Houston, We Have a Problem

A/N: Okay, so this chapter took me a little longer to post than I expected. It was partially because I couldn't decide exactly where I wanted to set this scene, and also because it's a little sad for me to post it.

As most of you know, this is the last chapter I will be posting. At first, I was extremely adamant that it would be the last one ever, but after talking with some people, I'm leaving the door open to the possibility of returning in the future. My favorite phrase at the moment seems to be "I don't know" so I'll just stick with that for now.

I'm going to leave a final, parting message on my profile page eventually, but for now, suffice it to say "THANK YOU ALL" for your unending support and you're never-ending encouragement. It means the world to me. This chapter was inspired by a review that I received earlier in the story from losingmymind2. My inspiration comes from everywhere, and this time, it was your words that spurred me into a totally unexpected direction for my Epilogue/Ending.

So for the final time, I say: Enjoy!

Jennifer stood in the back doorway of her brand new, spacious, 5,000-square-foot home. When they had first looked at the house together, she had told Dave it was just too big, but he insisted that they have enough room for all the girls to stay over at the same time. While the monstrosity was a bitch and a half to keep up with sometimes, she had to admit that it was the most beautiful home she could ever dream of owning.

The square hot tub in the back yard had been the seller for Dave. Insisting that it was fate that the jacuzzi was 18 square feet, the same size as a regulation WWE ring, he had used the smile that made her tummy flutter until she couldn't resist and had to give in. As she looked over the water, to the connecting infinity pool, she shook her head. It was serene, with it's surrounding tropical greenery and professional-grade outdoor kitchen area.

"Are the burgers ready?" Dave asked over his shoulder from his place at the grill.

Carrying the plate to her husband's side, Jennifer giggled as he dropped a kiss on her temple. "Don't burn 'em this time!" she warned, smacking his back side playfully.

"They weren't burnt," Edge protested from his friend's side, flipping the chicken breasts that were already grilling. "They were blackened."

"Chargrilled," Randy interjected, handing a bottle of Corona to each of the men at the grill.

Nodding, Dave lifted his beer in agreement. "Yeah," he smiled at Jennifer. "They were chargrilled."

With a roll of her dark eyes, she left the men to their grilling and lowered herself onto a chaise between Lita and Ashley. Dave's daughters, Hillary and Holly, drifted in the pool on inflatable rafts while a heavy hip hop beat drummed from the stereo near the grill. To say that it was anything short of the perfect back yard barbecue would be a lie.

"They're gonna burn the burgers again, aren't they?" Ashley sighed, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses as she lifted her head from the lounger to glare, unnoticed, at her fiancee.

"No worries," Jennifer assured her friends as she relaxed into her seat. "I have extras in the refrigerator. We'll fix whatever they ruin."

The woman lay in silence for a few minutes before Lita moved from her chair to turn over onto her stomach. "Where's Keegan?" she asked with a grunt as she climbed back onto the chaise.

"Bathing suit shopping with Heidi," Jennifer answered distractedly, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her body as it began to bake her already-golden flesh. "They won't be gone long," she predicted.

"She already have an idea of what she wanted?" Ashley asked, also turning herself to even out her tan.

Jennifer shook her head, sliding her sunglasses to the top of her head. It was nice to finally be at a place in her life where tan lines on her face were her biggest concern. "They took Kendall with them," she grinned a slightly vicious smile. "I give 'em about an hour."

The sound of the back door sliding open, and then clicking shut, drew the attention of the back yard attendants. "I brought my infamous crunchy cole slaw!" John announced to everyone just before grunting and clutching his stomach.

At his side, Trish smiled at his contorted state. "Who's cole slaw?"

"Woman," he warned, straightening up and delivering the large plastic bowl to the picnic table before proceeding to the grill.

Jennifer turned her head as Trish sank into the lounger to Lita's left, dropping her sarong on the ground as she prepped herself for a long afternoon of nothing but laying there. "You look exhausted," Jennifer laughed.

With a groan, Trish nodded her head and closed her eyes, ready to explain her woes to her three best friends. But before she could, the door opened and closed again.

Hillary and Holly jumped out of the pool, moving toward a group of their friends, who just smiled and waved at Jennifer before dispersing around the yard.

One of Jennifer's favorite things was knowing that they had the house all the girls' friends wanted to hang out in. They were the cool parents. Well, at least, she was the cool parent. Dave was hardly home enough to get to know the kids who stopped by for dinner, or to watch a movie in their sprawling home theater, with his travel schedule.

When it was time to turn over, Jennifer looked over to the grill once again, noting that Dave was waving his grilling tongs at a young woman beside him. "Heidi," she called. "Where's Keegan?"

Nibbling on a cucumber slice, Heidi looked to her stepmom with an easy smile. "She's changing," she answered.

As if on cue, Keegan stepped into the backyard, followed by a yapping little girl and a guy in board shorts and a 'Legend Killer' tee shirt. "Kendall, I don't know," she said shortly, turning to the blonde behind her. "We'll look it up later, okay?"

With a satisfied nod, the girl ran off to play, leaving Keegan to smile at the young man beside her. Dressed in a magenta bikini that hugged her body in all the right places, sixteen-year-old Keegan looked like she had just stepped off the pages of a Hollister ad. The curves that her body had started to develop when she was fourteen were now fully mature, creating a look that most of the guys in her sophomore class couldn't seem to get enough of.

While Jennifer always assumed that her daughter's piercing blue eyes, ample breasts, and long, muscular legs were the reason so many guys were hanging around the new house as of late, Keegan insisted that they were all just her friends. She was only interested in one person. And judging from the blush in her daughter's cheeks, the young man holding Keegan's hand as they walked to the far-side of the pool, was the one and only Brad Fisher.

"Shit's gonna hit the fan now," Lita laughed, standing and running a brush through her long, red locks.

"Why?" Trish laughed as Keegan sat next to Brad at the edge of the pool. Her infectious laughter filled the backyard as he pointed to a spot on her thigh and then threatened to throw her into the water.

All four women turned their attention to the grill. The interaction between the young couple had not gone unnoticed by Dave or John, who were now firing bullets at Brad with their eyes. "Shit," Jennifer sighed, standing to diffuse the bomb.

"Jen!" A tiny voice sounded behind her as John and Trish's youngest daughter, Katie, tugged insistently at Jennifer's leg.

"What is it, Miss Kate?" she asked, lifting the seven-year-old's petite frame into her arms. With her dark hair and her blue eyes, Katie closely resembled her older sister. Her demeanor was much quieter, but the mischievous grin she would always give before causing some kind of trouble was undeniably vintage Keegan.

"Dave said you have noodles in the pool house," Katie said, her eyes dancing at the thought.

With a nod, Jennifer put Katie back on the ground. "Go ask Hillary to help you get them out, okay?" As she ran off, Jennifer shook her head and smiled to herself.

When she married Dave, she knew that she would have a lot of girls running around her house all the time. Heidi, Hillary, and Holly were constant fixtures at both their old house, and this new one, though college and jobs had diminished some of the time they spent with the family. But as his daughters were growing and moving into a new stage of life, John and Trish's girls, Kendall and Katie, were getting old enough to spend more time at their older sister's house.

Though it wasn't always easy, the Cena and Batista families worked toward creating a loving, happy, tension-free environment for all of their daughters. As Trish had so aptly put it during her first pregnancy, the most important thing was giving their kids a healthy, stable home life.

Over time, as both couples re-established trust in each other, the friendships began to heal, and nearly ten years later, the four were stronger than ever. With Edge and Lita finally making their way down the aisle, and Randy and Ashley on their way there, Jennifer finally felt a sense of security in her inner circle.

Just as she was about to relax again, Dave's deep voice sounded over the noise of the party. "Hey, Peanut!"

Standing at the edge of the pool, Brad's arms around her waist as he continued his attempts to throw her in the water, Keegan looked at Dave with a slight twinge of fear. Without words, she seemed to understand him as she pulled away from Brad and whispered something to him.

"Should we go?" Jennifer asked Trish as the mothers stood and made their way toward the grill. It wouldn't be the first time Dave had been completely over-protective. History had taught them that John would only add fuel to the fire.

Watching his daughter approach slowly, Dave considered her brief attire and shook his head. With the three that had gone before her, Dave learned that girls would do what they wanted whether he liked it or not. And he surely didn't like the way she was about to fall out of the skimpy top she was sporting.

"Peanut, why don't you go inside and put a tee shirt on while I have a little chat with your friend here," he suggested easily, watching Keegan roll her eyes. "What?"

"Daddy," she smiled, draping her arms around her father's neck. "Be nice." Stepping back, she looked at Brad and then back at the men scrutinizing him. "Brad Fisher, this is my Daddy." She pointed to Dave, who just folded his arms across his massive chest. "And this is my father," she then pointed toward John, who mimicked Dave's stance. "They're not usually so," Keegan searched for the right word to describe the men before her, "scary."

Brad nodded and extended a hand toward Dave. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Batista," he said, his voice sincere and polite. "I was a big fan of yours when you were wrestling."

Taking Brad's hand, Dave applied a little bit of extra pressure, just to make sure that the kid knew he could be broken in half, if need be. "Brad," he said simply.

Turning toward John, Brad extended his hand again. "Mr. Cena," he smiled again, nodding his head. "I've seen all your movies," he said honestly. Even Keegan could attest to the fact that Brad was a huge fan of the blue-eyed man throwing him icy stares. "The Marine was just sick, man."

With a slight smile, John shook the young man's hand and looked him over carefully. "How long you been dating Keegan?" he asked.

"Guys," Keegan whined, turning to her mother and Trish. "Make them stop," she pleaded.

Jennifer felt the smile tweaking the edge of her lips. Though she'd had crushes before, Brad was Keegan's first real boyfriend, and she couldn't say she wasn't somewhat amused at her husband's reaction. "He's just getting to know your boyfriend, Sweetie," she said.

With a groan, Keegan reached for Brad's hand, but pulled away from the contact when Dave glared at her. "Daddy," she said in a small voice. "I think your burgers are burning."

"No, they're not," Edge chimed in, flipping the burgers onto a plate. "I got grill duty covered, Munchkin."

The familiar pitch of her voice made the older man smile. "Edge!" When he shot her a smile, Keegan couldn't help but return it. No matter how tense things had gotten between her mom and dad, or between her two families, Edge had always been the constant. She couldn't remember how many times he had taken her out for ice cream, just to help her escape the craziness of her life.

Tossing his sunglasses at her, Edge rolled his eyes and continued plating the meats from the grill. "Put those on and stop whining," he ordered.

"So, Brad, how long have you been dating my daughter?" Dave asked pointedly, relaxing his stance slightly as the young man held his composure in the face of interrogation.

"About three months," he said honestly, feeling Keegan stiffen at his side when he spoke.

John grunted slightly and cracked his knuckles for good measure. "What are your intentions?"

"Oh. My. God," Keegan groaned, grabbing Brad's arm and pulling him back. "Can you just go get us a soda or something? I need to talk to my dads." With a relieved nod, Brad scurried away from the situation as Keegan put her hands on her hips and looked up at the men before her. "What the hell are you two trying to do?"

Dave shrugged his shoulders and moved his own hands to his hips. "We're just talking to your little boyfriend," he started.

Reaching her thin arms upward, Keegan put a finger to both of their lips. "I'm not stupid," she informed them. "You don't have to tell me about the dangers of dating. I grew up around some of the horniest guys in the world," she reminded them, looking over their shoulders to the men standing behind them.

"What?" Randy asked obliviously.

With a shake of her dark ponytail, Keegan returned her attention to the men in front of her. "Look, I know you both hate to hear this, boys aren't the only ones with hormones," she smiled inwardly as they both cringed. "Doesn't mean I'm going to act on them. And it doesn't mean I'm going to let him act on them either," she insisted. "Give me a little credit here. I'm not just some dumb-ass bimbo. You raised me better than that."

With a sigh of resignation, Dave rolled his eyes and pulled his daughter close to his chest. "Even smart girls do stupid shit sometimes," he reminded. "Be careful."

John hugged her next, dropping a kiss on the top of his eldest daughter's head. "I'm still gonna break his neck if he tries anything."

Rolling her eyes, Keegan smiled at her mom and then looked back at her dads. "I'm not gonna be tricked into the back seat of his car you guys. Jeez!" With a vixen's smirk, she shrugged her shoulders non-chalantly. "If we end up there, it'll be because I want it."

"Keegan Grace," Dave started, his voice low as his daughter flounced away with another loud laugh. Clenching his fists, he glared at Jennifer, who was wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. "Your daughter is going to give me a heart attack."

Shaking her head, Jennifer tilted her face toward his. "You're not pinnin' this one on me, Mr. Batista. You're the one who let her spend all that time on the road, hangin' out with half-dressed Divas." Looking behind her husband, she nodded to where Randy was groping Ashley, sucking on her lips as he kept her pinned to the half-wall behind them. "How'd you expect her to turn out?"

"Food's done," Edge announced before Dave could respond.

As they watched their guests swarming the table, Dave and Jennifer took a moment to observe their girls at a distance. Heidi disappeared in the house, cell phone to her ear, no doubt discussing business, as she usually was. Hillary was cuddled close to her fiancee, listening to the conversation he was having with Holly, probably about the youngest Batista's plans following her upcoming college graduation.

In the midst of the crowd, Keegan was helping Katie fill her plate while Kendall chattered on about whatever had popped into her melodramatic head for the moment. When Heidi returned and draped her arm around Keegan's shoulder, the two shared a knowing smile and a giggle.

As Dave moved to the table, Jennifer felt another shoulder brush against hers. Turning, she smiled at John. "That bathing suit is too revealing," he said flatly, watching his daughter carefully.

"You'd rather she swim in sweats?" Jennifer asked, her eyebrow raised.

"No," John protested, shaking his head. "I'd rather she still be five, running around in overalls and carrying her My Little Pony purse."

Jennifer bit her lip and shook her head. "She does still carry that purse, ya know?" she said softly. "Apparently, it's very retro right now," she enlightened.

John nodded and watched his oldest daughter sit in the grass between her boyfriend and her little sisters. "She's a good kid, Jen. Half-naked, but a good kid," he shook his head and cracked his knuckles again. "Jury's still out on this Brad kid, though." After a long moment of silence, he added, "It's weird how things turned out, huh?" Her expression was slightly confused. "I mean, you and me, one night in Germany. Who knew it would lead to all of this someday?"

Thinking back on it, Jennifer had to admit that she never could have dreamt into existence the life that she had come to call her own. "I sure as hell didn't," she admitted. Turning to him, she smiled warmly. Referring back to a question she had asked him more than ten years ago, Jennifer put a hand on her one-time lover's arm. "Do you regret it?"

He shook his head, his eyes never leaving her face. "Not for a fucking second." Licking his lips, he looked back at Jennifer. "Do you?"

With another sweeping look over the yard, her eyes caught Dave, laughing with Edge and Randy over some shared joke. Lita, Ashley, and Trish smacked each of the men with annoyed looks on their faces. Out of her eyeline, Jennifer could hear Keegan, Katie, and Kendall creating a symphony of laughter in the yard.

Motioning for John to join her as they walked toward the food, she shook her head. "Not for a fucking second."