The cool night air rushed against her face. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling, she had spent the past eighteen hours on a stuffy greyhound bus sitting next to a rather large man who sounded like a car's motor when he snored. She raised her arms skywards and stretched her whole body. Finishing the stretching with the cracking of her neck, something she had inherited from her father.

She shouldered her duffle bag and started up the long driveway. As she neared the house where she would be staying the automatic lights illuminated the front of the house. A man stepped onto the porch as her foot touched the first rickety wooden step.

"You must be Rian, it's nice to finally meet you." Bruce Hart smiled at her. He extended his large hand for her to shake.

"It's an honor sir really." Her voice was soft like her father's and maybe a little timid. She fidgeted a little, he took notice of that. Her father used to do the same thing.

She was about five foot six in stature, not as tall as some of the female wrestlers out there but he could sense her inner strength. "You look like him you know." It was true, she had that same crooked smile and piercing blue eyes. He could see the danger that was just behind the surface of those placid blue orbs.

She looked away from him. She knew he had not meant to insult her with the comparison. She knew she looked like the man who was in part responsible for her very life. But his words cut a never healing wound within her.

He noticed her discomfort. "Please come in out of the cold. Are you hungry?"

"Yes." She admitted a little shamefully. She looked at her shoes. Life had not been easy on her as of late. That is why she was here, she was broke with nothing to show for herself. Nothing but a rage that only seemed sated when someone else lay bleeding on a mat beneath her.

"Well my father never turned away a willing student. He fed them and gave them shelter and honed their talent. Now I do the same. Welcome to the dungeon Rian. Let's see if you can survive."

--

She fell hard against the mat. She spit blood from in between her two front teeth. Nattie Neidhart stood above her with a sneer on her face. Nattie or Natalya as they called her in the WWE seemed to have developed an instant distaste for her.

"Come on Scum stand up." Nattie taunted her. She kept gesturing her hands for Rian to stand up. Bruce was watching them from the corner of the ring, he nodded to Rian to stand up. He was measuring her up. Rian spit up some more blood before slowly getting to her feet. She cracked her neck as the rest of her body screamed at her to give up. She locked up with Nattie again. "You do not belong here. You are a disgrace, a charity case."

Rian grit her teeth. She was getting tired of the third generation female mighty quick. She closed her eyes for a moment before running her tongue against her teeth. She could taste her own blood, her father's blood. She broke the lock up and hit Nattie hard in the face. Nattie returned the slap with one of her own. Nattie whipped her against the ropes. Rian hissed in pain as they cut into her bare back. She exhaled to calm to keep her lower lip from quivering. Maybe she shouldn't be doing this, maybe Nattie was right. She did not belong.

Nattie kicked her in the stomach, the wind was knocked out of her body. The blonde Canadian grabbed Rian's hair, pulling the younger woman's face close to her own. "You are nothing but a bastard. You will never amount to anything."

Rian saw red. She punched Nattie in the face and then she did it again and again. Nattie fell backwards onto the mat. Now it was Rian's turn to taunt. "Come on Princess." Rian rolled her shoulders. "Time to make a fool of you in front of your uncle. Too bad your grandfather is dead it would have been nice for him to see me making you my bitch."

Nattie stood but the pounding in her head made her slow. Rian close-lined her with ease. Before Nattie could stop her Rian had her in a sharpshooter. Unlike on TV Rian's intention was to cause pain. Nattie cried out but that only made Rian madder and she increased pressure. "Don't be a fool. Tap out." Rian spat. "There is at least honor in that." Nattie tapped out. But it was at that moment her hatred for Rian grew. Rian released Nattie's legs. Bruce made his way into the ring. He helped his niece up.

"Good fight Nat." He patted her on the back.

"Sleep with one eye open Kennedy this is not over." Nattie limped over to the ropes and carefully got out of the ring.

"Not bad for someone who has had very little training." Bruce appraised her performance. "With time maybe you too will have a contract under Vince McMahon."

"Why not ... it's not like I am attached to my soul or anything." she muttered disrespectfully.

"Rian ..." he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Vince has done a lot for my family."

"I am not questioning your dedication to the man. That does not mean that I have to follow his every word blindly. For what he took from me I can never forgive." She shrugged Bruce's hand off of her shoulder and rolled out of the ring.

"Foolish kid. Stubborn like her old man." He shook his head sadly. "She's gonna end up just like him if she is not careful."