CHAPTER 6: Because of a Dream…

While walking to his locker room, Shane thought of the best way to approach his wife with regards to the matter. He didn't want to talk to her with their kids around—they might think something bad was going on. But how could he kick his kids out and who would be watching over them? Then, by some co-incidence, he spotted his mom, Linda.

"Mom!" he said while running to her.

"Hey, sweetheart. You seem so happy to see me!" Linda joked.

"Of course! Where've you been?"

"Just came from the conference room, talked to your sister… and you? Why do you look as if you need something from me?"

"Uh… yeah… I actually do… uh… would you mind watching over the kids for a while? I need to talk to Rissa about something… and I don't think having the kids in there would be good."

"Oh… ok! No problem! Anything for the grandkids. But, is there something wrong? You guys having problems or something?" Linda was definitely concerned for his son. Afterall, Shane was a certified momma's boy.

"Uhm… not really… just some little thing we need to discuss and clear out." Shane didn't feel like sharing their "marital problem" with anyone anymore. It would be better if only a few people knew about it. Less people means less chaos. It's not as if he didn't trust his mother.

"Okay... if you say so…"

When they reached the locker room, Declan was watching some cartoons while Kenyon seemed to be watching, too. On the other hand, Marissa was staring out in space, unaware that Shane and Linda had already come in.

"Grandma!" Declan ran to his favorite grandmother, who just came to see him an hour ago.

"Hey, boy!" said Linda while picking up the boy. Kenyon, too was fussing around, making noise as an expression of delight as he recognized his grandma.

"Nice to know they love their grandmother more than their own father…" Shane muttered jokingly.

This was when Rissa realized that her husband and mother-in-law were already in the room.

"Oh, hi!"

Linda smiled at her and somehow had a clue about what Shane was talking about. Yeah, Rissa looked different tonight.

"Hey, sorry it took me so long… things around here have just been weird… uh, I… I brought you food. How are you feeling now?" Shane too was quite unsure how to act.

"I'm… I'm, okay… Did you bring the boys food, too?" Surprisingly, that was a ten-worded reply from Marissa, but again… there's still that monotonous "I'm okay" reply.

"I'll just be the one to go get them food. I'm sure they have been dying to get out of this room since you came in 2 and a half hours ago. Right, boys?" Linda knew that Shane wanted to talk to Rissa as soon as possible.

Jumping up and down, Declan replied: "Yeah!"

So Linda went to pick up Kenyon, and escorted the two boys out of the room, leaving the couple with some privacy.

"So, how've you been? Did the boys cause too much trouble?"

"No, they're fine." Here we go again with the no-more-than-three-words-per-reply scenario.

"Okay… uhm… look, I… I… I have something to tell you. I've wanted to talk to you for the past few hours because… you see; I've observed that you've been acting different all day. You've been this way since this morning. And to be honest with you, I just thought that you were not feeling well. So I let it go, but was still worried. But while in the car, driving here, you never spoke a word. I thought you were mad or pissed at something and recalled today's events trying to figure out what I did wrong. Up to this moment, you still don't look okay. You keep saying you're fine, but it's obvious and I'm a hundred and one percent sure that you're not completely okay. You're worrying me, but that's just okay, so as long you tell me what's wrong. Baby, I want you to be honest to me, too. Just please, I'm begging you, tell me what's wrong… is it about tonight? Or is there something else? Did someone do something to you? Or did something happen to someone from your family? Baby, please… I want to be ale to protect you from whatever that's bothering you…"

At this point, Marissa was already in tears. The emotions she has been feeling for the whole day have piled up, and she couldn't hold them anymore. She burst into tears and was crying uncontrollably, which worried Shane even more.

He pulled her into a hug, whispering soothing words to her and held her for the next few minutes until she was able to calm down. After things have toned down a bit, Rissa decided to finally tell Shane what was going on. Afterall, honesty was a vital factor in any relationship. And for their relationship to reach ten sets of ten years more, they both had to practice honesty with each other.

"I… I… I… was… sniff up early this morning… because… sniff I… I… had a dream… and it… it… involved you… and tonight. I… I've been thinking about it all day… and… and… it's been freaking me out… Uh… I was… sitting in the front row… with… the two kids… and… and… we were watching… and… then… in the middle… sniff of… of the match… sniff all five of you were… were up in the cell… and… by some incident… when… when Shawn sniff super kicked you… sniff he didn't see and… sniff was not aware… sniff that you were near the edge of the cell… and… and… sniff and… you fell straight from… from the cell… through the announce table… to… to… to the… sniff the concrete floor. When… when they checked… when they checked up on you… sniff you… you… you were already… … … and Declan asked me… how you were… and what happened to… to you… I… I didn't know what… sniff what to… say… I'm… I'm just scared… that… that… that will happen… sniff tonight… I can't… I can't take that… no, I may be… I may be a great mom… sniff but… I… I can't do it alone…" At this point, Marissa broke down and Shane pulled her once again into a hug. This time, the hug was a tighter one, as Shane felt Rissa's pain. She was shaking and it was obvious she was freaking out. By this time, Shane had realized that that dream could've been provoked by his past… how he has been performing in the ring, whenever he was given the chance to. His dad was right: every time he's out there, he doesn't think of anything else. And while his enjoying the adrenaline rush, his wife is backstage, worried, scared, freaked, confused to death. He realized that he had to tone down, and his parents' warnings to him regarding his daredevil-ness were to be taken seriously. He loved the fans, but he loved his family more. And he was not going to allow anything to happen to them.

Stroking her hair, Shane was trying his best to comfort Marissa. "Baby, it was just a dream. It was just a dream, okay? It's not gonna come true. Dreams are just dreams. I know that that might have been caused by my ultimate risk-taking performances in the past, and I promise you, that tonight, I'll be careful. I've not been thinking every time I'm out there in the past, but starting tonight, I'll have you in mind. I'll remember you and the kids and am to make sure that nothing bad is gonna happen to me. I assure you, after tonight, I'll come out fine. I'm gonna go out and give my all because of the fans, but I'll leave a part of me with you. Know that when I'm out there, I have you in mind. I promise, I'll think first before I do anything. So, calm down, baby, I'm gonna be fine. We're all gonna be fine." With this said, Shane kissed the side of her head, and they just lay that way for the next few minutes. With him, Rissa felt secure.

Then, their silence was disturbed by a knock on the door. After given permission to enter by Shane, Linda emerged with the two kids who seemed to be contented with cookies and ice cream in hand.

"Mommy!" Both of the kids took after their dad, they were close with him, but were certified momma's boys.

"Uh, sorry to disturb you guys, but Shane, your father's been looking for you. He needs you for something. I think something about production… so…" Linda felt bad that she had to cut whatever the two were doing short.

"Ah okay… thanks!"

"Mommy crying?" Declan pouted and asked, finally noticing that his mother's eyes were watery and her cheeks were red.

"No, no, baby. Mommy's fine. Just a little sleepy and I missed you." There was no way the kids would know about what's going on. "Have you been good while with grandma?"

"Yeah! Right grandma? Silly mommy…"

Giggling softly, Linda replied "Yeah right…"

"Uh, hey, I gotta go… don't wanna keep the old man waiting. He might get pissed, and he might kill me before the match even begins…"

"He sure will!" At this time, at least Rissa was laughing already.

"So, you'll be okay already, right? And you're just not saying this to keep me from worrying and bugging you?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm already fine. Promise! Now go, if he kills you, I won't even react! Go!"

"Fine, fine… nice to know that my own kids don't love me and my wife hates me, too! What a great damn feeling! Ain't I lucky?"

"Whatever! Bye!"

"Bye dad!"

"Come on mom, let's go! Hmph!" Then he stuck his tongue out on his family. Walking out, he just had to scream back: "Love ya!"

"Love ya too!"

"Mom, thanks!"

"No problem! Now let's get going before Vince Mcmahon becomes Mr. McMahon."

So, Rissa was freaking out because of a dream. And, "a dream is only a dream", right?