DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN WWE PPLS OR MR. HARDY. KK! THE KIDS AND SINDEL ARE MINE!

"Are you sure they can handle the four of them?" I asked Dad as we drove away. One glance at the clock told me everyone but us was asleep. 7:13 A.M. He smiled at me.

"Don't worry," he said. "My sons and Beth assured me last night that they could and if they have any questions they will call. They swore they would. Relax. They know what they're doing… And Shannon will be over soon enough to help."

"Is that supposed to be a comforting thought?" I asked. "I'm leaving four unruly children with someone I trust and two that I don't and now you're telling me that a third unknown party is going over to help with MY kids?"

I looked at Dad incredulously.

"That's it! Turn around! We're taking the kids with us!"

Dad roared with laughter at my momentary panic. I frowned at him, failing to see the humor in it. I also noted that he was making no move to stop or turn around.

"What, pray tell, is so amusing?" I snapped. "My kids are being watched by complete strangers!"

Dad smiled at me, putting a hand on my arm.

"Child, I assure you that your children are safe. I know my sons, Beth, and Shannon. If you can't judge them on what you know, you should trust MY judgment."

"Fine," I grumbled. "I hope that the kids don't trick them into reading the rest of Harry Potter."

"Don't worry," Dad said, chuckling. "Beth all ready knows about that happy pastime for you and your kids. She has told me that she will respect your motherly practices."

I nodded and fell silent again.

"You know," Dad began. "You're going to have to explain your biological relations to them before my sons find out on their own."

Silence reigned for a moment, so Dad continued.

"Matt, especially, will want this on the table. After all, your Uncle and Aunt aren't too fond of the Hardy Boys… I don't suppose you've told them about this, or your Godfather for that matter?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"I told my Godfather," I answered slowly. "He was rather… displeased with my current location, pointing out that this could make things very… tense… at work for all of them."

I paused for a moment.

"He also believes that this may seem impossible to them, my Uncle included, and he's not sure that a simple answer to this dilemma will supply itself," I continued. "I wasn't sure myself. On the same note, my Godfather said that telling my Uncle now before he found out on his own would be the best idea."

"Then you'd best get it over with," Dad said pointedly. I nodded and pulled out my cell phone. With a sigh, I dialed the all-too-familiar number.

Ring… Ring… Ring… Ri—

"Hello?" came a male voice.

"Hi, it's Sindel. There's something I need to tell you, Uncle Adam."

***

While Matt and Shannon distracted the kids with their tales of Matt's wrestling days, Beth and I escaped to the kitchen to make lunch. We popped in three boxed pizzas and began cutting up fruit and cheese. Finally, I asked the question that had been bugging me since last night.

"Beth, last night when we were talking to Sindel… when she mentioned the Ramble, you kinda went white… Why?"

Beth froze. She was so tense and shaky that she set the knife down and sat down at the table.

"Beth?" I asked, concerned. She closed her eyes as if trying to ward off evil memories.

"Jeff… I've been there… to the Ramble," she began, her voice as shaky as her form.

What?

To say I was shocked was the understatement of a lifetime.

Sindel lied, Jeff," she continued, shaking in earnest.

Huh? Lied? About what?

"The current champion is said to have begun fighting there when she was five. She goes by the name Bastet… She's been champion since she was seven."

She began to shake even worse.

"I saw one of her matches, Jeff," she whispered, horror seeping into her voice. "I've had such nightmares since then… five on one… two years ago… Bastet made it look like child's play! It was like she was… toying with them…"

She shuddered again. It was horrible to watch! I'd never seen her so shook up, not even after getting run off the road. Without a second thought, I wrapped my arms around her comfortingly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I shouldn't have asked."

She just clung to me, needing my strength.

Bastet… Sindel… Who… What are you?

***

"Uncle Matt?" asked Kamiel. "Are you gonna beat Uncle Jeff on Friday?"

I smiled.

"I plan to," I answered her. She smiled brightly. "Will you watch?"

"Yep!" she answered, then her smile faded. "Uncle Matt… Did u mean what you said last night… about the evil men?"

She paused for a moment.

"Will you protect me from them?"

I forced a warm smile onto my face.

"I will," I told her.

"And Momma?" she asked further. "When they come for her, will you stand in their way? Will you protect her?"

I was floored. I was getting a twenty-year-old conversation/plea from a four-year-old child!

"I will do my best, Kamiel," I told her. She nodded, smiling again.

"I couldn't ask for more," she said, then ran off to tackle Shannon and begin another wrestling match. My eyes followed her, my mind very far away, as my forced smiled slid from my face.

What on earth happened to this pieced-together family? What could possibly have made a four-year-old mature so quickly?

And why did I feel like it was something I'd regret learning?

***

Dad and I returned that night to a silent and dark home. I guess that was to be expected. After all, it was three in the morning. I had driven home as Dad had been too tired. Even now, I loathed to wake him, but I gently shook him into wakefulness anyway. Slowly and silently, we entered the house, said our goodnights, and went our separate ways.

When I got to my room, I got quite the pleasant surprise. The moonlight shone through the window illuminating my bed. Wrapped in the covers were all my kids and Matt Hardy.

Aww… How cute! Where's a camera when you need one?

Matt was laying on his back, his left arm around Raymond and his right around Kamiel. Kalub was curled up next to Kamiel, his back to her, his arm holding the covers up over Matthew. Haku was curled up on his side, his back to Matt and Raymond. I chuckled as I noticed that he'd brought his stuffed, russet-colored wolf to bed and was holding it tight. The functional name was Jacob Black. Haku was rather fond of the Twilight character.

I smiled again and changed my clothes, then crawled into bed, pulling Haku to my side. I'd get the whole story tomorrow…