It's a timer," Dr. Graves said. "And as soon as you let go of your Uncle Seth, I will set it for ten minutes. If he is not out of my office in ten minutes, you can open the door and come inside."

Payton looked at the time. "Does it work?" she asked, sounding surly.

Seth was still in a state of disbelief at Payton's actions. Yet, everyone in the room but him, didn't seem phased at all by this. He still had his arm around her, but he didn't hold her so tightly.

"Yes, it works," the doctor said. "And you can watch that clock over there too," she pointed to a clock above a couch lining the opposite wall. "Ten minutes, Payton, that's all I need."

Payton reluctantly disentangled herself from Seth, The moment she did, Dr. Graves set the timer and handed it to her. "Ten minutes," she repeated.

Payton snatched the timer and flopped on the couch next to Kayla, looking absolutely furious.

Dr. Graves office wasn't what Seth was expecting. He thought it would have a big desk, a couch, maybe some chairs and likely bookshelves. There was no desk, no bookshelves, no couch. Instead every wall was painted white, but to make up for that, there were huge plastic stickers on the walls. Super heroes flew out of the walls, rainbows made sweeping arcs, flowers sprang up from around the baseboards. The floor was tiled, but there were several scattered rugs in different, bright colors. There were small tables all over the room and toys were everywhere. A doll house, a box of different dolls, representing all types of people. A quick look inside showed Seth their were male dolls, female dolls, children dolls and baby dolls, all of them looking like the dollhouse was the perfect size for them. There were a bunch of hand puppets of all different types. There was a table that had been built to hold a huge sand box, and inside were toy trucks, toy car, toy buses, tiny buildings and tiny people, so you could make yourself a tiny city in the sand if you wished. Another table held a stack of paper and a big round container filled with crayons.

The room spoke to the inner child in Seth and he found himself running his fingers through the sand as he walked by.

"That's for sand therapy," Dr. Graves said, noticing what he was doing.

"Sand therapy?" Seth asked.

"Some children have trouble expressing themselves," Dr. Graves explained. "They can't articulate what is bothering them, and sometimes the truth comes out in play. Also, how a child plays can tell a doctor a lot about their mental state." She took a seat at one of the two adult sized chairs in the room and motioned to the other one. They were adult sized and looked comfortable, but they were molded plastic. Hers was a vivid purple, his was a bright pink. "I'm not just a grief counselor, although that is one of my specialties. I'm a child psychologist as well, specializing in play therapy."

"Does Payton ever play with the sand?" he found himself asking as he settled into his pink chair.

"Sometimes," Dr. Graves said, a small smile on her face. "But that's not important. We don't have much time, so I want to get to the point. I know what Kayla wants to happen now. What do you think should happen to Payton now that her parents are gone?"

Seth looked at her. "We adopt her," he said. "I mean, I know we have to get through the funeral and all, but if I know Kayla, she's already called our lawyer and has him getting that ball rolling."

Dr. Graves nodded. "I don't want to discourage you, but you do know that you have a rough road ahead of you, right?"

"Yeah," Seth shrugged. "I guess."

"Payton was fairly well prepared for Preston's death," Dr. Graves said. "But not her parents. This is a horrible shock to her."

"Well yeah, that makes sense," Seth said. "I mean, I don't know what Kayla or Payton has told you, but when it came to her, the Caldwells sucked as parents." He held up his hands as if trying to stop her from speaking before he had finished. "Yeah, I know, it's wrong to speak ill of the dead, but I'm not going to lie. Maybe they didn't hit Payton, but you know, maybe it would have been better if they had hit her. At least she would have known they knew she was alive. They neglected her, Dr. Graves. It was like she barely existed, all that mattered was Preston. Her shoes were too small, her hair was unkempt, she was way too skinny. If that isn't abuse, I don't know what is. Maybe if they'd hit her, someone would have noticed and gotten her out of that family sooner, She'd be better off. But still, yeah, it's got to be a shock to her. She just lost her brother, now her parents? I'm sure there was even part of her that thought the Caldwells would start treating her better with her brother dead. I don't believe that would have happened, but I can see where Payton might have hoped so. So, while it's all a big shame that they're dead, I can't help but think that once all is said and done and Payton is our daughter? It'll be better for her in the long run."

He half expected Dr. Graves to purse her lips or in some way show displeasure for his trashing of the Caldwells, but she just nodded, her face expressionless. "She's very attached to you, Mr. Rollins."

"Call me, Seth." Again he shrugged. "We bonded, what can I say? I think, besides her grandparents, who can't care for her full time because they have health issues of their own, I'm the first adult that paid attention to her. I think most of her life she's only had her parents, who literally forgot her once while rushing Preston to the hospital, and various doctors and nurses who were there for Preston. I reached out to her. At first because I felt sorry for her, but then because she's a really neat kid. I mean, I don't know how she acts with you and I know she wasn't at her finest in the waiting room just now, but those are the exceptions. She's an awesome kid."

"How did you feel about her when she was acting up out there?" Dr. Graves asked.

"I wasn't delighted," Seth admitted. "I was baffled because I'm not used to it. But mostly I just felt awful that she's so upset right now that the only way she can communicate how upset she is is to lash out. I saw her do it when her brother died over us being out of grape juice. I know Kayla has had to deal with some melt downs over other things, she's told me about them when we've talked. Today, Payton decided that I would be her breaking point. It is what it is. It doesn't mean I don't love her anymore."

"True," Dr. Graves said, nodding before continuing, "But, I do think Payton also might be testing the two of you."

"Huh?" Seth was puzzled.

"She may not even be aware she's doing it, but I suspect deep down she's trying to see how far can she push you and will you still love her. You're right, her parents did neglect her, and Payton responded by trying to be the best child she could." Dr. Graves studied him as she spoke and Seth had the feeling he was being measured for his worth. "Neglect does strange things to a child. Some kids, most kids, lash out. They go out of their way to become poorly behaved so their parents must pay attention to them. Like that old expression, even negative attention is better-"

"-than no attention at all," Seth said, falling into unison with the doctor.

Dr. Graves did smile then, a rather genuine smile that made Seth think that whoever she wore that wedding band for, might actually be a rather lucky person. "But some children," she continued, "react by trying to become perfect. They think that if they can never cause trouble, never disobey, they will earn their parents love and respect and their parents will love them. That's what Payton did. And it didn't work for her parents, but it did with you and Kayla. You and Kayla love her and if she's correct, you tell her so all the time."

"Ever day," Seth admitted. "At least once. If I'm on the road, we Skype if we can, if we can't, we text. My friends, Roman and Dean, they got me in the habit texting every night before I go to bed, so I never forget. She's usually asleep by then, so I text her 'Good morning, Pay, I love you!' so she sees that every day."

"Right," Dr. Graves nodded. "So, she knows you both love her. And I think deep down, now she's testing to see if you will still love her, even when you discover she's not perfect."

"Are you trying to tell me that she's going to become a little hellion?" Seth asked, brows furrowed. "That she'll become one of those out of control kids who is always into trouble? We'll get calls from her friend's parents to come pick her up because she tried to flush the cat down the toilet?"

Dr. Graves laughed. "I don't think it will be that bad, although teenage rebellion isn't out of the question. But, I doubt she'll flush a friend's cat down the toilet. I'm just warning you that the near perfect little girl you've grown to love with, might turn out to be a relatively normal girl instead. Would that upset you?"

"No," Seth said, without hesitation. "I mean, when we become her parents legally, and even now, we're not going to let her run wild and do whatever she wants, that's not fair to her. We owe it to her as her parents to help guide her down the path to being the best Payton Rollins she can become. But we don't expect her to be perfect, we expect her to be Payton. Dr. Graves, we love Payton, warts and all."

Dr. Graves was an expert nodder, and she gave him another one of her professional tips of the head, but she still was smiling. "I'm glad to hear that. You know, when it comes time to adopt her, the court might want to have a child psychologist evaluate her."

"Can't you do that?" Seth asked. "I mean, you've been seeing her all ready."

She shook her head this time. "I can't, because you and Kayla have been paying me. The court will want someone who is unbiased. But that psychologist might want to see my evaluations for themselves. They may even ask me flat out if I think you and Kayla would be what's best for Payton."

Seth found himself stiffening without meaning to. "What will you say?" he asked, his arms crossing over his chest. "If you can answer that."

"I'm going to say you'll make wonderful parents," Dr. Graves said. "But for awhile, things will be rough as she comes to terms with the loss of her parents. I know you're the heavyweight wrestling champion-"

"WWE World Heavyweight Champion," Seth corrected automatically. "Yes, are you a wrestling fan?"

"No," Dr. Graves admitted, not looking the least bit ashamed. "I have nothing against it, it's just not my thing. But Payton talks about you winning the championship a lot. She's very proud of you. But, if it's possible, I'd like to see you spending time with her now, while she's going through this. Skype and all is great and there will come a time when you'll make it work that way. But right now, I think she needs the man who she looks at as a father in her life. I know being the company champion makes you obligated to certain things, but..." her voice trailed off as if she were collecting her thoughts.

Yeah? She should meet Brock Lesnar, Seth thought. Unfortunately, she was right though, Seth wasn't Brock Lesnar, Seth couldn't shove the belt in a dresser drawer for six months and let Mercury or Nobel come out every few weeks and proclaim him the champion. That wasn't the role for guys like Seth. "Don't worry about that," he said, interrupting her before she could continue. "I will have to work some of the time. They'll expect me to do Raw and Smackdown and the Pay events. But I will be spending a lot of time with Payton."

"Will it be allowed?" Dr. Graves asked. "I'm not a wrestling fan, but I have done some research, because of Payton. It seems to be a most demanding profession."

"It is," Seth said. "More so if you're the champion. But don't worry, I've got that under control." His mind was already working.

"I'm glad to hear that," Dr. Graves said, "Because-"

She never got a chance to finish what she was saying, because the door burst open and Payton came into the room. Seth half expected her to storm over to him and latch on to him as if he was an anchor, but while she did go over to him, she didn't grab him, just stood close. "It's been ten minutes," she informed the doctor.

"And so it has," Dr. Graves agreed with a smile. "And I thank you for letting me talk to him."

Payton shrugged, taking Seth's hand in hers. "That's okay, but the ten minutes are up," she reminded the doctor, "So, he can leave, right?" She started tugging on his hand, trying to get him on his feet and lead him to the door.

"Payton!" Seth said, pulling his hand away from her. "I know we said ten minutes and the ten minutes are up, but you can't be this impatient. Give me one moment to say good bye."

Payton stared at him, wide eyed and shocked as he turned to the doctor and held out his hand. "Thank you, Dr. Graves. For everything."

"Thank you, Seth," Dr. Graves said, smiling in such a way that the corners of her eyes crinkled pleasantly. "And Payton, I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"I guess," Payton said, looking sullen.

"Payton," Seth said, dragging her name out a little longer than necessary.

Payton stared at him, then looked at Dr. Graves. "Yes, Dr. Graves, I'll see you tomorrow." Her voice was polite, if a little strained.

Seth put his arm around the girl. "Thank you, Payton. I know that wasn't easy for you to do. But let's go and get some lunch, shall we?"

"Can we go to that salad place?" Payton asked. "The one where they put everything you want on a salad? Please?"

"If your Aunt Kayla says so," Seth said.

As Seth and Payton walked out of the office, neither of them looked back. But if they had, they would have seen Dr. Graves smiling at the both of them, and nodding in approval.

End if Chapter Nineteen

Special Thanks To:

Holly: I don't know why it seems that sometimes I attract trolls. There are times when I think I need someone to invent troll repellent. But your response was perfect and I'm still grateful. You just told them like it is.

If Payton's grandfather wasn't suffering from elderly dementia (Alzheimer's) no doubt they would take Payton in, but they just aren't able to take care of her. So, Seth and Kayla are going to try to adopt her.

Catorie: Well, Seth's vision says one thing, Kayla agrees with him. Of course, Seth wasn't really there, so his vision is more likely to be a very vivid daydream. Is it the truth? We don't know for sure. Because there is nothing to gain and a lot to lose (for Payton) the deaths will likely be ruled as an accident.

Torrie: Yeah, I admit that was a blow you away ending. But now you know more.

Emilee: Amazingly enough, I was able to find some time to update faster than I have been! So, I hope this is good for you.

Angela: Hey there!

Yeah, no kids, don't want them. I do better at the favorite Aunt than I do at the whole, "I am responsible for you? Nope, that's not going to work."

Well, this chapter sheds a little more light, doesn't it?

I think the friendship is real, I truly do. But I also tell myself that even if it isn't, it is in my world and nothing will change that.

Yeah, I do like Bryan and his fans love him, but I'm afraid that his fans are going to love him to death.

God, again, don't get me started on Lesnar. It was so hypocritical giving him the strap after stripping it from Bryan. Again, I think there is a place for Lesnar. But do we have to give him all the toys too? Is the WWE Universe so messed up that if we see our champion more than every few months, we'll all get bored with him? I mean do we all have ADD? Because that's the argument I see Lesnar fans and Heyman making. "You love him more because he's never around." No, I want to see my champion.

Yeah, it is kind of nice having Stephanie and Triple H gone. I am so tired of the whole Authority thing because it means that bad guys seem to become butt kissers. I want to see a bad guy who is a bad ass. Someone who takes no shit and dishes it out every chance he gets.

I don't want to see a feud between Dean and Roman, but I fear that's where it's headed. But I am glad Dean isn't being relegated to being the mid card jobber. That was really getting on my nerves. He doesn't stand a chance at Payback, but I'm pretty sure Seth will hold that belt until Summerslam (And I'm afraid he'll drop it to Lesnar again, so Lesnar can go home and admire it all by himself) But it's nice to see him hanging with the big guys. But yeah, I hate the idea of the last of the Shield Brotherhood being ripped away. Although there was once talk about Shield reuniting, so, we'll see what happens.

To all reviewers, both registered and guests, thank you so much for your feedback, it is so appreciated. I am constantly amazed and touched at how well this story is doing. Please keep it coming, too! Every follow, every favor is appreciated every comment is loved. I'm hoping to have this wrapped up in three chapters or so, so we're in the home stretch.

Since this chapter is pretty long and my responses to my guests made it even longer, I'm going to end it here.

Peace Out
Willow.