Faded - Chapter 1
Stephanie was walking down the London streets, aimlessly lost in thought. According to Adam Pierson, it'd been at least a year since she'd been brought into the hospital with life threatening injuries, and six months since she'd emerged from a coma. With no past and an uncertain future.
As she looked at the store windows on her way back to Adam's loft, she pondered the dreams and flashes of memory she'd been having lately. It seemed like an incoherent mess that she couldn't figure out and was draining to try to figure out all the bits and pieces. Most bits passed quickly, and gave her no clue as to who she really was.
She walked into the loft she shared with her Adam, who had become more than her doctor, but also her friend. Shy and quiet at times, he had a sarcastic wit that he wasn't afraid to use. A complex man with paradoxical contradictions.
It was never more evident than when she walked into the loft. A mixture of modern and quaint antiquity was through out the place she'd called home for six months. Books neatly places on shelves and antique swords, some of which looked quite old and quite used.......
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sliding door of the flat. "Hello Stephanie," Adam said, with a small little smirk that was so characteristic of his face.
"Hey Adam," Steph answered back quietly. "Made any progress today?" he asked.
Stephanie shook her head. "I don't think so, not really." "Have anymore dreams last night?" He asked with a seemingly innocent expression on his face though Steph knew better. He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of beer. He and his beer, Stephanie thought, how can he drink so much beer and still be upright, let alone think clearly.
He glanced at the expression on Stephanie's face as he asked the question about her dreams. He was concerned about her. He knew she was having dreams and incoherent flashes of memory that she was having trouble sorting out. He wanted to help her desperately.
"You know it might be helpful if you talked about it," He said.
Stephanie sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table with Adam. "Well, last night I dreamed I was at an alter. I think I was in a wedding dress, with a blond man up ahead smiling at me."
"Do you think it was your husband?" Adam asked, pointing out the wedding ring gracing her finger.
Stephanie shook her head emphatically, "I don't know, It was a wedding and the guy may have been the one I was supposed to marry.....but......She trailed off.
"But what?" Adam prompted.
"It was almost as if I was waiting for something to happen to stop it. Like I knew the wedding wasn't going to take place."
"Did the wedding happen?" Adam asked.
"I don't think it did. The last thing I remember was there was some sort of commotion and everyone was glancing at the source, but before I could see what had caused the commotion, I woke up," recalled Stephanie.
"Anything else?" Adam asked again.
"It felt like there was a lot of people around, more than there should be at a wedding," She said.
"What were you feeling and thinking?" Adam pushed, in doctor mode as Stephanie had come to think of it.
"Just an impatience, I think. Just a wanting to get the affair over with. If I could just remember, what I was waiting for, I could.....Ugh! This is so frustrating. Six months and all I can remember is a wedding that I can't be sure if it took place or not." She smacked the palm of her hand against the surface of the mahogany table in frustration.
"Hey, it may not seem like it, you ARE making progress. This is the first time that you've actually connected the memory with emotional response.
It'll come back soon I promise," Adam said softly.
"You're a good friend," Stephanie said, getting up to kiss Adam on the cheek. Suddenly she nearly went down dizzily. Adam caught her before she went to the floor.
"Steph, what is it? Another memory?" Adam asked urgently.
"Yeah, yeah, I think so," Steph responded, accepting Adam's help back into the chair.
"Think you can tell me about it?" He asked gently, not wanting to push her into remembering something she didn't want to remember.
Stephanie's words tumbled out at once: "I was locked in some sort of huge basement or something like that. I - I'm scared and alone and wondering why my father hasn't found me yet."
Adam was surprised at this development, it was the first time either of her parents had been mentioned, "Is this before of after the wedding?'
"It was before, I think. It's cold and dark and I'm scared," She stated again.
"Do you know who's holding you captive?" he pressed on.
"No, I'm drawing a blank.... Wait somebody else is in there. He's calling "Stephanie." He's calling my name!"
This was the first confirmation that the name she'd been using for so many months was, in fact, her real name. Hoping for a breakthrough, he pressed further, Is he the same guy from the wedding?"
No, he's shorter, his hair's kinda short, spike and dark. He's got some sort of red substance all over his body. I think he's trying to help me, I feel kinda safe with him," Steph said slowly.
"Do you remember anything else?" Adam asked.
"No," said Stephanie, shaken by the memory she'd just had. "Oh, God, Adam, I'm scared. What if whoever had me locked up is still out there?"
He took Stephanie in his arms. "Well, at least we can no longer say that your previous life was boring.
Stephanie groaned, "you and your sense of humor."
"Look, we've got confirmation that your name really IS Stephanie and you've had two coherent flashes of memory. We'll figure out all the pieces in time, okay?" Adam asked trying to soothe Steph's fears.
"Okay," Stephanie replied, not sure if she really wanted to find out more, based on the flash she'd just had. She walked over to the window and wondered whatever happened to her kidnapper.
Mideon rode around England trying to find a reliable bike shop to get some brake fluid for the motorcycle he owned. He never called the bike his own. He knew who really owned the ride. He just wasn't coming back to claim it.
He walked into the shop lost in his own thoughts as he made the order for the fluid. It had been at least a year since the Undertaker and Stephanie McMahon - Helmsley died tragically in the plane crash, not far from where Mideon was. Things had changed drastically and radically since that time. Everybody who remembered them was having trouble adjusting, especially Taker's younger brother Kane.
And Steven Richards is not helping matters, Mideon snorted derisively.
"Is that all?" said a gruff voice, that barely penetrated Mideon's thoughts.
"Yeah it is. Thanks." Said Mideon reaching into his wallet for his traveler's check.
Mideon couldn't help but wonder if that if, Taker were still alive, RTC wouldn't have a chance in hell of doing what they were doing to Kane. Or the rest of the Federation for that matter.
He heard the can thump onto the counter breaking him from his thoughts once again. "What's the price?" Mideon asked.
"The price is on the can," the gruff voice answered, "that's a cool ride."
"Thanks, it wa - "Mideon broke off looking up from making the check. The voice sounded chilling familiar. He turned to the direction of the voice.
He saw the man looking past Mideon, presumably at the bike parked outside. Mideon's mouth gaped open as he dropped the check he was making out and tried in vain not to pee in his pants.
For the man in front of him looked exactly like the Undertaker.