The cemetery was overcast by the grey sky as Ned walked towards his father’s tombstone. He had mulled over whether or not he was going to come here today, but he had decided he needed to earlier in the day. He couldn’t quite explain it. It was a need to come back and talk just one last time before the year was finished. Hoisted over his arm was a small, foldable camping chair. In a swift motion, he had it set up shortly after arriving at the resting place of his father, sitting in it following a slight hesitation. Ned tried to parse through his thoughts, pondering what to say. He had just begun to open his mouth when any attempt to speak was sharply lost on its way out. Ned gulped, swallowing the emotion that built in an attempt to clear his throat and thoughts.

“Hey, Dad. Been a crazy year without you.”

“I keep thinking that I’m gonna get used to going home and not seeing you, but I never do. Sometimes, I wonder what you’d say if you could see me. I haven’t been the best version of myself this year, but I’m making progress. I’m beginning to walk a little taller again. And every now and then, my mind will wander and I think about what you’d say if you saw me. I’m still so frustrated you never got to share that moment of my first title victory with me. I find myself hoping you lied to me or you’re just hiding out somewhere, so that one day I can just have another long chat with you again. Maybe over some coffee, like we used to.”

His head falls, eyes closing as he allows the words to break free.

“The hardest part is knowing someday you not being around will be normal. Nate won’t say it, but I know that he’d give anything just to have even one conversation with you again. Mom’s gotten so quiet since you left and I don’t think she does it consciously. That’s how profound your absence is to us. And the more I give it thought, the more I realize how gracious I am that I got to have a father like you. So many people loved you, Dad, and I know that’s reflective of who you were. So many hearts are broken even over a year after your passing because you made this world just a little brighter with every single step you took. I strive to be a person like you. To change people’s lives the way you did. To impact even half as many people positively. You are my biggest inspiration. I hope people look at me and say, “See him? That’s David’s kid.” I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you’re never forgotten. Because you are worth it, Dad. I-”

Ned held back tears, holding a clenched fist against his forehead. As the tears finally broke through, he heard a voice approach from behind.

“Is there room for another chair here?”

Looking up, Ned saw the face of his psychiatrist Dr. Urias Pheelanruff, a camping chair similar in size to Ned’s in his hands. Kaye wiped his eyes and sniffed a bit regaining composure.

“How’d you know I’d be here?”

“Well, you weren’t exactly subtle in our sessions over the past couple of weeks. And believe it or not, I do pay attention. Just thought I’d swing by in case you were here and I lucked out.”

Ned paused a bit, slightly distrustful of Urias’s explanation.

“So, when did Nate tell you?”

“As soon as you left!”

Pheelanruff’s bright smile turns to a bit of a frustrated frown as he realizes he gave away a bit more than intended.

“Okay, he mighta tipped me off, but I did remember!”

“Look, I appreciate it, Doc, but I don’t think I want to be around a psychiatrist right now.”

“...How about a friend?”

Ned looked up at the man, a small smile growing on his face before giving a slight nod. Urias quickly set up his seat next to Ned, falling back to sit in it and instantly feeling himself get stuck in the chair. The Notorious One gave him a concerned look as he waved it off.

“We’ll just cross that bridge when we get there. Continue.”

Ned sighed, visibly unsure.

“It’s… it’s just gonna be a little difficult with someone else here.”

Urias tilted his head.

“Really? Don’t you talk in front of a large audience pretty often, buddy? I imagine you’ve had to do that for a while.”

“Actually, I was kind of a shyer kid back in the day. It was Dad who really helped me find my own voice. I still remember performing little promos for him and mom when I was younger and even when I started wrestling. He always told me…”

Pheelanruff smiled on as Ned spoke, listening to him recount a few stories of his father.

---

“We’re always changing. All of us, whether we realize it or not.”

“And the ways in which we change are affected drastically by those we surround ourselves with. That influence or others in our lives isn’t something to be feared or rejected, but to be celebrated and revered, in some ways. That’s why it’s so tragic to see someone like Tommy Wish surround himself with BOB. No one forces him to stay around them, to be set in his ways, yet he has chosen to be around self-proclaimed supervillains who trick and grift people for the sheer thrill of it. You don’t have to be that way, Tommy. And I want to show you that. To prove that to you. And that’s not something just a good champion is supposed to do. It’s something a good man is supposed to do. So, allow me to show you just what a good man is capable of in the face of darkness, in case Robbie wasn’t proof enough for you.”

"You can't run from yourself."