A Light In the Dark
Chapter 17

Shawn shuffled awkwardly out of the dining room, slowly making his way towards the living room. He wasn't sure why, but his whole body felt like it was underwater, making it difficult to move. After what felt like forever, even though it was only a minute and a half at most, Shawn collapsed on the couch and quickly curled in on himself. He hated feeling tired when he knew he should be doing something (like interacting with a group of people that were extremely important to him). It didn't take long for his eyes to slip closed…

There it was again. That godforsaken hotel room. Shawn was absolutely sick of seeing it. Every little detail of it. How could interior decorators call any of the paintings in that place 'art?' It drove him crazy.

Shawn (but not Shawn) looked away from the wall he was facing, quickly turned his back on real unconscious Shawn and walked over to Shane and Paul. Once again, the younger man was on his knees, looking up at his brother-in-law. Not-Shawn sighed. Why did he have to see this every time he closed his eyes? What the fuck could he possibly be missing that was so fucking important?!

"Uncle Shawn?"

…Well, that's new.

"Uncle Shawn!?"

Shawn jerked awake, twitching so hard that he nearly fell off the couch and on top of the four-year-old Declan McMahon.

"Oh my God," Shawn took a moment to calm himself down before turning to the young boy. "Did I scare you?"

Declan shrugged. "Not really… Were you having a bad dream?"

Shawn blinked. Was it obvious? "Uh… Yeah, I was."

Declan patted Shawn on the shoulder. "It'll be okay, Uncle Shawn."

Shawn smiled sadly at Declan, who was scarily wise beyond his years. "Thanks, kid. So… What brings you out here?"

Declan shrugged again. "I kinda wanted to take a nap."

The older man quirked an eyebrow. "A nap? At your age? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm sleepy." Declan replied.

"Do you sleep much at night?" Shawn asked.

The young boy remained silent for a few moments, and Shawn could tell he was seriously (or as seriously as he could at that age) contemplating his words. "Can I tell you a secret, Uncle Shawn?"

"Sure."

"Do you promise not to tell?"

"I promise."

Declan stared at Shawn for a moment, as if he were testing his seriousness, and then climbed onto the couch, settling down on Shawn's lap. "I don't like sleeping at night," Declan started, then leaned closer to Shawn to whisper in his ear. "Sometimes I have dreams about my daddy. They make me sad. If I don't sleep at night, I don't have them."

Shawn stared at the floor, trying to figure out how to respond to the young boy… Hell, what was he supposed to say? Would the kid think he was weird if he told him the truth? Should he lie?

…How would he feel if the roles were reversed?

"To tell you the truth," Shawn suddenly blurted, then paused and watched as Declan turned to look him in the eyes. "I don't like sleeping at night either."

The young McMahon tilted his head to the side. "Do you have dreams about my dad too?"

"Yes." Shawn replied without hesitation.

"Really? Does he tell you things? He tells me lots of things. He even reads 'Jack and the Beanstalk' to me."

Shawn once again smiled sadly. "'Jack and the Beanstalk,' huh?"

Declan shrugged. "He said I'd find that funny someday. Do you know why?"

"Yes, I do. When the time is right, you'll know what he meant."

Silence loomed in the air as Shawn settled back down, allowing Declan the opportunity to lay on top of him. The four-year-old didn't hesitate to snuggle against Shawn's chest, resting his ear over Shawn's heart.

"Uncle Shawn?"

"Yes?"

"How'd you meet my dad?"

Shawn blinked several times. Whoa. Good question. "Well… I was working for grandpa Vince… Started here in the late 80's. Your dad was a teenager then. Maybe seventeen or eighteen years old. Your grandpa brought him by one night and introduced us. We had a lot in common, and we were only five years apart, so we started becoming friends in no time at all."

"Was he funny?"

"Without a doubt, one of the funniest people I've ever met."

"Mommy said he was a dork."

Shawn chuckled. "At times, I guess he was," After a moment of silence, Shawn looked down at the top of Declan's head. "Why so many questions?"

Declan looked up at Shawn. "Mommy doesn't always answer me. And I want to be like my dad so I can make her happy again."

Shawn blinked. "Let me tell you something, kiddo… You're already a lot like him."

"I am?" Declan happily asked.

"Yes, you are. You're the spittin' image, and I see a lot of his personality in you already. Just give it time."

Declan put his head back down. "Daddy told me that."

Shawn rubbed Declan's back gently. "Did he, now?"

"Yeah. He also said you need a hug."

Shawn chuckled at that. "That all depends on who's doin' the hugging."

When he didn't receive an answer, Shawn figured the young boy fell asleep. Thinking back to Shane's hilarious version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' the young man read on Smackdown several short years earlier, Shawn drifted off to sleep clutching the young boy close to him.

Oh my God… If I have to look at this fucking hotel one more time…

Not-Shawn turned around to face the room rather than the wall. That's when he noticed things were different. The gloominess he had grown accustomed to had faded away. The room was a bit lighter than he remembered it being. Hell, the only thing wrong with the image was how distorted Paul looked.

Shawn took several steps closer in order to get a better look at the situation. Paul was, indeed, distorted beyond recognition. In fact, he wouldn't have known it was him if he hadn't seen this a million times before.

Taking a deep breath to gather his courage, Shawn turned his attention towards Shane. The younger man looked exactly the same as he did all the other times not-Shawn dared to get this close. Except… Wait a second…

The look in his eyes.

Not-Shawn never noticed it before, yet he had seen it countless times in the past.

There was no fear whatsoever in those ever-familiar eyes. Not-Shawn felt his own eyes tear up a little.

Everyone was right. Shane wasn't afraid. He wasn't annoyed. He wasn't upset. He just wanted to protect Shawn at all costs. Unfortunately for Shane, that cost was his life.

Not-Shawn blinked, allowing the tears to slip from his eyes and roll down his face. He knelt down in front of Shane, watching as the young man looked him in the eyes, which was a first… No one ever interacted with him before. "Thank you."

"For what?"

Not-Shawn put a hand on Shane's shoulder. "Being the best friend in the world. Giving up your life, without fear, to protect mine."

Shane smirked slyly. "You're very welcome."

The scenery around them slowly changed, and soon, the two men were standing in a grassy field on a beautiful spring day.

Not-Shawn turned to look Shane in the eyes. "What happens now?"

Shane smiled and shrugged. "You go on living your life."

"It's hard." Shawn replied.

"Nobody ever said it wasn't. Keep on fighting, man. You have a lot of people cheering you on."

"I don't have to see that hotel again… Do I?"

Shane quirked an inquisitive eyebrow. "I certainly fucking hope not."

Shawn chuckled. "So… Where's that leave you?"

"Oh… I'll be around. Don't worry," Shane paused to fully face Shawn. "But it looks like it's time for you to wake up, buddy."

Shawn opened his eyes slowly, blinking until they adjusted to the light. It took him a moment to remember why it felt like he had an anvil on his chest (and, of course, another moment to remember the "anvil" was actually a child by the name of Declan McMahon). It took him awhile to remember why he woke up.

…Shane told him to…

And Marissa McMahon had a cell phone pointed in his direction. He could only imagine how many pictures she already took when she noticed his eyes were open. She jumped back a little and shoved her phone in her pocket. "Oh! I'm sorry! I hope I didn't wake you!"

"No. Not at all."

Marissa smiled. "I hope Declan didn't give you much trouble…"

"Nope. Perfect little angel."

"That's a relief. I was praying you wouldn't call him the next Vince."

"That role has already been taken. By me." Stephanie declared from across the room.

Shawn blinked. How long did I sleep? He glanced around the living room and saw everyone there… And the time. He'd been out for two hours. He looked back at Marissa.

"I can take him back if you want." She offered.

"I, uh..," Shawn sighed. He kind of liked having Declan where he was. Then again, the young boy was so special to Marissa. "Okay."

Marissa quirked an eyebrow. "You can hold him longer if you want to."

"No, it's alright," Shawn paused as Marissa took Declan without waking him up. "He was asking an awful lot of questions about Shane."

Marissa nodded. "I figured as much. He asks me stuff all the time. Don't know where his sudden interest is coming from…"

Shawn shrugged. "The boy wants his dad, Rissa."

"I know. I want his dad, too," Marissa paused, then leaned closer to Shawn and lowered her voice. "Declan keeps asking if he can change his name to Shane."

"What'd you tell him?"

Marissa sat up straight again and shrugged. "I told him I'd think about it. You know how stressful it is to pick out a name for a child and have both parents agree on it. It took me forever to get Shane to even look at the list of names I came up with. He kept telling me it was my decision because I was carrying the child for nine months. I wanted to strangle him! Anyway, we finally came to an agreement on Declan James… 'James,' of course, for Vince Sr."

Shawn remained silent, carefully choosing his words. "Does 'Declan' hold any significance to you at all? Other than the fact you got Shane to agree to it, I mean."

"I've always liked the name. And I love how his name sounds. Declan James McMahon."

"What about Kenyon Jesse McMahon?" Shawn asked.

Marissa nearly shrieked. "I can't change Kenney's name! Declan would get so mad! He might be little, but he has a monstrous temper!"

Shawn chuckled for a moment, then put a supportive hand on Marissa's shoulder. "You're a very intelligent young woman, Marissa. God knows how patient you are, dealing with the crazy McMahons all these years. I'm sure you'll figure this out… Try to think about what Shane would say."

"I could always move names around," Marissa more or less muttered to herself. "Thank you for listening, Shawn."

"You're very welcome," Shawn paused for a moment, then decided he needed to fess up. "Oh… Marissa? Can I tell you something in confidence?"

"Uh… Okay?"

"I'm breakin' a promise to Declan right now but you, as his mother, should be aware of this… Declan isn't sleeping at night. Take it from me, it's not good for a person to deal with that, especially a kid."

Marissa blinked. "Why did he tell you this?"

Shawn shrugged. "I don't know."

Marissa looked down at Declan, then back at Shawn. "Thank you for telling me…" She stated, nodded her head and walked away.

Randy, who overheard the whole exchange, walked over to Shawn and put a hand on his shoulder. "How you holding up, Shawny?"

"I'm alright," Shawn looked Randy in the eyes. "Worried about that kid, though… There's no reason a four-year-old should be afraid to sleep at night."

"There's no reason anyone should be afraid to sleep at night."

"Yeah," Shawn paused for a moment, then gestured towards the stairs. "Can we talk somewhere else?"

"Sure," Randy took a step back and allowed Shawn to lead the way. They headed up the stairs and to the left, then down a hall and into a bedroom Randy instantly recognized as Shane's. "What's on your mind, Shawn..?" Randy asked, although a tad creeped out by their new surroundings.

Shane, however, seemed perfectly content with the location, so Randy couldn't really complain about it.

"I had that fucking dream again," Shawn sighed, then turned to look at Randy. "It was really different this time."

Randy was at a loss for words, until Shane cleared his throat obnoxiously. "Uh… How so?"

"Usually it's dark and gloomy. This time it was light, and Paul was distorted beyond recognition. I walked over to Shane and looked him in the eyes," Shawn paused to try and fight off the tears he felt stinging in his eyes. "He… He wasn't afraid. At all. He wasn't mad. He was just trying to protect me, like you guys have been telling me over the past year. So I got on my knees to be eye level with him and I thanked him for protecting me even though he didn't make it. And… And the dream changed. We were standing in a meadow, and he told me I wouldn't have to see that damn hotel again, and that I was gonna have to fight to keep living, 'cause I have a lot of people on my side," Shawn looked Randy in the eyes again. "Thank you, Randy. For everything you've done for me."

Randy smiled sadly at Shawn, a fresh batch of tears slipping out of his eyes as he did so. "You're very welcome, Shawn. I know you'd do the same if the roles were reversed."

"I'd sure as hell try. Not sure I'd have your patience, though."

Randy chuckled. "Don't ask where it came from."

Shawn smiled at Randy, then turned away to look around the room. "I haven't been in here in ages… Don't even know what led me here."

Randy looked over at Shane with a quirked eyebrow. "Oh… I bet I know the reason." He stated, making Shane smirk at him.

"I haven't seen him since that day in the hospital," Shawn blurted. "I mean… It was weird. I knew it was definitely him. But…"

"The medication fucked with your ability to hear and see him. I was surprised when he told me you responded to him."

"He had a really strong presence, and I was very vulnerable." Shawn replied, making Randy shift uncomfortably.

"Spoken like a true paranormal enthusiast," Shane commented, making Randy look at him. "I'm sorry for leading you guys here. Thought you'd want to be alone for what Shawn had to say."

"That's quite alright, Shane," When Shawn gave him an odd look, he cleared his throat. "He brought us here so we could talk in private. Tell me… What was the key?"

"Declan." Shawn and Shane replied in unison.

Randy's eyes widened. "That was fucking creepy. Don't ever do that. Ever again. I mean it."

"Sorry..?" Shawn commented, obviously confused.

"Not you, Shawn… God damn, Shane. Can't you… I don't know… Strengthen your signal or something?"

Shane shrugged. "I'm not supposed to do shit like that… Fuck. Dad's coming."

No sooner did Shane finish his statement, Vince appeared in the doorway. "What are you two doing up here?"

"Talking." Randy replied.

"Explosion in three… Two… One." Shane commented.

Vince's face turned red in barely-contained anger. "If you two want to talk in private, find another place to do it! There's no reason for you to be in this room, of all the places in this godforsaken mansion!"

Randy and Shawn looked at one another in shock. There was literally no reason for Vince's sudden outburst.

"We're sorry, Vin Man… We didn't think you'd mind if we came up here…" Shawn explained.

Vince narrowed his eyes angrily. "I mind, alright."

"Randy… Tell him I brought you guys here."

Randy sighed. Not sure that's wise, but here goes nothing… "Shane wanted us to come up here, Vince."

Vince rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Get your asses back downstairs."

The two watched as Vince angrily stomped away, then turned to look at one another confusedly.

"He didn't try to disprove the mention of Shane..?" Shawn asked.

"Uh… A lot happened during your nap, Shawn."

Shawn blinked confusedly, allowing Randy to lead him out of the room and back downstairs, where everyone seemed to be waiting for them. Shawn smiled as he took a seat next to his wife, who suddenly stood up, holding his hand the entire time.

"Excuse me, everyone… I have something I'd like to announce," Everyone in the room quieted instantly, and Randy watched Shane physically startle in the corner of the room. "I'd like to tell all of you, Shawn's closest friends, that… I'm pregnant."

Vince nearly choked on his Scotch.

"Congrats!" Stephanie shouted, jumping forward to give Rebecca a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Randy patted Shawn on the shoulder. "Congratulations, man."

"Thank you," Shawn stood up to face his wife. "When did you find out?"

"Two weeks ago." Rebecca sheepishly admitted.

Shawn quirked an eyebrow. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I wanted to tell you, babe… But you were going through such a hard time. Well, you still are, but I figured today is a day for new beginnings. You're talking more than you have in weeks, and that's a miracle all on it's own… We're here, surrounded by these wonderful people God has blessed you with, celebrating the life of one of the most beautiful people I've ever known. I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to announce our beautiful gift from God."

Shawn, feeling at a loss for words, leaned forward to hug his wife and kiss her. "I love you."

Rebecca looked him in the eyes once they separated. "And I, you."

Randy crept over to where Shane was lurking and looked him in the eyes. "Know anything about that?"

Shane scoffed. "Of course I do."

"Boy or girl?" Randy asked.

Shane quirked an eyebrow and turned to face Randy. "Give me one good reason why I should tell you such a thing."

Randy stared at the other man. He wracked his brain, trying to think of something to offer, but he couldn't find anything. "I…"

"Thought not. So," Randy watched as Shane looked over at Marissa, who looked so incredibly lonely even though she was surrounded by family. "Why don't you do us both a favor and re-join the party instead of hanging out with me?"

"Number one, I miss you like hell. Number two, there's no one else I'd rather be talking to."

Shane quirked an eyebrow. "Not even Marissa?"

"Why the hell would I want to talk to your wife," Randy went silent when he noticed the look Shane was giving him. It wasn't sadness or desperation… He was kind of egging it on, and he didn't even seem mad about it. "Wait a second…"

"I told you it would happen when you least expect it to. Now, I know it's gonna be weird, since my dad was basically trying to force Stephanie at you, but she's getting pretty cozy with Andrew, and I'm almost positive that's a signed deal. And… Yes, I know I'm basically throwing you at my wife, but… She needs someone. And so do you."

Randy looked Shane in the eyes again. "Dude…"

"Don't argue me on this. I have inside information, after all. I wouldn't tell you this was alright with me if I knew it would cause trouble. Now… Go ahead. Go talk to her. Tell her she's beautiful. Great laugh. Perfect smile."

Randy desperately tried to ignore how Shane's voice cracked. "I'd never use your words to charm her, Shane."

"Good. I'll fucking haunt your ass to the grave."

Randy chuckled. "Alright… Wish me luck."

"Luck," Shane parroted, then watched as Randy walked over to Marissa, who seemed genuinely surprised that someone wanted to give her the time of day. The two were talking in no time, and Shane felt Marissa start to feel more comfortable with Randy, making the loneliness fade away. "Damn, I'm good."

"I'm very proud of you, Shane."

Shane turned his attention to the source of the voice. "Thanks, mom."

Linda gestured towards Marissa and Randy. "I know that wasn't easy for you… But it was the right thing to do."

Shane scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Remind me of that in like two years."

Linda chuckled, then turned to face Shane. "Listen, sweetheart… I want to thank you so much for looking out for everyone. You're such a selfless young man."

"You always taught me to protect the people I love." Shane replied, matter-of-factly.

"Damn straight. Never change… Even if you do leave us again."

Shane smirked at his mother. "No. I mean, I won't change. But I'm not going anywhere. I'm sticking around."

Linda quirked a confused eyebrow. "Even though you helped everyone?"

"I didn't help everyone, mom. Dad still won't forgive himself. There's nothing I can really do there. You suddenly developed this impeccable gift to communicate with me… Not that I'm complaining."

"I believed every damn word out of your mouth your entire life, young man. Don't you forget it. Besides, you have an incredibly strong presence. It's hard to pretend I don't see or hear you when your father is around."

"Maybe you shouldn't."

"And have him think I'm crazy?"

"He won't think you're crazy, mom."

Linda sighed, then looked Shane in the eyes again. "Why else are you sticking around?"

"Oh, I refuse to miss all the fun that's gonna go on in this family within the next few years."

Linda smiled at Shane, making him return the gesture. "I love you, Shane."

"And I love you."

A/N: Hello lovelies! I want to thank all of you for your patience with me as I work on the last chapters of this story. Ironically enough, I typed the majority of this chapter while listening to the song the story received its name from, which is 'A Light In the Dark' by J. Robert Spencer and Alice Ripley, from the phenomenal Broadway play Next to Normal. If you haven't heard of the play, please Google it. It's amazing. Unfortunately it's no longer running on Broadway, but someone uploaded the entire play to YouTube.

There's one more chapter to this story, and then I'm marking it complete.

I'm currently working on rewriting one of my old fics (because it's an absolute nightmare to read), as well as editing the newer ones. I have an idea for a SuperWhoAvengerLock fic that I mentioned ages ago, as well as aReservoir Dogs/Lie to Me crossover. Crossover fics terrify me, to be honest… So that's why it's taking me so long to post the SuperWhoAvengerLock one.

Anywho, thanks for reading! Feel free to message me with any questions, comments or fic requests.

Cheers!