"Momma, Kane is sad, why is he sad?" Amanda asked looking up at her mother with her big green eyes.
"Well, do you remember Kane's friend, Judy?" Kali asked the little girl and Amanda nodded that she did. "I think Kane is sad because he is here and she is back home. I think he must miss her an awful lot."
"Momma, when are we going home?" Amanda asked.
Kali could only smile at her daughter's question. She too had begun to become a little home sick. She missed her job most of all. Kali loved what she did and hadn't done any work since before Tasha died nearly a month ago. The first chance she had, Kali intended to talk to Taker about it.
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At Kane's request, his suspension had been lifted and he paid a fine rather than not be able to wrestle. He was in his dressing room getting ready for his match that evening when Taker knocked on the door. Kane opened the door, stepping aside to let him in.
"Brother, I am sick of watching you mope around like a lost puppy. Now are you going to tell me what is eating you or do I have to beat it out of you?" Taker asked as he walked into the room.
"What do you care? Everything is going your way. You have the woman you love right here with you." Kane said bitterly, slamming the heavy door shut and then turned to face his brother.
"Kane, don't you even go there. You know I went through three long years of hell with out Kali, so don't you ever try to use that against me." Taker shot back angrily, then he quickly regained his composure again.
"I'm sorry, and you're right, I was way out of line in saying that." Kane said as he ran his fingers through his hair and then down over his face. "Judy and I were talking the other night and she asked me if I had ever been married. I didn't want to say it, knowing what she had been through with her ex-husband and everything. But before I knew it, I told her I had never even thought of getting married until I meet her. After that, Judy proceeded to tell me she didn't want a serious relationship with me right now, maybe not ever."
"I'm sorry, Kane. I know how much you care for her." Taker offered, not quite sure what else to say.
"How can I make her understand that I'm not like that jerk that she was married to?" Pure frustration could plainly be seen in Kane's eyes. "Judy wants for she and I to be friends. We slept together, Taker. After that, I don't know if I can JUST be her friend."
"I think she knows you won't hurt her, but sometimes when someone is hurt as bad as Judy has been, it takes a long time to trust again and sometimes trust is never regained. I know how hard it must be for you, but if you love Judy like you say you do, then you must respect her wishes." Taker said as he headed for the door to leave.
"Thanks, brother. You always did have your head screwed on a bit tighter than I did." Kane said, feeling ten times better than he had a few minutes ago.
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"Taker, as much as I love being on the road with you, I've become a bit homesick and so has Amanda. I miss my job terribly. Besides you and Amanda, that is my life. Now that Jack is dead, I don't see why it wouldn't be safe for Amanda and I to stay in Vegas while you're on the road. And we can still travel with you every now and then." Kali said to Taker when they arrived back to their hotel after the show that night. While she waited for Taker's reply, Kali got Amanda ready for bed. The little girl was exhausted and after demanding good night hugs from both parents, she was fast asleep. Kali put Amanda's clothes in the laundry bag and then joined Taker out on the patio that was connected to their room.
The first thing Taker did was take her into his arms, kissing her deeply. "I have been waiting to do that all night, love." Taker said as he looked into her eyes and then brought his mouth to hers in another slow, lingering kiss. "You know, I've been thinking the same thing, Kal. I really enjoy having you and Amanda with me, but I don't like the idea of you two having to live in hotel rooms across the country. That's not how I want my little girl to grow up, and I know how much you love you're work and you're damn good at it too. I don't want to deny you of that. But….could you wait two more weeks before you and Amanda go home?" Taker asked as he sat down in one of the chairs, pulling her down on his lap.
"Well, yeah, I suppose that would be alright." Kali answered, confused by his request.
Taker saw the confusion in her eyes and went on to explain his question. "In two weeks I have two days off and I want to come home with you and Amanda. I also want to find a house for us to live in during those two days."
A smile slowly spread across Kali's face and her eyes sparkled. "What? You don't like my apartment?" Kali asked him as she smiled happily. "That would be so wonderful! Amanda will be overjoyed to hear this!" Kali hugged him tightly while she told him how much she loved him.
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The next morning while checking out of the hotel, Kali was surprised to see Judy walk into the front lobby. "Judy, how are you?" Kali smiled warmly as she greeted the woman. "It's good to see you."
"Nice to see you as well. I hope everything is well with you." Judy said as she was handed a message that Kane had left at the desk for her.
"Yes, we are all fine. Thanks. Well, it's good to see you again." Kali said and then added, "I hope you and Kane are able to work things out between you two."
"Thanks. Well, I'll see ya around, I guess." Judy replied and then headed off towards the elevators.
Stopping on the third floor, Judy stepped off the elevator and walked down the hallway until she came to Kane's room. Knocking softly, she waited for him to open the door.
"Judy," Kane whispered softly as he pulled her into his arms, holding her body close to his. "I'm sorry I wasn't more understanding towards your feeling. But some one has set me straight again and if you don't want our relationship to go beyond friendship, then I can respect that."
"Thank you, Kane." Judy said softly. "But, I've given this a lot of thought this past week. I've missed you more than anything and I've come to realize just how much I care for you. I think if we can take things slow, you and I will be able to have a life together."
Kane looked down at Judy, the surprise was plainly evident on his face. But looking deep into her eyes, he could see that she was serious about what she had just said.
"You know I love you, and nothing would make me more happy." Kane said as he leaned forward and gently kissed her.
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Two weeks later, on the morning they were to fly back to Las Vegas, Kali woke up barely making it to the bathroom before she lost the contents of her stomach. Looking up at Taker, who stood in the doorway with a concerned look on his face, Kali smiled and said, " Good thing we're getting a house. Looks like we're gonna need the extra room."
Taker's concern turned to shock when he heard this. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Kali nodded her head as Taker picked her up and twirled her around the small room. Then he set her down and took her into his arms.