It's Been A Long Time... [Desperate Measures Sequel]

Fifty.

When I arrived at my own house I was taken back. I should have visited here more often but I hadn't and the garden was totally overgrown and a mess. If you walked passed you would think that no one lived here, I mean I was surprised it was my own home when I saw it. Climbing through the overgrown weeds I managed to get to the front door before jamming the key in the lock and getting it open. 

Pushing the door open I forced it over all the piling letters and junk mail before getting into my home. I had neglected this place more than I thought I had, I managed to close the door before I leaned down to pick up all the mail that was mounting. I decided not to check it before I just dumped it in the kitchen on the counter. 

Heading into the living room I crouched down before sitting on the floor by the coffee table and grabbing the box under the table. I opened the box and sighed as I pulled out the contents emptying them on the coffee table in front of me. 

This box contained many different things, little things that were my memories from my time in America. Photos, letters, little trinkets, things that I thought would remind me of all the good times, some of the bad times. Picking up the top photo I examined it closely as I sadly smiled at the picture. It was me with AJ when I was in the rehab facility, we were sitting together on a sofa, his arm around me both smiling at the camera. 

When I thought about all the time I had spent with AJ it made me sad that we were no longer as close as we used to be. Just seeing this picture made me want to ring him, to tell him everything, to share all my happiness with him. If I rang him I knew he would try to talk me into returning to work, he'd remind me of all the good times we had actually had at work. 

Putting the photo down I picked up the next photo, I sighed as I studied the face of the blonde girl alongside me in the picture. I felt tears in my eyes as I looked at the woman, the picture doing her bright blue eyes no justice. "Things could have been so different for you Maxine," I spoke to the picture as I stroked her smiling face. 

Shoving the picture back in the box I started to pick the others up and put them away before the one at the bottom of the pile remained. I slowly reached for the photo before pulling it close to me, I closed my eyes keeping them shut for around fifteen seconds before I opened them and glanced at the photo. The faces of everyone looked so young, so full of life and so happy. I smiled as I looked at Dean's face, the way he was just looking at me, it reminded me of what Katherine had said, about him being so in love with me. Everyone else was looking at the camera, smiling for the photo being taken. Brie and Nikki were crouched at the front, their hair so different from one another. John was sat behind Nikki as he ran a hand through his hair. Daniel sat in the chair behind Brie as he rested his hands on her shoulders, his beard just starting out in this photo. AJ was sitting on Punk's knee and his hands rested on her thighs as they both smiled at the camera. Roman was standing to my left, his hair wet and he was wearing his wrestling gear, a big smile on his face. To Dean's right was Seth, he was the same as Roman, wet hair and wearing his in-ring outfit, a grin on his lips. Right in the middle at the back at myself and Dean, I was looking at the camera, a little smile was on my lips. And lastly Dean, he had his arm around me, holding me close to him, he was the only one looking away from the camera, too busy looking at me. My hair was a mess and my body was skinny yet he looked at me with so much love.

I remembered the photo being taken, we were at the arena for a show that evening. The last match had just ended, Roman and Seth were having a match against each other and Roman had won but it didn't stop the photo being taken. We had been chatting before they came backstage and the photo was an impromptu moment, Layla was passing with a camera and asked us to pose for a photo. It wasn't until my birthday the same year she gave it to me, a present that she thought would cheer me up. It didn't cheer me up, at the time when she gave it to me Dean and I was not seeing each other, yet I kept the photo to remind me of happier times. 

My phone started to ring loudly, interrupting the silence. I knelt up and grabbed my phone from the coffee table before looking at the screen. I pressed the answer button before I held the phone to my ear, "Hello?"

"Hello," the voice on the end of the phone was very cheery. "I have some news I want to share with you."

I shoved the photo in the box before putting the lid on it, "Spit it out then."

"We've decided on a name for the baby," my brother told me. 

"Well?" I was impatient as I waited for him to tell me what he had decided. 

In the background, I could hear the baby letting out a small whimper. "What do you think about Theodora?"

"Actually," I stood up from the floor and picked up the box from the floor, "I really like it." I smiled to myself as I placed the box on the sofa before walking into my bedroom, "It's really pretty."

"I thought I would ring you and let you know," he said before the baby started to cry. "I better go," he told me, "Someone is getting grizzly."

I laughed before we shared our goodbyes before we ended the call. 

Looking around my shell of a bedroom I sighed as I switched the light on. Walking into my room and looking around the room I pulled back the blankets before climbing into the bed. Putting my head on my pillow I looked up at the ceiling as I thought about all the old times I had spent in the WWE, about the time the photo was taken, all the time we had spent with each other, everyone, not just myself and Dean, all of us as friends, as more than friends.