Enjoy.
Chapter Thirty-Eight:
2 months later:
It is the last month of Jeff and Lita's time off as well as the probation period. Michelle still has two more months until she can adopt Jamie. As promise Edge has called once a week to catch up on what is going in their lives. Jeff's parents arrive back home promising to come back soon.
"I can't believe after this month we are adopting Joan and Johnny." Lita excited as she lays on his chest.
"Me as well it felt like we just started the probation period." He agrees with her excitement.
"After all the paperwork, we are going to buy a new home." Lita expresses.
"What about our homes here? We don't have to resell our houses. Everyone can live in my house. It is closer to your parents, so they can visit and babysit them when we are on the road." Jeff suggests Lita's parents might have let Lita use their house, but it is still their house.
"I was thinking about that can't we bring them with us. They are already fans and would love it."
"Maybe for a few days they will, however it will be too tiring for them. We go to a different city each day. Do you want to wake them up to sleep in a car and then a hotel? They live off of junk food and fast food because they don't want protein shakes and vegetables. I think it is better if they stay here with your parents." Jeff explains why it isn't a good idea.
"I just don't want to official adopt them and then leave." Lita sighs.
"I know you don't, but what do you want to do? Do you want to not go back?" He questions. Lita gives a small smile to him. "You do don't you?"
"Yes I do, well actually I will return in probably a year. I just don't want to feel like we are abandoning them."
"We are not they know what we do for a living; they will understand. Plus, it is a month away don't think about it right now." He kisses her head.
They finally get out of bed, being it is ten in the morning, to cook breakfast. When they enter the kitchen, breakfast is already made.
"Surprise!" Johnny and Joan greet with huge smiles on their faces.
"What is all of this?" Jeff wonders.
"It is a celebration. You two are adopting us soon. I know it is a month away, but I don't see any reason to celebrate early." Joan explains.
"I hope you didn't cook this on the stove." Lita is concern for their safety.
"Of course we did, it doesn't taste as good if it is microwaved, especially the eggs."
"It is a good thing you didn't burn yourself."
"What, do you think we cooked it ourselves?" Lita nods. "Gran and grandpa helped us." They both laugh.
"My parents return to visit already." Jeff asks very puzzled. It felt like they just drove them to the airport.
"No, mommy's parents helped us." Joan giggles.
"And where are they?" She doesn't believe them as she puts a hand on her hip.
"Right here, baby girl." Mr. Dumas greets as they exit the bathroom with Mrs. Dumas.
"Why did you two have to wash… oh my mom, dad you didn't?" She is in shock.
"No of course not." Mrs. Dumas denies already. "We would never with a full house. Now an empty is a different story." She grins.
"Oh man, forget I ask." She is disgusted to vision her parents like that.
"We all do it more or less than others." Lita's mom hints.
"Lalala, I am not listening." She shakes her head to get the image out. "Can we just eat?"
"Certainly, let me just change my clothes they are wet and sticky." Mr. Dumas jokes.
"Ah gross." She walks to the kitchen table disgusted.
"Do you know what they are talking about?" Joan asks Johnny.
"I don't know. I think they heard about the food fight we had earlier." Johnny assumes.
They all are gathered around the table with bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, and toast in the center.
"So what are your plans after this month?" Lita's mom asks.
"We are going to find a new house or stay with Jeff's house; we are not sure yet." Lita answers.
"And with your job, the both of you, it is not like you can take them with you." She chuckles.
Lita grins. "No, you are taking them they are too young for that lifestyle. They can stay with us until you come back." She orders.
"Mom, I want to be with them." She tells her mother.
"No, do you want them to eat fast food or food from the vending machines? Do you want them to sleep in cars and hotels? They will be drag through airports to catch the next show." She explains her concern.
"No, I guess not we still have a month to think about that." She eats her breakfast in silence.
After that everyone is silent as they continue to eat. This continues until the phone rings.
"I'll get it." Johnny runs to the phone to move away from the awkward silence. "Hello, Hardy' residence." He greets politely.
"Hello, who is this?"
"I can't tell you, who is this?" He remembers Jeff told him to never say his name over the phone unless you know them."
"This is Vince, Jeff and Lita's boss. I am guessing this is Johnny." Vince smiles.
"Maybe, maybe not, I thought Stephanie was their boss." He is not that very knowledgeable of WWE as much as Joan is."
"Stephanie is she is my daughter. I am the owner of the business."
"Oh well, I will get him. Can you hold for a minute, please?"
"I appreciate your politeness of course I will." Vince grins.
Johnny covers the phone and calls out. "Daddy, your boss is on the phone." This makes the situation at the table tense. They all think that they want them to return.
"Okay buddy, I am coming." He excuses himself to answer the phone. "Hello." He greets.
"Hello Jeff, how are you?"
"I am good Vince. I see you spoke to my son, Johnny." He nervously speaks.
"Your son... oh right Stephanie told about you and Lita adopting two children. Congratulation on that by the way."
"Thank you." Jeff appreciates.
"Now Jeff, we have a storyline when you and Lita come back."
"That's great, we probably will make it when our time off is done." He is happy about the news.
"That is the problem, we need you two to return next week to start this storyline." Vince discloses to Jeff.
"It can't wait until a month later." His happiness diminishes.
"We could if the fans didn't chant your names each Monday night. We need to capitalize on this. We need you two to return Next Monday."
"Mr. McMahon I don't know we are in our final probation month of the adoption. I don't think they will allow us to leave right now."
"That is a problem we have to deal with, how about you talk to them, talk to Lita, and call me back? This will be good for you two as well as the business."
"I will talk to them and get back to you." He divulges.
"Please do, I will talk to you soon." Vince hangs up.
Jeff sighs as he hangs up as well. "You are not going, right? You are not leaving us, are you?" Johnny asks upset about this.
"Johnny-"
"No, if you go I don't want you to come back." He runs to his room. Jeff sighs as he turns around to see Lita, her parents, and Joan stand there.
"I am going to check on him." Joan excuses herself.
"Is what we heard true?" Lita questions.
"Vince wants us to return Next Monday for a new storyline." He reveals.
"You did say we are in our final month of probation, right?" Lita is mad that this is what she feared of.
"Yup, he wants us to speak to Child Services to see if we can."
"We won't go. I am not going to leave them. Child Services might think we are choosing our careers over them." Lita worries.
"I never thought of that. I assumed that Joan would live with your parents and Johnny will live with mine." Jeff moves his hand down his face.
"Johnny think about this they just need to figure this out." Joan speaks with Johnny carrying his luggage behind him.
"Hey buddy, where are you going?" Jeff is surprise by his actions.
"I am going back to the shelter. I am going back to a place where people love me." He walks to the closet for his jacket.
"Johnny, we do care about you. Jeff and I love you as our son." Lita confesses.
"Then why are you leaving us, we are supposed to be a family after this month? We are going to do family activities." He stays strong sniffling his tears away.
"We can still do all of that." He speaks.
"No, you will be always on the road. You will forget about us like everyone else instead of Joan does." Johnny huffs fed up with people leaving him.
"Johnny-" Jeff walks to him. "Nothing is set in stone we have to talk to Child Services to see what to do in this situation. Johnny, the person who called is the head boss we can't just say no to him like that. He has the power to ruin and fire us from a career we love so much." Jeff mentions the consequences of rejecting this storyline.
"So if Child Services say not to go you won't." He wipes his eyes in hope.
"If that is the last option we will explain to our boss that my son is more important than my career." Jeff explains.
"Okay, I will wait until then."
"Give me a hug." Jeff outstretches his arms. Johnny smiles as he jumps into them. He lays his head on his shoulder as they hug tight. Everyone else worries that it is not that simple.
"Let's put your supplies back in your room." Jeff carries him as well as his luggage.
"There is barely anything in there." He confesses.
"What do you mean?"
"I just needed some clothes and a picture."
"What picture is that?" Johnny opens his luggage a bit to take out the picture. Jeff is touch by it. "Oh buddy."
"It is to show me that someone did love me."
"I will always love you and so does Lita, Joan, and both pairs of grandparents." He messes up his hair to prove his point.
"Hey! It took me a while to make it like this." He scrunches his face all mad.
"Sorry." He pretends to be scared.
"I will let you off with a warning this time." He jokes.
"Phew, that was a close one." He wipes his brow.
"So you want to finish your breakfast?"
"Yup." He smiles. They all continue their breakfast not thinking about the past situation now.
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