TWELVE

The lawyer Dixie called in, Tobias Donovan, was quick to tell me I needed to get the DNA test done on Abigail. If there was even a slight chance she wasn't Shane's, we had to take it, and cooperating now would look better if we had to fight him beyond that.

Donnie, as he insisted we call him, was from Boston. He was very polished, and was everything you'd expect a hot-shot lawyer to be, except he was a genuinely nice guy. I could see why Emily had trusted him. Abigail seemed to at least tolerate him, although she insisted on calling him Tobias.

The results came back positive, not that I'd had any doubt. That was when Sellie filed the paperwork to take my creature away from me. That was also when Shane finally met his daughter.

He saw her from a distance at first. "My God," he said. "She's beautiful."

I could see how much he wanted to know her. The other McMahons might have bad plans for her, but Shane just genuinely wanted to take care of his daughter.

"Abigail, this is Shane," I said as she joined us.

"Hello, Abby," Shane said.

Abigail glared at him. "My name is Abigail," she corrected him harshly. I tried not to laugh. It was nice not to be on the creature's shit list anymore, but Shane had just put himself at the top.

"I'm sorry," Shane said quickly. "I just thought-"

"You assumed that your biological claim over me gave you the right to call me by a nickname, but nicknames are for people who know each other. You are a stranger, Shane."

His jaw dropped. Okay, so maybe I should have warned him that he'd fathered a creature and not a child, but I have to admit, this was more fun. If he couldn't handle her, he didn't deserve her.

"Also, your given name is Shane, and that is what I'm going to call you. I don't have a dad and I don't need or want one. I'm in good hands here with the people Mom wanted me with. You can go now," Abigail dismissed him.

Shane was stuttering as he tried to form a coherent response. He failed. Abigail had that effect on some people. It was Sellie who broke the awkward silence.

"Nice try, Kid, but your father has the right to take you into his custody. Legally, you belong with him, and I think you know that," Sellie said.

"When couples get divorced, if a child proves to be mature enough, their choice is heavily factored into deciding where they end up," Abigail countered. "My mother wanted me to stay with Michael, and I approve of her choice."

"This isn't a divorce. It's different when a parent passes away."

"She died. Don't say that to make it sound prettier and happier. My mother was murdered. She didn't pass to some better place because she needed a change of scenery or because some God wanted her as an angel or any of that. I'm seven, not stupid."

Sellie nodded. "I like you, Abigail. You don't beat around the bush. When one parent dies, but one remains, the court generally feels it's best to leave the child in the care of the living parent."

"Shane is a complete stranger. He's not my dad."

"He didn't know about you because your mom never told him. If she had, he would have been there for you. Shane wants to get to know you, Abigail."

"No, what Shane wants is to take me away from the people I know and love, regardless of what's best for me. I don't want to be another shiny McMahon for them to show off at parties. I don't want to inherit shares of a corrupt company like WWE. I don't want to leave Michael and James and Dixie and Jeff and TNA. This is my home. This is where I belong."

Sellie studied her. "Have you ever considered becoming a lawyer? You'd be great," she said finally. I had to agree.

"Thank you. It's on my list of things to do, in-between curing stupidity and defeating the forces of evil one jerk at a time." She looked at me. "Can we go now, Michael?"

"Sure, Abby," I said. Shane looked like he was waiting for her to attack me. Instead, she clung to my hand. She hid it well, but I could tell she was scared they were going to take her away from me. I pulled her close and hugged her. Then I turned to leave.

"We're pushing this through quickly," Sellie told me.

"Of course you are. The McMahons wait for no one," I replied. "We'll see you in court. Come on, Abby. Let's go."

We walked away and went back to the Hardy Compound. We were going to stay there until after the hearing. Neither one of us was ready to go back home yet, and given my strange work circumstances and travel schedule, the family court of North Carolina had agreed to handle the case.

(THREE DAYS LATER...)

Sellie worked quickly. The emergency custody hearing was about to begin. As we drove to court, Abigail said, "Don't let them take me away, Michael. Please."

"I'm going to fight with everything I have," I promised her. "I love you, Abby."

She squeezed my hand in response.

I knew pretty early on that we were in trouble. Sitting with Shane and Sellie was Stephanie. I think Abigail wanted to attack her, but she knew we were in a courtroom and we couldn't just attack a McMahon. (No matter how much we both wanted to.)

Sellie started out on fire, as always. She and Donnie worked so well against each other it was like watching a play. There was a familiar banter betweem them and I sensed a friendly rivalry. I guess with him being Dixie's top lawyer and her being Vince's, they had probably gone up against each other a lot.

Come on, Dummy. Take the bait. Follow my lead, like you did in law school, always right behind me, Sellie thought. Apparently, the two went back further than I thought. That was when I heard her say, "My client has a steady schedule. He spends all of his time with his family. He is reliable and comes from a family with a great history of community service."

"The McMahon family also has a great history of fraud, scandal, and doing things no one would find to be appropriate to expose a child to," Donnie said. He began a lengthy argument about the corruption the McMahons were infamous for.

I was puzzled. Sellie had left herself wide open to that argument. Sellie, who crossed every t, dotted every i, and never lost a case, had just screwed up.

I read her thoughts again. I can't believe I'm trying to throw this case... God help me... But I can't take that little girl away from him. It isn't right. I sold my soul, but this is too much...

I was stunned. Sellie was actually willing to screw up her perfect record for me. She was risking her career, and hell, maybe even her life if Stephanie figured out what she was up to. I wanted to hug her, but that would sort of give it away, so I resisted the urge.

As the hearing continued, Sellie did her best to leave room for Donnie's attacks and he jumped at nearly every single chance. I was positive it was going well until Stephanie was called to testify.

Stephanie McMahon was first and foremost a business woman. She cleaned up well and knew exactly how to spin things in her favor. She had been doing it her entire life. She sounded confident, sympathetic, and caring on the stand. It was an amazingly convincing act.

"Your honor, although I am sure Michael Hutter has the best of intentions, he is not Abigail's father. My brother Shane is the best father I know and I'm confident Abigail will be happy and loved in his care. Mr. Hutter travels frequently. His employment situation makes my niece's life unstable at best. Shane is married and stays in one place. He's dedicated to his wife and children, and he's already shown what a wonderful parent he is. Children need stability. Leaving my niece with a single man who never stays home is negligent, especially since Abigail has never had any stability. Her own mother hid her from my brother and constantly traveled, denying her any chance at a normal life."

"Don't you dare talk badly about my mother, you bitch!" Abigail shouted, leaping up from her seat.

Sellie couldn't stop herself from laughing at Abigail's outburst. I tried to hide my own amusement as I guided her back into her chair.

It took a moment for things to get back on track. When Donnie was allowed to question Stephanie, he tried to keep control, but she spun everything he asked in ways that made her family look fantastic and me look like a horrible choice of guardian. She argued that I lived a dangerous life and couldn't guarantee being healthy enough to care for a child. It's certainly true that wrestlers are at risk of injury every time they get into the ring, but she made it sound like I could and would die or paralyze myself at any moment, leaving Abigail alone. Donnie suddenly didn't seem to be doing as good of a job of pleading my case.

Sellie used her closing argument to try one last time to leave room for doubt. She was subtle, but the opening was there. Donnie tried to argue my case as best he could.

After all of that, the judge decided to make his decision the following day. I took Abigail back to Jeff's and prayed this wouldn't be our last night together.

"Michael..." Abigail said.

"Yeah, Abby?" I asked.

"Don't let him take me away. Promise."

I sighed. "I'm trying, but I can't promise that, Abby. I don't make promises I can't keep. What I will promise is I will keep fighting for you with everything I have until this is over."

She nodded. "I know you're trying." She looked at me with a hint of fear in her eyes. "Michael, I know it's not like me, but can I sleep in your bed with you tonight? I don't want to be alone."

I hugged her. "Of course you can," I said. "You never have to ask, Abby. I'm here for you."

And so, I crawled into bed and let the creature curl up in my arms. I held her and rocked her and whispered, "I love you" as she fell asleep, and I desperately tried to convince myself that this would not be the last time I got to hold her.

(THE NEXT DAY...)

We got to court early. Dixie, James, Jeff, and Matt were with us when we walked inside. Shane, Sellie, and Stephanie came in a few minutes later, and shortly after, the judge arrived.

"Cases like this one are never easy," he began. "You have all suffered a tragic loss. Mr. Hutter, I genuinely believe you wish to do right by this child and honor her mother's wishes."

That doesn't matter. This is how it has to be, he thought.

I knew then, with a sickening sense of finality, where this was going.

"However, Mr. McMahon has provided a significant amount of evidence proving that he poses no threat to the child, and in a case such as this where the mother has died and there is no history of abuse, the best thing to do is leave the child in the care of the father. With that being said, I grant custody of the minor child Abigail to her biological father, Shane McMahon."

"No!" Abigail shouted. "I won't go with him! I refuse!"

"Abby-" I started sadly, but I lost my words. I'd failed her, just like I'd failed her mother.

"I want to stay with Michael!" She said to the judge. "Doesn't my opinion count? Why don't I get a say?"

"Darlin', you're just a child-" Dixie said.

"Plenty of custody cases involve the child being questioned. Why didn't you do that, Tobias? Why didn't you put me up there?"

"You're still very young, Abigail-" Donnie began.

"I'm not an idiot. I know where I'm supposed to be, and that's with Michael! Make the judge listen to me."

"I can't, honey. We already lost, and in cases like this, we can't appeal."

"We can't?" I asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. The McMahons provided a thorough case. Without cause, we can't get this overturned."

"He's right," Sellie said. She looked sad. Even when I try to lose, I win, Sellie thought. This is... off. Something went wrong here. Someone made sure I couldn't lose this case. Her thoughts flowed rapidly and I could no longer follow them. "I found every possible loophole and covered each one. You have to let her go, Michael. Without cause, there's nothing else you can do."

I'm sorry, she thought.

"Don't make me go," Abigail begged. She flung her arms around me and sobbed. I held her, wishing I could do anything to change this.

"I'm so sorry, Abby," I whispered. "I don't have a choice... I love you."

"I know." She clung to me tighter. "I love you, too."

"Shane's a good guy, Abby." It killed me to say it, but she needed to hear it. "Give him a chance, okay? He might surprise you."

"You did." She kissed my cheek. "But you're different."

I looked at Shane. "Listen to her. That's the most important thing you can do. She knows what she needs and she'll tell you. She's really bright, so don't talk to her like she's not. She gets cold at night, so always make sure she has an extra blanket. I... um... I have her stuff in Florida. I'll pack it up for you."

"I can buy her whatever she needs, so don't push yourself to do that," Shane said gently. I could tell he felt a little bit bad about this, but not bad enough to change his mind.

"She should have some of the things from my place... Her things and... and Emily's." My voice shook. I tried to keep going. "She won't let you off easy. The kid's a handful, but she's amazing. Appreciate her, Shane. Love her. Realize how insanely lucky you are to know her. And... And she hates pancakes. Like, really hates them." A few tears slid down my cheeks and I laughed like a crazy man because it hurt less to laugh, but it came out strangled.

I took a deep breath. "I love you, Creature," I told her.

"I'm not going," she said again. Shane tried to reach for her. She screamed and kicked his hand away.

"Sellie, do your job and grab her," Stephanie said sharply.

She's so happy with him, Sellie thought. She loves him and it's obvious what she means to him. This is wrong. There is a special place waiting in hell for me because of this.

"No," Sellie said. "Let her do this on her terms. We just ripped the kid away from someone she loves. Unfortunately, today, that is my job, but forcibly removing her from his arms? That's not. Maybe you can call J&J Security to do that bit of dirty work or something."

After about a minute of holding her and comforting her, I got Abigail to stop screaming. "I love you," I said again.

"I love you, too," she whispered. "I know you did everything you could."

It was Donnie who finally pulled her from my arms. "I'm sorry," he said, "but you have to go with your father now or Michael will get in trouble."

She stopped fighting. I watched in silence as Shane took her away. When they were gone, Dixie tried to hug me, but I pulled away. James got a similar reaction. Jeff tried saying, "You can stay with me as long as you need to, Michael."

"Thank you," I said numbly. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, Jeff. I can't ever repay you... But it's time for me to go home."

I went on autopilot for two days, packing everything up and making plans to head home. I didn't really talk to anyone. Dixie and James tried so hard to convince me to let them in, but I couldn't. I was too numb to feel anything at all.

Finally, after I packed the last of my things, I left. I insisted on going alone. It seemed like a century passed before I made it home. I walked into the big, empty house and I knew I'd never see Emily's face light up to greet me again. I'd never hear her laughing as she taught Abigail how to cook hamburgers. I'd never feel her arms around me again. I'd never try to convince Abigail that waffles are made from the same stuff as pancakes and she couldn't like one but hate the other. I'd never see the woman I loved and the strange little creature I'd come to view as my own daughter ever again. It was over and I had lost everything.

I curled up on my bed and I realized Emily's side of the bed still smelled like her. If I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, it was like she was with me. I clutched her blanket to my body and buried my face in her pillow, breathing her in, and all of the emotions I'd held back burst through suddenly like an avalanche.

I'd never hurt so much in my entire life. It was like I lost her all over again. I'd lost them both. In losing Abigail, I'd lost the last piece of Emily I had left.

For the first time in my life, I didn't want to be alive anymore. It was too hard knowing I was still here when they were both gone. How was I supposed to do this without them? I sobbed, nearly catatonic, for I don't even know how long. Then I stood. I walked into the bathroom and I looked through my medicine cabinet. It was pretty well-stocked with aspirin, because as a telepath, I get a lot of headaches. I could easily swallow two bottles or so and go to sleep, curling up on what had been our bed, breathing her in until I stopped breathing all together.

I poured a glass of water and brought the pills into the bedroom. I sat down on the bed and I unscrewed the first bottle of pills. That was when I heard a knock on my door.

"Seriously?" I asked aloud. Then I laughed. It figured. With my luck, it was a Jehovah's Witness or something. I put the pills down reluctantly and walked to the door.

Standing on the other side was the last person I expected and the first one I should have thought of. "James?" I asked. And slowly, as I looked at my best friend in the world, it hit me.

You're an idiot, I thought. How the hell could you even think about killing yourself and leaving everyone behind? They still need you. James still needs you.

"I... I know you asked to be alone, but I arrived back at my place and the oddest thing happened... I kept hearing your entrance music. I couldn't get it out of my head and I just... I thought you might need me, like something was trying to tell me that you were actually in trouble or something. That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? I'm sorry."

"No, James," I said. "It's not ridiculous at all." I pulled him into a tight hug and I laughed my ass off. He was baffled, but he let me hug him. When I finally let him go, I said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"You saved my life tonight, James." I shook my head. "If you hadn't knocked when you did, I would have swallowed a hell of a lot of pills."

He stared at me in shock. "Michael... Oh my God, Michael..." He started to cry.

"It's okay," I reassured him quickly. "As soon as I saw you, I remembered why I'm still here. I remembered why, no matter what, I have to keep fighting." I hugged him again as I added, "And the next time your parents ask you what you've ever done, you can tell them that you saved an idiot from the darkness trying to consume him by leading him back to the light... You are the light."

After a few more minutes of crying, James tried to compose himself. "There was something outside waiting for you," he said. He picked up an envelope and handed it to me.

I opened it and studied the paperwork inside. I was confused as I looked it over. "It's some sort of financial record," I said.

"Whose?" James asked.

I looked closer. "The judge! What the hell?" A sizeable amount of money had been wired into his account the day before the hearing. I kept looking. "Holy shit!"

"What is it?" James asked.

"A WWE financial record... James, the judge received a payment to his bank accont for the exact amount that someone withdrew from this account two days before!"

"Wait... That means-"

"We have cause!"

"Michael, this is amazing! But... Who could have sent it?"

I looked at the envelope, but there was no return address. That was when I noticed a doodle inside of the lip of the envelope... Captain America's shield.

Sellie, I realized. "Oh, I have a pretty good idea," I said. I pulled James into another hug. If he hadn't come, not only would I be dead, but I'd never have seen this.

I smiled at him. "I'm going to get her back," I said. "I told her I'd fight until this was over, and it's not over yet." I took a deep breath and braced myself for the battle that was about to come.