A/N: I already put a notice up about this story on Gone, but I'll put one
here too. This story isn't going to be updated as much as my others. I
have two stories going on right now that need my attention. I can't really
tell you how frequently it'll be updated, so just keep a look out for it.
This is a really long chapter. So I hope it keeps ya'll happy for awhile.
Also, go check out UNITED PATHS. The sequel to Connection. THANKS
BUNCHES!!! And to any that's read that A/N in Gone about the stalker, I
need help. I'm so scared out of my mind, I'm in tears. I don't know what
to do anymore. I've blocked every screen name he has, e-mail and IM. And
he just keeps coming up with more. I've had my friend IM him, getting info
out of him, but he knew somehow that she was a friend of mine. And now
he's practically threatening me. I can't report him cause I don't have the
new updated version of AOL. So they won't let me report anyone. I've run
out of ideas. I don't know what he's going to do next. I've like blocked
all people except for people that are on my buddy list for TiGGerD2031, so
hopefully that'll work. So if you're not on my Buddy List for that sn,
you're not getting a hold of me probably. Lol I just don't trust anyone
now. And you can blame that asshole for it. So if you get IMed by a
NightOwl116 from AOL, don't speak to him. He's the total asshole stalker.
Oh, I won't be using my Cinderella sn for awhile. Just so I can possibly
get rid of him. Just to let ya'll know.
*************
"Pass me a coke Shan," Hope requested from her seat on the pillows that were scattered around the floor. Shannon threw her a can of coke and took a seat on the couch next to Lizzie.
"You do realize that you are picking up every last pillow that's on the damn floor before you leave, right?" Shannon asked as Crystal sat down next to Hope and leaned back against the couch between Shannon's legs.
"Maybe, if I feel like it," Hope smirked at him. He picked up the only pillow that was left on the couch and swung at Hope. He hit Lizzie, who was just sitting there with a plate of chocolate cake on her lap minding her own business, and then hit Hope. Hope and Lizzie turned and glared at him. Lizzie handed Hope her plate careful to not drop the cake and ripped the pillow out of Shannon's hands and nailed him across the face with it. Hope handed Lizzie back her cake and smiled, focusing on the TV. Shannon had an evil gin on his face as he reached across to Lizzie's plate and grabbed the cake off of it.
"Asshole!" Lizzie gasped as Shannon shoved the whole piece in his mouth. He smiled, licking each of his fingers.
"Alright children, it's almost 9," Crystal laughed turning the channel so they could watch RAW.
"You know what this means, Hope," Lizzie said dropping the phone into her lap.
"No, I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," Hope smiled dropping the phone on the couch.
"Well, you are jobless, so that means you have to call Jeff and let him know that you're goin to the WWF," Shannon chuckled proudly.
"If I took Jeff seriously every time he did this, I would have been in the WWF 20 times by now," she laughed as the phone rang. Shannon answered it with a smile on his face.
"Yeah, man. She's right here," he laughed dropping the phone into Hope's lap. "It's Jeff."
"Hey Jeffy," she said with a fake smile as RAW started.
"So, what's the word Bade?" he asked.
"Oh man, I can't hear you. There's all kinds of static! Damn cell phones!" Hope yelled hanging the phone up.
"Oh that was mean," Lizzie laughed as the phone rang again.
"That cell phone static trick won't get rid of me that easily," Jeff smiled when Hope answered it.
"What Jeff?!" Hope whined.
"Bade, did you get a job, or not?" Jeff asked.
"Well, um, ya see," Hope stalled.
"No, huh?" Jeff replied smugly.
"I didn't say that, exactly."
"Your answer is always the same when you stall like that."
"Alright, so I didn't make the deadline."
"Great, so I'll tell Vince to expect a call from you."
"Jeff, do you honestly want me there? Cause you know how much of a pain in the ass I can be."
"As true as that is, you're coming."
"Fine, I'll call his office tomorrow," Hope sulked.
"That's my good little sister," Jeff mocked her.
"Hey, I'm only 4 minutes younger!" she cried.
"Whatever. I have a match to get ready for. Love you."
"Love you too." She hung up and set the phone off to the side.
"Welcome to the WWF!!!" Shannon exclaimed throwing his arms around her neck.
"Yeah, not for long though if you keep choking me!" Hope gasped for air. He let her go and messed up her hair.
*******************
Hope walked through Titan Towers with her portfolio held tightly in her arms and her suitcase rolling behind. It was the Friday after Jeff had called her about her job situation. She sighed deeply as her nerves started to rise. If all went well during this meeting with the McMahon family, she'd have a job with the WWF in the wardrobe department. Her plane had gotten in late so she was unable to go to her hotel and check in and meet up with her brothers.
"Hi, I'm Hope Hardy. I'm here to meet with the McMahons about the job in wardrobe," she spoke to the secretary.
"Oh yeah, they're expecting you. Just down the hall on your right," the secretary instructed.
"Thank you," Hope smiled as she started walking down the hall. She looked down to where the door would be and shook her head.
"Hey!! We've been waiting here for like 15 minutes!" Matt greeted her, lifting her in a hug.
"Yeah, my plane got in late," she replied. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We wanted to be here when our sister signed her first WWF contract!" Jeff replied kissing her cheek.
"And Matt dragged me here against my will," Amy joked.
"Oh gees, thanks for that self esteem boost," Hope smiled hugging the red head. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the door almost in fear.
"Hey, you're the fearless one here. You'll be fine," Matt smiled squeezing her hand gently. Hope nodded at them all and left her suitcase with them. She knocked on the door was let in immediately.
"Sorry I'm late. My plane just got in," Hope smiled shaking everyone's hands.
"Oh that's quite alright. We understand," Linda smiled. "Please have a seat."
Hope nodded and sat in front of the family. She held out her portfolio and Vince looked through it immediately.
"So how long have you been designing?" he asked flipping through it.
"Oh forever. Um, as a kid I did the outfits for most of the wrestlers, including my brothers, in the Indy feds. Then I went for a degree in design after high school," I replied.
"You've got a lot of good ideas here," Stephanie smiled at her looking over her father's shoulder. "What's this mask?"
"Oh, that belongs to one of the characters Jeff used, Willow the Wisp. Jeff gave me some ideas and I put them on paper and then this other guy made it. I also made the top that Jeff wore for it," Hope answered.
"You were a wrestler too, correct?" Shane asked.
"Yeah, I wrestled a bit. Growing up with the Hardy Boyz you don't have much of a choice," she joked causing them to laugh which calmed her nerves quite a bit.
"Well, I think we've seen enough," Vince smiled. He pulled papers out of his brief case and a pen. He pushed them towards Hope and nodded at them. "We'd love to have you be a part of the WWF family."
"Thank you so much!" she replied excitedly signing her name on all the dotted lines.
"If you have any questions just come see any of us," Stephanie added.
"Well, I think we're done here. Congratulations and we'll see you on Monday for RAW," Vince stood to shake her hand. "Oh, and Shane will show you to your office here in the building."
"Thank you very much," Hope smiled as she followed Shane out the door. Matt, Jeff, and Amy stood when she walked out. She turned her head to look at them and stuck out her tongue and gave them a thumbs up. She turned back around and smiled as she followed Shane into her new office.
"Well, here it is. It's not much, but I think it serves its purpose," Shane smiled. "Welcome to the WWF family. I'm sure you'll be an excellent addition here."
"Thank you very much," she smiled. She sighed, glancing around the small room. She walked to the window and pulled up the shades, getting a beautiful view of Stamford, CT.
"If you need anything, buzz the secretary, Amanda, and she'll help you with anything," Shane said starting to walk out the door.
"Um, wait, one question," Hope said turning around, just catching him before he went out the door.
"Shoot," he smiled.
"Um, about my work schedule, will I work the same hours as say my brothers?" she asked.
"Um, well, your schedule is a little complicated. We want you to be at, at least, one show a week. Just so you can interact with the superstars. If you can make a taping of either RAW or Smackdown a week, that would be fabulous, plus one house show. Office hours are 9 till 6 weekdays. So you'll be able to work in your office any day of the week. Merchandising meetings are Wednesday mornings at 9 sharp. But other than that you can go back home on weekends or weekdays. Although, I'd probably suggest you find an apartment here. There are many nice ones in the area. I'm sure you'll be spending a lot of time here," Shane explained. "I think that's about it. Mine and Stephanie's numbers are right by your phone. If you need my parents just talk to my father's secretary."
"Thank you Mr. McMahon," Hope smiled.
"Please call me Shane. Mr. McMahon makes me sound like my father. And I hope I'm not that old yet," he joked. Hope laughed nervously, playing with her hands. "You don't have to be nervous around us. We're not monsters or anything. We're pretty reasonable people." Shane smiled at her and left, leaving the door open. Jeff ran into the room and picked Hope up, swinging her around.
"This is going to be great!! We can share a hotel room and do all kinds of crazy shit. It'd be just like when we were little!" Jeff exclaimed excitedly.
"Jeff, my schedule is kinda complicated. I think I have to move out," Hope said sadly.
"Move out?" Jeff asked sounding rather upset.
"Yeah, move out. And move here. They think it's better that way," she said.
"They're making you move?!" he exclaimed.
"No, they're not making me move."
"Then don't move."
"Jeff, I have to be on the road and here in the office and at merchandising meetings. I'll be home like 2 times a week at the most!"
"And I'm home more than that?!"
"No, but I don't have the money for all that travel."
"You'll get the money! Hope, I don't want you to move! Think about me, Matt, Shannon, Lizzie, Crystal, Beth, but Hope think about Dad most of all. Think about how this is goin to affect him!"
"You think I haven't?! I know it's going to crush him. I don't want to move anymore than you want me to! Jesus Jeff, I love living in Cameron. I love living with Daddy. I love being down the road from Shannon, Crystal, and Lizzie. Most of all I love having you right there," Hope argued.
"If you didn't want to move you wouldn't! I can't believe this. Ya know, this all sucks. I thought it would be great for you to be here. Now I wish you weren't!"
"Well, hey, this is all your fault. Just remember that."
"Enlighten me Hope. How the hell is this all my fault?"
"You're the one that made me apply for the job."
"Hope, you've never listened to me before. If you didn't truly want this job you wouldn't have gone for it. So don't blame this all on me!"
"Oh whatever Jeff. God, you're such an ass sometimes!"
"Well, you're a bitch sometimes!"
"Asshole!" Hope exclaimed getting into Jeff's face.
"Bitch!"
"Whoa! Hold up, what the hell is the problem!?" Matt yelled splitting them apart.
"Ask him, he's the asshole," Hope replied crossing her arms angrily as she leaned against her bare desk.
"You guys never fight. Why the hell would you start now?" Matt asked.
"She's moving. She's moving away from us," Jeff answered storming out of the office.
"Your moving?" Amy asked.
"I don't know. It only kinda makes sense with my schedule," Hope said. "I should go talk to him." Hope started to walk out of the office but stopped and turned around. She wrapped her arms around Matt's waist and reached up to kiss his cheek.
"What was that for?" he smiled.
"For being my big brother. I know I don't always express this to you, but I do love you and I'm very proud to have you in my life," she smiled.
"If you were really loved me, you'd dump Chad," Matt muttered.
"I heard that!" she called to him as she ran down the hall. Jeff hadn't gotten far. He was sitting outside of the elevator with his head down. She slid down the wall and sat next to him on the floor. She nudged his shoulder with hers and he slipped his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of her multi-colored head. She smiled contently and they sat there until Matt forced them to leave.
******************
"I refuse to let you move out," Shannon said pacing Hope's room.
"Shan, it's not a sure thing yet," she laughed.
"Well, still, you'll move out over my dead body," Shannon replied crossing his arms. The door flew open, knocking Shannon on the floor, and Lizzie ran in.
"Looks like that could be arranged," Hope joked.
"Okay, Crystal better be joking with me. You're not moving, right?!" Lizzie demanded to know.
Hope just shook her head as she helped Shannon to his feet. "I don't know yet. I'm going to see how hectic things are for the first month or so. And then I'll decide," she answered. Lizzie stared at her, her eyebrows narrowed angrily. "But what difference does it make anyways. You'll be gone just as much as me if not more!"
"But, but, but," Lizzie stuttered. She pouted and sat on Jeff's bed.
"Don't worry. I'll be here for at least another month," Cinder smiled.
"You'd better be," Shannon said sitting on one side of Lizzie. "Well, how was your first week anyways?"
"Busy. I had to come up with a costume idea for Hurricane Helms. So I spent more time with Shane than I seriously wanted to. And then I had to enlarge a pair of Paul Levesque's tights. Adam and I had our first meeting together. That was awkward," Hope replied.
"Is Paul as big of an asshole off screen as he is on?" Lizzie asked.
"Um, no, I don't think so. Didn't really spend too much time with him. Just got his measurements and that was about it," Hope replied.
"I can't believe you're working with the WWF before me!" Shannon laughed.
"Yeah really. The girl that always said she wouldn't work for them has jumped on the bandwagon," Lizzie laughed.
"Speaking of bands, Ozzfest next weekend guys!" Hope exclaimed.
"I know! I'm so psyched! We're all meeting at my house right?" Shannon asked.
"Yeah, bright and early," Lizzie grinned.
"I'll grab some of Jeff's face paint and we can do our faces for the Marilyn Manson performance," Hope said.
"This is going to be great. Kind of like our last little hurrah. Lizzie and I are off to HWA. You're off with Jeff and Matt. It's gonna be hard to get together like this again for awhile," Shannon said.
"It's not like we're all gonna die Shan," Lizzie laughed. "We'll all see each other like twice a week."
"Hopefully," Shannon said directing his attention to Hope.
"Aw, come on, I'm not gonna leave you guys. I'll be around. Don't worry," Hope smiled.
************
"Happy birthday to us!" Hope smiled giving Jeff a hug. "Where are my keys?"
"Oh, like you don't know. You've only been driving the damn thing all month," he growled at her, dropping the keys in her hand.
"Yeah, but I couldn't let it sit out in the yard doing nothing," she replied seriously.
"Just give me my dirt bike," he laughed.
"Ask Matt for it. He's got all the stuff for it," she replied.
"Ya know, I really hate these joint gifts sometimes," Jeff muttered as Hope followed him into the kitchen.
"How are the new 24 year olds?" Matt smiled, his arm tightly wrapped around Amy's waist.
"Stop the groping and give me my dirt bike," Jeff demanded.
"That's horrible Jeff," Beth laughed.
"Yes, that's my son, the rude one. It's moments like this when I'm proud to call him son," their dad joked.
"It's in my room. I'll give it to you later. Where's Shannon and crew?" Matt asked.
"He said that Crystal was picking up something last minute," Jeff replied as Shannon, Crystal, and Lizzie walked into the house together.
"Well speak of the devils," Beth smiled as Crystal sat next to her. Lizzie glared at Beth as if she was going to attack.
Hope pulled Lizzie aside and glared at her. "Lizzie, please don't do anything. I'm begging you."
"Don't worry, I'll be good," Lizzie crossed her heart. "For awhile." Hope shook her head and rolled her eyes, pulling her back into the kitchen.
"Well, happy birthday Bade. This is from Lizzie, Crystal, and I," Shannon smiled handing over an oddly shaped gift. Hope set it on the floor and ripped the paper off, balling some of it up and throwing it at Matt. She laughed until she saw what it was. It was a brand new, bright blue, electric guitar.
"Oh wow! You shouldn't have!" she gasped taking it out of the case and resting it on her lap.
"No, but we wanted to. Besides, I don't exactly trust you with my acoustic," Shannon smiled sarcastically. Hope started strumming a few cords before a box was dropped in her lap.
"I had Crystal run into the music store before they got here. Since I knew you'd think something was up if I went. And she picked this up for me," Amy smiled as I opened the small box. Inside was an autographed pick by Slash of Guns N' Roses.
"Amy, this is absolutely wonderful!" Hope cried hugging her tightly. "Thank you all so much. It's been a wonderful birthday."
"Yeah, thanks. We really appreciate all the stuff you guys got us," Jeff smiled.
"Well, Shane should be here soon to have cake with us," Matt said as Amy jumped off his lap.
"Why?! It's not bad enough that I have to work with the man? I have to see him on my birthday too?!" Hope whined.
"Whining is so becoming on you," Matt smirked gripping her face in his hand before she shook him off. "Anyways, Amy and I are going to run to her house to get the cake. We'll be back in few."
While Matt and Amy were gone, Jeff, Beth, and Crystal went to Jeff's to bring over Liger and Sabu. Shannon, Lizzie, and Hope sat in her room, jamming out to Hope's new guitar. She was really excited to have one of her own. Now with any luck she'd be able to jump into a band with Shannon and Jeff.
"Hope, Chad's here!" her father called to her. She ran down the stairs and outside, shutting the door behind her.
"Hey baby," Hope smiled reaching up to kiss Chad's tan face. His crystal blue eyes were bright and stood out against his black raven like hair.
"We need to talk," he said seriously pulling her outside. She looked up at him nervously, not saying a word. "Listen, I don't like the idea of you hanging around all those wrestlers like you are."
"It's my job Chad. I have no choice."
"It's either them or me."
"You're making me choose between you and my job?!"
"Yeah, cause frankly, I don't trust you."
"Oh no, cause I've done absolutely nothing to hurt that trust. But I'm supposed to trust you whole heartedly, even though you had that little fling with Miranda. Whatever. How could you do this on my birthday?!"
"That's right, and why am I not invited to your birthday?"
"Because it's a family thing. You know that!"
"Well, I bet Lizzie and Shannon are there, right?"
"Yeah, but they're family."
"And your boyfriend isn't?!"
"Oh please! You're just being a dick head. Making me choose between you and my job!"
"Well, it's your choice. Your job, or me." He flashed her a cocky little grin as he put his hand on her shoulder and ran it up and down her arm and neck. She smiled up at him and shook her head.
"You can go have some fun with that LITTLE COCKy grin of yours. Cause I'm finished with your ass," she replied walking into the house and slamming the door in his face.
"Matt'll be so proud of you," Shannon grinned welcoming her at the door.
"Yeah, I'm glad I could make him happy," she said solemnly. Shannon put his arm around and squeezed her tightly.
"You're the strong one. Remember that. You've been through a lot and lived to tell about it. You'll get through this," Shannon smiled.
"Yeah, well, I'm tired of being the strong one," she cried running up to her room. She slammed the door behind her and crashed on her bed, grabbing one of the stuffed animals that garnished her bed.
"Should we go talk to her?" Shannon asked Lizzie.
"I don't think so. This is something she has to get over by herself I think," Lizzie replied.
"Hey, where's the birthday twins?" Shane smiled walking into the house.
"Well, one's at his house. And the other is up in her room crying hysterically cause she and an asshole just broke up," Lizzie replied. Shane's smiled faded as he gripped the gift bag in his hand tightly and stormed up the stairs.
"Shane! I wouldn't go up there if I were you!" Shannon called after him.
"He's gone Shan, don't waste your breath," Lizzie sighed.
"Hope!" Shane called knocking on her door. "Hope, can I come in?!"
"Shane, just go away!" she cried. He shook his head and walked in. "I told you to go away."
"I don't care. You need someone right now. I'm not letting you lock yourself away in your room like you did last time," he said sitting down next to her. "Come on, he's a dick. You deserve better than that and you know it."
"Well, maybe I can't get better!" she exclaimed.
"Don't think so badly about yourself. You're a beautiful, sweet, smart, and talented girl. You can anyone you want!" Shane said wrapping his arms around her. "Come on, cheer up. It's your birthday." She buried her head in his chest and cried.
"I miss my mom," she cried quietly.
"Shh, I know. But she's here with you. You know that," Shane replied quietly rocking her back and forth.
"But I want her here in the physical world. Where I can hold her and cry on her shoulder."
"What? Am I not doing a good of enough job?" Shane joked.
"No, it's just not the same," she replied. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
"Well, hey, this may make you feel a little better. I had to get it for you when I saw it in New York. It just screams you," he laughed handing her the gift bag.
"Shane, you didn't have to get me anything," she said wiping her cheeks.
"I know I didn't have to. But I wanted to. It's kinda a thanks for doing my Hurricane costume," he smiled as she pulled out a baseball teddy bear with Posada's number 20 Yankee jersey on it.
"Aw, thank you so much Shane," she smiled hugging him tightly.
"Did that asshole really do that to you?!" Matt steamed storming into Hope's room. She detached herself from Shane and nodded at her older over protective brother. "Mother fucker. I'm going to hunt him down and hurt him badly."
"Matt, no. Please don't make things more worse than they already are," she pleaded.
"But he hurt you Bade. I'm not letting the fuckwad get away with hurting my baby sister," Matt said walking towards her and taking her into his arms. Shane shrugged and walked out of the room, only to be pushed aside by Jeff who barged in, practically slamming the door in Shane's face.
"What the hell is goin on?!" Jeff roared.
"Chad made Hope choose between him and work. She chose work. So now she's all upset," Matt explained.
"No, really, I'm fine now guys. Shane, Shane was there for me," she smiled pulling away from Matt's tight grip.
"You let Shane take care of you?" Jeff asked bewildered. Hope nodded.
"Did we slip into an alternate universe?!" Matt exclaimed with a laugh.
Hope laughed and set her new teddy bear on the shelf with the rest of her old softball and baseball stuff. She led her brothers down into the kitchen to finish celebrating hers and Jeff's birthday. She was bound and determined to make it a good day. There was just one thing she had to do.
"Shannon, could you um, could you come here for a second?" Hope asked quietly as they all sat in the living room watching childhood wrestling tapes. He nodded and they moved into the den.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Can you take me to the softball field and to the cemetery?" she asked softball in hand.
"Oh no Hope. You do this every year, and every year it turns out bad," Shannon said crossing his arms.
"Please? I have to do this. And you're the only one that I want to take me," she said.
"Alright, just give me a second," he sighed walking into the living room. He excused himself and Hope and they jumped into his Mustang.
"Thank you Shan," she smiled at him.
"No problem. I know how much this means to you. So I guess it's not such a bad thing," he returned the smile. They stopped at the old school softball field where her mother had taught her to play softball. She stood on the pitching mound and the memories came flooding back to her.
"Mommy, I can't do this," Hope cried as she stood staring at her mother, who was crouched down to catch the pitch she wanted her daughter to throw. Hope had gone back to when she was 7 and her mom was teaching her to pitch a softball. Hope stood alone on the mound, the large ball in her hand and the glove fitting her left hand perfectly.
"Honey, you can to do this. I taught you exactly what to do. Now all you have to do is believe in yourself," her mother's voice rang through her head as clear as day. Hope bit on her lip, her eyebrows narrowed as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her mother smiled at her, that warm giving smile that was so infectious. Hope aimed and let go of the ball, only to hear a large smack of the ball hitting the glove. Hope looked at her mom as she dropped it out of her glove, allowing it to bounce on the plate.
"MOMMY!! I DID IT!!!" Hope cried jumping into her mother's arms. Ruby laughed as she held her young daughter tightly.
"See, I told you that you could do it," she smiled kissing her daughter's forehead. "You're going to be a star player someday with that arm of yours. Just don't go around beating your brothers, alright?"
"Yes, Mommy," Hope giggled. "I love you."
"I love you too Hope. I love you too," Ruby sighed as Hope's thoughts came back to her in the present day. Tears were slowly running down Hope's cheeks. She threw the softball at the backstop and let out a deep breath.
"Hope, ya ready?" Shannon called from the car. Hope waved to him and picked up the ball. Digging a hole in the ground with her foot and hand, she buried the ball as a memory of that day. She walked back to the car and got in. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I guess," she sniffled. "Cemetery."
Shannon sighed and they headed for the cemetery. Once there, Shannon parked on the road closest to Ruby's burial plot. Hope stood in front of her mother's stone and rubbed the surface of it with her thumb. Her thoughts drifted back to the day they buried her. She was 10 and scared out of her mind.
She stood crying as the coffin was being dropped into the grave. She wanted so badly for her mother to pop the coffin cover open and yell surprise. She gripped onto Jeff, who was shaking almost violently. And Matt, stood straight faced, strong than the other two children. Her father, her father was standing there, tears just barely drifting down his cheeks.
"Mommy?" she asked softly as the coffin hit the bottom of the grave.
"Mom's gone," Jeff cried as the kids threw roses onto the coffin. They started to shovel dirt into the hole.
"NO!" Hope cried as she dove for the grave. Matt miraculously grabbed her at the waist and although he was only 13, he was strong enough to pull her back towards them. He held onto her as she kicked and screamed.
"Hope, she's gone. Gone. You can't go with her," Matt whispered in her ear. Hope relaxed in his arms and turned violently, burying her head into his chest. She cried so hard she could barely breathe. She coughed horribly and couldn't stop. When the burial was over, their father started to lead them away. She wouldn't move. She knelt down and cried until she had passed out. Matt lifted her into his arms and carried her to the truck. At home, she stayed in her bedroom, crying into her pillow refusing to eat anything.
"Bade, please eat. You're scaring me," Jeff said rubbing her back.
"But Mom's gone. She's no longer around Jeff. I can't. I want her back," Hope cried.
"We can't get her back. We have to pick up and move on. Like Daddy said. Come on Hope. I don't want to lose you too," Jeff said. She looked up into his sad green eyes. They were red and puffy from crying at the funeral. She noticed tears were slipping down his face slowly. "Please Hope. Please eat. I don't want you to get sick and die like Mommy did." She sighed and nodded at him, putting some of her Dad's mashed potatoes in her mouth.
"Jeff, I'm sorry, but if I eat anymore of Dad's food, I'm gonna die anyways," she joked. Jeff laughed half-heartedly and sat with her as she ate.
"Hope, you ready?!" Shannon yelled from the call.
"Just a few more minutes!" she yelled back to him.
"Alright! Just hurry! It's gonna rain soon!" he yelled. She nodded at him and sat on the ground in front of the stone.
"Well, Mommy, I'm 24 now. And being without you isn't any easier. I miss you like crazy. So, now all your children have jobs in the WWF, as I'm sure you know. Just be glad I'm not wrestling. I don't think Matt'd let me anyways," Hope laughed rubbing her hand on the stone. She started to cry through her laughter. "I want you home Mom. We need you sometimes. You missed everything in my life!" She cried harder. "And all I keep thinking about is how you're not going to be there for my wedding. You're not going to be there for Jeff's wedding. You're not going to be there for Matt's." It began to rain torrentially.
"HOPE!! COME ON!!" Shannon screamed to her.
"Well, Mom, another year has gone by. It's raining now and Shannon's having a fit like normal. I love you. And I'll see you again this time next year," she smiled as she kissed the cold wet stone, just as lightening struck the ground only about a mile away. She gasped as she jumped up, running for the car.
"You alright?" Shannon asked handing her a tissue.
"Yeah, for another year or so. Thanks," she smiled.
"Home?"
"Home," she nodded.
*************
"Pass me a coke Shan," Hope requested from her seat on the pillows that were scattered around the floor. Shannon threw her a can of coke and took a seat on the couch next to Lizzie.
"You do realize that you are picking up every last pillow that's on the damn floor before you leave, right?" Shannon asked as Crystal sat down next to Hope and leaned back against the couch between Shannon's legs.
"Maybe, if I feel like it," Hope smirked at him. He picked up the only pillow that was left on the couch and swung at Hope. He hit Lizzie, who was just sitting there with a plate of chocolate cake on her lap minding her own business, and then hit Hope. Hope and Lizzie turned and glared at him. Lizzie handed Hope her plate careful to not drop the cake and ripped the pillow out of Shannon's hands and nailed him across the face with it. Hope handed Lizzie back her cake and smiled, focusing on the TV. Shannon had an evil gin on his face as he reached across to Lizzie's plate and grabbed the cake off of it.
"Asshole!" Lizzie gasped as Shannon shoved the whole piece in his mouth. He smiled, licking each of his fingers.
"Alright children, it's almost 9," Crystal laughed turning the channel so they could watch RAW.
"You know what this means, Hope," Lizzie said dropping the phone into her lap.
"No, I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," Hope smiled dropping the phone on the couch.
"Well, you are jobless, so that means you have to call Jeff and let him know that you're goin to the WWF," Shannon chuckled proudly.
"If I took Jeff seriously every time he did this, I would have been in the WWF 20 times by now," she laughed as the phone rang. Shannon answered it with a smile on his face.
"Yeah, man. She's right here," he laughed dropping the phone into Hope's lap. "It's Jeff."
"Hey Jeffy," she said with a fake smile as RAW started.
"So, what's the word Bade?" he asked.
"Oh man, I can't hear you. There's all kinds of static! Damn cell phones!" Hope yelled hanging the phone up.
"Oh that was mean," Lizzie laughed as the phone rang again.
"That cell phone static trick won't get rid of me that easily," Jeff smiled when Hope answered it.
"What Jeff?!" Hope whined.
"Bade, did you get a job, or not?" Jeff asked.
"Well, um, ya see," Hope stalled.
"No, huh?" Jeff replied smugly.
"I didn't say that, exactly."
"Your answer is always the same when you stall like that."
"Alright, so I didn't make the deadline."
"Great, so I'll tell Vince to expect a call from you."
"Jeff, do you honestly want me there? Cause you know how much of a pain in the ass I can be."
"As true as that is, you're coming."
"Fine, I'll call his office tomorrow," Hope sulked.
"That's my good little sister," Jeff mocked her.
"Hey, I'm only 4 minutes younger!" she cried.
"Whatever. I have a match to get ready for. Love you."
"Love you too." She hung up and set the phone off to the side.
"Welcome to the WWF!!!" Shannon exclaimed throwing his arms around her neck.
"Yeah, not for long though if you keep choking me!" Hope gasped for air. He let her go and messed up her hair.
*******************
Hope walked through Titan Towers with her portfolio held tightly in her arms and her suitcase rolling behind. It was the Friday after Jeff had called her about her job situation. She sighed deeply as her nerves started to rise. If all went well during this meeting with the McMahon family, she'd have a job with the WWF in the wardrobe department. Her plane had gotten in late so she was unable to go to her hotel and check in and meet up with her brothers.
"Hi, I'm Hope Hardy. I'm here to meet with the McMahons about the job in wardrobe," she spoke to the secretary.
"Oh yeah, they're expecting you. Just down the hall on your right," the secretary instructed.
"Thank you," Hope smiled as she started walking down the hall. She looked down to where the door would be and shook her head.
"Hey!! We've been waiting here for like 15 minutes!" Matt greeted her, lifting her in a hug.
"Yeah, my plane got in late," she replied. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We wanted to be here when our sister signed her first WWF contract!" Jeff replied kissing her cheek.
"And Matt dragged me here against my will," Amy joked.
"Oh gees, thanks for that self esteem boost," Hope smiled hugging the red head. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the door almost in fear.
"Hey, you're the fearless one here. You'll be fine," Matt smiled squeezing her hand gently. Hope nodded at them all and left her suitcase with them. She knocked on the door was let in immediately.
"Sorry I'm late. My plane just got in," Hope smiled shaking everyone's hands.
"Oh that's quite alright. We understand," Linda smiled. "Please have a seat."
Hope nodded and sat in front of the family. She held out her portfolio and Vince looked through it immediately.
"So how long have you been designing?" he asked flipping through it.
"Oh forever. Um, as a kid I did the outfits for most of the wrestlers, including my brothers, in the Indy feds. Then I went for a degree in design after high school," I replied.
"You've got a lot of good ideas here," Stephanie smiled at her looking over her father's shoulder. "What's this mask?"
"Oh, that belongs to one of the characters Jeff used, Willow the Wisp. Jeff gave me some ideas and I put them on paper and then this other guy made it. I also made the top that Jeff wore for it," Hope answered.
"You were a wrestler too, correct?" Shane asked.
"Yeah, I wrestled a bit. Growing up with the Hardy Boyz you don't have much of a choice," she joked causing them to laugh which calmed her nerves quite a bit.
"Well, I think we've seen enough," Vince smiled. He pulled papers out of his brief case and a pen. He pushed them towards Hope and nodded at them. "We'd love to have you be a part of the WWF family."
"Thank you so much!" she replied excitedly signing her name on all the dotted lines.
"If you have any questions just come see any of us," Stephanie added.
"Well, I think we're done here. Congratulations and we'll see you on Monday for RAW," Vince stood to shake her hand. "Oh, and Shane will show you to your office here in the building."
"Thank you very much," Hope smiled as she followed Shane out the door. Matt, Jeff, and Amy stood when she walked out. She turned her head to look at them and stuck out her tongue and gave them a thumbs up. She turned back around and smiled as she followed Shane into her new office.
"Well, here it is. It's not much, but I think it serves its purpose," Shane smiled. "Welcome to the WWF family. I'm sure you'll be an excellent addition here."
"Thank you very much," she smiled. She sighed, glancing around the small room. She walked to the window and pulled up the shades, getting a beautiful view of Stamford, CT.
"If you need anything, buzz the secretary, Amanda, and she'll help you with anything," Shane said starting to walk out the door.
"Um, wait, one question," Hope said turning around, just catching him before he went out the door.
"Shoot," he smiled.
"Um, about my work schedule, will I work the same hours as say my brothers?" she asked.
"Um, well, your schedule is a little complicated. We want you to be at, at least, one show a week. Just so you can interact with the superstars. If you can make a taping of either RAW or Smackdown a week, that would be fabulous, plus one house show. Office hours are 9 till 6 weekdays. So you'll be able to work in your office any day of the week. Merchandising meetings are Wednesday mornings at 9 sharp. But other than that you can go back home on weekends or weekdays. Although, I'd probably suggest you find an apartment here. There are many nice ones in the area. I'm sure you'll be spending a lot of time here," Shane explained. "I think that's about it. Mine and Stephanie's numbers are right by your phone. If you need my parents just talk to my father's secretary."
"Thank you Mr. McMahon," Hope smiled.
"Please call me Shane. Mr. McMahon makes me sound like my father. And I hope I'm not that old yet," he joked. Hope laughed nervously, playing with her hands. "You don't have to be nervous around us. We're not monsters or anything. We're pretty reasonable people." Shane smiled at her and left, leaving the door open. Jeff ran into the room and picked Hope up, swinging her around.
"This is going to be great!! We can share a hotel room and do all kinds of crazy shit. It'd be just like when we were little!" Jeff exclaimed excitedly.
"Jeff, my schedule is kinda complicated. I think I have to move out," Hope said sadly.
"Move out?" Jeff asked sounding rather upset.
"Yeah, move out. And move here. They think it's better that way," she said.
"They're making you move?!" he exclaimed.
"No, they're not making me move."
"Then don't move."
"Jeff, I have to be on the road and here in the office and at merchandising meetings. I'll be home like 2 times a week at the most!"
"And I'm home more than that?!"
"No, but I don't have the money for all that travel."
"You'll get the money! Hope, I don't want you to move! Think about me, Matt, Shannon, Lizzie, Crystal, Beth, but Hope think about Dad most of all. Think about how this is goin to affect him!"
"You think I haven't?! I know it's going to crush him. I don't want to move anymore than you want me to! Jesus Jeff, I love living in Cameron. I love living with Daddy. I love being down the road from Shannon, Crystal, and Lizzie. Most of all I love having you right there," Hope argued.
"If you didn't want to move you wouldn't! I can't believe this. Ya know, this all sucks. I thought it would be great for you to be here. Now I wish you weren't!"
"Well, hey, this is all your fault. Just remember that."
"Enlighten me Hope. How the hell is this all my fault?"
"You're the one that made me apply for the job."
"Hope, you've never listened to me before. If you didn't truly want this job you wouldn't have gone for it. So don't blame this all on me!"
"Oh whatever Jeff. God, you're such an ass sometimes!"
"Well, you're a bitch sometimes!"
"Asshole!" Hope exclaimed getting into Jeff's face.
"Bitch!"
"Whoa! Hold up, what the hell is the problem!?" Matt yelled splitting them apart.
"Ask him, he's the asshole," Hope replied crossing her arms angrily as she leaned against her bare desk.
"You guys never fight. Why the hell would you start now?" Matt asked.
"She's moving. She's moving away from us," Jeff answered storming out of the office.
"Your moving?" Amy asked.
"I don't know. It only kinda makes sense with my schedule," Hope said. "I should go talk to him." Hope started to walk out of the office but stopped and turned around. She wrapped her arms around Matt's waist and reached up to kiss his cheek.
"What was that for?" he smiled.
"For being my big brother. I know I don't always express this to you, but I do love you and I'm very proud to have you in my life," she smiled.
"If you were really loved me, you'd dump Chad," Matt muttered.
"I heard that!" she called to him as she ran down the hall. Jeff hadn't gotten far. He was sitting outside of the elevator with his head down. She slid down the wall and sat next to him on the floor. She nudged his shoulder with hers and he slipped his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of her multi-colored head. She smiled contently and they sat there until Matt forced them to leave.
******************
"I refuse to let you move out," Shannon said pacing Hope's room.
"Shan, it's not a sure thing yet," she laughed.
"Well, still, you'll move out over my dead body," Shannon replied crossing his arms. The door flew open, knocking Shannon on the floor, and Lizzie ran in.
"Looks like that could be arranged," Hope joked.
"Okay, Crystal better be joking with me. You're not moving, right?!" Lizzie demanded to know.
Hope just shook her head as she helped Shannon to his feet. "I don't know yet. I'm going to see how hectic things are for the first month or so. And then I'll decide," she answered. Lizzie stared at her, her eyebrows narrowed angrily. "But what difference does it make anyways. You'll be gone just as much as me if not more!"
"But, but, but," Lizzie stuttered. She pouted and sat on Jeff's bed.
"Don't worry. I'll be here for at least another month," Cinder smiled.
"You'd better be," Shannon said sitting on one side of Lizzie. "Well, how was your first week anyways?"
"Busy. I had to come up with a costume idea for Hurricane Helms. So I spent more time with Shane than I seriously wanted to. And then I had to enlarge a pair of Paul Levesque's tights. Adam and I had our first meeting together. That was awkward," Hope replied.
"Is Paul as big of an asshole off screen as he is on?" Lizzie asked.
"Um, no, I don't think so. Didn't really spend too much time with him. Just got his measurements and that was about it," Hope replied.
"I can't believe you're working with the WWF before me!" Shannon laughed.
"Yeah really. The girl that always said she wouldn't work for them has jumped on the bandwagon," Lizzie laughed.
"Speaking of bands, Ozzfest next weekend guys!" Hope exclaimed.
"I know! I'm so psyched! We're all meeting at my house right?" Shannon asked.
"Yeah, bright and early," Lizzie grinned.
"I'll grab some of Jeff's face paint and we can do our faces for the Marilyn Manson performance," Hope said.
"This is going to be great. Kind of like our last little hurrah. Lizzie and I are off to HWA. You're off with Jeff and Matt. It's gonna be hard to get together like this again for awhile," Shannon said.
"It's not like we're all gonna die Shan," Lizzie laughed. "We'll all see each other like twice a week."
"Hopefully," Shannon said directing his attention to Hope.
"Aw, come on, I'm not gonna leave you guys. I'll be around. Don't worry," Hope smiled.
************
"Happy birthday to us!" Hope smiled giving Jeff a hug. "Where are my keys?"
"Oh, like you don't know. You've only been driving the damn thing all month," he growled at her, dropping the keys in her hand.
"Yeah, but I couldn't let it sit out in the yard doing nothing," she replied seriously.
"Just give me my dirt bike," he laughed.
"Ask Matt for it. He's got all the stuff for it," she replied.
"Ya know, I really hate these joint gifts sometimes," Jeff muttered as Hope followed him into the kitchen.
"How are the new 24 year olds?" Matt smiled, his arm tightly wrapped around Amy's waist.
"Stop the groping and give me my dirt bike," Jeff demanded.
"That's horrible Jeff," Beth laughed.
"Yes, that's my son, the rude one. It's moments like this when I'm proud to call him son," their dad joked.
"It's in my room. I'll give it to you later. Where's Shannon and crew?" Matt asked.
"He said that Crystal was picking up something last minute," Jeff replied as Shannon, Crystal, and Lizzie walked into the house together.
"Well speak of the devils," Beth smiled as Crystal sat next to her. Lizzie glared at Beth as if she was going to attack.
Hope pulled Lizzie aside and glared at her. "Lizzie, please don't do anything. I'm begging you."
"Don't worry, I'll be good," Lizzie crossed her heart. "For awhile." Hope shook her head and rolled her eyes, pulling her back into the kitchen.
"Well, happy birthday Bade. This is from Lizzie, Crystal, and I," Shannon smiled handing over an oddly shaped gift. Hope set it on the floor and ripped the paper off, balling some of it up and throwing it at Matt. She laughed until she saw what it was. It was a brand new, bright blue, electric guitar.
"Oh wow! You shouldn't have!" she gasped taking it out of the case and resting it on her lap.
"No, but we wanted to. Besides, I don't exactly trust you with my acoustic," Shannon smiled sarcastically. Hope started strumming a few cords before a box was dropped in her lap.
"I had Crystal run into the music store before they got here. Since I knew you'd think something was up if I went. And she picked this up for me," Amy smiled as I opened the small box. Inside was an autographed pick by Slash of Guns N' Roses.
"Amy, this is absolutely wonderful!" Hope cried hugging her tightly. "Thank you all so much. It's been a wonderful birthday."
"Yeah, thanks. We really appreciate all the stuff you guys got us," Jeff smiled.
"Well, Shane should be here soon to have cake with us," Matt said as Amy jumped off his lap.
"Why?! It's not bad enough that I have to work with the man? I have to see him on my birthday too?!" Hope whined.
"Whining is so becoming on you," Matt smirked gripping her face in his hand before she shook him off. "Anyways, Amy and I are going to run to her house to get the cake. We'll be back in few."
While Matt and Amy were gone, Jeff, Beth, and Crystal went to Jeff's to bring over Liger and Sabu. Shannon, Lizzie, and Hope sat in her room, jamming out to Hope's new guitar. She was really excited to have one of her own. Now with any luck she'd be able to jump into a band with Shannon and Jeff.
"Hope, Chad's here!" her father called to her. She ran down the stairs and outside, shutting the door behind her.
"Hey baby," Hope smiled reaching up to kiss Chad's tan face. His crystal blue eyes were bright and stood out against his black raven like hair.
"We need to talk," he said seriously pulling her outside. She looked up at him nervously, not saying a word. "Listen, I don't like the idea of you hanging around all those wrestlers like you are."
"It's my job Chad. I have no choice."
"It's either them or me."
"You're making me choose between you and my job?!"
"Yeah, cause frankly, I don't trust you."
"Oh no, cause I've done absolutely nothing to hurt that trust. But I'm supposed to trust you whole heartedly, even though you had that little fling with Miranda. Whatever. How could you do this on my birthday?!"
"That's right, and why am I not invited to your birthday?"
"Because it's a family thing. You know that!"
"Well, I bet Lizzie and Shannon are there, right?"
"Yeah, but they're family."
"And your boyfriend isn't?!"
"Oh please! You're just being a dick head. Making me choose between you and my job!"
"Well, it's your choice. Your job, or me." He flashed her a cocky little grin as he put his hand on her shoulder and ran it up and down her arm and neck. She smiled up at him and shook her head.
"You can go have some fun with that LITTLE COCKy grin of yours. Cause I'm finished with your ass," she replied walking into the house and slamming the door in his face.
"Matt'll be so proud of you," Shannon grinned welcoming her at the door.
"Yeah, I'm glad I could make him happy," she said solemnly. Shannon put his arm around and squeezed her tightly.
"You're the strong one. Remember that. You've been through a lot and lived to tell about it. You'll get through this," Shannon smiled.
"Yeah, well, I'm tired of being the strong one," she cried running up to her room. She slammed the door behind her and crashed on her bed, grabbing one of the stuffed animals that garnished her bed.
"Should we go talk to her?" Shannon asked Lizzie.
"I don't think so. This is something she has to get over by herself I think," Lizzie replied.
"Hey, where's the birthday twins?" Shane smiled walking into the house.
"Well, one's at his house. And the other is up in her room crying hysterically cause she and an asshole just broke up," Lizzie replied. Shane's smiled faded as he gripped the gift bag in his hand tightly and stormed up the stairs.
"Shane! I wouldn't go up there if I were you!" Shannon called after him.
"He's gone Shan, don't waste your breath," Lizzie sighed.
"Hope!" Shane called knocking on her door. "Hope, can I come in?!"
"Shane, just go away!" she cried. He shook his head and walked in. "I told you to go away."
"I don't care. You need someone right now. I'm not letting you lock yourself away in your room like you did last time," he said sitting down next to her. "Come on, he's a dick. You deserve better than that and you know it."
"Well, maybe I can't get better!" she exclaimed.
"Don't think so badly about yourself. You're a beautiful, sweet, smart, and talented girl. You can anyone you want!" Shane said wrapping his arms around her. "Come on, cheer up. It's your birthday." She buried her head in his chest and cried.
"I miss my mom," she cried quietly.
"Shh, I know. But she's here with you. You know that," Shane replied quietly rocking her back and forth.
"But I want her here in the physical world. Where I can hold her and cry on her shoulder."
"What? Am I not doing a good of enough job?" Shane joked.
"No, it's just not the same," she replied. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
"Well, hey, this may make you feel a little better. I had to get it for you when I saw it in New York. It just screams you," he laughed handing her the gift bag.
"Shane, you didn't have to get me anything," she said wiping her cheeks.
"I know I didn't have to. But I wanted to. It's kinda a thanks for doing my Hurricane costume," he smiled as she pulled out a baseball teddy bear with Posada's number 20 Yankee jersey on it.
"Aw, thank you so much Shane," she smiled hugging him tightly.
"Did that asshole really do that to you?!" Matt steamed storming into Hope's room. She detached herself from Shane and nodded at her older over protective brother. "Mother fucker. I'm going to hunt him down and hurt him badly."
"Matt, no. Please don't make things more worse than they already are," she pleaded.
"But he hurt you Bade. I'm not letting the fuckwad get away with hurting my baby sister," Matt said walking towards her and taking her into his arms. Shane shrugged and walked out of the room, only to be pushed aside by Jeff who barged in, practically slamming the door in Shane's face.
"What the hell is goin on?!" Jeff roared.
"Chad made Hope choose between him and work. She chose work. So now she's all upset," Matt explained.
"No, really, I'm fine now guys. Shane, Shane was there for me," she smiled pulling away from Matt's tight grip.
"You let Shane take care of you?" Jeff asked bewildered. Hope nodded.
"Did we slip into an alternate universe?!" Matt exclaimed with a laugh.
Hope laughed and set her new teddy bear on the shelf with the rest of her old softball and baseball stuff. She led her brothers down into the kitchen to finish celebrating hers and Jeff's birthday. She was bound and determined to make it a good day. There was just one thing she had to do.
"Shannon, could you um, could you come here for a second?" Hope asked quietly as they all sat in the living room watching childhood wrestling tapes. He nodded and they moved into the den.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Can you take me to the softball field and to the cemetery?" she asked softball in hand.
"Oh no Hope. You do this every year, and every year it turns out bad," Shannon said crossing his arms.
"Please? I have to do this. And you're the only one that I want to take me," she said.
"Alright, just give me a second," he sighed walking into the living room. He excused himself and Hope and they jumped into his Mustang.
"Thank you Shan," she smiled at him.
"No problem. I know how much this means to you. So I guess it's not such a bad thing," he returned the smile. They stopped at the old school softball field where her mother had taught her to play softball. She stood on the pitching mound and the memories came flooding back to her.
"Mommy, I can't do this," Hope cried as she stood staring at her mother, who was crouched down to catch the pitch she wanted her daughter to throw. Hope had gone back to when she was 7 and her mom was teaching her to pitch a softball. Hope stood alone on the mound, the large ball in her hand and the glove fitting her left hand perfectly.
"Honey, you can to do this. I taught you exactly what to do. Now all you have to do is believe in yourself," her mother's voice rang through her head as clear as day. Hope bit on her lip, her eyebrows narrowed as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her mother smiled at her, that warm giving smile that was so infectious. Hope aimed and let go of the ball, only to hear a large smack of the ball hitting the glove. Hope looked at her mom as she dropped it out of her glove, allowing it to bounce on the plate.
"MOMMY!! I DID IT!!!" Hope cried jumping into her mother's arms. Ruby laughed as she held her young daughter tightly.
"See, I told you that you could do it," she smiled kissing her daughter's forehead. "You're going to be a star player someday with that arm of yours. Just don't go around beating your brothers, alright?"
"Yes, Mommy," Hope giggled. "I love you."
"I love you too Hope. I love you too," Ruby sighed as Hope's thoughts came back to her in the present day. Tears were slowly running down Hope's cheeks. She threw the softball at the backstop and let out a deep breath.
"Hope, ya ready?" Shannon called from the car. Hope waved to him and picked up the ball. Digging a hole in the ground with her foot and hand, she buried the ball as a memory of that day. She walked back to the car and got in. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I guess," she sniffled. "Cemetery."
Shannon sighed and they headed for the cemetery. Once there, Shannon parked on the road closest to Ruby's burial plot. Hope stood in front of her mother's stone and rubbed the surface of it with her thumb. Her thoughts drifted back to the day they buried her. She was 10 and scared out of her mind.
She stood crying as the coffin was being dropped into the grave. She wanted so badly for her mother to pop the coffin cover open and yell surprise. She gripped onto Jeff, who was shaking almost violently. And Matt, stood straight faced, strong than the other two children. Her father, her father was standing there, tears just barely drifting down his cheeks.
"Mommy?" she asked softly as the coffin hit the bottom of the grave.
"Mom's gone," Jeff cried as the kids threw roses onto the coffin. They started to shovel dirt into the hole.
"NO!" Hope cried as she dove for the grave. Matt miraculously grabbed her at the waist and although he was only 13, he was strong enough to pull her back towards them. He held onto her as she kicked and screamed.
"Hope, she's gone. Gone. You can't go with her," Matt whispered in her ear. Hope relaxed in his arms and turned violently, burying her head into his chest. She cried so hard she could barely breathe. She coughed horribly and couldn't stop. When the burial was over, their father started to lead them away. She wouldn't move. She knelt down and cried until she had passed out. Matt lifted her into his arms and carried her to the truck. At home, she stayed in her bedroom, crying into her pillow refusing to eat anything.
"Bade, please eat. You're scaring me," Jeff said rubbing her back.
"But Mom's gone. She's no longer around Jeff. I can't. I want her back," Hope cried.
"We can't get her back. We have to pick up and move on. Like Daddy said. Come on Hope. I don't want to lose you too," Jeff said. She looked up into his sad green eyes. They were red and puffy from crying at the funeral. She noticed tears were slipping down his face slowly. "Please Hope. Please eat. I don't want you to get sick and die like Mommy did." She sighed and nodded at him, putting some of her Dad's mashed potatoes in her mouth.
"Jeff, I'm sorry, but if I eat anymore of Dad's food, I'm gonna die anyways," she joked. Jeff laughed half-heartedly and sat with her as she ate.
"Hope, you ready?!" Shannon yelled from the call.
"Just a few more minutes!" she yelled back to him.
"Alright! Just hurry! It's gonna rain soon!" he yelled. She nodded at him and sat on the ground in front of the stone.
"Well, Mommy, I'm 24 now. And being without you isn't any easier. I miss you like crazy. So, now all your children have jobs in the WWF, as I'm sure you know. Just be glad I'm not wrestling. I don't think Matt'd let me anyways," Hope laughed rubbing her hand on the stone. She started to cry through her laughter. "I want you home Mom. We need you sometimes. You missed everything in my life!" She cried harder. "And all I keep thinking about is how you're not going to be there for my wedding. You're not going to be there for Jeff's wedding. You're not going to be there for Matt's." It began to rain torrentially.
"HOPE!! COME ON!!" Shannon screamed to her.
"Well, Mom, another year has gone by. It's raining now and Shannon's having a fit like normal. I love you. And I'll see you again this time next year," she smiled as she kissed the cold wet stone, just as lightening struck the ground only about a mile away. She gasped as she jumped up, running for the car.
"You alright?" Shannon asked handing her a tissue.
"Yeah, for another year or so. Thanks," she smiled.
"Home?"
"Home," she nodded.