Amanda was ready for the day and had an oversized long sleeve light blue pinstripe off shoulder hem top and denim blue chambray shorts on… and opened a photo album she kept with her.
On one page were pictures of her and Yukie as teenagers, backstage at SmackDown with Chris and Eddie.
'If there was ever a time I needed you guys…' Amanda thought as she felt tears trail down her face but ignored them.
Until she felt Finn's hands on her face and him brushing the tears away.
"I know you turn to look for them at times, love." Finn replied quietly.
"And then it hits me all over again that they're gone. That this little one's never gonna know them." Amanda responded, her and Finn holding each other.
"Not in the way you did but spirits do stay around the ones that lost them, Mandy… I know from the way you look at something that one of your loved ones is watching. There's an innocent soul coming into the world in about 8 months that they never got to meet… so they are being protective." Finn replied as they looked at each other and his right hand rested on her stomach.
Amanda knew that was true.
At the arena for SmackDown as she was scheduled for commentary there to give her a reprieve from the chaos, Amanda was talking to Lana… who noticed Amanda close her eyes and cringe slightly as someone walked past them with a cup of coffee.
"Mandy, you okay?" Lana asked in a concerned manner before Amanda rushed off to the nearest restroom, Lana going to find Finn.
Amanda closed the door behind her and crouched down before she threw up… and then felt a hand holding her hair back in a gentle manner before hearing the toilet flush and feeling Finn help her up.
"Lana went to go get something for you to drink…" Finn replied as he guided Amanda into the hallway after she washed her hands and wiped her mouth with a paper towel.
"Someone walked past me and her with a cup of coffee and that scent was too much." Amanda responded as Finn rubbed his right hand up and down her back, Lana finding them and handing the Dasani to Amanda. "Thanks." She replied before she opened it and slowly sipped it to soothe her stomach.
"It's alright, my mother felt the same way before my siblings were born." Lana responded before the two friends hugged, Lana looking at Finn after she and Amanda let go. "Just keep a closer eye on Mandy, okay?" She replied kindly.
"I will, Lana." Finn responded before Lana left.
It was as the show was getting closer to starting that Baron and Kevin each looked at their respective scripts and then at each other.
"Shane's gone all protective of her again. This is just odd, she seemed alright last night." Kevin replied as the segment called for neither of them to hit Amanda.
"That's nothing like her, she might have gotten sick overnight, I think." Baron explained.
"It is that time of year. Kids back in school, parents and extended family members easily catching colds from them and then that going on to other people… happened to me and Karina countless times when Owen or Elodie would come home with a cold." Kevin replied.
When it was time for the opening segment of SmackDown, Kevin looked over at Amanda.
"Get on in here, tiny lady." Kevin replied, Amanda standing up as Corey gave her a cautious look.
"I'm alright." Amanda whispered after taking her headset off, having managed to keep food down despite still feeling yucky… Amanda got in the ring after grabbing a microphone, Kevin nodding.
"That a girl… now with just a few days left before Hell In A Cell, I want you right where you can see the destruction…" Kevin replied before he was cut off by Baron walking down the ramp and getting in the ring, his black hair slicked back.
"Even though I lost my chances of winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship title after losing my Money In The Bank contract, there's one person who didn't give up on me… and she's here." Baron explained, before Yukie showed up as she walks towards the ring.
"You miss me alot, don't you, Lone Wolf?" Yukie questioned, before climbing into the ring.
"Yes, I have." Baron answered, before they kissed as the whole WWE universe exclaimed in shock, now knowing that the rumors from NXT were true.
"She's here… unlike your Money In The Bank briefcase, Baron. Now if you and the Party Junkie don't mind, I was talking to the Demon Mistress." Kevin replied.
"Actually, Kevin… I have something to say myself. Well two things… one, why I'm not competing will be revealed when Finn and I are damn good and ready to." Amanda responded as Baron clamped his right hand over Yukie's mouth. "And two… the undefeated Asuka is gonna make a beeline for you and that title, Miss Yang." She finished, the fans chanting for Asuka.
Baron lowered his hand… but to the others surprise, Yukie put the title in the ring.
"Actually… she can have it. God, I can't believe that I'm saying this. This is my dream to be a somebody, but now I can see it. I don't need a fancy title to prove that I'm the best. I don't care if I win or lose, I love being a happy woman who became a tomboy loving anime loving whatever… but it cost me my friends and their respect." Yukie explained, before looking at Amanda. "I knew that I was going to be a loser and a quitter one day. And it's today… I quit." She explained, before taking off her authentic shirt and gloves, leaving them in the middle of the ring.
"Yukie, you can't leave." Baron said, stopping her by grabbing onto Yukie's hand.
"Then why should I? My dream came true and it came to an end… Even us." Yukie explained, as she started crying while her hand removed from Baron's.
Kevin gently held Amanda back as Yukie left.
And in the backstage area, Finn and Amanda were holding each other before Baron approached them.
"You two weren't expecting that, right?" Baron questioned.
"Not at all…" Amanda responded as Finn rested his hands on her shoulders.
"She hasn't spoken to us civilly since SummerSlam. We had no idea that she was thinking this over." Finn replied.
"Not even me. If she's not too pissed off, maybe we can stop her before she leaves." Baron suggested.
"She'll want to…" Amanda responded, trailing off and Baron seeing her absentmindedly resting her right hand on her stomach before he realised why Yukie was trying to attack Amanda on Raw.
And realised that his question to Yukie a few weeks earlier wasn't hypothetical anymore.
"You two stay here. Kevin, stay with them." Baron replied before he headed to the locker room… and found Yukie.
"I guess you know now…" Yukie responded. "Well I hope you're happy, cause my dream came to an end and I'll be back home so I can hear a big "I told you so" from my old man." She explained, while packing her things.
"Yukie, you don't have to leave. Mandy and Finn didn't obviously plan this." Baron responded.
"I didn't want to admit that… I was so angry at them. While I'm gone, can you do something for me? Can you keep an eye on them and their baby just to make sure they're safe?" Yukie replied before she put her duffel bag on her shoulder.
"I will. But where are you going exactly? They might ask me one day if you vanish off the face of the earth." Baron questioned.
"Just…. Just tell them I did. Just how Mandy did to me the last 12 years." Yukie explained, before leaving the locker room.
She had truly admitted it… and Baron knew it.
It was a few days later that Amanda heard her phone ring and answered it.
"I'm not in the mood to be yelled at, alright? Because I will yell back." Amanda responded before she was about to hang up… until a worried Hiro spoke up.
"No, please, this is an emergency. Have you seen Yukie? She was supposed to be home here in Jacksonville yesterday. We called her phone, but it was disconnected. Please tell me that you've seen her!" Hiro questioned.
"Not since she left on Tuesday night… I've done the same as you, but I've had no luck." Amanda explained, Hiro knowing that she was honest but also upset. "I miss her too…" She replied, on the verge of tears and Hiro hoping to calm her down.
"Listen, just relax and calm down, you have Devitt over there with you. Is he worried about her too?" Hiro explained.
"Finn called the police but they have that stupid waiting rule before filing a missing person's report." Amanda responded before she saw Finn walk in.
"Well, I hope she's okay, instead of getting hurt with her stubborn self. Always been like that since she was a kid. And always running off to places just to hide away for while." Hiro explained, as Amanda's eyes widened to what he said last.
"There was somewhere she used to go to just outside of Osaka." Finn replied as he held Amanda.
"Wait… that's probably our old house in the woods. Hiroki took over that property and gave it to your husband, but he decided to put it in Yukie's name, knowing that those Bullet Club guys love to party and drink there." Hiro explained.
"I'll call Tama." Finn responded before he grabbed the phone and Amanda and Hiro hung up.
'Husband…' Amanda thought as she glanced at her left ring finger, which had a marquise cut engagement ring with an Onyx stone and a Diamond on each side.
It had been there for a few weeks but she knew every time that it reaffirmed people that Finn was serious about marriage and family.