EPILOGUE

December 12, 2011—Raw Supershow featuring the Slammy Awards

Lita walked out of the dressing room. It had been fun catching up with some of the girls, and she had gotten to talk to some of the guys as well upon arriving at the arena. She couldn't deny that she still got a kick out of the pop she got from the crowd; they were still trying to convince her to come back for another run, but that…that was out of the question.

The factor that made that completely out of the question suddenly walked around the corner as she was coming down the hall. Lita froze. She hadn't seen him like this in years…his long curly brown hair and the mask…that new mask was more frightening than any of the previous ones. She had heard rumors of an accident several months prior, something about a fire, but as far as she could tell from his uncovered arms, the scarring was minimal. His face might be a different story.

Kane stopped at the sight of the redhead in front of him, and she noticed he was carrying something that looked like a welder's mask. She smoothed her dress nervously and opened her mouth to say hello, something inane like that. Her voice died in her throat at the sudden appearance of the figure beside Kane.

She was tall, taller than she looked on television, toned and muscled in all the right places, and that hair…Lita didn't know whether it was a wig or not, but she had to admit that white hair was gorgeous. Not that she ever would admit that. And her eyes…stunning green orbs yes…but very cold. She was dressed in red and black to match Kane.

Lita was suddenly very frightened.

Gabrielle stared at the shorter woman, who cleared her throat and brushed a strand of red hair out of her face. Lita looked extremely embarrassed. "Hello," she finally managed to say. Kane merely looked at her for a long moment, then turned to look down at Gabrielle, who met his gaze. She turned back to look at Lita, and the utter lack of emotion in her face was unsettling.

"You've said what you had to say. Now if you'll excuse us…" Gabrielle took Kane's heavily muscled arm and began to walk right past Lita, who wasn't used to being brushed off that way.

"Excuse me, I don't know what bullshit stories he's been telling you, but—" Lita cut off as Gabrielle stepped right in front of her, and there was something very dark flickering in those emerald eyes. When she spoke, her voice was deadly soft.

"I said, if you'll excuse us…not that I expect a thankless whore like you to even know the meaning of the word 'respect', since you proved to have zero for Kane. He told me enough; I watched the old tapes; I know what happened. I know what you and every other slut who used him did, so it's probably best if you do your little routine out there tonight and leave as soon as you get done. We have nothing left to say to you." She stepped back, her eyes still on Lita, and took Kane's arm again. They brushed past her, and Lita stood there for a moment, the pit of her stomach feeling like it was ice. Never before had she felt such fear of another woman, never. She shook her head to try and clear it and made her way to the front; she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible…

Kane sat on the sofa in their private dressing room, watching as Gabrielle snacked from a small plate of cheese and fruit. He had been very lucky his burns hadn't been as bad as the doctors had first thought, but the idea of bringing the mask back had been planted, and as he recuperated, he and Gabrielle came up with the designs for a new mask and new ring wear. They had stayed at his cabin in Tennessee, going into Knoxville for treatments as needed. And still there were days Kane woke up, Gabrielle beside him, and he would touch her just to make sure she was still real, that it all was real. The unspoken question was there between them, but he wanted to wait; marriage hadn't even been touched upon, but they both knew…some day…

And then there was John Cena. He had done his duty as Gabrielle's friend, calling and texting to check on Kane's progress, but Kane had seen him when they arrived at the arena. He had seen his eyes when he saw Gabrielle, and knew that the feelings Cena had for her hadn't gone away. They had spoken, been polite, but Kane saw Cena's face fall when Gabrielle took Kane's hand as they turned to go to their dressing room. That might prove to be a problem after all, he thought silently, especially when he knew his first act upon making his return would be to chokeslam a stunned Cena.

Right now, though, he wasn't going to dwell on it. He and Gabrielle had approved the teaser videos the WWE had been putting out, about his "resurrection", and he couldn't think of a more appropriate word for what had happened. For over a year now, his life had been a rollercoaster ride of so many ups and downs; he realized that he wouldn't have changed anything for the life he had now. Even though the question of what had really happened to the Undertaker was still there, as well as Gabrielle's miraculous recovery from what he had been sure was certain death.

He had never asked her, but he could guess. The Undertaker's blood had granted her more than a few psychic gifts, which had disappeared after the incident at the funeral home.

But he would not ask her these questions now. Tonight was their night; he liked that, referring to the two of them as a unit. And as Gabrielle finished her snack and took a drink of bottled water, he couldn't help but smile his crooked grin. She saw it and her own lips twitched in a smile. "What are you smiling about, darling?" He shook his head. "You. Just you. And always you." She leaned over and kissed him. "Always," she whispered to him. "Yes…always…"

Well, that's the end of that story, one that has dragged on for over a year now. With Kane's return to the mask on Raw, I felt it was time to end this story and move on to a new one. I just wanted to thank everyone who has followed Kane and Gabrielle on this long strange trip, and I hope you'll continue to follow them. I do have a small idea for another story…hopefully it won't be too long before I can get it started. Thanks again, guys, you're awesome!